3
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Zoro smelled Robin's flowery perfume before he saw her. She moved as silently as a ghost, slinking across the ship like calm water. "What did you find out?" she asked.
They had returned to the Kervus Kingdom after Vaayu had fallen unconscious. After questioning the watchmen in the lighthouses and the seamen who fought the Raiders during previous attacks, Nami had identified the island she predicted the Raiders' base to be at. Meanwhile, Zoro had stolen off to question the old king on the phenomena of what they called raiding. If the Raiders did imprison Luffy, the crew had to know what they were up against. Apparently, his secret quest hadn't remained as secret as he'd hoped for it to. Not that he was surprised. Nothing escaped Robin's watchful eyes.
He shrugged. "Not much."
Her mouth tightened. "That bad?"
He sighed, sparing a glance across the deck, making sure the rest of the crew wasn't listening in. It wasn't his habit to keep them out of the loop, but if they found out, they might panic. Robin, however, would keep her cool, like she always did.
"They tried to heal the raided ones, wait it out, imprison them... Nothing improved their condition. After a while, they were executed. They'd been deemed a threat to society."
She nodded gravely. "I made some research, too. Firstly, on who the Red Raiders even are."
"And?"
"They're a cult, worshipping some obscure goddess called Loviatar. They practice human blood sacrifice. The stronger the sacrifice, the more their goddess' power increases. Eventually, she will become strong enough to break free of her prison and reward her followers with immortality, or so they believe."
He grimaced. "Great."
"And that wasn't the only thing that peaked my interest. Only the ancient court librarian could help me, though he was quite secretive. My research isn't all the way finished."
"What matter?"
"The white ship."
His hackles rose. "And? What did he say?"
"Speak not of a white ship. To see a white ship is to see your own death. Bad luck."
Grimly, Zoro turned to the sea. The waves were still wild, the sky a smoky gray. Usually, he would pay a myth no mind. But the fact that Luffy had seen something that they hadn't was off-putting. "What else?" he asked.
"Nothing of scientific value, if that's what you're asking. Only a stanza I found in the forgotten section of the library. 'The ship of bone and marrow appears to those claimed by the sea. As certain a death as a heart pierced by arrow, she yearns for those created eternally free.'"
He snorted. "Great. Just… great."
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The sun had long set when they arrived at the island. As islands went, it was non-descript from afar, only one medium-high mountain visually standing out. A dense jungle covered the land and a strange smell hung in the air, like a mixture of spoilt wine, foreign herbs, and bitter medicine. Usopp had remarked on the strange nature of the flora, and upon further examination, they seemed to be partly responsible for the smell.
They had split up in two groups. Zoro had taken Robin, Frankie, and Usopp with him. That was, at least, before he took his eyes off of them for one second. The next thing he knew, he was in a different part of the jungle, on his own. He would never admit it out loud, but he'd gotten lost.
Or, he realized after a long list of muttered curses, he'd accidently stumbled on the right path. In front of him, a corpse hung from a tree. For the first time since their arrival, he was grateful for the strange smell covering the island, as it was the only thing masking the stench of the bloating body. There was no way to tell whether it was hung as a warning, or as part of their practice of blood sacrifice. With his thumb brushing the handle of his sword, he followed the path, the next corpse showing him the way better than any signpost could.
They led to the mountain. It wasn't a volcano, though its shape resembled one. The fumes exiting the top smelled nothing like smoke.
He began his hike to the top. Faint hums rang through the air, echoing from the inner core of the hollow mountain. People's voices, he realized. They were chanting.
A woman's voice cut through the choir. "May you rain down your blessings upon us, Loviatar!"
Zoro ran the last few feet up and crouched at the opening of the mountain. Inside the pit, there was a pool of dark, blubbering water. It was the main source of the awful smell that hung over the entire island. Over it, hung Luffy. His ankles were bound with a thick rope attached to wooden slats from above. He was unconscious.
In the alignment of a triangle, stood three men at the edge of the pool. Each was wearing a thin shirt and a leathery cloth across their hips. One of them gripped Luffy by his dangling arms and swung him towards the next man, who swung him to the next man, who swung him to the next. In a sick game of carousel Luffy made his rounds, as defensive of his treatment as a birthday piñata.
A group of people stood in a circle around the pit, the men in their shirts and loin-cloths, the women in their thin shifts. They were chanting, their voices droning and echoing against the inner walls of the cavern.
It was hypnotizing. His head ached and he was feeling lethargic. It was as if a film hung over his eyes, turning his vision hazy.
Suddenly, a woman dropped to her knees. She was the only one who wore jewelry, her earrings hanging past her shoulders, the tens of necklaces clinging to her neck like chains. She threw her hands in the air.
"Accept this sacrifice and feed of his power. He is a descendant of the line of D., a recipient of the Devil's might, and as such, a part of you, goddess. There is no power in the sacrifice of the innocent. The spilling of blood feeds the one that spilled it."
