Chapter Summary: The trip to New York continues.

A phone, Mihawk learns, is a portable communication device not unlike a Transponder Snail, except exceptionally less slimy and with far more features. On top of making calls to people, it can tell time and send 'text messages', along with a variety of other features depending on the model. In particular, it can even give directions with a 'map application'; considering Roronoa's deplorable sense of direction, that made getting one all the more appealing.

Phones are the first thing they will be getting because they are an integral necessity to life in this world. Anyone that can afford it has a phone, even if it's the cheapest model, due to its expedient communication abilities. If they are ever lost or otherwise in need, it is a simple matter of contacting one of their acquaintances and asking for aid. Mihawk supposes that he'll have to get clothing with pockets to accomodate for this new essential.

Roronoa is the one who brings up payment. Considering his ever-increasing debt to the Cat Burglar (something Mihawk is only peripherally aware of due to his student's occasional rumblings about the 'witch' during his stay at Kuraigana Island), it's only fitting that his student be the more fiscally responsible of the two of them. Mihawk had never much to worry about on that end due to his status as a Warlord allowing him to build up a tidy fortune with the bounties of other pirates. The fact that he did not have a crew to fund certainly helped, and even the government's mandate of an annual ten percent tithe did little to put a dent into his accounts.

That leads to their hosts explaining how currency works in this world, which, much like everything else, is vastly more complicated than the system of their own. Every country has their own currency, which can be used on their soil and usually their soil only. Currency can be exchanged according to set rates at certain vendors. The country they are currently in, America, uses a form of green colored currency and silver and copper coins, which is divided into denominations of fives, tens, and ones. During the wait time for their meals, Roronoa and him are walked through each of these denominations until they are fully memorized.

After that, they explain that payment can also be rendered through plastic cards of two types: debit and credit. Debit cards are electronically connected to the bank accounts of their holder, and take money of the account to pay the allotted bill. Credit cards act as a form of 'temporary' payment, accuring debt with each use which the holder is then required to pay off with their own funds at the end of each payment period. The 'debt' however had a limit, which is dependent on the type of card it was. Batman (or 'B' as he is called, since they are in public) had gifted them a black credit card, which had no limit. This is a little harder to wrap their heads around (particularly the electronic bit), but Mihawk supposes that, much like everything else, he will get it eventually.

With those basics covered, their food arrives and they eat. Discussions are had over what they will be getting besides a phone and clothing. Roronoa and him both express the need for sword polishing kits. Luckily, Diana had foreseen this and had already researched a location of a shop that sold such supplies. She had already stored the location on her phone, in the map application.

Mihawk is pleased. Comfort dulls the sword. Convenience is another matter entirely.

The shop they go to in order to buy phones is called 'T-Mobile'. Apparently, in order to use phones (or 'cell phones' as these models are called) they need a 'phone plan', which provides 'service' for them. It is a difficult for even Mihawk to understand, and he doesn't need to look at Roronoa to see that it is all going over his student's head. J'onn seems to notice this, and is not surprised in the least, promising them they will understand it all the more they get used to it. Mihawk is not sure if that is a comfort or not, even if it is meant to be one.

Diana opts to get them 'smart phones', the same kind of model that she uses. They utilize a touch screen, meaning that they can manipulate the phone's various applications with their fingers; according to her, older models used to do this with buttons, which were far more inconvenient. Along with the touchscreen feature is a locking mechanism, which locks the phone from any that do not know its passcode. This is to allow privacy, as many people store private information on their phones for both the ease of access and the in-built security.

They spend at least an hour or two going through everything. The saleswoman is helpful, asking what they want in a phone, and what will best suit their needs. Neither Roronoa nor himself have any clue to that, so Diana handles the questions for them. Then, after two models are selected (iPhones, they're called) along with a phone plan, she walks them through in registering their phones, gifting their phone numbers to memorize. Some of the information is lost on them (such as an 'email' — Diana handles that as well, promising to explain it to them later), but it goes smoothly enough and before he knows it, he has the name 'Roronoa' in his contact list, along with a number attached, and the numbers of his two other companions as well. Another way to keep an eye on the boy, in case he ever gets lost.

Before they leave, he requests the saleswoman to also explain how to use the map application to Roronoa. "I expect you to be as well-versed with this app as you are with your blades," he tells his student.

