I have found myself recently alternating between Escape and Reunion of the Brothers. So, since RotB was posted last, it's Escape's turn!

Also, this is extremely important! I have been talking with one of my best friends EVER (he's on this site, too; you should definitely read Ikuinen Talvi's stuff!) and he convinced me that I've bitten off an elephant-sized portion more than I can chew with all the stuff that's going on at my life in present time. So, I've agreed to completely finish Escape before I move on to finish Reunion of the Brothers. For those of you following both this and RotB, I sincerely apologize; but this story I started first, so I want to end it first. Followed by RotB, then Those Who Care, and then start on whichever story is most popular on my poll.

I am pleased to announce that with the posting of this chapter, there have been a few minor changes – improvements – made to the previous chapters of this story. These changes will play in later, so if you would kindly skim over them again to refresh yourself. Thanks bunches!

I present to you, ladies and gents, the official getting-the-halfway-hell-outta-Dodge/Marine-fortress chapter! I hope you all enjoy; you all know the drill; R&R!

Chapter 8 - Departing

Zoro

The old man was in his bunk. That pissed him off. Granted, he hardly ever slept in it, but it was still his. No one slept in his spot without dealing with him first. Besides the fact that there was this random guy sleeping in his bed, he had already exerted too much energy and there was no way he'd be able to fight for very long. Just to be on the safe side, he flicked the hilt of the Wadō, partially releasing it from its sheath.

The cook…chef…marine… whatever was sitting up, the bed still swinging gently from side to side. His hair was dark, graying around the edges, with small stubble on his chin. A grand smile crossed his face, his hand raised in a friendly greeting. "Yo."

"Don't 'yo' me," Zoro said menacingly. "Who the hell are you?"

The man swung his legs over the side of the wooden hammock, sliding onto the floor. He picked up his hat and set it atop his head; it brushed the ceiling of the room. "I?" He asked. "Do you want my alias or my real name?"

"You real one of course!" Usopp demanded.

"Fine then. My alias is Chef Shawn. I'm a cook for the marines."

"I wanted your real name, dammit!" Usopp said angrily. "What are you doing on the Sunny?"

Chef Shawn or whatever didn't answer; he only put his hands on his hips and stared about the room, shaking his head. "You need to keep better care of your ship; so disorganized."

Brook had to hold the pissed off sniper back from attacking the old man. Zoro, who was angry enough as it was, struggled to keep his cool. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

The chef cocked his eyebrow. "Do you plan on escaping here by yourself?" he asked. "I've been in this place for six years, and I'm pretty sure I know my way around this place better than you do."

That confirmed it. All cooks are jackasses.

"What is your goal here?" Robin asked calmly.

"I am here to see to your escape," Shawn said, bowing low to the archaeologist in an almost Sanji-like fashion. "My duty as a Revolutionary and –"

"Whoa, stop." Zoro intervened. "Revolutionary? As in the Revolutionist Dragon?"

"The one and only," Shawn said proudly.

Zoro knew that Dragon was Luffy's father. The whole crew had learned it back in Water 7 after the Enies Lobby incident. The main goal of the Revolutionaries was to destroy the World Government, so why the hell was one doing here in a marine base? If he even was one…

"How do we know you're not lying?" Usopp said, releasing himself from the skeleton's grip.

In answer, the cook took hold of his left sleeve and folded it up to his elbow. Tattooed to the inside of his arm was a red sword and an arrow intersecting one another, with a giant letter 'R' directly in the center: the symbol of the Revolutionaries.

He really is a Revolutionary! Zoro thought to himself, thoroughly surprised. He refused to show emotion, however, and simply spoke his question aloud. "What are you doing in a marine base?"

The chef sighed, a harsh wailing sound. "Awww-uuuuuuu-gh! So many questions! Well, actually," he added, talking more to himself than the four pirates glaring at him. "We do have to wait until Straw Hat and the others get here… so we might as well… but I'm not allowed to reveal that confidential information…"

Make up your damn mind! Zoro growled angrily to himself.

"Ah!" The chef plopped his fist into his palm. "I have an idea! Why don't we eat? I'm sure you're all hungry."

As if on cue, four stomachs – well, three – grumbled loudly. Zoro grit his teeth; he hated sounding weak. He casually put one hand against his stomach to calm it, but Chef Shawn had eyes like a hawk, noticing the very discreet movement.

