Nami sat in an uncomfortable wooden chair, turning every which way in an attempt to get comfortable. But no matter how she sat, she couldn't get the right angle. She gave up with a huff.

Looking over at the bed, her frustration left as she gazed at Nick, breaths coming out in shallow gasps. They did what they could, none of them being doctors, but he had lost a lot of blood. Too much.

It was a miracle he was breathing at all. By all rights, he shouldn't be. But he was tough, apparently. Tougher than she gave him credit for at least. It would have impressed her, if he wasn't knocking on death's door.

She sighed and turned away, her gaze going to the other occupants in the room. Pirates, one's she aligned herself with in order to save the idiot taking a nap. Actually, it was two idiots taking a nap. Zoro conked out the minute the bandages were wrapped around Nick's corpse-like body.

Boodle, the mayor, went back to the villagers camp to find the town doctor. It was their only hope of saving him. As long as the mayor didn't get captured and made it back in time.

Chouchou, the brave little dog, went outside to keep watch, and guard his treasure. Boodle told them the whole story as they patched Nick up the best they could. She really felt for the little guy, and Luffy made fast friends with him.

After the dog chewed on his face for a bit for breaking more of his home. Accidentally, of course.

But the rest of them needed to do something in the meantime. They could do nothing for Nick now, it was out of their hands. Buggy wouldn't likely let them off scott free. He would come for them, or he'd just blow up the whole town. They needed to strike first, take the fight to them.

"Man, I'm hungry," complained Luffy.

Nami's eyes twitched, "How are you still hungry? You ate an entire house's worth of food." It wasn't fair, he could eat whatever he wants, and still be skinny. She watched her figure like a hawk.

Luffy shrugged, "I dunno. Never thought about it before."

This was getting her nowhere. Was she the only sane one in the room? Looking at her present company, she could conclude that yes, yes she was.

"Listen, we need a plan to take out Buggy and the rest of his crew. It won't be long before they come for us and-WILL YOU WAKE UP ALREADY!" she screamed at Zoro, who woke up with a lazy, "Huh?"

Luffy laughed as Zoro complained about not getting enough beauty sleep. Makino used to say the same thing, but she was really pretty. Actually, Dadan said it too, and she was… well she actually might have needed her beauty sleep. Now he felt bad.

"As I was saying, we need to come up with a plan to-" Her rant was interrupted by a green haired swordsman.

"We don't need a plan. Let's just go and kick their asses," he said, yawning. The whole conversation was boring, and he really needed a nap. Rowing that little boat after Luffy took it out of him. And then he went for a hike in the woods on the opposite side of the island.

"Do you know how big their crew is?" she asked hotly.

"Do you?" he responded back.

Luffy watched them argue back and forth, his head following along, back and forth, making him dizzy.

"It's quality over quantity. I guarantee we're stronger than them," Zoro grunted. This was getting them nowhere, fast. Damn this stubborn woman, and damn his Captain for bringing her along.

"That all depends on the quantity, doesn't it? Even if they're weakling, 100 vs 1 isn't good odds you know. Even I wouldn't take that bet," she snarked back.

"Then you're a shitty gambler."

"What!?"

"Let's let the Captain decide," said Zoro, cutting off Nami's tirade before it could begin. Her expression soured at the thought of her following a pirate's orders, even a decent one.

"He's not my-"

"Even if it's only temporary, he's still your Captain, tight?"

Nami's mouth shut tight at that. He was right, technically. And she hated that. His smug look doing nothing to aid in her mood. He won this round, but next time, she wouldn't be so easily swayed by logic.

"Ugh, fine. Luffy, what do you think we should do?" she asked, turning to the rubber man, only to see him sitting there with his eyes spinning, before he toppled over, dizzy.

This was her Captain? Really? Zoro had the same disbelieving expression on his face, as he cursed out said Captain, "Damnit Luffy."

***Line Break***

Nami wasn't happy. Not at all. Here she was, marching toward Buggy and his goons seemingly without a care in the world. But that wasn't true, she cared a lot! It was the morons next to her that had the death wish.

