The Reasons We Fight

Zesiro was thrown back. Shigoro was still incredibly strong, coated in his thick water armor he was nearly invincible to Zesiro's slashes. But Zesiro couldn't allow himself to slip back, bringing his two blades around and at his side he began to step forward. There was no way he could bring them down in a single blow. Though Zesiro was still not going to back down. Crossing his blades Zesiro stepped forward, charging at Shigoro.

"Even though you cannot cut through this armor with your blades," Shigoro stated with a cold, confidence, I'm not going to give you a chance to even try! Rain Gun." Shigoro snapped his arm forward, firing a powerful forward of small watery pellets right at his opponent, but Zesiro wasn't going to give up.

Charging into the midst of the flying bullet-like water Zesiro brought his two blades together and began to slash them all in an instant. He was powerful and he wasn't slowing his charge, his thin blades came arcing right through each individual droplets, dispersing them all with powerful swings as he came in at his opponent.

Zesiro was a mad warrior at this point, gritting his teeth Zesiro broke through the wall of water droplets, managing to close in on his opponent nearly instantaneously. After breaking through his opponent's incoming attacks. Bringing his sword around Zesiro already had his second sweep prepared. Though Shigoro had enough practice bouts with him to know how to cut him and know that he should.

"Shipwreck!" Shigoro slammed one foot forward and then threw a massive elbow around like it was a hook. Zesiro ducked beneath it, throwing himself to the ground before twisting around and taking aim that the first thing he could reach, one of Shigoro's trunk-like legs and trying to cut right through it, but once again Shigoro's armor just protected him from the fierce attack and even worse allowed Shigoro to get his own attack in.

A powerful kick followed right behind his next goal, a powerful kick straight into Zesiro's gut and knocked the wind out of him. Zesiro was already on one knee, but the next kick, a spinning round-house like a buzzsaw and brought his heel meeting with Zesiro's eye, knocking him back and creating a swelled black-eye on Zesiro's eye. The swelling was severe and Zesiro's vision was already beginning to become limited.

"Can you not summon an extra trick?" asked Shigoro as he stepped back and Zesiro chased in after him. Zesiro's eyesight was damaged he couldn't see well, his sense of distance now getting screwed up. He can no longer see things quite as clearly. He'd have a small problem making his way through, his ability to judge distances was going to be screwed up.

Shigoro knew this and that was why he stepped back, he wasn't giving Zesiro room to charge nor was he admitting defeat, he backed up because Zesiro couldn't come in to meet him any more. Zesiro was practically blind, he could only see out of one of his eyes. To charge in now and try to dodge all of his punches would be practically impossible. Shigoro had Zesiro over his knee and he knew it.

His punches would practically materialize right in Zesiro's chin now. However, even knowing that Zesiro couldn't back down. Just charge in. That would be Zesiro's battle plan. He knew that when they started this fight he wasn't on the same level as Shigoro. Shigoro was in a different realm from him. The realm that the Yonkous dwelled in.

And it was for that reason that Zesiro would always choose to push forward.

Shoving his foot up against the ground Zesiro launched himself down the line, his two swords already in mid-motion, "Surf Cutter!" Shigoro stepped back causing Zesiro's mighty swings to miss in the air and in the mean time Shigoro fed an angry punch right into Zesiro's jaw. Zesiro stood strong, with his feet firmly planted he didn't back down. Bringing his two swords around again he proudly declared his next attack, "Barracuda Surf n' Slash!"

The next frenzy of attacks were all blocked by Shigoro in his glistening armor, who then immediately retaliated with a powerful forward kick into Zesiro's gut, followed by another rolling elbow into the side of his head.

"Be proud young warrior!" Shigoro boasted as he stepped in and fired a straight punch, which curved into Zesiro's shoulder. "I've fought giants that have fallen quicker to my fists. You are still apparently strong enough to keep fighting. Your spirit is commendable!" Shigoro brought his leg up and straight into the sky before bringing it down, pummeling it into Zesiro's back. "But soon that too will break."

"Great White Shark Fin!" Zesiro brought his sword around, only one, but he brought it down with all of his weight behind. Such strength could only be summoned once in a row, but it was worth it, bringing it down arcing through the air, even through Shigoro's armor and skin, a testament to Zesiro's strength. And without even saying a thing Zesiro knew his words got through to Shigoro.

'I'm not done yet.'

Shigoro's tongue snaked out of his mouth and wetted his lips. "You can still fight, huh? Let's see how long it lasts," Shigoro brought his arms out, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to take him out. Finally firing another forward punch for his opponent, landing it squarely on his opponent's jaw and knocking him back. Zesiro stumbled before focusing his strength into his lower legs. The damage was piling up, Shigoro was steady in his approach.

He wouldn't mess up, Zesiro understood that. The guy was a monster and not a fool, he would be steady in his approach making only safe moves now. He recognized Zesiro as a dangerous opponent and as a result would take his time.

