Hey guys! It took a little longer to fix my laptop, but here you all go! A new chapter!

~Rebecca

Chapter 10, A Way Out

His eye opened terribly slowly and a pounding behind his eye made him groan in pain. He blinked a few times, trying to get a more clear view of the room. Above him hung a strange contraption with several needles poking inwards. It had him cringing, then flinching as his head pounded with pain. He attempted to lift a hand to rub at his temple, but found that there was little movement. Glancing down, he saw that he was strapped down on a metal table. There were leather straps over his wrists, ankles, waist and one over his throat, the scratchy fabric rubbing at his Adam's Apple.

Zoro swallowed. He was confused for a moment. He was sure Shoda shot him in the head, how was he still alive. Never mind that, he was glad to be alive. He still had a chance to become the Greatest Swordsman and get Sanji out of here. Perhaps not in that order though. There was something sinister though, about this place. The room was white and had a infirmary look. Zoro didn't like it and wanted to get out of there as fast as humanly possible.

"I see you're awake," a obnoxiously familiar voice said.

Zoro turned his head to the side and blinked as a light flicked on. It shone directly into his face and he groaned as spots filled his vision. His head hurt, as well as his jaw.

"You must be wondering why you're alive, Roronoa," Shoda murmured, running a hand down Zoro's side.

Zoro wanted to jerk away, but he was strapped down, and thus useless. He growled at Shoda and desperately wished for the man to remove his hand from his side. Only Sanji was allowed to touch him there. It was sending shivers up Zoro's spine as Shoda ran his hand up, and then pulled away.

"I did kill you, you know," the man said suddenly. "But as I studied the human body, I discovered that the human brain will live up to eight minutes after the initial death. You were dead, but not your brain. I had one of my officer reverse your condition, all the way. And see here, you are alive again."

Zoro's head was still pounding, and he wondered if he had a large scar on the inside of his mouth or something, but it hurt. He glared at Shoda for a moment, before the man turned away from him and stepped out of his field of vision.

"Your body does contain the damage of the bullet though. It's only sped up the damage so that you can now feel it. Your dead body would not and because you are not dead, you do."

Zoro felt a sudden fire burn in his throat and he cried out in pain, arching his back of the bed. He could just see Shoda's smirking face in the edges of his vision. His jaw hurt a lot and the back of his head felt like it was torn open.

"My Devil Fruit allows me to amp the amount of pain something has given you. If I punch you, I could amp up the power so it feels as if a Sea King has plowed into you. I can also speed up the process of anything I inflict on you. If I refuse to give you any food, I can let you starve in just under a day. I can age you, do anything I want to you. You'll be begging me for death, Roronoa, begging…" Shoda declared with a few moves of his arms to show he meant it.

Zoro could feel it. He could feel the bullet pierce the back of his head and it hurt. It hurt, oh God, it was painful. He grit his teeth to keep from crying out. He wondered if Shoda was right, if he was going to be begging Shoda to kill him. Then his resolve steeled itself and he knew that was a cowards way out. He would dishonor his promise to his Captain, to Kuina, to Sanji and to all others he had promised. And most of all himself.

"I-" he began. "I will never beg for my life, that's a cowards way out."

Shoda seemed respectful of that, but Zoro doubted it. He was glad that the pain was fading though. But his happy moment was disrupted as Shoda grabbed onto the contraption above his head and placed the needles against this temple.

"What are you-"

His question was cut off as the machine came to life. He only had a moment to widen his eye before a scream flew through the room. He only realized it was his own as his vision went dark.

o-o-o

Shoda was not happy. His wife had been sleeping for a week now, and the only one to keep him company was that accursed Swordsman that he was killing every day. And bringing back to life. He'd started with the needles, piercing the man's head until they reached his brain and shot his nerves, killing him instantly. He was not satisfied with this. He wanted Roronoa to suffer.

And suffer he had. Shoda had starved him in a cell, chained him to the wall and sped up his situation until he died again. He'd cut him up with a knife, enjoying his screams of anguish. A few Marines had looked at him with terror in their eyes, but he didn't care. He had also beaten the man to death already, but Roronoa's stubborn face – split lip, busted eye, broken jaw and bleeding temple – was etched into his vision, taunting him forever.

Shoda was not happy. Very much so. He hated Roronoa for stealing his wife and marrying him, but he also knew that if the marriage was complete, he could not touch Annabeth in any way that could be intimate. He knew that was not the case, he could touch her just fine. So they hadn't been married properly and he still had a chance.

Shoda had vowed to kill Roronoa as many times as it took, and he would. He had just decided to do it one more time before leaving him dead. He had poisoned the man by sliding a knife along his bicep and pushing the tip into his flesh. Zoro had hissed, but otherwise had not done anything from his kneeled and chained down position. A few seconds later had the man writhing on the ground in pain and cursing Shoda's name to the heavens. A few more minutes later, and Shoda enjoying his suffering, and then Roronoa Zoro was no more.

He'd left, telling the men to guard the room anyway. He left, going to his own quarters to visit his comatose wife. It appeared that Shoda had not yet figured out that Annabeth needed food and sleep to replenish his energy. The man was infuriated that she had been sleeping so long, and he was done. He would have her now. Right now.

Down into the ship he went, into his room and flicking the lights on. To his surprise, Annabeth was sitting upright in the bed, eyes wide and staring at him. A feral smile grew on his face and he advanced on her, discarding his coat and t-shirt. Annabeth's eyes went wide and she scooted back onto the bed. He was on her in an instant, trapping her on the matrass. She let out a cry of fear, but his ears were deaf to everything. He could only hear the echoes in his head of what she used to sound like. What she used to look like, what she used to act like. He tore at her nightgown. Tore it to shreds and exposed her bosom to his eyes. She shrieked, but again, he did not hear.

