A light breeze wove in and around the stately mangrove trees. It lifted and made the iridescent resin bubbles dance gently along the shoreline. It was a cloudless, moonlit night—or would have been if the baleful glow of a raging fire wasn't making noon of evening sky and smoke didn't choke the air.
Zoro's head broke the water and he retched, sea water spraying from his mouth. Once his lungs cleared, he gulped air in shuddering breaths and tried to pull away from the arm wound about his waist.
"Stop fighting me, idiot!" Sanji hissed.
"Need to get back…"
Sanji looked over his shoulder at the inferno consuming the tavern they'd been eating at just minutes before. The blood running through his hair made the usually gold locks match the orange flames licking up the sides of the building.
"They got Luffy and the others, but whatever those things are…we're outclassed right now. We need to get to the ship and regroup."
"What we need to do is go back!"
Zoro tried to pull free again, but even that small effort cost him. He bit back a groan.
The cook's face was unreadable under the matted bangs, but his voice mirrored Zoro's own barely restrained fury. "No," he said firmly. "Getting yourself killed won't save anyone. Once we know what we're dealing with…we'll get them back. All of them." His arm tightened around Zoro's waist, and he began to swim again.
A crushing fatigue stole Zoro's snarl, and he let himself be towed to a small, sheltered spot partially concealed by the looping roots of the great Yarukiman trees. Sanji propped him up against one and took a deep breath. The other man had just closed his eyes when they suddenly snapped back open. He listened intently for a moment, then pushed off the tangled earth bank and dove under the water. Zoro reached for his swords as he watched the black clad legs dip beneath the surface.
A minute passed. Then two. Zoro was about to go after him when the familiar head came back into view. He was dragging someone with him. Zoro kept his hands on his swords as they approached.
Sanji glided up and dumped his passenger against another root. Zoro leaned in for a better look. It was a man around their own age wearing a strange hat with some kind of pom-pom on top. His face was partially obscured by the brim, but he looked in as bad a shape as they did.
"Shachi…" the man croaked. "Please…! He's still…" The man pointed back at the direction they'd come from where the flames danced on the water's surface.
Sanji cursed and kicked off.
"Co—"
Zoro ground his teeth and watched the lean figure disappear again.
The man in the hat slumped heavily against the snaking, twisted wood, but his eyes followed the ripples intently. Zoro divided his attention between both man and water, hand wrapped firmly around Sandai Kitetsu's hilt.
"Who are you?"
The man wearily tapped his water-logged hat. The word "Penguin" was written on the front in bold black lettering.
"Just…call me Penguin."
"You a pirate?"
"Heart…pirates…" Penguin gave him a long look from under the brim of the hat. "…And you're Roronoa Zoro."
Zoro considered him carefully. He'd not heard of the Heart pirates, but if they were on Sabaody, they must at the least be tough and somewhat competent. Anyone who made it on the Grand Line had to be, really. And if he knew who Zoro was, then it was cause for extra caution. Pirates were a competitive, violent lot by nature, and taking down rival bounties was a time-honored tradition. This Penguin also had the air of a fighter, however badly injured he was at the moment.
As if sensing this line of thought, Penguin waved his hand placatingly. "Not after you… Just know of you. M'grateful for…the help." He coughed, winced, and sagged against the roots again. "My thanks to you and your crewmate…"
Zoro's hand remained within easy reach of his swords. "Save it for when he returns. He was hit."
The other man didn't miss the unspoken threat. He straightened a bit and scanned the water.
Zoro lifted his chin at the chaos in the distance. "You part of what happened back there?"
Penguin's mouth drew down. "Yeah. We were there. Me, Shachi, and the captain."
"What were those things?"
"…Pacifistas. New type. They're machines the government uses to deal with…problems. And…" He glanced at Zoro. "Chasseur was there. He's the one who got the captain. Yours too."
Zoro sat up straighter. "Chasseur? He a marine?"
"No, though he does…work with them sometimes. He—"
Tell-tale ripples suddenly split the water and the familiar blond head remerged. Penguin leaned forward anxiously until a second head appeared, pulled along in Sanji's wake. The cook was moving slower now, haltingly. Zoro studied his face as he neared, but the other man made no complaint.
The newest rescue was tow-headed, also wearing a ridiculous hat, and barely conscious. Sanji brought him around and draped him across a gnarled root by his crewmate. Penguin grabbed the newcomer's shoulder and shook him. The tousled head lolled to one side, and he swore.
