Hello everyone! I finally have an update! Sorry that it took so long. Anyways, same old drill, original plot, characters, and settings belong to Eiichiro Oda. Enjoy Chapter 16!
Zoro walked into the main cabin, the curtain that was put up hastily brushed the heels of his boots. Chopper was panicking, and Nami leaned out the window, reporting the situation.
"There's a giant wave out there! If it hits us we'll all die!"
Zoro almost smiled. Even as sick as the siren was, she guessed correctly that his power would be needed. He glanced around the anxious faces, noticing a few familiar ones standing around seriously. The Franky Brothers and the Galley-La shipwrights were old enemies with each other as well as picking a fight with the Straw Hat Pirates. Zoro grinned approvingly at Luffy's short speech.
"So, the Franky Brothers and Galley-La shipwrights are both here. I know you guys fought all the time back on the island but now we're all facing the same direction. Our enemy is the same! Don't let some wave scare you. If we unite then there's nothing that can stop us!"
Nami tried interjecting, "Luffy, the wave…"
Luffy silently held out his arm, waiting on the others. Zambei, the main spokesman for the Franky Brothers, Paulie, and Luffy grabbed each others' elbows, forming a triangle.
"We're allies now, let's smash that wave!" Luffy finished with a shout.
Cheers of agreement echoed in the tiny cabin. Zoro glanced back briefly at the closed curtains. He could almost hear the soft groan of the siren. He pulled his mind back to the situation at hand. Magina would be fine, and right then there were other matters to worry about. He and Luffy stood inside the engine room. The roof rumbled and creaked. Looking outside, Zoro could see a wall of water in front of them.
"Oi, Luffy."
Luffy's response was fast in coming. He must have already figured out a plan.
"Yeah. Let's go, Zoro."
They climbed out on the steel surface of the train. The waves were rough. Sea water and rain pelted his body until every inch of him was drenched. The wave towered above Rocketman. The Franky Brothers and the Galley La shipwrights were doing their best to shoot a hole through the wave with their cannons but the wall of water devoured the ammunition mercilessly.
Zoro could hear Luffy stretching and cracking his knuckles for good measure. Putting Kuina's katana in his mouth, he shouted some direction to the others.
"Keep firing everything you've got straight ahead!"
Paulie shouted above the storm, "Just what are you guys planning to do?"
Zoro turned back, his grin wild in anticipation. He had faced many strong opponents before this and he was excited to test his strength against Nature itself. His voice deepened to a growl as he answered, "We're going to fire our cannon."
Zoro joined Luffy and began the final preparations. Luffy wind-milled his arm as a warm up.
"Hey, Zoro, what's two times 108?" Luffy asked, never taking his eyes off of the approaching wave.
Zoro did the calculation in his head and unsheathed Yubashiri and Kitetsu. "216."
Luffy repeated the number in disappointment. "That's going to take too long to say."
Zoro got in his stance, the wave was nearly upon them. "Say whatever you want then." He didn't really care what they called the attack, but his Captain was very precise about such details.
"Let's say 300 then."
"Got it."
Luffy began the attack, "Gomu Gomu no…."
Zoro picked up the words, gathering his strength for the combined attack, "San Byaku Pound…"
The wave towered above them just waiting to sweep the train off the tracks. Zoro could sense Luffy also focusing his power for this single hit.
"CANNON!" they shouted in unison.
Compressed air flew forward and struck the mile-high wave. Zoro grit his teeth. He could hear Luffy grunt in concentration. The gale force wind that hit the solid mass of water was comparable to two galleons colliding. The cries of despair grew as the wave crept closer. Zoro smiled grimly; he hadn't expected to be reminded of Usopp. The resistance yielded a second before a hole appeared in the giant wave. First there was a stunned silence and then cheering erupted behind them.
"Yes! They did it!"
Rocketman, as if understanding that the obstacle in their way was removed suddenly, bucked and leapt like a wild stallion. The train swerved crazily, following the path laid down by the tracks. In moments they were clear of the wall of water and back on the course to rescue Robin.
Zoro deftly sheathed his katana. He followed his Captain back inside the train car. Magina's pale, green face flashed through his mind briefly, and he accidentally kicked Luffy through the window.
"Oh, sorry about that," Zoro quickly said as he came through the same window.
