AN:
Me, again! I'm kinda on a roll this month.
Another little setup chapter here but at least this one has a little action in it. It's a little graphic, but nothing I think you guys can't handle. With this chapter, the stage is pretty much set so expect the next one or two chapters to take some time to write. After I finish with the next three or four chapters we should be at canon or at least really close to it. My goal was to get there around chapter 20 and it looks like that's gonna happen so that's pretty cool. When I first started this story, I didn't think the pre-canon part was going to be anywhere near this long but I'm glad it ended up the way it did. I'm really happy with where we are at.
With this chapter, we cross 100k words, which is kind of insane. I know it's probably not quite at that mark yet cause FF counts these notes in their word count, but we will definitely be there after the next chapter. So, big cheers to that!
As always thanks for the favorites, follows, and comments. You know I am very appreciative. :)
Here's chapter 17. Hope you like it.
---
Chapter 17: Treasure
"This is it, Sanji.", Nami said, crouching next to the wall of the mountain she'd led them to.
It had taken the two of them some time searching along the base of the mountain but they'd found it. The map Nami had made turned out to be relatively accurate, but they'd searched every nook and cranny just to make sure. Eventually, the two came across a small dirt path, created from the many stepping of shoes, leading them to the same place that was marked on her map.
Something was bothering the orange-haired girl, though. If this was supposed to be a 'secret entrance' like Carina had said... Why was there a footpath leading directly to it? Secret, implied not a lot of people would know about it... If that were the case then why did it look like tons of people had found it? As she was thinking about it, a lot of things were starting to seem weird but one thing was sticking out... How could have Carina come across all this information in the first place?
"So, how do we open it?", the chef's voice came from above the girl. He tapped his boot against the smooth face of the rock in front of him. "Want me to kick it?", he asked, genuinely.
The orangette looked up at Sanji blankly. He'd obviously never stolen anything before... "No, Sanji. Kick rock. Big bang. Loud. Not sneaky.", Nami explained like she was talking to a child.
"Oh, Nami-Swan! You're even gorgeous when you're making fun of me!", the boy swooned.
The girl scoffed to herself and ignored the chef, looking intently at where the entrance to the hideout was supposed to be. Regardless of how Carina had come by the information, it was all they had to go on. Everything she'd told her had been true so far so... Nami's hand slid on the stone and found what she was looking for. If she didn't know it was there, she probably would've never found it. Her hand pushed into the mountain and a click sounded through the rock.
The two teens stepped back as the wall of rock slid into the ground with a hiss and revealed a long dark hallway. They looked at each other before turning back to the entrance leading into the mountain and starting forward. As they passed through the doorway, the rock slid back up from the floor, blocking their exit, and lights lining the walls of the passage flicked on, illuminating the long hallway.
"Well, no way but forward.", Sanji mused. He smiled teasingly at his companion, "Unless you want me to kick it.".
Nami laughed as she took her first steps toward where she hoped a big pile of treasure was waiting for her. "Come on already, Cook.", she teased back.
The chef laughed back at her banter and couldn't help but think that the nickname sounded much better coming off her lips than the ones that usually said it. Good thing he wasn't here right now... That brought a thought to his head. "Hey, Nami. What do you think Mossball and Luffy are up to?".
The orange-haired girl froze in place. She'd completely forgotten about them. Nami recovered herself slowly and her steps continued. What the hell were those two doing right now? She didn't know exactly when they'd arrived on the small island but she was sure it was well before her and Sanji. Just where the hell were they? She'd told them where the entrance was! She'd even shown them the map! "Honestly, I don't even really know and I can't even begin to guess.", the girl huffed in annoyance, "Those two idiots...".
"You don't need them, Nami-Swan! You have me!", the blond chef exclaimed happily. He loved spending time alone with the orange-haired beauty.
Nami scoffed for what felt like the millionth time that day and chose not to open that can of worms. The two continued down the hallway, lightly conversing, until they came to a split in the tunnel and slowed to a halt.
The orange-haired girl glanced between the two hallways. Things were getting weirder. Why have a split in a secret entrance?
"Which way, Nami?", Sanji asked. His feet carried him toward the right tunnel, looking down it in curiosity. His line of thought was the exact same as his companions.
