The Blind Brawler [ Roronoa Zoro X OC]

Chapter 18

The swordsman and I squared off across the deck from each other. The rest of the crew had long since gone to bed leaving no one to get in the way of our brawl. I slid my right foot back and pulled my fists up in front of my face. A wild smile took hold of my lips, "You ready, swordsman? I'm not holding back this time!"

Zoro scoffed, "I wouldn't have it any other way," There was a thirst for blood in his voice that made my heart thump in my ears. There was no murderous intent in the air, but I knew before we started that both of us would be walking away with some nasty bruises.

Adrenaline sharpened my sensory vision, allowing me to see the pirate in front of me. His feet were shoulder-width apart and his knees were bent, lowering him closer to his center of gravity. He had his right fist tucked against his side as if subconsciously trying to grab one of his swords which he had laid down for our fight. His other hand was raised in front of him, loosely curled into a fist with his forearm held between me and his neck. He was turned to face me dead on, not angled away to make his body a smaller target.

Seeing his poor form made my smile grow, "You don't stand a chance against me. This'll be over quickly."

He snarled in response, "Big talk. Let's see if you can back it up!" He lunged at me, left fist reared back to strike. I ducked as he swung, his arm brushing my hair. He recovered and kicked up to knock me back as I swung my left elbow toward his ribs. His right hand flew up and blocked the blow with his palm as I tucked my knee up to my chest to counter his kick.

We pushed off each other and I dashed toward the stairs, aiming to get the high ground. He was not far behind me, trying to keep me from getting any advantage. I planted my right foot and pivoted, swinging my left leg up to slam into his head. He blocked it with his forearm and pushed off, forcing me to spin to keep my balance.

He pushed me to take a defensive approach, unrelenting in his quick jabs toward my stomach and chest. I managed to keep up with him just fine as I was faster than he was, but his guard did not drop for a second. As I concentrated on finding an opening to exploit or a chance to counterattack, he began to laugh, "What's the matter, Kaori? Didn't you say 'this would be over quickly'?"

A smirk played on my lips, "I did, but I wanted to play a little bit longer!" He growled at that and took a swing toward my face. I caught his left fist in my right hand and twisted his arm up, forcing him to turn around so I would not break it. With his arm caught in a tight grapple, I slammed my right ankle into the back of his knee, forcing it to buckle. He gasped as he fought to keep his balance, but I threw a quick jab into his exposed left side, weakening his already fragile hold.

He dropped to one knee and attempted to twist out of my grip by throwing me over his shoulder. I landed flat on my back but rolled over to recover quickly before he could take the offensive again. He regained his footing as I threw myself at him in a flurry of jabs, knees, and elbows. The swordsman was able to block a good number of my attacks, but some hit their marks and forced him to stagger back to stay up. I sensed him reel his right hand back to throw a haymaker and I mirrored his movements. Our fists met with the other's palms and we stood pushing against each other, nearly nose to nose.

Before I could do anything to stop him, he swung his head forward, connecting his forehead to the bridge of my nose. With a yelp, I lost my grip on his fist and he threw me down. He started to taunt me, but he had not managed to get a word out before I swung my foot up to his jaw while I was still airborne.

Dazed, he stumbled back, holding his chin while I spun on my hands and kicked his legs out from under him. He fell bodily to the deck of the Going Merry and I rolled on top of him, pinning his chest down with my right knee. I grabbed his shoulder and reared back my fist to strike his face. I halted the blow inches from his nose and let it hover there for a moment.