Once Luffy recovered from his dizzy spell, she asked him, quite politely in her opinion, on what they should do. His response?

"Let's go kick their asses!"

Yep, not even an ounce of hesitation. It might have been impressive if that decision didn't involve her. It almost brought her to tears. Zoro, the jerk, was acting all smug about it too.

Ugh, boys. If Nick was awake, he would agree with her. Probably. He was a boy after all, so he might have the stupid. Oh who was she kidding, of course he had the stupid! If he didn't, he wouldn't be on his death bed right now.

And wasn't that a sobering thought.

"Will you calm down already," said a deep voice to her right. She turned to face him, the so-called Pirate Hunter, and leveled him with a glare.

"Excuse me?"

Zoro gave her his own glare. He was tired of her attitude already. "If you're that scared then leave. You'll only slow us down."

She shook her head in frustration. They just didn't get it. It wasn't that she was scared, even though she was, it was that she would prefer to make a plan first. One that wasn't just rushing head first into danger.

"So what if I'm scared? That's not the point. There has to be a better way than charging in the front door," she said, exasperated.

"They have a front door?" questioned Luffy, causing both of them to sigh.

"It's a figure of speech Luffy," she said, believing that would explain everything. And to be fair, normally, you'd be right. But it was Luffy.

"So it's a mystery door…"

Nami felt like pulling her hair out. Her beautiful, beautiful hair. But she would refrain. She wouldn't look good bald, or with bald patches. She could pull off a lot of looks, but that wasn't one of them.

"Look, I get it. But that friend of yours already took out one of their commanders, right? So there's no point in sneaking around. It's a waste of time."

Nami hated that she agreed with him. Even if it nearly killed him, Nick did take out Mohji. She wasn't sure how many more they had, but that placed the odds more in their favor.

Still not a bet she would normally take.

"I guess you're right. But just to be safe, I'll let you guys take the lead," she conceded.

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

Luffy seemed oblivious to the tension. Or perhaps he was just ignoring it. They were crewmates now, so things would work out in the end. They'd be friends before you know it.

The town was silent, save for the occasional gust of wind that whistled as it passed. It didn't bother the trio any as they made their way to the center of town. But what they saw when they got there would leave them speechless.

"W-what the hell happened here?" questioned Nami with a quiver in her voice. Ok, maybe not completely speechless, but you couldn't blame them. The whole area was completely wrecked.

Nami remembered the blast from earlier, the one that let her escape from that pervy asshole. Is this from that blast? It had to be. But what caused it? Could it have been Nick? Is that how he escaped from Buggy?

Zoro whistled as he admired the destruction. It wasn't just one building that was blown apart, it was several behind it as well. Whole blocks reduced to little more than rubble. And in that rubble, he could make out bodies. Arms and legs sticking out at random places, each one wearing circus clothes.

At least it wasn't the townsfolk. Unless Buggy forced them to dress up that is.

Luffy's eyes were blank as he gazed at the area. It reminded him of the Goa Kingdom. More specifically, the Gray Terminal. It was nothing but a trash heap, with people searching through the garbage, hoping to find something with a little value to sell.

The rubber man liked this town. The little dog and the funny mayor guy. He liked them, so he didn't appreciate someone wrecking their home. He would make them pay.

A falling piece of debris drew their attention, with Nami hiding behind Zoro. Say what you will about his personality, the guy was built.

On top of the rubble stood a man with long green hair, a checkered scarf, and a sleeveless trench coat. It was none other than Cabaji, who gifted the three with a cocky smirk, "So I see that Mohji failed. Pity. He'll need to be punished."

His eyes went to each of them one by one, lingering on Nami and Zoro. For different reasons of course. Nami was Nami, and Zoro was someone Cabaji happened to be eager to meet.

He completely dismissed the goofy looking one in a straw hat.

"Well, if it isn't Roronoa Zoro," he said.

"And who the hell are you?" responded the green haired swordsman. The one with three swords that is.

