I'm sorry about posting very close to midnight this week and last. Also, if I haven't responded to any PMs lately (you know who you are), I'm really sorry about that and I promise you I'm not ignoring you.

"No luck, I suppose?"

Zoro scowled. "You don't know that."

Robin smiled. "Yet here we are, in a dead-end alleyway, where our captain is not. Did you at least see him?"

Zoro looked away. "No," he muttered.

"Nami-chan asked around," Robin said as they left the alley. "The Log for this place is about an hour. Hopefully Luffy can't get into too much trouble before then."

"There they are!"

Zoro and Robin turned around to see a gaggle of Marines facing them.

"Can we help you?" Zoro deadpanned.

"Give yourselves up, you filthy pirates!" exclaimed one of them, apparently the leader. "If your captain was that weak, you might as well surrender now!"

"What was that about our captain?" Robin asked sweetly, crossing her arms.

"Monkey D. Luffy is behind bars at our base, and you'll be joining him—er, her?" the Marine scratched his head. "Say, is Strawhat a man or a woman? Because, see, I could have sworn Strawhat was a man, but when we found him—her?—they sure didn't look like a man—wait, why do I care about a pirate's gender?! Point is, you'll be joining your captain soon!"

Zoro drew two swords and, with a single slash from each of them, knocked every Marine in the group unconscious.

"Sorry for jinxing it," Robin said cordially.

"Don't worry about it," Zoro said. "So Luffy's in the base, huh? Wonder how they managed that. 'S not like he's weak."

"I wonder," Robin murmured. "In any case, if they managed to capture him, he might have trouble breaking out on his own. If not, there'd be explosions up there by now, don't you think?"

The base was quiet.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed.

Robin crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

Usopp shrieked and promptly spilled his Tabasco sauce when Robin's torso sprouted from the deck.

"Good god, don't do that!" he yelled. "I'm not used to that yet!"

Robin smiled. "My sincerest apologies."

". . . You don't sound sincere."

"Anyway, could you pass on a message?" Robin continued. "Tell the others that Luffy's been captured by the Marines and some soldiers might be coming after the ship."

"Luffy's been captured?!" Usopp exclaimed. From the other side of the deck, Sanji was heard yelling, "What?!"

"Don't worry, Zoro and I have it under control," Robin said reassuringly. "We'll bust him out and come right back to the ship."

"What was that about Luffy-chan?!" Sanji cried, running at top speed to where Robin's torso and Usopp were.

Robin gave him a disdainful look. "Nothing," she said. "Luffy, Zoro, and I will be back here soon."

She vanished, ignoring Sanji's confused cry of, "Robin-chan?!"

Usopp sighed. "Sanji, can you go find Nami and bring her here? I need to pass on the message to everyone."

"NAMI-SAN, I'M COMING, MY LOVE!"

Usopp watched as Sanji leapt off the ship and took off running.

Robin opened her eyes and smiled at Zoro. "Let's go."

He nodded and they ran for the base.

"If we're careful, we can be in and out of here with Luffy in no time," Robin murmured. They'd successfully infiltrated the base and were hiding in the shadows as Robin kept an eye on the soldiers around the corner.

"Someone's coming," she hissed.

Zoro promptly grabbed the soldier by his shirt and covered his mouth. "Where are you keeping Monkey D. Luffy?" he snarled quietly.

"Zoro, he can't talk if you're covering his mouth."

Zoro uncovered the poor soldier's mouth.

"HEL—"

Zoro covered his mouth again. "Another scream and I'll make sure you never scream again," he hissed.

He slowly uncovered his mouth again and the soldier whimpered.

"Where is Monkey D. Luffy?"

"D-Downstairs," the soldier whispered. "One of the cells on the floor below us. Please don't kill me . . ."

"Thanks," Zoro said. He slammed his head into the Marine's and dropped the unconscious body onto the floor.

"Nice," Robin said approvingly. "Is your head okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Robin shrugged. "Never mind. Anyway, follow me. Keep me in your sights, okay? Don't go off anywhere else."

Zoro scowled. "I'm not a kid."

Robin smiled and went on her way, Zoro grumpily following her.

Luffy was curled up against the wall of the jail cell, clutching her torso and groaning in pain, when—

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, YOU ASSHOLE MARINES!"

She weakly looked up as Zoro and Robin arrived in front of her cell.

"Zoro, really, what did I say about being careful?" Robin scolded. "Luffy, are you okay?"

Luffy smiled, but then winced again. "Stomach . . ."

Robin looked around, grabbed a ring of keys off of a nearby body, and quickly unlocked the cell door. Zoro hurried in, checked Luffy over for wounds, and scooped her up.

"It must be bad if it stopped you from fighting," Robin remarked. "Let's get you to Chopper."

Luffy nodded weakly. Zoro handed her to Robin and made a new door in the wall.

"Follow me," Robin ordered, handing Luffy back to Zoro.

"Why do I have to follow you?!"

"Just do it."