Stone was even more badly hurt than Zoro and had no strength left to fight. Right now, finding somewhere to hide mattered more than anything.
"Nami, don't leave me behind!"
More than a dozen underlings surrounded Stone. Terrified, he called out to Nami as she fled.
"Heh heh heh, quit yelling. Just be happy you're about to die." One of the underlings raised his sword with a smug grin and brought it down without mercy.
"Gorilla Protection!" With the blade about to strike, Stone desperately used his Devil Fruit power again.
A metal helmet suddenly formed over his head. The Steel Saber struck it, sending out nothing more than a few sparks.
Nami was furious. She really didn't want to go back for him, but he was still her companion. Everyone was fighting, and she couldn't just leave him to die.
"Ah!" She shouted to steel herself, then pulled a collapsible staff from against her snow-white thigh.
With a sharp cry, she charged the underlings. Nami was no match for the big shots, but these small fry were no trouble. Her staff whipped through the air, and in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen men fell to the ground howling. Nami finally reached Stone, hauled him up, and hurried away.
As they ran, she cursed him. "You bastard. Don't think I don't know how you got those injuries. Hmph. If you die, you'll have brought it on yourself."
Stone had no answer. After all, he hadn't resisted Luo Lin's temptation. His face red, he struggled for words before muttering, "I just made the kind of mistake any normal man would make."
"What? You're still making excuses? You got involved with that woman, and you think you were in the right?" Nami pinched his ear, then punched him.