Yay! Update! Sorry I left you guys with that mondo cliffhanger, but it had to be done! This chapter was just way too long! Hope you enjoy and special thanks to hellgirl-fan1, Phoenix, SoraLover987142, camierose for reviewing!
-yesiamweird
"He cut me…m-my leg…"
Zoro titled his head down to the right side of her lower half making his eyes bulge at the blood spewing out from her upper thigh. This was bad. Combined with this cut soaking through her black pants along with not being able to use her Devil Fruit ability, the woman was useless.
Too bad he couldn't just cut her hand off, but it wouldn't be worth the headache the crap cook would give him for 'harming' a woman. Chopper could just sew it back on. It would be easy for him.
"Heh, looks like I hit your target, Jyabura!" Kaku smirked and then looked back at the two Strawhat pirates with a concerned look. "Oi, you better hurry, swordsman. If she doesn't get treated right away she's in the same boat as Nico Robin."
Kimi gasped trying to hold her own despite the pain oozing from her cut. 'I can make it…just a little while more…' She bit her lip trying with all her might not to cry or look weak in front of the men. "I'm fine…" She growled defensively trying to hold onto the sword as if her life depended on it. In a way, it did.
"Damn." Zoro growled rolling his eyes. He knew Kimi was weakened just as Robin was from the sea being embedded in the handcuffs, but now she was going to bleed half-to-death making her even weaker.
From what he could remember, Kuenia had always been the one to tell him he was weak as a child. He respected her strength as a child and promised him and her that he would get stronger to protect her and his friends. After she died, Zoro never really thought of protecting anyone else…that was until he met Luffy and they began their quest to conquer the Grande Line.
Tomoko Kimiko, yes, was a woman, and yes, at this bitter moment she was hopeless. But that only made the intensity of the battle so much greater. "Oi, Tomoko." He muttered using her first name. She gasped once more and looked behind with her sky blue eyes hidden behind her glasses. "Don't die on me. If you don't, I swear I'll make sure we get out of this thing alive."
Kimi widened her eyes at his sentence not exactly sure how to respond to his promise. She simply nodded her head once and then looked back to the CP9 men in front of her. "Okay let's-" She started to say but just as the two were about to make an attack the wall from behind split revealing a monstrous howling creature. "What the-?!" Kimi gasped and Zoro picked her waist up once more avoiding yet another attack.
"There was another CP9 with a Zoan Fruit Ability?" Zoro yelled confused while Kimi examined the creature. "No, Zoro, look closely!" She pointed the sword to the top of the monsters head revealing a pink hat with a white X on the top. "CHOPPER!" They both yelled and then hopped away from another attack from their former small reindeer companion.
"That creature is annoying…"
"And it's weakened, badly…" Kaku noticed causing Kimi to become aware of the large amount of gasping Chopper had been taking in. It was almost reminiscent to the amount of gasping air she was retaining as well. "Let's take him out first and then focus on those two." Kaku nodded but Zoro sliced his sword in the air warning the two animal men not to hurt his Nakama.
"Out of the way!" A new voice yelled behind the monstrous Chopper. "I've got him!" Franky held his arms out in front of his body with Kimi not sure what he was about to do.
"Oi, Franky! What the hell're you doing!? These guys are our-" Zoro yelled angered for the robot man to step in on their fight.
"I know. Shut up!" He smirked. "This is the only solution. Devil Fruit users have one weakness…" he muttered and then directed his aim from the CP9 men to Chopper. "Coup De Vent!" He yelled and a blast of wind from his hands shot down Chopper into the wall and out of the building towards the sea.
"CHOPPER!" Kimi cried dropping Zoro's sword and running towards the falling creature. However, Zoro's strong arm pulled her back. "Z-Zoro!" She looked back at the man with tears in her eyes. "He'll die in the water!"
"I know." Was the only response she received and then suddenly Franky ran past her and the swordsman following the falling reindeer into the sea below. "Sorry Kimiko!" Nami's voice rang through the area. "Yes! Sorry to keep you waiting Kimi-chan and Zoro-kun!" Sogeking stated bravely. He revealed in his hands the key with a number two etched onto it.
"Finally!" The calm swordsman muttered and then sighed when the handcuffs were released off of the two.
"Kimi!" Nami cried as the woman fell to the floor. "What the hell did you do to her?" She hit Zoro on the top of his green head and then held the scientist in her bruised arms. Where ever Nami had been, she had certainly gone through a hell of a fight.