Nami walked over to the left hallway and examined it, indecisiveness obviously on her face. Carina had never said anything about this. And with that being said, picking the wrong path could be dangerous. She turned back to the blond-haired chef across the room and went to address her concerns but never got the chance.
The hallway Nami and Sanji had come from was suddenly closed off before either of the teens could react, an alarm sounding in the air. Both of their eyes widened in panic as they wildly looked around the space, searching for the source of the sound. Two pairs of eyes, one brown and the other grey-blue, looked up hearing a click from the ceiling above the center of the room, and both the teens paled.
"Nami!", the blond-haired chef yelled, finally moving in her direction. His feet were moving quickly, but not quickly enough.
"Steal as much treasure as you can!", the orangette yelled as Sanji made a desperate break for her, "We'll meet back up when it's all over!". Nami watched as the metal wall hidden in the ceiling began to drop and looked at Sanji one more time, sending him a reassuring smile.
"Nami!", Sanji desperately yelled once more. He watched hopelessly while the wall fell closer and closer to the ground, moving his feet as fast as he could. However, he could already tell he wasn't going to make it.
"I'll be fine, Sanji! I'm used to doing this kind of stuff on my ow-", the large metal wall slammed into the ground with a loud thud, interrupting the girl and forcefully separating the two.
The blond chef slid to a halt just as he reached the barrier, growling. "Nami!", he yelled through the metal divider. He waited for a moment but received no response, kicking the wall in anger. The sound echoed into the area he now occupied alone and a scowl came across his face... His one on one time with Nami...
Sanji turned away from the metal barrier with fire in his eyes. He'd been very much enjoying spending time with his goddess and now she was over there all alone... Someone was going to pay. He turned away from the metal wall and looked down the hallway he was now forced to go down with a maniacal glint in his eye. Someone was going to pay, most likely with their life, and then he was going to steal their treasure.
He was getting his kiss if it was the last damn thing he did.
---
Zoro slowed his arm strokes as he came closer to his destination, his eyes searching for a wrecked ship. He'd swum pretty quickly, so chances were it wouldn't have sunk all the way yet. His earlier theory was becoming more likely by the second. The swordsman looked up and his eyes were met with the tall peak of the mountain. Yep. He was in the right spot. Well... At least he thought he was. He continued swimming forward and carefully searched for what he was looking for along the face of the cliff now that he knew the ship hadn't crashed. Eventually, after swimming a little further, he saw it. An opening in the rock. He gazed up at the peak again.
Yep. And it was in just the right place too, right where he saw the ship disappear and almost directly underneath the peak of the mountain.
Zoro pumped his arms to move faster. He was sure he'd found where he needed to go. The verdet hugged the rock while he approached his destination. He was supposed to be at least a little sneaky... At least that was what the witch had said. He thought at least... He hadn't really been paying attention. He shook his head and continued on his way toward the opening in the cliff. As the teen arrived, he peaked his head around the corner to see what he was about to be dealing with.
Through the entrance tunnel, the view was limited, however, through his obscured vision he could see a wooden dock housing a couple of ships. Looking past the dock was harder, but the space looked very wide open as far as he could tell. The ships in the dock were of no consequence, simply a couple of inconspicuous vessels, however, they were all flying what he assumed was Mad Treasure's jolly roger. It wasn't all that surprising. Mad Treasure was a pretty big pirate.
Zoro slowly swam his way into the tunnel, trying to stay as quiet as possible. The closer he got the louder things seemed to get. He couldn't really see at this distance, but the sound carried across the water and it sounded like they were getting ready to depart. The green-haired teen's eyes widened when he found the end of the tunnel, his vision finding an oddity in the middle of the area. It looked to be a large elevator stretching all the way up into places Zoro couldn't see because it became too dark. A part of him wondered what might be up there.
"The boss wants all these ships ready to sail out within the hour!", a voice yelled from the land.
