Sorry for the wait; I seem to be doing this a lot, don't I? Apologizing. But I suppose that's the only way I can avoid the wrath of my readers. And the other way is to update! So there we go.

This chapter was very fun to write, not just because I enjoy torturing the characters. But just because. I dunno. But anyway, I doubt any of you read these A/Ns. But one more thing:

FUNimation releases season 4 voyage 2 of One Piece English Dub on October 30th this month! Be sure to purchase it so we can support FUNi! I know you probably prefer Jap dub, but I like both equally.

So now I'll stop chattering and get on with the chapter. Don't forget to review! :D

Chapter 10 – The Pit of Despair

Zoro woke to the sound of a door opening. At least, he thought he was awake; the room he was in was far too dim lit for him to make out anything except the ceiling, the only thing in his vision at all. It took a few strains of his neck muscles to realize he was strapped to some sort of wooden plank, thick leather straps binding his ankles, wrists, waist and forehead to the board.

His torso felt chilly, and his shoulders throbbed. His throat was dry as parchment, and he swallowed a few times to moisten it, though it did little good; his saliva glands were dried as well; it must be some sort of drug.

Whoever had entered wherever he lay was shuffling around him, clanking things around. Water was poured into a glass, a dishrag wetted down, and the footsteps approached him, and suddenly a stark-white face appeared over him.

The albino man had a child-like round face framed by long pinkish-purple hair that to Zoro somewhat resembled an octopus. The man's eyes and lips were outlined in a deep purple makeup, making his features seem sunken deep into his face. He wore only what looked like a cotton pillowcase that had been dragged through mud and left in the laundry for several days, and it smelled as such as well.

"YOIYOI!" The Albino chanted. "You do not look well!"

Zoro wanted to retort with a smart-alec comment, but resisted the urge. "Where am I?"

The Albino pulled a moist rag from the bowl of water in his hand and began dabbing it against the bound man's shoulder wounds. "The Pit of Despair," he explained. "Don't even think about trying to escape. The chains are far too thick."

To test this theory, Zoro yanked at the chain binding his left hand, and sure enough, it didn't even budge. The Albino smirked at him.

"And don't dream of being rescued either. The only way in is secret, and only the prince, the count, and I know how to get in and out."

There was a moan to Zoro's left, and he shifted his neck awkwardly until he could see another figure strapped to a similar board, a cut bleeding on his head. The swordsman instantly recognized him.

"What the heck is Sanji doing here?" he growled.

The Albino shrugged and switched to Zoro's other shoulder. "I don't know. Was brought in with you. No one tells me anything. What'd you do to make Prince Lucci angry? Probably something stupid like kidnapping the princess."

Zoro said nothing, and was left to grovel in his own thoughts. The Albino continued talking and treating his wounds. The throbbing had ceased and he began to feel a bit better. It was a sudden thought that occurred to him that made him finally speak again.

"Am I a prisoner?"

"YOIYOI!" was the confirmation.

"Then I'll be here until I die?"

"Until they kill you, yeah. And when you do, would you please say hello to my mother in heaven for me?"

"Then why bother curing me?"

"The prince and the count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken."

"So it's torture."

A new voice suddenly entered the conversation, and Zoro looked over again to see Sanji fully conscious, his one visible eye widening in slight horror. The Albino nodded triumphantly and began patting down Zoro's wounds with more vigor.

"I can cope with torture," Zoro said confidently with a wide grin. The Albino laughed aloud to himself, a strange sound. The swordsman looked over. "Don't believe me?"

The Albino snorted. "You survived the Fire Swamp, so you must be very brave, but no one withstands –" his eyes widened for dramatic effect. "The Machine."

The Albino moved away, leaving only Zoro and Sanji to exchange glances. The other looked a bit terrified but also calm at the same time. Zoro however was determined to prove himself, and only glared as if to say, Suck it up. If you're a man than endure it.

Sanji nodded as best he could, and Zoro resumed staring at the ceiling. Despite his confident demeanor, a growing feeling of dread was rising up inside him.

~X~X~X~

Robin turned a corner, lifting her dark purple gown to avoid tripping. She walked silently down the hall, her eyes fixated on the end where two more corridors branched off to either side. She didn't know where she was, only that she was walking. Her face bore no expression, though if one looked close enough, you could see the turmoil and pain building up behind her eyes.

