Hello everybody,

here comes the next chapter! I hope you had a great first week this year and will be able to enjoy this little chapter (maybe with your favourite beverage or while taking a bath or maybe cuddled in some soft blanket, whatever makes you happy^^).

There is not much more to say than have fun and see you monday ;-)


Chapter 51 - Leading

-Zoro-

"Your right leg needs to be more flexible. Pay attention to your arm posture. Do not get that tense in your hand."

Almost continuously, the Shichibukai corrected him. Considering that Zoro's idea of dancing had been more of a joke, they spent almost a third of their time practicing it – this was almost the only thing Zoro was allowed to do in his true body.

"The shoulder, Roronoa. Raise your feet, I am not going to drag you along."

But the relentless nagging of the Shichibukai meant only one thing, Zoro was by now able to keep up well enough to finally be able to pay attention to his body. For weeks, he had simply tried not to stumble or fall while the elder had thrown him through the room. It had been impossible to additionally pay attention to things like posture or step sequence.

"Take the hip along, it is too stiff, your knees will pay for that."

It wasn't that Zoro was able to realize everything the other corrected, it was just too much information. But things were slowly getting better – at least Zoro thought so – after all, Mihawk had enough time between the individual criticisms to explain something.

Although Zoro had built up a damn good stamina over the last few months, he had to pace himself well. He had no idea how Mihawk still managed to talk almost incessantly. Suddenly, the other pulled him on the tip of his toes, chest to chest, and for a moment they remained in that hovering position. Then it went on.

It was exhausting!

But what was even worse was that Zoro really started to like it. Whenever the Shichibukai announced that they would spend the session dancing, there was no longer the unnerved eye roll, on some days Zoro almost hoped that they would train like that.

Because it was exactly what he had suspected. Although dancing was supposed to be partnership and working together, this here was actually a fight and Mihawk was his opponent, still unreachable for Zoro.

"By the way, I invited Jiroushin for next week," the Shichibukai told almost casually, "I thought you would like to fight with him again in your female form to compare how good you have become."

"I'd like to fight him again no matter what form," Zoro said. Much time had passed since Jiroushin's last visit – and their loud argument – and Zoro doubted that the soldier was the resentful type.

Mihawk rolled his eyes but said nothing.

After two more hours, they finally took a break. Zoro crouched at the foot of the unnecessary staircase and emptied a water bottle over his head.

"No water stains on the railing," the Shichibukai rebuked him like an old housewife.

"Does Jiroushin even have time for something like this?" Zoro used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe water and sweat from his face. "I mean he's a father now."

The elder leaned next to him on the railing and looked down at him.

"I think Lirin might enjoy him gone for a few days. Jiroushin is unfortunately always a bit over-caring, which can be very exhausting in the long run and as I heard he took paternity leave to help Lirin day and night. That poor woman will probably hardly have a minute of rest and then she also has the child to take care of. Be that as it may, Roronoa, we should continue."

Taking a deep breath, Zoro got up, but then he noticed that something was different about the elder's posture, he just didn't know what it was.

"Why do you look at me like that, Roronoa? Come here."

Confused, Zoro stepped forward and then he realized it.

"Exactly, you got it." Zoro grabbed the hand of the Shichibukai. "Now you will lead."

"Why?"

Mihawk placed his free hand on Zoro's shoulder and smiled down at him.

"Well, because I say so."

Suspiciously, Zoro placed his hand under the elder's shoulder blade, and almost at the same time Mihawk bent his knees, leaving them at eyelevel. Zoro disliked the whole thing, it felt wrong and he had no idea why they suddenly swapped roles.

"Now come on, move."

It felt strange, it wasn't that Mihawk dumped his weight on him and yet Zoro felt incredibly heavy, like a devil's fruit user probably had to feel under water.

"Roronoa". Slowly the elder sounded impatient.

"Um, I..." Zoro stammered slightly overwhelmed, "I don't know how."

"What?"

Confused, the Shichibukai looked at him.

"I don't know what to do."

