Luffy was never the kind of person to back down from anything; being either her words, a fight or a challenge (and sometimes those three came together by the hands), so she truly didn't find any fault on the fact that she had stepped in to correct the so called "Ruler of the East Blue" on his statement.

She will be the Pirate King after all.

"You think this is a game, girly?" were the words Krieg gave to her in irritation with her sudden butting in, but his scowl was replaced almost instantly with an smug smirk when his eyes roamed her body up and down without a single trace of shame. "You know, a cute thing like you doesn't even stand a chance out there"

"You didn't either"

That single sentence had the nice effect to make a thick vein swell in the forehead of the purple-haired man, his anger now higher at her insolence and ready to strike her; admittedly, the tension had been high enough for a fight to break out soon from the very beginning that the pirate captain threw Sanji away, but Gramps coming back with enough food of what Don Krieg had asked managed to divert all the attention of the pirate from her and making everyone in the room less tense when the man had finally let matter drop and took the barrels and sacks to his starving crew, a remorseful Gin staying put on the floor while trembling at the memories assaulting him once he felt like sharing his terrifying story of the man that singlehandedly destroyed all their fleet with just a swing of his sword (Zoro's words ringing in her ears when she remembered his goal and the guy he was searching).

So that was the kind of people that lived on the Grand Line? She couldn't wait to finally get there.

No one was fooled enough (except for a hopeful and terrified Usopp) that the whole ordeal was finished there. Krieg himself had already expressed explicitly that the Baratie and the old man's log book were going to be his no matter what, and all the staff could only bite their nails off and trying to come with some half assed plans to defend their home and life.

Luffy could only wait in excitement because she simply was itching for a fight and by the smirk that Zoro had on his face, it was obvious that he too was hoping to get some action soon with that man of the hawk-eyes. Besides, the straw hat girl still need to convince Sanji to join them since she still refused his too-many-worded denials (seriously, what kind of guy rejected someone by giving a poem while crying?).

The battle was already coming to its close start, air full of energy and adrenaline for what was to come soon.

The dark-haired girl had already gotten rid of the frilly waitress dress after she made the deal with Gramps to get rid of the Krieg Pirates if he let her go after that, all debts paid and forgotten at which he just smiled and answered with a confident 'sure thing, kid'.

It wasn't until the cooks and her own small crew heard the war-cries of the Krieg Pirates that they knew things were about to start, tension taking a hold on everyone's hearts at the upcoming fight.

And then, Don Krieg's ship collapsed with three perfect vertical slices to the sea, all men falling through them while all was sunken with a powerful ripple that shook everything near it.

What the hell?

Mihawk had a lot of better things to do, honestly. He wasn't a particularly busy man, but he knew how to play idle when on his free time and since hunting marines wasn't any more on his list now that he was a Shichibukai, he had to do with what fate decided to offer to him.

Don Krieg had been truly arrogant when just entering the Grand Line with his funny little fleet, already disturbing his calm day with his obnoxious presence and just overall irritating him. An example had to be made and he ensured to leave a lasting mark on all those men hearts.

After that, he had felt compelled to just follow them for the hell of it. He was bored and the other important things he had could wait a little more (namely, giving Shanks enough time to get his bearings and hangover controlled), only to see that his little chasing had brought him to the weakest sea of them all.

East Blue.

'It has been so long' He thought with such foreboding feeling. The execution day of that man. To think he came from this side of the seas was truly ironic considering its fame among pirates and marines alike. Either this trip could end with nothing beyond his time wasted or finally life and fate would give him something to look forward to.

Most of the people around of what was left of Krieg's ship looked at him in held horror, one of them already losing it at the trepidation of why he was still following their path all through the sea. The poor guys must have thought that he'll stop once they left the Grand Line, but Hawk-eyes was no different from a patient predator on the hunt.

His deflection of the bullets shot at him was impeccable and barely visible to anyone, the only real thing most could have possible saw was a mere twitch of his wrist while holding Yoru, but among all the audience, only one had actually understood his technique and pointed it out loud.

"Swordplay doesn't relay its strength only on force. Should that be the case, then a sword isn't that different from a stick being waved around"

And instead of a scoff at his words (as more often than not, people believed brute force was the only thing that mattered in a battle), the young man smile only seemed to get bigger at his statement, the clink of his three swords echoing loud enough to bring all the attention on them but Mihawk saw the excitement radiating from the young swordsman through such simple action. He was itching for a fight against him and the Shichibukai could only sight in boredom since this simply was too easy to predict.

Too young, too naïve. Either he truly had confidence on his own strength or was simply too stupid to see the rift that divided their experience and power. Whichever the case, the man of the hawk-eyes waited until the boy voiced his challenge, mostly out of the formality that implied (he still had some manners, even with new challengers).

"What is your goal?" That was a question he asked all the time. He hated frivolous reasons as fame or power and this was his way to root out any mindless fighting that wouldn't even amount to entertainment for him.

