Title: Loyalties
Author: AstroKender
Pairings: no obvious, some implied. use your imagination.
Warnings: language again. (again, mostly from Sanji) teeny bit of angst.
Spoilers: none Notes: I meant to squeeze more Zoro into this chapter but, alas, it wasn't to be. The action is heating up and a final confrontation can't be too far away. But for now, just enjoy the spurts of random violence towards our lovable OP characters.
Feedback: there is a button at the bottom of the screen begging to be pushed.
Archived: ffnet (obviously) But always looking for a good home.
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda and (wince) 4kids. I don't own em, I don't make money off em, I just play with them.

Chapter 8

Chopper slowly dragged himself across the floor on legs that felt as though they were attached to giant lead weights. Every muscle felt strained and even the fur on his body seemed to hurt. He worked on stubbornly, however, ignoring his body's protests at even the smallest of movements. Chopper was a doctor after all. And doctors did their duty regardless of their own condition. In the medical world, the patient always comes first.

Bloodshot eyes stared blearily at a beaker sitting over a lit Bunsen burner. Thick yellow liquid bubbled like magma in the wide-bottomed vessel, churning and smoking as it boiled. Biting his lip, Chopper took a small sample of the substance with the aid of a metal eyedropper and wobbled carefully towards a small petri dish at the end of the table.

Usopp lay slumbering peacefully in the corner of the cabin, nestled between cannonballs and boxes of dry goods. The sharpshooter had awoken Chopper about two hours ago, understanding that time was short and any further inaction could result in dire consequences for their injured crewmate. Usopp himself had refused to get some rest in a more comfortable location, preferring to stay nearby in case he was needed. So Chopper stopped trying to argue and simply draped a thin blanket over his lightly snoring form.

The others had stopped in to check on Zoro, before heading to their own beds. Usopp had hung his head when he told Chopper that he had been unable to reveal the swordsman's shaky condition. Chopper couldn't blame him. It's not everyday you can simply look at your friends and tell them their crewmate was going to die….

No!

Chopper rapidly shook that thought from his head as he squared his small shoulders. He was a doctor, damn it! There had to be some way to come up with a cure for whatever substance was slowly killing Zoro, bit by bit. There had to be! What good were doctors if they couldn't even save one person?

Memories flashed back to a doctor with a big grin and an even bigger heart and Chopper felt despair tug at his heart as his free hoof quickly swiped across the wetness in his eyes. Heaving a sigh and crossing his hooves, the reindeer carefully squeezed the dropper.

A few drops of yellow hit the petri dish and suddenly the wave of hopelessness swept him under. The substance in the dish hadn't changed color. This wasn't an antidote either. He would have to start over again from scratch but time was running out and Chopper was unsure of how long Zoro could hold out against the toxins destroying his body.

The reindeer's migraine flared back to life with a vengeance and Chopper sank to the floor, trying to hold his head together with two tiny hooves. The aftereffect of the using two Rumble Balls didn't kill him, though the pain was so intense Chopper almost wished it had. He couldn't help the small whimper that escaped his lips as he lay there, curled up in a ball of misery, for many long and agonizing moments.

"You know what your problem is?" The deep voice cut through the pain like a razor edged sword. "You try too hard."

Chopper raised his head to see Zoro sitting up on the makeshift-operating table, staring at him with dull eyes. The reindeer quickly jumped to his feet, pain forgotten.

"Zoro! You're up! I mean—You shouldn't be up! You need to be resting. You lost a lot of blood and getting the bullets out wasn't easy so if you move around to much you might reopen your—"

"Does it really matter?" Zoro's soft words interrupted the doctor's babbling. Chopper stared at him for a moment before going on as if he didn't understand what the swordsman was talking about. A doctor's critique hid his shield of denial as Chopper clucked about like an overprotective mother hen.

"You might reopen your wounds. I know they must hurt terribly. You need to lay back down and I'll give you something for the pain that will also help you sleep. You also have a fever so--"

"Quiet!" Zoro barked out. "I know what's going on, Chopper! I'm not a damn idiot!"

Chopper stared up at him, lips quivering, and Zoro heaved a sigh that broke into a fit of hoarse coughing. The cough quickly turned worse, causing the swordsman's whole body to jerk forward, and soon Zoro was leaning over a tray the reindeer held up as he threw up the remaining contents of his mostly empty stomach. When the spell finally passed Zoro fell back, gasping for breath as a trembling hand wiped the spit from his chin.

