Chapter 4

Robin let out a gasp and left Franky and Brook standing at the stone pillar that was encasing the rest of their crew… all but two. The archeologist moved quickly, and despite the gracefulness of her movements, there was a slight jerkiness that revealed the fear underneath. As she drew near the dark patch staining the earth a ways away from the pillar, she felt dread rise in her chest, though this emotion didn't show on her face.

"Hawke!" Robin let out a rare cry as she took in the sight before her.

A loud crack sounded, piercing through the silence that surrounded them. The pillar of rock collapsed from Franky's strong right hook, but Robin paid little attention as she knelt down. She could hear the groans of her crewmates and knew they were going to be alright, but Hawke was lying still and unmoving before her.

What happened to you?! The archeologist's eyes widened and she brush the girl's hair away from her face, revealing a large, bloody smear across her pale forehead.

Robin turned back and called out

"Franky! Come over here and bring the doctor!"

"Ow! What's up, Robin?" Franky jogged over, leaving Brook to help the others extricate themselves from the rock.

He froze as he took in the sight of their scout.

Hawke lay on her back, wings extended flat on the ground beneath her. The black feathers shone dully in the pale moonlight, their usual sheen inhibited by the blood caked onto them. A knife had been stabbed into each wing and seemed to be pinning the girl to the ground. Two other knives were embedded into the ground on either side of her face, the cuts on her cheeks showed that the blades had not been thrown idly. These knives helped prop Hawke's face up, showing the thick trail of blood that traced down her nose and onto her cheek before falling to the ground, pooling in the dirt. Her eyes were closed and her face was extremely pale.

"Hawke!" the cyborg shouted, kneeling beside Robin, "This is super bad! Are you awake?! Oi!"

He moved to take the knives keeping her pinned down, but Robin stopped him.

"Wait," she said in her calm tone, "That might make the bleeding worse."

"What the hell happened to her?!" Franky's hands retreated but he stayed leaning over the scout, "The others are nowhere near this bad!"

Robin's brow creased ever so slightly and she rested her hand on Hawke's limp arm.

"We won't know until she wakes up," she said in a low voice.

She and the cyborg exchanged a look of concern.

"Chopper!" Franky shouted over at the group, "Get over here! Hawke's not looking too good!"

This got the crews attention and they all hurried over.

"Hawke!" Luffy shouted as he drew near enough to see the damage.

The rubber boy's eyes filled with panic and he raced to her side, grabbing her shoulders.

"Oi!" he almost screamed, "Hey! Hawke, wake up! Did Shiki do this to you?!"

But the girl made no response.

The captain let out a small grunt as hands sprouted out of the ground and pulled him away from his sister.

"Luffy," Robin's voice was stern but gentle, "You shouldn't move her until Chopper has done his assessment. You could hurt her more."

The rubber boy stiffened, but backed off immediately and squatted a ways away, watching the reindeer as he began treatment.

"The cuts on her cheeks are of little concern," Chopper was in full doctor mode, "But the laceration on her forehead has caused a lot of blood loss, as have the damages to her wings. Those seem to be the highest priority."

The reindeer cleaned and wrapped the wound on Hawke's forehead and then moved to her wings.

"Oi, Chopper," Sanji's lit a cigarette, he was standing back with Luffy but his eyes were moving between Hawke and Zoro, "Is she going to be alright?"

The doctor frowned as he inspected the torn feathers and skin around the knife wounds.

"Nothing seems like it's going to be permanent," he said, "I need to remove these now, though, before they start an infection."

Usopp handed Chopper his bag and the doctor began teasing the first knife out of Hawke's wing.

Everyone stiffened as the scout's head shifted slightly and her arm lifted off the ground, grasping at the air in front of her.

"Nami, run!" her voice was frail, "Get away while you have the chance!"

"Hawke!" Luffy ran to her head and leaned over her, "Are you awake?"

But the girl's hand fell and her eyes remained closed.

Chopper shook his head.

"She's still unconscious," he said.

Luffy frowned and stood, his fists clenched.

Zoro was standing stiffly beside Brook as they watched Chopper moving along Hawke's body. His own fist was clenched so hard over the hilts of his swords that his knuckles had turned white.

"Shiki," the name hissed through his lips.

His eyes left Hawke for a moment and locked gaze with Luffy. The two men shared a second before returning their attention to the girl lying before them.

