Loyalties
By AstroKender
Warnings: Swearing, Blood, Violence and Angst
Notes: Close! So close to the end…can you feel it?
Feedback: there is an annoying button at the bottom of the screen that, like Uragi, is 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 18
Akima erupted from the water, enclosing Sanji's slight form from behind in a crushing bear hug. Sanji winced as tiny studs from the man's breastplate imbedded into his back. In this position he had no way to counter attack, much less free himself. Akima's grip tightened and Sanji heard his own ribs creaking in protest.
A thunderous boom sounded and something black hurtled passed his vision, so close that the resulting whoosh of air ruffled his even his ocean dampened locks. The arms holding his captive loosened in momentary shock and Sanji swiftly slipped beneath them before rotating his body into a vicious sideswipe that punted his enemy back towards shore.
"What the hell was that about?" Sanji screamed back at Vivi, who was hiding her hands behind her back like a kid who had been caught doing something naughty. "You almost hit me!" The blonde eyes were round and white and scary.
Vivi scooted away from the smoking cannon guiltily. "I'm not very good at firing these things, so it would seem." She gave Sanji a nervous smile. "But it looks like the ship isn't getting any closer, so it all worked out for the best, right?"
Sanji's mouth opened to tell her --politely of course—that beautiful princess of no, she had no right to so carelessly almost take his head off. Of course at this time, Uragi's henchmen saw fit to interrupt with a spiky fist aimed straight at the blonde's face. Growling, the cook swiftly ducked before bringing his knee to bear in an ungentlemanly attack that sent his opponent's hands clutching his privates with a muffled groan.
"I'm trying to have a conversation here!" Sanji barked.
Reaching up, Akima's meaty fist curled around Sanji's thin neck and lifted the blonde up off the ground. Sanji winced as he pried at the hand holding him; his blurring vision focused on his attacker's impassive face. A man Akima's size could snap his neck like a twig, so why…?
With a grunt, the larger man tossed Sanji aside like a broken doll. The cook hit the sand in a skidding tumble of rump over shoulder. Spitting out a mouth of sand, Sanji squinted through the grit in his eyes to see why his opponent had released him.
Akima yanked the sharp point of one of Vivi's peacock blades from his right bicep. The wound was small, but deep. But that couldn't have been the reason for the man's hesitation. Sanji snarled to himself. He wasn't feeling like this battle was on equal footing. If the man wanted off the island so badly, why wasn't he fighting seriously?
"We don't want to fight!" Vivi was calling out to their enemy, with the voice that will one day govern thousands of her people. "We are just here to retrieve our friends. They mean a lot to us and we can't leave this island without them!"
"It doesn't matter why you're here, missy." Akima grunted out in a gravely voice. "I have my orders. But if you tell your buddies out there to hand over the ship, I may be able to get away with not having to kill you."
"That ain't going to happen, Spiky." Sanji muttered as he picked himself off the ground. He dusted the sand off his shirt with the look of one knowing that there was laundry to be done later, if said shirt could even be salvaged. "But if you play nice, we might just find room for one more on our ship."
"Mister Sanji…" Vivi was surprised at the cook's sudden generosity. Especially towards someone he had just been trying to kill, and vise versa.
Akima actually looked undecided for a moment. "I can't." The short-haired man mumbled. "I gave my word to Mr. Uragi."
"A bastard like him doesn't need your promises." Sanji snarled. "Why are you working under that sleaze? Even I can tell you have more honor in your little pinkie than that prick."
"That prick saved my life!" Akima shouted. "I would have been dragged to the bottom of the sea along with that accursed Marine ship if it wasn't for him!"
"You…" Sanji's eyes widened. "You were one of the prisoners…when the storm hit."
Uragi's henchman nodded and kicked the sand off his boots angrily. "Even without the storm, I was sentenced to die anyway. Uragi freed me from that fate and gave me back hope. Hope that I would see my Emiri again."
Vivi had crept closer to the two men, becoming absorbed in the story despite herself. "What did you do?"
"What?" Akima grunted as he glanced at her, before hurriedly shifting his eyes away.
"To be imprisoned. What did you do?"
