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?

8. Chapter 8: Accident Written in Blood

Authors Note: What? Only 1 month, not a year? WEIRD. I'm actually doing what I should do….

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Doflamingo chuckled and shouted towards Zoro, "See? I told you they were in your way.

In my way, Zoro thought numbly. Maybe mentally they had always served as a minor disruption, the constant nagging that they were clueless and proving to be more useless as time went by. But they were never in the way physically. Zoro looked down at his hands, still clenching the swords and soaked in sweat. They were shaking violently as Robins blood dripped slowly off of the end of one of them. Her blood ended on the ground with short splashing noises.

Chopper looked at Robin's bleeding figure with some relief. Zoro's blow had missed her heart and other vital organs. It slashed through the entire layer of skin and tore through a few ribs, but other than a scar she would be fine. Luffy, finally gracing the bloody scene ripped off his shirt and handed it to Chopper and sunk down on his knees.

"What can I do?" The captain asked, his eyes dead serious and dropped down, staring at his fallen comrade.

Chopper took his shirt and pressed it down over the wound, applying as much pressure as possible. "Go back to the ship, get Brooke and Franky; she'll be fine if I can just stop the bleeding."

Luffy let out a nod and prepared to stretch out his arm. Right before shooting it back to the ship he shot a look at Zoro. It was not a glance of anger or hatred, but the look of disappointment a father gives to a child. Sadness lurked in Luffy's eyes in regards to his first mate as he shot off to the ship.

Zoro saw Luffys look and couldn't help but recognize a feeling of guilt welling in his stomach. But it was quickly dismissed. An accident. That's all it was. I was fighting that man, I couldn't help it, and I just wanted to see him pay. For beating the crew…No. For beating me. But I was trying to save our damn lives! And just she got in my way. He swallowed hard, hearing Doflamingos words echo in his mind.

An accident. He thought again, repeating it as if that would make it far truer. But he still remembered hearing her voice and ignoring it, too focused on the already defeated enemy. He still remembered the touch of her hand on her shoulder as she tried to calm him. The rage towards her disrupting his battle- That sickening feeling of wanting to destroy, to finish what was started and she walked in a ruined that moment. I can't think of that right now. We just need to get back to the ship, away from this island, away from Doflamingo. But in his gut, Zoro could feel that Doflamingo would be back and things were only going to get worse.

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Franky and Brooke were shot back to the field by Luffy, their faces full of shock and surprise. Franky gathered up the bleeding black haired woman in his arms and sprinted off back to the ship, with Chopper riding on the top of his head, gripping his blue hair for support. Brooke assisted Sanjii, whose leg had been set straight in a splint and bandaged slightly, back to the ship with one arm as Nami and Usopp limped alongside.

Nami launched into the tale of what happened, describing Doflamingos appearance and the fight with Dalburn. Usopp didn't even interrupt to mention his heroics, his heart and mind were too numb from the fight and Zoro's actions.

"One of the seven warlords of the sea… What reason could he possibly have to attack us?" Brooke asked.

"Maybe he wanted to crush us before we got any stronger," Usopp thought out loud, "But it doesn't make any sense as too why he left when we were all defeated…"

"I don't care what reason right now, I just want Robin to be alright." Sanjii said bitterly. Usopp just nodded in response.

"She will be. You heard Chopper, she'll be fine. Choppers a great doctor, the best probably and he's going to make sure she's fine." Nami said with such confidence, and she fully believed it. She saw the blood; she saw the horrid wound which ripped open her fellow females' chest. She saw the damage, but she also knew what Chopper could do and she believed in that.

"How did she get that wound?" Brooke asked cautiously, "I thought you said the Dalburn guy used his fists."

"It wasn't him." Usopp murmured softly.

"Doflamingo?"

"…No" Usopp's face cringed; he didn't want to say who delivered the blow.

"Was it in her fight with that fat guy?" Nami just shook her head, 'no'.

Brooke paused, his boney feet halting and part of him just didn't want to even ask the next question. He didn't want to ask who, who did this horrible thing to his crewmate. Judging from the bitter and saddened faces of his companions he didn't want to know the answer. Nami looked confused, close to tears, and was constantly flipping her hand over her hair to distract herself. Usopp seemed dumbfounded, watching his feet scuff along the sandy banks and his eyes seemed lifeless. Sanjii, who arm was slumped around Brookes to support his weight, seemed far more angry than sad. His jaw line was tight and his face was drawn into a coarse frown. But Brooke knew that he needed to know. That somebody had to say out loud what happened. "Who… Who was it?"