The glare the younger man gives him could melt steel, and Mihawk cannot help but smirk in return.

The fashion on Earth isn't really all that different from the fashion of his own world, Zoro realizes a few hours later. He should have assumed as much when he first saw the clothes Diana had gifted him for this trip, but only now is it beginning to sink in. The shops Diana brings Hawk-Eyes and him to are specifically geared towards men's fashion of all kinds, and it's easy to choose both casual and formal clothing to their tastes. It's not that different from Nami and Robin's shopping trips, except this time he's not the designated pack mule but rather one of the main dress up dolls.

There's a holdover at the shop where they get the polishing and maintenance kits. Partly because Mihawk and him have never agreed on whether oil or wax is best for maintenance, and partly because they had become distracted with the advancements this world had made on sword care in general. Upon seeing their disposition towards the shop, Diana had shown them how to bookmark the location on the map app so they could return to this place at their own leisure.

(Zoro refuses to admit that Hawk-Eyes may have a point in familiarizing themselves with that app. He still has that much pride in himself, at least.)

Eventually, however, the trip comes to an end. The sun begins to set over the horizon, the skies turning to an orange hue. By the time they reach the restaurant Diana had chosen for dinner, even the stars are starting to become visible in the sky.

"Huh," Zoro murmurs as he gazes out towards the water line. The sea.

"We got a private table on the restaurant's upper deck," Diana mentions casually. "It costs a pretty penny, but I don't see any reason we can't indulge seeing as we're operating on B's dime. All the money we've spent today is barely a drop in a bucket to him."

It isn't the first time Diana has made comments like that. Whoever Batman is behind the mask, he is rich enough to make even Nami dripping with envy. "Thanks." The lack of sea salt in the air has been a little jarring to him, and to Hawk-Eyes as well, as much as the older man tried to hide it.

Thanks to the reservation, they are seated immediately and given menus. To the joy of both swordsmen, this includes a full wine menu that they both peruse with great fervor. The lack of alcohol has been a sore spot for them both, and the fact that alcoholic beverages are banned on the Watchtower has done little to alleviate their feelings over their current situation, especially after learning about their forced exile. It was a nice way to cap off to such an exhausting, if productive day.

After their orders are taken, Zoro takes another gander at the sea, imagining, ever so briefly, the silhouette of a familiar ship with a lion-shaped figurehead. He is broken out of his thoughts, however, by a question from Hawk-Eyes. "You promised to explain the geography of this world once we had a moment to ourselves," he bluntly states.

That catches Zoro's attention immediately. Both Hawk-Eyes and him had been curious about the geography of Earth ever since they realized what little sea salt in the air had been smothered by the toxic fumes of diesel, gas, and other pollution that plagued this city. Manhattan, to be frank, is unlike any island either of them have ever been to. On top of the city that soars above them, it is larger than most, but with a deep enough foundation to support an underground train system. And, according to Diana, it isn't far from the 'mainland', whatever the hell that term meant. When Zoro had asked that question, he had gotten weird looks from both Diana and J'onn, and a promise to explain later.

Well, it seems now is 'later'. "Yeah. You never did explain what you meant by 'mainland'."

J'onn clears his throat. "First things first: could you explain the geography of your world? You glossed over it last night."

Zoro exchanges a look with Mihawk. The older man sighs, but takes point. They both know Zoro has never been good with these kinds of things. "Our world is almost entirely made of ocean," Mihawk begins, sounding more than a little bored, "All land is divvied up as islands of varying sizes, spread throughout the world. On top of that, the world is vertically split by a massive red wall that encircles the entire globe, called the Red Line. Along with a stretch of sea called the Grand Line that splits the world in half at the equator, our world is split into four major quadrants, called the four Blues: North Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and East Blue. Roronoa here is from East Blue."

"Born and raised," Zoro cannot help but smirk, thinking of his home sea. People can talk all the shit they want about East Blue, but Zoro is proud to have been born there. He wouldn't be the man he is today if he had been born anywhere else.

(Because if he had been born anywhere else, he would have never met Luffy.)

Mihawk, of course, ignores him and continues on. "But the real place of interest is the sea that runs through our equator, the Grand Line. It is sandwiched by two other seas called the Calm Belts, where giant sea monsters called Sea Kings nest and breed."

