Chapter Two
It wasn't fair. This was not how things were supposed to go. Damn it! He was supposed to die in battle, as a warrior. He wasn't supposed to waste away…dying in a puddle of his own piss and vomit….
No!
That's not how it's going to happen! He wouldn't let it! He had a promise; to be the greatest, and an oath; not to lose. He had a destiny, one that lay at the end of the Grand Line. He had to battle—to beat—that man. He had to do it for himself, for his captain…for Kuina….
A heavy weight pressing atop his chest called Zoro back from the depths of sleep. His eyes snapped open only to see a giant ear surrounded by an unruly mass of black hair not a scant centimeter from his face. Zoro sat up with a start, dislodging Luffy's cross-legged perch upon his chest. The rubber-man fell to the floor, a startled noise erupting from his throat.
"What the hell were you doing?" Zoro growled out as he tried to calm his racing heart.
Luffy leaned up against the bed as he propped his head up with his hands. "You were talking in your sleep," he stated innocently. "I've never seen you do that before so I wanted to hear what you said."
"What was I saying?" Zoro asked reluctantly as he rubbed his face in exhaustion. It felt as if he didn't get a minute's worth of sleep. Judging by the sunlight streaming in through the room's small window, the pirate knew he had to have gotten at least a good couple of hours. But still he felt inexplicably drained.
But if the lure of sleep threatened to drag him back down towards the lumpy excuse for a bed, Luffy's next words snapped him back awake.
Lips pursed, his captain made a show of thinking. "Something about Mihawk and dying. I didn't catch it all." Luffy blinked himself back into the present. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I don't remember," Zoro lied as he avoided his captain's earnest gaze. "I must've."
"Nightmares can't hurt you," Luffy smiled encouragingly as he rose from the floor and dusted himself off. "So don't worry about 'em. Let's go get some breakfast before Nami pays off the tab."
Zoro allowed a small smirk to slip over his face. "All right. You go on and I'll be down in a minute."
"Don't be too long or I'll eat it all." Luffy's tease had a serious edge to it as he walked out, closing the door behind him.
Scratching his head, Zoro rose to his feet with a mighty yawn and almost fell over again as a wave of dizziness crashed over him. The room was swaying about violently. Zoro grabbed hold of the bedpost as the strength seemed to leech out from his muscles. Holding on tightly until the weakness in his legs passed, Zoro frowned darkly at his own condition. It seemed nightmares could be real after all.
As if to reinforce this thought, Zoro reached over for his swords and found an unwelcome surprise. Nestled between Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri was a third katana--and it wasn't Wadou. The pirate quickly recognized the bright blue hilt as the one that was shown to him last night, Seigi Shihai.
Zoro hissed in anger and snatched the swords up. Wadou was nowhere to be seen. They had touched his sword…Kuina's sword. Zoro buckled the scabbards onto his belt with swift, jerky motions as dark thoughts stormed through his head. New ways of killing were invented on the spot as the swordsman silently raged about this new development.
As his hand brushed against the hilt of the unfamiliar katana, a small slip of paper fell from it and fluttered to the floor. Scowling, The swordsman bent down carefully to retrieve it, mindful of his new state of unbalance. Zoro scanned the letter's contents before crumpling the paper into a ball and tossing it at the far wall with a curse.
'Here is Seigi Shihai, as per our agreement. And just to make sure you do not have any second thoughts, I will hold Wadou Ichimonji until the job is finished.'
"If he wanted to piss me off, he's doing a hell of a job." Zoro growled.
The cold realization of how easily the intruders entered their room, without either Luffy or himself noticing, hit his stomach like an iron weight. Uragi could have chosen to finish either of them off as they slept, Zoro realized. The bounty hunter's game was definitely getting serious.
The time had come for Roronoa Zoro to get serious in return, the swordsman resolved.
The voices of his comrades could be heard clearly as he walked down the stairs and into the common room. It seemed as though Nami was berating their captain for his unauthorized breakfast, Sanji was yelling at Luffy for angering the navigator and Usopp was lamenting his own lack of a morning meal. All three looked up as Zoro approached the table.
Luffy broke into a chagrined grin as the swordsman's eyes swept over the sparkling clean plates. Zoro raised one green eyebrow in question.
