The island was covered with trees—dead ones. There were no leaves, and the long branches diverging outwards and interweaving with branches from other trees made it look like all the ones on the island were connected. There was no more light, which was strange, because before they had entered the mist, the sun was shining brilliantly on the Thousand Sunny.
"Nami Swaaannn~ I will protect you no matter what!" Sanji swirled around Nami.
"Oi, love cook, shut up. You're too loud." Zoro scowled.
"Who're you calling love cook, marimo head?" Sanji charged at Zoro, but was met with a fist.
"You both stop arguing, or I'll charge you more beris!" Nami growled.
"Nami Swaan is soooo cute when she's mad!" Sanji's raging eyes instantly turned into hearts.
"Hey! I think I see a ghost over there!" Luffy stormed deeper into the island before anyone could react.
"Oh dear, there goes Luffy again. He just can't control himself, can he?" Nami sighed.
"We'll just have to find him. We'll split into groups and find him, then meet back here." Usopp proposed.
"I'll go with Robin-chan." Nami stood next to Robin.
"I will protect these beautiful ladieess!" Sanji rushed over to their side.
"I'll go with Sanji..." Usopp muttered.
"Then the rest of us will go together!" Chopper stood next to Franky, Brook and Zoro, and with the groups decided, they went off in different directions to find their clueless captain.
The island looked almost entirely the same—there were just the same bunch of trees lying everywhere. The ground was mostly dirt, with some little stones scattered on the ground. The two Strawhat groups walked on and on endlessly, seeing the same trees, just as they had been seeing the sea for the past few days.
"Are you sure we're going the right way? I feel like we've been stuck here for hours already." Nami asked the others.
"Well, I don't think we can do much to solve that problem, there's no man-made path that we can follow…I don't even think humans live here…it would be impossible to live here, without anything to eat, but then again, we never know what's on this spooky land." Usopp answered carefully, looking out for any dangers.
After about thirty more minutes of tedious walking, Nami noticed the chilliness that had silently crept around them. "I think I'm getting goose-bumps all over my skin. Why is it getting so freezing here?" There was no light here, and there was no heat source either. It was getting pretty cold on this island.
"I will gladly give Nami Swan my jacket!" Sanji immediately took off his jacket and put it around Nami's shoulders.
"Thank-" Nami was cut off my Usopp.
"Over there! Isn't that a roof?" Usopp pointed. Everyone's gaze followed Usopp's finger and they looked towards where he pointed. Indeed, there was a slight shadow of what looked like a roof behind all the shadows and mist.
"We should hurry, It's going to get even colder as the moon rises." Robin warned. All four of them hurried off towards the roof.
Meanwhile, the other group of Strawhats was running towards the same place, but on the opposite side. They continued running towards the roof, until they reached their destination.
"Woah, this is huge!" Chopper cried out.
An enormous house stood before the four Strawhats. The walls of this house were made of wood, but the wood looked nothing like the dead trees surrounding the house. This wood was smooth and polished, and the color of the wood blended in with the dark surrounding. The door was painted a dark brown, with delicate designs carved onto it. The house was situated at the exact center of the island, completely surrounded with lifeless trees. Thick fog and mist hid the house from plain site, with the roof barely peeking out.
"This architecture is extremely well constructed! I haven't seen anything like this anywhere except in Water 7!" Franky exclaimed, mesmerized by the impressive work.
"This is truly amazing, in the middle of such a ghostly place! I can't believe my eyes, although I don't have any! Yohohoho!" Brook joked around.
"I don't see, in anyway, how this house is—" suddenly, Zoro stopped dead in his track.
"Zoro? What's wrong?" Chopper looked at Zoro nervously.
"Swordsman, what's the problem?" Franky seemed worried now, too. Eerie silence filled the air. Everyone stared at Zoro, expecting him to say something.
Without warning, the sound of clashing swords ripped through the quiet atmosphere.