"Alright, we'll go to the kitchen." He maneuvered past the pirates like it was his own ship, ascending the stairs and making his way through the door to the kitchen, Usopp and Brook following on his heels. Zoro and Robin exchanged wary glances, them being the more sophisticated of the group. She flicked her eyes in the direction the three had headed, her question obvious.

Should we go?

Zoro shrugged, replacing his katana to its sheath. Might as well.

The two entered the kitchen together, Zoro watching the Revolutionary/marine chef shuffle through Sanji's carefully organized shelves, muttering to himself about order and catalogs and categorizing. Basically, stuff that Zoro didn't give a shit about.

Five minutes later, the chef was placing plates of steamed vegetables and grilled steak on the table. Usopp and Brook's eyes sparkled at the display of a five-minute meal. "Don't eat too quickly," the chef ordered. "Your stomachs need to adjust to this kind of food again."

"Ah! I don't have a stomach to adjust! Yohohohoho!"

Zoro didn't eat. He was too suspicious. There were no marines around, despite them knowing the pirates were still at large, searching for their ship. And suddenly, this guy working "undercover" for the marines appears and makes them food. Zoro might not be the brightest color in the box, but even he could tell either the four were being duped, or they were being set up for a trap. Either way, Zoro didn't trust this Chef Shawn guy.

"Oi!" A voice called. "Everyone! Hello?"

Usopp looked up from his steak. "It's Luffy and the others!"

Robin and Zoro exited the kitchen and looked out over the railing along the path they themselves had come down. Their remaining five members stood just below them, waving their hands to get someone's attention.

Luffy was dripping wet, but smiling all the same, his hands moving in crazy circles above his head. Love-cook was soaked as well, which led Zoro to deduce that Luffy had fallen in and Sanji had saved him. Zoro honestly didn't see the point of gaining power through the Devil Fruit only to lose the ability to swim. Franky had begun crying again at the sight of his dream ship, snot dangling unmanly-like from his nose. Chopper was in his four-legged form and carrying Nami on his back. Bitch.

The nine pirates reunited on deck, all rolling on the grass or checking to make sure nothing had been stolen. Franky went to the engine and Channel Rooms to check damages. Chopper headed off to his mini hospital while Nami examined the study. Luffy and Love-cook, of course, immediately headed to the kitchen.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?" Zoro heard Sanji exclaim indignantly. Zoro chuckled to himself and stepped inside the kitchen to observe the scene.

Luffy had sat down at the table between the sniper and skeleton, and immediately begun to stuff his face, his cheeks bulging out the sides like a chipmunk. Sanji had the invader pinned up against a wall, one foot pressed against the counter, his expression livid. Zoro leaned against the wall, his arms crossed lazily.

"You have an amazing kitchen," Chef Shawn said as if he hadn't heard Sanji. "I assume you're the cook upon this vessel."

"That's right," Sanji growled. "And if you think you can waltz in here –"

"Alright. First, take your foot off the counter; who knows where those shoes have been. And second, I didn't waltz in here, I walked. Dancing is not my thing. And third, I am here to help you."

"Don't you mock me," Sanji said dangerously.

"Sanji-kun?" Nami's voice called from outside. "Can you fix me some coffee, please?"

Sanji's entire demeanor changed instantly; his one visible eye transformed into a giant red heart as he swooned, "Hai, Nami-swann!" The stupid love-cook immediately set to work, rummaging through the cabinets to find the coffee power. He couldn't appear to find any in its usual spot. Very slowly, his hand dropped from a cabinet handle. He pivoted slowly on his feet, once again facing the intruder.

"Did you," he asked slowly. "Switch all my cabinets?"

Chef Shawn nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "What little there was left here. The marines confiscated most of it, but some of the stuff they don't use was left behind. So while I whipped up something for your nakama, I rearranged the shelves in alphabetical order."

"What. The. Hell?"

"Ah! It's you!"

The room went silent. The skeleton, sniper, love-cook, intruder-cook, and swordsman all turned, five pairs of eyes landing on the captain, who was eyeing the intruder with wide eyes. "You're old chef guy!"

Chef Shawn threw his hands up like he was praising God. "He finally notices," he said dramatically.

"Sanji!" Nami called again, forcing her way into the kitchen. "Where's my – oh! Zoro, why the hell is this guy on our ship?"

"Why did you immediately turn on me!" Zoro yelled back, his temper rising. "I don't know who this bastard is!"

"Nami-swan, do you know this man?" Sanji asked.