"My name is Cabaji. I happen to be a bit of a swordsman myself, and I've heard an awful lot about you. Are you here to claim my Captain's bounty?"

Zoro tsk'd as he stared at the man, "Nope, I'm just here to kick his ass."

Cabaji laughed, like he heard a funny joke, irritating Zoro, "And what's so funny huh?"

Once Cabaji calmed down, he gave them another condescending look, "The fact that you think you can beat him. Haven't you heard? He's immortal."

Zoro rolled his eyes, "Yeah right. Like I believe that."

"Oh, but it's true. He ate a Devil Fruit, you see. One that makes him invincible."

Nami looked worried at the boast, while Zoro just looked bored. He didn't believe for a second the guy was unbeatable. Nami didn't believe it either, but the rumors she's heard… She doubted he was truly invincible, but those rumors came from somewhere. There was likely some grain of truth to them, however small it might be.

The straw hat wearing future King of the Pirate's didn't share his crewmates unenthused looks. His eyes were practically shining with glee, "You mean he can't be beat? So cool!"

All three of them were taken aback by his enthusiasm. Who got excited about their opponent being unbeatable? A real battle maniac, that's who. But the more he thought about it, the more excited Zoro himself got.

Because he's a battle maniac as well.

After all, it would be a pretty big deal to beat the unbeatable, right? That would bring him one step closer to achieving his dream. To become the world's greatest swordsman.

And to retake something that was stolen.

"Uh, that's right. You stand no chance, so you might as well surrender and accept your punishment," Cabaji yelled, as he got over the weird kid's joy at facing an invincible foe.

"What do you say, Captain? Want to surrender to this guy?" asked Zoro, with more than a little sarcasm.

That snapped Luffy out of his wonder, and he remembered his rage, "Hell no! Let's kick his ass!"

Zoro smirked as he drew one of his blades, "Well you heard him. You can take your offer and shove it up your ass."

That didn't deter Cabaji one bit, who almost seemed happy about their refusal, "So be it. In that case, I challenge you, Roronoa Zoro, to a duel!"

"Heh, now that's more like it. I accept," he responded, holding out his sword in challenge. He's only been a pirate for a couple days and already he gets to duel. Seems the pirate life suited him just fine.

Luffy grinned as he jumped back to give them some room. His First Mate was challenged to a duel, and he couldn't wait to see him kick this guy's ass, "You got this Zoro!"

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Nami was less enthused about the whole affair, but stepped back all the same. Actually, this could work in their favor. She had no doubt that Zoro was strong, so he should be able to beat this guy no problem.

He looked like an idiot after all. And this would take out another of their heavy hitters. The large crew they had wouldn't matter if they fought one on one. But wait, where was the rest of his crew? They should be here, shouldn't they? Or were they all buried under the rubble?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Cabaji shouting and leaping into the air, and pulling out a… unicycle? Seriously? She knew they took the whole clown thing seriously, having seen Buggy's room, but come on.

She shuddered just thinking about it. That room would haunt her years to come.

Cabaji landed on the unicycle as he reached the ground, and immediately started pedaling, kicking up a cloud of dust as he sped toward his opponent. Drawing his sword, a cutlass, and raising it high he shouted, "Die!" as he reached Zoro, swinging it down with all his might.

The momentum gave his swing some extra oomph, but it didn't perturb Zoro in the slightest. He raised his single sword and blocked the strike, not moving an inch. He gave his opponent a feral grin as he mocked, "That all you got?"

Cabaji growled, "Not even close!" He took in a deep breath, confusing Zoro, before breathing out a string of fire.

"Acrobat Technique: Chili Con Carnival!"

"Gah," Zoro grunted, the heat burning his face and blinding him. He dove out of the way, as Cabaji took another swing at him. Not letting his miss discourage him, Cabaji let loose a series of cuts.

Zoro managed to dodge or block all of them, blinking away the glare brought on by the fire. Zoro growled and took a swing of his own, only for the circus pirate to backpedal on his unicycle, avoiding the strike.