"Luffy!" Nami shouted towards their captain, who was standing in front of the wooden house.
"Hey Nami, there's a huge house here! I think people live here! Let's go in ask for meat! I'm STARVING!" Luffy drooled at the thought of meat.
"Is meat really all you can think about?" Nami barked at the naïve captain.
"Well, we should see if anyone's here, so we should try to get in anyway. Where's the door?" Robin asked, calmly analyzing the current situation.
Unexpectedly, a loud clash of metal was heard close behind. Everyone snapped up at the sound.
"What was that?" Sanji got ready to protect Nami and Robin from any possible dangers that might be threatening. His feet were fired up, ready set anyone on fire.
"That sounded like Zoro! They must be in trouble!" Luffy recognized the familiar sound.
"It sounded like they were on the other side. Let's hurry!" Sanji shouted. Everyone rushed around the corner, and they kept running until they reached the place the sound had come from. They suddenly came to a stop when they saw what was going on.
Zoro was shaking, struggling to prevent the red katana from coming any closer to him. His white katana guarded him against the opponent's katana that was presently dangerously close to him. He tried his best to keep calm, as he could not comprehend this situation he was currently in. He stared at her in wonder, who looked exactly like, but at the same time nothing like, the girl he used to know.
"You've certainly improved, Zoro." She said.
"Ku…Kuina?" Zoro asked, "No… it couldn't be…" his intuition screamed out the name, but no, he had to be wrong. She died years ago. It was impossible.
"Zoro, you shouldn't doubt your instincts. You know who I am." She read his mind.
"No, that's impossible. Kuina is dead. She died years ago in an accident."
"That's what you think…and that's what everyone thinks…"
"Like I would believe that! Who are you?" Zoro asked in frustration. The Strawhats looked at him, dumbfounded, completely unaware of what was happening. No one dared to speak a word. No one, not even Luffy, had ever seen him so irritated.
"Haven't I told you already? I'm Kuina. I beat you 2001 times." She smiled, as Zoro's eyes widened. He remembered this smile. It was no mistaking here. It was her.
"How...no! I saw you! You were DEAD!" At this statement, the Strawhats jumped in their spots. Zoro was never so shocked or puzzled. He was never this frustrated.
"But I'm here, right in front of you."
"…What the hell…happened?!" he was so confused. He couldn't think or speak straight.
"I knew you would ask, but I can't just give away such secret information. How about…we make a deal? You'll fight me with one katana, and if you win, I'll tell you what you want to know."
"And if I lose?"
"I will take one of your nakama's life." She answered. Immediately, Zoro's face flushed red.
"Like hell I would agree to that! I would never put my nakama's lives on stake, and I think you're underestimating my crewmates-" Zoro was cut off by a scream.
"Ahhh!" Nami screamed in shock. Handcuffs locked her wrists behind her back, and no matter how hard she moved she couldn't get them off. One by one, all of the crewmembers, all except Zoro, had handcuffs on. The Strawhats desperately tried to find the person who had done this, but they saw no one.
"Luffy! Stretch your arms and get us out of these things!" Sanji roared.
"I can't! These are seastone handcuffs! I can't use my powers!"
"I do not underestimate your nakama at all. I am fully aware of their strength, which is why I have prepared as well. Will you accept my offer?" She asked once more.
"I don't know what you are scheming, or how you're alive, or if you're even Kuina, but I'm definitely not letting my nakama die, not on our first adventure in the New World, not because of me." Zoro answered.
"Very well, then. Let us start." Taking back her sword, she stepped back, took a breath and lunged forward.
I can't lose no matter what. I won't lose again. I've improved. I will win. I will find out what happened, and I will save my nakama. Zoro vowed to himself.
With the clash of swords, Kuina and Zoro's 2002th fight started.
Thank you for the reviews! The next chapter will be mostly action (Zoro & Kuina's 2002th fight)!
Thanks for waiting, and I'll update the next chapter next week (hopefully)!
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