Here we go again^^
We're slowly getting into action. It took a long time, but slowly everything is falling into place ;-)
I hope you like this chapter, thank you all for bearing with me, and see you next monday ^^
Chapter 12 - Rip-off
-Mihawk-
"Are you ready?" He called down the hatch and yawned extensively.
"Do I really have to wear this?" The youngster answered whining.
"Roronoa, we talked about that yesterday."
"Yes, we talked about me going ashore in this body but..."
"There is a great chance of encountering journalists at the Sabaody Archipelago. Not even mentioning members of the upper class who have been evacuated because of the war. It would be unfavorable if Lady Loreen were not to be seen in her usual wardrobe."
"But I thought you'd told people I was sick. Isn't it much weirder me being there at all than what kind of stuff I wear?"
Mihawk could hear the rustling of fabric.
"That was over a week ago, a lot can happen in the meantime. It would also suit Lady Loreen to show herself as if nothing had happened to overplay her illness. This will fuel the rumors without us even having to say a word about it."
"So that would suit me?" The other murmured, sounding slightly insulted from the depths of the ship.
"I said it would be a typical pattern of behavior for Lady Loreen. I was not talking about you at all, just the character you embody."
The younger one laughed dryly and climbed up the ladder.
"Is that what you do with Hawk Eyes? Embody the character?"
Roronoa wore a simple black dress with delicate lace as an ornament. He turned his back towards Mihawk to let him close the zipper, which he did, even though it got quite warm around the tip of his nose.
"Of course. You must have noticed by now that me and Hawk Eyes have relatively little in common. I act the way that is expected of me to have my peace of mind in private life. It would be desirable if you tried to do the same."
The other snorted quietly but did not respond while putting on a light summer coat and grabbed the little black sun hat Mihawk offered him.
Mihawk on the other hand shouldered his sword and Josei as well.
"We should leave now."
They had docked at one of the far-off Groves, away from all the hustle and bustle of the shopping malls and tourists.
The younger one sighed and looked over to him for a moment before pulling his hat deep into his face, but his gaze had not been for Mihawk, but for Josei behind his back.
"What is it, Roronoa?"
Again, the other sighed before finally going past Mihawk ashore.
For a moment, Mihawk looked after the other. He had not been aware of how much it seemed to bother Roronoa not to be able to carry his sword himself. It was something Mihawk could understand fairly well. After all, he always carried Yoru with him, even if for practical reasons. A true swordsman had a very special bond with his swords, and it spoke for Roronoa that he suffered from not being able to have them with him.
"Roronoa." He followed the other and wanted to explain why this action was necessary. But the other just waved it off.
"Yes, I know, I know, I'm not stupid. It's safer and it doesn't suit the honourable Lady Loreen to walk around with a sword. I got it."
"Roronoa."
The mood of the other seemed to have reached a new low, although Mihawk had not expected that to be possible.
"Where the hell are we?" Roronoa asked grumpily; eye-rolling Mihawk accepted that they would not discuss this topic in more detail, for now.
"Grove 53, location of nothing but the shipyards and because they have been closed since the war, there is hardly any bustle here at the moment."
After all, at least Mihawk did not act thoughtlessly, unlike somebody else. Of course, they could have docked at the Marine base or at one of the other Groves, but there were astonishingly less people here and it was close to Grove 13, which was their goal.
"And where are we going now? Do you know where the Sunny is?"
He looked at the other from the side, who looked firm ahead, the brim of his hat bouncing at every step.
"I do have an idea, but first of all I want to visit Shakuyak and she should be at her bar."
"And why that? Her bar is in the lawless district, isn't it?"
"Indeed. For two very simple reasons. Firstly, Kanan called me this morning to tell me that Shakuyak invited you to visit her when we are already on the way and secondly, Shakuyak always knows what happens at the Archipelago. Maybe she even heard about your crew."
"Hmm", the other only agreed. After a while, he whispered, "you said she invited me? Specifically, me? Not you?"
Now Mihawk had to suppress a laugh. "Oh no. If you have not noticed it yet, Shakuyak and I share a mutual bond of aversion. Presumably, she would not even let me in if I were not accompanying you."
The other laughed quietly.
The few people, who were on the road, looked at them with big eyes, but no one stood in their way.
"Were there actually any articles about Lady Loreen in the newspaper?" The younger murmured. "Or was the war for once important enough for them to forget about that garbage."
The Shichibukai continued to grin: "I think I advised you to read the newspaper by yourself?"
