Zoro tossed and turned on his hard bed as the torchlight flickering in the cavern's halls threw demonic shadows across the walls. Nearby he could hear the others snoring and snuffling in their respective slumbers, and he wondered why he had such a difficult time drifting off. It was not the bed he occupied—goodness knows that he had slept in harder and dirtier conditions than this—but the circumstances. Bonney had laughed in his face earlier that day, mocking him for having abandoned his duel with Tashigi; she had refused to turn the Marine back, and had even threatened to expose Tashigi's identity if Zoro pressed too hard. I'll turn her back when I feel like it, the Supernova had said.

Zoro would have killed her, had she not been the only one who could return Tashigi to her adult form.

There was also the issue of Ace's fate. The Whitebeard pirate had not been seen since his execution date, and although everyone claimed that they were to wait for the duration of one week, he could tell that they were getting antsy. He himself had refused to leave Luffy's side save for when they were engaging in activities that necessitated solitude (such as using the toilet, for instance). Luffy had been surprisingly light-hearted about his brother's absence, but Zoro knew that Luffy trusted Ace's power--if Portgas was out of seastone cuffs, then he would be able to fend more than adequately for himself.

Tomorrow at midnight is the deadline, Zoro thought wearily. He looked to where Luffy was clutching his hat a few feet away. What will you do, Captain?

Would you pursue your own father to rescue your brother? Does he even need rescuing?

Zoro finally managed to fall into an uneasy slumber, shivering as he felt a stiff wind pierce the layers of blankets he covered himself with to escape the chilly air.

The wind howled through the Pirate's Summit, shaking the fire of the pine torches.

---

"In three hours, the deadline will be up." Whitebeard stood and stretched his limbs. The ice that had been left from his battle with Aokiji was out of his system. "We must then implement our next plan."

"Going after the revolutionaries?" Shanks sucked in his breath with a sharp whistling sound. "That's risky business…"

"Yet it's one that we had all agreed upon," Whitebeard growled. "Do you mean to say that you will not participate?" His hand strayed to his side where his spear leaned against his chair.

Shanks shook his head. "No, my crew will help this endeavor. It will not be particularly difficult to find them, considering how often pirates and revolutionaries deal with one another. However, we can only find the ones we know about—and we cannot be sure of the size of Dragon's forces. They may number anywhere from a hundred to a hundred thousand. There are reasons that he has eluded capture for so long, old man, you must realize this! We might even be walking into a trap!"

"If you are so afraid then leave!" Whitebeard roared. "We do not need men of such weak countenance here! Go!"

Shanks stood angrily; his hands shook, and the air trembled.

"Steady, captain," Ben said soothingly. Shanks sat again, shaking with fury. There are too many big names here, Zoro thought. Their power is clashing...this cannot last.

"If my own son's life was not at stake, then you would be short an enormous asset," Shanks spat. He looked around. "Speaking of sons…Zoro, where's Luffy?"

Zoro snorted as he jerked awake; he had been snoozing with his eyes half-open and his mouth hanging slightly open. "Nnnz…wha?" He rubbed his eyes wearily; losing sleep last night had done him no good. "He went fishing with the rest of the crew. He didn't want to be here today, he said something about it being boring." Zoro trusted in his crew's ability to protect Luffy, especially with Sanji on hand (although he'd never admit it to the cook), and Luffy had complained about not being able to go out anywhere. "Robin's been listening in, though." Zoro turned down the collar of his shirt, where an ear and an eye peeked out curiously. A mouth sprouted on his forehead and spoke.

"Hello, gentlemen," Robin greeted them pleasantly. "It's quite lovely weather out here today. It's unusually warm for the season. Oh, Nami-chan, watch your book—the boys are splashing."

"Splashing?" Zoro said in alarm. "But the Devil Fruit users can't swim."

Robin chuckled. "Franky, Sanji, and Brooke are all keeping watch. Usopp would as well, but he's busy playing with the rest of them."

"That brat…" Whitebeard muttered under his breath. "Doesn't he understand the situation?"

"He's been very tense. This is a good stress reliever," Robin said gently. Zoro resisted the urge to scratch his forehead and collarbone; having her body sprouting all over him tended to make him itch. "Do not worry."

"Well, tell him to come back," Whitebeard snapped. "We have urgent matters to discuss."

"Believe me, Robin's the one who should know this. Luffy wouldn't know how to process this information," Zoro snorted. He winced as he felt the skin on his forehead stretch as Robin uttered a gasp. "Robin! What was that?"