"We got busted." Luffy explained apologetically. "I only got one course down before Nami stopped me." He shot a wounded look at the redhead, who looked ready to pummel the captain. Luffy's expression brightened however as he reached into his vest. "I did save you some though!" He crowed proudly as he held aloft a badly abused muffin.
Zoro's normally cast iron stomach did a three-sixty at the thought of digesting the lint-covered pastry and he waved it away with a sickly grin. "It seems I'm not very hungry after all."
Luffy shrugged and tossed the muffin into the air, his mouth opening wide. A swift hand snatched up the breakfast item before it reached its destination, however. And soon Usopp and Luffy were rolling around on the barroom floor as they fought for possession of the small morsel of food.
"Don't come running to me for lunch then, Cabbage-head." Sanji warned as he passively regarded the battle before him. "I won't feed you no matter how much you beg." He taunted as he lit up yet another cigarette.
For once Zoro didn't have the energy to make his usual biting reply. He turned his attention to a fuming Nami. "I'm going back to the ship for a bit." His deep voice rose easily above the screaming. "I'll check on Vivi and Chopper while I'm there."
The navigator nodded with a relieved sigh. "I still have to buy supplies and I wasn't sure if I could make it back there." She explained. "Try to convince Vivi to get off the ship for a bit. As shallow as it sounds, maybe some shopping will take her mind off things."
Zoro nodded casually. "I'll see what I can do."
"Let's all meet back here at around lunch time." Nami announced to the group. "Not that I'm gonna pay for any more food or anything." she added quickly.
"Got ya." Zoro turned away, ignoring Sanji's warnings about stepping into his kitchen. Food was the last thing on his mind.
oooooooo
"Poison?" Chopper echoed. "Why do you ask?"
Zoro paced the small cabin restlessly, trying to figure out how best to broach the subject without giving anything away. The swordsman was never good at this sort of evasive talking—such a thing was best left to people like Nami. So, with a deep breath Zoro did what he would normally. He intimidated.
"That's none of your business, reindeer." Zoro did his best to loom over the innocent Chopper, though the jittery feeling just under his skin made him want to scratch his arms raw. His throat felt dry and full of grit, and his nose burned as if he had taken a giant whiff of Nami's perfume. In short, he felt like shit. "Just answer the question."
"Yes, I know something about poisons." The reindeer's eyes drooped with sadness until they noticed the impatient expression on his crewman's face. Chopper pulled his hat down over his head nervously. "Well, it all depends on what kind of poison it is. Many types are unique and a different type of detoxification is often used for each one. But most of them involve some sort of antidote derived from the actual poison itself."
"Great." Zoro rubbed his eyes tiredly. "So, without this anti-stuff?"
"Unless treated properly, the person could die." Chopper replied sadly. Seeing the grim look on the swordsman's face, the doctor quickly amended his statement. "Though not always. Sometimes you can dilute the effects with plenty of fluids and an infusion of charcoal."
"Infusion?" Zoro's eyebrows rose towards his hairline. "You mean like eating it?"
"Something like that." Chopper laughed nervously. He got the feeling that technical speak would be lost on a man like Zoro. "Charcoal kind of absorbs the poison. It's a last ditch effort that has only a small success rate. It just depends on the poison's toxicity." Mostly it's just a way to prolong a patient's suffering for a small hope that a cure would be found, the doctor thought to himself grimly.
"Oh, it's toxic enough." Chopper's ears easily picked up Zoro's soft mutter. Swallowing his fear, the small reindeer spoke up.
"Is someone sick?" he asked, forcing his voice not to waver too badly. "I know you said that it was none of my business, but if someone is ill I would like to help."
Zoro paced the floor for long moments without answering, his boots echoing loudly across the wooden planks. The swordsman paused in front of the doctor and seemed to come to a decision. Chopper's eyes widened as Zoro crouched before him, his hand engulfing one of the reindeer's small shoulders. The first mate's eyes were red and bloodshot, Chopper noted with clinical detachment. He was about to offer up some medicated drops when Zoro spoke.
"If you had a sample of the poison, could you make a cure?" Zoro's eyes shone with their usual intensity despite their obvious irritation.
Chopper almost started into a lecture about uncertainties and time frames, but for once he cast his professional opinion out the proverbial porthole and simply nodded. Zoro squeezed his shoulder gently and rose to his feet, a new purpose to his steps. Casting his eyes across the makeshift medical room he picked up a small empty vial.