"You think Perona would let me? She always cuts out thousands of articles and uses the rest to light the fireplace."
Slowly they moved forward.
"So, you want to tell me that you have not read newspapers even once during the last week?"
"Only the one you brought with you yesterday."
He sighed. "My dear."
"Don't my dear me. Was there anything or not?"
They had almost reached the bridge to Grove 10.
"Two days after your disappearance, there was a speculative article about somebody witnessing Lady Loreen leaving Mary Joa in a hospital bed, and the day before the war there was a big story about your visit to Mary Joa, which of course was perfectly suited to your dramatic departure. If I remember correctly you were the topic of at least four pages. That was about it concerning the newspaper itself, but some gossip rags blew up Lady Loreen leaving Hawk Eyes behind. According to Jiroushin it was rather entertaining to read."
The younger one shivered slightly. "I don't even want to know what they wrote."
"The outlaw sector begins over there. I would appreciate you staying close to me," Mihawk changed the topic coldly.
"What? Do you think I can't keep up with some petty crooks?"
"I think it would be wisely not to show the world how capable you are in this form. The surprise effect could prove being useful to you at some point."
The other replied nothing and remained close to him. Not that they met anybody.
"There are even less people here than I expected," said the other, "where is everybody?"
"You forget who walks next to you, my friend. I am known for killing people cause- and merciless. None of these criminals want to be noticed by me."
"Stop acting like that's something special."
"Oh, I forgot who I was talking to..."
"What's that supposed to mean again?"
As they kept mocking each other, they went on.
-Zoro-
"Over there you can see Shakuyak's bar," the Shichibukai explained as they crossed another bridge. Zoro could read 13 on a tree trunk nearby.
Thoughtfully, he looked around, saw the rising bubbles and the strange vehicles. This island seemed to be full of wonders and adventure was in the air, he could almost hear the loud singing voice of his captain. Luffy had certainly liked it here.
Gradually they came closer to a small building whit the sign Bottakuri Bar.
"Rip-off," he muttered.
"Yes, that fits Kanan's sister very well," smiled Hawk Eyes by his side. "Shall we get in?"
This question did not expect an answer. Zoro just hoped that Shakky really had some useful information for him.
When the other opened the door, they could here an older man talking: "Well, I'm on my way then. See you soon."
Zoro could not tell who the voice belonged to, because apart from the slender black-haired woman, whom Zoro had already met on Sasaki, the small bar was empty.
Shakky just cleaned the counter but looked up and glanced directly at Zoro.
"Maybe you should wait a moment," she said with a grin, "we have visitors."
"Visitors? And who?" The man in the back room sounded surprised.
"Friends of the Straw Hat," Shakky replied, smiling openly at him.
She knows!
Mihawk's voice echoed through his head.
"Really?" The man asked again, appearing in the door frame behind Shakky. He was slightly taller than Zoro in his true body and had shoulder-length white hair and a white beard. A scar marked his right eye and he was wearing glasses.
Zoro knew instantly that this man was dangerous.
"The Dark King," Mihawk said beside him, almost stress-free. "What a coincidence to meet you here."
The old man looked at the Shichibukai with a brief smile: "Dracule Hawk Eyes Mihawk, haven't seen you in a long time. You've become quite a man."
"And you have grown old," Mihawk replied coolly.
"Oh yes," laughed the old man apologetically, "time doesn't stop for any of us."
Then the Dark King looked at Zoro, tilted his head for a moment, before rushing towards him and bowing deeply, taking his hand like an offer for a dance. "Silvers Rayleigh my name. Enchanté, my dear."
Zoro looked down at this man with an uncomfortable feeling, after all he knew who the other was and he really didn't like people bowing for him.
"Rayleigh, I think you're unsettling our visitor," Shakky said with a smile.
The addressee raised his head in wonder. "Of course, I'm sorry, but with such a pretty lady I just had to react immediately. Loreen was the name, wasn't it, my dear?"
"Not quite," Shakky replied before Zoro even got a word out.
She knows!
Confused, the old former pirate looked over to the barwoman and took a step back.
"What do you mean with that?" Rayleigh asked, but Shakky just shrugged her shoulders.
Then the elder looked back to Zoro and Mihawk.
"Why did you want me to stay, Shakuyak?" The old man asked again, without turning his gaze away from Zoro.
"Because you owe him some answers," came her mystical response.
She knows!
"Him? Hawk Eyes, I didn't know you had any questions for me. I'm sorry, I'll answer them immediately."