"Water…." The green-haired man panted. Chopper disappeared from his side only to reappear moments later with a tall metal cup. With the reindeer's help, Zoro managed to raise the glass to his lips.

He had been so thirsty that he had half the contents down before he realized that what he was drinking wasn't water, but something far more gritty. A taste like burnt chalk flowed over his tongue and Zoro forced himself to swallow the remainder of the foul tasting liquid.

"What was that?" he asked between harsh breaths after he'd finished. His eyes narrowed quickly in suspicion. If Chopper had drugged him without his permission….

"Activated Charcoal." The doctor answered in a small voice. "It'll—It'll help delay the effects…." The little reindeer trailed off, as he fiddled with the empty glass in his hand.

A long silence fell across the cabin, broken only by Usopp's faint snores and Zoro's light gasps. Zoro stared at Chopper and Chopper looked at anywhere but Zoro. Many moments passed like this until the swordsman decided to finally voice the question burdening his soul, the question he knew Chopper didn't want him to ask.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Zoro whispered softly and Chopper burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry Zoro," the doctor blubbered. "But without knowing where the poison came from, there is no way to create a cure. If only—"

The rest of the reindeer's words were lost as Zoro closed his eyes. So the truth had finally been brought to light. He listened idly as his pulse pounded in his ears, carrying Uragi's foul poison further into his system. The pain of his gunshot wounds, as agonizing as they were, were nothing compared to the fire burning through his veins. He had lost, not to another swordsman, but to an invisible, though no less deadly, opponent. The swordsman was forced to take small, quick breaths as the giant weight of defeat pressed itself onto his chest.

"It's okay, Chopper." He heard himself say. "You did your best."

At that statement the reindeer broke out into all out wails.

VVOOVV

One swift roundhouse was all it took for the loaded pistol to go sailing across the room. By some blessed miracle the gun did not go off as it hit the ground. Not one to waste time, Sanji quickly forgot about the firearm and switched his focus to the man that was once holding it. Using his hands for leverage, Sanji swung his other leg around to crash into Uragi's chest with brutal force as the blonde tried to crush his enemy between his leg and the wooden bar.

The soft but firm resistance of a human body suddenly vanished and Sanji's leg went entirely through Uragi's body to crash into the bar behind him, creating a gaping hole. Jerking his foot out of the new pile of kindling, Sanji's head darted around as he tried to figure out where his enemy had disappeared to. Flashes of Nami's description of their battle fired quickly through the synapses of Sanji's brain and he cursed, realizing that he should have been prepared for such an occurrence.

"Uh, Sanji?" The words brought his attention back to his captain. Luffy still stood at the doorway, his head cocked to one side. "Why ya bustin the place up?"

The blonde opened his mouth to reply when a little mental warning light flashed in his head. Instantly he was off and running towards the shapeless black mass that was even now slithering closer to the discarded gun. Panicking, Sanji slid feet first towards the firearm, managing to kick it away just as the black form solidified. The gun slid under a table and skittered to a stop along the far wall.

Uragi stared down at Sanji with glittering green eyes accented with dark slashes of pupil. A fist carrying all the power of a steel club slammed into the side of Sanji's head, sending him flying backwards to land awkwardly in a pile of broken glass.

Sanji pushed himself into a sitting position, his ears ringing. That had been no normal punch. Blinking dazedly, Sanji watched as two sandal-clad feet ran towards him, though they briefly blurred into four feet in a bout of eschewed equilibrium. The blonde felt a warm hand on his shoulder and a voice call out his name, but he was unable to fit together the words for a reply.

"I'm sorry we couldn't come to an agreement." Uragi stated, his voice seeming to come from a great distance as he stepped back into the lamplight. "I let you see my good side and still you mocked me. You'll soon come to regret your harsh words, Cook."

Sanji felt the figure next to him stiffen. "It's you!" Luffy called out. "The grease guy!"

"Very good, Straw Hat. A wonderful display of observation." Sanji could practically hear the sneer in Uragi's voice. "Will you be showing us how you can count to ten, next?"

Luffy's growl sounded much like an injured bear as drew both arms back to strike at the mocking face across from him. But Sanji's words halted the rubber-boy in his tracks.

"Luffy," the blonde groaned out as he fought to regain his feet. "Zoro…is he still alive?"

