It wasn't hard to find the source. While the place was well off it was only because of the sharks that were lurking beneath. Every society had them after all. The ones who preyed on the weak to make themselves stronger. They would sooner cast aside their useless 'tools' for an opportunity to better themselves and it was one thing Mihawk didn't tolerate.

He stepped into the room quietly and his eyes landed on the one thing he had come to this island for. Just another reason to end this all.

His sword.

Yoru.

It was laid against the back wall collecting dust. No doubt they learned their lessons after the first few times someone tried to touch it and it didn't work out how they'd like it to. The fact it remained there with dust was answer enough for him after all.

"Who are you?"

"What the hell?"

"How'd he get in!"

Mihawk ignored their alarm as he walked across the room. Their shouts of alarm and anger falling on deaf ears. His hand gripped the hilt and he turned. The sound of metal singing through the air filled the room before a loud clang disrupted it.

A truly sharkish smile pulled on Mihawk's lips as he pulled on some of Death's cold presence to cover his own. Letting his eyes glow in the low firelight as he looked down at them. He heard the fearful utterance that fell from one of their lips.

Demon.

Well, to them he probably was.

Marco was the first one he saw when he made it back. Mihawk was carrying two full bags and he was dressed in fresh clothes with Yoru on his back. The sword hummed contently as his soul settled down at finally being whole once more. A downside of making a soul weapon, but something he would never regret.

"Mihawk!" Marco ran over and looked up at him with wide eyes and curiosity in his expression. "Where'd you go? Lupus said we had to leave soon and that I was coming to? Is that true?" Marco rattled off as he followed Mihawk every step of the way.

A chuckle left Mihawk and he dropped one of the bags in front of the kid in amusement. "That's for you, kid." He said and ruffled the boy's hair before tossing the other bag to Lupus when he finally showed his face from around the corner. "And yes, you'll be travelling with me for a while." Mihawk said and he ruffled the kids hair in affection as they walked.

Lupus flipped Mihawk off and got the same response in return while the old man looked through the bag, nodded as he went. "This looks good enough to me. We'll have to go to the other side of town though. Marines are already crawling around." He said and gave Mihawk a look.

It wasn't hard to imagine what he had done and Lupus had been in support of it. The only thing both men were being cautious off was keeping it away from Marco for the time being. When he was older they would start introducing to reality, but Mihawk just wanted him to enjoy being a kid. Something he had never gotten to do.

While Marco looked through the bag, gawking at all the little knickknacks that Mihawk managed to fit in along with a few extra pairs of clothing, the adults continued to pack up the rest of their things.

When it was time to go, Mihawk grabbed Marco and set him on top of Draco as they walked, "Hey! I can walk!" The blond protested despite cuddling into the tiger's warm fur looking like he wasn't going to move for the next few hours.

A low chuckle left Mihawk as he ran his fingers through the boy's hair as he caught up to Lupus. A soft sigh left him as he walked level with his teacher and stretched his arms high above his head.

"Did you get what you needed?" Lupus asked as he glanced back at their new ward.

Mihawk shrugged, "I got Yoru back… and it will certainly be quieter in that port town now." He said simply enough, a smirk curling on his lips. His fingers curled into a fist for a moment before relaxing once more.

Lupus nodded and he pushed the low hanging branches away so the others could make it through first. "We have a bit of sailing to do." He told them both as they came to the shore.

It wasn't a large boat in any sense, but it did have a small cabin and sails that would get them moving forwards through the water. The light wood seemed to be well worn from use and stained with old blood. It was easy to ignore however and Mihawk watched as Draco jumped into the boat, Marco clinging onto his back trying to hide his slight fear of the water.

The taller man followed and he set his hand back on Marco's head before lifting him up off the tiger. Words of protest rose from his lips, but they were quickly quieted with a quick look of his golden eyes.

"We need some ground rules, kiddo." Mihawk said and he sat down and wrapped his arms around Marco as Lupus went about setting their small boat to sail.

"Oh…" Marco shifted and he tensed a bit with a look of worry across his thinned face.

