The Darkness in Zoro

by ForbiddenLeo

There is darkness in everyone. Anger and fear, trust and guilt, questioning and doubt. Zoro has always been plagued with his darkness and Doflamingo reaches down to bring it to the surface, ripping the crew apart and plucking at the seams of friendship. What will become of the crew, the swordsman, and his lurking demons?

4. Defining Self

Authors Note: I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT FANFICTION! I PROMISE. Every day I literally tell myself I need to write the next chapter. Every day. But I procrastinate so bad I just don't do it. But since it's fall break I am going to try my very hardest to update all my stories. I will one day finish these, I promise!

I had to reread my entire story and all I have to say is wow. I wrote that? That chapter 3? That thing was just brilliant… How am I supposed to replicate that after my 5 months of laziness? Oi… Review and let me know how I did

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No. I can't do this to myself. I hit Sanjii, I can't take that back. I did what I thought was right. Luffy does not dictate my morals. Nobody does. He has his ideals and I have mine. That's what separates us.

That thought repeated itself like an annoying parrot in the back of Zoro's mind while he slept. Who defines me? I do. Not another's opinion of me. Whose standards do I meet? Mine. Not Luffy's. His thoughts swirled around this topic. Surprisingly, when Zoro was resting was when he did his best thinking. There was no conflict of others noise or others opinion sinking into his ideas. It was just him.

Which is why the more that Zoro thought about his assault on Sanjii, the more it began to bother him. It was not guilt, no, not that sinking feeling that lurches in the pit of ones stomach that bothered him. Rather, it was the lack of guilt. The fact that after he had done something so conceived as wrong and traitorous, there was no feeling of betrayal.

Why am I so set on convincing myself it was right…? Why am I so damn concerned about that one action that I have to tell myself it was not a mistake?

Maybe this is it. I've been pushed so far by this crew, but has it been in the right direction? Have I really been pushed towards my dreams, or simply towards friendship?

I questioned leaving when Usopp committed his little act of treason. But, shit, it's still on my mind. Maybe I've become so fed up with shitty cooks and overpowering, greedy orange haired witches that I've lost sight of my dream.

In the silence of the night he could hear the rambunctious shots and screams of the crew. He was certain that Sanjii had returned to his kitchen. Not even a bloody nose could distract that man from his precious women. I wonder if he told Luffy what happened. God knows that dart brow would do anything to avoid looking bad in front of Nami and Robin.

But what if he did tell Luffy? I'm sure that buffoon of a captain wouldn't think much of it. Just one of our little brawls that got out of hand. But that's Luffy for you, trusting as an ignorant child.

The hard wood of the deck began to dig into the corners of Zoro's shoulder blades. Even through his naïve stance on the world, he has always been there for us. Zoro adjusted his position, curling his back up against the hallway wall he had wandered into.

When in doubt, Luffy was always there.

But, that's not such a great thing. Why push myself to my limits, to the very boundaries of life, when I can just trust that if I fail Luffy will be there. I have begun to not fear failure as I've become reliant on that goof. Shit... My reliance on this crew. I trust in them too much to compensate for me, and I'm suffering for it.

They are making me weak.

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*The next morning*

The crew was as lively as ever in the morning, shouts of raising sails and of staying away from certain objects filled the calm morning air. Zoro stood perched up in the crows nest, staying as far away as possible from the obnoxious commotion going down below.

He could still smell the bacon from that morning's breakfast wafting through the air. Zoro had chosen to not have any, straying from anything that had to do with Sanjii. He was neither fearful, nor concerned about the blonde haired cook. Rather, he was, as he had expressed earlier 'Done with him'.

The cook had seemed to fade from the crew to him, blending into the background as just another person.

The commotion below began to escalate, swelling over the lower deck. Their voices rang through the air like sharp bells and squealing pigs, begging for attention.

In fact, the entirety of the crew began to rag on the last nerves of Zoro. He looked down over the frustrating scene.

There was Chopper, bluffing his way through another compliment and swaying with an air of false glamour. It was disgusting how one could not have enough pride to be able to accept their strengths and abilities. Instead, they relished the thought of only finding any pride in the minimalistic appreciation of others.

And then there was Usopp, with his long nose protruding into the air with a sense of false authority; always pretending to be the strongest, to be the wisest, yet falling short on all accounts. A pretentious and ignorant fool whose skills were worth little in the scheme of battle. He was babbling on about some story that he had conjured up. With every lie that flew out of his mouth, his nose seemed to inch forward towards the sky.

