Chapter 61

Back-to-back

"Three Sword Style. Bull Demon Bold Hooves!"

Zoro pointed his blades at his opponent and then rushed in his direction to slash him. The Vice-Admiral skillfully avoided the attack before raising his own sword in an attempt to bring the pirate down. The fencer positioned two of his swords to ward off the blow and the metal met violently, releasing a new wave of energy which caused the boat they were standing on to rock.

Zoro had jumped towards the enemy ship as soon as his captain had given him permission and his opponent had immediately engaged in combat. The frigate had suffered a lot of damage from the storm and it hadn't taken long for the surviving officers to flee and take refuge on the beach of the small island where the Sunny was still moored because of the intensity of the blows that the two men exchanged.

They were now alone on the Marine ship which shook with each of their collisions. On that of the pirates a few dozen meters away, the swordsman's crew gritted their teeth and also protected themselves from the fight by clinging to the railing when the sea roared because of a particularly powerful attack.

"One Sword Style. Flying Dragon Blaze!"

Surrounded by an aura representing a fire-breathing dragon, Zoro rushed towards the officer to slash him again. His speed allowed him to surprise the Vice-Admiral and the fencer hit his right arm, the injury igniting instantly. The Marine didn't let himself be distracted though and he used his coat to extinguish the flames before turning around in the direction of his enemy, just as determined.

"Finger Pistol!"

Zoro quickly took a step aside to avoid the attack, but the Marine's speed was such that his finger still scratched the swordsman's ribs, drawing a little blood in the process. Momonga then got back on guard and Zoro did the same while they both took the opportunity to catch their breath.

The fencer looked carefully at the officer in the meantime. As he had observed the previous time, the man was really strong. Not only did he wield his sword very well, but he also mastered CP9 techniques in addition to Haki. However, just like him, he was injured, whether by the wound that Zoro had inflicted on him during their last encounter but also because of the storm he had met.

This particular element strengthened the swordsman's belief that his enemy wasn't invincible. The last time, he had immediately noted their difference in level and Zoro hadn't had any illusions despite his desire to challenge him. This time though, it was different. Of course he was injured, but so was his opponent. Even if Momonga's strength and techniques exceeded his own, the Marine wasn't in the best position to win his fight. Conversely, Zoro liked to fight his battles mentally as much as physically. He excelled at it. Very often, his opponents lost because they underestimated his commitment and willingness to fight a losing battle. Today more than the day before, Zoro had the feeling of being able to win this duel. He was well aware that it wouldn't be a cakewalk though. Momonga was a Vice-Admiral.

Seeing the officer rushing towards him again, Zoro positioned his blades, his eyes fixed on the high-ranking man who used his incision technique to further increase his speed. No matter the consequences, Zoro wouldn't flinch.

"Collier! Épaule! Côtelette! Selle!"

Sanji spun around to better kick the twenty men who had brutally surrounded him. Taking advantage of one to better knock out the next thanks to his momentum, he even tried to avoid the attacks in his direction at the same time. He was doing good for now. Yet the batons and other iron chains used by his adversaries brushed against his body a little too often and the cook clenched his teeth around his cigarette, narrowly escaping a club that fell on him a few seconds later.

Furious, he stretched his leg over his attacker's shoulder before suddenly pushing him forward, and the unfortunate man's face hit the ground with a dull thud. Several of his teeth shattered because of the impact and the blond smirked when he met the gaze of his attackers all fixed on him. He positioned his leg again and they tightened their grip on their weapons in turn. The man who had challenged him had cautiously backed away with his three henchmen and urged his minions not to be intimidated. Sanji rolled his eyes as he watched him splutter. This guy couldn't even fight for his own interests and the blond had a hard time understanding why the other men accepted his orders.

Suddenly, a baton cut through the air in his direction and the blond quickly ducked before kicking to disarm his opponent, immediately forgetting his questions. The man held his ground and Sanji whirled around to reposition himself a few meters away. As his attackers rushed towards him again, the cook saw his dishes that he had barely had time to put down before being caught in the battle: they had been jostled at some point and there was no doubt that they were now ruined.

Seething with rage, Sanji rushed to meet his enemies, determined to make them pay for this mess.

"Concassé!"

In front of the first man, the blond jumped into the air before spinning around. His heel fell on the guy's skull with a sinister crack and he collapsed. Sanji didn't bother to slow down though: his rage was far from diminishing with this simple kick.

"Three Sword Style. Tiger Trap!"

