"And no alcohol until you master the technique,"
Zoro groaned "But-!"
"No buts," Mihawk interrupted "you've hit a roadblock, and only six months after arriving. I'm disappointed in you, so it looks like I'm going to have to get tough."
With that Zoro stalked out of the castle, unknowing that the morning was about to take a drastic turn. It was quiet that day, Zoro remembered it quite clearly. He had stomped off into the jungle after Mihawk made his command, but oddly enough even the baboons were quiet refusing him the sparring session he had come out there specifically for. The swordsman gnashed his teeth in frustration. He wanted to fight something, to learn the technique his master had demanded and then sink himself into a well-earned sake laced nap. Zoro knew he had to tough out the next year and a half, it had already been six months but the man felt like it had been six years. He was grateful, immensely grateful, that Mihawk was training him to help him grow stronger, however, the swordsman felt the call of the ocean. The pull to travel, see the world and have adventures.
Before this, he had always longed for endless days of training. Uninterrupted and blissful as he pushed himself past the limits of his former capabilities, but now he suddenly found himself homesick for the crazy raucous chaos of his crew. Mihawk was right, he had hit a roadblock. He couldn't explain what had happened, but in recent weeks he had felt this unexplainable melancholy, that had nothing to do with Perona's ghosts, take hold of his soul. Zoro sighed, suddenly realizing that his aimless feet had taken him to the beach. The swordsman sat down on the small dunes with an audible thump, burying his two hands into mossy hair. He hated feeling like this. Hated not knowing how his crew was doing. He eventually found himself incomprehensibly wishing he could see them again, or regain some semblance of the joy he had when sailing across the Grand Line.
It was during this moment of sorrowful repose, that suddenly his world began to shake as tremors rocked the sand. The already gloomy skyline darkened, turning fierce and foreboding. The waters of the shore became ever more violent when a hurricane level windstorm kicked up, knocking the man across the sands and rolling him into the trees. Zoro clung to one such aged tree, gritting his teeth against the blast and spray of the ocean.
"Wha-What's going on?!" he grunted.
Another gust blew him away, wrenching his fingers free of their desperate grip. Zoro bellowed out a cry of surprise as he flew, steel grey eyes wide as he observed with a stunned gasp the devastation taking place on the island "No way,"
The island was, quite honestly, disappearing. Bits and pieces of it were flying up into the air dissolving into a pitch black funnel cloud with purple lightening interspersed throughout. Not only was the island being eaten by some kind of demonic cloud, but there was a creature, a large black monster, with a hole in its chest that was demolishing the castle. Zoro barely caught a glimpse of Mihawk charging the thing right before he hit a large clump of bushes. The man bolted to his feet, panting as his heart pounded in fear. How do islands just disappear?! However the swordsman didn't have time to think about that because all too soon he was surrounded by smaller cobalt insect like creatures. They moved in a jerky skittering motion that made Zoro's skin crawl and he took an involuntary step back as his face pulled into a grimace.
Drawing his swords, Zoro swung at the creatures his jaw clenching in frustration when the blades passed through the monsters, not even phasing them slightly. They assessed him with glowing yellow eyes, pausing for only a millisecond before rushing the moss headed man. Zoro swung his blades with deadly precision, but they were like mist, impervious to his steel all the while the swordsman felt that their claws were all too real. He bit back a strangled yelp as blood dripped down his arm staining the forest floor below.
"How do I kill these things?!" Zoro snarled before an oddly squeaky voice broke through his mind.
A mere mortal weapon made by human hands is not capable of defeating monsters such as these.
"Huh?" Zoro straightened up, casting his gaze about looking for the source of the strange voice "Who's there?!"
One who would help you, if you will accept?
"Great, perfect!" the swordsman grunted "Anytime would be great!"
Merely reach out with your heart and call forth the blade. Then you will be given the power you desire.
"Reach out with my heart?" Zoro scoffed before he was once again sliced by the claws of another insect "Ok, sounds simple enough."
