Roronoa Zoro lingered in the shadows of The Estate, content to casually survey the scene. It seemed like a grand party with colorful guests and lively music. The only part he longed for though was the fancy booze. Nami, stationed inside, had promised to smuggle out a bottle for him. In that ridiculously large dress of hers, that should be easy enough. But would she have an eye for quality? This wasn't the same as recognizing treasure, you couldn't just rely on the bottles appearance to determine its worth. He wasn't going to be pleased if she picked some sewer water with a pretty label.
He frowned curiously when he realized just how quiet it had become. He couldn't hear the music anymore. Was an announcement being made? Was the band taking a break? Something just seemed a bit off. A chill began to creep up his spine, instinct told him that trouble was coming. The eerie calm before the storm…it was something of a knack that warriors begin to pick up over the years. He slowly rose to his feet, his hands on the hilts of his swords. Suddenly explosions roared from all over the place on all three floors, shattering glass. His eyes widened in such horror. This was even worse than he'd imagined! He had to hurry in case Nami needed extraction from the ensuing chaos. As he charged forward, he saw someone fly out a window from the third floor. It was a woman in a maid's uniform, her limp form arched with such grace. He slid to the stop and abruptly changed course to catch her. He clutched her to his chest as the momentum sent them tumbling across the ground.
"Miss! Are you alr-?" He started to ask before his eyes widened in horror as he recognized her. "Ash! Ash, is that really-?" He frowned darkly as he took in her serious injuries. Her mouth was swollen and the skin on her neck looked sunburnt. This didn't seem consistent with getting hit by some explosion…
"Zoro! Zoro, where are you?"
He looked up to see Nami separate from the screaming crowd that poured out from The Estate. It looks like she left the great hoop skirt behind, probably for the best really. She looked a bit comical with the dressy top and plain drawers. He whistled to get her attention and she turned round. He waved to confirm his location. She nodded and hurried over to him. "We've got to get out here and fast!" She hesitated at the sight of the unconscious girl lying limp in his arms. "Who's that?"
"Its Ash," he said grimly.
"Really? Well, what's she doing here?"
"Probably for the same reason why we came," he grunted as he shifted his grip on her as he stood up. "She's in real bad shape though, so let's get her back to the ship."
They hurried from the scene, unnoticed by the chaos of the terrified guests and the sentry scrambling to sort out the mess. They slipped into a thick forest.
"What happened in there?" He asked.
"Its that stupid Collkirk Brigade!" She hissed angrily through her teeth. "They're just a bunch of military wannabes, but they're nothing but terrorists!"
He grunted disparagingly with a firm nod. "They've bitten off more than they can chew this time. Targeting a Commodore isn't going to be overlooked." Then his eyes widened in horror as he realized something. "Wait! Don't tell me, did you forget about the wine?!"
We're running for our lives, and you're worried about that?" She threw back her head in laughter. She raised her hand as something slipped out of her large ornate wig. She held out the bottle. "How's this one?"
His eyes light up lustfully. "Damn! That's vintage is rarer than Devil Fruits! How did you manage to score that?"
"All treasure is kept in the same place, especially the wine," she winked knowingly.
Law was the first to reach the exit location, picked for what would have been the missions end. He cursed their terribly bad luck. How dare those Collkirk brats ruin his meticulous plans! At least this wasn't Straw Hat's doing, that had to be first. When he recognized Nami in the crowd, he'd begun to worry. She accepted a drink from his tray, and he whispered under his breath, "Is Straw Hat here?"
She blinked in surprise at him, clearly not recognizing him as the Heart Pirate Captain. "Its me, Law," he pressed as his gaze darted about warily as he made sure that their conversation wasn't being listened in on.
She looked amused as she finally made the connection. "Wow, you sure clean up nicely, Captain." She hid a faint giggle behind her hand. He glared in turn, not amused to being teased, and she coughed to cover the slip. "No, Luffy isn't here. Covert operations aren't his forte."
