Ugh. FF hates me! Somehow, all my alerts were disabled and I didn't receive anything for almost two whole months! It's okay, though, I fixed it and now I'm getting them again. Thanks so much to all my readers with their reviews that I did not read until yesterday. ^^' So, thank you for your patience, and here's #12! (If you need to reread the last part of 11 to get back into the swing of things, go ahead. I will not blame you.)
Patty went past Zeff, Sanji, and myself up to the railing and stared at the little raft with the single, sitting passenger, dumbfounded. "Dat's him? The fiend who sank fifty ships singlehandedly?"
The other cooks joined us on the deck.
"That's the one who blasted Krieg's ship just now?"
"He looks human enough…I don't see any special weapon…"
"His special weapon is on his back!" Zeff said grimly.
The cooks gave cries of disbelief. "He wrecked the huge galleon with a SWORD?"
"Yes!" Zeff affirmed, folding his arms. "Hawk-eye is a master swordsman. He is the greatest swordsman in the world!"
"The greatest…in the world…" I repeated softly, my eyes locked on him. I already knew that, but it sounded much more ominous when he said it compared to me thinking it. I was shaking and I couldn't help it. I wasn't scared for myself…not really…but I was scared for—I gasped and whipped back and forth, looking around wildly.
"Hm? Janeen?" Sanji blinked. "What is it?"
"Zoro!" I said, still searching for him. "I gotta stop him! He's gonna try to—NO!" I found him, but it was too late. He had just disappeared over the bow of the wrecked galleon and out of my line of sight. "ZORO!" I was about to bolt, but Sanji caught me.
"No! Stop!"
"I have to stop him, Sanji!" I cried, trying unsuccessfully to free myself. Zoro came back into view and my eyes followed his silent approach to where Mihawk had stopped his raft. My heart flew into a frenzy and a lump came to my throat. "He's going to challenge him!" I croaked, swallowing harshly. No, no, no, NO! This CAN'T be happening! "I—I've got to—!"
"Janeen!" Sanji pulled me back and held me close to him. He turned me around and made me look into his eyes. "There's nothing you can do! If he wants to fight him, then let him fight! It's his death wish!"
I stopped fighting him and just looked at him with huge eyes, feeling tears coating my eyes and waiting to bubble over. "I can't just watch him die, Sanji…" I whispered.
He was about to reply when two shots went off. I clamped onto Sanji and buried my face in his chest. Nothing happened so I looked back at the galleon, my hands still holding his jacket front. Mihawk had his sword out and his arm fully extended towards some pirates on a stretch of deck of the galleon. One of them had two pistols in his hands, gaping at Mihawk. Zoro came up behind them calmly, saying something that made them jump out of the way.
"Huh?" the one with the pistols exclaimed. "Who are you?"
I've never seen such subtle sword-work," Zoro said to Mihawk, completely ignoring the pirates.
Mihawk returned the giant sword to his back. "Without subtlety, a sword is but an iron bar."
"You split this galleon with that sword?"
"Of course."
"I see…" Zoro replied. "…Then you are the greatest." I could see the tenseness and excitement in his eyes as I watched, helpless to stop him. Dread and fear finally settled on me when he pulled the black cloth off his arm. "I went to sea to find you!"
Hawk-eye didn't budge. "Why?"
"To be the greatest," Zoro said, tying it around his head and giving it a securing tug with that excited, tense grin on his face. He drew a sword and pointed it at Mihawk. "Looking for some fun? Then fight me."
A bunch of the pirates jumped up and yelled in recognition, "The Three-Sword Style! That's Zoro! Roronoa Zoro!"
Sanji stared at him. "That guy?" He looked down at me. "Zoro? Bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro? You want to stop him?"
I broke free of him, standing stiffly with my fists clenched. "That's what I've been telling you!" I ran the few steps to the railing and gripped it tightly, watching Zoro's every movement like it was his last. He mustn't…but I can't…
Mihawk stood up. "Pathetic," he rumbled. "Weakling." He went over to the wreckage where Zoro was and stepped onto the deck. Of course he couldn't turn down a challenge…of course not… He stood there, facing Zoro with his arms crossed.
"If you're a competent swordsman, you don't need to cross swords…to know that I far surpass your puny skills. Does the courage to point your blade at me come from confidence…or from ignorance?"
