Thinking about the conversation with Dracule, the strange feeling about it lingering, and the little revelation about his online acquaintance Hawk-Eyes kept Zoro busy until the students were dismissed. Should he ask Hawk-Eyes about the fencing club? He couldn't decide. But he hoped that they could talk again soon. Well, he could head home after talking to this Beckman guy, he thought as he knocked on the door of the room S101 where he had been told to go at the Info. Soon the door opened.

"Oh hey, Roronoa Zoro, right? Benn Beckman. Make yourself comfortable." Was someone in charge of guard personnel supposed to look like a thug? Beckman had a big scar on his temple and a cigarette dangling from his mouth. The space was a break room by the looks of it. Zoro sat down on a comfy chair and raised an eyebrow when the other man started to go through a huge box of keys. Seemed that he had been doing that for a while.

"Oi Benn, are you still there?" a muffled voice came from the closet.

"Yeah, yeah. It was just the new job candidate."

"Did he have a nice ass?" Zoro shot a stunned look at the closet.

"He can hear you, Shanks."

"Oh, sorry. Do you have a nice ass?" the closet asked politely.

"Ignore him." Benn said. "He got stuck in the closet, I'm trying to find a spare key."

"Introduce us! And tell him that I'm good-looking." the closet said excitedly.

"That's Shanks. He's the Head of Security. And he is quite charming when he's not talking too much."

"Tell him that we're ok with threesomes."

"Shanks..."

"What?"

"I'll bake you cookies wearing nothing but an apron if you'll count to hundred not making a sound. Time starts now."

Zoro just couldn't hold back his laughter. If he was really going to work with these people he'd come to work gladly every time.

"Do you need help with those keys?"

"That would be just grand. Could you go through this small box for me? Look for tags that say S101. Let's do this quickly now that he's quiet. Age, hobbies, previous work experience, any medical conditions?"

"19, sports, love good food and having a good time with my friends. Worked part-time as a shop assistant a couple of times, not much else worth mentioning, and I'm perfectly healthy. No keys in this box."

"You'll do just fine then. Welcome aboard. Sign these papers will ya."

When Zoro had left Shanks had still been stuck in the closet. He couldn't decide which one of the men he should feel sorry for. He was so happy that he would be working with people like them. He had a feeling that he wouldn't have to worry about being bored. The young man fished his keys from the bottom of his pocket as he strode up the stairway to his and Sanji's place. He entered and as soon as the door was open a delicious smell greeted him. Perfect! Sanji had cooked something before going to see Nami and Robin.

Sure enough he found some delicious chicken from the fridge. He wolfed his portion of the dinner down and and went to his room for a nap. As he lied on the bed the sight of Wadou Ichimonji on its stand reminded him of Dracule Mihawk's request and he couldn't sleep. What exactly was it that had been weird about the conversation? Then he realized what didn't match up. He had said that he didn't like displaying the swords.

Swords; plural. Meaning that there were more than one. And the man had said that he had been interested in the named blades only because of the new exhibition, still he knew so much about them. He also followed the sword fighting scene closely enough to know him by name – that wasn't so amazing, he had been featured in many news articles about the tournaments recently, but still. He rubbed his temple with his hand. Where was all this going?

Mihawk sat down on a plush sofa – in his apartment for once – with a cup of tea, and let out a relieved sigh. No more students to handle or security personnel stuck in closets today. Not that the day had been bad at all, actually quite rewarding – he hadn't expected to meet the rising star Roronoa Zoro. It was strange seeing the young champion out of the arena, but he would recognize the man anywhere. The patterns of his body were etched in his memory. This Roronoa was different from the tiger in full battle-mode that appeared in the arenas, but the beast was still present, ready to leap into action – contrary to what the occasionally slouched posture and hands stuffed in pockets indicated. Mihawk had seen with his own eyes how dangerous he was and was quite impressed with him.

Mihawk had been following his progress for a while now. He was somehow drawn to him. When he looked at the young man when he entered the battle field he could already tell whether he would win or lose. Roronoa was prominent because he had spirit, no matter who he would face he would not budge – he wouldn't run away from a fight even if he was the underdog. He commanded the field and his sword beautifully.

Would Roronoa contact him about his katana? Mihawk had wanted to make some opportunity to meet him again. He didn't fully understand what feelings drove him forward on this matter but he was going to take Shanks's advice for once and follow his intuition. His musings were interrupted by the ringtone of his phone. After a bit of searching for it he finally found the device and answered.

"Yo. It's Roronoa Zoro." Mihawk was surprised at first, but then smiled at the laid back attitude.