"It wasn't me! That giraffe-man cut her…" Zoro bent down and scooped up his sword back into familiar hands. "Nami… take care of Kimi…" He walked forwards to Kaku and Jyabura.
"So you two are finally free, huh?" Kaku chuckled as the swordsman stepped forwards.
"Don't laugh, you should be regretful. A chance to kill me like you could before will never come again." He smirked evilly.
"What the hell have you two been doing?! You should have been fighting all along!" Nami yelled at the woman in her arms and Zoro walking forwards to fight. "N-Nami…" Kimi gasped trying to sit up on her own.
"Are you okay?" The navigator looked at the gushing cut on her leg concerned she might not make it to save Robin in the end.
Kimi smiled, "Yes…I need something…something to stop…the bleeding…" She wheezed finally sitting in a position. Nami looked around for something to tie the wound with and then snapped her fingers figuring out an idea. She clutched the bottom of Kimi's corset top shirt and ripped it right below where her breast hung.
"NAMI!" Kimiko screeched while a flush of red expanded her cheeks. "Oh shush! Would you rather die or have your perfectly cute stomach hanging out!" And she ripped the entire shirt the whole way.
"Um…you could have used my cape…but that's much better!" Sogeking thumbs up while holding his nose from a possible nose-bleed.
The blushing scientist shook her head and then took the black piece of her shirt in her gloved hands, "Thanks…somewhat." She muttered and then tied the cloth around the top of her leg tightly just below the cut. "Hey, don't you have to cover it?" Nami questioned.
"I should, but it's better to have the blood flow stop from the area so I don't bleed out." Kimi nodded and then slowly rolled over to stand up to fight. Zoro had asked her to make it through this battle and she promised him that much. If she believed in herself then she could certainly fight with her Devil Fruit ability.
"Oi here is more to cover your cut!" Nami sparkled after shoving a piece of red cloth in her hand while Sogeking began to cry. Apparently, Nami ripped his beloved cape.
Nodding and quickly ting the cloth to clot the bleeding cut, Kimi took a step forwards to Jyabura while Zoro and Kaku fought one another.
"Heh, sorry I couldn't cut you first…" Jyabura laughed with a blush across his face. "But I like this outfit change."
Balling her fists and cursing Nami silently for degrading her appearance, Kimi crouched down ready for just about anything. "Gimmie your best shot!" She spat out ready for just about anything.
"Don't die on me. If you don't, I swear I'll make sure we get out of this thing alive."
Zoro's words rang through Kimi's head as she looked through the frames of her glasses. "I'm not going to die." She muttered softly and threw off her glasses placing them in her pocket. She was far-sighted after all and wearing them would affect her fighting. "If anything…I'm going to walk out of here with my nakama at my side!"
Jyabura sat down from his stance and huffed, "Fine then." He revealed his key from out of his pocket and threw it on the ground to the side of him. "Go! Go save Nico Robin." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if he had given up on the fight.
"What? Seriously?" Sogeking looked to the confused Kimi and then to Nami and then walked forwards toward the key. "Thanks-"
"Ussopp!" Kimi cried just as Jyabura smirked and attacked the long nosed man before he reached the key. "You were being baited!" She cried watching him being thrown to the wall on the opposite side of the room.
"Don't let your guard down. I'm a wolf. I'll trick you…and then eat you!" He snickered looking at the two women standing in front of him.
"You dirty cheater!" Kimi cried and then cloned herself multiple times. "See how you like it!" the clones snickered tricking him into the question of which had been the real one. The wolf man fought the attacking Kimi clones while the real Kimi and Nami ran to help Sogeking. "That dumbass!" The orange-haired woman mocked and the two crouched down to help him up.
"Sogeking, are you okay?" Kimi held his head in her lap while Nami stood crossing her arms in front of them. Ussopp's wounds were getting serious now that Kimi examined him. His nose was bleeding badly and blood gushed from out of his mouth. Combined with the attacks he had gotten from the Franky family and Luffy's fight, he hadn't healed.
"Oi! Look out!" Sogeking pushed Kimi aside and shot the invading wolf-man in front of him and the girls trying to be heroic for once. But unfortunately, his attack didn't work as Jyabura quickly dodged and then attacked Ussopp and Nami sending them backwards into piles of rubble and dirt.
"Ha, your devil fruit power is very strong. It's too bad you couldn't have used it earlier or else you would have probably beaten Kaku and possibly me…" He raised his clawed paw in the air ready to slash it down to kill the woman but instead she disappeared into thin air. "What?" Jyabura blinked and then turned around at a giggle behind his back.