"Do? I took revenge." Akima's eyes darkened. "I took revenge on my daughter's fiancé. I killed him with my bare hands." The man's whole posture seemed to change-- seeming bigger, stronger, deadlier. "He raped my little girl and, by god, I made sure he was dead." The fighter clenched his fist with remembered rage.
Sanji and Vivi could only stand there in stunned silence. They were no strangers to heartache, but neither could imagine being in the man's shoes. Each wondered to themselves exactly how far they would go in the name of a loved one. By they strained look appearing on their faces, neither of them liked the answer very much.
After a minute, Akima had composed himself and turned towards Vivi, a sad smile on his blocky face. "I would say she's just a bit older than you missy." The older man's eyes grew distant. "I wonder what she's doing now. She thinks I'm dead, I'm sure. I wonder if she's doing all right?"
"I'm sure she's fine, old man." Sanji muttered, wishing he had a cigarette…or some whiskey. Tales like that go down easier with a few drinks. "Stop the whirling hedgehog routine and I promise you'll be on your way to find her again. With a few hot meals in you, to boot."
Akima's face was rigid and filled with stubbornness. "I have a debt to repay. A real man always repays his debts."
"And do real men attack try to kill innocent people?" Sanji yelled, jumping up into the taller man's face. "Do real men sneak around in the shadows, obeying their master's commands? Do they hide an entire armory from the whole damn island? Is that a 'real man'?"
Akima turned his head away, suddenly mute. Growling, Sanji shoved his sleeves up, raising his fists in an exaggerated display that was incongruous with his normal character. The blond struck a defensive pose, rubbing his nose casually with the back of his thumb.
"You wanna fight like men? Fine, I'm game. And, if you win, you and your creep boss can have the Going Merry."
"Sanji!" Vivi gasped in horror.
"But if you lose," Sanji continue calmly. "You've got to give up your 'debt' and come with us."
Akima stared at Sanji silently for a moment, before raising two heavily spiked fists. "It's a deal."
VVOOOVV
Aboard the Going Merry, Usopp felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine. His eyes darted about suspiciously as he clutched a ratty blanket closer around his shoulders. Something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" Chopper asked, peeking his head into the barracks briefly. Nami had been running him ragged with shouted commands and strong 'suggestions'. (Read: obey me or I'll make your life a living hell.) Who knew it was this hard to run a ship? Only fear of Nami's fury kept the reindeer upright at all.
"I don't know." Usopp admitted as he squirmed to make himself more comfortable on their lumpy excuse for a couch. He ran his hand across the pink stained bandage around his thigh distractedly, ignoring the tiny flashes of pain it caused. "I just got a really bad feeling about something." The long nosed boy frowned deeply.
"Zoro and the others?" Chopper asked fearfully, his eyes wide.
Usopp shook his head.
"Nope. Us."
Outside, unnoticed by the others, a large drop of moisture had collected on the ship's wooden ram's head.
VVOOOVV
Carue was running for all he was worth. Jumping over tangled roots and gliding swiftly over algae covered waters, the brave duck never once paused as raced continually southwest, aiming for the patch of beach that his companions were supposed to lay anchor. By now his pulse was throbbing erratically in his brain and his lungs were screaming for more oxygen. But still, Carue didn't stop.
The faint sound of surf filtered into the spot-billed's ears, followed closely by the tangy smell of sea salt. He was close! With one last burst of speed, Carue burst through the last of the marshy foliage an out into the open air of the beach.
Now, anyone could tell you that webbed feet on sand does not make for good braking habits. Carue quickly illustrated this fact as his legs suddenly slipped out from underneath him, causing the misfortunate duck to skid headlong into the midst of a battle between a tobacco-addicted cook and a giant porcupine. It was to Carue's further misfortune that he happened to land on the aforementioned spike covered individual.
Carue shot straight in the air with a loud squawk/quack of pain. Spinning in frantic circle, the spot-billed duck frantically blew on his injured posterior to ease the pain. His remaining (conscious) audience watched in shock.
"Carue!" Vivi called out happily, quickly running up to wrap her arms around her feathered friend. "I was so worried! You shouldn't have gone off on you own like that!" The nagging was softened by the loving pats to his bill.