Zoro bent like a feline preparing to pounce on his prey and in doing so, the wound in his thigh made him grind his teeth painfully. Ignoring the pain, he rushed towards the Vice-Admiral, spinning around. The man brandished his own sword to protect himself but the power of the swordsman's attack made him step back and his own injury forced him to move sooner than he would have liked. Zoro saw him stumble backwards and the Marine only regained his balance at the last moment, the fencer's three swords scratching him in the process.

Satisfied, Zoro heard his crew cheering him on from the deck of the Sunny as he immediately returned to a defensive position. He then noticed that the officer had closed his eyes and he immediately stood on his guard: Momonga was facing the sea and his attack would probably come from the ocean this time.

A second later, the Marine swung his sword powerfully towards the waves and a Sea King was caught by the force of his Haki-coated blade. Under the cries of horror of the crew and the enthusiastic ones of the officers on the beach, the immense beast was propelled towards the swordsman who gritted his teeth in return.

"Two Swords Style. Nigiri Ripple!"

Zoro made several movements which created two blades of parallel air. He then struck them successively in all directions. They sliced the poor monster up and down and diagonally before it reached its target, causing pieces of his body to fall on the boat and in the sea. Under their weight, the ship rocked violently and the Straw Hat Pirates uttered new screams of horror when the Sunny was caught in the tumult. The two main protagonists didn't take their eyes off each other though, trying to maintain their own balance as best they could.

Zoro forced himself to take deep breaths despite the turbulent atmosphere and pain in his leg. As he had expected, the battle was as mental as it was physical and he was still determined not to let anything show. He was confident. His swords responded perfectly to his every move and he felt their bloodlust echoing his own.

Victory was theirs.

Sanji wiped the blood from his lips, annoyed. Although he was fast, as time passed, he couldn't anticipate all the attacks that were coming towards him at the same time. He had taken a blow from a baton in the back and this simple impact had unbalanced the rest of his movements. A chain had then wrapped around his right ankle and he had suddenly fallen to the ground, a club trying to crush his fingers at the same time. He had barely shifted but the chain had tightened its grip on his ankle and the pain had been searing. The cook had still managed to get rid of it by spinning on his hands and he had pushed back the ten men who were still standing, not without suffering another blow to the chest.

His opponents weren't the smartest but their weapons - and Haki for some of them - made the struggle more and more unequal. Hearing their leader rejoice every time the blond took a blow didn't help him focus either.

In the end, Sanji took another cigarette from his pack and placed it between his lips. The one who would get away with openly insulting a young girl and himself before blatantly wasting food hasn't been born yet. Maybe these baboons possessed techniques that he himself didn't master yet, but they were no exception.

"Diable Jambe. Frit Assorti!"

Sanji kicked fiercely on his right, left and then forward, the flames from his leg creating burning spirals. The three men who got kicked collapsed, yelping in pain. The blond was about to continue when a violent blow to his already weakened right ankle destabilized him. He spun around trying to stop himself falling and heard the leader sneer as the cook's enemy used his chain glowing with Haki to take him down again. Sanji landed heavily on the ground and this time, he winced frankly when he felt the pain explode in his right ankle. Yet he stood up quickly to escape the club that would have broken his shoulder next.

The fight wasn't over.

"Tempest Kick!"

Zoro jerked away and the deadly attack grazed him, a bloody scratch appearing on his cheek. He smirked then. "They're just air blades. As for kicks, I've faced much more effective ones before."

Despite his bravado, his breathing was heavy and opposite him, Momonga was in the same state. Zoro had noticed that the officer was increasingly favoring his right side, probably because of his own injuries.

"Let's get this over with," the Vice-Admiral suggested.

"Gladly."

Zoro braced himself and closed his eyes. He knew he was reaching his limit about his physical strength. The fight had lasted for almost half an hour and his body was throbbing more and more, not to mention his leg which no longer responded as quickly and thus limiting his movements. Zoro was well aware that such weakness could cost him victory in a split second. That's why he had to put all the power he possessed into this attack. The last.

As he placed his three swords in front of him, the swordsman felt them vibrate in his hands, as much with excitement as with fatigue. Just like him.

"Nine Sword Style. Asura: Silver Mist!"

"Iron Body! Shave!"

Zoro remained remarkably still as the officer rushed towards him and raised his Haki coated sword above his head to better strike him. The swordsman focused all his mental and spiritual strength on his blades. He trusted them. He knew they could be stronger than this opponent and any others who came their way. These swords would become those of the best swordsman in the world.

