Upon hearing the rude query, the green haired swordsman abruptly whirled around, his hand instinctively gripping onto one of his swords. But he froze when he merely saw a middle aged man placidly staring back. The stranger wore a subtle expression of mock amusement, and his squinting, staring left eye held a shiny monocle in place. With dirty combat boots and beige shorts and vest, he was quite the spectacle. He was rather small compared to Zoro, but his calves and arms held a bit of firm muscle to them.

Weird appearances aside, however, there was one thing that sent Zoro's mind in whirl.

"What're you doing in here?! --and how did you get in here?!" he managed to sputter out, growing more indignant by the moment at the stranger's calm demeanor.

"I, sir," spoke the stranger at last, "am a hunter."

There was a brief pause.

"And this tells me what exactly?!" growled Zoro, who was starting to like him even less.

"That I am more gifted in stealth than--" his voice cut off for a moment as his eyes surveyed the green haired fellow, scrutinizing him. "--an ungraceful chap like yourself."

"There's no way you should've been able to get past me like that," snarled Zoro, taking a threatening step towards him.

"Ah, but I did, dear sir." The blond hunter gave a dry smile. "But, really, there's no reason to fear me--"

Zoro scowled. "--Who are you calling afr--"

The stranger merely talked a tad higher in order to let himself be heard. "--there's no reason to fear me, as I simply didn't like the look of those three swords you had there." His eye twinkled. "I often find that it's much easier to ask for forgiveness after making a move than it is to ask for permission to do the same thing. And, I, sir, wanted in this cave." He took a brief pause, and eyed Zoro as if he were doubting his intelligence and added, "If that made sense to you, sir."

The first mate's eyebrow twitched at this, and he managed to speak between clenched teeth. "Just--who are you and what do you want, huh?"

The stranger's gray eyes suddenly lit up, and a pleasant little laugh left him. "My name," he declared while puffing himself up lightly, which reminded Zoro of a quirky little pigeon, "is Sir William Raffles III, the best hunter in the region!" Zoro was suddenly reminded less of a pigeon and more of Usopp, which resulted in a weird mental image of a pigeon Usopp. Suddenly, he found it incredibly difficult to take the huntsman seriously. The fact his name was Raffles didn't help much either.

It was then, however, that Raffles seemed to become aware of Luffy's still form. "Oh!" He exclaimed dramatically. "What is this?" He promptly kneeled beside him, but a gleaming sword suddenly plunged between the hunter and the ill captain.

"You can look," growled Zoro, his grip tightening on the sword, "but don't touch."

The hunter didn't look abashed at all by this gruff response, and he casually said: "What happened to him? He looks awfully pale."

Zoro's eyes briefly fell upon his captain; indeed, the dark haired boy did look a shade whiter than he had before. And his breathing was starting to become labored. "It's none of your business," he finally answered.

"Oh?" Raffles peered a bit closer at Luffy, which caused Zoro to jostle the sword threateningly. Taking the hint, the hunter pulled back a bit, but his voice didn't sound the least bit hesitant. "Why, I'd say he looks like he's had a bad round of poison."

The swordsman held back his surprise, but barely. "How would you know?"

Sir Raffles proudly beamed up Zoro, taking a moment to polish his monocle. "I, sir, am a botanist."

Realizing that this was supposed to be important somehow, Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Yes!" proclaimed the haughty hunter. "I know all about plants! In fact, I can tell if someone has consumed a deadly plant just by looking at them!"

Zoro's other eyebrow raised as well, meeting the other. "Deadly?"

"Deaf, are you?" The hunter replaced his monocle back onto his left eye. "Indeed, I did say deadly."

"You mean you're saying that…Luffy's going to die?" Zoro hadn't been expecting that at all.

"That's generally what the word 'deadly' implies," replied Sir Raffles, his own eyebrows raising at the swordsman's question.

"Just what would you know?" grunted Zoro, steadily keeping the sword in place.

"Many things," replied the hunter in a wise manner. "For instance, I could cure him right now." Zoro didn't say anything to this, and Raffles knew he'd caught onto something. A sly smile graced his lips, and he decided to prod at the situation a bit more. "I really could, you know." A pause, for effect. "He's dying."

"Shut up!" snarled Zoro suddenly, his eyes flashing over to the man with the monocle. "He'll be fine if we just leave him alone."

Raffles knew he had touched a nerve, and he tried to look sympathetic. "Really, it's not serious if dealt with properly," he calmly tried to reason with the green haired man. "Leaving him alone isn't going to do anything except make the problem worse, dear sir."

Zoro lightly grinded his teeth , his jaw become tight and stiff. He briefly wondered what his captain would do in such a situation. Trusting people was something Luffy was excellent at, but Zoro had always seen this as an easy way to become hurt, vulnerable -- a target of someone's cruelty. Thinking of this, his grip on his sword merely tightened further, and he threw a scathing look at the hunter.

