I own neither One Piece or Jojo, the idea for this story is entirely my own.
Chapter 4 The World's Greatest Swordsman
Noriaki was perfectly content to just bury himself in work, but Sanji insisted on him taking a break and drags him over to the bar to sit down for a bit. It's only when he sits down that he notices how sore his feet feel. Shit, he'd barely noticed the pain. And now that he's notices, walking and running around is going to be torture. He hisses through gritted teeth and Sanji gives him a sympathetic look.
"It creeps up on you, doesn't it?"
"Yes." Noriaki groans. "I don't know if I'll be able to walk without pain after my break."
"I can get you a mild pain killer if that would make the rest of your shift easier." Sanji offers.
"Yes, please."
"As you wish."
"Thanks. Ugh, while this isn't the worst pain I've ever been in, it'll still be rough to deal with until we close. What time do we close, anyway?" Noriaki asks as an afterthought.
"Eight o'clock. Gives people time for dinner and the ability to sail home before it gets too late."
"I imagine the more unsavory types have a tendency to show up after dark."
Plus sailing after the sun sets poses its own dangers… Rocks, reefs, other ships… All things he needs to keep in the back of his mind now. Things he needs to think about to keep the others and their ship safe.
Noriaki experimentally rolls his ankles and winces.
"Is it normally this crazy?"
"Always," Sanji says, a fond little smile on his lips. "It's part of the charm."
"Yosaku, one of the bounty hunters that recommended this place, said that the fights that happen here were considered prime entertainment. How true is that?"
Sanji grins and utters a warm laugh.
"That depends on a person's tolerance for fighting," he says. "Kids think the whole thing is funny, the parents are less entertained however when the kids start repeating the swearing."
Noriaki can't help but giggle at that.
"Oh, I meant to ask but what did you call that Marine? Kitchen's been trying to figure it out for the last couple of hours."
"Oh, klootzak met een ezelgezicht?" Noriaki blushes. "I called him a donkey-faced motherfucker."
Sanji's briefly stunned expression is quite funny.
"My mother would not have been pleased to hear me say that. Last time I said that she washed my mouth out with soap and then gave my grandfather grief for teaching me those words."
He runs his hand through his hair wistfully. He hopes she's doing okay. He wonders what she'd think of Luffy. He thinks she'd like him. Sanji has a distant look in his eyes for a second, but it vanishes quickly as he bursts out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! I had thought you too proper to unleash such language, but it was well deserved."
"Don't tell my crew," Noriaki says conspiratorially. "They have a bet going about whether or not I can actually swear and I want to make it last as long as possible."
He grins. He fully intends for Usopp to win that bet, knowing Usopp has heard him curse before. He just wants to make the bet last a while longer, so Usopp wins a large amount of money. Sanji laughs even harder.
Then the loud sound of the doors crashing open echoes from the other end of the building snaps Noriaki back to the present.
"Oh, that can't be good," he mutters.
Wordlessly, Sanji springs to his feet and darts off towards the noise. Noriaki shoves himself to his feet, ignoring the stabbing pain that rushes through his legs and does his best to chase after him. He stumbles a couple of times, but he manages to right himself to continue his chase. Geez, he hopes this isn't a serious brawl… It had better not be, he's not in the mood to break up a bar fight.
When Noriaki arrives back in the main dining room, the first person he sees in Gin. Then the person leaning on him. He's tall and muscular with purple hair and wearing gold armor. Noriaki has never seen him before, but the mood in the bar is on a razor's edge. Something told him that the man in the gold armor was trouble.
"Please…" Noriaki registers the imploring tone in Gin's voice.
"Gin?" Noriaki calls out to him, partially out of instinct.
Gin notices him in the crown and promptly bows.
"Please… Please feed my captain," Gin says.
"Are you kidding me?!" Carne snaps. "That's Don Krieg."