Nami nodded. "Luffy and I ran into him while we were trying to find the weapons' vault. He's a cook for the marines! But he looks a bit different…"

"He claims to be a Revolutionary," Robin threw in, standing beside Nami. Zoro jumped; he hadn't even heard her come in.

"What?" The navigator was stunned, her eyes roving from the archeologist to marine-cook. "He's a Revolutionary?"

Chef Shawn once again rolled up his sleeves, showing off his tattoo. Robin nodded a confirmation; it was the real deal.

"But what is he doing on our ship?"

"Oi, old chef guy! Did you make this? It's really good!"

"Luffy! Don't eat that!"

"Hey, I was eating that!"

"Yohoho, I think my stomach will burst… if I had a stomach!"

"Yeah, I made that."

"Do you think his cooking is better than mine, Luffy!"

Luffy! Old chef guy! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Old chef guy! Luffy! Sanji! Robin! Old chef guy! Brook! Old che—

"Quiet! Shut the hell up!"

The voices died down, everyone staring at the swordsman, who stood tall at the head of the room. His temper had snapped, and the Straw Hats knew what came after that.

Zoro's eyes were tight, his eyebrows almost unnaturally flat across his forehead. His muscles were tense, and a vein popped from his neck. His gait as he strode stiffly across the room to face Chef Shawn was stiff, firm, and unyielding as a striking snake. He backed the chef up against the wall, one hand next to his face and the other resting in plain sight against his katana. Zoro was tired of this fools crusade. This guy was going to stop beating around the bush. He was going to get his lazy ass out of La La Land and back to the present, in the same room with a pissed off ex-bounty hunter-turned-pirate with a one hundred and twenty million beli bounty on his head.

"I'm going to make this perfectly clear," he said, his voice dangerously low. "I want to know who sent you here, what your goal is, when this plan was set in motion, where you plan on leading us, why you're 'helping' us, and how you plan to get us out of this hellhole."

Chef Shawn's dark eyes didn't waver from the swordsman's own hard black ones. Zoro could tell even though the chef's face showed no emotion, his eyes revealed him to be completely awestruck, if not terrified.

"Who. Dragon-sama. What. To help the Straw Hats escape. When. A few weeks ago. I convinced the other chef to – ah – take a leave of absence. Where. To the sea. Why. I don't know Dragon-sama's motives. How. Where is your shipwright, Cyborg Franky?"

"Below decks." Robin answered before Zoro could do anything potentially harmful.

The chef put a calm hand against Zoro's arm, pushing it away from his face so he could leave the kitchen. Zoro, still livid but slightly calmed, was not satisfied with the intruder's simplistic answers. The pirates exchanged glances before following him out of the kitchen, Nami dragging Luffy by the ear, and into the engine room, where they met up with Franky, who was putting finishing touches on the repairs.

"Huh?" He mumbled, pushing his sunglasses to his forehead. "Who's this guy?"

"He's going to get us out of here," Nami explained, releasing the captain.

"I will have a private talk with him," the chef said without turning to face the pirates. "You all get some sleep. It will be hard to navigate in this darkness. As a matter of fact, Cat Burglar Nami, you stay here as well."

Zoro and the other Straw Hats filed out of the room, the swordsman casting a glance back at the confused shipwright and even more confused navigator. Chopper approached the group as they slowly made their way toward the boys' room. The little reindeer requested all those injured, which was pretty much everyone, allow him to patch them up.

Zoro went first, allowing the doctor to bandage his sliced torso and feet. He hated being wrapped up like some mummy, it was hard to train like that. But he supposed if it made him heal faster… from this and Thriller Bark. After his examination, he committed to habit and stayed on watch, relaxing against the tall main mast of the ship, facing the darkness of the tunnel through which lay the open sea.

He didn't know what had come over him when Robin had slipped. He saved her, of course, his quick reflexes jerking into action without him really controlling them, grabbing her arm to steady her. But his fingers wouldn't move. They stayed curled around her forearm, and his eyes stayed locked on her face. Of course his brain didn't register anything until she gently pried his fingers open. His nerves switched on their receptors and released her, his brain becoming muddled and confused. That stupid skeleton's comment wasn't necessary, either.

"May I join you?"

Zoro looked up, his eyes meeting the bright blue orbs of knowledge that belonged to Nico Robin. Well, speak of the devil. She, too, had been doctored; small pieces of gauze wrapped around her arms and feet. He nodded, sliding over to make room. She sat next to him, a bit too close for comfort, but he didn't complain. It wasn't like him to complain. She pulled out a book and opened it to a random page, her eyes roaming over the words.