Of course, Zesiro didn't have the same wiggle room. He had to go hard and go fierce. He couldn't allow Shigoro an instant of relaxation, the longer this fight dragged on the more it swayed into Shigoro's favor. And Zesiro knew exactly how to push. Bringing his two swords around, the vicious shark fishman's dangerous blades danced.

The blades were like whirlwinds they came right at Shigoro, they were delicate, yet every bit as sharp as they had been when they scared Shigoro. And Shigoro accepted that, but he didn't back down, spreading his legs apart and bracing himself for whatever Zesiro could summon. Even though he accepted the fact that Zesiro was extremely strong he would meet all of his attacks head-on.

"Cascading Cuts!" Another series of attacks came slashing in at Shigoro, but using the side of his arms Shigoro absorbed each incoming cut with the brunt of his muscles and armor. However, Zesiro then dove beneath him bringing his entire body beneath Shigoro, "Geyser Rush!" And upwards cut right into Shigoro's chin. Even though the armor didn't break and Zesiro's blades didn't break through it, Shigoro's head still jumped backwards from the force.

"Devilfish Finisher!" Zesiro had very little room to move around in, but that didn't make him hesitate he brought his two swords together forming an X before simultaneously slashing them outwards and breaking through his opponent's guard. Zesiro wasn't slowing down either, swinging himself around and into the air, using the back of his blades to catapult himself into the air above his opponent.

"What are you some kind of flying fish?" asked Shigoro as he braced himself for an uppercut, obviously preparing himself to counter whatever attack Zesiro would muster up.

"Waterfall Drop Cut!" Zesiro brought himself down, using his weight behind a single blade and already taking aim at Shigoro's head.

"Fishman Karate! 5000 Brick Fist!" Shooting his fist upwards Shigoro managed to find his target locking in at his opponent's face and the two of them locked in at each other and exchanged their most fierce blows. Zesiro's body being thrown backwards, but Shigoro's body becoming embedded in the ground and a new stream of blood had appeared on his shoulder.

"Was...that another...fluke?" Zesiro asked as he brought himself standing up and preparing for the exchange.

"Fluke or not," Shigoro muttered, apparently beginning to admit that Zesiro was a bit stronger than he had thought, "but I suppose it is possible you are stronger than I believed. But let's test that theory?" Shigoro stepped forward and fired another punch, but Zesiro ducked beneath it, his two swords already streaming forward and finding their marks, separately slamming into his opponent, but they were still well placed and then immediately countered with a short uppercut to his opponent's chin. Zesiro's head rolled backwards, a new stream of blood beginning to seethe from his mouth.

But that was the extent of the damage it seemed. A normal human would already be on one knee, begging the Grim Reaper for one more hour, but Zesiro managed to stay standing, and possibly more impressive stay adamant. An evil glint appearing in his eyes as he brought his two swords around and onto his back, forming twin parallel lines.

"Going to keep trying, huh?" chuckled Shigoro as he whipped his hand out and sent sprinkles of water all over the ground. "Good, I was worried this fight would get boring."

"Why do you think we are fighting?" huffed out Zesiro.

"Why?" Shigoro bellowed before laughing loudly, "because I came to get your head and you are a proud warrior. We are both proud warriors and neither one of us will ever accept that the other one has beaten him."

"Yeah, I'm afraid that has become what this is about," Zesiro took a deep breath. "I suppose I should tell you why I set my eyes on you, remind you of how you sold yourself for your freedom."

"What are you talking about?" asked Shigoro as he took up an offensive stance. In his mind this was only a small ploy to divert his attention for a second and he knew Zesiro would take up the chance if he dropped his guard even the slightest.

"Do you recall Ichi, Nito, and Sanada?" asked Zesiro as he brandished his blades and walked towards him. There was a definite look of acknowledgment from Shigoro, he understood what Zesiro was talking about and he probably never thought those names would ever come back to haunt him. But Zesiro would make sure that Shigoro accepted those. Bringing his two blades around Zesiro gritted his teeth.

"I perhaps began to think like you did, that this fight was for myself, but in all honesty I am above you," Zesiro stated as he brought his two blades together. "You may be a Yonkou, but you sold your friends down the river just to free yourself. You were nothing more than a coward."

"As if you can even tell me my own intentions," Shigoro shouted, "haven't you realized that I am my own man. I was stupidly helping them out and when I was with them I realized that we needed to free all Fishmen not just ourselves, but whenever I talked to them, they just talked about the moment they were free, they would just relax, retire to some small island and give up. They had no intention of saving other Fishmen. Meanwhile I wanted to save everyone. They didn't want to help people just live their own lives.

"I had to make a decision instantly about what should I do? Save myself and save thousand or let those bastards escape with their lives?" Shigoro explained, "I made the logical decision to save as many people as possible. I don't need my brothers the only thing I need is strength the strength to save the slaves."

"That's where me and you differ," Zesiro stated, "I would rather kill myself trying to achieve both than settle for one. I'm going to cut you down right now."

Respect Amongst Enemies