But then, something suddenly clicked. He recalled his captain's easy going smile, his merry laugh and his twinkling eyes. And he realized that he didn't really have much of an option anymore.

"Fine, but if you're lying," he growled, his eyes glinting, "I'm going to personally kill you." The hunter held up a hand, whilst shaking his head lightly.

"I assure you, sir, I'm not lying. Nor do I wish to be killed."

"All right, fine," said Zoro, still keeping the intimidating tone in his voice for good measure. "What do we do?"

Sir Raffles grandly cleared his throat, apparently happy to show off any talent that he had. "Well, first of all, I say it's important to give him plenty of water. This will help flush out any toxins he has in his system."

Zoro raised a wary eyebrow. "And?"

"We'll go from there. First, let's get him some water. There should be a spring around here, yes?" The hunter titled his head curiously.

"Yeah," said Zoro slowly. "Yeah, there is."

"Excellent. Let's go then, shall we?" The man with the monocle quickly got up from where he was crouching and gave a massive smile to the swordsman. Reluctantly, Zoro put away his sword and gently lifted his captain into his arms.

By now, the rain had practically vanished, and the green haired man couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this familiar pattern. There's something weird with this island. And, as he glanced at the hunter beside him, he realized that this was true for multiple reasons. But his captain held the first and foremost priority, and they embarked out of the damp cave and into the moist forest.

***

"It seems we're the only ones here."

The statement fell heavily upon the deck of the Going Merry, and Tony Tony Chopper shifted nervously where he stood, staring at his comrade with rapt attention. "Y-yeah."

Usopp, who was standing beside the rail of the deck, was momentarily at a loss for what to do. Even so, he squared his shoulders and firmly gazed down at their doctor as he easily slipped into his normal role. "Do you realize what this means, Chopper?"

The little reindeer was quiet for a moment before suddenly wailing, "We're doomed!"

"No!" The long nosed man suddenly threw up his hands to Chopper, shaking his head. "No, no! That's the wrong answer!"

Pausing in his crying, the youngest member of the crew blinked at their sharp shooter. "It is?"

"Of course!" Usopp proudly thrust a finger to his own chest. "It is we that are the survivors. Therefore, it is we who carry the responsibility now."

Chopper slowly nodded his head, understanding. "Y-yeah. You're right, Usopp."

"Of course I'm right!" cried the long nosed man, managing a grin despite the circumstances. "So we go forward, Chopper! Forward!"

"Forward!" repeated the doctor with a renewed vigor.

"We stick with the original plan!" shouted Usopp in his most authoritative tone, as if he were rallying an entire troop for war. "We shall proceed to that island that wishes to thrwart us so! We'll show that island, won't we, Chopper?!"

"F-Forward!!" squeaked Chopper. "Forward!" The situation seemed far too frightening to say anything else.

"Forward!"

"Forward!"

"To the island!"

"Forward!"

"It's our job to rescue everyone now, right, Chopper?!"

"Forward!!"

With nothing left to spout out, the long nosed man merely stared up into the sky, his arms crossed over his chest. Chopper was still gazing at the older fellow with determination, ready to shout out his new word if needed.

But several moments passed in silence, and, finally, the reindeer had to speak. "O-oi, Usopp?"

"Mmm?"

"Why aren't we moving toward the island?"

"I suppose heroism isn't something that comes just by looking handsome, is it?" laughed Usopp feebly.

"No."

Sighing and briefly dropping the façade, the sharp shooter grinned at the doctor. "Can I depend on you to man the helm?" Eagerly, his friend nodded. "Good. I'll take care of the sails and man the crow's nest." He paused for a second. "It's a good thing we don't have any damage on the ship. I want to find everyone as soon as we can."

Chopper nodded, shifted uncomfortably and asked, "Which way do we go?" Usopp narrowed his eyes.

"South."

The way he uttered the word was so impressive and commanding, that Chopper took a minute to openly express admiration and awe upon his own face. But as Usopp dutifully walked away to take care of his responsibilities, the doctor couldn't help but note that the fellow's legs were shaking uncontrollably and looked like they were about to give way.

***

The clear water cascaded from Zoro's hand before it slowly dribbled onto Luffy's dry, parted lips. While some if it flowed down the rubber pirate's chin, his first mate was sure a good portion of it went into Luffy's mouth. As he did this, a soft moan left his captain's throat, which, to Zoro, indicated that he wasn't entirely unconscious anymore. This was good.

He shifted Luffy in his arms and dipped his hand into the cool spring that they were currently resting beside. Once more, he brought the makeshift cup to Luffy's lips and allowed the water to freely flow into his mouth. The green haired man watched the subtle movements of his captain's throat, and he knew that he had swallowed most of what he had taken in. This was even better.

Surely it was only a matter of time before he recovered.

Just then, however, he felt someone standing behind him, and he turned his head to see none other than Sir William Raffles III. Grimacing, the swordsman asked, "Well?"