Zoro dropped his head further into the water so as not to be seen. So they were moving... He watched while cargo was loaded onto the ships and couldn't help but be drawn to the one on the end. It was covered in gemstones and looked like it would make a pretty penny if sold. 'Must be the boss's.', he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he got back to the matter at hand. He wanted to fight but he was really here to steal treasure. The swordsman huffed to himself... He probably wasn't even going to get to keep any of it... Stingy Witch. He looked at the distance between him and the dock, thinking, before diving deep under the water and swimming in its direction.
Zoro held his breath when he broke through the surface of the water in his desired location, slowly but quietly letting his breath out. He was now directly under the dock and could hear footsteps echoing through the wood above his head.
"We ain't coming back here!", a voice yelled, "So pack up anything that'll keep and toss everything else!".
The swordsman stayed quiet as he decided what to do. They were leaving, which probably meant they would be moving the treasure. Was it already on one of the ships? He turned his head in the direction of the largest ship he'd seen docked in the hideout, the one with the gems. If the treasure had already been stored then most of it, if not all, was more than likely there. That ship being there also meant that Mad Treasure probably was too...
A grin came across Zoro's lips and he quietly began to make his way in the direction of the vessel he'd been thinking about. He submerged himself and swam under two boats before making it to the ship docked at the end, slowly exiting the water once more. His eyes glanced up and widened when he saw the gems on the side of the boat up close. They were huge. 'The Witch would be frothing at the mouth if she saw these.', he thought to himself with a soundless chuckle.
The water softly rippled around his body while he made his way to the opposite side of the boat. He wanted to see if the treasure was already there or not. After making it to his destination, the verdet made a small grunt of frustration. There was no way to get on the damn boat except for boarding from the dock! He huffed to himself. Things were getting tedious and he didn't do tedious... He just wanted to fight!
The irritation he felt was washed away by panic as he quickly hid back under the wooden dock, a loud alarm sounding into the air. Zoro listened carefully, but it was hard to figure out what was going on because of all the chaos above him. The alarm seemed to have thrown all of the people loading the ships into a panic.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!", a voice commanded from directly above Zoro's head. All of the chaos stopped at the words, the only noise being made coming from the alarm still sounding into the air. The swordsman listened to the figure's measured footsteps traveling down the ramp from the ship to the dock. Not only did he hear footsteps, but he also heard... Was that clanking metal? It sounded like thick chains moving around.
"Just keep loading up the ships. P and Naomi will take care of it.", the voice paused before laughing into the air, "I hope it's Carina coming back to play with her old crew mates!".
The swordsman's eyes widened. He'd heard that name before. Carina was the one Nami had gotten the info from which meant... Zoro grit his teeth but stayed in place. Nami could handle herself and if she couldn't, the Cook was there with her.
"Bring down the hoard and start loading it on my ship! We're setting back out for the Grandline soon! Hopefully, Carina gets here before then.", the voice said, the sound of someone licking their lips reaching the verdet's ears, "Whichever one she meets up with her better bring her to me... I've missed that girl.". The footsteps and jangling metal began to get further away from Zoro, seemingly proceeding down the dock, "One of you. Take care of unlocking the hoard when it gets down here. Obviously, I can't.".
Confusion shot through the swordsman. Why wouldn't he be able to unlock the 'hoard'?
The alarm sounding from above stopped suddenly and was replaced by a mechanical whirring only slightly less noisy. Zoro was getting jittery sitting under the dock while stuff was happening around him. He wanted to see what was going on. He went to swim out from under one side of the dock and immediately froze in place, eyes widening. Was that a laugh coming above him?... It sounded like a laugh he knew, too...
"Finally!", a happy voice echoed from a place high above, "I thought I was gonna be stuck up there forever!".
---
Luffy groaned to himself. How long was this ladder?! He looked down for the millionth time and still couldn't see anything but darkness. As a matter of fact, it was all he could see. It felt like he'd been descending forever. The boy sighed to himself and continued to make his way downward. Up was out of the question, so down was the only way to go. He descended for a while longer before he stopped and glanced at the darkness below once more. Wasn't there any way to make this go faster?
The straw-hatted teen looked to where his hands should have been and then down to his feet, an idea coming to his head. He smiled to himself, wishing he'd thought of it sooner. Luffy grasped the downward pointing rails with his hands and moved his feet so the soles of his sandals pushed inward against the outside of the ladder. His laugh echoed through the tunnel when he let go of some of the pressure in his hands and began quickly sliding down the ladder.
