CHAPTER 35
Zoro and Hawkeye's Fight! Ari Sinks into the Sea!
"Don't tell me you came all this way just for that rematch," Zoro teases and ties his bandanna around his head.
"I'm afraid I'm not here for that, no," Hawkeye answers. "I'm on orders actually."
"Surprised you take orders from the Vice Admiral." Zoro grits his teeth.
"Not that it's your business, but my orders come from someone higher." He looks over Zoro's shoulder to Ari as she paddles away. "Cute girl," he comments, "too bad I can't allow her to continue on her course." Only then does Hawkeye draw his sword with Ari in his sights.
Before Hawkeye can so much as move an inch, Zoro blocks his path and draws two of his swords. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me."
Hawkeye's mouth settles into a firm line. "In that case, it looks like you'll be having your duel after all." He smiles.
At that Zoro draws his final sword, placing the hilt of it in his mouth. Finally. Zoro thinks to himself. I've gotten so much stronger than I was the last time I faced him. Today is the day I become the greatest swordsman in the world. Today is the day that mine and Kuina's dream will be realized. Zoro looks up to the blue sky as the clouds part. I'm keeping my promise to you, Kuina.
His eyes settle back on Hawkeye and in a flash Zoro is in action. He charges at Hawkeye, swords at the ready, and delivers his first attack. Then another attack. And another. Hawkeye blocks his attacks with ease and the two clash time and time again. Zoro picks up the pace, his movements reduced to a blur. Hawkeye matches his pace, blocking his attacks just as easily as before.
Damn. Zoro thinks as he continues with his monstrous slashing. He doesn't look like he's even breaking a sweat. And all he's done so far is hold me off.
The two clash together once more and with as much pressure as Zoro is placing into his blades, as much strength as he is forcing, Hawkeye pushes back resulting in one of them equally holding off the other. They stay there, their swords locked, for a few moments. Both of them push all their force into their blades, but neither one budges an inch.
"It seems you have gotten stronger," Hawkeye says.
Zoro gruffs at this through the hilt in his mouth.
"Though I'm afraid you're still not strong enough!"
Hawkeye and Zoro rip apart and Hawkeye charges at him full force to deliver his first actual attack. Zoro also gives himself a running start to brace for the impact, but it does him no good. Hawkeye's sword is too powerful. The force of the blow knocks Zoro back into the steel of the ship and he grunts as he feels his back collapse. He sits there for a moment, panting and getting his bearing before bringing himself back to his feet. I will… not… fail. I can't lose to him now… not when so much is at stake. He hobbles there, switching from one foot to another and flits his eyes back up to his opponent with more determination than ever. He thinks back to all the times he's spent with Ari, not knowing that she was the Fluttering Swordswoman. He remembers all of their moments at the cliffs edge: the pomegranate shower, their almost kiss. And most recently: their actual kiss. His first kiss. Even without knowing her for long, she's been through so much and persevered. Right now as I'm standing here weak when she is out there fighting to save her friend. That was just one attack. If I can't persevere through one attack… what kind of swordsman am I? What kind of friend am I?
Too soon, Hawkeye launches himself forward once more and Zoro prepares himself, successfully dodging the attack. He's glad he did too, because all along the ship is a deep, precise slash where he was just standing. Hawkeye turns back around to face Zoro. Zoro gets in fighting stance. I need to attack first and put him in a defensive position. If I can do that, I have an idea of how to defeat him. Zoro races to Hawkeye, beating him to the punch, but instead of blocking Zoro like he normally would, he jumps around and dodges. Zoro turns to see why, but when he does, there's a sudden shift in the ship and he slides back into the cut steel wall. Zoro's mouth gapes. He sliced the deck right in between us, cutting down to the hull. I know he's done that before but… why during our duel? Hawkeye stands on the smaller piece that is slowly falling to the sea while Zoro remains on the other. Even with the ship's considerable size, it is slowly sinking along with the piece that Hawkeye is standing on. He can hear the shouts of marines below decks even from up there, presumably ordering to close off portions of the ship to save it.
"I hate to cut our duel short," Hawkeye says coldly, "but your friend is a little too close to that ship for my liking. And I have my orders."
Zoro processes what this means before Hawkeye even turns around and Zoro scrambles to the edge of the ship to catch up to him. He teeters over the edge, seeing all the sliced compartments below. Some have mangled bodies inside and many of those bodies fall into the ocean to join the crowd. As the gap between the two men increase, Zoro backs up to get a running start. Hawkeye faces Ari's raft and walks to the edge. Zoro dashes to the edge, timing his jump perfectly so that when his foot hits that last bit of metal, he jumps. Still in midair, he watches as Hawkeye raises his powerful sword. He no longer cares to look below his feet at the tattering waves and bodies below. His only focus is Hawkeye. Zoro miraculously lands on the tiny platform, but he's too late. Hawkeye's sword comes storming down on the ocean itself as Zoro barrels towards him. The water breaks at the force, all the way down to the ocean floor. A huge wave on either side follows the impact and the little chunk the two of them are standing on is suddenly elevated to terrifying heights. The fish underneath are chopped in half with it as the ocean is cut in a fine line that rushes towards Ari's raft. Zoro pulls Hawkeye back roughly by his shoulders and tosses him out of the way. Zoro remains standing, watching helplessly at the scene unfolding before him. The slash in the ocean rushes faster than seemingly possible towards Ari. Finally, it reaches Ari's raft. Her raft is sliced in half and she tips overboard, falling into the deep crevice of ocean below.