Zoro closed his eyes focusing within, but every time he felt something akin to what the voice was talking about the monsters would claw at him, breaking his concentration "Hey!" he finally bellowed "can't you see I'm trying to reach out with my heart here?!"
The voice wasn't giving any helpful hints, so Zoro grit his teeth and ran hoping to find a secluded space where he could call out this power the weird voice was talking about. Trees whipped by, branches cutting his cheeks and arms as the swordsman pelted though the underbrush. Finally he reached the castle, or what was left of it. The man gaped at the sheer carnage wreaked on the ancient building seeing only one tower and spiral of stairs left standing. There on that tower Mihawk did battle with the towering creature, but seemed to be having the same struggle that Zoro had. His sword had no effect, and for the first time in decades the world's greatest swordsman felt helpless.
Zoro watched his mentor, sudden hopelessness overtaking him at the stark reality that not even Mihawk was capable of defeating this fierce enemy.
Do not give into the darkness! The voice commanded sternly Reach out with your heart, release the power sleeping inside!
"HOW?!" Zoro screamed "I have no idea how to accomplish what you're talking about!"
Listen with your heart, just as you have felt the soul of the earth, so too is there a deeper voice within your heart. You are one of the chosen, just focus!
Zoro answered the voice with a savage growl before closing his eyes and falling into a meditative stance. The man focused on his breaths, allowed his heartbeat to slow, and then like a spark within the gloom of midnight he saw it. It burned pure and bright, steady like as a flame and pulsing with every beat of his heart. A name burst on the tip of his tongue and out his mouth calling forth his weapon in a confident bellow.
"Dreamer's Destiny!"
Steel grey eyes widened as a flash of light exploded in front of him in the form of three blades set in a triangle. They were beautiful, and their shape was not what one would normally associate with a sword. In fact, they almost resembled…keys.
One was decorated in green gems and the silver intricately woven to resemble wingtips on the end. Within the chain link in the middle, metal calligraphy spelled out the word 'Dream'. This blade flew to Zoro's dominant hand. The next blade was black gold, the tip of it decorated with a devil's wing and covered in crimson gem stones. The chain link down the center of this one read 'Will', this blade came to Zoro's right hand. The third was the most beautiful. Yellow and white gold braided together, the hilt resembling a rapier so to make room for Zoro's mouth, and at the end of the blade was a luminous sun. The word emblazoned on this weapon was simply 'Destiny'. This one flew towards Zoro's face, waiting in midair like an obedient dog until the man gripped it in his teeth.
The swordsman looked down at them in befuddlement "What are these?"
Keyblades, the voice supplied the only weapon capable of destroying the creatures you now face, creatures known as Heartless.
"Heartless?" Zoro wondered aloud.
Yes, the giant is one such heartless
"So…I just use these 'key blades' against it?"
Yes, you now have the power to defeat it
"Right,"
Zoro required very little further prompting, and immediately strode forward to where his master fought "Mihawk!"
"Roronoa," the older man barked "get your useless butt over here and help kill this thing!"
The moss headed swordsman sprinted to his mentor's side slicing at the leg and hand of the monster, smirking when it gave a satisfying screech as it attempted to bat them away. The duo fought back to back, Mihawk attempting to fend off attacks but groaning in frustration when even his blade passed through harmlessly. The yellow eyed man glanced at his pupil, jealousy darkening his keen gaze at the obvious damage Zoro was doing to the creatures both large and small.
"Roronoa," he bellowed over the chaos of battle "what are those ridiculous blades you're wielding,"
Zoro sliced a heartless just before it caught Mihawk in the face "The kind of ridiculous blades that just saved your butt!"
"Touché," Mihawk smirked "However is there a chance that I may use one?"
The moss head shrugged, tossing the black blade to his mentor "Sure,"
Mihawk grinned preparing to swing his new blade only to give a startled yelp when the thing disappeared in a flash of sparks and reappeared in Zoro's hand once again "Rather picky, aren't they?"