Sanji paddled slowly over to Zoro and hooked his arm over another root. He tilted his head back.
"That it?" he asked tiredly.
Penguin looked up, nodded tersely. "Thanks. I owe you."
Sanji closed his eyes, and they all took a minute to gather themselves. After a moment more, the cook took a deep breath and clambered up the bank. Zoro followed the suited lines as he cautiously scoped out the area. It was too dark to see how badly the other man was injured, but the pervasive smell of blood was telling.
Sanji leaned down over the embankment, visible eye warily on the fire in the distance.
"We need to get moving. They'll start combing the area any time now."
Zoro hooked a thumb at the two Heart pirates. "They're coming with us. They have information."
Sanji assessed the two men. Penguin met his considering gaze and nodded. Without further comment, he reached down to pull Zoro up.
...
One long, exhausting roundabout trip later saw the battered group making their way up the gangplank to the Sunny. The ship's lights were dark, and it bobbed gently in the small inlet Shakky had directed them to.
Sanji deposited Zoro against the deck railing then went back for the Heart pirates. Penguin had carried his crewmate for most of the trip, but the steep walkway was proving too much for him. He slipped again on the slick patch of blood that was growing wider from the dripping wound on his side and fell to his knees before Sanji took Shachi from him. Zoro pushed himself into action with gritted teeth and led the staggering group to the galley.
They collapsed into the chairs around the dining table, or on the cot in Chopper's adjacent infirmary in Shachi's case. Sanji flipped the lights and put water on to boil. Now that he could see properly, Zoro followed him around the room with his eyes and was dismayed when the suit jacket finally came off. The pale green dress shirt was dark with blood.
"Cook," he said.
Sanji looked up from the cigarette he was lighting. He raised an eyebrow at the terse tone and blew out a reproachful plume of smoke.
"Like you're one to talk. Just sit there and stop bleeding all over my kitchen till I get back with the med kit."
When Sanji returned, arms full of supplies from the infirmary, they took stock. Penguin had long, deep cuts just under his right arm and on his back and what Sanji suspected were fractures in the arm itself. His unconscious crewmate had been grazed by a bullet over the left ear, but it was that combined with a nasty blow to the head that had him currently out of commission. For Zoro's part, though he hated to admit it, most of his trouble stemmed from older, more personal injuries taken on Thriller Bark. It seemed their captain's pain wouldn't be so easily shrugged off. He quickly took a drink to distract from the memory. As it were, being blown up and thrown through walls were things he'd normally laugh off, but everything had just seized up when he'd taken a hit from the energy beam of one of things Penguin had called a "Pacifista." Time had turned to syrup, and his body stopped responding. He'd woken to Nami's Thunderbolt Tempo and then things went dark again. Next he knew, the cook had been fishing him out of the water. It was humiliating for his body to betray him at such a crucial point and now...
Sanji tsk-ed as Zoro's fist banged against the table and almost upset the glasses of whisky. Penguin snagged his and downed it quickly, perhaps worried the swordsman wouldn't miss next time.
"Stop moving, moron."
Zoro grabbed the bottle angrily and took a long drink. The top creaked under his teeth. Sanji snatched it away and shoved a cup of water at him.
"Don't break my good stuff…"
He set down the needle and thread and grabbed the cloth from the boil pan. He wrung it out and a stream of pink water flowed from the material. The smell of salt and iron filled the air.
Sanji pressed the steaming cloth to the wound and wiped the fresh blood away. He studied his handiwork with a critical eye, then added two more stitches and tied it off. A few wads of gauze and bandages more and he pronounced Zoro done. Only then did he return the bottle.
The swordsman shoved it back at him.
"Drink," he said.
Sanji shook his head. "When I'm done. I need steady hands."
He moved the pile of bandages over to the Heart pirate's side and set fresh water on to boil. Zoro crossed his arms.
Penguin watched as he sterilized the equipment and thread.
"You the ship's doctor too?"
Sanji barked a laugh, then winced.
"No. Just the cook."
"Huh." Penguin looked at Zoro's bandaged chest. "You seem pretty familiar. That's tidy work. Even Law would have been happy with that."
Sanji's chuckle was mirthless. "I got a lot of practice in before we found a proper doctor." He scooped a handful of salt into the pot and lit a fresh cigarette. Zoro glanced at the ashtray on the table. It was already overflowing.
"And 'Law'? He your doctor?"
"Our captain. He's also a doctor."