"Luffy!" Robin cried. Zoro stiffened—if the suave Robin was disturbed by something, then it must be bad. "Wait—cook-san, be careful! He's—"

"Robin!" Zoro threw his chair aside and began to run outside. "Where are you guys? I'll come, so try to hold up until then!" The other captains and their first mates followed him.

"Luffy…" Robin's voice was soft, and desolate. "I can show you the way, swordsman-san, but…it is too late." Her voice shook but Zoro looked up and saw a line of hands pointing down the hallways.

"Thanks, Robin," Zoro said quietly. He ran as swiftly as he could, feeling her mouth, ear, and eye disappear.

When he found his crew, he gaped in shock. He could feel the other captains stopping behind him, speechless. The Mugiwara Crew had been known far and wide as strong and capable in battle, as well as versatile in surviving on the seven seas.

The crew, sans the captain and first mate, was thrown about the rocky beach. They had been utterly and, judging by the time it took, easily defeated.

Zoro ran forward and quickly dragged the Devil Fruit users who were hanging onto the rocks as the surf dragged at them. "You guys! What happened?" he demanded, pounding Chopper's chest to get the salt water out and pulling Brooke with the other arm. He saw Franky, Usopp, and Sanji half in the water and half on the shore. Chopper coughed, spitting out a mix of blood and water.

"Luffy…" Chopper sobbed, clutching Zoro. Nami, Tashigi, and Robin rose unsteadily from the rocks. They had been thrown aside, but were merely incapacitated rather than physically beaten. Everyone seemed too stunned to say anything as they merely stared miserably at him.

"Robin?" Zoro felt a tinge of pleading enter his voice, begging her to gather her strength and tell him what had happened. She shuddered, turning away before speaking softly.

"They took him, Zoro."

"Who? Dragon?" Zoro demanded as he repeated the procedure he had used on Chopper on the other men. Sanji hacked out a cough, expelling a mixture of brine and blood.

"Zoro," Sanji coughed. "Dragon came and took Luffy. It wasn't just him, though."

"The other revolutionaries, then?" Zoro asked. "How many? To have defeated you like this…"

Sanji shook his head. His eyes were downcast, and Zoro began to take in the other injuries that they had sustained. There wasn't just trauma from being thrown against the rocks and the water, but red blisters bubbling on their skin as well. A particularly nasty wound was visible on Sanji's arms; it was an angry crimson that was in harsh contrast to his pale skin, made even more contrasted by the cold water.

"There were only two. Dragon…and Ace."

---

The Mugiwara Crew was taken into the Pirate's Summit to be taken care of, as Chopper was in no condition to treat the crew. Zoro refused to leave their sides and hovered in his own way by constantly being present in the room. He saw that Sanji had suffered the worst injuries. The cook must have taken up the responsibility of watching after the crew in Zoro's absence, but must have overstretched himself. Zoro had forgotten about how the top three fighters divided their responsibilities—he, Luffy, and Sanji would work together to protect the others. With Zoro gone and Luffy captured, Sanji would have had a hard time going solo. Zoro moved from his station against the wall and dragged an empty barrel next to the cot where Sanji was sleeping; he saw that the golden strands that he had absently admired were singed, and that his forehead was scrunched in an anxious scowl.

"Shit…the one time I let him go without me, this happens," Zoro muttered. He looked up as he heard Whitebeard come in. The big man himself comes and visits? Zoro thought, only with a little bitterness aimed at Whitebeard. "Shh, they're sleeping," Zoro muttered, and Whitebeard merely nodded once in acknowledgment of this.

"I must speak to them when they wake." Whitebeard leaned against the wall and stared down at Sanji. "How much do you trust this man?"

Zoro glanced up briefly at Whitebeard before turning back to Sanji. He knew what Whitebeard was thinking as he looked at the one who had told him about his own crewmember's betrayal. "I would trust him with my life," Zoro said solemnly as he pulled out Wado Ichimonji and held it parallel to Sanji's body. "I swear on my sword that this man would not, nor would any other member of this crew, tell a lie of that sort. Not even our resident liar would say something like that about Ace unless he had seen it with his own eyes."

Whitebeard continued to regard Sanji with a guarded expression. "I have only ever once had to deal with betrayal within my family. Ace was the one I had trusted to take care of the traitor, but now…" Zoro didn't say a word; he knew that this must have been hard for a man as proud as Whitebeard to speak of.

Sanji stirred slightly, feeling a disturbance in the air, and Zoro put a finger to his lips.

Hush.

Whitebeard left. He was strong, but the power of one willing to die protecting his loved ones was a formidable strength.

---

Luffy.