"You're a sneaky little bastard, aren't you?" said Zoro. It was a dirty trick. The three sword user was hoping for a proper duel. Guess that's what he gets for thinking a pirate would have some honor.

"Hahaha, why thank you. Now for my next trick…" Cabaji said, with a grin, before stabbing his sword into the ground. Zoro looked confused again as Cabaji began to spin, creating a dust cloud that obscured him from sight.

"Acrobat Technique: Surprise at the Bathhouse!"

The dust cloud began moving, advancing toward Zoro, who held up his sword defensively. Nami covered her eyes as dust blew into her face, while Luffy just held onto his hat, eyes never leaving the duel.

In fact, he hasn't blinked since it began. He didn't want to risk missing a single moment.

Zoro watched as a knife shot out from the cloud. He tilted his head to dodge, and then blocked the sword strike that followed. It was another sneaky trick. Cabajii kept swinging his blade, coming from all different directions, interspersed with razor sharp throwing knives.

Zoro gave ground, blocking or dodging each attack. He struggled a bit at first, not being able to tell where and when the other guy would strike, but soon enough, he noticed a flaw.

Before a sword strike, the twister would slow down, just a fraction, and before a knife throw, it would wobble slightly. That's how he figured out the when. The where wasn't hard either. The cloud of dust would become displaced wherever a sword or a knife was coming from. It "bubbled" outward, for lack of a better word.

Now that he knew the pattern, it was almost too easy. He dodged and blocked for another minute, before growing tired of it. Seeing a point bubble out, and the speed drop, Zoro knew that's where his sword would come out of.

So he swung at that point, forcing Cabaji to turn his attack into a block. The dust cloud settled down, revealing Cabaji with an angry expression. He was breathing a bit heavy, sweat and dirt lining his brow, struggling to halt Zoro's blade.

Who looked like he wasn't even trying. Even with only one sword, using only one arm, he was easily overpowering Cabaji. The clown pirate snarled as he tried to push the other swordsman away, but it was no use. Zoro was just too strong.

With a bored expression, Zoro used his free hand to hide a yawn, "Is that it? I thought you'd be tougher with all that blustering you did earlier. Any more tricks up your sleeve, cause I'm getting bored."

"You bastard!" Cabaji yelled back. Zoro only smirked as he gripped his sword with both hands and sent Cabaji flying. He hit the ground with a grunt, his unicycle landing next to him. He raised his head, only to see Zoro pointing his blade at him.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"Fine then, let's see how you handle this!" Cabaji growled, before jumping back on his unicycle and speeding up the side of a building, balancing on the edge, and staring down at his opponent with a cocky grin once more.

"Cool," said Luffy, admiring Cagaji's skill. Sure, Zoro was better, way better, and he wouldn't trade his first crewmate for anything, not even all the meat in the world, but that doesn't mean he couldn't like the other guy's technique. He went straight up a wall! On a unicycle! That was just awesome.

So far, Luffy was enjoying his time at the circus.

Nami was simply surprised by just how strong Zoro was. Sure, she figured him for a pretty tough guy, with his reputation and all, but it was another thing to see it firsthand

"Acrobat Technique: Firework Festival!"

Cabaji reached into his coat and flung a dozen deadly spinning tops. The tips were filed to a harsh point, barbed, and coated in a suspicious purple liquid. They came at Zoro fast, and spread out, making it nearly impossible to dodge.

So he didn't. With an almost lazy swipe of his sword, he cut the tops to pieces. Several landed on the ground next to him and kept spinning. He raised an eyebrow at his opponent, "That's your best technique? And here I thought you'd give me a challenge."

Rather than be upset, Cabaji merely continued to give him a cocky grin, "Come now Roronoa Zoro, use your head will you. Why do you think I named that technique Firework Festival, hm?"

Zoro looked confused for a second, before his eyes widened in realization. Gaze returning to the tops, which were slowing down, he dashed away. As the tops stopped completely, they exploded in a violent torrent of color. It was as deadly as it was beautiful.

Zoro was flung to the side, rolling across the ground. He grunted as he came to a stop, and turned to look at his opponent, only to see a dozen more tops spinning around him. "Damnit!" he cursed.