The botanist huntsman nodded. "Indeed, I did find what I was look for." He knelt beside the two, holding up a small, dented pewter cup. "I found this in that cave of rubbish back there, and it will suit our needs quite dandily."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. Dandily?

Ignoring the subtle gesture on the swordsman's part, the hunter held up a rather small leaf. "If you grind this up, it'll form a little bit of a paste. Here." He placed the leaf in the cup and was about to mash against the piece of plant with his own knuckles when Zoro suddenly spoke.

"I'll do it." And with that, he snatched the said cup from the hunter's loose hands. Sir Raffles, however, didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"Very well, then," he answered politely. Zoro merely grunted in reply and swiftly mashed the leaf up with his own thumb and forefinger, allowing what was left of it to fall to the bottom of the cup. The hunter hovered lightly over his shoulder in order to watch, which vaguely irritated the pirate.

"I think that about does it," announced Sir Raffles. "Just dip it into some water now, and you'll have a sort of elixir right there."

"What will it do?" inquired Zoro, eyeing the crude paste for a moment.

"Merely neutralize the poison that's in his body," replied the hunter. "It's a rather handy plant, that one. Quietus Miraculum, as it is called. We're quite fortunate to find such a thing here. Normally, it is eaten by various animals, but," he lightly laughed, "I suppose we wouldn't have that problem here, now would we?"

Suddenly, it struck Zoro odd that a hunter would be on an island with no animals. "How did you get here?" he finally asked while dipping the cup into the spring. "I haven't seen you at all until now."

"A dreadful storm knocked me off my boat, you see, and this rather large blue monster rescued me and took me here," replied the hunter. "That was actually quite some time ago. I've been living off the non-poisonous plants of the area, as well as the few fish I manage to catch. As to why you haven't seen me," he looked over at Zoro and gave a tiny smile, "I suppose you just kept on missing me."

"I really doubt that," answered Zoro flatly. Even so, however, he lightly pressed the filled cup to Luffy's lips, and the mixture flowed down his throat. The rubber pirate gave a light cough, and shifted as he drank, stiffening somewhat. The swordsman gnawed on his own lip, watching him intently. Luffy gave a low sigh as soon as the cup was empty, and he fell against Zoro's chest in a restful slumber. The first mate gave his own inward sigh -- of relief.

"There now, see?" said Sir Raffles, apparently quite please with himself. "He looks better already." Before Zoro could say anything, the hunter went on. "Let's get him back to our cave, eh?"

"You mean my cave," spoke Zoro pointedly as he hauled both himself and Luffy from the ground.

"Erm, yes."

With that, they departed into the forest once more, leaving the peaceful spring behind them. They traveled the way through in silence, although it bothered Zoro to have to rely on the other man in order to get back to the cave. His own sense of direction was horrible in comparison. Luffy did seem to be resting easier since their trip to the spring, however. Even his breathing seemed to be mellowing out a bit, and some of the color had returned to his face.

It wasn't too long until they had reached their cave, and the hunter commented, "There are a lot these out here, aren't there?"

Zoro shrugged, as he made his way into the deep mouth of their shelter. It didn't matter how many caves there were, in his opinion. And as far as he was concerned, he didn't want to have much to do with this weird guy anymore either.

"Wait," called Sir Raffles, picking up his pace to follow Zoro. "Could you do me a favor?" The swordsman stopped himself from putting Luffy down, and turned to face the other man instead.

"Do you a favor?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's only common courtesy," explained the blond huntsman. "After all, I did you a favor, did I not?" Zoro refrained from grinding his teeth again. The guy had a point.

"All right," said the pirate. "What do you want?"

"Well, as you know, I'm not only a stupendous botanist, but also a skilled hunter," proclaimed Sir Raffles, his arms folding over his chest. Zoro gave him a wary look, but the other man plunged onward with his speech. "As a hunter, it is my profession to take down whatever wild prey I come across. I would be honored if you would assist me in killing that blue monster that lives here."

Zoro blinked. "That's all I have to do?" Sir Raffles sagely nodded.

"Indeed. That's all I ask." The swordsman grinned.

"All right, then. You've got a deal." As he said this, he knelt down and gently placed his captain back onto the cave floor. He briefly considered taking his white shirt back from the rubber pirate, but he decided to leave it on him for the time being.

"We'll go now," said the hunter.

"Sounds fine with me," answered the green haired man, his eyes still lingering upon Luffy for a moment. "It won't take long at all." He imagined his captain would be thrilled if he came back with real food for him to eat.

"Good, good," answered Sir Raffles, quite pleased. "I think you'll find many questions answered as we go, too. There's a lot about this monster you don't know."

Zoro didn't entirely care, so he didn't say anything in reply. Instead, he slowly slipped away from Luffy and strode out into the clearing once more, the botanist huntsman at his heels.

A soft breeze blew through the island, not even bothering to be a prelude to what kind of mess the former bounty hunter was getting himself into.