The name is familiar… wait a minute, Don Krieg, that's the guy Zoro mentioned when he'd first arrived in Syrup Village. Noriaki tries to remember what Zoro had said about him, something about a bounty? Or was it something about a fleet? Maybe both? Noriaki glances back at the man called Krieg. He looks in a bad way. Much like Gin had when he'd arrived.
If he is Gin's captain, he was likely caught up in whatever Gin was before they returned to the East Blue. The cooks are all chattering loudly, aggressing and untrusting. The entire atmosphere of the place has changed now. And he can see some of the other patrons beginning to panic. 'What should I do?' Noriaki asks himself. He's not sure what to do. Krieg kneels down next.
"Please…" he says. "We're at your mercy. My whole crew has been starving…"
Damnit, Noriaki wants to help them, but he has no way of predicting how Krieg will act after he's been fed. Once he gets what he wants, what will he do next? That question weighs heavily on Noriaki's mind. Should he risk his kindness possibly blowing up in his face or not? He hovers, before noticing Sanji slip away to the kitchen and Luffy and the others approach through the crowd. Noriaki sets his jaw, mind made up, he'll risk it. He heads after Sanji, the ache in his feet forgotten in a rush of adrenaline. He sets into the kitchen, grabbing a tray and nudges Sanji as he heads for the glasses.
"I'll get drinks out to him, Sanji."
"Are you sure?" Sanji asks. "You're technically working off a debt, I wouldn't want to prolong that."
"Well, someone has to carry the drinks out, Sanji. And you're busy, you can't cook and carry the tray at the same time."
Jotaro's words about justice echo in the back of his mind. Noriaki breathes out slowly, focusing on the words. Thinking about him gives him confidence. He can do this. Grabbing the glasses of water, he walks out of the kitchen with his head held high. He heads straight for Gin and Krieg, doing his best to ignore everyone else. They're still arguing. And he gets it, he does, it's just… He's never been one to stand around when people need help. Gin's eyes soften with gratitude when Noriaki reaches them and sets the glasses down.
"Is there anyone else who needs anything?" He asks Gin.
"I don't know if this is a good idea…!" Usopp squawks.
"Good idea or a bad one, I'll live with the consequences. I just can't stand around when someone needs help. It's not how I do things."
This quiets the crowd significantly. Luffy beams at Noriaki. The redhead pats Gin on the shoulder.
"You need anything, let me know, okay?"
"Thank you! Thank you so much…!"
"You're welcome."
Sanji appears from the kitchen a moment later. Noriaki nods at him as the blonde walks by. Sanji sets the food down, causing a rush of complaints from the staff, and Krieg begins to scoff it down. Noriaki watches him carefully. If Krieg does decide to try something, he'll probably do it after his meal. Hierophant chirps and winds around his shoulders.
"I know…" Noriaki murmurs quietly to his other half.
Luffy idly pushes through the crowd to stand next to him.
"Luffy," Noriaki greets.
"Watcha worried about?" Luffy asks.
"I don't know yet. But I have a feeling something's going to happen, and I just want to be ready when it does."
Luffy makes a small, understanding noise.
"How are you doing?"
"It got noise, I wanted to see what was going on."
In the brief instant Noriaki turned his head to look at his captain, movement immediately flashes in his periphery. Noriaki snaps his head towards the motion. Krieg is starting to lunge over his empty plate towards Sanji. Noriaki moves faster, without thinking, directing Hierophant to wrap tentacles around Sanji's waist and pull him back. Easily moving him out of the way of a violent kick to the stomach. Noriaki glares fiercely at Krieg. Sanji, meanwhile, doesn't look phased; clearly, he'd anticipated this to a degree and was prepared for it.
Gin by contrast wasn't. He looks mortified. It was clear Gin was not expecting this turn of events.
"Don, wait-!"
"Quiet."
Gin immediately falls silent at the command and Noriaki's hackles are instantly raised.
"What a fine ship this is," Krieg says as he looks about the Baratie approvingly. "It suits my current needs well."
"Excuse you?" Noriaki snaps, incredulously.
The room freezes slightly. The cooks all shoot him frantic looks and shake their heads while Krieg slowly turns to look at him.