"Not me," replied the Shichibukai.
Zoro quickly stared up to Mihawk. Why did he do that?
"You can tell him the truth," Mihawk said calmly and met his gaze, "he will not betray you, and besides, Shakuyak already knows."
"Of course." She laughed. "I immediately got suspicious when I heard that our little Mihawk had met a girl, who was actually willing to spend time with him. Isn't there this saying that it takes a monster to kill another monster. I think to tame a swordfighter you need another swordfighter."
"Excuse me?" Silvers Rayleigh was obviously confused. "What do you guys mean? Aren't you Lady Loreen from the newspaper?"
Zoro nodded.
"Oh, he is," Shakky agreed, "but he's also one of the straw hats."
"What?"
"Yes," Zoro said before one of the others could preempt him again, "actually I am Roronoa Zoro." He took off his hat.
Now the other looked at him with big eyes.
"The missing crewmember," he muttered softly, "you want to be the straggler Roronoa Zoro?"
Zoro nodded. He should have changed into his real form, regardless what Mihawk had advised, things would have been easier.
"But... But... Oh, now I understand. You belong to these – oh, what they were called? Yes - I've met someone like you before. Of course, that's the only way this makes sense."
"We are not here to talk about Roronoa's story," Mihawk coolly interrupted, "but because we want to know exactly what happened to the straw hats. And as I can tell from your words, they were here."
Zoro looked up to the other. How did Mihawk always manage to look so bored even now?
Swiftly the Dark King looked up to Mihawk, but then he observed Zoro again with these curious eyes.
"Well, tell me about it, Mihawk. In fact, I just wanted to make my way to Luffy."
"Really?" Zoro asked. "You know where he is?"
"He's on the women's island, with Boa Hancock," the old man replied.
"Amazon Lily, as expected," Mihawk added as if he had known that all along.
"And why do you want to visit him?" Zoro asked suspiciously.
"Well, it's a little more complicated," Rayleigh replied. "Maybe we should sit down, and I'll explain everything from the beginning."
Moments later, Zoro sat on one of the bar stools, next to him the Dark King, behind his back stood Mihawk, who had refused to sit down.
On the other side of the counter stood Shakky and prepared them some drinks.
Then Rayleigh started telling what had happened. He recounted how the straw hats had helped a friend of him named Okta. That name seemed dangerously familiar to Zoro and his presumption was confirmed throughout the story. Rayleigh talked about the fishman Okta, the mermaid Camy, and her teacher Pappag.
He talked about a kidnapping and the human auction, where he had also met Zoro's friends. He talked about the World Aristocrats. Mihawk intervened briefly and pointed out to Zoro that one of these World Nobles had also been at the Marine ball and had wanted to dance the last dance with Zoro to claim him.
The old man told him about the conversation he had with the straw hats, also mentioning how his crew had talked about Zoro and how curious they had made the Dark King. Eventually, Rayleigh told him that he had planned to coat the Thousand Sunny for the pirates and how they had been attacked.
Zoro listened closely, it all fit perfectly with his chaotic friends.
"So, they wanted to meet you again after three days?" Mihawk asked when the older man had finished his story.
Rayleigh nodded.
"That means they will all try to get here now," Zoro muttered, "at least after hearing from Luffy and Ace. They're going to come here, just like me."
For a moment, everyone present was silent.
"Why did you want to visit Luffy?" Zoro asked Rayleigh, who stared at him for an eternity.
"Exactly, reborn. You're one of those reborns, aren't you? That's why you're alive and in this body."
Zoro wasn't just slightly surprised.
"How do you know that?"
"Actually, you're not the first for me to meet."
The old man seemed to ponder for a moment.
"Tell me Zoro - I can call you Zoro, can I? Now that I know who you are, Loreen seems so impersonal to me - how do you evaluate your strength? Can you transform already? Because if I'm honest, like, the way you're sitting here in front of me right now, it's very reassuring to know that Mihawk watches you with eagle eyes all the time."
"Hawk eyes," Shakky muttered on the other side of her counter, giggling into her glass.
"I can transform," Zoro replied, ignoring the barwoman, "and of course I'm much weaker in this form than usual." He sipped on his drink.
The other nodded.
"Mihawk, you're a capable fighter and I trust your judgement, what's your opinion concerning Zoro?"
Zoro felt the man behind him fold his arms.
"He is indeed talented, but he is unable to use Haki yet. If he and his crew embark into the New World this very week, I expect him to die within the next month."