Luffy's arms dropped to his sides as he stared incredulously at Sanji, completely forgetting about the enemy's presence. "Of course he's alive. We're talking about Zoro, right?"

Sanji stared in those bewildered eyes and allowed himself to softly exhale a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. "Then the poison…" Luffy gave Sanji a sudden look of confusion that made the cook's heart jerk painfully in his chest.

"What poison?" He watched his captain's mouth the words, but for some reason Sanji couldn't hear them. All that echoed in his ears were Uragi's earlier words.

'…he'll die by sunrise. My poison is quite reliable…"

"The same poison I'm going to use to kill you, my boy." Sanji snapped back to the present as he heard Uragi call out. Sanji watched as a giant wave of black liquid shot towards Luffy. Ignoring all rational thought, Sanji quickly jumped in front of the straw hat captain.

Sanji dropped to his hands and, ignoring the tiny shards of glass slicing into his palms, he lifted his legs up in a whirlwind spin that blocked the path between Luffy and the toxic liquid. Uragi's poison hit Sanji's flying legs like water striking a fan, flinging out in all directions except for towards its intended target. Sanji kept up this wildly rotating shield until he was sure no more of the black substance was forthcoming.

Stumbling to his feet, Sanji came face to face with Luffy's assailant. Uragi fixed the blonde with a glare fit to kill as he grabbed a hold of Sanji's shirtfront. Not to be outdone, the cook grabbed the bounty hunters coat in a tight grip and lifted him a couple of centimeters off of the floor.

"Give me the antidote…" Sanji commanded, only slightly out of breath. "And I promise not to beat you up too badly."

Uragi flashed an oily grin as his eyes trailed down to Sanji's now bleeding hands. "You asked me earlier why I didn't poison you." His black fingernails gradually increased to nearly three times their normal length as the bounty hunter's hand reached out towards the blonde. "Well, Cook, you never really gave me the opportunity."

A flying fist plowed into Uragi's jaw as Sanji belatedly jumped backwards; suddenly aware of the danger he had exposed himself to. Clenching his wounded hands, Sanji fought the urge to hide them under his armpits protectively. So that was how Uragi poisoned his victims. The blonde swallowed nervously as he stared over at his captain. Had Luffy known…?

"I don't know what's going on here." Luffy stood stiffly over Uragi's fallen form. "And I don't particularly care. All I know is that you ran away before I could finish kicking your ass." Not a crack of a smile flitted over the rubber-boy's face as he popped his knuckles threateningly.

Cradling his injured cheek, Uragi skittered backwards. "This is why it always pays to have a plan 'B'." he muttered as he pulled a fist sized gray ball from the depths of his jacket and tossed it at the pirates.

Luffy blinked as the ball bounced harmlessly off his shoulder only to roll to the floor between Sanji and himself. Even though he didn't take his eyes off of Uragi, Luffy couldn't help but notice the strange hissing noise that emanated from the gray orb, much like the same noise that those small sparking sticks he had seen kids playing with during parties. The sticks were pretty and lit up like miniature…

… fireworks…

"Luffy! Move!" Sanji's shout was nearly absorbed by the booming roar of the bomb exploding. The force of the blast knocked the cook backwards and off his feet as a wave of heat enveloped him.

"Hey! Are you all right?" Blinded by the flash and more than slightly singed, Sanji called out to Luffy as he struggled to regain his feet.

The blonde stumbled about only to jump backwards as hot flames licked out to devour his flesh. Rubbing his eyes frantically, Sanji could finally see enough to realize that the bomb had set the center of the common room on fire. The old driftwood caught like tinder as it spread down the floor's wooden planks. Even now the flames were devouring several chairs and tables near him. Black smoke rolled up only to be stopped by the bar's low ceiling. Sanji couldn't breathe and he couldn't see.

But Sanji didn't need to see to know that those flames stood between him and Luffy. Figuring that his suit couldn't get any more ruined, the cook pulled his jacket protectively over his head and jumped through the blaze…

…And immediately fell over as he tripped over something solid on the other side.

"Luffy?" Sanji coughed out incredulously as he untangled his legs from Luffy's prone form. The dark-haired boy didn't answer as he pushed himself to his knees only to fall over again with a groan. Sanji could see harsh red burns covering the captain's arms and peeking out from underneath his scorched vest. Coughing again, the blonde swiftly knelt down and dragged Luffy to his feet as he half carried/half dragged the injured boy towards the pub's back entrance. Sanji didn't let himself worry too much. Knowing Luffy, the weakness was probably more from hunger than his injuries. Sanji only hoped he could accurately remember where the exit was.

