Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

37

Akira spotted it just in time. The fist swinging towards her, the blow about to hit. But she spotted it. And she managed to duck out of its way, despite the protests of her muscles that were already rather sore. Not that she'd say it.

This wasn't the time to whine and complain. Not in the middle of a fight. She could do it once it was done and once she'd won it. Something she was determined to finally accomplish.

Which was why she instantly focused right back on her opponent. Watching him move, his eyes focused on her as if waiting to see what her own next move would be. So she made one.

Remembering what little she'd picked up and mastered by now, she swung out with her leg only for it to get caught, her ankle yanked forward and her other foot stumbling in an attempt to remain upright as she was sent flying into one of the ship's wooden masts.

Her hands braced for impact while her mind was already thinking of the next step, not letting it be a defeat but an opportunity. So, she pushed off of the mast, letting the impact propel her back and right towards him. But she wasn't swinging a fist or attempting to deliver a blow. All she needed was to grab hold.

And finally, she managed it. While he tried to evade her, Akira anticipated his moves, anticipated the direction he'd go in. She didn't reach for him where he'd be, but where she expected him to go, and soon enough, her hand wrapped around his wrist. She took hold and pulled, spinning them around and pinning his back against the mast while her other hand grabbed at his neck, skin warm and damp underneath her hold.

"Akira!"

The sudden call interrupted her focus, forcing her eyes to jump to its source. And it was that distraction which proved to be her downfall.

"Zoro!"

While the second call came, Akira was already too busy mentally bracing herself for the fall as she felt her legs swipe away beneath her. The sound which she gave out as her back hit the deck was a mix of a groan and whine, eyes squinting both in pain as well as in an attempt to block out the sun which was now blaring down at her.

"Damn you, Usopp," she grumbled out, voice too quiet to be heard by the cause of her problem, and only by the opponent who'd delivered its consequence.

"Never take your focus off of your enemy," Zoro's deadpan tone as he appeared above her, silhouetted by the sun behind him as he blocked it from further stinging her eyes while she was still on the floor and starting to rise into a sitting position.

"I'll show you a real enemy, Mosshead," Sanji was the first to reach them despite the fact Usopp had initially been the one leading the charge towards the training pair.

"I'm fine," Akira reassured him as she rolled her shoulders, keeping the grimace which nearly formed on her face as a result of the action. Instead, she reached her hand up towards the cook, giving him something else to focus on aside from just glaring at Zoro and possibly starting another spiel of disapproval about his training methods.

Instead, the blonde was quick to take Akira's hand, helping her to her feet and making sure she was steady before letting go of her so he could hand her the cup of water that had been sitting on one of the barrels and waiting for another pause in the training session.

"You need to start drawing as soon as you have your hands on your opponent," Zoro said simply, ignoring the chef's disapproval or the incessant opening and closing of Usopp's mouth as he kept trying to interrupt them again in hopes of talking about whatever had brought him over yelling their names in the first place.

"I'm not stupid, I know that," Akira scoffed over at him after the first few gulps of water slid down her throat. "I'm just not gonna draw on you during a training session."