"My pity for a starving man doesn't extend that far."
Gin looks nervously between Noriaki and Krieg. No one has ever stood up to his captain like that. Never.
"Did I ask for your opinion, boy?" Krieg growls.
"People don't get everything they ask for in life," Noriaki responds coolly, his glare matches his tone.
Sanji looks Noriaki's way, and his eyes widen slightly. That green ghost is back, clearer now than before, staring coldly at Krieg with its alien eyes. It did not look like that with Gin. With Gin, the ghost had looked concerned and been gentle. Now the ghost looks like it's ready for battle. What is that thing…?! And why can no one else see it?! None of the other cooks are reacting. The only ones who are reacting are Noriaki's captain and the swordsman on his crew. The kid with the long nose is also reacting but he's just gibbering with terror, so Sanji doesn't count him.
The boy in the straw hat is glancing at the ghost and grinning while the swordsman rests on hand on one of his frankly excessive number of swords. He's also glancing at the ghost. They can see it? What was the difference between them and everyone else who couldn't see it. Hell, Sanji doesn't even think Krieg can see it. He's not looking at it at all, just glaring at Noriaki. Who is glaring right back, no fear whatsoever. It was pretty clear he was ready to fight if it came down to it. Did that come from confidence, or ignorance? Sanji wasn't given much time to think about it; Krieg is talking. And Noriaki's cold glare is getting sharper.
"What makes you think you can just get through the Grand Line on just the Baratie if your entire fleet was smashed just trying to enter it?" Noriaki demands. "This is a restaurant not an ironside. I sincerely doubt it would cover even half the distance your fleet did. And then you'd be right back where you started without a ship. Again."
Krieg's eye twitches violently. Noriaki whimsically considers telling him that he only wishes he was as frightening as a certain vampire. But he doubts Krieg would even realize he'd just been insulted. Quite frankly, the only person Krieg reminds Noriaki of is Steely Dan. Maybe he should just take him out right now… No. Too much risk of hitting Gin in the crossfire. And while a direct attack would knock Krieg back, his armor would take the brunt of a frontal attack. Which means he wouldn't go down immediately, nor would he be down for long.
No, Noriaki figures if he wants to attack, he'll need to drag Krieg away from Gin to minimize the risk of hitting him and then Noriaki would need to either hit him multiple times with a frontal attack or aim for somewhere unprotected. Like his head. But that would probably kill the man.
Oh. Zeff just went to the kitchen…? Why is he going into the kitchen? Noriaki's brow furrows and he takes his attention off of Krieg, who's still talking, to watch the older man. He wonders what Zeff is up to. The old man had a serious look to him. He used to be a pirate…? He remembers Zeff mentioning that he'd been a pirate when he'd brought the old man the emerald. Krieg seemed to recognize him. Had addressed Zeff as "Red Leg" Zeff. Had they known each other perhaps? 'The Grand Line…' Noriaki thinks, glancing over at Luffy. And then at Gin.
Gin has a thousand-yard stare on his face… and Luffy just looks excited. Noriaki's not sure how to feel, what with Gin's tale of his experiences out on the Grand Line still rattling around in his head. Zeff's voice however, cuts through Noriaki's thoughts:
"Here. Enough food for your entire crew."
A couple of the cooks protect, but Noriaki blinks in surprise. Zeff's expression is calm, and he hands over the massive sack of food without batting an eye. Noriaki just hopes it'll get rid of the blowhard as he turns back to Krieg. The man just looks smug and heads off with the food, Gin trailing behind him. Noriaki watches them go, a nervous fluttering in his chest.
"Too easy…" Noriaki mutters softly, Hierophant chirping darkly in agreement.
Noriaki slowly starts to follow the two pirates. He's learned to trust his instincts on the trip to Egypt and he's not about to stop trusting them now. Luffy trots after him, unbothered. Sanji trails after them. Noriaki watches Krieg disembark from the Baratie like a hawk.
"I don't suppose there are Marines close enough to head him off when he comes back…?"