Zoro merely spread his arms wide "Don't look at me, this is the first time I've ever even seen them, much less used them. I don't know how they work!"
Hawkeye merely shrugged in return and whirled around, ready to continue their assault when he noticed the ground beneath Zoro's feet begin to give way "Roronoa!"
The man leapt forward, grabbing his pupil's shirt and dragging him away even as he propelled himself over the edge "Mihawk!"
Zoro fell onto his stomach dropping his silver blade, one hand gripping his master's hand even as he cried out in pain from the heartless tearing at his back "Mihawk, hold on!"
The man gave Zoro a grim smile, one that he knew all too well, one that he himself had worn in battle when he knew that survival was minimal at best. It was the smile a warrior wore when death was near and hope was no longer their friend. "No, Roronoa," he said through gritted teeth "I am useless to you in this fight. This world is done for and disappearing at an ever increasing rate, even I can say that the end is near. Yet the strange weapons you wield somehow protect you, you may yet have a chance to survive. Do not let my sacrifice be in vain, defeat this creature, once and for all!"
"No Mihawk, we will face this thing together!"
"Do not be stupid!" Mihawk spat "now go!"
With that Mihawk forced Zoro to let go of his hand, allowing himself to be swallowed by the darkness and Zoro found himself screaming into the writhing whirlwind "Mihawk, NO!"
Zoro rolled over onto his back, and regained his footing before pinning the large monster with a deadly glare brimming with bloodlust "…Die…"
The swordsman surged forward, bringing his new blades into battle with fatal precision. One cut across the legs, two more on the stomach, countless others onto its hand. Zoro knew what he was doing, and this thing certainly deserved a firsthand experience in his deadly craft. One giant hand swept down, but the swordsman dodged it with a nimble summersault slicing the limb even as he went. Whirling around in his razor sharp dance Zoro continued hacking away at the mindless heartless, seeing that it was not intelligent but merely using brute force. Zoro grinned, he'd fought many strong idiots this one would be just as easy. So with one last bellowing cry Zoro jumped onto the arm, using it as a bridge, running up so to reach the shoulder and using his blades in their deadly triad cut the creature's head.
The heartless gave a screech as it reeled backwards sending Zoro flying back to the sand and disappeared into a puff of black smoke. Zoro looked around, his eyes wide as he saw the continued damage to his island "Why isn't it stopping?!"
It isn't going to stop, the end is already upon you.
"What do you mean, the end? Tell me what's happening?!"
No time! Your world is falling into darkness and you will go with it if you do not move quickly.
"What do you mean falling into darkness?" Zoro felt his heart freeze in stark terror and concern for his nakama "What about my crew?"
I'm sorry, your world…it's gone. Everyone you know has already been swallowed by the darkness.
"No…" Zoro fell to his knees barely registering the cracking of the tower as it was assimilated by the cloud "My crew…they're gone?"
Do not despair, there is still a chance to save your world.
The moss headed man's eyes snapped up, determination filling their gaze though sorrow still overwhelmed his features "How?"
Follow my instruction and you will join those who will help you on your quest.
"Then what do I do?!"
Jump.
"Jump?" the swordsman glanced around noticing he was standing on only a small spit of sand hanging in midair, even the ocean was gone replaced by this horrifying nothingness.
Yes, jump.
"JUMP?!"
Jump now!
"Aw man," Zoro looked down at the pitch black abyss before gritting his teeth and closing his eyes "here goes nothing!"
With a groan riding on a growl the swordsman leapt into the darkness holding the strange blades in front of him like a shield. Darkness swallowed him but was kept at bay by a luminescent silver light forming around Zoro, sending him careening through the void much like Kuma's Devil fruit power had. Zoro closed his eyes, sorrow filling his heart at the loss of his world and most of all his crew. The voice had told him he had a chance of saving them, but he wasn't sure if he could. From now on the man could only rely on himself, and the hope that the voice spoke true.
"I will see my nakama again," Zoro promised himself "I will save them and we'll sail to the New World. I promise."