He wouldn't be able to get away in time, they were already slowing down. So he did the only thing he could think of. He crossed his arms in front of him and took the blast head on.

"Zoro!" yelled Luffy in concern, as his friend disappeared into the bright and admittedly colorful explosion. Nami's eyes widened as well, worry etched onto her face. Things were going so well too. She should have known better than to underestimate someone so sneaky.

Even the strongest person could be taken out with a clever trick.

They watched as Cabaji flung more and more tops into the dust, dozens upon dozens of them. Just where did he keep them all? Their ears were ringing by the time he was finished, having finally run out of tops.

The green haired clown pirate threw his head back and laughed, "That was it? That was the great Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro? How pathetic!"

Luffy grew angry at the man insulting his crew, "You shut your mouth!"

Cabaji only graced him with a condescending smirk. He was good at those. "Don't worry, Mr. Straw Hat, you'll be joining him soon."

"Joining him where?" asked a voice. The group turned to face the sound. The cloud of debris that formed from the explosion slowly dissipated into the wind. Standing there, with smoldering burn marks in his shirt, was Zoro.

The group was elated by this. Well, two of them were anyway. Cabaji was in disbelief. No one should be able to survive the Firework Festival. No one except his Captain, that is.

"Zoro you're alive!" Luffy cheered happily.

"Course I am," he responded, breathing heavier than he'd like to admit. Those explosions did a number on him, and there was an annoying ringing in his ear that wouldn't go away. But he wouldn't be caught by the same trick twice. That sneaky bastard would get what's coming to him.

He winced, as he looked at his shoulder. Sticking out of it was one of those tops. It didn't explode, thankfully, but he wasn't keen about the liquid it was coated with. Probably some kind of poison.

It wasn't the only one either. There was one sticking out his left arm and thigh as well. Just great, one more thing to deal with. Or three in this case. He grunted quietly as he ripped them off of him, the barbs making it more irritating and painful than it should be.

His attention was drawn back to Cabaji, who laughed out loud once more, "You may have survived the blast, but it's only a matter of time now. Soon you'll be too weak to stand."

Zoro glared at the man, while Luffy and Nami looked worried again. They could see the purple liquid coating the tips of the tops. It was a good thing Boodle went to get the doctor, as it seemed like they would be getting a second patient.

"Heh, you really think something like this will slow me down? You're even dumber than you look," Zoro snarked, enraging Cabaji.

"I grow weary of your disrespect, Roronoa Zoro. I think it's time to show you your place!"

Cabaji once more began pedaling his unicycle. Somehow he managed to stay in on spot as he did so, rapidly building up speed. The wheel began to smoke, and that seemed to be the signal.

"Acrobat Technique: Boar Coming Down the Mountain!"

Cabaji shot off like a bullet, heading straight down the side of the building, gaining even more momentum. He actually looked like a charging boar, snarling face and all.

He reached the bottom and quickly made his way towards his opponent. Zoro prepared himself, and for the first time in this fight, drew his second sword. He crossed them in front of himself in a guard position.

Cabaji slammed into him like a freight train. Zoro managed to block the overhand strike, but he couldn't stop the momentum. Cabaji pushed him back into a building, slamming him with enough force to crack the brick.

Zoro glared at the man and growled as he began to push him back. But Cabaji expected this, knowing that Zor was stronger than him, and inhaled deeply. Zoro's eyes widened, recognizing the technique.

"Acrobat Technique: Chili Con Carnival!"

Rolling out of the way, Zoro was still singed slightly by the flames. He was getting real sick of these tricks. Turning to face his enemy, Zoro was surprised to see him nowhere in sight.

"Zoro, above you!"

"Huh?"

Looking up at the sound of his Captain's voice, he saw Cabaji pedaling up the wall once more. Only this time, he didn't stop. He kept going, until he left the building all together, flying high in the sky.

"Acrobat Technique: Summer Rain!"