A hoot of joy left his lips as he finally saw a white dot of light at the bottom tunnel and he let more pressure off his hands, increasing his speed. The dot was quickly becoming bigger and Luffy soon realized that even though he was having a ton of fun, he was moving WAY too fast. The boy gripped the ladder tightly and groaned when a twinge shot through his left hand. He'd forgotten about that.
He grit his teeth through the pain and continued to hold onto the metal tightly. He could even feel his hands heating up from the friction. The white light was becoming brighter and he was still going too fast. The future pirate captain gripped harder. Why was it so hard to stop? Did he get heavier recently? He never really gained that much weight even with the way he ate, so it was weird to think that he'd gotten heavier without noticing. It wasn't even that he was so heavy he couldn't stop himself, he just had a feeling that if he stopped too abruptly, his arms might pop off.
Luffy's thoughts were interrupted as bright lights assaulted his vision and he crashed painfully into something hard. Actually... Many somethings... The black-haired boy groaned, slowly opening his eyes and trying to adjust to the bright light surrounding him. When his vision cleared, he couldn't help but gape at the sight all around him, his eyes gazing across the space in wonder.
Gold. It was everywhere. Big pieces, small pieces, coins, decorations, armor... He was so trying that on... He couldn't even see the ground. It wasn't just gold either. Different colored gemstones and jewels were scattered everywhere amongst the gold, all of them varying in size.
The boy completely forgot his pain, hollering excitedly, "Nami! I found it!". Luffy ran over to the gold suit of armor he'd seen and his eyes turned to stars. Before he could even think about how to get all of this stuff to Nami, he absolutely had to try it on. He looked curiously at the full set of armor, circling it. His starry eyes found the back of the armor and he saw that the whole half was missing, making him pout, "No fair! That's so stupid! Armor is supposed to be for wearing! Not decoration!". He grouchily turned away from the fake armor and looked at everything else that was in the room
As his eyes swept over the hoard, they landed on a peculiarity. The only weapon he could see... Well... Anywhere. The black-haired teen made his way over to the sword and curiously grabbed the hilt, pulling it from its resting place. The blade sang as it came free of the gold around it.
It was a katana. The metal of the sword was a bright silver that flashed in the light of the room. The long curving blade led down to a hilt wrapped in white wrappings with two strands hanging off the end where it was tied. Underneath the wrappings, black peaked through in diamonds running down the center of the hilt. It was the same on both sides. The katana didn't have a hand guard except for a small gold buckle that sat on top of the hilt.
Luffy looked around for a sheath but couldn't find one anywhere and shrugged, tossing the sword over his shoulder to get back to the matter at hand. He at the treasure, trying to decide a course of action. He'd found the treasure but how was he supposed to get it to Nami? Looking around, he saw no doors leading out of the treasure-filled room. The boy huffed and sat down cross-legged. He'd done too much thinking today, the puzzle had really worn him out. Just as he went to lay his head back on the nice cool gold all around, a loud alarm ripped through the air.
Strange sounds began to come from the edges of the room and the straw-hatted boy shot to his feet, looking around wildly. Well... Maybe not the edges. Looking closer, Luffy discovered that the entire floor was in fact NOT completely covered in gold. Rather, the outside edges were completely free of it. Bars shot out from the ground and into the ceiling above surrounding Luffy on all sides. The boy looked around blankly. The bars were made of the grey rock he'd punched on top of the mountain. Plus, even if he did break the bars, he was still stuck in a room with no doors. Welp... He was trapped.
"Damn it!", Luffy yelled into the air, childishly, as the alarm continued to blare around him. Now he was even more stuck here.
The boy lazed around his prison for a time, thinking of what to do, and to no one's surprise... Came up with absolutely nothing. He fell backward onto the pile of gold with a huff. Was he going to be stuck in there forever? Just as the thought crossed his mind, the alarm stopped abruptly. He got to his feet immediately. Was something about to happen?