"No," Sanji says, lighting a cigarette. "There is a base over in Loguetown but even if we call them now, they still wouldn't get here in time if these guys decide to come back."
Noriaki clicks his tongue.
"Then we'll have to be ready when they do," Noriaki says.
"It'll be fine," Luffy says with a laugh. "I'll kick his ass."
"And I'm sure Zoro and I can handle anyone else."
"This isn't your fight, why get involved?" Sanji asks.
"You fed us," Luffy says, blinking.
And that, clearly was reason enough for Luffy.
"I didn't think I needed a reason for doing the right thing," Noriaki says simply.
He puts his hands in his pockets, looking out across the water. Krieg's ship, what's left of it anyway, if very badly damaged. Noriaki is shocked it can still sail. What could do that to a ship that size? Logically speaking, a storm was the most likely culprit but he also remembers Gin's story about ships being sliced in half by one man. That uneasy feeling… it intensifies… He starts scanning the horizon again, this time more intensely. It looks peaceful… So why does he feel a chill down his spine…? Everything was fine. Krieg seemed satisfied enough to leave for now, he was sailing away. So why…? Why did he feel like something was wrong? The last time he felt like this was before an attack while on the road to Egypt…
Noriaki ends up spending the hours pacing the deck, waiting, unable to escape the unease. The others watch him pacing from the balcony.
"Nori's worried… is it really because of stupid Krieg?" Luffy asks.
"He might have more common sense than you if he is…" Sanji says.
"He's not usually this nervous," Usopp counters. "I've never seen him so worked up."
"There's something in the air," Zoro says. "It feels like a storm is coming."
"What are you talking about?" Usopp asks. "It's a clear day, no clouds in sight."
Zoro's eyes narrow as he stares across the water. Something was coming. He could feel it in his bones. Even Wado was feeling more active than normal.
Meanwhile, off in the distance, a certain gothic swordsman glances at the sky and tilts his head curiously. The air had changed somewhat unexpectedly. Curious. The air rarely changed suddenly like this in the East. It was more typical of the North Blue or on the Grand Line itself. Something new has entered the waters of the East Blue… How very interesting. He knew pirate crews were constantly entering the waters, but very few of them turned out to be anything worthwhile. Perhaps something interesting would come out of his pursuit of this pack of weaklings.
Krieg and his crew were approaching once more from the direction of the wind change. Perhaps he should drive them back the way they came. He's more likely to encounter whatever caused the air to change that way. Dracule Mihawk smiles ever so slightly. He's so rarely roused from the dull haze that rules his existence… he doesn't have his hopes up too high, but… he was intrigued. He wasn't about to deny it. Whatever was waiting beyond the horizon had his attention. How long it would hold his attention was a different story.
When Krieg returns accompanied by his crew, Noriaki can't help his alarm at seeing the numbers. That was a lot of pirates.
"Bloody hell…" Noriaki mutters.
He had been right about Krieg coming back! He just hadn't expected him to have a small army with him!
"That tracks," Zoro says. "He leads the biggest pirate armada in the East Blue."
"Gin did say that the fleet had one hundred ships in it at one point," Noriaki says.
He glances at Zoro, who's standing next to him now. He looks so calm. Like the thought of fighting a small army doesn't phase him. Zoro seems to read his thoughts, because he shrugs.
"You can throw a thousand weaklings at a good fighter and now even slow him down," Zoro says.
Noriaki hums softly, thinking unexpectedly that Zoro's words sound like something Jotaro would say. He immediately chides himself for projecting even though his heart squeezes. Jotaro and Zoro were two different people. He needs to remember that. Luffy is cracking his knuckles and grinning. Noriaki silently summons Hierophant once more, and Zoro places a hand on Wado's hilt.
And then Krieg's ship is split in half.
