By AstroKender
Warnings:Swearing, Blood, violence, and torture. (hey, I had to squeese a bit more in before the good guys win )
Notes: Well, my week break is coming to an end, so I can't promis how speedily the remaining chapters will come out, but we're in the final lap here, so I throw it out as soon as I can. Please forgive any grammatical and/or spelling errors. I'm currently in the process of polishing the whole story up for a grand reposting.
Feedback: there is an annoying button at the bottom of the screen just begging to be punched.
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda, 4kids and various other affiliates. I don't own em, I don't make money off em, I just play with them.
Chapter 14
Zoro fought desperately to catch his breath as his fourth opponent slowly circled him like a predator cornering his prey. Zoro kept track of the man's movements through his one good eye; the other having been swollen shut from a devastating punch that had occurred during the first fight. The swordsman's ears were still ringing from that one.
But the statistics seemed to rest in Zoro's favor. Three men lay dead, and Zoro wasn't one of them. That had to count for something.
"You're slowing down, Roronoa!' Uragi called out from his makeshift throne. "You have been doing well up to this point. Don't disappoint me now."
Zoro sneered as he spit a mouthful of blood onto the warehouse floor. This was exactly what Uragi has planned. Oh, Zoro had no doubts he could finish off the last two of the bounty hunter's henchmen, but he was wearing out quickly. At this point, if Uragi had any passable fighting skills, Zoro wouldn't have the energy left to defend himself.
A familiar clicking noise drew the swordsman's attention to the fight at hand. His opponent had just pulled a pistol from his jacket and already cocked the hammer back. Grinning, the thug gave the pirate a mocking wink before pulling the trigger.
Sandai Kitetsu seemed to move on its own as the katana swung up and into the bullet's path. The projectile ricocheted off the cursed blade and imbedded itself into the floorboards a hairsbreadth from Uragi's feet. Seeing dark-haired man flinch made Zoro grin as he dashed forward to finish off his foolhardy opponent.
"Too bad your gun can only fire one shot." Zoro smirked as he raised his sword for the final blow.
The man gave Zoro an evil smirk as he pulled a second pistol from behind his back. Eyes wide, Zoro threw himself to the ground with a muffled curse. The bullet sliced through the air in which he had just occupied, nicking the outer shell of his ear as it sped past and ruffling his earrings like wind chimes.
Zoro's sword darted out like a spear, impaling the lackey leering above him. Snarling, Zoro shoved the blade in further, until the man's dead weight dropped to the floor. The pirate pulled himself to his feet, his eyes cold.
"I'm sick of being shot." He muttered irritably as he rubbed his thumb across his bleeding ear.
"Then how would you like to be sliced up a little?" A weasely voice uttered from behind him.
Spinning around, Zoro's katana only just blocked the blur of sliver that had been aimed for one of Zoro's kidneys. The swordsman grunted slightly at the surprising strength behind the blow as he studied the small form of his opponent.
"That wasn't nice...I only got one good kidney left." Zoro managed to push his enemy back long enough to get into a better defensive position.
"That's okay..." the small man hissed between sharp teeth that didn't belong on a human being. "You won't be needing them."
The mousy looking man pulled out a small, deadly looking knife that matched the one he had already been holding. Grinning, he spun the little blades between his fingers, showing off his obvious skill.
"Let me guess," Zoro muttered, as he crouched low to try to match the other man's center of gravity. "You don't use those for cooking, right?"
The weasel-man laughed. "Funny thing, before I washed up on this stinking island, I was known as 'the butcher'."
"You don't say." Zoro smirked as he brought Sandai Kitetsu crossways under his nose. "Funny thing, off this stinking island, I'm known as a demon."
It was hard to tell who charged first but the two opponents were soon nothing but a blur of flesh and metal as they spun around each other like deadly cyclones. Every now and then a pained grunt would replace the sound of blades clashing and a stream of blood would fly out to spatter against the floor. But, at the speed the two were moving, it was impossible to tell whose strikes were connecting.
A keening whine warbled through the air as two knives and a katana flew out from the whirlwind of bodies to imbed themselves into various areas of the warehouse. The two fighter's had stopped their mad thrashing and now stood, staring at each other, as their breaths came out in sharp gasps.
Uragi's gaze landed on Zoro first, taking in the crisscross of slashes across the swordsman's chest. The green-haired man's left arm oozed a steady flow of blood and a particularly wicked looking slash swept across his cheek and into his hairline, nearly taking his eye in the process.
Uragi's man, on the other hand, looked completely unscathed. The dark-haired bounty hunter raised an eyebrow at this. Surely Roronoa would have been able to land at least one slash?
