So here's the promised update! It's been a while, I suppose, but luckily not as long as other times. Thanks to a lot of lovely reviews and personal messages, I have spent a lot a time getting back into writing lately. It might also have to do with the fact that I have my life more figured out right now. Either way, the next chapter is in process. Between travelling around and The Bell's Chime I hope I can upload it soon! Tell me what you think!

Chapter 8: At their Mercy

Luffy threw back his arm as he sprinted forward. Chains rattled to the ground soundfully when his opponent emptied his hands to reach around his back for his weapon.

Luffy was pissed. He had tried not to pay heed to the quarrel between Zoro and Sanji; Yet there was that resentment of his own impotence to all this burning inside him and he couldn't help how his Nakama's angry shouts were pouring into him like additional fuel. On the bright side another foe had just presented himself, nice and ready for a good beating. Not that Luffy was welcoming the encounter – in fact they couldn't have caught them more off guard. However, he now didn't care to hold back either. There was no need for small talk or negotiation. That sneer on the bounty hunter's face alone, designated to the capturing of Robin and Chopper, was reason enough to consider the start of the battle done. Or so he thought as his fist smashed into the unpractical looking lance that the bounty hunter had quickly drawn between them.

o-o-o

"Don't think those wusses are gonna save your ass, cook!"

Zoro cocked his wrists a little, tilting the blades of his swords sideways, openly directed to Sanji. The blond battled his own irritable state as he considered taking this argument further along, aware but not nearly enough caring of how there were more pressuring opponents at hand. Finally he raised one leg high into the air as he turned towards the swordsman, loathing seeping from his every word.

"So you're not satisfied ridding us of just one crew member? You're gonna keep going from there?"

"Tch, says the one who applauded me before!" Zoro rumbled, his voice turning dead serious at this verbal blow that was now openly issuing past matters. "Has being-a-man-for-once turned out to be too much for you?"

Sanji cringed at the mention of his former approval for this whole situation. He had only agreed with Zoro after the damage was done. But in contrast to that muscle head he had already tried putting a stop to Luffy and Usopp before those two idiots had lost it completely. However, Sanji wasn't in the mood for any further discussions. He now shot forward, only stopping in his track, when Robin's voice breached his hazy mind at last. Holding onto this newly found grasp on his own state, he quickly changed his direction, now charging the fishmen that were starting to drag away the nets containing the two devil fruit users. Sanji may have been in the worst mood of his life, but nothing justified ignoring a woman's cry for help.

"We're not finished!" Zoro gnarled before pushing Wado-Ichimonji between his teeth and hasting forward, now fully armed for a fight. He was forced to a halt when another presence shot in his way, thwarting the direction of his swords aided by a long staff. Spiteful Zoro took a step back, glaring at the meddling nuisance before him. The swordsman could now see, that the staff was in fact a smallish hammer, set on a rather long handle that could be operated with two hands.

"Move it, old man!"

The lanky, elderly man across from Zoro twirled his weapon with a nonpartisan expression.

"I'm your opponent." He retorted noncharlant.

"Fine." The green-haired man terminated the discussion. He would end this quickly, then go after the cook. Skillfully he took a swing at the man with his right katana, only for it to be blocked by a hit from the small head of the hammer. A startled look crossed Zoros face when the vibrations surged through the sword's blade into his arm violently and he was forced to claps his other hand around his wrist, in order to still it.

"Come on, come on!" His adversary now taunted while swinging impatiently from left to right.

Immediately Zoro regained his posture and made for another strike, this time attacking with two swords. Swiftly the old man twirled around, evading the attack while dealing each sword a blow. Zoro stopped where he had shot past the man, trying to still the weapons in his hands a second time. He could feel the vibrations enter his ulnae from the howling blades, almost causing him to drop them. Uncompromising he bit through the pain.

"You're worth your while." Zoro now grinned at the man as he turned around, before finally they engaged in a steady succession of rapid blows. It took Zoro's every persistence, not to let go of the swords that repeatedly sent a sharp pain through both his arms. Through the ongoing sound of swaying steel a distinct whining noise revertebrated from one of his blades, finally opening Zoro's eyes. It wasn't him that the old man was fighting, but rather his swords! The moment of realisation drew from the swordsman's concentration for only a second and his eyes flew open when the hammer accomplished a strike on Wado-Ichimonji, almost shattering his teeth. The white katana cried miserably in response. Immediately Zoro took a leap backwards, picking Wado from his aching jaws. He contemplated the treasured weapon for a moment before pushing it back into it's sheath. Zoro was aware now that the man wasn't just dealing his swords blows. He was deliberately aiming for weak spots, which was how he was able to stirr them like he did in the first place, without even using much force. Bracing himself for a two-sword style now, Zoro launched himself back at his rival. The old man looked at him sternly when his next strike didn't clash with steel as intended. Zoro grinned at the man viciously as he tried surpressing the sharp pain shooting through his arm that he had moved in between his swords and the hammer.

"Are you treasuring your swords more than your body?" The old man questioned somewhat indifferently.

"Just watch me!" Zoro sneered, cringing painfully when the hammer came down on his arm a second time, forcing into his very bone the same painful vibrations that had tormented his blades before. He tried lashing out at his opponent from this new angle, but was forced to push his arm in between another time, feeling several splinters drift further apart.

o-o-o

Sanji took a leap from where he was sprinting towards Robin and Copper, kicking one of the fishmen in the neck and sending him out cold. Prepared, he straightened himself up again and looked around the four remaining enemies, that were now directing their attention towards him.