"Don't worry. It's to keep you safe more than anything." Mihawk said and he tilted his head back to rest against the low wall. "I need you to stick by myself or Lupus, but if you do want to wander off you can take Draco with you. Let us know where you're going and when you might be back." He said and let his eyes slide close as he felt Marco slowly relaxing.

"Oh! Okay, I can do that." He said happily and began digging into his back, gasps of awe leaving him when he realized that it was bigger on the inside than the outside.

He had made sure that there were plenty of clothes, blankets, pillows, and a few weapons for the boy to start training. If he wanted to go and see whitebeard or join the older man's crew then he would have to start learning how to defend himself and how to sail and navigate. It would be… nice…

15…

The next few years went in a blur.

Mihawk spent his time both training under Lupus as well as training the blond in his care. Not to mention the constant letters he continued to exchange with the Roger crew.

Not only was he keeping contact with Shanks, but also with Buggy, Roger, and Rayleigh as well. The Captain refused to let him keep words with Crocus though as he didn't trust him to keep his condition quiet. Despite the distrust, it was clear to him that they were all attached to each other in different ways.

He hummed deeply as they walked through the village. They were somewhere in the second half of the grandline. Mihawk finally deemed Marco strong enough to head out on his own, but he would be personally dropping the boy off at the old man's crew. Just to make sure that everything went well and he had made Marco a pendant just to ensure if anything happened he could be reached along with the little feather tattoo he'd left on the boy just as he had for all the ones he held close.

"Are you sure it'll be okay? What if they don't like me? What if I'm not strong enough?" Marco began muttering as he wrung his fingers together in concern, eyes wide. His breathing came short and his steps became unsteady.

Mihawk slowed and set his ring covered hand on Marco's head with a smile, "You will do fine, Marco. I've trained you these past few years and have full faith in your abilities." He said and ruffled soft hair, watching as puffs of blue flames seemed to brush off the blond boy.

After a few steadying breaths, Marco squared his shoulders and he walked in more steady pace beside Mihawk. They walked in quiet confidence through the docks towards the ship everyone seemed to ignore. Eye began to fall on them and some whispers began drifting through the crew as they went ever closer.

When they finally reached the ship, someone stepped before them and Mihawk levelled them with a dark stare. "We are here to see Whitebeard." He said calmly and watched the cocky smile on the pirates face.

"And what makes you think we'll let you see our Captain?" He asked with a nasty looking grin.

"Marco, go and get your audience. I will be there shortly." Mihawk said and pat his head before grabbing the short knife from his belt. He really didn't want to start anything, but honestly the man seemed too sleezy to keep around.

Marco nodded and before anyone could react he was surrounded in light blue flames, wreathed in yellow. His wings spread wide before he took off towards where he had seen the large man followed by gasps of shock and disbelief.

A laugh left Mihawk and within one step to the next the one blocking their way was curled on the floor in pain. The hawk eyed man hummed and cleaned his weapon before putting it away as he slowly made his way up.

A hum left him as he heard the boisterous laughter. It was with a small smile that he crossed his arms and watched as Whitebeard just treated the blond like another of his kids. Welcomed in every way… Mihawk knew that he was a good man, but it was nice to see it in person.

"Well, it seems like things are going well." Mihawk said and watched them in amusement. It seemed to get everything settled and calmed down as they saw the hawk eyed man. The one man who had rumors put on his head about being a devil.

"Ah, if it isn't the Hawk man himself. Is this your kid?" Whitebeard asked in amusement and grinned despite the wary looks of his crew.

"As much as he can be." Mihawk said and saw the blush on Marco's face as he wiggled around in the taller man's grasp. "He wanted to come join your crew and I will allow it if you promise he'll be safe." He said in a calm tone as he watched them calmly.

Whitebeard and he watched each other before the man laughed loudly and nodded, "Another son then! A party for it." He said with a grin and Mihawk sighed, rubbing his temples.

Mihawk waved off the cheers and he went over to Marco to give him a hug. He leaned down and chuckled softly, "Have fun. You know how to contact me, kiddo." He said softly and stepped back.

The Hawk eyed man gave a playful, two fingered salute before vanishing in thin air. He had places to be and things to do.

Dev: Fixed it. My bad T.T