The young man's smile almost seemed to get a feral edge, as if he had hoped for that question to come out of his mouth.

Curious.

"To be… the strongest" Was his easy answer, not a single glance of hesitation or doubt in his dark eyes, and as much his answer did satisfy him, the older swordsman still could see the lack of something more in this young man's spirit. The hard and rough edges one gained through hardships and pain weren't there yet.

So he just 'hmph'ed' with a smirk and called him out on his foolishness, but did not deter him on his challenge, and he seemed to notice it since the green haired swordsman only got prepared, one of his swords already unsheathed and jumping at the opening that Mihawk gave him.

Well… at least this little trip of his did land him with something interesting.

Sanji couldn't believe the nerve of that moss headed guy, and right in the middle of something as dire as their situation with Krieg (but he supposed that the stronger enemy should be actually their main concern), yet he couldn't pin point if that was the portrait of unwavering braveness or stupidity. Maybe a equally mix of both, but whichever the case, he hadn't expected for the famous Pirate Hunter to be the dumb looking grass-head swordsman and even less for him to dive right into a fight against the man that just a few minutes ago had cut down a damn galleon on his own. That idiot didn't seem to get a clear perspective here.

But even when it didn't seem logic, his precious Luffy-dawn hadn't attempted to move a muscle to stop the man, staying put where she stood with an unreadable expression while the only ones more concerned or excited at the upcoming clash of swords where those other two bounty hunters; the long-nosed boy that stayed at her side only seemed to be a breath away from fainting. Their past worry about their ship being stolen forgotten only for a moment until the cowardly teen immediately reminded everyone about it once he realized that their ship was still on sight, but yet getting far and far away by the passing seconds.

"Luffy, the Going Merry will soon disappear! This is bad!"

Too many problems piling up onto his poor sea goddess, and she still kept an unblinking stare on the swordsman with an unwavering stance.

"There hasn't been anyone to ever defeat big bro Zoro!" was the enthusiastic cheer of the man with the head protector, only to be followed by the face-tattoo man affirmative grunt. "He's already the strongest!"

The fight setting seemed to be already chosen, both swordsmen on the same plank of wood that used to be part of the galleon that managed to stay afloat, but instead of using the beautiful weapon strapped on his back, Hawk-eyes ripped off the cross he had as a necklace and unlidded what appeared to be an small hidden dagger.

Huh?

"Oi! What's the meaning of that?"

"I'm not a brutish beast that goes straight to the neck on a powerless rabbit" was his impassionate answer, only managing in provoking the moss headed man (and even Sanji had to admit that it was truly insulting, had he been in the same place as that Pirate Hunter). "Even if you are a swordsman that had managed to make a name with his skills, this is still the East Blue, the weakest of all the four seas."

In a sudden change of his stoic face, hawk-eyed man took an almost genuine regretful expression that still felt too mocking to anyone that was close enough to witness it.

"Sadly, this is the smallest sharp object I carry with me"

Sanji heard most than saw the cracking of the sword handle under the pressure of the Moss-head's teeth, rage contained and focused fully on his opponent at his belittling comment.

In an incredible flash of moves and a loud 'Oni Giri' bellowed from the young swordsman, the sous chef almost dared to think that maybe the guy actually had the guts and skill to defeat that man, but once the blur of movements finally settled, the silence was deafening.

There, in the middle of the plank, was Roronoa Zoro being stopped by the tip of a small knife with little effort even when one could see the three swords trembling at the force being pressed to try and break the impenetrable defense of the Shichibukai.

"Zoro?!" was the only thing his sweet straw hat lady could scream in bewilderment at the sight of the idiot swordsman.

"What the… Big Bro's Oni Giri was stopped!"

This single moment served to sober up all of the onlookers, surprise written in their faces with an edge of fear at the thought that the pale man standing there was a monster in disguise. Sanji could very well relate to that emotion but his shock was greater since, instead of backing off, the grass-headed male just kept attacking as fast as he could only to be blocked easily by the small dagger in the hand of the black-haired swordsman, even to the point of being forced down by a single push.

The two other bounty hunters that were with his precious Luffy-dawn seemed to only grow more frustrated and angry at the whole spectacle, cheering on the Pirate Hunter while at the same time screaming at him to take the fight serious, as if the difference of power wasn't quite notorious (it was actually a bit overwhelming, if Sanji could say so).

Zoro had always been confident on his skills with his three-style swordplay, capturing and killing pirates during years before stumbling with Luffy. At some point he hardly found plentiful of enemies that managed to give him an actual battle that could put his abilities in question because it was precisely for this that he had worn himself down to his core in every type of training. This was his one single purpose and promise.

And yet…

Here he was, cornered with burning lungs and sweat, while the strongest swordsman wasn't even bothered by his non-stopping attacks.

He swiveled his head once his other swords were blocked seamlessly again by that damming knife, only for Hawk-eyes to jump away as if he had seen that move coming a mile away before he could even think about it. No matter how fast he twisted and drove each of his swords in each opening he thought to see, the pale man simply sidestepped with the ease of a breeze and stopped his attacks with the firmness of a mountain.