Nami trailed behind the princess, clad in a simpler gown of pale orange. The younger lady-in-waiting put a comforting hand on Robin's shoulder, but the dark-haired woman didn't register the friendly gesture.

The two women walked on, not noticing Lucci and Jabra conversing in a nearby room. The prince watched the melancholy Robin saunter past, her head drooping further with every step. He turned to the count.

"She's been like that ever since the Fire Swamp," he said nonchalantly, running his finger of the blade of his letter-opening knife. "It's my father's failing health that ails her."

Jabra flashed a sharp-toothed smile. "Of course." The two continued with their hushed conversations.

The king died that very night, and before the following dawn, Robin and Lucci were married. At noon, she met her subjects again, this time as heir queen.

Once again the citizens of the capital city were gathered in the main plaza as their new King and his weeping mother stood on the high balcony. Atop Lucci's head rested the ornate golden crown that had once sat upon his departed father's forehead.

"My father's final words were – "

~X~X~X~

"You read it wrong, old man," Ace interrupted again. "She doesn't marry Lucci, she marries Zoro. I'm sure of it. After all that he did for her, if she didn't marry him it wouldn't be fair!"

"Who said life was fair, brat?" Garp laughed. "Where is that written? Life isn't always fair."

"I'm telling you, you're messing up the story, now get it right!"

"Do you want me to read this or not?" Garp asked sternly, and Ace grudgingly bowed his head. "All right then, no more interruptions."

~X~X~X~

At noon, she met her subjects again, this time as their queen.

Once again the citizens of the capital city were gathered in the main plaza as their new King and his weeping mother stood on the high balcony. Atop Lucci's head rested the ornate golden crown that had once sat upon his departed father's forehead.

"My father's final words were: 'Love her as I loved her, and there will be joy."' He smiled, and raised his hand to gesture to an arch behind the crowd. "I present to you, your queen, Queen Robin!"

Robin emerged from the archway, dressed in a gossamer gown of ivory white that clashed with her midnight hair tied in a sharp bun on her head. Her silver crown stood out sharply against her ebony locks, and shone in the bright sunlight. She looked solemnly amongst the bowed heads of her new subjects, her eyes filled with a terrible sadness.

Zoro had been sent away back to his ship to once again resume the title of Dread Pirate Mihawk, leaving her here to suffer matrimony with Prince Lucci. She did not meet her husband's icy stare, only fixated her eyes on a brick directly across the courtyard.

"Boo! Boo! Boo!"

A cry met her ears, and she looked surprisingly to an ancient woman standing amidst the crowd. She did not bow as the other civilians, but stood defiantly against the queen, her beady eyes blazing with a burning hatred. Spittle flew from her chapped lips, foul breath escaped her rotting teeth. She continued chanting, occasionally raising a gnarly finger to Robin's confused face.

"Why do you do this?" asked the new queen.

"Because you had love in your hands!" the hag screeched. "And you gave it up!"

"But Zoro would have died if I hadn't done it!" Robin protested. "Please, I did this for I love him, not the King."

"Your true love lives! And you marry another!" the woman continued, turning now to address her fellow commoners. "True love saved her in the Fire Swamp, and she treated it like garbage. And that's what she is, the Queen of Refuse. So bow down to her if you want, bow to her! Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence. Boo! Boo! Rubbish! Filth! Slime! Muck! Boo! Boo! Boo!"

~X~X~X~

Robin sat bolt upright in her bed, clutching her duvet in shaking hands. Her body was soaked in a cold sweat, hair sticking to her forehead. She took several deep breaths to calm herself down, reassuring herself there were still ten days until the wedding, and the King still lived.

This had become a ritual for Robin; each night she dreamed of her wedding day, and the ancient one booing her for her betrayal and abandonment. Each night, the nightmares grew steadily worse, and she suddenly recalled Zoro's words to her before his true identity had been revealed:

"Faithfulness, your enduring faithfulness. Now tell me truly, when you found out he was gone, did you get engaged the same hour or did you wait a week out of respect for the dead!?"

His voice had sounded so angry and sad, betrayed. He had been genuinely hurt by her engagement, but it was in part not entirely her fault. She had believed him dead. A swell of determination rose inside her, a determination to never again allow herself to hurt Zoro ever again. Robin threw back her bedspread and slipped to the cold floor. She wrapped her silk robe around herself as she threw open the door to her chambers and raced into the corridor.