"Well, I suppose this makes things easier." Sanji commented lightly as he dragged his arms back into his jacket. "I think our friend here is out for the count." He gestured downwards.
Akima lay flat on his back, legs akimbo. Large swirls spun in slow circles in his eyes. Yup. This was definitely an instance of Duck: 1, Hedgehog: 0. Sanji supposed he ought to thank his web-footed comrade. But upon turning, he found the duck using his bill to pick up something from the sand. Something that hadn't been there before.
Luffy's hat.
Sanji's eyes widened. "Where's Luffy?" He demanded. "Is he all right?"
Carue gave out a few short quacks. The duck sounded urgent enough, but Sanji couldn't really speak duck, so he didn't know what the hell was going on. Frustrated, the blonde turned towards Vivi, with the hopes that she could translate.
"As near as I can tell, Luffy must have sent Carue back to get us." The princess explained after hearing a repeat of her friend's 'report'.
Sanji shifted, suddenly full of nervous energy. "That means he found Zoro."
Turning to Carue, the cook suddenly squatted down eye to eye with the brave hearted duck. "Are they at the warehouse?" Carue nodded and Sanji shot to his feet. "Which way?"
Carue lifted one wing, pointing to the tangle of brush he had emerged from. Sanji braced himself for a long sprint, when a gnarled hand came up and clutched his ankle.
"Wait…" Akima gasped weakly. "There is…a short cut."
Apparently even Uragi's strongest thug was no match for Alabasta's number one warrior duck. Sanji raised one curled eyebrow, his mouth twitching with the effort to keep a straight face.
"The path…through those trees…it'll lead you…." Akima pointed a little to the left of spot Carue had indicted. His hand dropped, and the older man fell back into unconsciousness, a small line of drool slipping down his chin.
"Who would have thought such a strong man would fall so easily." Vivi wondered aloud. Sanji snorted. It definitely hadn't been easy for him. He winced as his wounds reminded him of this fact.
"I'm going on ahead." Sanji stated, his expression turning serious. "Carue, help Vivi get the old man onboard the ship."
Carue saluted and Sanji's gaze shifted to Vivi, whose face had become lined with worry. Sanji wanted to reassure the blue haired girl, but found himself without any more words of encouragement. Everything was hanging by a thread at this point. A very thin thread.
"And get Chopper." Sanji ordered reluctantly. "I have a feeling we're going to need him."
And then he was off and running.
VVOOOVV
"Uragi…" the name was nearly an unintelligible growl between teeth and leather and metal.
For the first time in their battles, Uragi took a defensive posture as his eye darted about, confirming all possible escape routes. But Zoro wasn't about to let him run away this time. Gone was the half-dead pirate that he had traded blows with before. In his place was the man that he first caught a hint of, back on that first night at the bar. The man that Uragi had so feared, that he had poisoned him by pure reflex. There was death in Roronoa Zoro's eyes, and not the pirate's own. Uragi saw this and took a careful step backwards.
"Now, Roronoa. This will hardly be a fair fight." Uragi protested with a strained smile. "I have no weapons left, you see." He extended his empty hands. "Not much of a challenge, I'm afraid."
Zoro's silent advance continued. Panicked now, Uragi dissolved, hoping to slide around his opponent and make for the exit. Gliding silently between the swordsman's legs, Uragi headed for the door, almost able to smell his freedom.
A bright flash of heat and light made the dark ooze that was the bounty hunter jerk backwards. The distraction was enough to break Uragi's concentration and he solidified once more, cursing at the wall of fire that now blocked his exit.
Zoro's arm lowered from where he had thrown one of the heavy oil lanterns at the door. Fire caused the swordsman's eyes to glitter beneath the heavy shadows formed by his bandanna. Yubashiri was quickly back in its proper hand and Zoro was once again moving towards his prey.
"Are you mad?" Uragi cried out in alarm as he hastily backed away from the flames. "We are in an armory, you fool! You'll blow us all to kingdom come!"
"So what's it gonna do, kill me?" Zoro somehow managed a wild grin behind Wadou's hilt.
"You pigheaded imbecile!" Like a cornered rat, Uragi turned and bared his fangs.