"What's so special about it?" Diana asks curiously.

"The Grand Line is not a normal ocean. Its weather patterns are incredibly erratic, the aforementioned Sea Kings also like to feed there, and it is filled to brim with pirates seeking to make names for themselves, even at the expense of each other." There is a glint in Mihawk's eyes, one filled with a deep, dark amusement. "They call it the Pirates' Graveyard. Only the strongest survive there."

"On top of that, the Grand Line is also split into two halves, courtesy of the Red Line. The first half, the one most people in the Blues think of when they think of the Grand Line, is called Paradise."

Both heroes blink. "Paradise?" The words leave the Martian's mouth carefully, as if he were afraid of the answer to the shortened question.

Mihawk nods. "Paradise. Because it is a 'paradise' compared to the second half, known as the New World. All the terrible danger found in the first half increases a hundredfold in the second. While only the strongest survive the Grand Line, only the strongest of the strongest make it in the New World."

Diana's eyes flicker thoughtfully between the both of them. "I take it that includes the both of you?"

Zoro grins, a touch savagely. "Like you wouldn't believe. You don't get to be the World's Greatest Swordsman without making it to the top first, and the very top of our world is the New World."

His companion nods in agreement. Before any more questions can be asked, their waiter returns with their drinks, including Mihawk's merlot and Zoro's rice wine. Both of them are quickly distracted by that, and try not to seem to eager as they each take their first sips. They want the alcohol to last, after all.

"Enough about our world," Zoro says, after taking a nice gulp of that sweet, sweet rice wine. Not as good as Wano's, sure, but after going dry for the last couple of days, it tastes like heaven. "Tell us about yours."

Diana swirls her own mulled wine thoughtfully, as she begins to answer. "Our world, much like yours, is primarily ocean, though only around seventy percent or so. The remaining thirty percent is land, and unlike your world, it is all bunched together in seven major landmasses called continents. There are islands and archipelagos, yes, but most are tiny and insignificant to the continents, if they are not counted among the continent themselves, which most are."

To supplement her explanation, she takes out her phone and brings up a world map of Earth, turning the device horizontal so the image can better fit the screen. Zoro stares at it for a moment, blinking at the sight. He squints his eye to look at the scale in the corner of the image, and blanches. "That's… big."

Next to him, Hawk-Eyes hums in agreement and appreciation. "North America… and South America? Did you not say that the country we are currently in is called America?"

"The United States of America is its full name, but most people call it America for short. North America and South America are the names of the continents. America is located in the former." At the skeptical looks she receives, Diana shrugs. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it."

Zoro grunts. He had heard those same words when learning about navigation and terminology in the Grand Line. This whole venture really is no different from being a rookie again.

The rest of the explanation goes smoothly. Diana describes the rest of the continents, and notes that many countries speak different languages. The language they are currently speaking is called 'English' here. Back home, there has never been a need to define a name for the spoken word, because everyone speaks the same language. Written language is a different matter, segregated by 'alphabet' and 'kanji', with the forbidden language of the Poneglyphs acting as a third and only known to one person in the world.

There is so much to this world that it's leaving Zoro's head spinning. The explanations just keep on getting more and more complex, and both sides are beginning to realize how much they take certain knowledge for granted. Once again, Zoro's thoughts turn to his crew, and he can only curse over the injustice of it all.

This world is interesting enough to him, yes, but his fascination is only skin deep. His interests have only ever lied in his swords, in battle, and this world has little to offer in that regard by the looks of it, even with Hawk-Eyes here. But in every other field — navigation, art, history, medicine, engineering, music — this world has so much to offer. The others would have loved it here, he thinks, and almost unconsciously, he turns to the sea, and sees that painful silhouette.

If it was only a little while, his feelings would be different.

But Zoro will be gone for five years, and already he is all too eager to go home.

"He misses them."

Mihawk, watching his student observe the sea with a longing gaze, can only slowly nod in agreement. Diana steps up next to him, leaning over the railing to scrutinize Roronoa a little closer. "He must care for them deeply," she comments again.

The swordsman stares at her from the corner of his eye, before sighing and making a decision. He does not like to speak, never one to utter a word unless necessary; but considering the coming difficulties for the next half-decade, it is best to ingratiate themselves to their hosts as much as possible.