The beach was silent, none of his companions even dared to speak. The silence was awkward and intense. The others were ashamed because they didn't want to answer, they didn't want to admit what actually happened. Brooke was about to ask again, when Sanjii interjected the silence,

"Zoro."

The silence returned, and this time it enveloped Brooke as well. The skeleton carefully turned around, craning his head to see Zoro who was still standing in the field, not having moved an inch in the time that Brooke had arrived- His swords still gripped in his hands, his body stiff and rigid, facing down at the spot where Robin was several minutes ago. Zoro was drenched in blood, more crimson covering his body than skin. His mossy hair was dyed almost black and was crusted over with dried blood. Suddenly Brooke found himself thinking how much of that blood was Robins.

The skeleton's mouth hung open and if he had possessed eyes they surely would have popped out of his head. "What? How is that possible? It must have been an accident!" Brooke exclaimed, almost throwing his hands up dramatically had Sanjii not been slumped over one.

"It better have been an accident," Sanjii's eyes grew dark under his blonde hair, "if not than even hell is a place for that bastard."

Brooke's bony face grew into a grimace as he nodded slightly and the rest of the group continued on towards the ship in a dull silence.

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After hours of waiting, fiddling their fingers and staring dismally at the scratched deck, Chopper finally emerged from the medical room. He gave a big smile and told the crew that Robin would be fine and would regain consciousness by the end of the night. An enormous sigh of relief shook the ship. Luffy, sitting on top of an empty barrel, ruffled his hands through his hair and let out a deserved smile.

But after that nobody said anything. Sanjii limped off to the kitchen for a few minutes to make a drink for Nami. Chopper told him that his leg would be healed in about a week. The small reindeer gave his regular warnings; to avoid training, to not put too much stress on it, and to not start any fights with Zoro. It was pure reflex but after he said it, in such the joking manner he was used to, it seemed to take a sick and devastating tone after that afternoons events. Sanjii gave the reindeer a light smile, thinking to himself, Too late. His mind traveled back to his fight on the deck with Zoro and how he had no desire to fight with the swordsman again. Sure, he wanted to pummel and show him no mercy for the way he attacked Robin. He wanted to rip his head off and kick him until he bled the same she did. But he had no desire to fight as friends, to goof around in their bickering fights of fake hatred and joy. That feeling of friendship was burning in Sanjii's chest, but all he felt was fear. Fear that Zoro might actually kill him. He came close that one night, and he came close with Robin. Yes, avoiding fights with Zoro suddenly became a priority.

Nami was told her injuries would heal soon as well, but for once she paid no attention to her own injuries and her mind was focused on Robin, or more accurately Zoro's single stoke of a sword that may have changed the entire crew. She had always been stubborn with Zoro, squeezing and lending money, picking on him for sleeping all the time and being lazy, harassing him for fighting too often. She never thanked him for saving her ever, never congratulated him on a fight. She couldn't help but look at her relationship with him and see how disgusting it was. Not even when he stood up against Arlong did she thank him or appreciate him being there. He was just… there. Always there, always Zoro, ever since the beginning of the crew it was him, her and Luffy. Are we even friends? She had to ask herself.

Chopper always tried to focus when he was taking care of a patient, of a friend. But when he was stitching up Robin all he could think about was Zoro's face, Zoro's rage. In her blood he saw Zoro, all of his hatred, all of those horrible things Chopper pretended not to see. He missed a stitch and he felt a tear slip out of his eye. But he shook his head, forcing himself to focus on Robin. Once he finished, when her blood was cleaned off the table and her wound had been fully stitched up, he could nothing else but let a few tears fall. Zoro. He was his hero. He was so determined, but not determined to kill. He was so strong, but never against his friends. He was so proud, but not at the sacrifice of another. He was Zoro. Chopper tried to think of his face, his smiling face with a beer in his hand or the face of focus while training. The only image that came to his face was the one he saw as his sword swung into Dalburn's body over and over again. Those slits of eyes, so shallow and unforgiving. His friend, his hero… and Chopper was afraid of him.

How many of my stories did he sit through? How many times did I tell him my adventures? How many times did I tell him how strong I was? How many times did he put with up my lies…? Did he ever know that I only wished I were as strong as him? Usopp had never thought so hard in his life. Things had been off with Zoro, he had seen that in the last week. He was more on edge, more cynical, his face was in a frown more than a smile. Usopp pushed it off on him going through a phase, like a teenage boy or on his period like some teenage girl. But now he couldn't help but think something was seriously wrong- That this crew had pushed him to the edge of insanity. He had always been the most serious person of the crew. He remembered how Zoro wouldn't let Luffy take him back to the crew unless he apologized. He was proud and he was more of an image of a pirate than any of them. He wasn't heartless or a scoundrel, but he was serious and determined. And for Usopp, whose dream was as vague as just being a great warrior, he couldn't understand what it meant to have a dream with a solid goal. And he realized of how little of Zoro he actually understood.