"Just start with the basic steps as usual. Maybe something simple, like a waltz, and then we will go further and you will try out some other sequences."

Zoro still didn't move.

"But how?" he muttered.

"How what, Roronoa? Phrase yourself a little clearer."

Zoro let go of the other and took a step back. He didn't like the whole situation at all. He understood what the other wanted from him, but he did not know how to do it, and he disliked this uncertainty more than anything else. Until now, he had never had to deal with how dancing really worked. On Sasaki, he had simply memorized the steps that had been shown to him, and the last few weeks he had simply tried to keep up with the Shichibukai. But it was quite different to take the lead now.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he murmured angrily, "I have no idea how all these dance steps work."

He knew that the task could not be so difficult, a few steps back and forward, but at the same time it seemed impossible for him to move the Shichibukai in any direction only with the help of light gestures. The other looked like a mountain in the raging sea, and Zoro felt more like running into him than being able to push him in any direction.

His own thoughts confused him and he could see how the other looked at him with big eyes before Mihawk straightened up again, now even more the mountain that Zoro was supposed to move.

"But we have been practicing those steps with Kanan," the Shichibukai remarked, apparently as perplexed as Zoro himself.

"Yes, half an eternity ago," he said, grumpy, "and I've only ever practiced the steps of women, I always had to follow and do what you tell me. I never led."

"What?" A stunned grin slid over Mihawk's face. "But you must have led before? You must have danced before?"

Zoro shook his head.

"But everyone has danced at some point, in a bar or with friends or something."

"Well, I didn't." Zoro folded his arms. " Before this shitty Marine ball, I've never danced in my life."

The Shichibukai laughed quietly before slightly tilting his head and looking attentively at Zoro.

"You are truly incredible."

"What the hell?" Zoro murmured. He didn't like it at all.

"Slowly I understand your fighting style," Mihawk muttered.

"What?" How did the other draw a connection between leading a dance and Zoro's fighting style?

"Did you never notice?" The elder raised only an eyebrow. "I have always thought of it as odd. Instead of fighting with your full strength from the beginning and claiming victory quickly, you adapt to your opponents and get to know their fighting style until they have reached and exceeded their peak and just then you actually use all your strength, if at all, and of course your opponent is then usually at your mercy because they have exhausted themselves too much."

"What?" Zoro didn't think he was fighting like that. It sounded complicated and annoying, certainly not something, he would do.

Mihawk nodded thoughtfully.

"As I said, this is something very unusual. You seem to be able to fight with anyone, no matter how weak they are, because you can adapt, and you seem to be taking that for granted, quite unconsciously, I have always wondered why."

He didn't like how the other analyzed him.

"You actually seem to be an offensive fighter who attacks rather than blocks, but..." Mihawk remained silent for a moment. " ... but in battle you are the one following, not the leader."

Mihawk took another step forward and stood now right in front of him, his yellow eyes a trace too sharp, a trace too concentrated.

"You have no idea how to control a fight, do you?"

"What?" Now Zoro was quite confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it is quite obvious, Roronoa. A true sword fight is not dissimilar to a dance, but there are not two partners – one, who leads and the other, who follows - but two opponents, in other words two leaders, who are fighting for control. A fight is about much more than just being the stronger, the better one. Who controls the fight, controls how long it takes place, where it takes place, who and what is harmed in the process, and most importantly, how much power they use."

Quietly, the best swordsman in the world laughed.

"I have wondered why you let yourself be led that easily. For a swordsman of your caliber, it was far too easy for you to submit to the leadership of another, especially considering how stubborn and persistent you can be."

Zoro no longer understood a single word. The other was talking nonsense, but he thought he was hearing one or another insult within this nonsense.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He growled. "I don't submit to anyone! I make my own decisions and fight the way I like it, so..."

Mihawk interrupted him with his hand raised.

"Why do you follow the Straw Hat?"

"What?"

"Why did you choose Kuina as your rival?"

"…"

"Why did you go through the whole charade with Lady Loreen?"

"I..."

"You truly like to fight, but given that you start the argument too rarely, though you always finish it."

"What's your point?"