Luck must have been with him because no sooner than the thought crossed the blonde's mind his tattered palm brushed against a cool metal sphere. Sanji hacked a relieved sigh and had just begun to turn the knob when he felt his burden stiffen. Luffy jerked away from his grasp weakly, trying to make his way back towards the common room. "My hat…." He croaked, barely audible over the roar of the flames.

Sanji glanced back at what had now become a wall of fire and shook his head. "It's gone! Forget about it!" he shouted as he shoved the protesting door open. Cool air rushed past him, giving him hope that they would actually make it out of this aggravating situation somewhat unscathed.

The flames quickly sucked up the added oxygen from that welcome cool breeze and the fire behind them roared into an inferno. Sanji felt his shirt grow uncomfortably hot as the thin material neared its combustion point. Sanji tried again to tug Luffy forward only to be stopped with more resistance than the blonde would have thought the boy to possess after nearly being blown up.

Sanji spit out a curse and turned to glare back at the unmoving form only to meet a resolute gaze. The cook stared into those unwavering eyes and briefly wondered if this was why that damn lettuce-head was always ending up hip deep in trouble. Common sense was no match for pure, single-minded stupidity. Sighing heavily, Sanji cursed his soft heart and swiftly kicked the captain through the doorway as he himself ran back towards the searing flames inside.

Luffy stared numbly at the burning building as realization slowly sunk in. He hadn't meant that Sanji had to get his hat! Tongues of flame had begun to lick at the frame of the back door. The Swampwater's Brew had lit up like a torch, illuminating the charcoal sky that was slowly filling with bulbous clouds of smoke. A series of small explosions drew Luffy's attention back to the ground, as the fire greedily swallowed the bar's alcohol supply.

Luffy pushed himself weakly to his feet, intent on jumping back into the burning building to retrieve both his cook and his hat, but a shout from the mouth of the alley made him pause. The flickering flames provided more than enough light to illuminate two figures facing away from the rubber-boy's direction. Squinting, Luffy could just make out the apathetic slouch that seemed to characterize the bounty hunter, Uragi, as he gave orders to one of his men. Luffy brashly walked closer, not even trying to hide his presence as he tried to hear their conversation more clearly over the crackling roar of the flames.

"That's right, proceed as planned and then meet the rest of us at the warehouse to the north." Uragi was said, not even glancing back into the alley where Luffy stood. "The townsfolk should be more than enough to delay those idiots until we gather up enough explosives. If we can't steal their ship we'll just blow it up and harvest the flotsam that remains." Uragi flipped a piece of ash out of his hair before glancing back at his companion. "Go on!" he ordered impatiently as pushed his man forward before striding out of site.

"That…that….jerk!" The rubber-boy sputtered in outrage before stumbling forward with an inflamed growl.

That grease guy not only had the nerve to try and blow them up, but he was going to try and attack the Going Merry too! That bounty hunter was really asking for a pounding now! With a quick glance back at the burning bar and a wordless prayer that cooks by nature would be immune to fire, Luffy's faltering gait tumbled into an all-out run as the dark-haired boy struggled to catch up with Uragi's fleeing form.

A harsh clanging greeted his ears as he shot out of the alley, distracting him from his pursuit. The henchman Uragi had given orders to was standing atop one of the town's fountains, frantically ringing a giant brass bell. The villagers that had not already been drawn to the small square by the fire now cautiously peeked their heads out of their domiciles. His audience gathered, Uragi's man took a deep breath.

"The pirates! The pirates attacked Mr. Uragi!" the man's shout reverberated louder than even the clanging of his bell. "They're at their ship now arming themselves! They're going to kill us all!"

The Brew's owner hovered near the fountain, moaning and tearing at the few hairs gracing his balding head. "They burnt it up! My inn!" the barkeep wailed. "My whole life was in that building!"

"The pirates did it!" Uragi's man yelled. "The pirates will destroy the whole village unless we all take up arms to stop them!"

Luffy opened his mouth to say that he had no intention of destroy anything but each little bone in a certain grease-guy's body, but thought better of it as Uragi's man began brandishing a pistol for emphasis. The rubber-boy was no longer cocky about his immunity to bullets and would almost bet his dinner that that gun didn't hold just any old musket.

