The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 19

There seemed to be no end to this God-forsaken jungle. The volcano erupted nearly an hour ago and I had no idea where I was or which direction the Going Merry was from me.

I let out a frustrated roar, "Damnit! If I get lost here, they will never let me go anywhere alone again!" My hand closed around the small pouch Usopp had given me and I scowled, "No, not yet. This is an absolute last resort."

Scowling, I pressed onward, searching for any sign of the trail I made or my other crewmates wandering the island. Things were starting to feel hopeless when I heard a scream of pain and anger. I could not tell who the voice belonged to, but panic gripped my heart. Fearing one of my friends was in trouble, I ran toward the voice as fast as I could without tripping on any tree roots. As I neared them, I heard a strange man's laughter.

"That's it. Make it look like you're in as much pain as possible! That's perfect!" His words felt like ice in my veins as I wondered who he was talking to, "Expressions of agony are what I seek to achieve in my art. The finished product will be simply splendid!" His voice seemed to devolve into madness, "You must die filled with terror!"

"This is what you call art, you creepy, weird-haired freak?!" I heard Nami's voice filled with anger and fear, "You guys are gonna regret this! You're gonna pay for what you did to Broggy and Dory and for what you're trying to do to us!"

The man spoke again, a smug smile in his voice, "You can scream all you want to, little girl. No one can help you now!"

Rage boiled in my blood so hot that I had to act. My sensory vision sharpened so high that I could almost see the man's face as he laughed. My legs propelled me across the ground blindingly fast, causing me to nearly stumble on the uneven earth.

My fist clenched as a roar ripped past my lips, "Starker Streik!" I reeled my fist into his jaw hard enough he was sent airborne. With a pained grunt, the man tumbled across the ground, coming to a stop near the edge of the clearing.

"Mr. 3!" A woman and a man shouted in unison.

I ignored them, anger fueling the venom in my voice, "Like hell, she has no one to help her!" My fists curled up, still trembling with anger, "I may not know what's going on, but I won't let you hurt any of my crewmates, you bastard!"

"Kaori!" Nami and Vivi cried out, shock and joy in their voices. I did not answer them, however, as my attention was drawn to the man and woman who stood near me.

The woman's voice was furious, "Mr. 5, who is this girl?!"

"I don' know," The man responded in a low voice, "But she attacked Mr. 3, so she ain't no friend of ours."

The code names sounded familiar and I turned to the pair, "So you guys are with Baroque Works then?"

Mr. 5 growled, "Since you know who we are, I can assume you're with those Strawhat Pirates which makes you our enemy. Right, Miss Valentine?"

"Right, Mr. 5," She gave a shrill laugh, "And any enemies of Baroque Works must be dealt with."

"That's right," Mr. 5 grunted, "Let's take her out, Miss Valentine!"

I raised my fists to fight, but Vivi screamed in warning, "Kaori, look out! Mr. 5 ate the Bomu Bomu no mi so anything he touches will explode!"

"What?!" I yelled back at her as I ducked under his fist, "If I can't hit him, then how am I supposed to fight him?!"

I leapt back, ducking away from each attack the bomb-man made. Miss Valentine's shrill laugh caught my attention from above me, "Don't forget about me! Ten thousand kilogram press!" I sensed her begin to plummet toward me in an attempt to crush me. An idea sprang into my mind and I sidestepped the woman's attack, grabbing her ankle as she came down. With a pained grunt, I swung my body to throw her into Mr. 5.