Nami sat in a lavish chair with her orange hair shifted over an old, torn up map that had far more tear stains than coffee stains. Her slender frame and innocent face were a perfect reflection of her deceptive nature. Zoro thought about the piles of money that he had accumulated due to her 'interest'. Greed was her sin. She wanted everything and craved nothing less than material possessions. Yet, she clung to friendship- one of the most intangible objects. And it was that which made her so frustratingly weak. She could not fight nor believe in herself without the aid of her precious friends.

Robin was nearby, her head also crammed into varying pieces of paper. Silent, strong, but an entire mystery in herself. She always loomed over the crew, never quite fitting in with the rest of their horseplay. She was serious and had a deadly sense of authority that clung to her. To Zoro it was slightly sickening, how she acted as though she knew everything and took elaborate efforts to hide things from the crew.

There were the two new jokers of the crew, making a mockery of everything that being a pirate meant. A perverted skeleton ranging around the crew with an instrument in hand and a Speedo wearing cyborg, with more crazy attributes than a normal person could ever handle. It seemed that with each addition the crew was getting less and less serious and more focused on finding the stupidity of the world and capturing it on the ship. Zoro was fine with a lovesick cook, he could deal with Pinocchio nose, but it seemed that Luffy was getting worse and worse at judging a persons character.

Ah. Back to Luffy. Zoro thought solemnly.

He looked down on the lower deck, seeing pieces of food flying from the stretchy and smiling face of the captain. Luffy launched himself on top of Usopp, disrupting the long nosed boy's attempt to actually set sail. Zoro would normally at least chuckle at the scene as Franky attempted to remove the clingy captain from Usopp's waist. But he couldn't even break out a hint of a smile. It all seemed so… pointless.

So pointless and pathetic. How much time are we wasting? How much time am I wasting with these… buffoons? Is it worth it?

And then suddenly, there was a shout, a yelp, a scream from down below.

Usopp, finally being untangled from the frivolous captain, stood with his finger pointing towards the island, his mouth still open with the holler of a scream.

Zoro glanced up at the island, only to find the sweetly green tropical setting now burning. Flames licked over the evergreen trees and rushed over the opposite side of the island.

Deep red screeched over the hills and bright orange shot over the tops, lighting the morning with an intense heat.

Smoke began to linger in the air above the small village that the crew had visited earlier. The ship stood silent and they could hear the distant screams and shouts from the villagers. Birds crowed and shrieked, flying up in a black swarm from the location near the fire.

The crew just stared at the burning mass of land. The brilliant red flames swept over the forest, smacking their lips at the wooden giants. The sky turned a musty grey over the village and the scent of ash, fear, and pure despair found itself in the air.

"Oh no…" Chopper muttered quietly, watching the flames grow higher and higher.

"What happened?" Usopp asked, not really expecting anybody to answer. His eyes watered slightly from the ash.

Luffy picked up his straw hat from where it had fallen off from tackling Usopp. He placed it roughly over his head, tilting downwards from the sunlight. "We're going to go find out."

Nami held out her hand and grabbed Luffy's arm, holding it tightly. "Are you sure? This isn't our place to go investigate."

Luffy just stared back as a response. Nami nodded her tousled head softly. His look of solid integrity was more powerful than any words he could offer her. "Alright. Let's get going then." She said.

And with faces riddled with confusion the straw-hat crew descended from their docked boat and headed towards the burning flames.

*Franky and Brooke stayed behind to guard the ship*

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We're wasting more time Zoro thought darkly. Always getting involved in other people's business, that's Luffy for you. He let out a sigh as he followed behind the rest of the crew.

They all walk as if we are saviors. How many stinking places have we saved? This is NOT our job. He rubbed his fingers against his temples. All he could feel was frustration against his crew. There was no sympathy or concern for the village.

As the crew approached the reeking scent of ash, they saw a distant group of figures lingering in the shadows. The crew stopped in the clearing, crying out to who they assumed were survivors of the fire. Chopper rushed towards the group of people, preparing to help any of those with burns or injuries.

But halfway through the field he just stopped- In mid step. His paw quivered above the ground, frozen and rooted as a statue.

"Chopper? What's wrong?" Usopp shouted out to the frozen reindeer. The rest of the crew advanced to where Chopper stood.

"I can't move." Chopper said quietly at first. But then panic set in and he began to repeat it rapidly "I can't move. I can't move. Oh my gosh Ican'tmovecan'tmovecan'tmove…" As if saying with all the uncertainty in the world would make it fade away.

"Chopper! Chopper calm down!" Came assorted cries from the crew as they rushed towards him. Yet the same thing happened to them.

Their breathing quickened as they noticed their legs no longer responded. It was as if they were no longer connected to their body. Their legs were weighted and there was no amount of will power capable of moving them.

