Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.
Mihawk arose from his slumber and stared off in space for a moment for his low blood pressure. It had gotten a bit worse since he was getting older. Slowly recovering he noticed that out of the two couches he had in his bedroom, one of them was empty. The other, occupied by the ghost princess, was sleeping soundlessly. Her body was curled up like a cat and her eyelashes fluttered from her steady breathing. Sleeping seemed like the only time she was quiet.
The boy had taken all of his belongings, although the only belonging he did have was his three swords. The couch had a faint trace of blood, dried and smeared over the velvet fabric.
He stared at the empty couch for five minutes until the blood finally began stirring in his body. He slowly collected his clothes and his swords and crept out of the room. Perona shifted towards the backside of the couch when the door closed with a creak but she continued on sleeping.
The boy was exactly where he was at before. He had brought out his swords and was clashing with the Humandrills. The clever apes all had weapons they had found on the floor, broken and some still useable. With power and stamina the apes thrashed at the kid and both receiving their own wounds. This time Mihawk decided he would just watch the fight and see if the kid really had improved since their last encounter. It had been months; surely the kid learned a few 'life lessons.' He didn't want to think he spared an idiot's life.
The boy's fighting had improved. His fighting style was more graceful and barely had any openings. However, as the openings increased and Mihawk noticed that the boy's shoulders were rising up and down in a fast pace. He assumed the boy had been fighting with the animals for not as long so the dramatic decrease in stamina made the master swordsman reach for his sword.
Soon enough, the boy suddenly gasped out and gripped his chest, causing him to collapse onto his knees. Taking the sweet advantage, one of the larger Humandrills took a swing at the fallen boy with an ax matching its body size.
Mihawk was immediately at the boy's side. He blocked the blow with the hilt of his black sword while gathering the boy in his other arm. The boy had already fallen unconscious so when he put his arm behind the young boy's back, his head rolled back. A twist of his wrist and the sword sliced through the bristled chest and the beast crumbled to the ground dead. The rest of the Humandrills shrilled in fear and made a run for it in the deep forest.
The master swordsman sighed and finally took a good look at the boy. Roronoa Zoro, one million and two thousand Beli, "the Pirate Hunter." Was this kid this desperate to leave the island even with these wounds? The wounds, neatly hidden under the rolls of bandages were healing. But the internal wound, the wound Bartholomew inflicted, ebbed the life away from the boy. The boy was, heck, extremely reckless was also very young. If the boy were to lose his life just because of the wound Monkey D. Luffy have given him, Mihawk was not going to forgive him.
The boy promised to become stronger and Mihawk had promised to wait for that day to come.
Mihawk put away his sword and stood up with the boy in his arms. The pain seemed to have gone away for the boy's facial features had softened, except for the tight frown. He then stared at the boy's swords, wondering how he would carry them, when three ghosts sailed past him and each floated back towards the castle with the sword in hand. The master swordsman titled his head to see the ghost princess standing on top of a ruin yawning, twirling the pink umbrella with her thin fingers. He gave a nod of acknowledgment and she hopped off and followed her spooky minions.
Morning hadn't arrived and the mist was thick, the air was chilly with the lack of sunlight. The noise of the forest was peaceful, its leaves dancing slightly from the soft breeze. Mihawk adjusted his arms so that the boy was firmly in his grip. The kid wanted to leave but in order to do so he had to heal all of the battle scars. Healing meant he had to wait. Until then...
"Be strong Roronoa." Mihawk whispered.
He then began his leisure back to the castle, hoping to get another hour of rest.
The End