Everything waist down on Uragi liquefied and the bounty hunter used the pressure to hurtle him towards his pirate foe. Uragi now fought desperately, with no hint of his earlier savvy. With no weapons other than his Devil's Fruit ability, it was Uragi's intention to pump every ounce of toxin into Zoro's veins, until the swordsman was nothing more than a twitching mass of dying flesh.
Zoro's eyes narrowed as Uragi shot forward. He had to somehow defeat his enemy without ever coming in contact with him; for contact meant certain death. Zoro crouched low, his swords coming to bear, as he decided not to let Uragi have the first move. The green haired man darted forward with nearly inhumane speed, quickly meeting the bounty hunter in the very center of the warehouse.
Zoro's swords flashed out, a shining pinwheel of deadly blades aimed for Uragi's vitals. This had to be a quick kill, the longer it took the more chance that he wouldn't survive to get Luffy out of there alive. There was no reason to drag the rubber boy any more down into this mess. This was Zoro's fight.
But the swordsman's bladed passed harmlessly through Uragi's semi-solid body and –with a curse—Zoro leaped backwards as black tendrils flew out from the bounty hunter, aiming for the wounded and vulnerable parts of his flesh. And, damn it, Zoro had quite a few. But the pirate refused to back down completely and quickly dashed around to Uragi's side, his swords coming down with the force of a hammer on an anvil.
VVOOOVV
Luffy's head was buzzing pleasantly, like after the one time he had grabbed a mug of ale, thinking it was juice. His entire body was lit with a warm tingling sensation as if all his limbs had fallen asleep and he was just now feeling the pinpricks of blood flowing back into them. He was tired, he realized. And hungry. Luffy's mind wandered about in a fuzzy haze.
Luffy tiredly dragged his eyelids open. For some reason not clear to him at the moment, Luffy found his mind turning to Zoro. The swordsman would definitely still be asleep this early in the morning, so it wasn't as if he'd fix Luffy any food. Indeed, it would be a miracle if Zoro were down in the barracks with him at all, since the green haired man was often wont to falling asleep up on deck regardless of temperature or current weather predictions.
Wait.
They weren't on the ship. They had been fighting the grease guy. Zoro was dying, then he was dying, and then some sort of cool liquid had coursed down his throat, banking the fires of Uragi's toxin. Zoro had been standing before him, bare skin glowing, preparing to fight.
Something in Luffy's brain was screaming at him. For some reason the word 'fight' had jolted through his body like an electric current. Fight, fight…
'Fight?' Luffy bolted upright, his eyes wide. Shit! He had actually fallen asleep! In the middle of battle! What the hell was he thinking?
Luffy quickly bounced to his feet only to fall over with a muffled squeak. The way his legs were acting, you would think he had eaten the Jelly Fruit, not the Rubber Fruit. Grumbling, the dark haired boy stubbornly dragged his legs up underneath him once again, this time standing with a little more care.
The sounds of grunting and splashing caused the rubber boy to glance up. Zoro was fighting, swinging his swords in a blur of razor sharp metal. Luffy only guessed his opponent was still Uragi, as all he could see in brief flashes of dark liquid flying through the air and he was pretty sure there was no one else on the island who could turn into stuff like that.
Luffy cocked his head to the side in amusement. The way things looked, Zoro was just doing some sort of bizarre naked sword training techniques. Hee. Wouldn't the others have a fit if they saw? Luffy's tongue stuck out and his eyes crinkled up in amusement.
Wanting to share his little joke with his teammate, Luffy took a step forward, only to freeze as the tiny sound of breaking glass tinkled in his ear. Slowly the rubber boy lifted his foot, revealing a slender tube that now bore a narrow crack near the lip of the opening. The vial appeared empty save for one, sparkling drop of liquid.
'Just one drop.' Chopper had said. 'Bring me back on drop and I can save him.'
Their current circumstances slammed into Luffy's consciousness with almost brain damaging force. Zoro was still poisoned. Sure, he was out there fighting like he hadn't lost most of the blood in his body, but the reality of it was: Zoro could still die.
He would die, unless Luffy did something.
Frowning, the Straw-Hat Captain bent over, reaching down for the antidote vial with bloodstained fingers. Behind him, Zoro had just run out of room to fight.