A mechanical whirr sounded from underneath his feet and the floor gave a sudden jerk. Luffy looked around and saw the walls around the cage going upward. His eyes moved up and saw the ceiling being held in place by the stone cage surrounding him. So he was still stuck... But, at least he was moving! With a closer look, he now saw that the ceiling of the cage was the same color as the bars. Well... There went that idea. He walked over to the bars and looked out past them. He was definitely moving downward, the light from the walls above was getting further away. Something caught his eye as he descended, and Luffy rushed across the cage with an excited laugh. When he looked through the bars at the right angle, he could swear he saw light underneath him, "Finally! I thought I was gonna be stuck up there forever!".
---
Nami cautiously walked down the hallway. It was still bothering her. Her mind had been so consumed by what finishing this job could mean that she'd missed the glaring signs.
Carina knew this place. The question was... How?... She could have tried to hit it before and failed but... Nami didn't think that was it. Mad Treasure had a reputation for being pretty ruthless and if she was on her own... The girl shook the thought away. If that was what'd happened, it also left the question of why Mad Treasure was still keeping a stash here. If he thought it was in danger, why not move it?
The hallway Nami had been walking down suddenly ended at a solid rock wall with a door in the center of it. She cautiously approached not really having any other options. She'd gone over every inch of the tunnel since she and Sanji had been separated. No secret doors, no vents, no nothing.
The orangette eyed the door as she came upon it. There was nothing strange about it as far as she could see, just an iron door. Could it lead to the treasure?... She shook the thought away as soon as it passed through her mind. It would have been too easy... This was almost certainly a trap. Every instinct was screaming at her to turn around and run the other way... But what would she run to? The path back outside was blocked.
A deep calming breath left the girl's mouth as she nervously eyed the door. More than likely, no one was coming to her rescue this time... The thought was quickly shaken away. Probably best to do it before her nerves got the best of her.
With that in mind, Nami steeled her nerves and grabbed the handle, pulling the door open.
---
Sanji angrily stalked down the hallway. He was still upset about his Nami time being cut short. As he raged to himself, his feet carried him to the end of the hallway where a curious iron door rested. He walked up, cautiously, and examined it for a moment before shrugging to himself. The chef raised his leg and jabbed it outward faster than most eyes could see.
A thump sounded in the air and Sanji groaned, grasping his foot, 'Damn it! Shitty door!'. That was supposed to make him feel really cool! He lightly pouted and massaged the throbbing appendage, cursing the door that had made him look bad. After the dull throb went away, he stood up and grumpily grabbed the handle, pulling it toward himself.
The blond teen was irritated, now. If there was anyone waiting for him on the other side of this door, they'd better hope they were either a friend or a woman. If not, someone was about to get pounded... Mosshead too. If he saw him he would pound him too...
...NOT LIKE THAT!
---
Zoro rushed to cover up the sneeze that suddenly came upon him. Was someone talking about him? He shook the feeling away and got back to the matter at hand. He was sure he'd just heard Luffy.
"WHO THE HELL IS IN MY HOARD!", the deep voice screamed in anger.
Zoro grinned to himself. If it was his hoard... That meant... All right, enough hiding.
"YOU'RE GONNA DIE FOR TOUCHING MY TREAS-", a loud tearing sound interrupted the man and he whirled around to see what it was.
Standing there was Zoro's sopping wet form, both of his blades drawn. He stood over a newly made hole in the wooden deck. The swordsman eyed the man now facing him. Now that he was out of the water, he could finally get a good look at his opponent.
The dark tan man wore no shirt, only chains hanging loosely around upper his body. Covering his legs, were dark green cargo shorts that went down to the man's shins. Just below, was a pair of combat boots the same color as his pants, with some extra light red accents around the edges. The red of the boots matched the red of the belt holding his shorts at his waist. The skin on his left shoulder and right hip were covered by a dark tattoo of what looked like a gear with a swirl in the center.
On top of his head was long spiky fuchsia hair that hung well over his shoulders. He wore round gold earrings on both ears which hung high on a square face that tapered down to a flat chin bearing a triangular goatee. A pair of black sunglasses rested on his thin nose and over the left side of his face were three black lines that traveled downward from his forehead. They stopped just under his left eye where they made a ninety-degree turn left, to the outside of his face, disappearing into his hair.