Mihawk has never been a fool, and neither is Roronoa, as much as he can be foolish at times. While both of them are certain that the Justice League is altruistic at heart and sincere in their desire to help them, there is obviously some kind of ulterior motive to their actions. These people are not fools either, and they do not trust easily. There is no question that they have had the two of them under surveillance since they first arrived on that Watchtower of theirs. Mihawk is under no illusions that the name is anything but an apt description of what it really is, and he highly doubts that the Watchtower watches only the Earth. More than likely, the Justice League is already aware they are criminals in their world, even if they've never admitted it to them outright.

That is already a source of tension, one that may make things more difficult in the future. The only way forward is to make the League sympathetic to them, and Mihawk is not so blind to recognize that his student is a man far more easier to relate to than himself. There is a reason Mihawk kept himself apart from others, after all.

"Roronoa originally wasn't one for teams, like me," he starts, knowing he has Diana's full attention, even if her eyes are still on Roronoa. "All he cared for was his goal of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman, to fulfill a promise he made to a childhood friend. That changed, however, when he met his captain: 'Straw Hat' Luffy. They bonded instantly, and from that day on, his loyalty was to Straw Hat above all else, and by extension of that their crew."

"Their crew was one of the fastest rising in the world; they reached the first half of the Grand Line within a year through sheer determination, which is practically unheard of." His eyes sharpen. "But even determination can only get you so far. They were stopped cold before they could enter the second half, defeated and scattered across the globe. Roronoa was sent to my island while I was not in residence, and some heavy injuries he suffered beforehand prevented him from leaving and returning to the place they were to reunite."

"In the interim, a great war erupted over the fate of Straw Hat's brother, 'Fire Fist' Ace. Straw Hat briefly detoured from his own attempt to reunite with the crew to rescue his brother, going to lengths that even I found insane, and facing foes that were far too powerful him at the time to handle. Even so, he managed to reach his brother and free him — only for one of those enemies, Akainu, to bait Fire Fist back into a fight. Straw Hat followed him to convince him to continue running, only for all the stress he put his body through to finally reach a boiling point. His body gave out during that critical moment, and Akainu, desiring to kill them both, aimed for Straw Hat, forcing Fire Fist to take the blow in his stead. He died in his younger brother's arms."

He can feel the disbelief and horror on Diana's face, and yet still he continues. "The Straw Hats were never same after that tragedy," he remarks, with little inflection. "They were forced to recognize how weak they were to the real powers of the world. Straw Hat, once he recovered enough from what happened to think logically, made the decision for them to remain separated and to train for the next two years before entering the New World, sending the message secretly through the newspaper by committing a big stunt to get publicity. Roronoa, once he saw the message, conquered the obstacles that prevented him from leaving my island… and then turned around, returned to me, the man he sought to one day kill, and went to his knees, bowing his head and asking for training."

"You agreed," Diana states, already knowing the answer. It is not a hard conjecture to make, Mihawk notes. Roronoa and him are far too familiar with each other to be mere rivals.

Mihawk shrugs. "I was impressed that he had found something more important than his ambition. Important enough to throw away his pride and beg for training from his greatest enemy."

The Amazon nods, looking thoughtful. "Why tell me all this?"

"To help you understand," and the why is implied, even if neither of them draw attention to it, "our world is not like yours. Our world is filled with great wonder, but it is tethered to a harsh and brutal reality. The strong live and the weak die — that is the only law that matters on the sea, and that is a lesson we have both learned all too painfully. Roronoa's crew may be the strongest in our world now, but it also makes them targets, especially now that neither Straw Hat nor Roronoa himself are there to fight alongside them. Do not expect him to ever forget that, no matter how much time passes."

He doesn't say any more than that, and instead turns to leave and follow J'onn. The Martian is done paying for their meal, and is now waiting patiently on the curbside with all of their purchase. It is time for them to leave.

"You care for him."

It is an observation. Mihawk does not dignify it with a response.

Well, that's done. Anyway, there's not going to be an update on Monday because I'm going on vacation this weekend and won't return home until Tuesday. Plus it gives me time to build back the lead on this story (right now only have two chapters left in the queue).

But, I will say this: we're almost done with the Introduction Arc. Soon, we'll be getting into the JLU proper! Be excited, everyone!