Disclaimer: I Do Not Own One Piece.

Chapter 17: A Side That Is Hidden!

Guzen slowly approached Serisha and Aro. Serisha slowly stepped in the way. "Tsk tsk tsk… you shouldn't have betrayed my Vel-kun…" Guzen ignored her and continued towards Aro's body. It was propped on the wall, shirt slowly going from white to red. "She was weaker than Vel-kun suspected," Serisha said with a laugh. Guzen finally got to the point where he and Serisha were nearly touching. She would not move, so he looked over her shoulder at Aro. Anger filled him the more he stared. Eventually, he reached the point where he had to look away. "Too easy to kill." She laughed.

"Serisha…" He said quietly.

"Hmm?" She began to remove the gel from her blade hand.

"Run."

"Run?"

"Run far away… if you value your life for the time being… there will be death in this room if you do not…"

"Someone has already died!" She got the gel off her hand and both of her hands returned to normal. She pointed at Aro, "And there is the dead!"

"The feel of death still hangs in the air; fate is NOT satisfied…"

"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" Serisha turned and stalked to the other side of the room.

"Serisha, now you must stop…" He reached for his card case when she didn't listen.

---

"So…" LeStine was panting slightly, looking rather annoyed. "He's… difficult to hurt…"

"He's cursed..." Ezerial said with a sigh, and slowly drank some water.

"I'm a rubber man!" Luffy said while laughing. LeStine had kicked him a couple of times, but they did nothing. So, he finally freed them from the wall. All three sat at LeStine's desk drinking either water or wine.

"I see that now…" LeStine cracked a small smile.

"Ok, we must be off… you wouldn't have seen a, uh… cat girl run by here, would you?"

"A cat girl? Sounds interesting…" His smile grew slightly.

"I'm taking that as a no…"

"Does that mean the guy with the dice was right?" Luffy gave a questioning look.

"Yeah, Guzen was… where is Guzen, anyway…?"

"He must have gone to Kit and Kat's room" LeStine took a sip of his wine.

"Who?" Luffy titled his head slightly.

"Twins that are deadly."

"Interesting twins…" LeStine then laughed.

"You lust more than the number of brain cells in that thick skull of yours…" Ezerial gave a disapproving frown.

LeStine shrugged, "True or not, your cat girl is more than likely dead."

"What?" Luffy and Ezerial asked at once. LeStine pointed the doorway they tried to get through earlier.

"Go through there, go straight and you should reach the vaccine room. Continue on, and you'll be in the ventilation system that leads to every room in the castle. Soon, if you keep going straight, you'll find a carving of a sun and a moon. It's a switch that leads to Kit and Kat's room. Use that to try and find your cat girl." He took another sip of his wine.

"Thank you, LeStine." Ezerial stood, setting down the cup of water. He then readjusted the sword on his back. "Come on, Luffy."

"Hey, Frankenstein, do you have some food I can eat?"

"Actually, yes, but what's my name?" LeStine stood and walked over to a table a few yards away. Luffy jumped up, grinning wildly.

"FRANEKNSTINE!"

"WRONG!" He grabbed an empty cup off the food-covered table and threw it at Luffy. It hit on the head, and he wasn't phased. LeStine pointed to the plates of food, "What's my name?"

"Hmm… Frank… EnStine?" A plate hit him with some food.

"Just take it and leave!" LeStine yelled and stormed off to one of the medical beds. He put his hands in his pockets, looking down at the blood-covered sheets.

"Thanks!" Luffy picked up the food and ate it in one bite. Ezerial's jaw dropped, "Got any more?"

"GET OUT!" LeStine's voice was full of anger and annoyance. Ezerial and Luffy both bolted for the door. LeStine put his hands on the sheets, closing his eyes. Something slowly came to his face, starting at his eyes and slowly crept down his cheek.

"Did you do as you were told?" A voice asked in the dark.

LeStine forced himself to calm down, "Yes, I did. I won't betray Veldoro."

"Good lad…" A rustling sound was heard, then silence. LeStine slowly looked around. Satisfied that no one was there, he grabbed the base of the bed, and out of anger, flipped it into the air. The metal framed came down on another bed, and crashed into the wall at the same time. He turned to where Luffy and Ezerial had run off.

"God's speed…" He looked away, unable to forgive himself.

---

"I'll say it once more. Stop, Serisha!" This time, Serisha sopped and looked back.

"What?"

"Fight me."

"Why waist my time with you?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Fight me, Serisha!" He threw the 4 cards he had in his hand at her. Her hand turned into a blade and she knocked them away.

"You will lose!"

"Then you will die!" A strange silence filled the room, gripping at the two, pushing at the same time.

"Are…" She shifted her weight to stand taller, "Are you so sure about that, little boy?"

"Even now," Guzen started towards her, eyes cold and empty, hands hovering near the cases, "You doubt yourself, question your abilities, talents, and mind." Once only a few yards away, he began to walk in a kind of circle around her. "You doubt your reflexes, your strength, your will power, and your mental capabilities…" He draws three cards and held them up. "Once for your betrayal, one for controlling me, one for Aro."

"One what?" She turned with him, eyes never leaving his.

"One for a painful injury, if it be mental or physical; and three strikes and you shall die…"

"You could never kill!"

"Then fight me!" Serisha was silent. Guzen felt anger and sorrow building. "You poor excuse of a fighter! How can you call yourself a servant of Veldoro! More like a pawn of life!"

"What was that?" Serisha suddenly lunged at him. Guzen jumped back, pulling two dice out. One was a metallic orange, while the other was a misty blue. He prepared to fire the orange one. Serisha jumped back, crouching down for best reflexes. "What does that one do?" She asked, alone with a simple nod towards the die.

"My own creation, you'll just have to wait and see…" he, with his other hand, threw the three cards. Serisha jumped back and to the side. The cards barely cut her arm. Guzen, while Serisha was still air born, shot the die at her with such speed; there wasn't even a blur. The die barely grazed the cut and it shattered, a thick orange liquid spreading over the wound.

"Yuck! What IS this?!"

"It's a special chemical made for you metal people… it'll eat away at any part of you that become metalic from now on…"

"WHAT?!" Serisha let out a high pitch scream.

Ezerial and Luffy stumble into the room, looking around. Both freeze. Guzen looked over to where they were looking: Aro's body. His eyes went wide.