Zoro wasn't all that interested in reading. To him, the only value the skill really held was figuring out just how much someone was worth. Although his days as a bounty hunter were over, he still had the little habit of casting glances at Nami's newspaper to check for new bounties. Now, he put that sneaky skill to use, his eyes flicking between the darkness and the small print of Robin's book. It took him a while to actually understand something, and he discovered the book was the history of the Kitetsu swords.

"Kitetsu was the sword smith of the Kitetsu swords," Robin suddenly said aloud, startling the swordsman. "Though only three were made. It is said Kitetsu the First was the strongest of the three, paled only in comparison to the O-Wasumono swords. With each generation of Kitetsu, the strength of each blade decreased, making the Kitetsu of the Third Generation the weakest of the line. The three Kitetsu's whereabouts are currently unknown, but it is agreed throughout the world that whoever owns one of the Kitetsu line shall be cursed, and before him lays only a path of destruction."

Robin stopped reading, casting a look to the swordsman. "I bet you didn't know I owned this book."

Zoro, who had drawn his own Kitetsu from his hamaraki and was staring at it intently, merely shrugged. "I'm not a reader."

"There are more books about the O-Wasumono," The historian continued, flipping a few pages. "I'm not sure what history you know of your blades, Kenshi-san, but it might do you some good to do your research."

XXX

"Oi! Zoro!"

Zoro blinked, opening his eyes slowly to see his captain's bandaged face only an inch from his. He jerked in surprise, hitting his head against the tall mast. Luffy laughed, holding his stomach. Zoro only groaned, rubbing the back of his head. "What?"

"Old chef guy says it's time to leave!" Luffy said between gasps. He stayed long enough to make sure Zoro wouldn't go back to sleep before launching himself across the length of the ship and disappearing into the kitchen.

Zoro stood from his position and stretched, throwing his arms high above his head and releasing a deep yawn. He looked to his right, but Robin had disappeared. He shook his head; he must have fallen asleep after their conversation the night before. Kitetsu's sheath was lying in the grass where it must have slipped from his hands during the night. Zoro knelt and picked it up, buckling it back into its normal spot.

"Zoro! What are you doing? Get in here!" He faintly heard Nami's voice calling him from somewhere near the kitchen.

Having just woken up, the swordsman dragged his feet all the way through the door, where he joined the other Straw Hats around the table. Sanji, or maybe Shawn, had put together a meager breakfast for the crew. It didn't matter which cook prepared it, for they both said the same thing; eating too much after long periods of starvation can kill you.

The Straw Hat pirates had changed clothes and showered, all of them now fairly clean. Luffy kept his shirt off so Chopper could check his wounds and replace his bandages. The swordsman noticed that the navigator kept her eyes averted, and he chuckled to himself. Just realize it already, he thought to himself.

As the pirates and Revolutionary ate their meal, Franky, Shawn, and Nami revealed the plan.

Franky stood first. "This SUUUUPER plan requires everyone's expertise. The first trick is releasing the Sunny from her restraints; Usopp, that's your job. With your slingshot, from the deck, attack the ropes with your sphere-things. The Sunny will immediately fall into the water, at which time we will break out Channel 0, the Paddle-Wheel Sunny. Luckily, the marines left enough cola to for ten minutes of Paddle-Wheel and one Coup de Burst."

Nami took over from there. "Since the current through the tunnel flows toward us, using Channel 0 we can easily move against it. However, the tunnel turns. Robin, you'll use your hands to move torches across the walls for light and use your eyes to see sharp turns ahead." The historian nodded. "Franky will be switching the gears and steering. Robin, you tell Sanji-kun what's coming, and he'll tell it to Franky."

"Hai, Nami-swan!"

Zoro rolled his eyes.

"And everyone else will hold on tight," Chef Shawn threw in. "Once we leave the tunnel, it can be expected the marines will be waiting for us with battleships. At that point, we will use the Coup de Burst to get as far away from them as possible."

Zoro stood, slapping his hand on the table. "Wait a second. You had me until we. This bastard's coming with us?"

Nami sighed. "No, Zoro. We'll use him as a hostage. He'll be thrown overboard during the Burst."

"It should be about six o'clock in the morning now," The intruder chef continued. "It will be mostly under the cover of darkness, which means we gotta be out of here by eight. The sun will come up and we'll be found."

"Wait, we're leaving now?" Luffy asked, shrugging on a new vest.