Noriaki experiences the flash of movement and clean cut in slow motion. A slash so intense it gained colour in the afternoon sunlight, splitting into three when it struck the ship's hull and slices through wood and metal like a hot knife through butter. And the ship just… falls apart. Noriaki yelps and takes a step back. It was… sliced in half. Just like Gin said. His mind darts back to… to that night. To Dio casually throwing a train car around. Noriaki shivers, he can still hear the sound of shattering glass and warping metal as the train car crashed onto the ground.
The waves caused by the ship being shattered violently rock the Baratie, nearly flinging Noriaki off the deck and dragging him by the collar back to the present. Right. Focus. He needs to focus. Whoever just cut that ship in half could very well attack them next.
"Noriaki!" Zoro yells, further snapping Noriaki back to the present.
"I'm okay…!" Noriaki says with a cough.
He steps back from the edge, his heart racing. The Merry – did the Merry get swamped? Shit. Where is the Merry? He hopes she wasn't damaged.
"Whoa! Ack!" Luffy squawks.
"You okay, Luffy?" Noriaki asks.
"Wasn't expecting that! Ahhh, the Merry!" Luffy rushes off down the deck.
"I hope nothing happened to the Merry."
Noriaki's attention snaps back to the ocean, scanning for what the hell just happened. That's when he sees it, the small, one-man ship just off in the distance. No. No, surely not. Even for a Stand user, that would be…! That feeling returns with a vengeance. Noriaki stands very still and watches the little boat come closer.
"No… No, no, no!" Krieg bellows, a touch of panic in his voice. "He followed us all the way here?! This is disproportionate!"
Noriaki can see Gin's face turn ashen. Was this the man he'd talked about?
"My God…" Zeff whispers.
Noriaki glances back at the older man. His eyes are wide as plates and there's very real fear there.
"Chef Zeff?" Noriaki asks nervously.
"That man… I didn't think he traveled this far east…!"
"Who is he?"
Zoro inhales sharply.
"Dracule Mihawk," Zeff says. "He's one of the Warlords."
"And the World's Greatest Swordsman," Zoro says, almost reverently.
The hairs on the back of Noriaki's neck stand straight up. World's Greatest… he could hear the capital letters in Zoro's words. Declarations like that were often thrown around and to be considered subjective where Noriaki came from… But something told him that this was not the case. Several of Krieg's men pull out pistols. Something deep in Noriaki's gut told him that those guns would do little good. Which is illogical since bringing a knife, or in this case, a sword, to a gunfight didn't end in the favor of the man with the blade.
"You bastard…!" One of Krieg's crew shouts.
"You've destroyed our ships and drove us back to the East Blue!" A second man roars. "Why are you still following us?!"
The man says nothing. Now that he's close enough, Noriaki can properly make out his features.
He's gorgeous, in a distinctly gothic way. Dracule Mihawk is a call man dressed in a long black coat and simple dark pants; he's bare chested beneath his coat, revealing hard muscle and faint scarring that spoke of many battles. He wears a large cross pendant around his neck and an elegant hat with a white feather stuck in the band. Mihawk's eyes are gold with strange, unique pupils. They look like they belong to a bird of prey; bored, confident… superior. And across his back is the biggest sword Noriaki has ever seen, with a jewelled cross guard and a pure black blade.
And despite looking nothing like him, Noriaki still freezes up when he sees those gold eyes. A faint, stressed whisper escapes his lips. Not a vampire, he can't be a vampire, it's the middle of the day, and the sun is shining down on him…! There was no way he could be a vampire. But that gaze… that confident superiority… he knows it. He's seen it in Dio's eyes before.
His heart thudding in his ears, Noriaki vaguely hears Luffy, Yosaku and Johnny yelling. Something about… Nami? He forces himself to turn away from the new arrivals and focus on Luffy and the two bounty hunters. His breathing stalls when he does a headcount and realizes someone's missing. Nami. She wasn't with them. Noriaki runs to them.
"Where's Nami?!" He asks.
"Gone!" Johnny says. "She stole your ship and sailed off!"
"W-What? Why?!"
His chest squeezes painfully. Nami left without them? He doesn't want to believe it but neither Nami nor the Merry are anywhere in sight.