The icy feeling of no control mixed with the burning hot frustration and the pure fear and anguish as to why. Together, these feelings made their bodies burn, a volcano of confusion erupting. The entire crew was gathered near Chopper, surrounded by an air of confusion.

None of them could move. They felt dense pressure on their limbs and their heart pounded in their chests. "What is happening?" They asked of each other, but nobody knew the answer. Nami grew furious while Chopper shrunk back in fear.

Their confusion and panic swirled around them as the group of figures in the distance stepped out of the clearing.

Shaggy blonde hair was lit by the light of the fire and a massive pink boa was draped over his body. Bright red sunglasses reflected the glare of the fire into the eyes of the straw hat pirates, who suddenly became sharply aware of whom the figure was.

"Doflamingo." Luffy said bluntly. He let out a tense breath.

The figure let out a broad smile which consumed most of his face. Doflamingo let out an abrasive laugh, filling the stiffly silenced air.

(A/N: I don't know much about Doflamingo's powers or his character. While writing this it hasn't been explained clearly in the manga, so I apologize in advance if it seems off)

Doflamingos eyes fluttered over the petrified crew, resting briefly on each member until his eyes deviated to Zoro. Zoro stared back into the eyes, with no fear or resistance as in his other crew members. There was no even any excitement as in the eyes of Luffy. Instead, Zoro's eyes were firmed into a questioning gaze. They were a piercing green with not confusion, but interest.

Doflamingos smile grew even larger, his lips curling over his pearled white teeth. Zoro thrust his chin slightly in the air, a sign of strength.

He seems… strangely familiar. I have seen his posters, he is another supernova. But there is something more. That fucking disturbing smile, I just can't place it.

"Hello Straw Hats!" Doflamingo exclaimed, spreading his arms wide open over the field.

"You did this." Luffy said bluntly. "You attacked that village."

Doflamingo chuckled with an air of superiority "No. You'll find they attacked each other. Quite a delicious little fight. I was just… watching." He remarked as he wiggled his fingers around, as if feeling the puppet strings still attached to the villagers.

Robin's eyes narrowed on Doflamingo, taking in every element of his being she could. While working with Crocodile she had interaction, though minimal, with this warlord. She forced herself to recall every detail, every power, and every trick that the pink feathered man had up his sleeve. He was cruel and cunning, but a very selfish man. To him the world was a game and he was determined to come out on top. Yet, he was the most oddly trusting man with a great respect for strength. Any person power he saw, he would attempt to claim it for his own. It made sense, what with his power for control. Strength was the only thing he truly admired and if a pirate didn't have that, then he was nothing to Doflamingo. If you are beaten, than you are disposed. The only thing worth anything was strength. Nothing else mattered.

Sort of like Zoro Robin thought quickly, before shaking her head of the thought. Zoro cared about more than strength. He was their nakama. She furrowed her brow, trying to refocus on Doflamingo.

Puppet Master. That's what they had called him when he was far enough away. He could control another person's body, but not their thoughts. He could make two best friends charge towards each other with sadness in their eyes. He could make a comrade turn his sword and swing it against his friends, all the while shouting to run and hide. But I had no idea he could restrain all of us at once. He may be powerful, but he can only hold on for so long.

And suddenly, Robin's prediction came true. There was a feeling of simultaneous relief that fell over every crew member. The crew heaved a unanimous sigh of relief, feeling their own blood and control rush back into their toes and fingertips.

Nami turned her head and saw Luffy, radiating a sense of anger and rage that is only rarely seen. His teeth gritted against each other, grinding with rage.

"Why?" Luffy asked quietly. But then his voice rose, shouting at Doflamingo. "Why? They were nice people! They were innocent!"

Doflamingo's smile dropped slightly as he leaned forward, craning his neck curiously forward as if he were talking to a child. "Because," He took a shallow breath, building the suspense. "I was bored."

"Bastard!" Luffy swore as he pressed down on his floppy sandals and leaped towards the man with his fist stretched and cocked. Halfway through his swing however, Doflamingo re activated his devil fruit power. Luffy halted in mid air, his fist lingering feet away from the forehead of Doflamingo.

The blonde haired foe simply twiddled his fingers to the left and suddenly, Luffys punch leapt and unleashed itself on an unsuspecting tree, breaking the branch and sending harsh recoil back at Luffy, who took it roughly and shot back 15 feet to where his crew was.

"And it's not just that I was bored." Doflamingo said with a more serious tone. "It would be wasteful to just let an opportunity to test my skills go by. In order to be stronger lives and silly little bonds need to be sacrificed."

At this he shot a look over to Zoro, the only one of the straw hats not faithfully gathered around their collapsed leader. Doflamingo grinned. Zoro only stared back with a strange intensity to his eyes.