~X~X~X~

"See?" Ace laughed confidently. "Didn't I tell you she'd never marry that rotten Lucci?"

"Yes, you're very smart," Garp grumbled. "Shut up."

~X~X~X~

Robin strode into Lucci's office, her chin held high and back straight as a board. Her fiancé sat at his mahogany desk discussing something with Count Jabra, and both men looked up as she entered. Lucci's pigeon preened its wings from its perch in the corner of the room. Lucci stood as he noticed her, covering the papers he had been discussing.

"Robin, my dear!" he smiled forcefully. "What ails you?"

"It comes to this," she said. "I love Zoro. I always have, and now I know I always will. If you tell me I must marry you in ten days, please believe I will be dead by morning."

Lucci's eyes narrowed a fraction of a degree. "I could never cause you grief," he muttered. "Consider our wedding off." He turned to the Count. "You returned this Zoro to his ship?"

Jabra curled his lips. "Of course. Did you think I wouldn't?"

Lucci ignored him. "Then we will simply alert him. Beloved, are you certain he still wants you? After all, it was you who did the leaving in the Fire Swamp. Not to mention that pirates are not known to be men of their word."

Robin hesitated. Lucci had just hit the nail on the head; she had done the leaving at the Fire Swamp, even if it was of her own free will. Sanji had helped as well, and she prayed he was alright. But she remembered Zoro's expression as she left; it was determined and passionate, and in no way uncaring. "Zoro will always come for me," she said finally.

Lucci's lips pulled back into a half grin like he knew exactly what she had been thinking. "Then I propose a deal. You write four copies of a letter. I'll send my four fasted ships, one in each cardinal direction. The Dread Pirate Mihawk is always close to Ohara this time of year. We'll run up the white flag and deliver your message. If Zoro wants you, bless you both. If not, please consider me as an alternative to suicide. Are we agreed?"

Robin's expression didn't change as her brain began moving in overdrive. Although she doubted this sinister man would stay true to his word, any hope at all was worth holding onto, worth risking the disappointment.

In one fluid motion, Robin nodded.

~X~X~X~

Prince Lucci and Count Jabra dismounted from their horses, looping the reins around a tree. They walked forward, leaves crunching under their boots. The sunlight filtered through the canopy and dotting the two men like they were newborn fauns. Birds twittered above their heads, letting in an air of peacefulness.

"Your princess is really a winning creature," Jabra said, licking his lips. "A trifle simple, perhaps, but her appeal is undeniable. And her breasts are huge, too."

"Oh, I know, the people are quite taken with her," said Lucci. "It's odd, but when I hired Spandam to have her murdered on our engagement day, I thought that was clever. But it's going to be so much more moving when I strangle her on our wedding night. Once Enies is blamed, the nation will be truly outraged; they'll demand we go to war."

The two men reached a tall black walnut tree, its gnarled truck nearly three men around. Jabra stepped forward and searched the rough bark. "Where is that secret knot?" he muttered. "It's impossible to find."

His eyes fell on a small lump, and he pressed his thumb against it. Immediately, a door swung open on silent hinges on the tree, revealing a set stairs leading into darkness. "Ha!" the Count began to descend, but turned back to look to his prince. "Are you coming down into the pit? Zoro's got his strength back; I'm starting him on the Machine tonight."

Lucci stared at the Count. "You know how much I love watch you work, but I've got my country's five hundredth anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Enies to frame for it." He shrugged. "I'm swamped."

Count Jabra grinned widely, and his fangs flashed. "Get some rest, Highness," he said. "If you haven't got your health, you haven't got anything."

That being said, he descended into the Pit of Despair, the door closing behind him with a silent hiss.

So this is chapter nine. I know it's a teensy bit short, but the next will definitely be longer. Do not despair; I shall hopefully have it up for you next weekend if time permits. And hopefully earlier if I can drag myself away from my recent Doctor Who obsession. XD

Next time: As Robin and Lucci's wedding draws near, Zoro and Sanji are trapped in the Pit of Despair, and Count Jabra has sinister plans in mind for the green-haired man. And what is The Machine? Zoro will find out the hard way. Chapter 10 – The Machine