Nami called Luffy over and handed a Den-den Mushi. He squatted and listened intently to the other end. It turned out that Ero Cook was on the government train at that very moment. He wasn't planning on butting in the conversation until Luffy started talking.
"Yeah, that's how it is. Go ahead. Raise some hell if you want, Sanji."
Zoro protested immediately, memories of how he found Magina, the force of that kick that sent him flying across Water 7, and the sheer power that even Luffy had problems with all were fresh in his mind.
"Oi! Luffy, don't encourage him to act crazy! He should wait until we get there! Hey, cook! Can you hear me? There are some really dangerous guys there…" He didn't get along with the cook, but he didn't like the thought of him ending up in the same state as Magina.
"I said that it was okay," Luffy's voice interjected softly. "Zoro. What would you do in Sanji's shoes? Could you just sit back and watch them take Robin away if you had a chance to stop it? There's no use arguing."
Zoro couldn't look at Luffy. He knew that his captain was right but the cook would be facing at least four of those monsters alone…An irritating voice broke the silence.
"Oi, Marimo! Are you worried about me?"
His temper flared as he yelled back, "In your dreams, dumbass!" Like hell he was worried about the damn Love Cook!
"Well, it's too late for that now. You just take care of Magina-san. Now that I know how Robin-chan feels, nothing will stop me, even if the Captain orders it!"
The Den-den Mushi suddenly stopped transmitting. Zoro sighed once in exasperation. The idiot probably just broke his Den-den Mushi. Now, there was no way of knowing what was happening in the train ahead of them. Zoro didn't need Dart-brow to tell him to take care of Magina. He already had every intention of helping her, even if she was against the idea.
"Hey, Luffy. Come here for a second," Zoro gestured to him. Zoro quickly and quietly outlined his plan to help Magina. Luffy grinned.
"Yeah, okay. I got it. I will after we see how she's doing!"
Zoro nodded and went over to the curtain and pulled it back. "Hey, siren. Are you feeling any better?"
Magina groaned weakly. "Zoro…I think I'm going to be…"
Zoro immediately grabbed the nearby bucket that Chopper left just in case of this exact situation. A particularly large swell just happened to coincide at the same time Magina began to wretch. In the siren's defense, she really had no control over the waves or the weather and managed to get most of the mess in the bucket but…the mess that didn't end up in the bucket, landed on his shirt instead. The moment she stopped, Luffy poked his head through the curtain. He wrinkled his nose slightly.
"Hey, Magina! Zoro told me that you'll feel better if you're not on the train, so I'm ordering you to go to the Franky Brothers' ship. Make sure to tell them to give you some meat!"
Zoro wanted to punch his Captain in the head. That idiot! He asked Luffy to order Magina to the Franky Brothers' ship only because she wasn't listening to reason. He should have known that Luffy would screw it up. She might even refuse now since it wasn't a real order. He stripped off his shirt, thankful that there were only a few splatters. He could change into something else without too much of an issue but first, to take care of the siren.
"Here, I'll carry you over there and then you should try to sleep, Magina. Most of the others will be outside, so we'll find a nice quiet corner for you to rest," Zoro picked Magina up carefully, trying not to tip her too much.
She didn't reply, nor did she say a word while he transferred her to the ship. Someone showed him a dark room with a bed inside. He placed her on the bed and threw a blanket over her slightly damp clothes. It wasn't until he turned to leave that Magina finally spoke.
"Zoro…I'm sorry about your shirt, and thank you. I do feel a little better already."
The voice was slightly strained, but Zoro could hear her sincerity. He walked back to the bedside. He brushed aside a few strands of hair from her forehead and smiled in the dark. "You can make up for it later, siren. Sleep so that you're ready when we catch up to them."
Zoro waited for the tired affirmative before leaving, and closed the door quietly behind him. Before going back to Rocketman, he pulled one of the men aside. He jerked his thumb at the door. "She needs to sleep. If you wake her up, I might kill you," Zoro growled, knowing his warning would come through loud and clear.
"Yes, sir!"
Zoro grunted in satisfaction and headed back to the others.
Nothing really special as a note or anything, just that I'm editing the next chapter as we speak so hopefully it won't take too long to post another update. See you in Chapter 17!