HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE :D

And here is eleventh chapter of Tough trials. Well, it took me long enough to update, I know. I got kinda busy again and some other factors being involved with that...hey don't tell me you weren't looking up to this update to begin with. No...seriously, if that's case I'll literally start crying...!...?...let's forget that I said that.

I know that some of my readers are feeling down because of the lack of romance in this fic but...I was never a romance guy to begin with. I'm more of a Action/Humor type you see. But that doesn't mean that there will be no romance in my stories at all. There's a pairing so there will be romance but it will come with the plot.

Anyway, I should say my thanks in advance to all of my readers, reviewers and beta as well. And with that...here we go...

Chapter: 11: Despair and Helplessness

~Around one hour after Strawhat pirates landed on cloud ring Island...means...rewinding the time a little~

Mayor Kim stared aimlessly at the sky through the window of his office. His expression showed some anxiety, yet he didn't know where it came from. His muscles were tense, and he couldn't help but glance behind him every few minutes. His jitters suddenly intensified as there was a sudden commotion outside his office. Finding it odd, he decided, despite his nervousness, to find out the source of the noise. When he finally reached the door, it shot open from outside and two female figures stepped in, pointing their katana towards his face.

Mayor Kim let out a quiet squeak before clearing his throat loudly. He was the mayor! He had to show authority. "Who are you? What do you think you're doin-" Kim's question was answered before he could complete it by another female voice.

"My name is Kushinada Mikumo, and I'm here to ask for your cooperation." The two women parted to allow another woman to stride between them. Mikumo walked closer to the mayor she continued while smiling cunningly. "Rather I should say that you will cooperate with me. After all, both of us wish for the same."

"What are you trying to say?" Mayor asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"The Straw Hat Pirates are here. You know very well what that means, right?" As soon as her words reached Mayor Kim's ears his expression tensed. His widened eyes and sweat running down his forehead clearly showed his unease. "Your concern is written all over your face." After a brief pause she continued. "I know it. I know everything about it."

"What do you want me to do?" For some unknown reason, Mayor had already been convinced to cooperate which forced a smirk on her face.

"I'm glad that I don't have to use any extreme methods." After a slight pause she began explaining. "You don't have to do much. The festival tonight; don't let any of the Straw Hats know about it. And when I say so, keep them busy, so that they wouldn't notice anything while we execute our plan."

"What kind of plan are you talking about?" Mayor Kim asked curiously.

"You'll find out once the time comes. Until then, do as I say." Whirling sharply on her heel, she left the office, her two subordinates sheathing their katana and following suit, leaving Mayor Kim in his solitude.

~Present Time~

Robin's strength was failing her because of the sea stone. She couldn't move even an inch. Staying conscious was all she could do at the moment. Somehow juggling her lack of energy and her limbs entangled in ropes, she managed to lift up her eyes to where she could see Zoro in an incapacitated state as well.

"Z-Zoro," She murmured his name. With just one look she could figure it out. Zoro was in much more dire situation than herself. The amount of blood dripping out of his arms was not normal. If it continued much longer he could die of blood loss.

Mikumo signaled one of her underlings, and the woman unsheathed her katana and made her way toward Robin, her eyes toward the men who were holding Robin with a knife on her throat. "Let her down, there's no need for you to hold her any longer." She ordered the two men.

Facing against the infamous Roronoa Zoro was a remarkable achievement, but a naked blade swinging right in front of their eyes was too much. They did as ordered and threw Robin a few feet away. Robin let out a pained cry as her body impacted with the hard cobbled ground. It wasn't anything she hadn't experienced before; Spandam had thrown her down a flight of stairs. Still, she had her own pride to keep, and she revealed it in the form of a disgusted and angry glare directed towards Mikumo.

A glare from one's enemy would anger anyone. Mikumo furiously treaded towards Robin's helpless body. "Even in this state…" she lifted her right foot and forcefully struck Robin's head down, sandwiching it between the ground and her sharp heels. "…you have the nerve to give me that look?"

Robin let out some more groans; her body writhed as the pain spread down through her head and down her spine to her whole body. Her forehead pounded with headache, and the sharp heel of Mikumo's boot bit into her temple.

"Get…your damn foot off her." Zoro's voice was full of abhorrence. Mikumo stared at him for a few moments and then after a disappointed sigh, retracted her foot from over Robin's head.

"As you wish. Honestly, I'm so envious of you, Nico Robin." She left a mocking compliment before taking a few steps away from her.