Meanwhile, Zoro was furious, whatever the conversation was supposed to be, the other was slowly going too far. But the Shichibukai nodded only, as if he had finally solved a riddle, apparently did not notice that Zoro was already at the edge.

"Of course. That is why you always improve so quickly during a fight, but in theory you are some lame duck."

"What?"

"You know fighting is like a dance, but you do not understand what that means."

"Then could you finally talk to me in a way that I understand."

Mihawk grabbed him by both shoulders and looked at him seriously.

"Roronoa, a fight is like a dance. The basic exercises are like the basic steps, which is the groundwork for a choreography with different elements. A real fight requires that you already know what your next steps are and that you do not let your opponent hurl you through the room. Your adaptability is important and brings you many advantages in a fight, but you will not reach your full potential until you set the direction and stop letting your enemy guide you."

"I don't understand that."

The elder nodded again.

"That at least is more than obvious. How could I have missed that? I thought you were aware of it and you would adjust intentionally – for the thrill or because you just enjoy playing with your opponent – but no, you lack an absolute foundation. You do not know how to actually fight."

"What the hell?" He had no clue what the hell was going on and slowly he got the feeling that the other was not making fun of him at all. "Of course I know how to fight, you've seen me fighting..."

"Roronoa, you know how to fight a fight, but not how to lead a fight. The winner of a fight is the one who determines and shapes the course of the fight from start to finish, just like the leader in a dance." The Shichibukai clapped his hands loudly. "Well, then we should get rid of this problem quickly. Perona, stop spying on us and come here. We need your help."

"What?" Zoro no longer understood what was going on here.

"Roronoa, I will teach you how to lead." The next moment, Mihawk stood behind him and raised his arms. "This is the right position. Relax your shoulder, you are not a soldier, you are a dancer."

"Swordfighter!"

"And just for today both will be the same."

Perona came in through one of the side doors.

"What's this all about?" She asked, bewildered.

"Come on over, you are going to dance with Roronoa today."

He still had no idea what Mihawk had been talking about and that the last few hours were no real training session was also more than clear.

The first hour he had done not much more than practice steps. Mihawk had shown them to him and he had copied the Shichibukai's movements and then he had danced with Perona. It was miserable, even he could see that with his non-existent dance skills. They were not much more than two young children who held each other's arms and waved back and forth.

"What the hell, this is not working at all," he grumbled dissatisfied with all the time that was getting lost.

"Do not blame me, Roronoa; you do not know how to lead, neither in battle nor in dance, and you have to learn that. It is an elementary basic ability that you are able to determine the course of a fight, especially in your female form. You must not only follow and adapt, you must dictate the form of the fight."

"I hear you talk and talk, but I don't understand a single word." Zoro took another deep breath, forced himself to be patient in front of his teacher, who was probably the only person who managed to pack all the words he knew into one sentence and at the same time saying nothing at all. "You say the same thing all the time, but it doesn't make sense. What does this have to do with a fight?"

"Perona, tell me how does Roronoa lead?"

Perona had been mostly quiet during the last hours, only doing what Mihawk told her. Now she blushed and looked over to the Shichibukai.

"Well…, well..."

"Speak."

"So, I'm sorry, Zoro, but you don't really lead."

Once again, he took a deep breath.

"Well, duh! I don't even know what you want from me and I can't dance!"

"That is lie, Roronoa. Come, let me show you."

At notion of the elder, Perona let go of Zoro and the Shichibukai took her place. With two touches Zoro was back in the position of the partner and Mihawk took the lead as a matter of course. They only took a few steps, but Zoro immediately realized that it was the same dance he had tried to dance with Perona.

"Good balance, your stride length fits mine just fine, impeccable posture, quick reaction. You dance almost perfectly..." In the middle of the turn, Mihawk let Zoro go and stumbling he came to a halt. "... for a partner."

Then the elder held his hand to Perona, who nodded hesitantly and let herself be embraced by the Shichibukai.

"And now take a good look, Roronoa, this is how a leader dances."

