Instincts [Roronoa Zoro x Reader]

Chapter 23

As soon as you said those words he made the first attack again like before. His swords made contact with nothing as you dodged easily and instinctually.

The quarterstaff was a tad heavier than your previous one, making it less easy to move, but the mobility was probably traded for more damage.

His swords cut the air, pushing you back little by little like the first time. Instead of just dodging now, however, you decided to take advantage of the heaviness and swung at the swords in his hands with more force.

It pushed them back and stopped their momentum, but while you knew it was going to hit you, you weren't able to dodge the one in his mouth in time. The blade hit your mask just barely as you heard a tap.

You could feel his sense of accomplishment at getting the first hit.

You quickly jabbed your quarterstaff into his chest, attempting to push him back as you put your own body weight into it. He grunted, but then purposely fell and backflipped to land on his feet. Thankfully, you only stumbled a bit and regained your balance before Zoro could take advantage of it.

He suddenly circled around you, leaving your line of sight. His movements were quick and confident, as if he had a plan.

You didn't turn your head, using your Haki to sense him and his intent when he did decide to go in for a hit. He was quick in his next slash, changing the direction of his circling at the last moment and going in for the blow.

Even when you did sense him, you weren't quick enough to dodge. You were knocked to the ground, stomach up. When you attempted to push him back with your quarterstaff, his katana settled on your neck.

You huffed, dropping your weapon and raising your hands up. "You win."

His aura radiated satisfaction, and you didn't doubt he was smirking. He gave you a hand and you gratefully took it.

"Thanks," you said as he pulled you up. "You make a great training partner."

He laughed, sheathing his swords. "You as well. You're just getting used to the new staff, and that was pretty good."

You were taken aback by his laugh and compliment. "It's a bit heavier than what I'm used to, but I'll get used to it."

Zoro nodded, but seemed to be holding something back. You tilted your head questioningly at him.

"If you take off your mask, you'd have better peripheral vision," he said. "You've still got Observation Haki, but I think it would help."

"Hm." You were still hesitant on revealing to Zoro your blindness. There was just this bad feeling in your gut, despite what the others said. You didn't want him to know your weakness.

Zoro was staring at you for a while now as you thought. "[Y/N]," he said slowly. He pointed at his chest with one hand as the other moved as if pulling the collar of his clothes down. "You see this?"

What, a tattoo? You nodded hesitantly.

"This scar was made by Hawkeyes. The world's greatest swordsman. I let him scar me."

Oh. A scar. "Why?"

"Scars on the back is a swordsman's shame," he said firmly. "But scars are also a sign of strength."

In your case, your scars showed that you were blind, you thought to yourself.

"Do you trust the crew?"

"Of course."

"Do you trust me?"

"Absolutely." More than you would like to admit, honestly.

He took a step closer to you, and his hand reached up to your mask. You held back the urge to slap his hand away. He deserved to know.

But as he lifted your mask, he stopped midway, leaving only your lips and nostrils exposed to the air.

His face moved closer, and yours heated up as you realized what he was going to do.

He was hesitant, as if seeing if you were going to move and shove him away, but you kept still. His lips finally touched yours fully, lingering for a moment before parting and pulling the mask back down for you slowly.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," he said softly. "Those marks show that you endured and you are stronger than whatever made them."