Something inside his chest quivered. Why was he crouching over this sick display, watching every second like a nosy tourist? What was wrong with him? Anger ignited at himself.
Zoro did not think of a further plan. The next thing he knew, he'd jumped into the pit and landed in the midst of the gathering. His swords were out, one in each hand, one between his clenched teeth. It was a rare occurrence for him to encounter someone worth his trademark style, but he was in too much of a terrible mood to play with his food. This goddess of theirs would drink blood tonight, but it wouldn't be Luffy's.
It was a messy ordeal. There was no clean way to kill someone with a sword. The floor became muddy with all the blood it soaked up. Their screams were more pleasant than their chanting was.
He froze momentarily. The bodies were lying unresponsively on the floor. Their sight didn't distress him as much as his own thoughts had.
Zoro had never been queasy. If someone was up to a fight, especially someone skilled, he was the first one to rise up to the match. He enjoyed the thrill, the adrenalin, the power struggle, and, inevitably, the victory. Death, however, was collateral damage; accepted, but nothing to revel in.
Suddenly, he heard a splash. The rope above the water was cut through. It had been the priestess with the jewelry. She was panting heavily, bleeding out into the floor and into the pool, staining the water further red. The knife in her hand was released when the last of her strength left her. Her eyes remained open, staring at Zoro. They didn't close again.
Zoro ran to the pit, fully ready to jump inside, when an arm shot out of the depths of the murky water. Zoro laughed in relief, gripped the hand, and-
Pulled it out. All five fingers were perfectly attached to it; the body belonging to it, however, wasn't. His stomach lurched, but he caught himself. The hand was too slight, the arm much too skinny. This limb didn't belong to Luffy.
"You'll have to get me more than a sword by the time I get you out of here, Luffy," he grumbled to himself and jumped in.
It was pitch-black. He swam deeper down, half-afraid he'd mess up the directions and confuse which way he came from. Floating objects kept brushing his body. He'd gripped one and identified it as a foot severed at the ankle.
He'd suppressed the urge to curse and swam further down. In a body of water, Luffy sank like an anchor. He had to reach the deepest point of this pit to find him. It felt like hours had passed when his fingertips finally brushed solid ground. It was almost too good to be true when his searching hands gripped a head full of short hair. Zoro brushed his palms over the smooth skin, over the thin brows, the eyelids, and stopped at the old scar under his left eye. Checking that torso and all four limbs were attached, he lost no further time and pushed off the ground, swimming with one arm, the other gripped tight around Luffy's chest.
Coming up to the pit was like heaven. He heaved Luffy over the edge onto the blood-sticky ground and pulled himself out. He laid his hands on top of each other against Luffy's chest and pressed.
Luffy coughed out, spitting water until his lungs were empty. His coughs rattled against Zoro's palms. It was a familiar sensation, not any different from all the other times his idiot friend had fallen into the sea only for Zoro to come and fish him out.
Finally, he was breathing freely, the coughs abated. One eye opened up, the one over the scar.
"Zoro?" he rasped.
"Yeah," Zoro replied.
The other eye opened, and that's when Zoro realized that something was wrong. Even in a pit in the middle of the night, he could see that the shine in Luffy's eyes was gone, leaving something dull and lifeless in its wake. His lips twitched upwards in a cheap imitation of what Luffy's all-compassing smile used to be.
"And you are?" Zoro asked, rising up.
Luffy's legs were weak and shaky as he followed suit. He gained his footing and met Zoro's harsh stare.
"What?" Luffy said, pouting childishly. "You don't remember me? The first man to join my crew, and you don't remember me?"
"I remember Monkey D. Luffy. You are somebody else."
The stranger laughed. "Well, I'm the only Luffy you're getting."
The skin around his ankles stretched, pumping up the blood in a familiar motion. Steam left his body, evaporating whatever water was left on him. The fake smile slipped off of his face.
Zoro raised his sword. He'd always wondered what it'd be like to fight against the Gears.
Luffy was fast. He'd known that, of course, but when being forced to evade him, it was a different experience. Zoro dodged and Luffy's large, blackened fist pummeled into the inside walls of the cave.
The earth shook, the walls crumbled. Zoro climbed to the top by the rope still swinging over the pool. He landed on piles of rubble. The mountain was destroyed.
Coming up to the fresh night air was sobering. He'd been functioning by instinct alone, but the capacity to think didn't help when he lacked the time to do so. Luffy came bolting by, only a blurred flash of him visible through the settling dust.
Zoro kept up, for the first time in his life wishing it wasn't swords he was fighting with. With blunt strength, he might've found a way to knock Luffy unconscious and gather some time to find the others and sort this mess out. Blades might lead to permanent damage.
"Come on, Zoro," Luffy baited. "What is it with you? You've always been up for a good fight."
"Mutiny isn't quite my style."
"Mutiny is disobeying the orders of your captain."
Zoro cocked a brow. "Since when are you one to throw definitions around?"
"My grandfather was a Marine, you know."
