Zoro slowed his arm movements as he neared his destination, scanning the area for a shipwreck. He had swum quite fast, so it was likely that it hadn't completely sunk yet. His earlier theory was becoming more plausible with each passing second. The swordsman looked up, his eyes meeting the high mountain peak . Yes. He was in the right place. Well... at least he thought so. He continued swimming forward, carefully searching along the cliff face now that he knew the ship hadn't crashed. Finally, after swimming a little further, he spotted it. An opening in the rock. He looked back up at the summit.
Yes. And he was in just the right place, right where he saw the ship disappear and almost directly below the mountaintop.
Zoro squeezed his arms together to move faster. He was sure he'd found his destination. The green one clung to the rock as he neared his target. He was supposed to be at least a little stealthy... At least that's what the witch had said. He thought, at least... He hadn't really been paying attention. He shook his head and continued toward the opening in the cliff. When the teenager arrived, he peeked around the corner to see what he was facing.
Through the entrance tunnel, the view was limited; however, through his obscured vision, he could make out a wooden pier with a couple of boats. Looking beyond the pier was more difficult, but the space seemed quite open, so he could see. The boats at the pier were unremarkable, just a couple of inconspicuous vessels; however, they were all flying what he assumed was Mad Treasure's pirate flag. It wasn't so surprising. Mad Treasure was quite a big-time pirate.
Zoro swam slowly toward the tunnel, trying not to make a sound. The closer he got, the louder the noise seemed to get. At that distance, he couldn't see well, but the sound carried through the water, and it sounded like they were preparing to leave. The green-haired teenager's eyes widened as he reached the end of the tunnel; his gaze detected something odd in the middle of the area. It looked like a large elevator that extended to places Zoro couldn't see because it was too dark. Part of him wondered what was up there.
"The boss wants all these ships ready to sail in one hour!" shouted a voice from land.
Zoro buried his head even deeper underwater to avoid being seen. So they were moving... He watched them loading the boats and couldn't help but be drawn to the one at the far end. It was covered in precious stones and looked like it would be very expensive if sold. "Must belong to the boss..." he thought. Shaking his head, he returned to his purpose. He wanted to fight, but he was really there to steal some treasure. The swordsman snorted to himself... He probably wouldn't even be able to keep anything... Stingy Witch. He looked at the distance to the dock, thinking, before diving deep and swimming in its direction.
Zoro held his breath as he surfaced in the desired spot, exhaling slowly but silently. He was directly beneath the pier and could hear the echo of footsteps through the woodwork above him.
"We're not coming back here!" shouted a voice, "So pack up everything you can keep and throw away everything else!"
The swordsman remained silent as he decided what to do. They were leaving, which likely meant they were moving the treasure. Was it already on one of the ships? He turned his head toward the largest ship he had seen docked at the hideout, the one with the gems. If the treasure was already stored there, it was very likely that most, if not all, of it was on board. That ship being there also meant that the Mad Treasure was probably there too…
A smile spread across Zoro's lips, and silently, he began walking toward the ship he'd been thinking about. He dove under and swam beneath two boats before reaching the docked vessel at the far end, slowly emerging from the water once more. He looked up, his eyes widening at the gems on the side of the boat. They were enormous. "The Witch would be foaming at the mouth if she saw these ," he thought with a quiet chuckle.
The water rippled gently around his body as he made his way to the other side of the boat. He wanted to see if the treasure was there yet. Upon reaching his destination, the verdet let out a small, frustrated grunt. There was no way to get on the damn boat except from the dock! He snorted to himself. Things were getting tedious, and he didn't make things tedious... He just wanted to fight!
The irritation he felt was quickly replaced by panic as he hid under the wooden dock. A loud alarm blared in the air. Zoro listened intently, but it was difficult to understand what was happening amidst the chaos around him. The alarm seemed to have sown panic among those loading the ships.
"SHUT UP!" a voice ordered directly above Zoro's head. All the chaos ceased at those words; the only sound was the alarm still blaring in the air. The swordsman heard the measured footsteps of the figure descending the ship's ramp to the dock. He heard not only footsteps, but also... Was it metallic clanking? It sounded like thick chains moving.
"Keep loading the ships. P and Naomi will take care of it," the voice paused before laughing into the air, "I hope that's Carina coming back to play with her old crewmates!"
The swordsman's eyes widened. He'd heard that name before. Carina was the one Nami had gotten the information from, which meant... Zoro gritted his teeth, but remained still. Nami could take care of herself, and if she couldn't, the cook was there with her.
"Lower the treasure and start loading it onto my ship! We'll be setting sail for Grandline soon! I hope Carina arrives before then," the voice said, and Zoro heard someone licking. "May he find her, may he bring her to me... I miss her." The footsteps and metallic clinking were moving away from Zoro, apparently advancing along the dock. "One of you. Take charge of opening the treasure when it arrives. Obviously, I can't."
Confusion gripped the swordsman. Why couldn't he unlock the treasure?
The alarm blaring from above suddenly stopped and was replaced by a mechanical hum, only slightly less loud. Zoro sat nervously beneath the pier as things unfolded around him. He wanted to see what was going on. He swam out from under the side of the pier and froze, his eyes wide. Was that laughter coming from above?... It sounded like a laugh he knew too...
"At last!" boomed a cheerful voice from above, "I thought I'd be stuck there forever!"
...
Hi everyone, what do you think of the story so far? The book has over 300 chapters. If you'd like to download the complete book, it's available on my Ko-fi page. Here's the link: 👉 🤩 ko-fi.com/winterstar01 🤩