Luffy sat on his normal perch, his legs dangling off the side of the head of the ship and his hands and elbows propping up his head. And he just stared off into the sea. He could think about, he could judge Zoro, but that wouldn't be Luffy. At first he was going to push it off as an accident, but as captain, as a crew, as a friend he couldn't pretend that nothing happened.

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Zoro had stayed on the field for nearly 3 hours. After a while his head just went numb. He stopped thinking and just stared at the pile of Robin's blood that had soaked into the grass. His fists still clenched his swords and began to throb from the pain. He began to feel his wounds, stinging and burning from the crisp salty air that blew in from the ocean.

This is her blood on my sword. HER blood on MY sword. He screamed in his head but no matter how loud he said it he couldn't bring up an emotion of guilt. He felt grossly justified and he couldn't figure out why. It was an accident. He said for the hundredth time.

But a little voice of doubt whispered inside of his mind. But I wanted to. I wanted to keep going, to destroy that man for ever being able to beat me. I wanted to stop her from stopping me.

He shook his head. It was far worse than that. Maybe I just liked the feel. The feel of my swords as they sink through flesh. That power, that control, that's what it means to be a swordsman. He looked dismally up to the sky. I'm not a swordsman of honor am I? I enjoy death too much and it's been far too long since… Ah shit I need to stop this. I struck Robin. That happened. I did it. Why, I'm not sure but I'm not going to waste any more time standing in this bloody field ready to pass out.

And with that Zoro began what felt like the longest walk back to the ship. His feet dragged against the sand, finding them heavy and hard to lift from the injuries. Suddenly the pain began to start up again as some of his wounds reopened and fresher blood dribbled out of his body. Finally though, the ship came into his sight and Zoro found himself dreading the crew's reactions.

He hopped up the side of the ships ladder and landed less than gracefully on the deck and was met with the faces of all of the crew, with the exception of Robin. Everyone just stood there for several moments, holding their breaths and their words. The silence was more awkward than deadly, but Zoro still sensed the air of fear radiating from many of his crew mates.

He expected somebody to say something. To ask him why, just so he could shrug it off or mumble out an answer. He expected Sanjii to pull him over and slam a kick into his face; maybe he wanted that, just a little sense of normal. He expected Nami to scream at him, throw her fist in his direction. He expected Chopper to look up at him with innocent little eyes and ask him why. He expected Luffy to at least come up and talk to him, to either forgive him or tell him to get off the ship. He expected something, but was met with nothing more than awkward glares and silence.

Zoro partly thought he should say something, but what could he say? Sorry? Explain it when he didn't even understand it? No, he could do none of that. So instead he kept his face straight and marched towards one of the hallways. Nobody made any movements so he continued on into the hallway, gently shutting the door and prodding towards some random room to go sleep for a while.

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When Zoro entered the ship Luffy wanted to say something. It was burning on his tongue to talk to his first mate. But he hated to admit, but Zoro began to worry him. Luffy could not stop questioning whether he was a bad captain, a bad friend. Whether he really was taking away from Zoro's potential. And when he saw Zoro he realized that maybe he had. He had been so swept up in helping other people that he never bothered to help his crew. But Zoro didn't need help; he never asked for help, he never needed it. But Luffy came to believe he was hindering his crewmate, distracting him from his goal- maybe even from Luffy's own goal. Had he just been wasting time?. And when he saw Zoro he couldn't say anything, he felt it was his fault. His fault everything happened. His fault they almost lost to Dalburn and his fault that Zoro slashed Robin. So Luffy did one of the rarest things- he stayed silent.

But once he was out of the deck Sanjii jumped up with a distressed look on his face.

"Well? Are we just going to ignore the giant moss haired elephant in the room?" He said bitterly and the crew looked down slightly ashamed, but nobody spoke.

Getting rudely sick of the silence, Sanjii marched over to Luffy and thrust his finger in his face. "You're the damn captain. He's your damn first mate. Go." And then pointed towards the door that Zoro entered. Luffy nodded slowly and timidly. He stood up, but Sanjii could tell he was petrified and scared to talk to his first mate. He had never talked seriously with Zoro and Sanjii doubted that Luffy even knew what to say. Sanjii swallowed hard and placed his hand on top of Luffy's hat. "I'm going with you." Luffy looked up and part of him wanted to do it himself, to do the duty of a captain, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. So he nodded and accepted Sanjii's help and the two of them followed into the hallways.