"You got a cork for this?" Zoro waved the test tube over his shoulder. Brimming with curiosity, Chopper produced one from one of his many unpacked boxes and wordlessly handed it over. Zoro slipped the vial into his haramaki and headed for the door, yet stopped short as Chopper spoke.
"That cut on your neck looks infected." The reindeer called out. "Would you like me to treat it?"
Zoro glanced back at his newest crewmate. "It's nothing. You've already helped me enough." He said with his lips upturned in a nearly invisible smile. "Thank you, Chopper."
As he stepped through the door he bumped into Vivi, almost knocking her over. The Alabasta princess stumbled backwards with a squeak of surprise. "Mr. Bushido! You startled me." She exclaimed with her hand held over her racing heart.
"Sorry." Zoro muttered as he squeezed past her and into the ship's small corridor. He headed for the steps without another word. Frowning, Vivi grabbed the back of his shirt. "Wait! Is everyone okay?"
"They're fine." Zoro pulled his shirt from her grasp and continued walking. About halfway up the stairs he paused. "But," he added as an afterthought. "There might be trouble so you and Chopper should stay below deck."
Vivi bit back an uncharacteristic retort in response to the swordsman's oh-so-casual attitude. "If there's trouble, I want to help." She stated firmly.
"Just stay out of sight and you'll be helping enough." Zoro called back as he disappeared into the harsh light pouring in from the outside. Vivi stomped her foot in a petulant display of vexation unusual for her, before sighing as she made her way into Chopper's cabin. She felt the need for some company despite her self-inflicted isolation.
Zoro hopped off the ship and walked over the sand dune that separated the coast from the inland, retracing his steps towards the main section of town. Black Feather's proximity to the surrounding wetlands caused it to bear a constant high humidity, keeping temperatures at a peak of about 30 degrees Celsius. The sweltering heat weighted heavily upon him as he forced himself to drag each foot further across the uneven layers of sand that made up the main road.
The acrid odor somewhat like sulfur permeated the air; making Zoro's already inflamed olfactory organs even more irritated. He winced as a few harsh sneezes forced their way out in response to the unwelcome stimuli. The swordsman's head pounded in time with his heartbeat like a war-drum. And the only thought running through his mind at this point was about how bloody thirsty he was.
With a great sigh, Zoro took refuge in the small band of shade cast by a nearby building and wiped the sweat from his brow. The swordsman leaned against the rough brickwork and glanced about in frustration as he tried to figure out which way led back to the inn. While his questing eyes did not immediately find the crew's meeting place, Zoro did spot something infinitely better to his fevered mind.
Zoro stumbled his way over to a fountain located in a small cul-de-sac between buildings. The large copper structure was green with age and the carvings upon it were too moss-covered to tell what they depicted. But the water flowed freely from its uppermost basin and was cool to the touch. Before he knew it, the swordsman found himself dunking his head into the fountain's somewhat murky depths.
After several large gulps of the slightly bitter tasting liquid, Zoro rose up for air, shaking water from his head as if he were a dog. He blinked owlishly as he noticed the large amount of spectators staring at him.
"What?" the green-haired man demanded.
Most of the villagers hastily went back about to what they were doing. But one passerby remained. A young girl of about seven twisted her skirt about shyly as she spoke.
"That fountain isn't for drinking," she explained as she batted her brown eyes at him demurely. Seeing the pirate's frown, she scuffed her toe in the dirt as she continued in a small voice. "The water is tapped in from Cormorant Swamp and isn't good to drink."
Zoro leaned back with a stretch and disparaging laugh. "What's it gonna do, kill me?"
"It could make you sick." The young girl offered.
"I'm already sick." Zoro muttered.
"Oh." Not old enough to know how to deal with such an awkward situation, the girl turned to leave. But Zoro stopped her with a word.
"What's a Cormorant?"
The young girl pointed silently to the black marsh birds that were swooping and diving over their heads. Zoro grunted lightly in acknowledgment and pushed himself to his feet. Dusting the moss off his knees, the swordsman tilted his head back towards the sun, mentally gauging the time. He glanced back at the little girl with a crooked grin.
"One more question. Which way to Swampwater's Brew?"
oooooooo
Sanji lounged carelessly across a chair in the main room of the Brew. His errand of restocking their food supply had been finished earlier than expected and the cook now found himself killing time until the others returned. Nestled in a far corner of the Brew's walk in refrigerator were sacks filled to the brim with rice, freshwater fish, and various crustaceans. A little sweet-talking was all it took to borrow the storage place until their return back to the ship tomorrow.