Why does he keep looking at me? Fricking creep. Zoro thought.

Luffy was getting up and dusting himself off with a rare look of seriousness strewn across his features. Usopp cracked his knuckles angrily and Sanjii lit a cigarette, poised preciously at the tip of his lips.

"Oh now really, it would be boring to fight all of you." Doflamingo replied to their challenging stances. He flicked his oddly manicured hand at them dismissively. "I could force you all to fight each other and this would be over quickly. What fun would that be?"

"What happened to not wanting to waste an opportunity?" Zoro asked. The other straw hats looked at him, confused. His tone was not angry or challenging. It was curious. He wasn't trying to attack Doflamingo or make him angry. Zoro seemed genuinely interested in the answer.

And because of that, Doflamingo began to grin again.

"Because, Zoro, I am not the only one who needs to grow stronger. I value the strength of my crewmates and I won't hog all of the opportunities to improve."

And with that he gestured to his side where several other figures emerged from the shade of the burning trees. There were five of them, each powerful in their own respects.

Doflamingo glanced casually back at them and simply stated "Go."

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And within seconds they dispersed, spreading out and reaching the straw hat crew who were prepared and ready for the assault. Luffy unleashed a barrage of fists at one of the foes, who promptly blocked it by grabbing the fists and clenching tight, swinging Luffy into the depths of the forest. The foe then chased after the airborne captain, darting in the bushes.

Another enemy, with muscles bulging over his torso charged towards Sanjii, who swung his leg up at the foe, but only ending with a dull thud against the muscular skin. Sanjii stared at it briefly as his leg just rested against the mans flesh. The man smiled and gripped Sanjii's black leg tightly and tossed him towards the burning flames and followed in pursuit.

Chopper and Usopp tried to act brave but when they saw the man charging like a bull towards them, they huddled together and did what they did best: ran. And the man followed them, with a stupid grin and the chase began.

Robin and Nami were subdued to a more, sumo wrestle approach. The man rushing towards them was less rushing, but more waddling towards them. Nami reached for her climatactic, only to find it was left behind on the ship. Robin attempted to push the man away with a multitude of arms, but they only managed to sink into his fat rolls. And as the fat man approached, he herded them away from the clearing and into the forest.

And soon all that was left was Zoro.

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"Ooof" Luffy grunted as he felt his back snap against a tree trunk. He had fallen through the canopy and stood up, dusting the leaves and dirt off him. Shaking off his straw hat he looked up and saw a man rampaging towards him with his arm pulled back, ready to punch. Oh great Luffy thought.

The raven haired teen leapt out of the way of the fist, just in time. The punch connected the tree, shattering it in half and sending splinters of bark spraying out. Luffy looked at the damage with a slightly excited look growing on his face. The man cracked his knuckles with a sharp and booming sound.

"David." The man said, almost politely. He was lanky, not necessarily strong looking but no pushover either. He had tattoos covering his left arm, which was skinny but tight enough that you could see the indents of muscles bulging out. With one look, Luffy was able to size him up as being fast. Dangerously quick.

Luffy nodded in response to the man's name, acknowledging the start of the fight. David made the first move, leaping out again at Luffy with both of his arms pulled back. He caught up quickly to Luffy and unleashed his rapid assault of punches. Luffy turned his neck and back sharply to avoid being struck. The barrage seemed to last a while, with David's punches never quite slowing down, but getting softer.

One grazed the check of Luffy and the captain saw this as an opportunity. He wound his fist up and punched David right into the gut, sending the man backwards several steps and ending the fury of fists.

David looked up and let out a small smile as he seemingly vanished from sight. Luffy blinked and looked around dumfounded, scanning the trees and dense forest for any sign of the man.

Suddenly, there was a thwack as Luffy felt a blow connect to the back of his head. Luffy stumbled forward and blindly swung behind him, aiming at a figure that was no longer there. He let out a small ouch, until he felt another blow brace him, this time from the front. Luffy fell backwards from the force. But when he opened his eyes there was no opponent there. Luffy quickly stood back up, but just as soon he felt another punch topple him in the back of the leg. Once again, David was no where to be seen.

"You sure are quick." Luffy said as he tried to avoid the rapid and invisible attacks.

There was a small wisp of wind that Luffy felt brush against his check. A hand followed, launching in that direction. Luffy's battle instincts kicked in and he was able to tilt his head slightly and the punch shot right past him. Luffy clenched his fist and turned away, preparing to retaliate, but David was still not there.

Another breeze near Luffy's cast. And just like the last, Luffy slightly scooted his leg and the punch missed. And again, another little wind near his stomach. Just a little stretch and punch was useless against Luffy.