Sanji nodded, flicking a cigarette. "We need to leave as soon as possible."

Luffy jumped from his seat, putting a confident hand on his heavily bandaged shoulder. Zoro had heard from Nami he'd been shot trying to protect her. Chopper must have removed the bullet. "Yosh!" The captain grinned widely. "We'll leave now!"

"Places!" Nami ordered.

Franky made his way to the front of the ship, gripping the handles of the wheel firmly. Robin stood at the helm, already blooming elegant arms from the walls as torch brackets. Sanji stood by her, trying to keep his lovey-dovey emotions under control. Zoro stood to the side, rolling his eyes. Luffy took his place on the masthead, holding his hat tightly to his head. Nami and Chopper stood on the balcony so they could have a good solid view. Usopp took a position by the railing, already aiming his special little Star attack things to the ropes.

"Fire!" Franky ordered.

"Hi no Tori Boshi!"

The ropes surrounding the Sunny burst into flame as the giant fire bird made contact. Within seconds they had been reduced to mere ash. Usopp scrambled back from the railing and raced to the other side, repeating the same move.

With the Sunny released, Franky grinned, changing the Soldier Dock System to Channel 0. Instantly, the ship began to rumble. From either side of the grand ship sprouted two paddle wheels, which immediately began to spin rapidly. The ship groaned against the hard rock, slowly moving forward and into the water.

Zoro was having doubts about this plan. The Paddle Wheel Sunny was known for its speed; would they be able to navigate safely through the darkness? They had the best navigator and the best shipwright in the world, so he probably shouldn't' be too worried.

The paddles hit the water with a splash. "Here we go!" Franky yelled out, and the Sunny suddenly barreled forward, the bow rising from the water.

"Left!" Robin called out. "Straight, keep steady! Righ-left! Straight! Left! Right! Sharp left!"

Sanji was having a hard time keeping up with Robin's directions. She shouted them almost instantly one after the other. The ship careened in every direction, throwing the Straw Hats in every direction.

"WAAAAH!" Luffy's voice cried out. Zoro could see his captain's arm stretch as his body was left behind, his hands barely gripping at the lion's mane.

Zoro put one hand over the other, slowly making his way to Robin's side. She couldn't afford to move from her spot, or her concentration would break. He took her elbow in his and steadied her whenever she stumbled. She would nod her head slightly as thanks.

The strategy continued this way for several minutes. Zoro didn't know how much longer this would go on; everyone was tired and desperately holding on for dear life. Finally, Nami shouted something that was lost in the crashing of the ship. Zoro barely managed to hear it:

"We're almost out!"

"Le-right!"

The Sunny jerked to the right. Robin lost her balance completely. She crashed into the swordsmen, and they fell to the deck, Robin sprawled across his stomach. The archaeologist quickly realized her position and moved quickly, allow the swordsman to sit up.

"Thank you, Zoro," she said.

Zoro only nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah."

"Light! I see light!" Luffy's cry broke through the hubbub, bringing the fallen crew roughly to their feet.

Light? Didn't the intruder chef say the sun hadn't come up yet? So why…?

Zoro's question was answered a millisecond later when Franky pulled up on the paddles, and the Sunny reduced its speed. It sped from the tunnel, emerging into a scene not one of the pirates wanted to be in.

The marines had completely surrounded the entrance to the tunnel. Six warships encompassed the entrance, their tall masts too tall to be cleared with a simple Coup de Burst. Aboard each ship stood roughly about a thousand men each, all armed with guns and swords. Cannons were locked and loaded, aimed straight at the miniaturized ship that had just emerged.

The pirates all converged at the front of the ship, their jaws quite literally hitting the deck. Chef Shawn stood behind them, stroking his fingers across his chin like he had a beard. "Well," he said simply. "This could be a problem."

No, duh, you dumbass Revoluntionary!

And thus concludes the latest installment of Escape by Santoryuu3! I hope you all enjoyed it. But trust me; the story is not over yet! Not near enough LuNa for my liking! The relationship is gonna get a bit fluffy from here on out; there's probably only two to three chapters left to go on this story, so I plan to make them the best ones. Okay, I lied. Maybe four more, depending on how long I plan to make them. Don't hold your breath.

Also, if you happen to read the A/Ns at the beginning and end of every chapter (I commend those of you who do) I request that you please take a look at my profile and vote on my poll! I don't know why I'm thinking about the subject now, but I've been itching to do more! So vote, please.

Coming Up: Chapter 9 – Evasion