"Who the hell're you?", the large man asked, a scowl on his face. Seemed like some rats had made it into the hideout.
Zoro looked at the man in the eyes, a bloodthirsty grin marring his face, "I'm Roronoa Zoro... and I'm the man that's going to kill you.".
Luffy's voice came from above at the swordsman's statement, "You sounded really cool when you said that, Zoro!". The two turned soon to be opponents turned to watch as the elevator holding Mad Treasure's hoard slowly came into view. It was caged. "Zoro! You gotta get me outta here! I've been stuck in here way too long!", the voice, now begging, came again.
"Figure it out yourself, Luffy.", the verdet replied, his eyes glued to his adversary, "I'm kinda busy right now.". Zoro held his two swords at the ready. Any moment now, the peace would break and it would be chaos. He looked around the open area and couldn't help but think that it was a good place for a fight. Mad Treasure's men were beginning to come out of their shock, many drawing their weapons.
The verdant swordsman took a deep breath to calm himself. There were maybe forty or fifty pirates in the area and he was poised to fight all of them. If Mad Treasure was strong, that would cause problems.
"Kill this stupid swordsman.", Mad Treasure ordered, scoffing at the green-haired teen as he turned to walk toward the still-descending elevator. He had no time for this, the brat in his hoard had his focus right now. He wasn't worried about the sword wielder. He had fifty men in there. The kid stood no chance against those numbers by himself.
Zoro grinned at the man turning his back to him. He'd been granted a golden opportunity. He'd get rid of all the rabble first so he didn't have to deal with them, then he'd take Mad Treasure's head. Mind set, the verdet brandished his blades in the direction of the men approaching with the intent to kill him. He grinned to himself. It had been a while since he last got to face so many people at once. He was excited.
Shouts and yells came from opposite the swordsman and the men began their charge.
The swordsman shifted to the right as the first bullet was fired and the small iron ball whizzed by his face. He was instantly back in motion, now rushing his way toward the group of pirates rapidly shooting their guns at his moving form. Occasionally, a ping would sound through the air as a bullet would deflect off his sword.
The men gaped while they continued to shoot at the green-haired swordsman. How was he still alive?! They had more than twenty guns pointed at him!
The first scream sounded not long after the first shot was fired, blood spurting into the air along with an arm still holding onto a musket. Zoro grinned a devilish grin when all the men looked at his blood-soaked form in fear. His blades danced as he weaved his way in between his opponents, drawing blood and screams with every move. Body parts painted crimson flew into the air as his wave of carnage quickly spread through the gathered group of pirates. It wasn't his fault it was so one-sided, every one of them seemed to move in slow motion. He was almost sorry to kill them... Almost.
Some of the men were starting to lose their nerve after watching their comrades die so easily. What the hell was a kid like this doing in the East Blue?!
Kitetsu flashed out to his left and Wado to his right as he redirected several clumsy sword swipes at his body. The verdet crouched and spun on his heel, letting his blades bite into the waists of the men surrounding him. Yells of agonizing pain shot into the air as their torsos fell to the ground while their legs stayed in place. Before the men could even reach the dirt, Zoro's blades had relieved them of their suffering, four heads coming off of four legless bodies.
A sword slashed at the verdet's throat but it was easily deflected by Wado, Kitetsu coming in behind to cleave the man's neck. The cut was so quick and clean, the man died instantly, his head staying in place until he fell to the ground. Zoro wasted no time in watching, he was already on the move once more. He rotated his body in a circle blocking numerous swords and jumped from his surrounded position, landing in an area with more space.
He wanted to fight Mad Treasure. The small fry weren't doing it for him. He liked fighting big groups and the battle had just gotten started, but he was itching for something more. Someone strong. He looked at the remaining pirates gathered before him and gave them a menacing glare, "If you don't want to die. Walk away now and let me fight your boss.". They were getting scared he could tell. Maybe they would do themselves a favor and just leave...
Many of the men began to look at each other. He was giving them a way out. All they had to do was... All they had to do... "You run and I'll kill you myself.", a voice came from behind them. They all turned and paled at the look of anger on their captain's face.