It was unfair.

How? How could someone managed to get to that level? All his efforts, his dreams and burning determination, paled at the violent hit (literal and metaphorical) of how he hadn't even come closer to achieve anything. Anyone watching right now disappeared as he kept all his focus on that cursed man; there weren't the annoying bickering of Yosaku and Johnny, nor the panicked little gasp of Usopp or an arrogant Krieg overseeing atop another floating piece of the galleon.

'I will not give up, I will not give up!' he thought in a constant mantra, pushing and shoving with little regard of any prying eyes. Not even the hit at his nape was enough to knock him out, but it sure left him quite dizzy.

Memories drowned him as he stumbled in one weak attempt to hit Hawk-eyes.

'Promise me! Promise me that one day one of us will become the strongest swordsman!'

Kuina's funeral and the tears he let loose in front of his teacher and her father.

"What is it that do you seem to bear on your shoulders?" the older man asked, and Zoro truly felt like it as reading his very soul with how piercing those eyes seemed to be. "What will be your desires once you obtained power, weak boy?"

For the briefest of moments he felt angry at such nickname, but his words did managed to echo within his brain. After this what was he supposed to do next? Had he truly thought beyond his only goal?

The offended and furious shouts of Yosaku and Johnny were barely registered, ready and eager to defend his supposed wounded honor by foolishly jumping into what was supposed to be his fight. It was only thanks to his captain that both bounty hunters were halted on the spot and held there like scolded little brats by the top of their heads.

"Don't intervene! Just wait!" she shouted too, tension marring her shoulders and arms strained at how much strength she was putting in keeping the two idiots at her side.

"I can't lose…" he said, not genuinely answering the man, but giving him (in his humble opinion) enough reason to keep going.

So, in a last ditch effort and ignoring all the aches on his body, Zoro decided it was time to use one of the techniques he had never been forced to use in a long while. Swords perfectly lined against the back of Wado in a double cross in preparation.

"Tiger…" and then, he pounced. "Trap!"

And among all the things that he could have possibly decided to remember and think in those crucial seconds… the big smile of Luffy was the only thing accompanying him at that moment.

'Of course the Pirate King needs to have the greatest swordsman as part of her crew!'

But what was an ant at the looming form of a merciless boot?

It almost felt like he blinked at the worst possible time, because before he could even realize what happened, the black-haired swordsman had already broken his strike while at the same time stabbing his little knife against his chest; the silence was heavy, only the sea disturbing its presence.

The blood poured freely from his small wound and yet he couldn't make himself move from where he stood.

"Are you just going to let me pierce your heart? Why don't you withdraw?" the older man asked him, but he honestly couldn't give him a straight answer, and he told him so.

"I don't know why… but it feels like… if I withdrew a single step, all those various important things like pledges and promises of the past will be broken…" he said as blood came out of his mouth now, staining some of Wado's handle. "And I won't be able to come back to where I am now."

"That's what all defeat is about"

Zoro simply laughed tiredly at that, now fully knowing that he couldn't give this man the one single thing he still had after giving his all on their duel. He will not give up then, even the fight was over.

"Even if you die?" Hawk-eyes asked, and somehow, this question too felt like some sort of test.

So he pinned his defiant stare against the golden eyes of the man that had stabbed him, a feral smile once again on his face to give the most honest response he could ever muster.

"I'd rather die" the green-haired man spited out with every ounce of conviction. Not wavering a single moment so the seriousness of his answer could be fully weighted.

The pale swordsman seemed to look for something and whatever it was, he did seem to find it for there was a small moment where his imperturbable expression was moved on the briefest of movements at his frown and, without even thinking twice, it was the strongest swordsman the one to withdraw from Zoro.

"Young one! State your name!"

At that request, Zoro wondered what kind of image he must have portrayed at the eyes of everyone; bloodied, tired and sweat marring his body, and yet, he posed with his three swords in a perfect posture and shouted his name to the man that had decided to finally acknowledge him by asking for the most simple of things… and that actually felt like the smallest of wins, considering the whole ordeal.

To have someone as strong as Hawk-eyes (no… Mihawk, as he gave willingly his name for Roronoa to know too), to remember him and state his excitement to fight again in the future was enough of an accomplishment for his wounded pride; so he rotated his swords, not stumbling or wavering once, and prepared for what was going to be their last clash.

His fellow bounty hunters shouted to him to stop, but Luffy only looked between scared and frustrated, but not once she made an attempt at trying to stop or intervene his fight (and in the deepest parts of his mind, he will always remember such gesture, because he knew now that his captain was resilient on her promises just as much as he was).

And with their attacks having made… Zoro's swords shattered while blood poured from his chest.

A terrified 'Zoro!' was screamed by (he could only guess) Luffy, and falling to his knees, he could only muster a tired "I lost…"

Thank you for reading!