[zolu] ❇ you with me

[9] bounty hunter

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On the kidnapper's ship...

Luffy woke up to the sound of birds chirping loudly. Although the discomfort the bed brought him, he was surprised he slept so well. He stretched and turned to look at his surroundings. It was illuminated now by the sunlight entering through the window. The room itself felt repurposed into a cell that jailed him.

Two pairs of footsteps rapidly approached the young boy's room, startling him as he scrambled into the bathroom door. Luffy closed the flimsy door behind him. The lock of the door adjacent to the restroom clicked open. Stepping into the room, the two figures outside sighed out loud.

"We know you're in there," a woman's voice emerged from the opposite side of the door. She sounded irritated. "Just come out already, do you want to eat or not?"

Luffy's primitive instincts kicked in. To eat or not to eat, he thought. 

"FOOD!!" he screamed, lunging himself out the bathroom door and landing face-first into the floor. "Give me... MEAT!!"

The boy felt an arm touching him as a cold metallic ring with a chain attached to his arm on one end and the bedframe on the other. He sat up to see two figures. A large man with short hair and a muscular frame was accompanied by a woman with long, mint hair and a petite figure.

"ZORO?! YOU TURNED INTO A GIRL?!" Luffy screamed out of shock.

"No you stupid- UGH why did we have to get assigned to this kid out of everyone on that stupid list?" the woman argued with her acquaintance. "If it weren't for the price tag on his head I wouldn't have taken this stupid job."

"It's easy money, I can't complain," the man shrugged.

"You're right about that..." the woman face palmed before turning back to look at the boy. "Look, I'm not your precious little 'Zoro,'  do you want food or not-"

"HUH? NAMI? YOU DYED YOUR HAIR?" Luffy interrupted her with another scream, his expression more the less the same as his previous statement.

"One more word. ONE more DAMN word and you're not eating," the woman scolded, steaming filing out of her ear out of anger.

"I'M HUNGRY!!" Luffy screamed again, registering only the 'eating' part. The woman was about to pop a vein out of frustration, but a smirk replaced it quickly. She turned to her partner before whispering something to his ear.

"...we're gonna EXECUTE him," the woman whispered loudly, emphasizing the word loudly enough for Luffy to hear. This caused the slender male to think, which took a toll on his head. Turning red from holding his breath to think, he looked back up.

"BOOGIE? CLOWN NOSE, IS THAT YOU?!" he blurted out. The large male started laughing, tears rolling down his cheek. In no time, large painful bumps appeared on both of their heads. 

The woman composed herself for the last time before setting down a tray of plain rice and grilled meat next to the boy. Silently signaling their exit, she slammed the door loudly behind her as the man ducked his head to leave the room.

"Anyways... we're gonna dock soon. The island is in view. Get all the other prisoners ready," the woman sighed angrily.

"Yes ma'am..." the man sarcastically replied, earning himself another bump on top of the still aching one from before.

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Somewhere on the island...

The swordsman awoke to a prickling headache. His arms felt sore, so he turned to look at them. A handcuff chained the man to the dark brick walls behind him. He tried to move his other arm but realized it was similarly bound. The chill that breezed atop his head scared him, trying to find the straw hat he had worn.

He couldn't feel his three katanas by his side, driving him into a panic. It was dark in his cell, but the small amounts of light seeping in from a steel door gave him a sense of his environment. In the corner of his eye, he finds his katanas leaning against the wall. It was almost teasing him, for if he could move just an inch closer, he would have access to his blades.

It calmed him knowing they were fine, but the whereabouts location of Luffy's straw hat remained at large in the back of his mind. The tanned man's head ached and hurt like hell from the impact earlier. He was unsure how long he was in there. The sunlight was tinted with a slight orange, leading him to believe it was sunset or sunrise.

After resting for a moment more, he regained enough composure to attempt to pry the shackles off his wrist. It was surprisingly loose, as each forceful tug powdered dry cement on his back. One final pull and the link connecting the chains to the wall broke loose. Although it weighed him down, he moved more than he could before.

Grabbing one of his katanas, he unsheathed the weapon and cut the brittle metal off his wrists. The swordsman fitted all three blades by his waist, emptying them from their scabbards. With his bandana tied around his head, he bit down on his signature katana and kicked the iron door open.

"W-what? How did y-you get out?" the guard outside questioned, examining the damage on the steel door. He readied his weapon just to be cut down relentlessly.

"I'll be taking this back," Zoro took the straw hat resting on a small table next to his cell. He contemplated wearing it but decided stringing it around his neck was safer. Looking down at the guard he slashed, he noticed they were wearing a uniform similar to the intruders. 

Blood puddled below the open wound of the guard. With one step after the other, the swordsman tramples over the uniformed man. A long hallway stretched from what he could see. Cells lined one side of the walls, the other occupied by an occasional window. 

Zoro walked mindlessly down the corridor before encountering another door unfamiliar to the prison ones.

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- End of Chapter -