"Roronoa, What can I do for you?"

"Let's start by setting a couple of things straight." Mihawk frowned, confused by his hard tone. "I lied about not having time earlier. I'm not really all that busy. But you were lying too. I realized that just now."

"Was I now?"

"You talked about disliking putting swords on display, swords – not just one, even though you said that you weren't interested in them. That and the fact that you could recognize me and the way you talked about the swords pretty much speak for themselves." Mihawk was silent for a moment, then let out a laugh.

"Good lord – I'm out of touch! Very well, you have exposed me."

"Come on, what's the real deal here?"

"Would you dare to come to the museum tomorrow to find out? No dress code – but bring a sword." Why had he said that? Would the younger man agree?

"...When?"

"Nine o'clock?"

"Wow. Clearly I was wrong when I thought that this couldn't get any more suspicious. Shady meeting in a dark empty museum. At night."

"You'll love the cellar."

"...I'm sure I will."

"Was that everything?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Well...yeah? Do you have anything on your mind?" Zoro stammered a bit awkwardly.

"Aside from the priceless image of my Head of Security stuck in a closet for hours, nothing much."

"Oh, Shanks, right? He got out? That's great. Talented Head of Security you have there."

"Quite. The museum has never been safer than during those three hours." Mihawk wondered why the conversation was so easy. There was also a familiar feel to it. Zoro laughed at the other end, thinking the same.

"Right. I'll see you tomorrow then." Having ended the call, the young man wandered into the small living room. He flopped onto the sofa and was about to start looking if there was anything interesting on the television, when he heard the door open.

"Did the girls throw you out already?" he raised his voice so his roommate would hear him.

"Huh? No, I went to stock up on some rarer ingredients for next weekend." Sanji said, walking into the kitchen and starting to go through cupboards to make notes on what to get from the shops.

"Oh, I thought you had gone to see Nami and Robin or something."

"Nah, I just thought it would be easier if I'd find the harder to get stuff in advance. It would be a mess if we left it till the last minute and they'd be out of stock."

"I guess you're right... Oh, shit! I totally forgot about the get-together! I'm not sure if I can make it now..." Sanji came out of the kitchen, with a frown on his face.

"Can't make it? What the hell, after stocking up all that booze?" he teased. "Are you sick or something?"

"No, nothing like that. I got a job."

"Really? That's awesome! We don't have to worry about the money at all for a while. What are you going to be doing?"

"I'll be working as a night guard in the Art Museum. They need young people who can stay awake through the night." Zoro grinned. "It's just Fridays and Saturdays for now because I still have school but night shift pays well. And it seems like I have a steady job there if I want it if I don't screw up."

"That's great! But are you saying that you can't be there with the rest of us on Saturday?"

"I could stay for about an hour or so before I'd have to go, and I can't drink anything either can I..." The green-haired man grimaced. He had really been looking forward to their get-together. It had been a while since he had seen the whole gang.

"Let's ask the others if we can meet up earlier, let's set up a group conversation online with whoever is signed in. It would be too lame if you'll miss it, and we have to celebrate your new job too!" Sanji said. They both fetched their laptops and settled down in the living room, Sanji on the sofa and Zoro beside him on the floor. Zoro put his computer on the coffee table and logged into the IM program. They set up a group conversation as they saw that everyone was online, except Usopp and Chopper who were with Luffy. Noone had any objections to starting earlier and everyone was excited about Zoro's news.

After a long set of congratulations he got up to get something to eat while watching TV and chatting. While Zoro was in the kitchen Sanji reached for the remote on the table, next to the other man's laptop. He couldn't help but notice that a new chat window popped up on the screen. He didn't know that username. Didn't Zoro always keep saying how much he hated chatting versus talking face to face, or over a phone. He did admit that it was handy for setting up meetings with his friends but he felt much more comfortable when he could see or hear the person he was talking to.

Zoro emerged from the kitchen with a sandwich. He raised an eyebrow seeing Sanji typing something on his computer in an uncomfortable looking position

"Your online girlfriend misses you." Sanji explained. Zoro kicked the younger man and snatched his laptop back.

"Don't mess with my computer dartboard-brow! And it's not an online girlfriend!."

"Oh, alright then." The blond said and types a message into the their group chat. 'Zoro has an online boyfriend!' Zoro almost choked on his sandwich when he read the message.

"No I don't!" he barked at the snickering blond and punched him in the ribs. He then hurriedly typed a message denying the existence of any online boyfriends or girlfriends and retreated back to his own room, away from Sanji's prying eyes.