Zoro put a sword in his mouth and drew the other two, tossing his sheaths to the side. "It comes from ambition. And from a promise to a friend."
"The greatest swordsman in the world…" a cook next to me said, in awe of what he was seeing, "and Zoro the pirate hunter!"
"No one alive can beat our brother!"
Startled, I looked to my right. Luffy was on the docking board to the restaurant and there was a boat next to him. On it was Usopp and two other guys, neither of whom I recognized. One wore a jacket about two sizes too small for him over a pair of pants and a black t-shirt, sunglasses, and had a tattoo on his left cheek. I recognized it as the symbol for "sea". The other wore a longer coat over a dark gray t-shirt and shorts and had a headband sitting just above his brow line.
"What's that for?" Zoro asked.
Mihawk had taken off his cross necklace and pulled off the bottom leg, revealing a blade. It was so small that even I could have palmed it.
"I'm not the kind of fool who hunts rabbits with a cannon," Mihawk said calmly. "You may have a reputation, but you're still just a bunny. The Red Line and the Grand Line divide the seas into four quarters. Of the four, the East Blue is the tamest. Sorry," he motioned to his knife, "but this is the smallest knife I've got."
That helped me narrow down where I was. East Blue. Yeah, that helped a lot.
Zoro crouched, tensing his entire body. "Better take it easy…with the bravado!" He took off straight for his opponent. "YOU'LL FEEL STUPID WHEN I KILL YOU!"
Mihawk didn't even move. "You're a little frog, croaking in your puddle. Time you learned how big the world is."
Zoro, while running, crossed his arms in front of himself. "ONI—!"
I tensed, watching intently as the space between them closed. I hated that I couldn't do anything!
"—GIRI!" Zoro brought them forward again, making an X with the blades in front of the one in his mouth.
There was a Klang as blades met…but he was stopped right in front of Mihawk. We were all in shock. Zoro's crewmates practically had their bottom jaws on the deck of their ship. There he was, blocking Zoro's swords with only the tip of the knife. He held him back without any effort contrary to Zoro. I could see him straining even from that distance.
"He stopped Brother Zoro's Onigiri Demon Cut!" the tattoo one exclaimed.
"But that move never fails!" the other one said.
Zoro was frozen for a few more seconds before breaking away and roared in anger, attacking wildly. Mihawk blocked every swipe with his toy. Zoro missed once and flew past Mihawk, crashing to the ground. He got up slowly, breathing hard.
"Zoro!" I yelled, leaning over the railing. "Anger won't solve anything!" I was such a hypocrite. I was shaking and trying to burn holes in Mihawk's head with my glares. That bastard's not even trying! Not even fighting him!
"Brother Zoro!" I barely heard Johnny over the heavy contacts. "Don't let him BEAT YOU!"
I gasped and looked over at the tiny ship's passengers. Johnny? I looked at his partner in recognition. Yosaku… I felt that I knew them somehow. The longer I looked at them, the stronger that feeling got. "Bounty hunters" came to mind and somehow I knew that was right. The sword clashes stopped and I looked back over at the fight.
"What drives you?" Mihawk asked Zoro. "Why do you fight so hard when you cannot win?" Zoro tensed at his words. "You're a weakling…"
The two bounty hunters snapped.
"Our brother's not a WEAKLING, BUZZARD EYE!" Yosaku shouted. He and Johnny had their swords drawn and were about to jump over the edge of their ship.
"I'll teach you a lesson!" Johnny yelled. "That man is—"
Luffy grabbed them. "Stop! Stay out of it, Yosaku and Johnny!" He pulled them back on board and held their heads against the side of the ship. "Control yourselves!"
I stared at Luffy as the clanging began again. He was barely controlling himself. He was shaking now instead of me. His eyes were full of anger and he was clenching his teeth as he watched his friend.
"Luffy…" I murmured. I couldn't believe it. I didn't quite know how to feel. I was angry, upset, and worried for Zoro's life. I was also amazed at Luffy. He wanted a piece of Mihawk—I could see that—but he was holding himself back. It amazed me and to this day I don't know why. So many emotions were running around in my head that I didn't know what to show.
There was another loud Klang and Mihawk sent Zoro flying backwards. He rolled out of it and stood up. He made a box with his arms above his head and the swords in his hands vertical behind the one in his mouth. "Tiger…"
My breath caught in my throat and I gripped the railing. No, no, no. He's leaving his body open for—
"HUNT!"
