Okay, I lied. I had some extra time between taking benadryl and blowing my nose last night and I finished the second half of the last chapter. Chapter 7 will be longer, promise!

Chapter 6 Into the Woods

He was going soft. There was no other explanation. There was no other reason why he, the famous pirate, would put up with this crap. He'd killed men for less, but still, here he was. Maybe he felt sorry for her, or maybe he was just lonely and too stubborn to admit it. Either Way, Tashigi was getting to be far too much for the old man to handle.

Duke sighed as he walked to the back of the shop to fetch the girl. At first, he hadn't thought that the Navy would be sniffing around such a tiny little island, but he had been wrong. Word on the street was that Captain Smoker was real keen to find his Sergeant Major, and he was probing any island within a night's sailing distance from where she disappeared.

It seemed the navy had been poking around an asking questions, and some of the villagers had mentioned that Duke had a niece show up out of nowhere right after the Sergeant Major went missing. Word was, Smoker wanted anybody who sailed to the island checked out. Duke may have been an old salt, but he wasn't stupid. Smoker had to have known Tashigi ate the Mask Mask fruit, and he knew she would be in disguise.

Duke had heard about Smoker by reputation. He was a hunter of all who did injustice, and the whole grand line was a buzz about what happened. A crew called the Straw Hats had escaped Smoker along with the second in command of White Beard's crew. He was a relentless man that wouldn't stop until he captured the bandits. Duke grimaced. That was all he needed, the navy hanging around and discovering who he really was. He needed a plan, not only to keep Tashigi safe, but himself as well.

Duke took a dreg from the beaten silver flask on his hip. He didn't really know how he was going to approach the girl, and he certainly didn't want to ask her to leave, but for both of their safeties, she needed to go. Reattaching the flask to his hip, Duke steeled himself and pushed open the back door.

What he saw was simply flabbergasting. There was Tashigi, well Katarina as she liked to be called when disguised, having a stare down with one of the most notorious men on the grand line. There wasn't a decent pirate alive who wouldn't recognize the ex-pirate hunter turned pirate Roranoa Zoro, and boy, did he look pissed. For that matter, so did she. Duke studied her for a minute before his eyes caught sight of the bloody rag clutched in Tashigi's right hand.

"You two mind tellin' an old man how she got cut up, or are ya just gonna keep starin' until one of ya's goes blind?" Duke asked, his one good eyebrow arched high above his eye.

Duke chuckled when both young swordsmen jumped a few inches off the ground. Both, though extensively trained, were so intent on each other that they hadn't seen or heard the old man approach.

Zoro's eyes narrowed at the girl when she failed to respond. He sure as hell wasn't going to offer up that she was careless and let a newly sharpened blade slip. The girl returned his glare, but spoke regardless.

"He startled me, the sword slipped, and I sliced my hand." Tashigi offered, never breaking off her stare. She wasn't about to let him out of her sight. Just because she wasn't a marine any longer did mean she couldn't serve justice! That was the whole reason he left! Tashigi bristled; she needed her sword to fight him. Zoro would break through any of the cheap swords that lay at her feet, only Shigure would do.

Duke approached from her right side and grabbed her arm.

"We need to speak, now. The navy's been snoopin around! It ain't safe no more!" Duke whispered in her ear. Tashigi shrugged him off, keeping one eye on Zoro, and one eye on Shigure. It was obvious to Duke that he'd have to try another approach.

"You're the pirate hunter, aren't ya?" Duke directed to Zoro.

Zoro's attention went from the hellcat in front of him to the old man "What of it?" He asked.

"I hear you're a pirate now boy, big bounty on yer head. The navy's been crawling all over this island. Come inside before you're seen." Duke gestured to the door.

Zoro nodded to the old man. He figured he was the one he heard arguing with the marines, and this girl was his niece he spoke of. He seriously doubted at this point that he would get his musician, but if he went inside, he argued to himself, he could at least score some rum before slinking off to his little boat and his Nakama.

Duke stood in the doorway, waiting for Zoro to follow. He only hoped Tashigi would follow as well. He needed to find a way to get her to leave, and this swordsman might be the ticket he needed.

Zoro moved towards the door, ignoring the detestation radiating off the girl. The sun was beginning to set, and Zoro thought that perhaps traveling through the night would be his best bet at avoiding the Navy. The orange sun blazed to the west, casting bright rays as it slipped past the horizon. Zoro regarded the Sun, noting the time, and noticed something glinting in the evening sun. A delicate sword propped up against the shop.

The brass filigree on the sheath and cage flashed in the sun, but it wasn't the feminine touch that made Zoro forget the door and go for the sword instead, it was that hilt. He swore to himself that he had seen that blade before, and by the way his gut was twisting, he was certain he knew where.

Tashigi gasped as she saw Zoro walking towards her sword. 'NO!' She screamed in her head. 'No no, no! He can't have it! I have to do something!'

But before she could get her weakened body to move, Zoro had picked up Shigure, and pulled it from the altered sheath. Tashigi hadn't the heart to change the actual sword. She figured that with what she would be using it for, anyone who recognized it wouldn't be able to repeat what he or she saw once she had delivered justice. Oh how she regretted that decision now.

Zoro slowly turned to her, holding out Shigure in front of him, scowling at the girl, the girl he thought to simply be a sword smith's niece. When he spoke, his words were slow and deliberate.

"Where did you get this sword, and what have you done to it?" Zoro growled.

"I…" Tashigi was shocked. Panic set in well before her mind could function. It was Duke who again came to the rescue.

"It was given to my niece for safe keepin'. The sword needed to be disguised to not draw attention. Now, if ya want to know more, ya gots to come inside, otherwise, give her back her sword."

"It isn't her sword." Zoro stated flatly.

"And it isn't your sword either, now give me Shigure!" Tashigi shouted.

The three stood in stunned silence by the girl's outburst. Not even the birds dared chip. The only sound that could be heard was men shouting.

All three heads whipped around as they heard voices shouting. Tashigi's outburst had alerted the navy, and they were coming closer to investigate.

"Sweet thing, you have to listen to me! It's not safe here anymore. They know you're here. You have to run, girl! Forget everything else and run!" Duke urged, pushing Tashigi towards the woods.

Zoro suddenly didn't care about the sword in his hand. This girl, was hiding from the navy? She also had Tashigi's sword, and it was quite obvious to him that it was important to her. He smiled, his devious side winning out over his good. If he couldn't get her to come with him with charm, he'd use other means.

"Seems to me you need some help. I happen to need another crewmember. Come with me, and I'll keep you safe from the Marines." Zoro smiled to himself, quite proud.

"Screw you!" Tashigi yelled, pushing Duke off her.

"Suit yourself." Zoro smiled. He had expected that. It was time to play the trump.

"Either way, I'm keeping this sword. I know who it belongs to, and if I'm not mistaken, the little hound dog will sniff me out before too long. I want to see the look on her face when she sees I have her precious sword." Zoro fastened Shigure to his sword free hip and turned to walk back into the woods, hiding his triumphant smile from the Uncle and Niece. The sounds of the approaching navy were drawing closer. It was now or never.

Before he was two steps into the forest he found himself side by side with the girl. She was pissed, but she was walking with him. He could even hear her grinding her teeth before she spoke.

"Where that sword goes, I go."