"Humph" David grunted. "So you've figured it out a little, haven't ya?"

Luffy smiled with slight pride. He didn't really realize the effect of the wind, but his experiences in battle had shaped him to react timely.

"It doesn't really matter." David cooed. "You can't hit me. What a lovely little stalemate."

"Stalemate?" Luffy asked rhetorically. "I don't think so."

Luffy shot his arms out in opposite directions and grasped two strong trees , forming a straight line. He then began to rotate his body, dislocating his shoulders and wrapping his arms around himself. Soon he looked like a child's swing that had been spun around one too many times. Luffy smiled brightly as he let go of the trees.

The pressure from his twisting spun out and his arms began a literal tornado, whipping rapidly in a circular fashion, clearing everything within a 50 feet radius of Luffy. The strength knocked down nearby trees and Luffy felt his arm whip an unsuspecting David in the face, following with several more circular blows. Luffy's arms spun and spun until there was no more pressure left in his twisting.

Luffy rolled his shoulders and looked down at David, who was covered in bruises and broken trees from Luffys spinning assault.

With only that look back, Luffy took off back towards the field, eager to fight Doflamingo.

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Sanjii rubbed his coarse shin, feeling a slight indent from where his kick had connected with the man. It was like kicking a steel wall. But Sanjii didn't have much time to think of the damage when he looked up and through the bushes he saw the man approach him. The man's shoulders were bulging out and his chest stuck out with pride and power.

He stopped about ten feet from Sanjii, and studding his feet into the ground said in a bellowing voice, "Marian."

"Excuse you?' Sanjii said back with a confused look.

The man glared harshly and shook his head. "No, you fool. That is my name. Marian."

Nice to know Sanjii thought as he fiddled with the cigarette wedged between his teeth.

And without warning Marian dashed towards Sanjii. He was not particularly fast as every step shook unevenly on the ground, but he was no snail either.

Sanjii raised his knee in defense, planning to thrust the man away from him. But Marian just continued straight forward, blindly charging like a juggernaut. The two connected in a crash and Sanjii was thrown back several feet. His leg rammed back into his thigh with a slight crunching noise. The cook landed harshly on his butt, bouncing several feet in addition to the blow.

Sanjii quickly looked up to see Marian continuing in his assault, leaving Sanjii no room to plan. Marian swung down his fist, but Sanjii rolled out of the way and the hand plowed into the earth, leaving a deep dent in the soil.

Alright, note to self, don't let that shit head's punches hit. Sanjii thought, eying the punches impact on the ground. Sanjii spun up, twirling his feet in a forceful tornado. The kicks connected in Marians gut, but the built man did not flinch. Rather, he flexed, revealing a set of stone hard muscles which Sanjii's kicks barely damaged. Sanjii's leg lingered over the mans stomach for a second to long. Marian gripped them and picked Sanjii up, dangling him upside down. With his other massive arm he proceeded to plow Sanjii in the chest. His punches had less force, but Sanjii swung helplessly in air like a punching bag.

Then Marian aimed a blow at Sanjii's face, connecting harshly in the same spot that Zoro had assaulted the night before. Sanjii let out a large gasp and his hand shot up to his face, feeling the blood begin to flow. But as he was dangling upside down, the blood rushed to the spot but fell backwards into his brain, creating a nauseous feeling and blurring Sanjii's vision.

"You bastard" He swore at Marian. With his free leg that was not being held, he swung at Marians chin, connecting with the jaw and thrusting his leg upwards. Marian's jaw rammed into his teeth, rattling his head and knocking him backwards. He was dazed just enough for Sanjii to swing again, pushing the man backwards even more and causing him to relinquish his grip on Sanjii's leg.

Both men fell to the ground with loud thuds. However, Sanjii quickly leapt up and used the opportunity to analyze his surroundings. Using his one eye he looked around at the scenery, taking in the forest and trying to find some advantage that he could use against Marian. Nothing stood out immensely to him and Sanjii panicked slightly when he saw the large lug of a man coming out of his daze.

"Shit" He swore under his breath. Sanjii frantically flexed himself, readying himself for the fight. But then the odd sensation of heat crept over his body. A burning sensation lingered on his back and Sanjii dared to turn around briefly to find the source.

The two men were close to the fire. Not just close, but dangerously close. Sanjii saw the burning and brilliant flames close behind him, sweeping over branches and trees, roaring like an all consuming giant. The glint of the fire caught Sanjii's eye and he could help but stare at the wall of fire, no less than ten feet behind him. How the hell did I not notice that before?

Sanjii looked back over at Marian, who was regaining his composure. Blood was dripping down the sides of his mouth and he looked as if his jaw was dislocated or broken. It swung loosely and was barely hinged off the side of Marian's face. The man's nostrils were flared and he looked enraged.