The difference was more than obvious, even for Zoro, who had no clue about dancing. These were the same steps as those that Zoro had tried to dance a few minutes ago, but everything else was completely different.

Mihawk had a presence that flowed throughout the hall, like an unstoppable wave. His attitude was more elegant than Zoro's, but that was not the essential thing. Each step seemed like a finely guided sword-blow, each arm movement like a flawless evasive maneuver, and Perona in his arm followed each of his steps as if she had never done anything else.

Was that what Mihawk had meant? Was Zoro no more in a fight than Perona right now, who let herself be led through the room by the Shichibukai and looked good at the process? Was this what the Shichibukai had meant?

Did Zoro let his opponent lead him through the room in a real fight until his opponent ran out of energy and collapsed in front of him? Zoro had always thought he was a man who took the lead, paved the way for others, but could it be that he was just following? Did he lead but follow anyway?

"You see, Roronoa, I can do whatever I want with Perona. If I want her to turn, she does, if I want her at the other end of the room, she is there. I have absolute control over this dance and I decide when it ends. Of course, I can only do this because I have the better stamina and physical fitness. But at the end of the day, it is very similar in a fight."

Mihawk stopped and Perona next to him stumbled a step back and struggled for breath.

"Except for the small difference that you do not fight. Do you understand?" Slowly, Zoro nodded. "Very good, then come here and learn to lead."

-Mihawk-

"Are you serious?" Snorting with laughter, Jiroushin threw himself back in his chair. He would almost have tipped over if Mihawk had not grabbed the armrest at the last moment and pulled the chair back on all four. Then the soldier pointed at Roronoa with a broad grin. "You had no idea how to lead a fight?"

With red cheeks, the youngest looked to the side, while Mihawk looked at his best friend with his eyebrow raised, but he decided not to reply to that comment.

"Why do you all make such a big deal out of it? I've coped well in every fight so far and this dancing isn't a real workout anyways. I don't think I can impress an opponent with a chassé."

Now Mihawk placed his glass on the table.

"Roronoa, I have already told to you that the ability to control a fight can be elementary for victory or defeat, and if you cannot even lead a partner – who wants to follow you – how do you want to direct an opponent according to your will?"

Groaning, Roronoa leaned back and folded his arms.

"This all sounds so incredibly difficult," he complained like a rebellious child. "I don't want to control the fight. I want to have my fun and fight and in the end I want to win."

Angry, Mihawk clicked his tongue, but before he could scold Roronoa, Jiroushin placed both forearms on the dining table and leaned forward.

"Listen, Zoro. I know it can be annoying. But it's important that you learn this. In a practice fight or for fun, it is of course perfectly fine to let yourself be driven by the fight, to observe the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, to tease a little bit and try one thing or another. But in a real fight, such behavior can have dire consequences."

Roronoa seemed unconvinced, but Jiroushin continued to speak.

"Let's not mention that you could die if you underestimate your opponent; what do you do when the range of your fight expands and suddenly someone is in danger, who you wanted to keep save – or you didn't even know was in danger - or what if you spent too much time or too much power fooling around that you can't keep up with whoever comes after?"

"No idea," Roronoa grumbled even more dissatisfied, "I cross that bridge when I come to that."

"Oh, Roronoa, what is the point of wasting all those months with strategy training, if you are not even willing to set one up?"

"It's not like I'm not setting one up." Now the younger one turned to him. "But I just do it as I go, during the fight, the way it fits, and I couldn't remember that this was ever a disadvantage for me..."

"Bartholomew Kuma," Mihawk coolly interrupted.

"What?" He could see that Roronoa was becoming more dismissive. "You know what happened...?"

Rolling his eyes, Mihawk rose to fetch a new bottle of wine from the small table.

"Roronoa, I know everything there is to know about you and your fights."

"Stalker," Jiroushin whispered from his chair, grinning at Mihawk, looking far too young for his age. The soldier had arrived in the early evening hours, just in time to see the end of training and for dinner. The sun had set long time ago, so they sat in the candlelit fireplace room, while Perona had gone to bed early.

