I do not own anything besides these words and the cover art.

"Nami! If you get any closer to him with those punches, you're going to kiss him!" Mihawk yelled with frustration as Zoro dodged each throw Nami gave him.

Boa giggled and watched the sweat fly off their bodies with her hands on her hips and chin up with pride. "Looks like you could not shape her up as much as you'd like. Unless this close combat dancing is your secret technique?"

Mihawk did his best to ignore his wife and focused his golden eyes on the orange haired girl panting for dear life as the much bigger and faster boy she faced made her run around. Though Mihawk gave her credit for not running away, her hands were not up and Zoro was not taking her seriously. Mihawk gritted his teeth and calmed himself as he spoke, "Nami, get your mind out of the gutter because it's too early for failure and you're still young. Go for that one shot, one chance, because there's no second chance. Don't lose it, get ready now and put your damn hands up!"

Nami registered his warning and trained her eyes on the green haired man who grinned back at her. He did not pant as much as she did, but Zoro was also weary and so he posed a question, "Are you gonna give in? Are you gonna be caught by the surrounding traps?"

She brought her hands back up, her grip tightened on the maroon bandages signifying where her flesh or Zoro's tore at the impact. She let out a whistle, "Time keeps turning and turning…and only those who are ready can really talk. Staying in the same place will only make you regret – cause when you close your eyes-"

"Whoa!" was all Zoro could shout before Nami swung her leg forward and caught him on the side. She groaned as she hit hard muscle and strong bone, but he managed to shift across the floor a few feet.

Boa crossed her arms and locked her eyes onto Zoro, "Shake your head and say no to being a slave to laziness. All those who don't try should wake up right now – because I do not tolerate weakness!"

Zoro shouted back, "Shut up! I'm just stepping back. Protect yourself, that's the right attitude."

Boa did not hesitate, "Are you going to be a victim? Are you going to get lost, looking for an easy way out? Because that girl does not deserve your pity."

Nami quickly glanced at Boa and frowned. She did not like being berated, and especially at the need to pump Zoro up to knock her out. Frankly, Nami was struggling. Her body could take hits; it is what made her endure for so long. Nami had always turned her face to the rough world, clashed, and fought. She did not need people to look down on her just because she was a girl. However, Zoro was being distant. Physically, mentally. He would catch her hands and toss her to the side. Alternatively, he would swing around her body and spin her as if she was a child in need of a good playtime. She was the bull and he was waving a red flag, mocking her with each movement.

Zoro broke through as he tightened his bandages and faced Nami once again, "This isn't a game – why can't you separate it from reality?"

He looked angry and Nami took it as his patronizing her. Therefore, she bit back, "Throw yourself at me. I'm not running away, asshole."

Mihawk managed to come to Boa's side and spoke firmly at the sparring duo, "The parts of you that are hidden by fog…let it go. Burn yourself with a passion that's hotter than the sun."

Zoro turned away so he did not need to witness the utterly physical nature that was Mihawk and Boa. It brought a fresh pink to his cheeks, as he thought of every grip he had on Nami's body. When she would collide with him and come closer, and all he could do was push her or move her away in some desperate need to keep his fists to himself. Yet, Nami was not backing down. Throughout his attempts to keep the bruises to himself, she only glared at him. He knew she would not listen unless he made her understand how far away she truly was.

He wiped his sweat and finally released a shout as he charged. Nami was surprised and threw a hasty punch to block him; however, Zoro grabbed her arm and swung her past him as he knocked her to the ground. Nami let out a sharp cry as her body felt the broken stones against her back and the dust flew up. He panted, "I…I don't want to…to hurt you, witch."

Nami bit her tongue and frowned. She threw her upper body up and her legs caught Zoro's head. He was so confused at first, and his hands instinctively went to grip her, but she swung herself up and pulled back. The force tossed Zoro to the ground behind her, and as she ended up on top of him, her thighs crushed his skull between them. Zoro gripped them in his large hands, and Nami ignored his touches throughout this entire battle of wills. She was tired and lifted her fist up to end it all, but Zoro quickly rose up and pinned her down.

He hovered over her, sweat dripped down his nose, and blood from her tiny but powerful fists had marked him up and down. However, while Zoro had taken a moment to let her catch her breath, Nami's frustration grew and she tried to kick him away. However, Zoro quickly had her knees pressed together between his own and his legs blocked any further movement. His hands held her wrists above her head as he looked at her.

Nami's hair was damp and it curled around her face where it did not stick. Her body was sore, but small puffs of air escaped her lips and Zoro felt her chest rise and fall against him. He was low on her, but he could not stop staring. "What are you trying to prove, witch?" he whispered.

Nami gripped her hands into tight fists, her nails dug into her palms but Zoro felt the tension and suddenly his cloth-laden fingers interlocked with hers, his palms pressed against her own. She mumbled as she let her hands curl over his, "Stop treating me like I'm so damn fragile."

Zoro stopped her from pushing against him as he pressed down further; her breathing was even but Zoro felt as if he had not released a single breathe himself since they started this fight. He wanted Nami to understand that she could seriously injure herself. A gun or any weapon would be fine, but fists against fists and her against him, he needed to teach her that she would not win. "Everybody already knows. So why shout your voice to the world? I know you-"

"Really?" She cried and Zoro wondered if the wetness of her eyes was from sweat or tears and he felt himself loosen around her. "You stupid man… I can't step back…from this endless path. You can't shake me. I can't trap myself…in this time of confusion."

Nami lifted her head up and Zoro felt the brush of her lips, but then pain exploded at his skull as Nami groaned from the headbutt. Zoro lifted his hands to press against his temples, and Nami grabbed his shirt and picked her legs up. Her feet found a center in his chest, and as she pushed and pulled, Nami lifted him up and over her. He landed with a thud behind her, but his head ended up beside her own. She panted but finally turned to give a smile, "I had one shot…so I took it."

Zoro coughed and groaned, "Witch assassin."

Music Inspiration/Theme: "One Shot" (B.A.P)

So, I originally was not going to write this but I wanted to flesh out this battle of wills. Also, it tied things better in the next chapter (*cough, cough* bath time!)

Anyway, I wanted some musical inspiration and didn't want to pick an English song again, so I search and LOL K-Pop is hella dramatic. Side note, if you ever want to just get a good cry and watch some Korean boys look hella fine but also be sad at the same time, watch MYNAME's "Baby I'm Sorry" - ugh, so many feels.

Anyway, I hope this fight was a good one. FYI, I legit watched OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and they had an episode titled "Second First Date" - definitely my inspiration for this fight scene (enidXrad). Cause also idk what fight scenes should look like…in words. Visuals, sure, but words are so hard to do the making into nice statements that make you go all "ohh" and "ahhh". Haha.

Finally - my dear readers, you all get a cookie. A cookie that might be lemon shortbread, haha. Get it? Okay, jokes over. But seriously, thanks for commenting and asking where the next chapter will be! Thanks for holding me accountable to this story. I can't just stir the pot and then leave it…ya'll need to eat and…this is still very fun for me. I have just been super swamped with work and life, so forgive me for not updating as I normally do. Especially with two stories, I want to update them both but…like children, you need to be fair to each one and love them equally. Haha.

So, here goes – let's see if I can stop making grammar and spelling mistakes cause that ish gets to me, so please let me know if I'm not making sense! P.S. I don't trust anyone to proofread this, so this is fresh from the creator to you!

XoXo shipfiend