Great Sanjii thought. He felt down his ribs and felt that one of them was cracked due to the man's earlier punches. Sanjii looked back at the fire and back at Marian when he was struck with an idea.

Sanjii whipped off his black jacket and tied it around the shin of his right leg. He let out a regretful sigh and dashed off towards the flames.

Within in seconds Marian was behind him, refusing to let his prey escape. But soon the light of the fire grew intense and confusing, bounding from every direction as the pair descended into the hearth of the burning village. Fire stood up on all sides, creating a perfect wall around Marian, who looked around confused. In his dazed state he could not find Sanjii. In fact, he couldn't see any light or objects. His sight was clouded by the light of the fire and the smoke that lingered tightly in the air. Even the heat began to throw off his sense of balance.

"Where are you, you coward?" Marian shouted. Spinning in all directions, calling out to the burning trees.

And suddenly, Sanjii dropped down from on top of him, descending from an ash covered tree. His right leg was ablaze with flames and Sanjii sunk it into the chest of Marian.

The kick dug in deeply and Marian flinched back from the force. Sanjii's leg slammed into Marian's chest and Marian fell backwards onto the burning ground.

And then there was fire. Marian first felt the heat, but he thought nothing of the pain. He was too focused on the cook resting on top of him with his knee sunk into his chest. But when he looked down, preparing for retaliation, he was the cook gone. Marian attempted to stand up and chase after Sanjii but the burning stopped him. He looked down again and saw the cook's jacket, on fire, crawling over his skin.

Marian pushed the jacket off of him, but it was too late as the fire from the jacket had already spread onto the all the fine hairs on Marians body. Marian shot up, trying to shake the flames from his body. But they spread and spread, crawling over every inch of his skin with a greedy composure.

Sanjii watched from a nearby bush. Marian was panicking, spinning in every direction and trying to fight the flames like a wild animal. Sanjii looked down, not bearing to watch the man burn. Sanjii took out a fresh cigarette and lit it with the fire raging next to him. He turned away from the shrieking man, placed the cigarette in between his lips and walked away from the burning haze.

"Damn" Sanjii muttered sadly. "I really liked that jacket too"

And with that, Sanjii headed back to the clearing, calling for Nami and Robin.

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0-0-0-0- (A/N Okay, I don't really understand Choppers abilities so I'm kind of just leaving it out. Sorry. If any reviewer wants to give me a quick summary, go for it!)

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And there was Chopper and Usopp, running while holding each other. They weaved masterfully through the dense foliage, desperately searching for some place to hide. Eventually they rested upon a massive tree, nearly ten feet in diameter with a narrow hole carved inside it. Usopp and Chopper launched themselves into the hiding spot. They threw their hands over each others mouth in order to silence their large, gasping breaths. Soon silence fell over the area.

And then they heard Doflamingo's man angrily stampeding through the area, his breaths overpowering with intensity. Every step he took vibrated through the tree and Usopp shook, clinging to the matted fur of Chopper. But the man just darted past the hole in the tree, ignoring the two crew members who were curled up inside.

Minutes later, Chopper and Usopp both let a relieved sigh. The man chasing them had decided to wander off in a random direction, blindly following a trail that didn't actually exist.

"What now?" Chopper asked Usopp in a hushed whisper.

Now, now we run in the opposite direction. Or run to go get Luffy or Sanjii or Zoro or somebody who could actually take on that beast of a man. Usopp thought. But he couldn't say it. Chopper idolized him and his tales and adventures. To him, Usopp was strong. To him, Usopp was brace. To him, Usopp was everything he pretended to be. Usopp couldn't stand to appear as a coward in front of Chopper.

"Well now we have the advantage. We know where he is, but he doesn't know where we are." Usopp said strategically. His mind raced with possibilities. "What we need right now is a plan."

Chopper nodded in agreement and sat, with his chin resting on his paw in a cliché thinking position.

"We need to use this forest to our advantage…" Usopp thought out loud, rambling about a multitude of elaborate plans. He rambled on for a while, talking about dropping out of the sky and attacking the man. But he dismissed that when he realized that they would be overpowered. Several more plans spilled out of his mouth, all of which useless to an extent.

"Agrona!" Chopper said excitedly.

"Bless you." Usopp quickly replied and jumped back into his ramblings.

"No, no, no. There is a plant I saw while we were running. It's called Agrona; I read it about it one time." Chopper said, frantically trying to recapture Usopp's attention. The long nosed boy turned back and gave Chopper an encouraging look. Chopper continued, "Well it's a very toxic plant, but only in the gaseous phase."

"Alright," Usopp nodded, trying to follow.