Cabaji held his sword facing downward now, as he fell to the earth, heading straight for Zoro. It was fast, and the sun blinded him, but he still managed to get out of the way. Breathing heavily, Zoro watched his opponent wearily, ready for another trick.

"You don't look so good. Do you need a break?" mocked Cabaji.

"Go to hell!" Zoro responded.

"That's the spirit!" cheers Cabaji, as the unicycle tire once more began spinning in place. He was preparing another charge. Zoro readied himself again, adopting a guard position.

"Ready or not, here I come!" With a gleeful shout, Cabaji raced toward his rival, faster than ever.

He was about ⅔ of the way there when several things happened at once. First, the poison kicked in, making Zoro wobble a bit and see double. Second, Cabaji used his cutlass to fling dirt in Zoro's eyes.

Ok, so maybe it was only two things, but that was enough. Zoro cursed as he flinched, eyes stinging from the dirt in his eyes. It was an involuntary action, but his guard was dropped. And with the poison affecting him, he couldn't get his guard back up in gave Cabaji the opening he needed.

"Die!"

Cabaji thrust his sword forward, slicing into Zoro's side as he sped past him. With a yell of pain, Zoro clutched his now bleeding side, collapsing onto one knee.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled out once more in worry. He seemed to be doing that a lot in this fight. It wasn't right of his First Mate to make him worry like that.

Nami covered her mouth in her hands. This wasn't good. That wound looked bad. Blood was practically gushing onto the ground. If he wasn't careful, Zoro would end up in a bed right next to Nick. That, or a coffin.

"Hahaha, how was that Zoro? Ready to give up yet?" mocked Cabaji, rocking back and forth on his unicycle. Zoro didn't answer right away, focusing on getting to his feet.

Taking deep breaths, Zoro flashed Cabaji a glare. Both of them. Damnit, he was still seeing double. That's not good.

"Nothing to say? Well that's fine by me. You can die in quiet dignity!" yelled Cabaji as he charged Zoro once more. Eyes wide, he rolled out of the way, dodging the other man's sword by a hair.

But Cabaji didn't let up. He kept going, gaining more and more momentum with each pass. It was getting harder for Zoro to dodge, especially with the poison flowing through his veins.

Eventually, he was too slow, and Cabaji cut into him again. This time, it was the shoulder. Zoro flopped onto the ground in pain. He was lying on his back, gasping for breath, eyes shut tight.

"You're so pathetic Zoro."

His eyes opened in shock. Kuina? He looked around for the source of the voice, only to see his Captain and the orange haired woman staring at him in concern. Of course, how stupid of him, Kuina was dead. Murdered.

His mind wandered to the past. All the duels he had with her, and not a single victory. Two thousand losses in a row. Must be some kind of record. He wondered what she would do in this situation. How would she beat this guy?

He was nothing but a coward, using dirty tricks to win. When Zoro fought a fellow swordsman, one that challenged him to a duel no less, he expected there to be some decorum.

"Never fight someone on their terms. Make them fight on yours. Keep them off balance."

That's it. He'd been fighting a battle on someone else's terms. It was time to change that. If he wouldn't fight him fair and square, he'd just have to make him.

God he's pathetic. Laying in the dirt, whining and crying about how unfair it was. He was a pirate now, and pirates fought dirty. He knew that. He won't make excuses for his weakness again. He either wins, or he loses, simple as that.

"Thanks Kuina," he muttered as he stood up once more.

"No problem, Bonehead. Now get out there and win!"

"You want to die on your feet. Well that's fine by me!" Cabaji yelled as he sped toward his opponent. Zoro didn't move, didn't acknowledge him at all. He just stood there with his back turned, swords gripped loosely in his hands.

Cabaji thrust his sword again, confident he would impale his opponent this time. After all, he wasn't even looking at him. Victory would be his, and so would the bragging rights of killing the Pirate Hunter.

Unfortunately for Cabaji, Zoro had no intention of being impaled. At the last second, he dodged, blade coming close enough to give him a shave. He spun around, lowering himself to one knee, gripped his sword tightly, and thrust it into the spokes of Cabaji's unicycle.