"Clone, Clone, Enemy!" She had touched his tail and held her hands in the triangle position creating a clone of the wolf-man. "You fight dirty, so let's even up the odds!" She snickered and then controlled her clone to punch the original man from his dazed state.
"Oi! You are good indeed!" He wiped a line of blood from his lips and then smiled. "But you control your clones with your mind right?" He spoke while fighting the attacking replica of himself.
"Yes! Scared?!" She smiled crossing her arms and watching the fight.
"No, but you should be!" He quickly disappeared into thin air causing Kimi to panic. "Where did you go?!" She looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of him from somewhere.
"Up!"
Kimi looked above her head and then screamed rolling to the side as she avoided his attack. Using her mind, Kimi created the clone to protect her form, but Jyabura growled and hit the clone with such a force destroying it and causing Kimi to lose her focus while her brain went into a tizzy.
"KIMIKO!" Nami shouted but it was too late. Before Kimi could get up or move to the side, Jyabura had hit her just like the clone only much harder causing her to become imbedded within the fake grass of the floor.
"Hahaha! Nice try but you are no match for me!"
Kimi felt her body being pounded more and more into the floor and she hopelessly gave into the attacks. Her leg, her head…her entire body ached at the feeling of being punched over and over deeper and deeper into the floor.
"STOP IT!" Nami's scream pulled Kimi away from her attacks for a second and then suddenly the attacks stopped only to be replaced with a booming sound just above her head towards Nami's direction. She heard the clank of metal probably indicating the rolling of Nami's Climatatic rolling on the ground.
'Just when I think I've won, this happens…I'm too weak…I don't belong with them…' Kimi thought as she felt her shirt collar being pulled up further and further into the air. Her feet dangled lifelessly as Jyabura laughed at the bleeding woman in his hands. "Just like I told you, I'll kill you fast! It won't hurt…"
Kimi heaved in the last sweet breaths she would take in this life. 'Maybe…just maybe…' She tried to lift her arms to save her body from being ripped to shreds but nothing would respond. 'No…it's hopeless…'
"You were safer when you were stuck to your shepherd. But since the little lamb went wondering off on her own…" Kimi breathed deeper and deeper but her lungs were just too tired to take the given oxygen in anymore. "Now the scary wolf is going to eat you!" he laughed manically.
"No!" Nami cried out from somewhere behind Kimi… "Ussopp! Zoro!"
Zoro had looked over at the situation to the side of him not sure what exactly to do about the current situation of the woman. At that moment that he looked over, she was clutched in Jyabura's grasp, with blood, so much blood, that just seemed to drain from her body. "Oi! Let her go! Damn wolf!" He yelled through the white katana held in his teeth hoping Kaku would allow him to escape and save his comrade.
"Please! Don't kill her! We don't need your key, please!" Nami pleaded causing Jyabura to laugh once again, "Baka! You're going to die next!" He shouted.
'Damnit! I at least promised her that I would get us out alive!' He cursed himself silently in his head. With another heave, Zoro attempted to push the giraffe off of his hold and help Kimiko but again this newly eaten Devil Fruit user was strong. No such luck. The giraffe struck his three katana once again pushing him farther from the group with the wolf.
"Now die!" Jyabura held his claws in the air about to strike the woman, "KIMIKO!" Zoro and Nami yelled fearing the life of their newest crewmate.
Instead of a 'slash' being heard a thud sounded, almost resembling the sound of a well trained kick. Kimi gasped as her shirt released from its grip allowing her to fall in mid-air. "Gottcha!" A smooth voice surrounded and then a safe and familiar grip held her tightly, protectively. "Oi, you have no purpose in life harming a woman." Sanji growled continuing to hold Kimi in his arms.
"SANJI-KUN!"
"I should make wolf-flambé out of you tonight. You no good disgrace for a human being!" He laid Kimi on the ground carefully and then stood placing his hands in his pockets. "Nami-swan, take care of Kimi…I'll deal with this asshole."
Kimi felt the soft skin of Nami and attempted to sit up to watch the fight, but instead her body disagreed and spat up the blood choking her lungs. "Kimi! Stay down!" Nami hushed the pain-stricken woman brushing the stray hairs from out of her face.
"S-San-ji…" she managed to whisper breathlessly while Nami continued to pet her forehead. "It's okay Kimi…sh…."
Nodding at the motherly connection Kimi was receiving, she sunk into the oblivion of the darkness that had been begging her to consume it. 'Don't die on me. If you don't…' Zoro's words rang though the emptiness swallowing her. 'I swear I'll make sure we get out of this thing alive.'Kimi nodded, she wasn't sure if her actual body had nodded as well but that was beside the point.