Zoro's eyes moved to the black and gold hilts gleaming in the moonlight. He frowned at the weapons that now lay in a row above Hawke's head.

Her own knives… he turned his head and glared back at the destroyed village, this guy is going down!

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Hawke blinked at the stars that shone above her head.

Pretty, she thought groggily.

Then the pain registered and she let out a groan.

"Hawke!" A shadow suddenly blocked out the stars and Hawke could make out the outline of a straw hat.

"L-Luffy?" she moaned and brought her hand up to her pounding head, pausing when her fingers found a bandage there, "What happened? Are the others okay? Where's Nami?"

"You're awake!" her brother smiled down at her, "Thank goodness!"

Another figure came into her line of vision.

"Stay still, Hawke," Chopper's voice sounded close to her ear, "I need to finish treating your wings."

"Chopper?" Hawke turned her head, but then let out another groan as the action intensified the throbbing.

"I said stay still," the little doctor moved away and she felt her feathers being wrapped in something.

Hawke stilled her movements and listened to what was happening around her.

She could hear Usopp and Sanji talking in low voices somewhere behind (or above?) her but couldn't make out any words. The clink of metal told her that Zoro was somewhere beside Luffy, who was still hanging over her head.

"Is everyone here?" she asked, looking up at her brother.

"Yeah," he gave her a faint smile, "Almost…"

Hawke clenched her fists.

"Damn!" she muttered, "I'm sorry, I tried to stop him… Or at least give Nami time to run, but…"

"You did all that you could," Zoro muttered from close by.

Hawke let out a sigh and lifted her head.

"Are you done, Chopper?" she asked and was given a nod.

She struggled to prop herself up on her elbows and felt hands reach under her armpits.

"Oh, thanks Luffy," she glanced over her shoulder to see her brother lifting her to a sitting position.

Once she was up, Hawke looked around to see Zoro sitting on a rock close on her right and Usopp and Sanji standing off to one side. Robin was sitting to her left, while Franky and Brook were standing behind the archeologist. Chopper had moved on and was now pestering Usopp to sit down so he could start dressing his wounds.

"How are you feeling?" Robin's calm voice felt comforting to the scout and she smiled.

"Well, I'm aching all over and my head is pounding," Hawke said, "But other than that I'm fine, no broken bones."

"Did Shiki do this to you?" Luffy asked, sitting down behind her and resting his back against hers.

"Yeah," she sighed, "I was no match for him…"

Hawke glanced sadly around her and bent her wings, trying to bring them into their tattoo form. But no matter how hard she tried, they remained out.

"I guess I can't put them away when they're injured," she muttered, settling for half-enveloping her brother in them as they bent behind her back.

She felt Luffy gently stroking the tips of her feathers and glanced over her shoulder, but his face was hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

Just then Xiao and her family appeared. After a short exchange, the little girl handed a tone dial to Luffy, who got up to retrieve it.

The crew sat in silence as Nami's voice said goodbye through the shell. They stood in shocked silence as they pieced together what happened after they had been beaten.

"What the hell is this!?" Luffy shouted, his face contorted in a sudden display of anger.

"Woah, woah, Luffy!" Usopp tried to pacify their captain, but Luffy just thrust the tone dial into the sniper's hands and stomped away.

Hawke watched Luffy go with sad eyes.

Nami… her thoughts were muddled through the pain of her headache.

"Why don't we give Nami's message another listen," Sanji suggested as he lit a cigarette.

Usopp hesitated, glancing at Luffy's back before nodding and pressing down the apex of the tone dial.

Hawke stared up at the sky, her wings still outstretched, and listened to the pained words of their navigator as she said farewell for a second time. But her gaze jerked back to the orange shell as Luffy punched through a boulder and Nami's voice whispered her last words.

"We'll come get you, Nami," Hawke felt a small sense of hope upon hearing those last words.

Our navigator wouldn't leave us for a creep like Shiki, she smirked and glanced at Zoro, who was watching Luffy with a stern look.

She shuffled over and rested her hand on the swordsman's knee.

"We'll stop him," she said, earning the attention of the rest of the crew, "We'll save the East Blue and bring Nami back."

Luffy returned to the group and nodded to Hawke.

"Let's go back to the Sunny and make a plan," he said, his voice solemn and serious.

Hawke blinked at his unusually mature attitude but returned his nod. Zoro helped her to her feet and the crew set off for their ship, readying a plan of attack.