"You have no idea what happened then," Roronoa growled slightly irritated. "It wasn't like I was playing with Gecko Moria. We all joined forces to defeat him and Oz. I didn't hold back or..."

"Not?" Mihawk opened the bottle and turned around. "Do you want to tell me you fought against this zombie from Wano Country right away with all your strength? Did you fight Oz at full strength?"

His protégé's unharmed eye grew large. His wound crossing the other eye had healed quite well by now, but had left a considerable scar, as expected.

"Would things have changed if you had used all your skills right from the beginning? Of course, in retrospect one can only philosophize, but at least things could have taken a different course. You say your way of fighting never had a detrimental effect but let us take a closer look. You allowed yourself to take some time fighting against this samurai-zombie and you allowed him to hurt you. This tiny bit of missing energy may have been noticeable in the fight against Oz and prevented you and your crew from ending this fight faster and less injured. In this case, perhaps the fight against Kuma would have..."

"No." Roronoa stood up. "You have no idea what happened and I'm not going to be accused of things might having ended differently just because the fight against Ryuma lasted a minute too long."

"But that is exactly what happened!" Mihawk came back to the table. "That one minute could have been the momentous difference, Roronoa. Sometimes a few seconds decide over victory or defeat and you want to tell me that a whole minute does not matter?"

"I was inferior to him!" The younger man slammed both fists on the table. "That one minute wouldn't have made me so much stronger than I could have resisted Kuma."

"And that is just a guess," Mihawk replied coolly, placing the bottle hard on the table. "Of course, just like mine. But my approach at least leaves open the small option that it might have been enough, that this one minute might have saved you so much strength that you could have resisted Kuma." Roronoa wanted to disagree, but he continued: "At least you could have endured your captain's pain a little better."

The younger man took a step back and stared at him in horror.

"How do you…?"

Mihawk, on the other hand, sat down again and filled the three empty glasses.

"And maybe your wounds would have healed a little bit better before your fight against Nataku and you would have endured a little longer in jail. Maybe you would have been strong enough to save yourself."

Slowly, he looked at the other. Jiroushin to his right swallowed heavily and right away took a deep sip out of his glass.

"And you want to tell me that it does not matter how you fight? That a minute less or more makes no difference? Tze, what if one of your friends had died in that one minute and you could have helped them if you had only finished the fight? Would you still say that this one minute is unimportant?" He held his glass towards the younger man. "That one minute, Roronoa, probably killed you, so do not tell me that your fighting style does not have any disadvantages for you."

For a long moment the room was dead silent. No one said a word while Roronoa looked at him stunned. Mihawk placed the younger's glass in front of him and then took a sip from his own. At the end, it was Jiroushin who exhaled loudly and ruffled through his hair.

"Oh geez, if you two start there's no stopping, right?"

"It is the truth, Jiroushin, and Roronoa is just unwilling to see it."

The blond glanced at him, then turned to Roronoa.

"Zoro. Hawky may have phrased it a little harshly, but he's probably not wrong. You can't change the past now, but you can prevent something like this from happening again in the future."

The younger one took a deep breath and Mihawk could feel the cold stare, but then Roronoa pushed his chair back into position and sat down again.

"As Loreen, you've already learned it," Jiroushin continued quietly, apparently trying to restore the broken harmony, "taking somebody down quickly, because you'll be physically inferior to your opponent. It's actually nothing else and you're good at comprehending your opponent's abilities, so you can use that for yourself."

Roronoa did not answer anything, his face an expressionless mask, and Mihawk wondered if he had gone too far this time, so he remained silent and left it to his best friend to pick up the shards.

"I know it sounds tough. But controlling a fight doesn't mean you can't have fun anymore. In the beginning it is difficult and requires a lot of concentration, but once you get the hang of it, there is nothing more exciting than seeing how the idea in your head becomes reality and your opponent can no longer keep up."

"That I hear you say this," Mihawk muttered almost impressed, but decided not to say any more, well aware that Roronoa was probably not in favor of him right now.

"All of this," Roronoa grumbled, and his voice sounded even rougher than usual, "sounds anything but fun."

