Domino pushed herself harder, her arms feebly shaking and holding her body up as she looked at the ground upside down. She took in a sharp breath feeling her sides pinch and burn as she held her legs tightly together in the air once again trying to force her body up higher. Quickly however she felt her body began to wobble and her arms shake collapsing in on themselves as she fell to the cold ground with a sharp yelp.

She laid down on the stone floor panting and gasping at her stomach that burned with pain and a tight soreness she couldn't shake. She blinked lightly taking in quick flashes of the wide blue sky above her and the cool breeze that cooled her skin that held beads of sweat from the exertion of force. She took another cool calming breath closing her eyes and sighing before opening them again to see Kuzans blue face mask before her eyes. His hair a large poof around the straps. As his sharp face and lips pursed in a wondering glance.

She scoffed and moved to push the curly haired Admiral out of her face as he sat back beside her moving to lay down and stretching out beside her tired and scarred body.

"I hate to interrupt, but I thought you weren't supposed to be training so soon." His relaxed and lazy voice asking her as he moved to place his head on his hands and crossing his leg. Domino gave a weak smile and moved her head to look at the larger Admiral and grimaced trying to sit up holding her muscles tightly.

"Ah.." She started before taking in a sharp breath and putting her hand on his shoulder to help her sit up. She took in a sharp breath at the pain stabbing her in her side and ran her hand through her hair. "Can't just sit here, it's been 6 months dude. I gotta get back at some point." She groaned and leaned against him as he raised and eyebrow and moved to sit up his cold aura extending to cool her hot and burning skin.

"I admire your determination, but isn't this a little..much?" He asked her as she pulled in her right leg and leaned on her left letting her long torso drape over her legs. Her muscles contracting and moving with every breath.

Her black sports bra and compression shorts the only thing she wore showing off each and every scare that marked her body, expect the mark on her back. That was hidden behind a giant bandage that no one asked about. It wasn't taboo, if anyone asked she would just say a bad tattoo but after seeing it wasn't anything cool they stopped asking.

She held out her hand. "Ice please." She mumbled as a piece of ice formed from a small jagged spike and she quickly broke it off and plopped it in her mouth crunching on it. "Thwanks." She mumbled chomping her pain away at the ice chips.

She sighed as Kuzan raised an eyebrow. "No defense?" He asked her as she rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm weaker." She stated in her cold voice a realization she hated to admit.

He nodded and moved to lay back down. "That's what this is about?" He asked her and waved his hand "How annoying." He stated as she rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her hair looking at her bare feet.

"I mean it. Kuzan. I really am. Somethings different with me and I can't figure out what it is." She stated shaking her head. Imaging the Whitebeards and Marco with his arms crossed. They where on a newer stronger level that she felt like it was harder to reach all of a sudden.

"I mean, I still wanna get stronger but." She stopped. "Every stride I make it's outdone. And I feel weird. (She squinted) Do you know how close I came to actually dying from a few blows with Shanks?" She asked him as he shrugged. Not knowing the real reason she tried to force herself past a barrier she believed she couldn't cross anymore.

"Others wouldn't have lived." He hummed yawning then waved his hand. "Besides, I heard it was more then just a few blows with Shanks." He added.

Domino rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter the outcomes still the same, I'm way weaker then I want to admit." She sighed as He raised an eyebrow.

"You know," He laughed to himself, "I thought you were so cool." He added sending her a lazy glance.

She raised an eyebrow smiling chopping off another piece of Ice and chomping on it. "Yeah?" She asked him with a vicious smile. Her mind no longer wondering towards why she felt disheartened. When she should in fact be determined.

He didn't blink at her smile or how it scared the other Marines. Instead he knew that as Domino. The little girl who would run up and punch him the first chance she got. Or the same woman who would do anything for her family, even pushing herself aside. That smile was just Domino.

"Yeah. You dodged promotion after promotion, You've been in the marines almost as long as I have. Meaning you could easily have been a Vice Admiral by now." He stated as Domino rolled her eyes and tilted her head.

"Yeah but remember Kuzan, I joined about when I was little, So same time but, you're older then me by like um, a bit." She added with a smile thinking to herself he was maybe 4 or 5 years older. It could be more by about a year, but no less. She knew she was at least as old as Shanks since he was 27 she was around there give or take. But she really didn't care for age as a number, more along the lines of how you felt, that was how old you were.

He sent a glare and then rolled his eyes. "Oh my." He lazily hit his head. "I guess you're right huh?" He asked thinking of how old this woman was. But not really knowing. He just remembered seeing her grow from the small teen to the woman before him and all by Garp's side.