Uragi's eyes widened as, with a guttural moan, his last remaining man fell to the floor. Blood gushed out of the man's body from seemingly hundreds of nearly invisible cuts. Uragi's gaze switched to back to Zoro appreciatively as he watched the pirate sink to the floor while cradling his leg.
"You forced yourself to move so quickly your knee couldn't take the strain." The bounty hunter murmured in admiration as he rose from his seat. "Very impressive, considering it was probably the only way to win against the Butcher's speed."
"Bah." Zoro spat as he furtively massaged his knee. "I fought an octopus with nearly the same attack pattern. With both fights, it was simple to use the enemies speed against them."
"Indeed?" Uragi inclined his head in acknowledgment as he bent over to retrieve Zoro's sword. Gliding over to the pirate, he stabbed the cursed blade into the floor at Zoro's feet.
"Are you still up for a little duel?"
Zoro stared blanking at the ground, trying vainly to get at least one of his eyes to focus. Burning pain shot up his leg whenever he shifted, and he couldn't stop the involuntarily twitches and spasms that had overtaken his muscles. Swallowing harshly, the swordsman fought the urge to puke all over Uragi's over-polished boots.
Grunting, the green-haired pirate stood with the sheer force of his own will. Zoro's tongue darted out to moisten his cracked lips as he held his sword aloft with sweat-slicked and nerveless hands.
"I'm all for it." The swordsman grinned.
"Excellent!" Uragi exclaimed as he drew Wadou from its pristine white sheath. Baring Zoro's own sword, the man pointed the tip expertly at his opponent, his free hand resting comfortably behind his back.
"Tell me, Roronoa. Have you ever heard of 'fencing'?"
VVOOOVV
"I can still help!" Usopp insisted, as he struggled to raise himself from his reclined position.
The lamplight made the kitchen flicker with bizarre shadows that danced across the wall. It also served to deepen the shadows cast upon the crew's faces, intensifying every emotion that crossed their dark planes. Right at this moment, however, the only emotion visible was irritation.
"No you don't!" Nami scolded as she turned her head to glare at the other. "You've been shot you idiot and you can't even walk. Plus, a wound like that would just be begging for that Uragi guy to poison you too."
"But-"
"Don't argue with Miss Nami!" Sanji commanded from behind as he tapped the sharpshooter roughly on the back of his head. Usopp shot the man an irritated glare.
"This is none of your business, Love Cook." Usopp scowled. "I don't see why I have to stay on the ship when all of you-"
"I'm staying too." Nami sighed as she adjusted her hands on the helm. "And Chopper and Vivi as well."
Usopp jerked up in shock, and his leg fell off the stool and smacked into the floor, eliciting a pained cry from the sharpshooter. After a couple of moments of writhing in pain, the dark-haired boy finally found his voice.
"That means-"
"Only Luffy and I will disembark on the island." Sanji stated as he puffed on a clove cigarette with seemingly little concern. "Chopper is the only one that will be able to cure Zoro when we bring the cabbage-head back, so we can't afford for him to get injured. You've already got yourself all busted up and..." He gazed pointedly in Nami's direction. "That island in no place for a lady."
Nami sighed again and muttered in reluctant agreement. Brushing her hair back, the redhead tilted the miniature ram's head slightly to the left, effortlessly adjusting their course. After a moment she continued her previous speech, which had been a detailed layout of their self imposed mission. Disappointed, Usopp shoulders slumped and he listened to Nami's plan with only half an ear.
"We'll sneak up to the northwest side of the island and drop anchor there." The redhead was saying. "Luffy and Sanji will jump off, beat up that scum-filled bounty hunter and bring that bone-headed swordsman back to the ship. "
"Wait. You gotta drop me off at the south end of the island." Luffy called through the porthole facing the main deck. Two large eyes peered through the opening as the rubber-boy made his request.
"What? But that's the totally opposite direction of where we need to go." Sanji protested, nearly dropping his cigarette.
"Just do it." Luffy whined, his brows lowered stubbornly.
"But why?" Nami asked, exasperated.
"I need to grab something." Luffy flashed them all a quick grin before his head vanished from view.
VVOOOVV
"Remember Luffy," Chopper's voice was firm as the two stood at the fore of the ship, watching the island of Black feather slowly appear from the darkness. "One drop. Just bring back one drop of that poison and I can save him."
"That's not good enough." A voice called out from behind them.
Sanji walked up to stand next to them, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. The blonde seemed to have mellowed out considerably since the big blow up in the kitchen earlier. But some invisible line of tension seemed to still be lingering, causing the ligaments to stand taut against the cook's pale neck.
"The way Uragi talked, there was something about his poison that didn't work like the regular sort." Sanji spoke calmly as he leaned onto the ship's rail. "Plus, we have an hour until dawn at most. After that, there is no guarantee Zoro will be still be alive to save." The blonde's expression turned dark at his own words and Chopper found himself tapping his hooves together nervously.