He ran forward and was about to bring his swords down on Mihawk…but his opponent was faster. Hawk-eye made a single thrust and plunged his knife into Zoro's chest.
"BROTHER!" I heard both bounty hunters scream but my eyes were locked on Zoro and Mihawk.
The two swordsmen seemed frozen as they stood there. I followed the stream of blood down Zoro's body and onto the deck where it pooled below him. He seemed barely able to stand but he refused to budge.
"You want your guts cut out?" Mihawk asked. "Why don't you retreat?"
"I…can't…" Zoro shakily replied, somehow keeping the sword hilt in his mouth. "If I retreat even one step…my vow, my ambition…everything I cared about…will be shattered. And all my dreams will be lost forever."
"Yes," Mihawk said with conviction. "That's defeat."
Zoro chuckled weakly. "…So I can't retreat."
"Even if it means death?"
Zoro's voice was steady now. "I prefer death to defeat."
Death…to defeat? My eyes were wide and my heart pounded. My memory of the intensity of his eyes came back to me. He's so…strong…
Mihawk withdrew his blade. "Boy, speak your name."
Zoro extended his arms forward and pointed his swords in opposite directions in a pose I didn't recognize. Or did I…? "Roronoa Zoro."
Mihawk returned the sheathed knife to around his neck and reached for the hilt of his colossal sword. "I'll remember it. It's been a while since I've met one so brave." He drew it and held it in one hand. "I will honor the swordsman's code and send you to your death with this black blade—the finest in the world."
The pirates were freaking out, shaking in their boots.
"He's drawn it!"
"The sword that split the ship!"
Mihawk bounded forward. "DIE!"
"BROTHER! PLEASE! GIVE UP!"
I couldn't look away. I had to watch. I could feel the blood being cut off from my fingers but I couldn't let go of the railing. This was it—the final attack. Zoro spun his swords so fast that I couldn't see them.
"Three-sword style—Secret Move!" He charged Mihawk. "Three Thousand Worlds!"
There was a thunderous clash and a spurt of blood. The two swords in Zoro's hands were shattered and Hawk-eye was uninjured.
"He lost…" I whispered, horrified, even though I knew it would happen.
Zoro dropped his broken swords, picked up the remaining sword's sheath, and put it back on its owner. Mihawk swung around and was about to finish him off when Zoro turned to face him, his arms held out and the sheathed sword in hand. Mihawk paused.
"What are you…?"
"Wounds on the back…" Zoro replied, "…are a swordsman's shame."
"Magnificent," Mihawk said, impressed. He brought his sword down in one mighty swing across Zoro's body.
"ZORO!" Luffy and I screamed.
My heart leapt into my throat and tears welled up as I watched the scene from my dreams. It happened, and I had done nothing to stop it. We watched helplessly as blood seemed to explode out of Zoro. He let go of his sword, staggering backwards towards the sea. I jumped up on top of the railing but Sanji wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up before I could jump in after him.
"NO!" I screamed, struggling against his strong arms and kicking wildly. "LET ME GO!" Tears freely ran down my cheeks but I didn't care. "I CAN'T LET HIM DIE!"
"JANEEN! STOP!" Sanji pulled me away from the edge. He yelled over my head to Zoro. "IT'S EASY! ABANDON YOUR STUPID DREAM!"
I elbowed the side of his head, making him drop me. I landed on my feet and faced him, glaring through the tears. "It's not STUPID!" I turned back to the railing as Zoro fell into the water but Sanji grabbed me again. "STOP IT! LET GO!" I screamed again. "I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN'T LET HIM DIE!"
"DARN YOU!" Luffy yelled.
"What the heck?" the cooks cried.
I looked. Luffy had stretched his arm from where he was on the little ship to the wreckage just past Mihawk. I stared with wide eyes, the tears still flowing. It was just like my dreams. He had done that before. He roared and flew towards Mihawk who stepped out of the way, letting Luffy crash into the decking.
"What did you mean by that?"