Though now she sat alone, her head held high but her shoulders slumped, not hiding anything as she sat in the sunlight. She really was cool.

She shrugged pulling him from his thoughts. "So you admired me?" She smiled leaning in before gasping and taking in a sharp breath.

"I did, I thought it was so cool, how you stayed a warrant officer, time after time. Then one day you stormed to my office and demanded we spar." He stated as she giggled to herself. "Was that the first time you gave me hypothermia or the second?" She asked as he looked up.

"Uh..neither. But it was after you accepted the promotion." He stated and raised an eyebrow. "And now you accepted another promotion correct?" He asked her as she nodded to herself.

"Yeah." She sighed running her hand through her pulled back hair once more. Before undoing the hair tie and placing it around her wrist. Letting the wind and the chill of the ice cool off her head.

"Why?" He asked as she looked up and shrugged. This once cool woman fighting against the marines had now slowly become a well known one. It was wondering how she had changed. And in some way sad as well.

"I dunno really." She lied. "Guess I figured I would have to if I wanted to stay in the New World." She hummed as he nodded.

That wasn't the truth. Sengoku once again threatened her with removal of the New World if she didn't accept. Of course there was fighting and annoying backlash because of it. Yet in the end she accepted. And in some strange way, it did make her feel better embracing what she had to do.

"Is this also why you have to train when you should be healing?" He asked her as she shook her head twitching her nose before looking at him. "Nah, that's so I don't get weaker than I am." She sighed and looked at him. "I mean, look. I'm not weak. I know that." She started once again talking out her problems.

He laid back preparing for a speech of hers. Maybe he could catch a nap in-between?

"It's important that I know that I'm not weak by any means. But, I mean if I stay where I'm at. position wise, in the New World, I have to be able to protect my crew." She stated and then closed her fist. "But I can't do that if I'm still sore from a few injuries after six months." She commented as he raised an eyebrow lifting up his mask lightly.

"A few?" He asked as she waved him off. "Yes a few." She stated coldly as he shrugged and pulled it back over his eyes. "If that's what you would like to say, I won't stop you." He waved his hand.

"But, I don't think you are telling the truth about why you train. I could be wrong?" He asked her as she rolled her eyes shaking her head.

"No, yeah, you're wrong." She stated calmly once again lying.

Kuzan shrugged emotionless. "Oh.. My bad." He apologized as Domino rolled her eyes pulling off another piece of ice. Thankful Kuzan was not as observant as Marco. He was never able to tell when Domino told him a lie. Instead trusting that she wouldn't tell him a lie unless it was important to her.

"It's okay, Why'd you come around anyway?" She asked waving it then chomping down on the ice in her hand while looking at him with a cold and menacing smile. "Was it because i'm so cool~" She teased as he now covered his eyes.

"I shouldn't have told you that." He sighed as Domino giggled. "Nah probably not." She added. He waved his hand in the air.

"You never stay here long." He explained as she moved to lay down on her back pulling her knees up with a grimace and put her arms behind her head getting ready to try and work out some more muscles.

She made the mistake at looking at his sleepy expression as he held his eye mask open again. She sighed stopping what she planned to do and nodded. "Yeah, well this count's as paradise, So while, I put up with it, it's not exactly my cup of tea. You know that." She groaned before rolling her eyes and relaxing her body. Placing her wrapped hands over her muscular and tanned stomach a new scar across her right hip and healing lightly.

He nodded. "I was wondering if you would leave soon or not." He mused trying to get comfortable on the hard ground before a green and plush pillow of soft grass cracked the stone he laid on.

He patted it and placed his head down as Domino shook her head.

"I'd like too. But Garp put a stop to it." She then giggled. "I think I need to leave soonish, though, Ole Magma dogs chomping at the bits to find some way to kill me. He's gonna get close too." She smirked watching the clouds above her imagining Marco's blues soaring through them.

How his wings would cut through the clouds and his relaxed face seemed annoyed at best in that form. It was adorable.

"Are you refereeing to your pirate?" He asked her as she tensed up before sighing. He was a good friend and knew a lot of her secrets such as her continuing relationship with Marco, and her brothers, but he did not know of their whereabouts and only slightly about her deal with Sengoku and Garp really worked. He knew no more then she was an escape slaved. Not how, or what she did after she escaped.

"My pirate? Please. He's no more mine then I am the marine's." She stated before looking away and shaking her head. "People don't belong to things Kuzan, just with things." She corrected. Silently wondering if Marco was in fact her pirate.