"I-I won't…" She gasped to herself as the darkness faded into nothing. "I won't die!"
"Does he really need to sing?" Zoro mumbled after watching the crew's sharpshooter hit his target on the Bridge of Hesitation. Even from this distance the swordsman could see the director that had been torturing Robin fall onto his back from Sogeking's hit. The next part of the plan was simple. Using the attack of Spanda as a test trial, Sogeking aimed for Franky with a red bag full of the keys the Strawhats had collected from the defeated CP9 members. Robin would be free from her sea prism and could aid in helping the rest escape from Enis Lobby.
"We should hurry." He muttered to the cook on his side. "It can be dangerous here." For once, Sanji agreed nodding his blonde head and then turning to look up at the masked Usopp. "Hurry up and come down here, Sogeking!" He yelled up on the top of the tower.
"We're out of time, jump down from there!" Zoro demanded folding his arms over top of his chest.
"How could I?" Usopp started, "I don't have that same super-human strength you have! I am a completely normal superhero!"
Just then a blast came from above lighting up the sky with an orange tint. After ducking for a short moment, Zoro and Sanji looked back up at the Tower of Justice to see that the sliced portion had been blown away taking Usopp with it. "USOPP!" The two announced not knowing the safety of their nakama.
Another cannon ball fired into the water indicating the battle fleets that were perusing the buster call enforcement. Regaining his thought process the swordsman thought of his next move. "That was a pretty big explosion." He bluntly stated.
"This-this can't be happening…?" Sanji's mouth had opened so wide that is cigarette had fallen out. "OI! USOPP!"
Just then a small but growing noise sounded, "You callllllllllllled!?" The sniper fell in front of the men's feet in a pile of dust and rubble while the two waited for the debris to settle. "You guys didn't even try to catch the hero who risked his life to jump down?! Idiots!"
"Oi! Be glad you didn't hit Kimi-swan, baka!" Sanji pouted causing the thick-headed swordsman to glance over to the side at the female scientist still unconscious from her attack earlier. After Nami had tended to her wounds as best as she could, the navigator left to help Luffy. She had instructed for the men to watch over Kimi and so far they weren't doing a very good job.
"We have to go underneath to that tunnel now, right?" Zoro asked walking over to Kimiko. One way or another someone would have to carry her and he'd rather not see that crap cook save her once again. He had tried to find some way of getting out of his fight with Kaku but he had been such a skilled opponent that it was hard to break away from his fight to hers. If it weren't for Sanji beating Jyabura, Kimi would most likely have been dead.
Kneeling down by the woman's side he noticed the dried dark blood staining the sides of her mouth and chin. Even though she wasn't awake, he could tell of the pain she suffered through her sleep. What made the sight worse was the fact he had promised her that she would make it out of their fight alive. Now looking back on his words, he should have never made a promise he couldn't keep.
Carefully, he slid his calloused hands underneath her one shoulder and the other at her leg when Sanji noticed his doings. "Oi oi oi! What are you doing with Kimi-swan, you shitty Marimo?!"
Ignoring the brutal words from the cook's mouth, Zoro continued to slide his hands underneath her back and legs until he had her safely in his strong arms. Rising up, he turned to the cook with a glare. "We have to leave now."
"Get your grimy hands off of beautiful Kimi-swan! She doesn't need-"
"Oi, Sogeking!" Zoro interrupted Sanji's usual protectiveness. "Can you walk?" Crawling from out of his debris, Usopp managed to flip onto his back. "Nooooooo, I need help Sanjiiiiiii! Hellllllp! Just like Kimi…" His voice and body had been shaky to go along with his acting.
"LIKE HELL I'LL PICK YOU UP!" The cook retorted.
"Uhhhhh, Sanji-sannnnnn I can't walk though…really! I broke my ribs!"
Ignoring the two bickering, Zoro looked down at the woman once more. A strand of her blue hair covered her forehead and he desperately wished he could move it from off of her face. At least it could be one thing he could do for her.
Feeling the dead weight of Kimi wasn't heavy but the fact that he'd have to quickly run with her in this position would be a challenge. With a small breath, the swordsman swung her legs behind and split them so that each one wrapped around his waist. Holding her legs while her arms draped down his shoulders, Kimi was securely set.
"Oi, Zoro!" Sanji walked up to the swordsman uncaring of whatever the man had to say to him, "You'd better not get any ideas holding Kimi or-"
"Let's go. We don't have much time. Sogeking, get up. Crap cook, shut up!"