Zoro sighed as he kept watch on the door, his eyes flickering to his crew every once in a while.

Luffy.

He groaned; he could hear his crewmates calling out to Luffy in their sleep, even when their lips did not move at all. They were crying for him…

Zoro didn't care to admit that he was calling after his captain as well.

"Roronoa," a voice said from the doorway. Zoro looked up and saw Bonney looking at him with an odd expression. "It's time for another meeting."

"I'm not leaving their sides," Zoro retorted as he leaned back more comfortably. Bonney rolled her eyes.

"Dragon already has what he wants. There's no reason for him to target any of the rest of them." She dug in her pockets and drew out a hardtack biscuit, nibbling on it with a look of disgust. "Man, I miss the pizza from home. Just come along, would you? Nothing will harm them in here. You're in one of the deepest rooms in the Summit, and Dragon would have to get past all of our crews to reach yours—if he even wanted to, that is. He already has his sons." When Zoro didn't move, she sighed. "Is this about the girl?"

"What?" Zoro blinked before looking at Tashigi, who was sleeping between Nami and Robin. "Oh, her. I kind of forgot about her."

Bonney snorted before standing beside Tashigi. She held her hands steadily over the Marine's body, and Zoro watched silently as Tashigi aged from a young girl to an elderly woman.

"Oy," he warned her. "Stop playing around."

Bonney scowled, but finally returned Tashigi to her original state. "There. Happy?"

Zoro shrugged. "Thanks. I'm still not going, though."

"It would be unwise of you to miss this meeting." Basil Hawkins stood in the doorway, rearranging tarot cards in the air. "Your crew will come to no further harm today."

"You said that about Ace, but the way he escaped was not what we desired," Zoro snapped. "I don't trust your voodoo."

Hawkins paused for a brief moment before sticking his head into the corridor and looking left and right. "I'm sure that it would be acceptable to move the meeting to the neighboring room," he mused. "The other one is far too large for its purposes. I will speak to Whitebeard on your behalf." He left, and Bonney scuffed the floor sourly as she drew out another hardtack biscuit.

"These rations are disgusting," she muttered darkly under her breath as she followed the other man.

Zoro sat there, contemplating. He could see that his crew was obviously very worried, yet he couldn't bring himself to fret over Luffy's disappearance. It was an odd feeling. Maybe it's because he's with his family? But I had hated Ace until just a few months ago…but I can't help but feel that somehow Luffy is safe, wherever he is. Whether he's happy is another story…

I don't know where he is, but I might be able to find out by cooperating with these people.

Zoro stood and walked out to find the captains walking towards him, with Whitebeard and Hawkins in the lead. "We will conduct the meeting in this room," Whitebeard informed Zoro, pointing to the space adjacent to the infirmary. "However, since everyone else in your crew is…disabled at the moment, you must represent them. We have not informed the other crews of Monkey's disappearance, in order to keep from undermining their morale; the loss of a Supernova is devastating." They all sat down, and Whitebeard unfurled a long parchment with words scrawled across it in tiny script. "This is a list of all known and confirmed revolutionaries. It was hard to obtain, but my men did it. This…" He pulled out a map of what Zoro recognized as the New World. "…is their base. Considering the way that their agents are spread out across the world, I had originally thought that they would be centered in Europe, but as it turns out they all report back here. It's very easy to come here and shed your identity, over and over again, as they so often do."

"So, we're going back?" Zoro cradled his head in his hands as he looked at Whitebeard with an odd expression. "I never thought I'd make the trip from here to the New World once, let alone three times back and forth."

"Scared, Roronoa?" Kid sneered. Zoro glared at him, but didn't respond; a man like that wasn't worth his time.

"We must stock our ships tonight and prepare to leave tomorrow morning," Marco said. "There have been far too many Marine sightings in the waters outside of the mists, and to stay here would prove to be disastrous if we were to be found. We could easily survive a siege, but that is not our main focus at the moment. The ships will sail in a formation with the single-ship crews on the edges of the triangle formation and our ships at the head. The only pirate crews to accompany us will be Shanks's and any Supernova's crew who wishes to come along. The rest may return to catering to their whims."

With that, Zoro rose and walked swiftly to the infirmary again, where he resumed his position of watchdog.

As he sat down and noticed—once again—the absence of raven hair covered by a straw hat, the impact of what had passed that day finally hit him.

I'm such a fool…!

The walls shuddered under the impact of his fists as he banged the walls mindlessly, seeking to somehow escape the trap of his mind as he went over the scene he had seen at the beach: his nakama scattered, and his captain gone.