A small man wearing a leather apron had stepped meekly forward during the ruckus. Looking around nervously, he spoke out in the type of hesitant voice that had the habit of silencing any crowd. "Earlier today, one of the pirates came to my shop wanting armor. And then…" The man fidgeted with the strings of his apron as he forced himself to continue.

"This evening…in front of this very inn…I watched that pirate kill a woman in cold blood!" That piercing whisper got even more of a reaction than even Uragi's stooge as the townspeople began muttering in anger and fear.

Some of the men quickly ushered their wives back indoors, while others rushed about searching for anything that could be used as a weapon. Many of the men were already armed and quickly gathered into groups to storm the beach where the Going Merry was docked. The few that remained ran quickly from house to house, spreading the word.

One man walked blindly past where Luffy stood only to jump back with a shriek as he realized that the boy he walked passed was not one of his fellow villagers.

"Look! It's one of the pirates!" the man skittered away fearfully. "He tried to sneak up on me!"

"Geez, I was just standing here." Luffy muttered peevishly as he tried his best not to look like a murderous pirate.

He evidently wasn't doing a good enough job as he soon found himself the center of a lot of unwanted attention. Apparently there were a lot more villagers milling about than he thought. The dark-haired boy ducked automatically as a shovel whooshed over his head before nimbly sidestepping a rusty spear aimed at his torso.

"Hey! I don't really wanna beat you guys up! It wouldn't be fair!" Luffy couldn't help but laugh as he dodged the various clumsy blows. "You guys are way too slow!"

The crack of gunfire went off to Luffy's left and he flinched as a bullet lodged into the bricks behind him. The rubber-boy looked about the sea of angry faces as he frantically tried to make out the shooter, still unwilling to hurt anyone who was still essentially innocent. Another bullet shot towards him only to bounce harmlessly off his chest before imbedding into the sand. Staring down at the bladed musket, Luffy realized he had been lucky that the bullet had turned.

His distraction proved enough for a giant force to knock him over and Luffy automatically fought back, his instincts for survival out-weighing his usual recklessness. He dimly perceived someone dragging him to his feet and shoving something coarse into his flailing hands.

"Ow!" his attacker cursed. "Damn it Luffy, Are you going to just stand there and be shot at, you idiot?" Sanji yelled in his ear as he dragged the rubber-boy away from the murderous crowd. He artfully threw a light kick here and there to keep the more violent ones at bay as the two quickly ducked down a side street. Pausing in a recessed doorway only long enough for the mob to pass them, Sanji fought for breath as he held a blackened hand over his captain's mouth to curb any stupid questions.

"We have to get back to the ship!" Sanji hissed and he pulled Luffy back into the street as soon as the coast was clear. Their legs kicked up sprays of sand as they tried to swiftly navigate the treacherous back roads to make their way towards the shore.
Luffy looked back in time to see a bullet whizzing passed his head, creating a searing cut across his cheek. Soon the two were running, the dire situation both in front and behind them hastening their worn out bodies. Belatedly, Luffy's eyes widened as his head jerked back to stare at Sanji in mute concern. The cook was covered from head to toe with black soot, making it impossible to tell if he had come to any real harm in the blazing inferno that was once the Swampwater's Brew. But if he could run that fast….

"My hat!" Luffy cried out suddenly.

"Honestly, could you be any more slow? It's in your damn hand!" Sanji barked out as he forced them to go faster. Luffy looked down and, there indeed, was his precious straw hat, completely unmarked.

"It was right by the front door!" the blonde yelled out angrily. "I could have walked around the building and just picked the god-damned thing up!" Sanji hurled out a few other choice words as he pushed the rubber-boy up ahead of him.

Luffy shoved the hat firmly on his head, his arms blocking his widening grin. If Sanji could still curse that effectively, he must be just fine. "Sorry Sanji…my bad." He said, completely unrepentant, as he willed his legs to carry him faster down the sandy road.

VVOOOVV

Elsewhere, the bodies of many armed men slid into the dark waters of the ocean, swimming silently towards the dark ship moored mere meters away. Nearly two dozen of men wordlessly waded out to sea. Neither the drag of the tide against their clothing nor the heaviness of their weapons halted their steady progress to the Going Merry, where a rope ladder was left hanging in a careless invitation for attack.