Thinking of the Going Merry caused Sanji's mind to wander to their local desert princess as the blonde slowly nursed a cup of coffee. Coffee was his one guilty pleasure, rarely indulged because Zeff had always complained that it killed the taste buds, something a cook needed to judge the quality of the food being served. But Sanji had managed to sneak a cup now and then when all the other chefs were asleep. Sipping the bitter brew, he wondered casually how Vivi was doing. It was a shame for such a beautiful lady to be sad.
Drumming his fingered on the table, the blonde repressed a sigh of boredom. It seems he had gotten used to the chaos that seemed to constantly follow in his companions' wake. Without them around, things were too dull. Sanji briefly fostered the idea of hunting down whatever clothing store Nami was in and help her pick out a few new outfits. And maybe catch a glimpse of her behind the changing curtain, he thought with a smirk.
As if the lecherous grin was a signal, the redhead currently dwelling on his mind stepped through the barroom door, a pitifully small sack in her hand. Huffing in frustration, Nami slumped in a chair across from Sanji, who quickly ordered her a cool drink. Chin in her hand, Nami was too bummed to even offer thanks.
"These villagers don't know the first thing about fashion. All they had were smocks, smocks and more smocks. And such plain colors!" She blew her bangs out of her eyes with a sigh. "At least I found more ink and parchment, though the quality is definitely poorer than I'm used to."
"Tell me about it." A nasally voice resounded behind her. Sanji lit up an after-coffee cigarette as he watched Usopp flop bonelessly into the chair next to him. The sharpshooter pulled the goggles off his eyes and tossed them onto the table. "They never even heard of Tabasco sauce!" He complained. "I had to make do with plain, ordinary pepper."
Sanji's eyes brightened at the mentioned spice. "Pepper? Were running low on pepper. Can I have some?"
"Depends." Usopp's eyes got a crafty look on them. "What will you give me?"
"I feed you, bastard! What more do you want?"
"One of those little desserts you're always making Nami." A trail of drool began to slow drip down Usopp's chin.
"Forget it!" Sanji exploded. "Those desserts are made with effort and love specifically for Miss Nami!"
"Ch. Stingy Love Cook." Usopp crossed his arms and turned away.
"Hey," Nami spoke up. "Where's Luffy? I thought he was supposed to be with you." She pointed to Usopp accusingly.
The boy's long nose swiveled left and right as he turned about in confusion. "I could have sworn he was right behind me when we were coming in. Where could he—"
"Zorooooooo!" The trio jumped to their feet in surprise.
Listening intently they heard a sound quite like the twang of a rubber band, followed by a thud of two hard surfaces colliding. Muttered curses filtered past their ears and the companions grinned as they returned to their seats. It seemed Zoro had found their wayward captain. Or was it the other way around?
"I really wish you wouldn't do that." Zoro groaned as he dragged himself through the doorway all the while trying to pry four stringy limbs from his neck and waist.
Luffy's head popped over the swordsman's shoulder, the infamous straw hat poking him in the eye. "But I missed Zoro!" the captain exclaimed.
"He was gone less than three hours." Sanji muttered around his smoke.
"Probably wanted money for food." Usopp snickered
"Zoro's the wrong person to go to for that." Nami smirked.
"All right, knock it off, all of you." Zoro growled as he pulled Luffy off him and plunked the rubber boy into the nearest chair. Wincing, he slowly lowered himself into the chair next to him.
Sanji noticed the deliberate movements with a raised eyebrow. "Something wrong, Cabbage Head?"
Zoro spared him the briefest of glances as he half-heartedly listened to Luffy's adventures in swampland. "I just got tackled. How would you feel?"
"Poor Zoro, did it really hurt that badly?" Sanji taunted. "Or maybe the only thing injured was your pride?" The blonde's grin widened as Usopp tried desperately to restrain a snicker. Egged on by this, he continued. "Sorry, but pride's one thing none of us can kiss better."
"Shut up." Zoro slammed his fist on the table.
Usopp's laughter cut off abruptly and Sanji's mouth shut closed with a snap. ' What was his problem?' the cook wondered bitterly. Eyes narrowed, he studied the man across from him as he thoughtfully scratched at the hairs on his chin.
