Chapter 11: Rescue
Luffy screamed as Crocodile crushed his hand into the ground. He had awoken only to meet Crocodile's gaze again. Obviously Crocodile had been watching him until he awoke. Luffy screamed again as Crocodile pressed down on his hand. This was pain beyond pain, and he could do nothing to stop it.
"What's your answer now?" Crocodile asked pulling his foot away. Luffy shook his head in a no gesture. Crocodile frowned and picked up Luffy's unbroken hand. He placed the tip of his hook over the centre of Luffy's palm and pressed down.
"Wanna answer correctly?" Luffy shook his head again. Crocodile snorted and drove the hook down, driving the tip down into Luffy's hand. Luffy screamed, his eyes squeezed shut in agony.
"Why are you doing this?" Luffy shouted. Crocodile smiled.
"Because your will needs to be broken, or there's the chance you'll tell about Baroque works, and you need to be ready to obey orders, and, ...I don't like you." he replied and twisted the hook. Luffy screamed again and felt his mind overload and begin to shut down. He dimly heard a crash and then someone calling his name. Someone familiar before he passed out yet again.
Zolo sliced through the door and kicked it in. The first thing he saw was a furred jacket on the back of a tall, broad shouldered man. Then he saw what the man was leaning over. Luffy seemed barely conscious and Zolo's blood boiled and he leapt forward.
"Luffy!" he yelled and sliced out with his swords, but Crocodile turned and blocked his sword with his hook. Crocodile smiled and Zolo growled. Warm blood trickled down Crocodile's hook and onto Zolo's blade, mingling with the blood of the others he had killed. He brought his other blade around, and Crocodile lifted his foot up and blocked it with his boot. He was a good fighter, that was apparent, but, Zolo saw that Crocodile had a recently broken nose.
"You must be Roronoa Zolo." Crocodile said. Zolo smiled.
"Yeah, and you must clinically insane." Zolo replied.
"Not necessarily." Crocodile replied and pushed Zolo back. Zolo pulled out Wadau and placed it between his teeth.
"You carved your name into his back!" Zolo yelled around the handle of the sword.
"Because he belongs to me, I even have papers to prove it." Crocodile responded. The two men were circling each other, Luffy unconscious on the floor between them.
"He doesn't belong to anyone. He is a free will!" Zolo yelled and charged forward. He leapt over Luffy and sliced his blades around in a tornado like spin. One of the blades caught Crocodile and sliced across his face, right across his nose and almost from ear to ear. Blood ran freely and Crocodile screamed. He held his hands over his face and Zolo frowned.
"I won't kill you. Luffy wouldn't want that." Zolo said and turned away, walking over to where Luffy lay in the middle of the floor. There was the sound of sirens outside and Zolo realised Nami must have got the police. Zolo slid his swords into their sheaths and his hands shook as he leaned down to pick Luffy up. Luffy whimpered and his eyes opened slowly.
"Zolo." he muttered and then fell back unconscious again. Zolo smiled sadly. Crocodile watched him, even though the pain in his face was nearly unbearable. Now was his chance. He leapt forward and before Zolo could turn, drove his hook into the swordsman's back. Zolo screamed, pain running through his body. He fell to his knees and dropped forward over Luffy, unconscious.
Damned Crocodile. But, I had to have this happen to poor Zolo, and the torture that Crocodile commits is to prove what a sadistic creep he really is.