He nodded in agreement. "Carry on then," he turned on his heel and slipped back into the crowd. He didn't really care what they were up to here but as long as Luffy wasn't, he had nothing to worry about. Or so he'd thought. Then those other idiots interrupted the band mid-song and made some stupid little speech. He took advantage of the distraction to abandon his empty tray and slip away from the party. He didn't make it far before the explosions rocked from all directions. That was new, they weren't really this organized. But given the chaos that exploded as an aftershock, it was obvious that retreat was necessary.
So he waited within the shadows on the edge of The Estate, watching everyone run past towards the yachts. His brow knit with concern. There were only seven and their own way out of here. They couldn't be left stranded. He looked up to see Yurata approaching with Oki leaning heavily on his shoulder. He looked injured as he limped to keep pace with his crewmate. It looked like this ankle had been twisted and then crushed. He approached to help on the other side, to ease the burden. "What happened?" His deep tone was concerned.
"I got trampled," he hissed softly as he fought the wave of nausea that swelled again. He couldn't bear to look down at it, but he knew that it was serious.
Law looked up ahead at the dock. There were three yachts left. "You two should board right now," he firmly directed. "I'll help you get on, but I'll stay behind to wait for the other two."
Yurata nodded without argument and the pair helped Oki forward. He left them in the care of a porter and withdrew back to the location. He took a seat and resumed waiting. One other yacht left in that time. He rested his chin on his clasped hands, trying to settle to his nerves. He didn't like to be left waiting. He looked up to see Shirazuki running towards him. Law narrowed his eyes as he felt mixed emotion; relief to see him alive and worry that Ash still hadn't arrived. He stood up and grabbed hold of his collar. "Where's Ash?"
His face fell. "You mean…she didn't…she hasn't come back?" He asked incredulously.
"You should be together!" He snapped; his golden gaze cut right through him. Shirazuki looked at a loss for words and wisely kept his mouth shut. There was no time to discuss this further, the last yacht was boarding. He shoved him towards it. "Go! Regroup with the others! I'll look for her myself."
He didn't wait to hear his protest and took off running back towards the flaming Estate. His gaze narrowed angrily as he charged ahead. Were they planning to level it right to the ground? What a complete waste! Those amateurs had no idea what they were doing! Not only would this destroy any worthwhile intel, but this would attract the attention of the Marines, possibly even the World Government. Torching one stronghold is a hollow victory when your enemy has an infinite number of resources.
He reached into his breast pocket for their vivre cards, removing hers from the deck. It very rarely ever came to this, but he wasn't about to waste time combing through rubble or wreckage. He stopped short as he saw it begin to shift on his palm. It slowly turned, making it clear that she wasn't at The Estate. He heaved a choked sigh of relief that had choked him up until now. That was good news at least! It turned towards the left, that was strange. What was over there? The only way on or off this island was behind him. But there was no questioning its direction, there was only to follow. He changed course and made his way into the forest. This was certainly unexpected. Just past this was some steep cliffs, there wouldn't be any sort of vessels docked there. So why would she even come this way? He grit his teeth as he knew that she likely hadn't chosen this path, which meant that she was forced. His chest ached with a tight pressure as he couldn't imagine her at the mercy of anyone. His pace began to quicken as he began to run. He cupped his hands together to protect the card from getting blown away. He was dimly aware that he should take care to mask his presence. He couldn't afford the delay of attracting unnecessary attention. He flinched as he felt a faint tingling sensation and looked down to see the edges of the card begin to curl up at the edges. His eyes went impossibly wide. That…that shouldn't…it couldn't…!
He broke through the forest's end and skidded right up to the edge. Her direction was straight ahead…from the tumultuous coast off the island and into the wide ocean. There were a few ships bobbing about on the horizon, but in the pale moonlight he couldn't clearly identify any of them. He stared down at card. Surely it would turn, it just had to! But it never waved from its direction. He slowly sank down to his knees in temporary defeat. All of his plans…his schedule, his worst-case scenarios…all seemed so meaningless now. She was out there, suffering terribly, and he alone was ultimately responsible.