Luffy's Haki-hardened fist shot out. Zoro hardened his sword and blocked Luffy with the flat side of the blade. There was nothing playful about the impact of his fist. Luffy's eyes were wide and unblinking.
"Fight, Zoro. That is my order. Everything else would be mutiny."
An instant rush of anger coursed through him. His muscles tightened as he pushed Luffy off. Luffy landed bent forward, one hand leaning on the ground. "What do you take me for, your attack dog?" Zoro spat. "The people of Kervus were right. The raided ones are robbed of their souls."
Luffy rolled his eyes. "So is that a 'no'? Will you keep blocking and playing the spoilsport? What's holding you back? You've never shied away from a fight before. And now I want you to fight me. Kill me, or I will kill you. There's nothing personal about it."
"Don't get it twisted. I only choose to take orders from Luffy because I respect him. I've never pledged myself to be part of this crew for life. The second he loses my respect, I'm out and back to being a pirate hunter."
Luffy grinned. "Yes, you would do that. The others wouldn't, but you would. You've always been a lone predator, Zoro."
"So your memories are intact."
"Of course they are. I remember everything. I just don't care."
Luffy raced forward and Zoro was hit by a sudden spell of dizziness. Luffy's fist connected with his stomach. Zoro was flung through the air and into the forest. His back connected against a tree. The trunk broke and Zoro slid to the ground.
It must've been the Conqueror's Haki that had disoriented him, he realized belatedly. Unprepared, it had caught him off-guard. Zoro had been subjected to that type of Haki a number of times, but he'd never been at the opposing end of Luffy's.
"You goddamn bastard," he grumbled. He spit, tasting blood.
He stood and focused. He could feel Luffy's presence. Even while lacking the inner core of Luffy, Zoro's senses reached out to him. Classifying Luffy as an enemy is what confused them. They had fought once before, he remembered, back when they were little more than children, but this was different.
The air sizzled. This time, Zoro didn't hesitate. He drew both swords and pierced each through Luffy's palms into the ground until only the handles stuck out of the earth. Zoro crouched over him and punched Luffy in the face.
"You goddamned idiot!" he shouted. "Not a week ago you were scoffing about the idea of people turning against their friends, now you're here, telling me to kill you?!"
Luffy's eyes were open and conscious, but he stared past Zoro. Something inside of him snapped. He grabbed Luffy's head with both hands and twisted it to have him meet Zoro's glare.
"Look me in the goddamn eye, you bastard. Yes, the single one that's left."
He opened his scared eyelid, revealing the hollow, black emptiness behind. It was the eye he'd given up on the quest to fulfill Luffy's dream, long after becoming the world's greatest swordsman had stopped being the sole goal of his existence. He had wanted for Luffy to become Pirate King and he would've died for it; he almost did. Losing an eye had been nothing, Zoro had offered his life to become stronger for Luffy. The nerve this cheap shadow had to demand of Zoro to use the strength he'd acquired for his best friend to be used against him made him seethe.
Yet, none of those thoughts left his lips. The mere idea of even one word being spoken out loud made him cringe internally, his jaw locking tighter. He could not throw his sacrifices into Luffy's face, not even when he wasn't himself. Or else they would not have been sacrifices, but only something to vaunt with. He went through too much pain to cheapen those moments.
Luffy had become completely still underneath him. He was staring at the hole where Zoro's left eye used to be. Luffy frowned, his face pulled into a grimace, as if assaulted by sudden pain. Something shifted.
"That must've hurt," he ground out.
Zoro did not let up, still wary. "No, it didn't," he replied. He would quite honestly rather die than admit otherwise.
"You would say that. You've felt worse, I know, it was my pain you once took on after all."
Zoro stiffened. The day of their encounter with Bartholomew Kuma was still clear in his mind. What had transpired that day had remained a secret to all but maybe Sanji, or so he'd thought. Luffy had always been more perceptive than he let on.
He lifted his head up and Zoro leaned away, expecting a headbutt. Instead, the rubbery neck shot back and Luffy's scull collided with full might against the ground. The earth cracked, the swords piercing him down dislocated, but Luffy kept on slamming his head repeatedly against the ground. A pool of blood spread on the crumbled earth.
"Stop it!" Zoro shouted, gripped Luffy's hair and pressed his face against the ground. "Wasn't your soul enough?! Have you lost what little you had of your mind, too?!"
Luffy's eyes were wide open, blood running from his hair to his temples and across his face in runny streams. "Let me go, Zoro!" he yelled, voice hoarse. "Let me go! I need to do this! The pain helps me think!"
Zoro froze at the familiar tone of his friend's voice. He gripped Luffy's head by the sides and twisted it to look at him again. There, underneath the blood and dirt, was the familiar shine in Luffy's eyes.
"There's my captain," he muttered, grinning bright.
Then, the world turned black.
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A/N: The section 'Speak not of a white ship. To see a white ship is to see your own death. Bad luck.' is taken directly from Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin, chapter 17. Loviatar is some evil being in the norse mythology that I only borrowed the name from.