"Asura's Nine Lightning Strikes!"

The limbs of the swordsman seemed to suddenly multiply and, on the Sunny, his crew stifled a cry of surprise just like the officers on the beach. Zoro's nine combined blades slashed the officer at the same time as the Marine blade hit the fencer across the face. Zoro vaguely felt pain radiating down his left side but what completely took his breath away was the howl of his swords as they met the steel-like body of their opponent. Putting all his strength into theirs, the swordsman finally felt their metal splitting the enemy. Then silence fell over him.

"Fucking hell." Sanji spat out the blood in his mouth, reddening the cobblestones of the port.

Thrilled with his misfortune, the leader of the gang hit him in the back but the blond barely moved because he was so weak. It still prevented him from responding because of the pain in his leg though.

"You're worse than an eel, but we got you." The man boasted, suddenly grabbing the blond by his hair to better hold him in place, "We're gonna make big bucks thanks to you!"

"Don't touch me, you pig." The cook's injured leg landed in his attacker's crotch and the man gasped, collapsing to his knees. Sanji winced in pain as well but seeing the guy writhing on the ground, he didn't regret having probably broken his bone a little more in the process.

"You bastard, I'm gonna kill you!" The man hissed from the ground before gesturing to his henchmen, "Destroy that little shit!"

Sanji held his breath when he noticed the men surrounding him again. Of course, there were only six of them now, but the cook hadn't the strength to get up and without his legs, he didn't know how he could defend himself from the shower of blows that was coming.

So he gritted his teeth, ready to face the first salvo, when the club rushing towards his face was suddenly deflected from its trajectory.

"Dragon's Claw!"

Sanji looked up, stunned, when he saw the man above him screaming in pain while trying to wrench his hand from an iron grip. A second later, the figure who had just taken his side decimated the remaining troop with five particularly precise blows which caused all his attackers to collapse almost without a sound. The next second, a hand reached out in his direction to help him up and Sanji grabbed it, still in shock. He then fell on the face of a young man whose wavy blond hair framed two piercing and mischievous blue eyes.

"You're Sanji, right?"

"Uh, yes," the cook replied, taken aback. "Thank you…"

The blond gave him a wide smile in return. "It's a pleasure helping one of the Straw Hat Crew!"

Before Sanji could add anything, his interlocutor turned around and the cook's eyes widened when he noticed that the blond had grabbed the leader of the gang by the throat.

"Coward and weak," his savior commented, staring fiercely into the frightened eyes of the man who had tried to stab him in the back.

"Wh-Where did you come from? It's none of your business." The man fidgeted, trying to breathe despite the pressure of the fingers compressing his windpipe. "It's between this bastard and m-me…"

The blond brought his face closer to him then, smirking. "Now see, that's where you're wrong." He brutally released the man who collapsed, drained of all energy, before plunging his hands coated with Haki into the ground towards the sea.

"Dragon Breath!"

In an instant, a crack spread to a huge frigate docked in the harbor which literally imploded. Not far from them, the men that the blond had disarmed earlier yelped in fear. He turned towards them then, glaring.

"Forget about the All Blue and Blackleg. If I find out you're even hanging around, next time it won't be your boat that ends up at the bottom of the ocean. Got it?"

The men nodded frantically before getting back to their feet and running off, their leader hobbling with the others to disappear into the streets of the city center.

The stranger turned towards the cook with sparkling eyes while Sanji was struggling to recover from his astonishment. Who was this guy to have such incredible strength and why was he helping him? Sanji was sure he had never witnessed such power before, except among Marine officers and Warlords.

"I'm really happy to meet you!"

Sanji stared at the other blond. "Have we met?"

"We haven't. But we have a common acquaintance: Monkey D. Luffy."

"Oh. You're a friend of Luffy?"

"Sort of." The blond reached into his pocket and handed him a card. "Just in case. I'm sure one of us can lend you a hand if Vorgo or another island decides to attack you."

Sanji grabbed it then looked down at the business card on which two large black letters were elegantly drawn: RA.

"The Revolutionary Army?!" He understood, stunned.

The blond nodded and placed his top hat back on his head. "We support all independent nations in their fight for freedom and against the World Government. All Blue isn't alone anymore."

The young man frowned when he spotted the cook's damaged dishes lying on the ground. He bent down to pick them up and hand them to the other blond, annoyed. "Sorry for the mess, it looked delicious."