Her weak arms were pushing him away, but he kept on her, kissing her to an inch of her life and getting his hands on all her exposed flesh he could find. Her underwear followed the nightgown, sailing through the room to land next to the dresser. She was resisting him, pushing him away and shouting at him. He ignored her and began to unbuckle his belt when a knock sounded on the door.

"What?" he demanded.

"Uh, Sir. Vice-Admiral Smoker has boarded our ship and demands to speak with you," a voice answered.

"Tell him I'm busy," Shoda shot back.

It wouldn't be, it seemed. Shoda was apparently doomed to have his wife again and he was interrupted again when the door blew out of it's hinges. Annabeth dove off the bed, hiding her nakedness behind her hands. Shoda sat up and looked behind him, where an angered Vice-Admiral Smoker stood.

"What do you think you're doing, Kuroda. You have no right to do this to your captives," Smoker rumbled.

Shoda saw his eyes flick to Annabeth, but he ignored it in favor of asking what the man meant with a cock of his head. He wanted to go back to what he was doing.

"You will be stripped of your rank, we are not pirates or murderers. We are Marines. You will not torture a Pirate to death on our ships. Do you understand?" Smoker rumbled as he walked towards Annabeth. "And we will not have slaves!" he exclaimed, ripping off the collar.

Shoda's eyes widened and he let out an enraged roar. A few officers came to secure him as Smoker's eyes widened from what he was witnessing.

Before him sat one blonde man with a worn out complexion, looking at him with a smile.

"B-Blackleg?" the White Hunter stuttered.

A few pair of boots ran into the room and a blanket was thrown over the man's naked body.

"Is that really Sanji-bro?" one of the men asked.

"Looks like him," another said.

"S-Smoker," the blonde man grit out.

The Vice-Admiral bend down to listen to what the Pirate had to say.

"Z-Zoro, is he okay?" he asked.

Smoker only nodded, and when the Cook saw it, he smiled gratefully before his eyes rolled back and he fell limply to the floor.

"NO! What have you done to my Annabeth!" Shoda cried, wrestling himself free from the officers.

Smoker held out a hand and smoke encased Shoda's body, trapping him in place. The man sent him a dangerous glare and Shoda could not believe it, but his will to fight was snuffed out in an instant. He would only stay there, trapped, as he watched G-5 take his beloved wife and his dreams all in one fell swoop.

"Take him out, take him to Roronoa. They apparently need each other. I'll deal with this scum," Smoker ordered.

His men did as told and Shoda sank to the ground in a hopeless mess of discarded dreams. He stared blankly ahead of himself. Wondered how this could have happened and kicked himself mentally. Now he was a goner, he was sure of it. Smoker would strip him of his rank and he would be kicked out of the Marines. What kind of a life did he have after this? None…

"Give me a Transponder Snail," Smoker said.

He was handed one and to the surprise of all present, dialed the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Hello? My name is Monkey D Luffy!" a voice said.

Smoker was about to open his mouth when another voice interrupted him.

"Straw Hat-ya! That's not how you pick up a damn call!"

Smoker shook his head and continued with the message. "Straw Hat, I have your Cook and Swordsman, come collect them after you kick this guys ass."

A long silence responded his message and he was about to hang up when Luffy asked him something.

"Are they… Do they still have a future?"

His voice was timid, but serious. Smoker could now see what the Swordsman saw in him and why people believed he would become the Pirate King. He had to admit, the kid had grown on him.

He answered simple, "They're with us, of course."

Then he hung up, his gaze fixed on Shoda. The man was a coward, but would fight Straw Hat with all he was worth. His men, though, they were innocent and he needed them to keep Roronoa alive. He was in no condition to travel or anything else for that matter.

It may be a weird way out of their situation, but Smoker didn't wish for them to be here. He'd responded to the call only because he still owed the Straw Hats. Now they were in no debt and he could do whatever he wished when this ordeal was over with. The Straw Hat's deserved a chance like this. And it wasn't like anyone was going to tell Headquarters about it anyway, they were too loyal to him.

He only hoped he was making the right decision. With a last look at Shoda, he ordered his men to get everyone off the ship and left the man alone in the room, slamming the door behind him.

o-o-o

Zoro's eye opened again to see a mop of blonde hair in his vision. At first he was confused, but as he ran his fingers through it, and the person stirred, he knew that he wasn't dreaming. Sanji was safe, and somehow, he was too. He wondered if Officer Maron had brought him back to life. He knew it was so, for he still felt the effects of the poison coursing through his body. He was weak, very weak. His strength alone left him as his hand fell limply on top of Sanji's head and he sighed. His energy was spend for the day.

Sanji's head shot up a second later and he locked eyes with Zoro. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he spotted the man awake and well.

"You alright?" Sanji dared to ask.

Zoro simply nodded once, there was nothing more he could do. "Still sore though. Where are we?" he asked, inching his hand to Sanji again.

Sanji took his hand and kissed the top gently. "We're on a Marine vessel. G-5 saved us from Shoda. Smoker is gonna take us back to Luffy," he said.

Zoro gave a slow smile, but he was exhausted. "That's nice. I'm gonna sleep now," he declared with a yawn.

Sanji nodded and rose up. Zoro only registered a faint touch to his lips before he slipped into darkness again. This time, the darkness wouldn't last forever, and when he awoke, he would see his beautiful angel at his bedside, never to leave him again.