'I made a vow to become a panacea: A doctor that could cure anything. I can do this. I can save him.' The little reindeer repeated to himself mentally.
"To save Zoro to be absolutely, positively sure that we can save him-we need that antidote that Uragi was carrying with him." Sanji met Luffy's gaze squarely. "Our only chance. No room for screw-ups or we'll be permanently short one swordsman. Understand?"
Luffy pulled his hat down more firmly over his head, his fingers brushing against the black cloth that hid beneath. "Right. Understood."
Sanji released a deep breath and turned back to stare out towards the isle where they had last left their companion. "Good." He muttered as he drew a smoke from his pocket.
'You better not be dead, you idiot.' Sanji mentally ordered as he struck a match against the rail. 'We came back all this way to save your ass, don't make it for nothing, you hear?'
A sudden wind swept up, throwing Sanji's hair into his face and extinguishing the match before it could ignite the cook's cigarette. The breeze seemed to carry with it an echo of an overheard insult; one spit out by a certain green-haired man almost daily.
Buzz off you Shitty Cook...
"Idiot." Sanji answered back to the wind, causing his puzzled companions to glance up at him strangely.
VVOOOVV
Zoro managed not to wince as yet another stitch closing one of his wounds was severed. Uragi had started on his shoulder and had seemed to want to work his way down from there. Right now, the bounty hunter was eyeing the slash under Zoro's ribs with a particular sort of malicious glee.
"Quite a few stitches holding that one closed." Uragi nearly purred. "That's definitely not from a bullet."
If Zoro had the breath to speak, he would have undoubtedly replied that, yes, that particular wound was because of a bullet; so his friends could fish the damn thing out of his body. It had hurt like a bitch, too, thank you very much.
But Zoro didn't have the breath to spare for speaking, let alone for sputtering out some mindless whining about his wounds. Right now Zoro had to struggle for each inhalation, as he pulled all his energy into blocking or dodging Uragi's numerous lightning thrusts. Uragi's skills were more than just passable. The man was good.
Another short slash left the pirate with one more gaping wound as carefully formed scabs were torn from the strain. Blood rolled down Zoro's body like crimson rain and his ears filled with the taunting sound of Uragi's chuckles.
"I'm quite surprised you can still stand after loosing that much blood. I half expected you didn't have enough left to bleed out."
Zoro's eyes narrowed as he thrust his katana forward harshly, trying to do nothing less than pierce that mocking bastard's skull. But his jab, as with all his previous attacks, fell short as Uragi expertly hopped backwards a hairsbreadth out of the swordsman's reach. Flipping a stand of hair from his eyes, Uragi tsked sadly.
"You do need to try harder, I'm afraid."
Zoro cursed silently as he shifted his grip on Sandai Kitetsu. He was a master of the Three Sword Style and could never really copy that same level of skill using only one katana. How was he supposed to win when his body was at its limit and all the odds were stacked against him?
"Really, Roronoa, is that honestly all you've got?"
Uragi was the picture of poise and nobility, like a king deigning to spar with one of his knights. The bounty hunter was ever calm and collected which undoubtedly pushed his reaction time to its peak. That left Zoro, with his stiff movements and frazzled nerves, with significantly less of a foothold. Zoro needed to find some way to ruffle that stuffed pigeon's feathers if he were going to gain the upper hand.
Zoro only barely managed to block a lightning stab towards his throat and was rewarded for his efforts with a heeled boot slamming into his chest. The green-haired pirate was thrown backwards to crash into a stack of crates.
That's it. Zoro had only one mission left and that was to not die until he was absolutely positive he had killed that son-of-a-bitch.
Black powder from one of the broken boxes swirled around Zoro's fallen form, drawing his attention away from his own murderous thoughts. The powder had a stark, pungent aroma that reminded the former pirate hunter of a military firing squad. There was no mistaking what this stuff was.
Gunpowder.
Zoro shifted backwards unconsciously, for the first time realizing the potential death trap they were fighting in. One wrong move and both Uragi and himself would be blown to hell. The swordsman's eyebrows rose as something small and hard jabbed at the middle of his back. Never taking his eyes off Uragi's over-relaxed form, Zoro reached his free hand backwards and nearly dropped the item in surprise.
Gripping one of the Butcher's knives tightly in his fist, Zoro's eyes darted about, quickly finding its mate stuck in the floorboards less than half a meter away. The ghost of a smirk flitted across the swordsman's lips. It was high time to level the playing field.
Thinking quickly, Zoro lashed out with his katana, his swing creating a great gust of wind that send the granules of gunpowder into the air. With the opaque cloud masking his movements, the pirate dove into a tumbling roll towards the second dagger.
