The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 49: Rain Returns to Alabasta

Everything was deathly quiet compared to the roar of the battlefield just moments ago. Wincing, I lifted my head and looked around me. My crewmates were all lying on the ground, some of them covering their heads. They all looked unharmed by the blast though.

A shuffling sound caught my attention and I slowly sat upright, favouring my right shoulder. I watched as Rebel and Royal soldiers alike were all slowly getting to their feet. There was a brief moment where they all looked around at each other. For an instant, I thought maybe the explosion had knocked them all to their senses.

However, to my despair and horror, they began to roar and scrambled to pick up their weapons. The scattered skirmishes turned into brawls. Men who were slower to get up were trampled or cut down. The dust storm was gone, but the confused frenzy was still going strong.

It was a bloodbath that had long since spiralled out of control.

Sanji's voice broke me out of my stupor as he spoke with a surprised and pained voice, "He's... gone," I turned to see that he was staring up at the sky. Solemnly, I followed his line of sight to see where we had last seen Pell carrying away the bomb.

Nami's voice was heavy with shock, "He... saved us all."

"This... Can't be happening," Usopp mumbled out loud, terrified at the sight of the armies continuing their mindless fight. The roar of the battle seemed louder than before. The men had become mad with violence.

Kaori let out a pained and furious wail. I turned to see her with her palms pressed against her temples and her face scrunched up with anger, "Why are they fighting again?! Pell just died! He sacrificed himself for them! Why don't they stop!!!" The blind woman's shoulders were trembling, from rage or crying, I could not tell.

Hesitantly, I reached out and placed my hand on her arm, "Kaori-"

The white-haired woman smacked my hand away with an angry shriek. I was startled to see tears streaming down her face, cutting through the dust on her cheeks, "Don't worry about me!" She balled her hands into fists and curled her arms up toward her chest, "Can't you hear her?!"

My brow furrowed in confusion before I looked up to the top of the clock tower. Standing at the edge of the open clock face was Vivi. Her haunted eyes appeared to be unfocused as she looked out over the war-torn plaza before her. She was screaming so hard that her voice was hoarse. When I finally managed to make out what she was saying, I felt a hollow chill in my chest.

"STOP FIGHTING! PLEASE STOP! STOP IT! STOP THE FIGHTING! STOOOP! PLEASE STOP FIGHTING!"

The princess kept repeating her pleas over and over. The pain and desperation in her voice was almost palpable. After all of her struggling, facing her worst fear like this had broken her down completely, "Vivi..."

It was Nami's turn to start crying in rage as she turned on us and pushed Kaori aside, "You dolts! Why are you just standing there?!" The navigator grabbed the front of Sanji's jacket and yanked him toward the battle. He nearly fell over with a pained grunt, "Get your rears in gear!" Tears started flowing down her face as she turned to me and shoved me, sending pain shooting across my torso as the bullet wound in my shoulder and the cuts across my chest threatened to reopen, "It doesn't matter how just stop the rebellion!" The manic woman ended her assault on Usopp as she grasped the bandages on his chest and screamed, "We've gotta keep the casualties as low as we possibly can!" Her face finally fell as she began to sob, still clutching Usopp.

I looked from Kaori to Sanji before the cook nodded with a determined frown and dove right into the fray. He kicked at anyone and everyone within reach. He disarmed people or simply tripped them up, anything that would slow the bloodshed.