"Hey! That's no way to talk to your crew!", Luffy scolded, watching the scene from the comfort of his prison. He didn't like Treasure Guy. He was mean! And even to his crew!
Mad Treasure ignored the straw-hatted teen and continued to glare at his men.
The pirates turned away from their captain knowing they couldn't refuse. It would mean death if they did. They knew that look. The fact that the man was a fan of torture cemented the decision for every one of them. None of them wanted to go through that. Dying at the swordsman's hand was better than dying at his. With their minds set, the group of pirates once again brandished their weapons and began to advance on the green-haired swordsman.
"Your funeral.", Zoro bent his knees slightly and flipped Kitetsu to hold it like an ice pick. He hadn't tried this one in a while, but he felt like he could do it with no pain now. Time to see if his weights were doing their job. He took a slow deep breath and closed his eyes. The group was surrounding him again, however, he paid them no mind. He focused as his blades vibrated in his hands, gripping them with all his strength. "Nitōryū:", the verdant swordsman breathed, steam flowing from the corners of his mouth. His eyes snapped open and he spun on his foot, completing a perfect circle in the blink of an eye, "EQUINOX!".
A familiar ring of purple spread from Zoro's blades and outward, into the masses. Just as deadly as before, it passed through every man surrounding him faster than their brains could register. The crash of the purple ring against the surrounding area had long since sounded into the air before the first man even noticed what'd happened... And by then... It was already too late.
The group of pirates looked as if they were all collectively standing still before the first one dropped, his body falling into two halves and blood gushing from the open wounds. Like a domino, the first man knocked into a second, who knocked down a third, then a fourth, and so on and so forth. This continued until the very last pirate who'd been commanded to kill Zoro fell to the ground in two halves.
The green-haired swordsman looked over the carnage and sighed, wiping the blood off his katanas. If only they'd left... On the ground in front of him was a massive amalgamated pool of blood and the bodies of close to fifty men, almost all of them severed in two.
The sound of glass cracking echoed into the air and Zoro looked over to see Mad Treasure staring at him. He looked down at the man's feet and noticed his broken sunglasses lying there. Quickly looking back up, he was met with pink eyes. Pink eyes that very much looked like they wanted to kill him.
"YOU BASTARD. NO ONE KILLS MY CREW ALL BLOODY LIKE THAT, 'CEPT ME!", screamed Mad Treasure, glaring at the swordsman. The chains the man was wearing began to rise from his body as if they had a will of their own.
Luffy stared at the man's back with stars in his eyes, "Treasure Guy! How the heck are you moving those chains?!". He pouted from his place inside the cage when the captain of the Treasure Pirates ignored him, "Zoro! Come get me out of here! He's mean and won't let me out!". He'd asked the man several times and he'd refused each time. Something about waiting until his friend was dead. Like that would ever happen.
The two had watched as the green-haired swordsman single-handedly killed fifty men. Luffy thought it was a sight to behold. The move he'd used was super cool! Treasure Guy... He didn't like it as much, apparently. The man had used those floating chains to deflect Zoro's attack. The straw-hatted boy would grumpily admit that it was, also, pretty cool. The pirate captain was really starting to make him mad, though. It was just crazy to him! How could someone kill their own crewmates?! He wanted to fight him now, too!
Zoro faced his opponent with a grin, ignoring his future captain's pleas as Wado and Kitetsu vibrated in his hands. He stepped over the mess he'd just made and in the direction of the man he would be fighting, untieing his dark green bandana from his left arm. His hair was standing on end. Mad Treasure was strong. He just had a feeling. The floating chains were making the feeling stronger. How strong he was, exactly?...
The swordsman finished tying his bandana around his head and stopped a good distance away from the pirate captain, brandishing his blades and sending his own glare in the man's direction.
It looked like he was about to find out.
---
End Note:
I don't usually do these but I thought I'd address Carina being a past Treasure Pirate. My thought process is simple. It's not canon so I have a little room to play with the characters and their backgrounds. This end note is honestly just me justifying my decision to myself. So, like most times, completely ignore it if you don't care. :)
Anyways, see you guys in the next one.