With a smile, Jiroushin bowed his head.

"That's because you can't lead just yet."

The younger took a single deep sip and then looked to Mihawk.

"All right, I'll learn it." He put his empty glass down and got up. "I'm going to bed now."

With a more or less polite farewell he went to bed.

"Oh Hawky," the blond whined almost immediately after the door closed, "you can't tell him something like that just like this. You just accused him of..."

"It is the truth, Jirou, and you know I am right. Roronoa wants to protect his crew at all costs but fails to recognize that his behavior poses a potential danger. I have been trying to explain it to him for weeks and he does not understand. Sometimes direct words are the only ones that get to him."

"Oh dear," the other sighed, taking another deep sip, "the two of you are quite exhausting."

Mihawk could only nod.

"But he is indeed interesting," Jiroushin remarked without any grin, "he is only the second swordsman who comes to my mind, who doesn't know that you have to lead a fight, and that at his level."

Again, Mihawk nodded.

"True, which is why I probably never noticed it. I mean, you were almost half as old as he is now and you hate fighting, especially when it is about life or death. It was obvious that you would let yourself be guided by a fight, but Roronoa..." He shook his head before sighing. "He is not doing well if I am honest. I expected it to be easy for him once he understands what to do. But he is not a good leader, and if he is already having such a hard time while dancing - with arranged rules and steps - how can he learn it in a sword fight?"

"Is that really surprising you?" Jiroushin observed thoughtfully. "It's not that he's just always followed, Zoro has a fighting style of his own and now he's got to combine the benefits of both."

"But for that he would have to understand what it means to lead." Exhausted, Mihawk rubbed his face. "I am glad you are here, Jirou. I know that there is still some stiffness between the two of you, but you stay calm when necessary."

Quietly, the other laughed.

"Maybe that's because I'm not as emotionally involved as you, Hawky. It is true that you are much meaner towards people who are important to you. But towards Zoro you are especially cruel. Do you really think that this is necessary? Or are you trying to hide your feelings?"

As if on command Mihawk blushed.

"One has nothing to do with the other," he coolly denied, emptying his glass. He looked thoughtfully at the chair Roronoa had just left empty.

"Basically, I have nothing against his fighting style," he admitted quietly, "I understand the thrill of trying out how much power you have to muster and analyzing the different techniques of the opponent, but it is as I said, in a real battle such behavior is reckless and selfish and can cause much suffering."

"Listen, who's talking, I thought you're proud to be selfish, Hawky, and now you're judging Zoro for wanting to have a bit of fun while fighting?"

"You are right, Jirou, I have always been very selfish, even as captain of our crew; you had to take on many of my duties because I just had no interest in it." He knew how his best friend looked at him right now. "But Roronoa is different, he is always ready to die for his friends and puts their happiness far above his own. That time Roronoa was the victim of his mistake, but if he does not change his behavior, the next time his crew could be harmed."

Slowly, Mihawk poured himself some more wine.

"And if I, some selfish egoist, can hardly forgive myself for what happened through my stubborn actions, would Roronoa ever get over it if he could have prevented the suffering of a crewmember?"

"Mihawk?"

Smiling, he shook his head.

"It is true, Jiroushin, I was very fond of being driven by the fight at that time; I wanted to enjoy it when I finally had a worthy opponent, and where did that take us?"

He rose and emptied his glass in one go.

"You are right that I am very strict with Roronoa, it certainly also is because of my feelings for him." But this was an issue far too serious for this thought to unsettle him. "The straw hats are pretty much all the same to me, but they are important to Roronoa. So, I am not going to let what happened to us happen to them. I will not allow Roronoa to shoulder such a guilt."

Jiroushin also got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hawky, you know, I would never blame you for what happened then. I don't think a minute would have made a difference, neither for Zoro nor for us."

"That may be," Mihawk admitted, "who knows, maybe it would not have made a difference. But if anything ever happens to any of his crewmembers, I want Roronoa to be spared by those doubts."

"What kind of doubts?"

"That he might have been able to prevent it."