As the three ran down to the underground tunnel with Kimi securely fastened around Zoro's back, the swordsman couldn't help but notice the small things about Kimi as he and the others ran. Like the fact she smelt like something. He couldn't tell what…but whatever she smelt like it was something he liked. He sniffed through his breath and every time he took in an inhale of her sent he felt like a new man. As if he could run even faster than the other two.
Second, he noticed how shallow her breathing was. Yes, being bounced up and down on his back was somewhat difficult, but the fact that he often thought she wasn't breathing at all was starting to worry him. If it was for the fact that her head tilted towards his and he could feel the small puffs of air coming from out of his mouth, he would have assumed she was dead.
And lastly there was one thing about her that he noticed but didn't like. The blood swarming his hip from the inside of her leg was beginning to grow. When he first picked her up, he thought that her injury had been fine, but with the extra movement and position of her body on his back it was agitating and irritating the cut even more. If they could hurry up and find the end of the tunnel he would be sure to wrap her leg once again in the hopes the blood would clot and her leg heal.
"Hurry you two!" Usopp muttered falling behind. "Move quickly!"
"Don't act so high and mighty, idiot!" Zoro snapped feeling anxious. He didn't mean to be a brat, but the fear of Kimi dying on his back was not something he wanted on his conscious at the moment.
"When you speak like that, it hurts my wounds. Perhaps you could carry me?"
"Don't be stupid!" Sanji muttered back not wanting to intimidate Zoro's actions with a man on his back.
"But I am the commander that leads in a thunderous voice and I've been seriously wounded! All of my ribs are broken, all six!"
"You have more than that!" Sanji snapped. "So you're fine! You're really annoying!"
"Anyway," Sogeking continued to talk causing Zoro and Sanji to roll their eyes at the man. "Would you like to know the secret of my new weapon, Kabuto? I'll explain! Sogeking's weapon Kabuto is-"
"SHUT UP OR WE WILL LEAVE YOU BEHIND!" Zoro snapped. After all, they were running at a slow pace because if they ran any faster Usopp couldn't keep up.
"Oh…please don't my ribs are broken…a-all ten…"
"You have more than that."
"Then…twenty? Thirty? How about 100?!"
"More than that!" Sanji and Zoro yelled together clearly not knowing how many ribs a person has.
"You're lying! Besides, if Kimiko-san was awake she would be interested to know how Kabuto works!"
Zoro rolled his eyes; obviously Usopp wanted someone to talk to about his inventions. "Well then ask her when she wakes up!"
"If she wakes up…if Kimi-san hadn't helped me in the fight I would be dead!"
Sanji proceeded to reply, "You should have helped her fight, idiot instead of feeding her to the wolf!" Then he twirled his facial hair at the bottom of his chin proudly, "But of course, Kimi-swan needs a charming prince that will risk the Ordeal of Love for her in the fight and save the princess! Something shitty Marimo can't do!"
"Hmmm," Zoro muttered through a red and angry face, "Be an idiot?"
"Ha, Marimo! You can't even protect the one girl you like, you hopeless buffoon."
Blinking rapidly and with widened eyes, Zoro stared at the cook while the three continued to run. "Why you…"
"Oh please… it's obvious, isn't it Sogeking?"
Usopp opened his mouth pass the mask, "Uhhhh…what?" His cluelessness made the cook groan while the swordsman sigh in relief that his intentions weren't too obvious. Even if the crap cook knew. "Oh by the way, I've been hearing these weird sound for a while and-"
"Shut up you and hurry!" Sanji yelled feeling upset that Usopp hadn't picked up on Zoro's little crush. Tripping over his own two feet, Sogeking fell behind while the two macho-men continued forwards. "Don't worry, Marimo…I won't tell…heh." Sanji smiled proudly through his cigarette in his teeth as Zoro continued to hold onto Kimi tighter.
He didn't like her…he tried to tell himself over and over…he just didn't. She was his nakama and there was nothing more than that. But as a moan left Kimi's mouth ever so slightly so that only he could hear it, a tingling feeling ignited deep in his gut. The same feeling he had gotten when he met Kunia so many years ago… He needed to protect her from this point and for the rest of their journey as nakama. Maybe one day when they weren't in a situation he might act upon his instinctive thoughts as a man…but now was not the time or place to do so. 'Don't worry, Kimi...I promise you now that I swear I'll make sure we get out of this thing alive.' Pulling the woman up and onto his hips even higher now so that she wouldn't slip underneath his grasp, he continued to run.