Sanji grabbed his plates and sighed. "I made these recipes in the hope of impressing my next suppliers but it's ruined…"

"That's right, you're a cook! Can I taste?" The blond suddenly asked him, pointing to his dishes and his eyes lighting up.

"Um, sure but maybe they're not so good anymore…"

His speech had obviously no effect on his interlocutor who immediately stuffed a piece of cheesecake into his mouth. The young man closed his eyes then, visibly delighted. "Oh, damn, I really envy Luffy now… I've never eaten anything so delicious!"

Sanji felt his eyebrows raise again before smiling in front of the happy face of his savior who was enjoying one slice after another. In the end, the cook put all his plates in his arms.

"This is the least I can do after what you did for me."

"Really?! Thank you!"

The young man gulped down another slice then licked his lips, forcing himself to put the remaining food away. He then turned to walk away while he waved at the other blond still standing on the port, his plates under his arm.

"They had booby-trapped your boat but I took care of it; you can go back safely!"

His mysterious savior disappeared a few moments later in the streets of the city and for several minutes, Sanji remained on the pier to try to understand what had just happened to him.

When he opened his eyes, the swordsman struggled to come to his senses.

"Zoro?!"

The fencer groaned when he heard Usopp's too shrill voice. It was twisting his eardrums. The previous battle abruptly came back to him and his heart instantly raced in his chest. Where was Momonga? Had he beaten him? Why were his friends around him? Was he still on the Vice-Admiral's boat?

He straightened up to get the answers to his questions but pain exploded from everywhere and he froze, panting.

"Don't move," Chopper ordered him as he examined his leg wound.

"Where is he?" The swordsman muttered, "If he's still standing, you must not interfere in my fight…"

"Relax, bro, he collapsed too," Franky replied in a tense voice, pointing a little further away.

"I don't think he's dead but he's definitely unconscious," Malek said. He had approached the officer when the crew had turned up on the ship a few minutes earlier.

Zoro moved slightly and actually noticed the unconscious figure of the Vice-Admiral a little further away. He breathed a little more freely then.

"Fucking Marines…"

He felt for his swords with his fingertips and frowned when his hand met the void at his side. Without thinking, he instinctively turned his head to try to spot them and a wave of dizziness assailed him.

"Zoro, don't move," Chopper repeated, noticing his pale face. "You're covered with wounds and I need to assess their condition."

"M-My swords," the swordsman insisted in a tone that he found horribly weak.

"They're here, my friend." Brook placed his blades down and Zoro was immediately relieved before frowning again when his fingers ran over their metal. "What the…"

He tried to bring them closer to his face to examine them but a new wave of pain twisted his stomach this time.

"They're not damaged," Robin chimed in, "You should stay still."

"What the fuck is going on…"

Zoro noticed for the first time since he regained consciousness that the entire left side of his face was an indistinct mass of pain. He raised a hand to his temple and saw his trembling fingers covered in blood. "Shit…"

"For God's sake, Zoro, don't move," Nami begged him, her voice cracking.

The swordsman still waved his fingers in front of his eyes though and a shiver went up his spine. "It feels like…" He wanted to raise his hand to touch his face again but Chopper's hoof stopped him immediately.

"Don't; you might make things worse. Let me look." The little doctor carefully moved his friend's bandana to be able to observe the extent of the damage but when he heard Zoro's hiss of pain, he bit his lips. "We have to go back to the Sunny; I can't do anything here."

"The officers are coming back," Usopp added with anguish as he saw the Marines decided to return to their boat.

"Franky, help him," the little reindeer ordered him.

The cyborg immediately grabbed the swordsman's body to help him up and Zoro felt a new wave of nausea shake him. His legs wobbled. Franky tried to hold him up and the swordsman got covered in sweat. His cold hands trembled on the metal of his swords that didn't want to let go and his vision blurred. The left side of his face throbbed horribly.

"What the hell is happening to m-me?" He hissed, his mouth twisted in pain. "What did this-this bastard do to me…"

Franky gently accompanied the swordsman as he sat down on the floor and Zoro tried to catch his breath. Definitely worried, he raised his left hand again to try to understand what was happening to him but a firm hand grabbed his own before he reached his goal.

Luffy knelt in front of his first mate, looking serious. "It's your eye, Zoro. It's best not to touch it for now."

I hope you like the pace, full of twists from everywhere!

Next chapter will be much more peaceful, at least about action. We'll be with Sanji.