I looked back at Sanji. He stared into my eyes, utterly confused. "What do you mean, 'you promised yourself'?" He grabbed both my arms harshly and I cried out in pain, looking down and away. "What do you—" He stopped. He stared down at my arms and where he was holding me: directly on the bruising. "You…" The truth was dawning on him. "…you tried to…"
I glanced up at him but guiltily looked away. The pain in his eyes was too much. I was beginning to regret not telling him. He put the final pieces together in his mind.
"He…He did…"
I broke away and hugged my burning arms to my body. I couldn't make eye contact with him. I couldn't even look at him but I could feel his eyes on me. The cooks didn't know who to look at—us, Luffy and Hawk-eye, or the bounty hunters who just pulled Zoro from the water and onto their ship as Usopp hurried over with a small med-kit. He was alive. I was relieved but also pained. Pained because I knew what would happen and still did nothing, and because I hurt the one I wanted to hold close in my heart. I could feel the pain and anger from Sanji. Whether for me or Zoro, I didn't know.
"My name is Dracule Mihawk! It's too soon for you to die."
All eyes turned to Hawk-eye. He and Luffy were looking at Zoro and the three guys gathered around him. I only glanced at him then closed my eyes, just listening.
"Discover yourself. See the world and grow strong, Zoro! However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. Strive with your whole heart and mind to best this blade, fierce one! Strive to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"
There was a moment of silence as his words sank in.
"Why would "Hawk-eye" Mihawk say something like that?" Zeff asked aloud, confused by his words.
I whispered to myself, not sure if he was being rhetorical or not, "…because he was honored to fight one who is willing to give their life…to be the greatest…"
"Usopp! Is Zoro okay?" Luffy yelled, causing me to look up at the ship.
"NO, HE'S NOT OKAY! But he's alive! Just unconscious!"
Zoro held his remaining sword straight up. "Lu-Luffy…can you…hear me?"
"I hear you!"
The cooks and Sanji looked on in amazed silence but I covered my eyes with one hand, letting tears flow down my face in silence. I hung on Zoro's every word.
"Were you worried? If I fail…to become the world's greatest swordsman…you'll be disappointed…right?" He hacked violently, coughing up blood I imagined.
"Brother!" Johnny cried.
"Brother! Save your breath!" Yosaku blubbered through tears.
"NEVER AGAIN!"
I looked up over my hand to the sword.
"I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" He vowed. "From now to the day I beat him to become the greatest swordsman…I will never…LOSE AGAIN!" Zoro took a shaky breath. "Got a problem with that…King of the Pirates?"
Luffy grinned and laughed like a little kid. "Not at all!"
I wiped my eyes with a small smile and murmured, "You knuckleheads…"
"Janeen…"
I looked over at Sanji. He blew a stream of smoke into the air, not looking at me. I couldn't make out the emotion coming off him.
"…Why didn't you tell me?"
I didn't say anything and looked away. "…Because…I…"
"It wasn't your concern, Eggplant!"
The cooks and Sanji looked at Zeff. I, however, was watching Don Krieg approach Mihawk, asking something about his head. Reading lips is difficult from long distances, especially when you're in emotional distress.
"If she wanted you to know her business, she would have told you!" Zeff said with a snort. "If she doesn't, then she won't tell you!"
Sanji growled. "You knew! This whole time, you knew, didn't you?"
Knowing Zeff, he most likely didn't reply and if he did say anything, he was drowned out by Krieg who drew out his arsenal again. The funny thing was that I didn't react to it like I always had before. I don't remember reacting at all.
"Now it's my turn to have fun!" Krieg roared. "DIE!"
Mihawk drew his giant sword again as Krieg let loose a volley of bullets and sliced up the ship again. When the smoke cleared, Mihawk and his raft were gone.
"Yikes!" Luffy exclaimed, suddenly clinging to the outside of the railing in front of us. That time, I did flinch, surprised. "Usopp!" he yelled. "Set sail!"
"Wha? Aye-aye!" Usopp replied. He grinned, waving Luffy's hat. It had fallen off when he rocketed through the air. "Zoro and I will go after Nami! You get that cook to join us!" He flung Luffy's hat to him. "And when we've got everybody together, we'll sail for the Grand Line!"
"Right!" Luffy caught it with a grin. "Let's do it!" He plunked it on his head.
I watched the little ship head off, relieved that Zoro was still alive. Take care of him, Usopp…
Sanji took a step forward and blew another smoke stream. "Here come the locusts…"
Thanks again for reading! Please review! ~shdw dncr