"Don't touch a lady with those repulsive hands!" The cook demanded. It was then, that Sanji became fully aware of the opponents he had chosen, two of the fishmen obviously originating from sea urchins while one looked close to a scorpionfish. Quietly he cursed this inoportune encounter, before he was forced to duck away to the side, when one of the creatures took a first swing at him. Immediately the blond spun around, smashing his attacker into a boulder with a well-placed kick to the chest. Whether it was lungs or gills seated in that spot, it seemed to have effect, as the half-ray man was now dropping to his knees, gasping for air.

Sanji was down the opponents that he could touch, now came the tough part. Skillfully he began evading attacks from three directions, trying to think of something quick. He was forced to take an unprepared leap that sent him to the ground. Taking the position to his advantage, the cook swung his leg in a half circle, swiping one of the sea urchins off it's feet. It was their only spot not covered in those long spines, aside from their heads. Immediately he spun around, trying the same technique on the scorpionfish-man and Sanji winced surprised when the edgy skin of his opponent slashed his pants and cut deeply into his flesh. This fishman was indeed ridged allover, even though he didn't look it as much as his companions.

"Shit!" It escaped the blond's throat. Quickly he straighted himself up, just in time to notice the one remaining sea urchin intending to ram him into the rocky slope behind with his barbed body. Sanji jumped high into the air, both, avoiding the attack, as well as aiming for a kick at the fishman's unprotected head. Faintly he could see a smirk on the enemy's face, who then tilted his head roughly to the side, leaving only long spines facing upwards. Sanji's eyes widened. Even though he saw the move, he was powerless to react mid-air, smashing right into the spikes a moment later. The thorns bore into the sole of his foot and his calf, breaking off as he pushed away from the fishman to leap back to the ground. Sanji clenched his teeth in anticipation, then forcefully stepped onto the stone ground, pushing the needles, that thoroughly pierched his foot, further up, at least allowing him to set his sole back down again.

This was no good... If it came down to it, he would give up his legs to save Robin from these freaks, yet he couldn't force down that bitter notion, that none of this was really necessary. With his swords Zoro could take care of those fishmen in one strike, spikes and all. Sanji had observed Zoro's fight alongside his own, taking a pretty good grasp of the situation. It was obvious that that stubborn Marimo was pushing his limits. Zoro's durable body was lucky to get away with only a crack, where a normal person's bone would have been shattered. And yet again the answer was so simple. If only everyone were up to some cooperation, Luffy could easily take on the old man, fully immune to that wicked technique. Their captain in his turn also seemed to be struggling with his own adversary quite a bit. Sanji thought of those nets, the wanted posters and that gloating expression on that bounty hunter's face. Their enemies were prepared, and they had all of them exactly where they wanted them.

He clenched his fists when he heard Robin shout his name. Frustrated the cook threw his impaled foot back down on the ground another time, allowing the pain to course through his body. He ground his teeth together. This had to hurt more than asking Zoro to join in his battle! Hesitantly the blond hasted a few steps into direction of the swordsman's fight.

o-o-o

Luffy took a step back, panting slightly. He had been throwing punches at the lead of the bounty hunters for quite a while, to seemingly no avail. His eyes wandered over the man's weapon, that looked more like a fork than anything else. He wasn't quite sure how his opponent was going to strike with something like that and up until now, he had not put any effort into showing him. However, the muscular man was surprisingly agile for his size, blocking each and every hit with this very weapon and Luffy was soon very aware how it made all of his efforts rather futile. He hadn't managed to land a single blow on the bounty hunter and every time his fists came down on that rod, Luffy felt like someone had taken the wind out of his sails. His muscles foundered at each touch with the lance, drawing every force from his formerly powerful strikes. And even though he was soon annoyed with the impression, that he was just slapping the man in front of him around with a wet towel, the exertion from every intended attack was very real. He just wished he could land even a single punch and at least slap that smirk off his opponent's face. More so when he could suddenly hear Zoro and Sanji act up again, in spite of their own fights.

"You know I'm right, Zoro!" Sanji argued, while hasting a step to the side, evading the spiked fishmen that were following his track.

Zoro was taking a painful hit to the head to protect his swords.

"You better man up and settle your own fights!" The swordsman groaned stubbornly in response as blood trickled from his forehead.

Luffy wasn't sure, what they were arguing about, but the fact that they didn't give it a rest alone affected his mood rapidly.

"We're all in over our heads!" Sanji spit again. "Including you! Luffy could..."

The boy didn't hear the rest of that sentence, as the mention of his name had him let down his guard and finally the other man followed through with a strike of his weapon, catching the pirate captain head-on.

o-o-o

Nami began to uncoil, when after a few minutes her trembling subsided and she felt herself getting back in control of herself. Guilt tucked on her conscience when she realised, that she had just left Robin and Chopper at the hands of the enemy where she could have intervened. Hesitantly she tried peaking around the surface against her back, when a threatening growl made her freeze in her track. Horrified the girl looked upwards, staring into wide, black eyes. The bounty hunter's pet fletched it's teeth, lying in wait atop the rock that had been her hide-out. Motionless the girl darted her eyes around, trying to look for any of her crew members, but soon she was slain by the realisation, that her every view was blocked by the very boulder she had crouched behind herself.

Her eyes flew back to the savage animal. Nami knew, that it wouldn't attack for as long as she stayed still. The beast's attention was fully locked on her every reaction. It was lurking... one misplaced breath or the twitch of a muscle would signal the start of the hunt. Her thoughts began to stall as she fruitlessly tried clinging onto her calm, not to cause for any provocation of the fixated predator. It was no use. She could feel her pulse rise with each of the animal's angry huffs, hitting her skin with a moist, unnerving breath.

One breath...

another...

...bottling up the fear, until finally her self-control snapped, tearing away like a tissue that kept being dampened. Within an instant, Nami launched forward, her mind consumed with the singular thought of flight. Finally triggered, the beast shot after her.