Zoro swirled around to the other, who wasn't even looking at him but met Rayleigh's gaze. Mihawk had never told him that. If he actually thought that, why would he…
"What?! Why...?!" He began, but Rayleigh interrupted him: "Oh, you think he's so weak?"
"No, on the contrary. But the truth is that he is one of the strongest of his crew. If anything, the Straw Hat is stronger, and since Roronoa's dictum is that the captain must survive at any cost, Roronoa himself will be the first to die in order to protect his friends."
"Like at the G-6," Rayleigh muttered.
"Like at the G-6," Mihawk confirmed.
"Could you guys stop talking about me as if I weren't here and weren't able to make my own decisions?!" Zoro growled angrily. Both men looked at him. "You may not understand, but if Luffy says we're going, I'll follow him."
"Stubborn as always," the Shichibukai murmured behind him.
"And if Luffy decided to reunite the crew not that soon but just after a while. What would you do then?" Rayleigh looked at him directly.
Confused, Zoro leaned back a bit.
"Well, if Luffy really would do that - which would be very unusual for him – then I would use this time to get stronger, strong enough and even stronger, and then I would wait for him here."
"What are you scheming, Rayleigh?" The Shichibukai behind Zoro sounded as cold as ever.
"I have a plan. That's why I wanted to go to Luffy to talk to him about it."
"What kind of plan?" the Shichibukai demanded.
"I want to train him, and I want him to take his time to get stronger. Because I see it in a similar way you do, Mihawk. It would be a shame to lose such a promising crew so early on."
"How much time?" Zoro muttered directly.
"Two years."
He froze.
"And how are the other crew members supposed to know about this?" Mihawk behind Zoro asked.
And then the former pirate spoke again. He spoke of Bartholomew's Kuma, of revolutionaries, of Amazon Lily, of Boa Hancock. He spoke of another attack on Marine Ford and of a two-year period used for training.
"You saw it, didn't you, Mihawk, on the battlefield. He's capable of using Haoshuko Haki, of course he has to learn to control it, as well as the other Haki types. I think he'll learn it quickly."
Mihawk behind Zoro replied, but Zoro did not listen. For a while, the two men kept talking.
"What do you think, Zoro? Will he agree to it?"
Slowly he looked up and met the old man's gaze.
He had been with Luffy for almost half a year and now this man wanted to separate them for two years.
For two whole years?
Six months.
Zoro himself had already realized that he indeed needed time to get stronger, but he would have never allowed himself to waste more than half a year.
I never want to be in the position of not being able to protect my captain again and for that I have to get stronger.
But if he was quite honest, he had known for a long time as well that six months could not be enough.
It was only thanks to the mercy of Bartholomew Kuma that he had been allowed to sacrifice himself for Luffy in order to save him at Thriller Bark. Zoro had been dependent on his enemy's mercy.
During the fight against the G-6 Marines, he had not been able to save Luffy from serious injuries, they had only survived due to the enemy's mistakes. Afterwards Zoro had let his captain down, had left him alone, had left him behind to protect himself, had left him behind to be defeated.
But he knew, even if he had been there, even if the G-6 had never happened, even if Zoro had been with his crew at the Sabaody Archipelago, he couldn't have prevented anything, would he?
No, he couldn't have prevented the crew from being crushed.
"Yes," he whispered hesitantly, "if you explain it to him in exactly the same words, he will do it and otherwise tell him..." He hesitated. "Tell him I'm going to wait for him. I want him to be the King of Pirates and to be able to support him I have to become even stronger."
The old man nodded and got up.
"Well, then I'll set off now."
He went to the door.
"Rayleigh," Zoro muttered, "don't tell him what I just said."
Now the other looked at him.
"It won't be necessary. You won't need a message from me to convince him."
The old man nodded, picking up a duffle bag and walked out.
"Roronoa?"
He looked up to the Shichibukai, who met his gaze without showing any emotion.
"Okay," Zoro nodded, "let's go back. After all, I have to learn how to use Haki."
"What? Where does this change of heart come from?"
Zoro stood up.
"Well, if a fool like Luffy can learn it, then I'll waltz right through it, right?"
Mihawk laughed out loud.
"Well fine, let us get back to practice."
"One moment, Mihawk."
Shakky was still standing behind the counter and offered a piece of paper to the Shichibukai. She grinned badly.
"Here's the bill, you don't want to drink and dash, right your Lordship?"