The result was Cabaji going flying. He landed with a painful thump, skidding along the ground, his sword clattering to the ground next to him. He laid there for a few moments, gasping for breath. The fall knocked the wind out of him. He slowly forced himself to look at Zoro, who was standing tall, staring at him impassively, holding his unicycle at the end of his sword.

"Don't think this means you've won," Cabaji growled, standing up on shaky legs. He took about as much damage from that fall as Zoro did the whole fight. Or maybe, Cabaji just wasn't built nearly as tough.

Zoro lifted up his sword, the one with the unicycle, and stared at it for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he flung it into the air. Cabaji and the rest watched with wide eyes.

"W-what are you doing? Stop that!" Cabaji screeched.

His pleas fell on deaf ears as Zoro swung his blades, chopping it into three pieces. Cabaji could only watch in despair as his unicycle was rendered useless. Along with his Acrobatic Techniques.

"Damn you! You'll pay for that!" he screamed, charging at Zoro, who wasn't even looking at him. For the second time, Cabaji was basically ignored by his opponent.

Zoro removed the bandana from his arm, and began tying it onto his head, "It doesn't matter if there's two of you, or three, or even a hundred-" he started, as he finished tying the bandana on his head, fastening it with a final, firm tug. And finally looking at his enemy.

"-I won't lose to trash like you."

The intensity in his eyes made Cabaji pause in his charge. And no matter what he did, he couldn't move. He was completely paralyzed.

It was that moment when Zoro finally drew his third and final blade, placing it into his mouth. "Let's end this."

He got into a stance, arms crossed and blade pointing straight up. He crouched, as he prepared to attack.

"Three Sword Style…"

"No, wait!"

"Oni…"

"I said wait damn it!"

"Giri!"

With a mighty stomp that left a dent in the ground, Zoro took off, moving far quicker than Cabaji ever did. The other man tried to put up a guard, but it would prove to be useless. Zoro appeared behind his foe, swords extended.

For a moment nothing happened, and the two spectators thought he might have missed. But then, blood. It erupted like a geyser from Cabaji's chest, three cuts marring his flesh.

"How could the Buggy Pirates lose to such riffraff?" Cabaji managed to say, standing upright for a few seconds once the spraying ceased. But then he collapsed, like a puppet whose strings were cut, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"You never stood a chance," Zoro claimed, removing his bandana and sheathing his blades. Even though he said that, the fight was tougher than he thought it would be. That's what he gets for underestimating his opponent.

"Way to go, Bonehead."

Zoro smirked at that, before he collapsed to the ground. The loss of blood and the poison finally taking its toll. If one were to stumble on the scene, it would be difficult to tell who was the victor.

"Zoro!" Luffy cheered, this time not in worry, but joy. He ran up to his First Mate, a big happy smile on his face. Zoro just won his first fight as a member of his crew. How awesome is that?

Nami approached more sedately. She hated to admit it, but she was impressed. That battle was a real roller coaster. First Zoro had the upper hand, then Cabaji, then Zoro again. Talk about emotional whiplash.

That being said, "You look like shit," she commented as she neared. Zoro did his best to glare at her, but it lacked some potency when he couldn't lift his arms.

"Shut Up. I don't need to hear that from the peanut gallery," he grumbled.

"I'm just saying, maybe next time you fight a guy, don't get stabbed."

"Gee, thanks for your insight. I'll keep that in mind."

"My pleasure."

Luffy laughed as he listened to his crew banter. It wasn't as heated as it was before, so that was good. He was glad to see them getting along. It reminded him of his brothers. They were always ribbing each other.

"Hey Luffy," said Zoro, snapping him out of his memories. "Hm, yeah, what's up?"

"Sorry, but, looks like you'll have to handle the rest," he said, his voice slurring a bit. Luffy stared at him for a moment, before his face lit up in a big grin, "Got it. Leave it to me."

He held out his fist for Zoro to bump, who raised his hand slowly with a grin of his own. But before they could complete their male bonding, their world exploded into white.