"Playing dirty, are we?" Uragi's voice called out, not the least bit alarmed. "I do hope you aren't trying to run away."
The dangerous cloud of gunpowder soon settled, and Uragi's eyes swiftly zeroed in on the green-haired man's location. Zoro stood solidly before him, one dagger clenched tightly between his teeth while the second rested in his left hand. Sandai Kitetsu stood out incongruously between the trio, nearly four times longer that the other blades.
"Who's running?" Zoro gritted out from between the sweat stained hilt of the stolen dagger. "Not me."
He was off and running before Uragi could form an appropriate reply.
Uragi hurriedly lifted Wadou in defense as Zoro's katana flashed towards him. The two blades crashed together in a fury of potentially deadly sparks. But rather than withdrawing his blade, Zoro spun with the force of his own swing, pushing Uragi's sword to the right, leaving the bounty hunter defenseless against the oncoming advance of Zoro's daggers.
Uragi stumbled back, clutching his wounded side as blood spilled forth between his fingers. A vicious gash crossed the man's cheek, nearly mirroring the one on Zoro's own. Zoro backed up a step defensively as he shook his arm in a quick snapping motion to flick the blood off his hastily chosen weapon.
"Now, now..." Uragi gritted his teeth as he spoke, his eyes for the first time showing a glint of anger. "That wasn't exactly fair..."
"Fair?" Zoro snorted. "I think we're way past that." The swordsman's blades rose as he prepared for another attack.
"Is that so?" Uragi's face was lowered; his expression shadowed as his shoulders began to shake. Zoro's fists clenched tighter around the hilts of his weapons when he realized that the man was laughing.
"I suppose we should just move on to the coup de gras, eh?" Uragi's green eyes glittered as he flashed Zoro a wicked smirk. "I'm mean, your companions are very likely already dead, and your ship mere flotsam on the waves. So there really isn't much point continuing."
This time it was Zoro who laughed.
"You really are a stupid bastard." The pirate managed to grin around the obstruction in his mouth. "They're gone. First they kicked you're men's collective asses, then they left. I guess your ticket off this island already set sail." Zoro's sword flashed ominously in the dull light. "Not that you'd be alive to take it anyway."
Uragi didn't even budge as Zoro charged forward into his next attack. It was as if Zoro's last comment drained the fight from his opponent. Indeed, the bounty hunter didn't even lift his sword to defend himself as he stood thereas still as a statuehis eyes hidden between a mask of black hair.
Zoro felt three blades sink satisfyingly into flesh before Uragi suddenly dissolved before his eyes. A whispered oath past Zoro's lips as he watched his target vanish. The swordsman only had a second to react before Uragi reformed directly behind him and stabbed his hand into the green-haired man's wounded shoulder.
Zoro let out an involuntary scream as white hot fire course through his shoulder and seemingly through his very veins. Straining to glance backwards, Zoro's eyes widened as he caught sight of liquid black fingers imbedded into his flesh. Sneering, Uragi twisted his poison-filled nailed deeper into the pirate's wound.
"You're problem, Roronoa," he hissed in Zoro's ear. "Is that you try too hard to piss people off."
With a sadistic fury, Uragi yanked his hand free in a spray of blood. Zoro stumbled forward and gave a ragged half cough/half moan, before collapsing to the floor. The swordsman's body twitched and shivered, as he lay prone on the rough wooden floor.
Zoro's eyes blurred out of focus as darkness threatened to sweep him under. But the pain, the absolute agony flowing through his veins prevented the blessing of unconsciousness. All Zoro could do was let out a muffled scream.
Uragi's boot came down to rest upon Zoro's back, his heel digging into one of the swordsman's numerous wound. "That's right," Uragi whispered, almost soothingly. "I want you awake for this." Wadou dipped down into the pirate's fuzzy vision, it's blade gleaming harshly.
"I would venture to guess that you've a little over thirty minute's until my poison finally takes its toll on you. My poison has struck your nervous system. You won't be able to move." Wadou crossed the nape of Zoro's neck, leaving a light scratch in its wake.
"Let us find a way to pass the time, shall we?"
Zoro struggled to breathe past the heaviness in his chest as his entire body throbbed with pain. But even then, the swordsman could feel Uragi slowly carve into his body like a sculptor making his first marks into a chunk of marble.
'There is no way he can cause me any more pain then this...' Zoro hazily mind supplied.
"I'll ask you to please not expire too quickly," Uragi's voice echoed from above. "I'm just getting started, after all." Zoro felt the man bend down and something touched his lower back that made the agony of all of his previous wounds fade.
And then Zoro wanted to die.
"Aaaahhhh!"
VVOOVV