"Why?" Robin gathered her remaining strength and directed her question to the Mayor who stood a few feet away. He looked very uncomfortable with the situation. He wasn't very far away from her, so, he was able to hear the question very clearly. "We're not your enemy. You should already know that our captain is in good terms with Red Hair Shanks. Then why are you still siding with them?"

He took a brief moment to take in Robin's question and then answered with a sigh. "You can't understand, Nico Robin. There is no other choice. You see all these people?" He gestured around him for emphasis. "Because I'm the one who rules over them, I have to protect all of them." He took a look at Robin and found her just as lost as he expected her to be.

"That's it. Enough chit-chat," Mikumo interrupted. "Mayor Kim, your part here is over, you can leave now and while you're at it, please keep up the great work of entertaining other Straw Hats so that they won't interfere." Mikumo strode towards Zoro and stopped where his swords were thrown earlier, kicking Sandai Kitetsu lightly with the toe of her shoe.

"What are you going to do with these two?" Mayor Kim asked.

"You just want them to be separated, right? Whatever else I do shouldn't bother you." Mikumo calmly answered as she bent down and picked up Wado Ichimonji. The mayor wasn't satisfied with her answer and tried to argue.

"Why don't you understand? Don't take it so lightly, or you-" His voice died in his throat when he found himself staring at the shining tip of a katana.

"If you and your precious townspeople don't leave now you'll regret it. We're not as nice as those two." Her glare more menacing than a poisonous snake combined with the harsh sound of unsheathing blades was enough to ensure the mayor and the townspeople that she wasn't joking. They were lucky that the Straw Hat reputation was as understanding as Red Hair Shanks had said which eventually helped them to carry out their plans, but it wasn't the case for the other party.

All of Mikumo's underlings, which were around twenty in number, closed in, scaring the townspeople with their weapons and threatening Mayor Kim with a massacre of his precious citizens in the process. The older man finally decided to give up.

"Very well." Mayor Kim ordered all of his citizens to retreat, and a few minutes later the square was empty save Zoro, Robin, Mikumo and her henchwomen.

Shit. What should I do know? Zoro thought as he tried to figure any way out of this messed up situation. I never thought it would turn out this way. A moment passed in silence, and finally Mikumo turned and gave Zoro a sly smile, to which he responded with a grunt and another glare. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. But those people were so annoying." She continued, disregarding Zoro's harsh response.

Zoro looked at Robin once again. Her weakness was only because of the sea stone lined along the ropes that bound her limbs. But for an ability user this was more than enough. At the moment, he was more worried about Robin rather than himself. Robin's in a bad situation, he fretted. Damn it. Luffy, where the hell is he? Where's that useless cook? Can't they sense anything? Zoro desperately tried to move his arms which, on top of being paralyzed, were impaled by numerous steel spikes as well. His nerves burst into flame as the spikes dove deeper into his skin.

~On the Other Side of the Town~

Far away from Zoro and Robin's current location, almost on the other edge of the town, scenery of a huge party could be seen. And the centers of attention of this 'almost crazy' looking party were none other than the seven members of the Straw Hat pirates, including their captain Monkey D. Luffy.

As it was usual at a party the Straw Hats attended, Luffy was knocking out the chefs, Ussop was getting praised by his numerous followers, Sanji was surrounded by many young women…with hearts in his eyes of course. Brook was trying very hard to do 40-degree while singing at the same time, and didn't appear to be succeeding. Chopper and Franky were busy in their basket dance and Franky Special, respectively, while Nami…well…she was sitting beside a table holding a mug full of rum wearing a very annoyed look on her face.

"I'm telling you this is too suspicious. We have already been through this kind of ambush once." Nami mumbled as she rested her face on her right palm and lazily looked at her nakama once again. After witnessing their silly activities for a while she let out a disappointed sigh. "I wish Robin was here."

Suddenly a shadow lurked behind her and softly whispered in her ear, "Nami-san, please wear a miniskirt."

A few tick marks appeared on Nami's forehead and as usual she delivered a right back elbow strike, sending the mysterious afro-headed skeleton flying into the wall behind them. Thanks to Nami, now he was performing a perfect forty-degree along with streams of blood through his nose…even though he had no blood.