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The pair found Zoro sleeping, or feigning sleep a few rooms into the hallway. His head was propped against a cold wall and his eyes were closed, but from his clenched fists it was obvious he was not asleep. Sanjii and Luffy approached him, neither quite knowing what to say.

Sanjii swung his good foot into Zoro's chest. "Wake up Shit head." He said roughly as Zoro began to stir and his hand shot to his chest, where more blood began to leak out. Luffy held Sanjii back from kicking him again. It was obvious how much Zoro was in. His body was riddled with blood and wounds, many still open having not received any medical attention from chopper.

"Zoro," Luffy began but paused, taking a deep breath. "Am I a bad captain?"

Sanjii swiveled around to stare at the young teen whose face was solemnly staring at his first mate. That was not the question he was expecting.

Zoro opened his eyes and stared up at the captain but did not speak; he just let his emerald eyes connect with Luffy's brown. A moment of silence before Luffy nodded sadly, "I see."

"Whoa, whoa, Luffy you're not a bad captain!" Sanjii exclaimed, surprised by the captains question.

"I must be. I haven't helped any of you reach your dreams."

"That's not your job! Your job is to be our captain, to follow your dream, to sail to one piece. Not to help us reach our dreams! That's our problem." Sanjii shouted at his captain, shooting a harsh glare to Zoro, urging the man to join in and help. But Zoro just continued to stare at his captain.

"Zoro," Luffy started again, "Why did you choose your dream over us?"

Sanjii paused, barely even remembering the dream or nakama issue. It had been overshadowed by Robin's problem. Is this what's really bothering you Luffy? He thought.

Zoro took a deep breath trying to gather his thoughts. "I promised Kuina I would be the world's greatest swordsman. That has always been my dream, my life's sole goal. Not to make friends, not to spend time loitering on islands helping people. And that promise is the worth of my existence"

"Yes, but over us? Over everything we've been through?" Sanjii interjected.

"Yes. I would give my life to save any of you, but it doesn't make me stronger. It makes me weaker. I rely on you guys. I will be the greatest swordsman, but by my own strength. You all will not be there when I face Mihawk. I can't choose friendship over strength." Zoro said, feeling slightly selfish and harsh, but knowing that he had earned a moment of selfishness.

"Is strength really that much more important? Is your dream of becoming some stupid swordsman more important than friendship?" Sanjii shouted again and he felt his heart begin to tear.

"Yes." Zoro responded and the room filled with silence. There is so much more. So much I can't explain to you two. But it is my dream and I will reach it, as simple as that. But it's just a hypothetical question! It will never come to that… Luffy began to gaze at the floor.

"Are we even friends?" Luffy asked softly, his fists clenched and his heart dropped down into his stomach.

Zoro bit the inside of his lip, thinking about the question. I'm not like them. I don't laugh and waste my time on the useless things. I have pride and determination and I show it, I don't hide it until the crucial moments. I'm not like them. But instead he said "Yes."

"How can you say that when you would choose some freaking dream or promise that you made you some damn childhood friend an eternity ago over us? What kind of a friend does that?" Sanjii screamed at Zoro, ready to launch another kick at Zoro but Luffy stopped him.

"And what kind of friends would we be to stand in the way of his dreams?" Luffy turned to Sanjii and asked gently. Sanjii hung his head, unsure of what he was feeling.

"Then what about Robin?" Sanjii asked, this time more calmly. "How dare you harm her…?"

"That's enough Sanjii!" Luffy shouted. He too was unsure of what to think, but he knew he had nothing more to ask Zoro. "Robin's fine and that is what matters!"

"But he attacked her! You saw it with your own damn eyes. You can not just let this go Luffy!" Sanjii rebutted. But Luffy shook his head.

"I can and I will. For now. It's been a long day. We're leaving Sanjii." Luffy said with strictness in his voice that Sanjii had never heard.

"But you-"

"We're leaving!" Luffy said as he ushered Sanjii towards the door, practically shoving him through the doorway.

He looked back at his swordsman, slumped against the wall with his haunting green eyes still staring at Luffy with mild confusion.

"I'll send Chopper in to treat your wounds." Luffy mumbled as he shut the door, too tired to look at his swordsman anymore.

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Authors Note: Sorry about the kind of boring chapter. I wanted to show a few other characters perspectives. Sorry if some people are a little Out of Character. Review please!