"So if we burn the plant and turn it into smoke around that man, then the poison will only affect him not us!" Chopper exclaimed.

"But what if the wind draws the gassy air over towards us? What about that?" Usopp asked, slightly disappointed that he hadn't thought of this.

"That's the thing about this plant; it's very toxic and has a condensed form of acidity. But because it is so tightly compacted, it only lasts for a short while. The gas should only last for about a minute before it runs out of toxicity." Chopper answered.

"So that means our timing will have to be perfect." Usopp replied. Chopper nodded in response. "Well then! Leave this up to me! I am the king of snipers, after all."

And with that the pair hurdled out of the tree hole and quietly tried to figure out where they chaser wandered off to. They found him, stumbling over several bushes, frantically looking side to side for his prey.

Chopper tapped Usopp lightly on the shoulder and pointed towards a bright red vine that was draped over a tree. "It's that one." Usopp nodded in response and loaded his sling with a small explosive. He squinted one eye and prepared the launch of his pellet. As he let go he immediately something was wrong.

The pellet swiveled through the trees, and shot right past the vine, connecting with another plant several feet behind it. Usopp stared at the tiny explosion whose radius was not large enough to consume the plant. He missed.

"Oh. Damn." Usopp said.

The tiny little fragmented explosion caught the eye of their pursuer. He turned around, facing the direction of where the bullet came from. His eyes rested on Chopper and Usopp, who had done little to hide themselves. A wicked grim overcame the man as he let out a howl and sprinted towards the reindeer and the long nosed boy.

"Oh DAMN" Usopp shouted as the man sprinted towards him.

"How could you miss?" Chopper yelled as they tried to escape through the forest.

"It was a small vine! And there was wind! And pressure!" Usopp gasped out.

There was a tree, jutting up just in the middle of the two. Chopper turned left, and Usopp turned right. The man following them followed Chopper, eager for a good chase. Chopper ran, panicking, as fast as he could. Usopp tried to keep up, following the reindeer through the thicket.

"Hold on Chopper!' Usopp shouted as he stopped and ascended up a tree.

Chopper continued to dart through the forest, turning and swiveling, hoping to confuse the following man. But the man was determined to not lose his prey again.

Usopp, at the top of the tree, loaded his slingshot with a pellet. This time he took a deep breath and saw an Agrona plant dangling near Choppers head. He pulled back the sling and let it go.

The pellet zinged through the air. Usopp crossed his fingers, praying for the bullet to connect. And it did. There was a small explosion as the spotted explosion hit the plant. A little red gas fizzed out in the air, filling the air near with a smoky hue and a strong scent of cinnamon.

Usopp let out a relieved sigh, until he realized that he didn't see Chopper emerge from the smoky area. Shit! Usopp thought as he swung down from the tree and sprinted towards the area of impact. It was cloudy and difficult to see, but Usopp held his breath and shouted, "Chopper! Chopper!"

Yet the person who responded was not Chopper. It was the pursuer. He stood up in front of Usopp, seemingly out of nowhere. He heaved greatly, and his balance was shaky. Usopp let out a girly shriek and let his fist fly. His meager blow connected to the man's face, who fell backwards and collapsed on the ground. Usopp looked confused for a second, looking at his fist and then down at the man who he had just felled. Suddenly boisterous pride filled Usopp as he looked around for somebody to tell a story about how strong he was.

And then in the distance, he saw Chopper, huddled on the ground, not moving. Usopp raced towards him, his lungs screaming for air. Usopp picked Chopper up and carried him out of the blasting zone.

"Oi! Chopper? Hey buddy, wake up." Usopp pleaded, leaning over top Choppers body. He saw the little reindeers chest move slowly in and out, breathing in a slow rhythm.

The little reindeer looked up at Usopp and grinned. "Did it work?" He asked. Usopp nodded. Chopper let out a little cough. "Don't worry about me. I didn't inhale much of the gas. I'll be fine in a little while." Usopp just nodded again. A small tear welled up in his eye and he let the thought that he could have possibly just killed his friend enter his mind. But he quickly shook the thought out of his head as he helped Chopper up and the two of them headed back towards the clearing.

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Neither Robin nor Nami had ever felt so useless in their lives. Nami had forgotten the most crucial thing- her weapon. She was defenseless and relied on Robin to handle the assault against the man chasing them. But Robin was having an even harder time dealing with this foe. She had finally found her real weakness- Fat.