~Back to Zoro's side~

Zoro hated it, he hated it whenever that woman touched him, if she even dared to glance in his general direction. To make things worse, she held his prized katana, Wado Ichimonji, in her unworthy hands. Because of her, he decided to change his habit of going easy on women, even if Kuina had altered his view on the strength of opposite sex. Later on, thanks to Robin, he was about to get to back the way he was but once again, she was here to remind him what hateful creatures women are. But this time he wasn't ready to give in to despair so easily. As Mikumo placed her arms on Zoro's wide incapacitated shoulders and softly kissed his lower lip, his mind was constantly looking for a way out, at least for Robin. This whole time, while completely disregarding Mikumo's off-setting and frankly disturbing movements, Zoro's only useable eye was fixated on Robin, which annoyed his aggressor to her limits. Furthermore, his clenched jaw, reddened eyes and intense frown clearly displayed his feelings about this whole incident. Of course, he would feel bad about all of this; he wasn't a damn masochist or something of sort. But what clearly annoyed Mikumo even more was his concern for Robin.

"Even now, you are more worried about her than yourself?" She whispered seductively, resting her forehead on his shoulder and pressing her body harder against his. "I really am jealous."

Zoro lowered his head, letting the darkness cover his eyes and yet careful to not let his chin touch the top of her head, and asked in very grouchy voice, "You, there's no way you planned all of this."

Zoro's voice was audible enough for Robin to hear. The Hana-Hana user lifted her head to get a better glance toward her fellow Straw Hat and his… stalker. She found interest in Zoro's statement, and she, too, wished to know Mikumo's reply.

Mikumo lifted her head from Zoro's shoulder and, after taking a couple of steps back, let out a soft chuckle. "Indeed. I was planning to lure you two out afterwards in the midst of all the excitement of the big feast…"

Feast…? The same question ran through Zoro and Robin's mind. Which feast she was talking about? They had no idea about it.

"But, fortunately you two decided to do something unexpected, and it worked only in my favor." Mikumo trailed off, leaving out the details Zoro had been fishing for. The swordsman's mind raced as Mikumo sauntered closer to him again, resting her chin on his shoulder and whispering in his ear, "Now then, wait here just for a bit longer. I'll be right back." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before spinning around and, adopting a sinister smile, walked hastily to where Robin was incapacitated. She signaled the other women. Without wasting any time, two of them stepped forward and lifted Robin up, their nimble fingers like iron around her forearms. "Aside from Roronoa Zoro, all I need is some of your blood, Nico Robin."

Aligning Wado Ichimonji vertically to her face, Mikumo pulled its scabbard slightly down with her left hand, revealing the beautiful blade of the katana, perfectly reflecting the moonlight. "Please die for mine and Zoro's sake." Her cold stare aligned with the sharp, shining blade of Wado Ichimonji. The glare the antagonist was giving Robin was enough to melt metal, the blade shining with an unfamiliar lust in the light. Zoro never used his katana to attack his comrades, and as a result the swords were not used to having nakama in the direct line of attack. This strange feeling, combined with the ominous expression, was enough for Robin to realize that Mikumo had no intention of letting her live.

"S-Stop it…" Zoro was well aware of Mikumo's level of insanity. If nothing would be done, the worst case scenario would play out into reality. Zoro's katana had a mind of their own, each a living spirit inside. Had she taken Sandai Kitetsu or Shusui, his two wild blades, things would be much worse. But she has Wado Ichimonji, his calmest and most obedient blade, and Zoro hoped that his sword would not obey its temporary master. Zoro let out a growl, attempting for the umpteenth time to wrench himself free from his bonds. Suddenly, something yet unexpected and troublesome jumped into his conscious.

Hehehehe…isn't this interesting? A familiar coarse voice echoed inside of Zoro's head.

No, not at a time like this. His eyes widened in disbelief as soon as he remembered the unreal owner of that voice.

What? I told you, I'll be back very soon.

Everything faded into blackness; the pain, the street, the women. Only Robin and Mikumo were completely visible before his eyes, and even their movements seemed to be completely frozen, not moving an inch, not blinking. A cold shiver ran up his spine as the same dark shadow from before burst out from his back and circled itself around his immobile body.

Damn it. I already have too much to worry about. Zoro angrily cursed the unrealistic creature that was almost wrapped around him, tightening around him and suffocating the breath from his lungs. From the depths of the darkness, a wicked smile bloomed from the shadows, its sharp beastly teeth pure white against the black.

Hehe…why do you care about her? The shadow demon queried. Just let her die. As soon as he let out these words, everything went back to normal, all movements around him resumed. The shadow was still there, and no one seem to notice it with Zoro as the only exception.

