Hey~ Before we start, I wanna thanks Serene Grace. Who is one of my closest friends on here and she also made the summary for this story.

I hate putting a disclamer and warnings on each chapter so instead I'll just put it all here once.

Summary: Roronoa Zoro. One of the only Strawhats whose parents both remain a mystery. However, his father is closer to him than he thinks. He met him, he challenged him, he was defeated by him, he was trained by him. He was even cared for by him. And he didn't know a single fact about his father. Who is that you ask? Well, it seems pretty obvious now, don't you think?

disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. {;A;}

Warning: Cussing, blood, nothing much else.

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~~~~~~Chapter one~~~~~

~~~How I came to let you go~~~

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What the caterpillar calls the end of the world,

the human calls a butterfly.

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During the time, The Great Age of Piracy threatens to take over the world and sea, swallowing up many villages and islands that Gol D. Roger had created over the years. The first King Of The Pirates had died a little more than a year ago and by now, pirates of all ages and types were reaching the grandline. Each looking in hopes for the same thing, the One Piece. I couldn't help but think of the irony as I waited on the deck of none other than Gold Roger's ship. I had known the king for a few years and was sadden by his death, a great man like him only comes around so often. Yet, he had manged to keep affecting the world even after death, a man with great fate indeed.

I allowed myself to take in the beauty of the ship, hopping it would ease my nerves. The Oro Jackson was made from a rare treasure wood and had red silky sales with vertical stripe design. The figurehead of the pirate ship appeared to be a pair of mermaids along a cannon. A few pirate members still on the ship, though they were only there to see my son be born.

I am a man who is hardly ever sacred, never have I run in fear nor have I ever cowered behind someone else. Not even as a child did I complain or whine. Now, at the age of 21-years-old, I was doing just that. As my wife is currently having a very early child-birth I can hear her screaming from below deck. I knew I was strong, on my way to being the best swordsman yet I had no way of helping her. Crocus, the pirate king's doctor, had ordered me to leave the room, saying that all the fuss I was making would be bad for the birth. I could only leave it in his hands now and wait.

The screaming suddenly died down. I slowly made my why below the ship, to the sick bay where my wife was held at. Was she dead? Was that why the yells of pain had stopped? As I make my way down the stairs I start to hear screaming again, but this time not my wife's, instead its the crying of a new-born baby boy of which is held in the mother's weak pale arms. Just one look at her is all I need to know... she is dying.

"Mihawk, look." She demands to me with a sight giggle. There is something is her eye that I can not describe. Prehaps it's the look of a women who knows her time is up or maybe its the look of a mother, looking down at her son as if he was the most precious thing in the world. "He's a gene freak, like his mommy" she chuckles in good humor.

I wouldn't be able to call myself a man if I didn't fulfill her wishes. I look over the screaming infant. I go throw a mix of emotions, something difficult for me since I have made a bad habit of keeping emotions to myself. I feel pride, my son, the only person younger than myself in this world who shares my blood and maybe one day my skill, but I will leave that up to fate. Hopefully, fate will be kind and keep him away.

"I always liked the name... Zoro..." The women says with a grin and I can tell that it's getting hard for her to talk, her lungs running out of air. She had always been such a bubbly, care-free and brave women, it was those reason that she was the love of my life. The doctor makes his way around me as he adds another drop of medicine into her IV, trying to ease her pain as she slowly shuts her green eyes.

I looked out to the waves, hoping that the scene of endlessly moving water would some how calm me. After the events that had taken place over the past few days, I found myself on a close by island with a friend, feeling bewildered and tired. I haven't really had much rest and I felt far to sick in my stomach to eat. The weight of my wife's death bored down on me. If she saw me moping around like this, what would she say? Something like 'Eh? Don't be so grumpy all the time hawk-eye~ It's not good for chu~.' Little did she know that her being away from me was the thing that wasn't good.

Maybe if I was lucky she would sing to me, singing in a funny voice, trying to get me to laugh or even chuckle. However I just heard silence now. How much was it that I longed for the sound of her voice? Instead I was taken out of my thought by the scream of the crying green-headed baby in my arms. I groaned in announce as I rocked back and forward on the sliver-colored rock I was on. I couldn't blame the baby for complaining, after all, I was close to complaining with all the noise the red-headed man was making while partying.

"Hmm... Something about you with a cute little baby just doesn't look right." The redheaded pirate voiced in good humor as he approached me, leaning on a palm tree next to me. "Come on~ You should be partying! You got a wife, a baby and are on your way to your dream." The red-haired pirate captain sung, much like my wife use to.

"Shanks." I say, my voice a little on edge "My wife is dead." I informed him. His grin turned into a frown as the words left me lips. He honestly looked more upset then I did though I knew that was impossible.

"No..." Shanks said, mostly to himself as he subconsciously felt the rim of his straw hat "I'm sorry... Didn't know." He apologized and takes off his hat as he gives me a respective bow. I was caught off-guard by this. The redheaded man had always been a rude and childlike man after all.

"It's quite alright." I say, watching as baby Zoro once again shot his eyes, trying sleep but failing. One thing I offend wondered was if babies were suppose to sleep as much as my infant did? I have too much pride to ask.

"So what are you planning do to now?" The redheaded man asked, in need of a change of topic.

"I'm not sure." I say honestly. I know that there is no way I can raise a baby alone and still go on to fulfill my dreams and wishes. Even if I did give those up, how could I offer enough to take care of a growing boy? He would grow up cold and alone, like myself.

My eyes widen in the slightest at Zoro makes a reach for the sword I carry around my hip, tugging at the handle with his small fingers. I slap his hand away and can't help but glare at him. Ever since I had found out that my wife was pregnant I had one fear. The fear that my son would try to become the world's best swords man, the fear that one day I would have to fight and even kill him. Shanks noticed this.

"You know Hawk-eye," he starts, as he pokes my Zoro's cheek. The baby doesn't care and simply turns in my grip. "I'm going to the east blue soon, in about a year. I need to wait a little while before heading off to the grandline, with all the rookies around." he explained. I eye him, what was he thinking?

"Your point?" I ask.

"I'm saying that I could take him with me. To the weakest sea, he'd probably never learn about you or who you are..." Shanks stops talking, knowing that I understand. What would my wife do at a moment like this? I ask myself the question she would have asked herself 'What would be best for Zoro?'

That is how I came to the decision to let my son go, for him to never know about me or who I am and hopefully never pick up a sword.