"But, You are a marine." Kuzan sarcastically reminded her. "And trying to figure out why the pirate, makes me sleepy." He yawned stretching. Domino looked back at him a knowing smile on her face.

Then she smirked "Then telling you why would knock you out huh?" Her body relaxing as her breathing began to correct itself.

He nodded, his hair bouncing with his movement. "I don't need a bedtime story." He mumbled then scratched his head. The mask still covering his eyes. "I came here for something else..." He trailed off.

Domino rolled her eyes moving to sit up taking in a sharp gasp and deep labored breaths at the pain once again. "Well, I guess I should thank you for it before you remember. But In case it's really bad. Then well gee. Thanks." She smiled looking over at him.

"I'd still offer you a drink to toast whatever it is. But..." She sighed looking down at the small scar and frowned. A small part of her liver among other things, was now missing, so she was restricted from drinking till it grows back. If it did, that is. She didn't know how those things worked. But she knew what phalanges were.

He sighed "Your drinking is a problem too. But that wasn't it..." He trailed off shaking his head. Domino giggled "It's gonna drive you mad till you remember." Her voice though in a giggle still cold as he waved it off.

"Oh my." He exclaimed in his calm emotionless manor. "I remember. The voluptuous red head." He started as Domino giggled. "Ada? What about her?" She asked frowning at no more Ice before another small spear appeared and she quickly broke off another piece happily chomping down on it.

This didn't beat the alcohol but it did help.

"She said it was a dumb idea though." He continued as Domino raised an eyebrow. "What was?" She asked confused at how he talked to himself. And intrigued. If Adaline said it was dumb then it was worth a thought.

"Sengoku asked me to send someone out on some undercover work." He nodded and looked at her raising his mask and raised an eyebrow. "Would you mind doing it please?" He asked politely his long face unchanging.

Domino scoffed. "Me? Undercover work? Please, I'm more of a punch first type of gal. Undercover work just isn't my style." She explained holding out her arms and trying to stop her wrists from twisting. She then quickly reached for another chunk of ice and sighed the cold feeling calming her down instead of the booze she much rather be drinking.

He nodded. "I thought so, But finding someone else to do it would take to long." He yawned stretching patting the grass pillow. "I thought you might like to get off the island, not much fighting." He lazily spoke. "I could just go myself?" He asked having begun to talk himself into the mission at how easy it sounded.

Then he stopped wanting to go thinking of how far he would have to bike and how tiring that would be.

Yes it would be much easier to send Domino then him go.

Domino raised an eyebrow and moved to put her right arm under her head and used the left to grab another chunk of ice and holding it lightly to her exposed skin with a light 'hiss' as she watched the clouds move lazily across the sky.

"You know I never thanked you for keeping my men outta rotation while I've been landlocked?" She asked smiling as he waved his hand. "They didn't want to leave either. There was no point fighting it." He stated as Domino looked upside down at the sleeping Admiral.

"I guess, that counts as me owing you one huh?" She asked with a menacing smile, as he picked up his head. "If that's what you got to say, then yes." He yawned again his mask already over his face.

She quickly covered her mouth as she yawned after him and groaned. "I mean, undercover isn't me, Ironically even though I like pretending." She rambled then shook her head sitting up with a sharp gasp.

"How long?" She asked him as he shrugged. "um...I don't know." He added as Domino sighed "Well I s'ppose It'll take a few months to make up a good cover, give me more time to heal, then a few more months to actually get in the place. Maybe i'll be able to drink by then?" She hummed and twisted her wrist thinking of new plans and ideas as to her secret Identity.

"What are we going undercover for?" She asked as he sighed. "I don't remember. The red head knows." He waved off her cold voice.

Domino nodded moving to get up before a sharp pain caused her to fall back down. "Flipping fuck." She shouted.

Quickly she curled over herself and bit her lip leaning over her knees as Kuzan now sat up looking at her with un-shown worry.

"I was almost asleep." He stated as Domino nodded holding out her arm to grab his shoulder and push herself up.

"Yeah well I'm dying. So stay awake." She groaned.

He tilted his head. "I thought you might be." He sighed. "I'll find someone else," He started as Domino rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Nah i'll take it." She started walking to exit the Admiral's private courtyard.

"Thank you Kuzan." Her cold voice called as he held out his hand and leaned back on the grass pillow before frowning as it began to decay as she walked off.

He looked at the dirt that blew in the wind sadly. That was a comfortable pillow. He frowned before his ice began to cover the ground growing a newer hard pillow to take its place.

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