Sanji puffed on his smoke thoughtfully, then frowned. "What was the name of your crew again?"
"Heart pirates," Penguin said carefully.
The cigarette dangled. "So then 'Law', as in, Trafalgar Law…?"
Something in the tone made Zoro sit up. Penguin was suddenly looking down at the edge of Kitetsu as it rested just under his chin. The ripples and rises of the temper line shimmered under the galley lights.
To his credit, the Heart pirate didn't flinch, but the light brown eyes were dilated, and the scent of violence was in the air.
Sanji studied him for a moment, then glanced at Zoro and waved him off.
"Trafalgar Law, the 'Surgeon of Death'. One of the supernovas Shakky mentioned."
Zoro sheathed his sword but kept his hand by the hilt. "The what?"
"So-called elite rookie pirates. Those with bounties over 100,000,000 berries." Sanji gave him a slightly incredulous look. "You know, like you."
Zoro shrugged.
"Were you listening at all before? Or don't you read the newspapers?"
Zoro shrugged again.
"Do you even know how to read…?" Sanji muttered as he turned off the burner.
Some of the tension drained from the room. Sanji set the pot and fresh rag on the table. He moved to the chair by Penguin and refilled the man's whisky glass. He held it out.
"Sorry I'm not a real doctor who knows where the pain meds are kept. This is the best I can do."
The Heart pirate hesitated a moment, then took it. He smiled wryly and drained it in one go. Then with a resigned sigh, Penguin folded his arms onto the table and rested his head on them to give Sanji a clear view of the damage to his side.
The cook wiped off the blood, old and new. When he was satisfied, he said, "Why don't you start from the beginning."
Penguin sucked in a breath as the needle started to move, but his voice was steady. "We're on Sabaody to get back one of our own. Me, the captain, and Shachi. We've been scoping things out for a few days and were going to make our move tonight when they showed up at the tavern. They must have had the tracker with them."
"They?" Sanji said while Zoro said, "Tracker?"
Penguin shifted slightly. "Chasseur's group. He's a…hunter of sorts. He mostly works for the Celestial Dragons getting them whatever they want: relics, ships, people… He's the one who took Bepo, our crewmate. He's as nasty as you'd expect. A Devil Fruit user and a traffic—"
The Heart pirate's hands flexed on the table as Sanji tied off the first row.
"—ker."
The cook refilled his drink before starting on the next gash. Penguin took it gratefully but only sipped at it this time. The knuckles were white under the bruises as he gripped the glass. The needle began to move again with practiced precision, thread snaking in and out.
"Chasseur's ability can nullify Devil Fruits somehow if he touches you. And we'd heard he had someone in his group who could sense other Devil Fruit users, but there's no intel on them. That must be how they picked us out, though. The captain's got one."
The cook nodded. "Ours too. And Robin, and Chopper, and Brook."
"So, what?" Zoro asked. "They after DF users or something?"
Penguin shook his head. "Chasseur's working for 'The Collector'. They're a Celestial who hoards rare things, and they're on an animal kick right now." He slammed the glass down on the table and scowled at the droplets that splashed out. "They took Bepo because he's a mink."
"A what?"
"They're a tribe of humanoid animals. Bepo's a polar bear mink and our navigator." He glanced at Zoro. "Looks like you guys are in the same boat."
The swordsman was puzzled. "We don't have any 'minks' in our crew."
"You don't…? Then what's your…um, dog…thing…?"
Zoro coughed into his drink.
Sanji looked over at him then at Penguin. "You mean Chopper? He's a reindeer, not a mink. He ate a Devil Fruit. He's like…a human-reindeer hybrid."
The Heart pirate nodded as if this was the most normal thing in the world. "Well, either way, he was probably the target. The rest of your crew were likely just collateral."
Zoro and Sanji exchanged incredulous looks.
Penguin looked up at the pause. "I mean, they'd have taken them too anyway. Devil Fruit users are popular with Celestials, especially strange ones. And unusual people like that skeleton you have and the robot guy. And beautiful women are always—"
He cut off with a squeak as Sanji yanked the thread.
They sat and digested this information while Sanji finished the last of the stitches. He wrapped the Heart pirate in bandages and then leaned back wearily in his chair. Zoro shoved the bottle at him, and this time he took it. Instead of drinking, though, he tipped his head back and closed his eyes.
"And what about less…unusual people?"
"You mean like fighters?" Penguin chewed the inside of his cheek. "Well, they never say no to more fodder for their blood sports, but they'd just as likely kill us. They don't give a damn about anything as basic as lives."
