[ He doesn’t even feel the pain of that punch, not the contact of Zoro’s fist or teeth cutting his lip. It dizzies him for a second, but only because he didn’t see it coming, because his defenses went crumbling down the moment tears started to blind him. Which may make him a fool, but hell – everything inside of him already hurts far worse than anything Zoro can do to him here.

He spits blood onto the sand before turning narrowed eyes to the other man, blazing through the lingering sheen of moisture. ] What about my fucking decision? The one you took from me?

[ He moves to grasp the swordsman’s wrist, a tight grip that whitens his knuckles even though he knows he can’t pull Zoro’s hand off if he insists on keeping hold, knows he can’t match the bastard in upper body strength. But he can match him screaming, every furious word scraping against his throat on the way up. ]

I was ready to do anything, take anything, to keep you alive! And instead I had to watch you die! And I have to keep watching you die, in my head, every goddamn day, knowing I had a chance to save you and I couldn’t! How am I supposed to live with that?!