Mikumo unsheathed Wado completely, threw its scabbard aside, and pointed its blade right at Robin's face, directly between her wide cerulean eyes. Circumstances presented that this night could be her last. She was in no condition to do anything, Zoro was in no condition to help her and there was no sign of any of her nakama who would even jump in hell for her sake. The only thing that made her happy at that moment was Zoro, who's tone filled with an underlying agony under warning showed her unintentionally how much he cared for her.

"STOP IT I SAID!" Zoro roared with all the strength he could muster. He knew yelling wouldn't do anything, but there was nothing else he could do at the moment.

Mikumo glanced at Zoro from the corner of her eye and observed how troubled and anxious Zoro looked, fidgeting as best he could while his eyes burned. "You have no idea how much I hate you, Nico Robin." She said, letting out a disappointed sigh.

The shadow around Zoro spoke again. HEYAHAHAHAHAHA…let her die, let that precious sword of yours be impaled right through her heart. It will be exciting to see blood gushing out of her chest as her body writhes in pain, the life draining from her very soul with each passing second. It started laughing wickedly again.

Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP ALREADY.

Everything stopped moving once again and It went silent for a couple of seconds before whispering in Zoro's ear.

So… do you want to save her?

Of course I do. God damn it I want to save her!

There's no way you can do it in your current state. The shadow hovered back a little bit and revealed its beastly arms with long sharp claws from behind his back. Let me show you what true strength really means.

Shut your damn mouth! What the hell can you do? What in the bloody hell are you anyway? Zoro defiantly denied Its offer without a second thought. If that thing was a manifestation of his despair, then there was no way he would give in to darkness yet.

Hoh? The creature purred. You sure about that? The people around him jerked back into motion. Mikumo bent her legs a bit, adjusting herself into a stance similar to 'Itto-Prime Stance' as she lifted Wado beside her head, the blade facing up with the tip aimed directly towards Robin's chest.

"N-no…" Robin softly mumbled. She wasn't ready to die yet. It was different before, two years ago, standing on that balcony looking down at her six nakama below her, but not now. She had regained her dream, she had friends, a family precious to her and, most important of all, she had finally found love as well. She couldn't accept death at this stage.

"It's time to grant the devil's child an eternal sleep." Mikumo said, running her right index finger down Wado's blade.

"S…Stop it." Zoro said through gritted teeth. He lowered his eyes to where Robin was, concentrating on her face to imbued strength into his paralyzed body.

Zoro's command went undetected. "Die, Nico Robin." Mikumo thrust Wado Ichimonji's blade through air, aiming right at Robin's heart.

Robin's whole life flashed in front of her eyes. The lonely life she lived on Ohara, then the Buster Call that had destroyed her home, forcing her to live with that huge bounty as she travelled the world, living in constant fear of betrayal and hate. She remembered Crocodile and the Baroque Works incident, meeting Luffy and the rest of the crew. She remembered her submission at Water 7, and that joyous moment when she looked at her true nakama standing before her on courthouse of Enies Lobby. She remembered the desperate struggle on Thriller Bark, followed by the introduction of a new nakama. She remembered the traumatic experience at Shabaody Archipelago, landing on the bridge Tequila Wolf and spending her training with Dragon. She remembered the feeling of pure happiness when the crew finally reunited again after two years of harsh training. Everything ran through her head within an instant, when blade was descending towards her with blindingly fast speed and she could do nothing to stop it. A feeling of regret and guilt built within her. If only she could tell Zoro the truth. Being the thickheaded idiot he was, he could never figure it out on his own. She had to tell him clearly and loudly for him to understand. For him to know that she has fallen in love with a certain green-haired swordsman. With the little remaining strength she had, she tried to turn her head and move her lips as fast as possible. But the blade thrusting towards her was much, much faster.

A scream split the night air, and blood spattered on the hard ground of the dark street.

Phew...once again, I had to stop here because it was getting long and I was losing concentration. And the original length of this chapter that I decided to write initially is a bit too long. And on top of that I made a cliffhanger...a stupid...cliffhanger. Yeah, I know it's frustrating and I took a risk while experimenting such a cliffhanger here but...please do tell me if it can even be considered a cliffhanger...?...or it's too obvious to be a cliffhanger...? (while scratching the back of my head and thinking to myself) What's with all the cliffhangers...? I guess my life is a cliffhanger as well...? I have no idea what am I saying...

Anyway, as always, a million thanks in advance for reading and reviewing. With this...HAPPY NEW YEAR...AGAIN :D