"No, I mean…"
Zoro caught his drift. "He wasn't inside when it went down. Knowing him, he's probably just holed up somewhere."
"He'd have come back to the ship." Sanji stood up and reached for his jacket. "I'm going back to check. Wait here."
Zoro seized his wrist before the hand could close on the black material. "Sit down."
"Let go of me," the cook hissed, low and dangerous. "If they only take whatever random thing of the week gets them off, he might be in the bay like we were or under some rubble."
"Don't make me throw your own words at you, shitty cook. Even if you did find him, you run into one of those things and you're good as dead the way you are right now. Or in a cell. The marines are probably crawling all over that place."
Penguin looked between them, his mouth a grim line. "Another of your crew, I take it?"
Sanji snatched his arm back. Zoro didn't miss the unsteady sway as he did.
"Our sniper. Not a DF user, not a skeleton, not a pretty…" Sanji suddenly picked up his empty whisky glass and hurled it at the far wall. It exploded in a cloud of sparkling crystal. He stood there rigid as a board for a few moments while Zoro and Penguin suddenly found great interest in the bottom of their drinks.
Sanji took a deep breath and went around to the kitchen side. He stood by the stove, hands pressed flat on the countertop as he stared at the tiled wall behind it. Then he took another breath and bent down to collect a small hand broom and dustpan. Zoro got up and retrieved another glass while he swept up the mess.
Once they were all seated again, he gestured at the cook's bloodstained shirt.
"Off."
Sanji obliged, but not without a tired glare. Zoro narrowed his eyes when he saw the main injury—several raw red lines from shots that had just missed the back and ribs of the pale torso and two clear bullet holes from shots that hadn't. Only one had an exit.
"Gonna need some tweezers or something," he grunted.
Sanji made to get up, but Zoro pushed a full glass of whisky into his hand and headed for the infirmary.
"I'll heat more water," Penguin offered, and gingerly made his way to the kitchen.
Zoro returned with several likely instruments and handed them to the Heart pirate to boil while he cleaned off the blood for a better look. Sanji was quiet as he sipped at his drink. Zoro grabbed the whisky bottle and pointedly held it, waiting to refill the glass that was still very much full. The cook snorted but emptied it and accepted more.
It took them the better part of an hour and a lot of hoarse swearing by the time they managed to fish out the bullet. Neither Zoro nor Penguin had the cook's delicate touch when it came to these things, and the projectile had edged the bone and become stuck. Zoro had just given Sanji the bottle in the end. The cook half lay in shuddering silence on the table, forehead pressed into the cloth while Zoro taped and wrapped him.
Penguin rinsed the bullet in the boil pan and dried it off. His frown deepened as he examined the rough, circular object.
"So that's how they did it…" he breathed.
Zoro leaned forward and peered at it. It was slightly larger than normal ammunition and rounded like musket shot. The projectile wasn't metal, however. The curved green-gray surface was rough and pitted. He wrinkled his nose as a familiar smell rose from under the reek of blood.
"Seastone," he said with a curl of the lip.
Penguin nodded. "Now I see how they got Law. We knew not to let Chasseur anywhere near us, but all they had to do was tag him with one of these while we were fighting. No wonder he didn't Room us out…" He rubbed a hand over his eyes.
Zoro leaned back. Seastone was supposed to be rare, but Celestials were nothing if not stupidly wasteful with things others could only dream of having. It didn't surprise him that they'd spray the entire bar just on the off chance they'd get a DF user. It did make the sum of the situation even worse now, however. Machines with monstrous power, a guy who could knock out DF abilities up close, and weapons that could put them under from a distance.
He glanced over at the slumped form of the cook. The blue eye under the curtain of blood-streaked hair was still glassy with pain and the long fingers were curled limply around the tumbler of amber-hued liquid. Penguin had his head on the table now too. The Heart pirate might be asleep or dead for how still he was. His own body felt like a distant, broken thing. Even breathing took effort, and moment to moment he had to will his lungs into motion.
Zoro closed his eyes and set Wado across his knees. The gentle rocking of the ship thrummed through the sturdy planks of Adam Wood into his feet and seemed to ease the ache in his chest a little. As he assessed their sad little party, he grudgingly conceded that maybe the cook had been right. They were outclassed at the moment. But…
His hand tightened on the lacquered sheath. They would get them back. All of them. And he'd make them regret ever crossing paths with the Straw Hats.
To Be Continued...