Robin had arms launch from the man's neck in an attempt to snap it, but through all of the blubber the hands could not find enough grip on the bone to break it. She tried a varying amount of attacks but they all ending up being futile. The raven haired women gnawed her lip in anger, searching her brain for some way to stop Doflamingo's man. It was just… wrong. Her pride could take being bested by somebody. But not by this man. Not by a 500 pound man wearing only shorts. Not by somebody whose boobs were larger than hers. Not by somebody whose sole talent was his blubber. It disgusted Robin.

She let out a heaving sigh as her and Nami ventured farther into the forest.

"Let's just finish this quickly and get back to the boys." Nami said, sensing her companions frustration. Robin nodded in agreement. The two of them swerved between the dense trees. Curious as to how the man was able to follow them through the tight trees, Robin turned away. And what she saw she couldn't quite believe. As the blubber man walked through the tree his skin suddenly condensed and shrunk, as if the fat had just eaten itself all away. Suddenly the man was the size of a normal person. As soon as he passed the tree the fat expanded. And again it happened when there was another tree. The process took less than a second and the man just slipped through the trees.

Robin and Nami took a sharp turn and the scenery swiftly changed. Without warning, the two were on the edge of a river cliff. They threw their weight backwards on their heels to keep from falling forward into the drop. It didn't look particularly steep or deep, but it would best to avoid falling the drop.

Nami looked over to Robin with a grin on her face and they both shared the same idea. The two circled back into the woods, locating the body shifting man. He spotted them and continued to chase after them, with his weight fluxuating all over the place.

"He must have eaten the wei-wei fruit. The person can change their body mass at will. Not the most useful fruit, in my opinion." Robin commented as her and Nami sprinted back towards the cliff with the man in pursuit.

At the cliff's edge the two suddenly split, darting to either side as the clueless man stumbled over the edge behind them. He let out a small shriek as he toppled over the edge and descended towards the river below.

Nami let out a small sigh. "That was a lot easier than I thought."

And as if she had jinxed the situation, Robin leaned over and saw something she almost could not believe. The man had altered his body mass to nearly nothing, floating in the wind and swaying towards the top of the cliff. The wind lifted him up and he floated towards the tip of cliff where he had just fallen, a malicious grin on his face.

His feet delicately touched the top of cliff and he looked at the shocked girls as he revived his body mass to his normal blubbery state. Nami just gaped, and Robin rolled her eyes, dreading facing this sorrow excuse for a man. Robin flexed her arms, trying to contemplate some way she could make her ability work against this man. Nami just stood with a frantic and useless expression, concerned about Robin and herself.

"Hold on my beauties!" A voice shouted from above.

Confused, the girls looked up to see Sanjii descending from above them. He had his hands wrapped around a vine and was swinging down with his white shirt billowing in the wind.

The man looked even more confused, but he didn't have time to process as Sanjii plowed his foot into the man's chest, sending him, once again, tumbling over the edge of the cliff.

"Sanjii!" Nami exclaimed as she swooped the blonde haired chef up in a hug. The cook melted in her arms with hearts swarming his eyes.

Over the cliff's edge the man was pulling the same trick. His fat retreated into his body and he floated, as light as a feather. But Robin stood over the cliff's edge with a dangerous look in her eye. She shook her head disapprovingly and crossed her arms. Suddenly, little arms sprung the mans neck. The arms were now able to find the neck as there was no fat blocking the way. And with a quick flicking motion, the arms completed their mission, sending the man dropping dead into the river below.

"Thank you cook-san" Robin commented, dusting her hands as if they still had the feeling of death on them.

"Anything for you!" Sanjii responded with glee.

Nami looked around cautiously before suggesting heading back to the rest of crew in the field.

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Chopper and Usopp were the first to arrive, shortly followed by Luffy. All three just stood at the edge of the field. They refused to believe what they saw. Then Sanjii and Nami and Robin came quickly after, who also stopped at the edge of clearing.

"What the hell?" Sanjii shouted.

There was Zoro, laying in the middle of the field with blood oozing out and wounds covering his body in copious amounts. His moss green hair died red with his blood. Above him stood his opponent, a hefty man with his hands dripping with the swordsman blood. Doflamingo stood in the distance with a dark smile over his features. But the crew didn't care about him. The crew didn't even care about the opponent. They only cared about Zoro at this moment.

And there was their swordsman –Zoro- Lying defeated in a puddle of his blood.

AUTHOR NOTE: I hate writing fight scenes. But I've definitely gotten at least a little bit better I hope. By the way, this chapter is OVER 8000 WORDS (If only it was over 9000… sigh. So much for my Dragon ball Reference). Nearly peeing myself I'm so proud. I hope you all review. My writing, even with my huge breaks, is getting better and better. I read my first chapter and now I think it sucks. Anyways, please review! Let me know that there are still people out there interested! YAY!

Next Chapter will be pretty awesome. If I ever get around to writing it!