Sanji liked to think he understood his relationship with the stoic swordsman. In fact, it was much like that of which he had with the cooks on the Baratie. Tough Love, he called it. A man to man, testosterone fueled friendship. All bluff and bluster. It was something comfortable he could fall back on during all of the craziness of the new changes in his life. But the man in front of him didn't seem like the man that he traded taunts with just two days ago. In fact, Zoro had been acting weird ever since they had landed on this isolated island.
Usopp had noticed it too, apparently. The sharpshooter had mentioned the fact as they readied for sleep the night before. Even now Usopp was carefully avoiding looking in Zoro's direction, as a small frown graced his normally jovial face.
"--anji. Sanji. SANJI!"
The blonde irritably slapped the hand that was tugging on his ear. "What?"
Luffy sat on the table in before him, eyes wide and begging. "Fix me some food. Nami won't buy anymore."
Stubbing his cigarette out, Sanji heaved a sigh of resignation and stood. "I'll see if the owners will let me use the kitchen." He stated, earning a cheer from Luffy.
Sanji noticed a girl dragging the ashes from the fireplace and stepped over for a brief word. The girl dusted the soot from her hands and pointed to a room in the back and the blonde thanked her with a bow before disappearing through the aforementioned door.
The serving girl was still fighting off a blush from being addressed by such a suave gentleman when one of his companions approached her.
"Is there any charcoal in that mess?" he asked.
Despite the man's intimidating look, the girl forced herself to give him a tremulous smile. "W-well, sir, our fireplaces don't get very hot, but I'm sure there is some in here." She gestured to the pan of ashes. "I-I have to take it out back and dump it, but I can sift through it first if you'd like."
"I would be grateful." The man smiled and suddenly seemed less intimidating. Giving a low and clumsy curtsy, the girl continued dragging the ashes towards the back door and the large man walked back to his friends. As she reached the doorway, she could hear him asking his female companion for money.
Sanji walked into the room just in time to hear Nami's answer.
"I don't think so, Zoro. You already owe me money from what I lent you in Loguetown."
"You said you'd forget about that at Whiskey Peak!" Zoro protested.
"And you owe me for your room and food last night." Nami continued with a huff. "Sorry, but a man with dubious credit such as yours can only be trusted so much."
"Fine!" Zoro retook his seat abruptly and proceeded to ignore everyone else in the room.
Sanji glanced around at the group in front of him, waving his hand to catch their attention. "We only have food I bought this morning, so there's not much of a selection. But tell me what you want and I'll do my best to scrounge something up."
"Meat!" Luffy crowed as he hopped up and down on the table in anticipation.
"Why am I not surprised?" Sanji muttered. "Fish it is then. Miss Nami?"
Nami put on a sugary smile as she stretched like a cat. "You pick, Sanji dear. I know I'll like whatever you make."
Sanji broke out into a stupid grin at the compliment. "Anything for you Miss Nami!" he replied with hearts in his eyes. He quickly composed himself before turning to Zoro "Oiy, Lettuce Brain. What about you?"
"Nothing." Zoro muttered as he stared darkly at the floor.
"You didn't eat breakfast either. Are you trying to watch your figure?" Sanji made one last ditch attempt to lighten the swordsman's mood. "You are looking kind of fat around the middle."
"I just don't want anything, you shitty cook!" Zoro's chair fell backwards with a loud clatter as the swordsman stood. Noticing everyone's stares, the swordsman scratched his head. "I've got some stuff to do." He stated gruffly. He began walking away but was stopped halfway by the serving girl from earlier. The girl handed Zoro a small pouch, which he quickly pocketed. "Later." He called out behind him before walking out the door.
"I'm going too!" Luffy tried to jump to his feet but he was stopped by Nami's hand on his collar. The redhead shook her head in negative and the captain seemed to deflate slightly before remembering that he was going to get to eat. "Food!" he cried.
Sanji cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to Usopp.
The sharpshooter waved him away with a wavering smile. "I'm not very hungry myself. In fact, I forgot I had to meet a man about a--uh--uh—three-eyed fish from West Blue." Usopp stood quickly and backed towards the door. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?" Without waiting for an answer he dashed out the door.
Sanji shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. He didn't know what was getting into everyone, but he was starting to think the sooner they left this island, the better. The blonde headed towards the kitchen, leaving his remaining two companions staring at the front door; one face was troubled, the other almost too carefully blank.
ooooooooo