VVOOOVV
Uragi dissolved again and Zoro growled. This was getting him nowhere. He needed a way, some way, to distract the bounty hunter. Uragi's concentration was weak, one slip up and Zoro would have him.
Zoro stared at the dimming fire at the doorway; the oil had quickly burnt up, leaving the fire with little fuel to continue blazing. The flames clung desperately to the wooden floorboards as they slowly spread outward a small centimeter at a time. Uragi had definitely been startled by the fire…. Zoro's eyes shifted to the broken crate of gunpowder lying a few meters away.
Uragi wasn't allowing him the time to think, however, and Zoro was quickly dodging long arms of poison as he jumped backwards in an attempt to temporarily retreat out of range. But Uragi wasn't giving up his advantage and pressed forward ruthlessly, causing Zoro to have to duck and dodge his toxic projectiles. Zoro's shoulders slammed into a stack of crates. Uragi grinned evilly at the knowledge that his opponent had unwittingly backed himself into a corner.
"Well, it has been fun." Uragi's teeth gleamed in the growing light sparkling in from the dusty windows. "But it's been quite a long night and, as you can understand, I'm quite tired. I believe it is high time to finish our little contest of wills."
Uragi's hand shot forward, slipping past the swordsman's blades to sit upon Zoro's bleeding cheek. Zoro seemed frozen, so Uragi indulged in a small caress against the green haired man's face.
"We would have made excellent partners."
Zoro's eyes flashed briefly to something over Uragi's shoulder and he grinned. "I already have a great partner." His grin widened and, before Uragi knew what was happening, a giant force was pulling him backward with deadly speed.
Zoro nodded to Luffy as he shot past, aiming for the fallen pile of crates Uragi had landed in. Uragi was even now struggling to his feet, a thousand curses on his lips. Wasting no time, Zoro charged in, his swords aloft.
Uragi screamed as the long blade of a katana stabbed through the flesh of his shoulder and pinned him to the crate he leaned upon. Closing his eyes, the bounty hunter quickly attempted to concentrate so he could free himself from both the sword and the pain. But the feeling of metal sliding suddenly through his chest caused Uragi's eyes to pop open in horror.
Uragi was now pinned down from both sides, and Zoro was fairly sure he wouldn't be transforming anytime soon. But he had made the mistake of underestimating this man before. He had no intention of repeating his mistake. Zoro knew of only on sure way to destroy his opponent once and for all.
"I don't suppose you'll leave?" Zoro called back over his shoulders, to the figure he could feel standing behind him.
He couldn't see it, but he could tell that the rubber boy had shaken his head. 'Stubborn idiot…' Zoro thought to himself fondly. Smirking ruefully, Zoro pulled Wadou slowly from his mouth.
"Luffy…." Zoro called back once more, his voice noticeably softer. "I'm sorry."
"You're not allowed to die, all right?" His captain ordered harshly. Zoro closed his eyes briefly as he gave a small smile his partner couldn't see.
"Heh. You too." He muttered.
Opening his eyes with a roar, Zoro's fist plowed into the crate behind Uragi's head, creating a gaping hole in the box's wooden surface. He pulled his hand out and black sand followed him, pouring out like a broken hourglass. Uragi's gunpowder.
Zoro stared into Uragi's pain filled eyes, his expression neutral. "Goodbye, Uragi."
Uragi's eyes widened with terror as Zoro took Wadou and scraped it harshly sideways across one of the katanas imbedded in the bounty hunters flesh. Sparks flew out in all directions, most notably onto the still spilling gunpowder. Uragi's vision focused on his attackers dark, impassive face. To go to such lengths---
With a hiss and a booming crack that seemed to rip the heavens themselves apart, Uragi's world exploded.
VVOOOVV
Sanji stumbled into the open marsh just as the warehouse exploded. Sanji stared. Stared at the fiery debris falling into the water with small hissing noises. Stared as the charred supports of the warehouse collapsed, sending the entire structure into the swamp. Sanji stared at what could only be the grave of two of his companions.
Sanji's fists clenched sporadically as he sunk numbly to his knees. Only one thing circled through his head to drop from the cook's mouth like falling tears.
"I was too late."
VVOOOVV