Zoro's upper body twisted slightly to the left. "Nitōryū," he exhaled, steam escaping from his clenched teeth. Cuts rained down around him, some even digging into his skin, but he ignored them and focused on the move he needed to make. He was about to test his core strength. He was going to need all of it.
"Make it thin. Cut only with the tips ," he thought as Wado and Kitetsu vibrated violently in his hands. They seemed to like the idea. The green swordsman grinned a bestial grin before his eyes snapped open. Using every muscle in his lower body and torso, he spun clockwise at blinding speed. Along the way, a deadly purple ring erupted from the tips of his swords and continued to grow at a dizzying pace.
"EQUINOX!".
Usopp screamed as he saw the circle of death extending from Zoro's swords. He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his head with his hands as the ring's arc drew closer. He was right, no doubt. If he hadn't listened, he would surely be dead. He didn't know how Zoro had done it, and frankly, he didn't even want to know at that moment. The whole situation was so horrific that he feared for his life, so he didn't even want to breathe.
First Nami, then Luffy with that terrifying look and the strange, vibrant rain. Yes, he felt it! And now Zoro was doing things that couldn't possibly be real! He should know better—he lied about things like this all the time! Besides, how was he supposed to explain the state of the clearing behind Kaya's house? Not to mention that, apparently, his butler was trying to kill them all! He buried his face even deeper in the earth, hoping it would swallow him up and keep him safe from all the danger he'd encountered.
Two loud bangs echoed through the rain, right in front of the frightened boy, and then an even louder crash was heard from all around. Without even opening his eyes, Usopp knew at once that the banging was the ring hitting the walls and the house. What else could make that noise? "The house doesn't..." the boy exclaimed.
However, he didn't know what had caused the blows in front of him. Against his better judgment, Usopp opened his eyes to find out, instantly regretting it. The long-nosed boy screamed like a madman as he stood up and hurriedly backed away from where he had been standing. Because that's what it was. Blood. Murder.
Khlahadore lay on the ground directly opposite Usopp's previous position. His upper half lay face up on the wet grass, his sternum severed. He stared into the darkness as rain flooded his open eyes; his glasses were gone. The lower half of his body lay less than five feet away from the rest, completely motionless, as was his other half. Blood cascaded from both halves, staining the damp green grass a dark crimson even as the rain tried to wash it away.
Usopp had never seen anyone die. He couldn't take his eyes off the butler... What was he supposed to say to Kaya?... That thought, combined with the sight of Khlahadore being sliced in two, made the long-nosed boy's stomach churn, and he did the only logical thing at that moment. He vomited. He vomited until he couldn't anymore, and then the retching began.
The green-haired man groaned and sheathed both swords before turning and walking slowly toward Usopp, hiding the pain on his face. He'd need to train if he wanted to be able to do this more than once. His legs would ache in the morning. He pushed that thought from his mind and approached the long-nosed teenager, still gagging at the sight of Kaya's dead butler. "Usopp," Zoro said, drawing his attention. Cleaning everything up wouldn't do. "Go back inside and tell Luffy it's over. I'll take care of the rest out here." He studied Kuro's two halves. "Looks like the equinox made more sense than I thought..." he mused morbidly.
Usopp didn't respond; instead, he just nodded and turned to walk back to the entrance of the house, gagging all the way.
The swordsman watched the younger boy's figure disappear down the path before turning to the dead butler at his feet and sighing to himself... Where the hell was he supposed to bury this bastard?
Nami slowly opened her eyes, a wave of pain washing over her as she awoke. Where the hell was she?
The last thing she remembered was fainting in Luffy's arms. The redhead blushed slightly. It had been hot. Her cheeks flushed even more as she remembered crying, but she quickly shook off the embarrassment. For some reason, she felt Luffy wouldn't hold it against her. Besides, it was raining. He probably hadn't even noticed. The redhead heard two voices as she snapped out of her thoughts. They sounded like Luffy and Usopp. Her vision began to clear as she took in her surroundings.
"But you have to come! You'll be part of the crew!"
"We've already talked about this, Luffy! When you become a pirate, come find me! I need to be here for Kaya right now..."
They were noisy. "Shut up," Nami said, still awake, before she was seized by a coughing fit. "Water."
"Nami!" Luffy shouted, leaping from the table and running to the bed of the waking girl. His conversation with Usopp was quickly forgotten. He gave the orange-haired girl his biggest smile and sat down next to her on the sheets, crossing his legs with surprising gentleness.
The redhead couldn't help but smile at her... Acquaintance?... Colleague?... Friend?... She nodded toward the door, her smile fading as she repeated to herself, "Could one of you bring me some water?" Her throat felt like sandpaper.
"You got it, Nami. Relax for now," Luffy said. "You took a nasty hit." He quickly jumped up and left the room, opening and closing the door as he went to the bathroom to get the glass of water Nami had asked for. "Zoro! She's awake!" he called downstairs before opening the bathroom door.
"It's about time!" the swordsman's voice called from downstairs. His footsteps echoed in the kitchen below as he emerged, clutching what he'd been searching for. Well... that was enough. He uncorked the bottle of wine as he headed from the kitchen to the stairs. He reached the top step just as Luffy emerged from the bathroom and tossed him the meat skewer he'd requested. The straw-hatted boy leaped and caught it in his mouth, deftly holding the drink Nami had asked for, and the two walked together to see their future navigator.
Luffy opened the door and they both entered the room. He walked past Usopp, who was still at the table, and continued to the bed. "Here, Nami," the boy murmured as he ate, carefully offering her the glass of water.
Nami sat up slowly, assessing how she felt. She was in more pain than she would have liked, but it wasn't unbearable. She reached for Luffy's mug and noticed she was covered in bandages. Almost her entire upper and lower body, as far as she could see and feel under the sheets. Kuro had bandaged her quite a bit, hadn't he? Her heart raced a little. What had happened? It was all quite confusing, but she thought she remembered... Zoro stopping him?
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