"When did she leave? How long ago?" Noriaki prods.
He doesn't remember the last time he saw her. Why…? Why would she leave without telling them? And why would she steal the Merry to do so? Gunshots grab his attention. Agh, there's too much happening all at once! Damnit! He and Luffy exchange stressed looks and hurry back to the scene.
Noriaki tries to calm himself down. 'Focus, keep your emotions controlled for later…' he tells himself. If he's going to fight, he needs to be calm. He arrives in time to see bullets get deflected by a sword. How…?
"Bullets are useless, he'll just redirect them."
Noriaki looks at Zoro, his eyes widening slightly. There's a feral excitement written across the green-haired swordsman's face. The more emotion he'd ever seen from him so far. Zoro's attention is completely on Mihawk as he unties the bandana from his arm. Why was he doing that?
"I've never seen a sword wielded with such grace…" Zoro says. "You're the man I've been looking for all these years!"
"I've never seen you before," Mihawk says mildly.
Noriaki glances nervously between Zoro and Mihawk. He's not gonna…! Surely he wouldn't… This man just cut a ship in half! Zoro's good with his swords but there was no way he would win in the face of that kind of power.
"If you want to have fun, fight me instead," Zoro challenges.
Noriaki's head snaps towards Zoro. Has he lost his mind?!
Mihawk looks up and actually regards Zoro directly. It was like seeing a hawk cock its head, tracking a rabbit in the grass.
"I'm challenging you to a duel."
"Where does your confidence to wield this sword come from?"
Mihawk rises and elegantly steps from his ship onto the deck. Everyone else scrambles backwards like rats scattering before a cat.
"Is it confidence or ignorance?"
"It comes from ambition," Zoro declares, drawing his swords. "And a promise I made long ago."
Noriaki shivers a little. Zoro's actually going to fight this guy! Noriaki didn't realize he was stepping forward until Luffy put a hand on his wrist.
"Don't," Luffy says, the word said so quietly and softly only Noriaki could hear it.
"But…!" Noriaki tries to protest but his words die at the look in Luffy's eyes.
"Let him do this."
Noriaki could think of a hundred reasons this was a bad idea! Top of that list was that Zoro could be killed! But Luffy's expression… It was stern. Like he understood why Zoro was doing this. The redhead swallows faintly and nods. Luffy smiles slightly and drops his hand to hold Noriaki's reassuringly. Noriaki squeezes his hand tightly, a combination of anxiety and adrenaline flooding his veins.
Mihawk hums and reaches for his cross pendant. He flicks a hook open and draws out… a small dagger. Noriaki can barely contain the incredulous wheeze that slips past his lips. That's what he's going to fight Zoro with? Zoro looks just as incredulous and even a little insulted.
"What the hell is that?" He asks. "I'm here for a sword fight."
"I don't hunt rabbits with a cannon," Mihawk answers calmly.
Noriaki looks between the tiny blade and the massive sword on Mihawk's back. Zoro bristles and goes on the attack right off the bat. Mihawk doesn't move, merely raises the tiny blade and Noriaki watches as it somehow collides with Zoro's two swords. Mihawk didn't even twitch when the three blades collided. 'How?!' Noriaki wonders to himself. It made no form of logical sense. How was that small blade holding back all of Zoro's strength? Hierophant chips uneasily. Noriaki tries valiantly to push his worry down but it isn't working.
Zoro is shocked, visibly, before continuing to attempt to fight. In his eyes, Mihawk isn't taking the fight seriously. His strikes are calmly blocked by the tiny knife each time. Noriaki's brain tries desperately to figure out how the tiny dagger is parrying each of Zoro's strikes each time. Mihawk must be incredibly strong physically and his reflexes fine tuned to the extreme. But still! That blade is tiny! It's practically a butter knife! How?! It does not make any sense! And yet his eyes are not deceiving him.
Mihawk was holding his own against Zoro with nothing more than a teeny tiny dagger. He isn't struggling in the slightest and Zoro is. His attacks have all either been parried by Mihawk's dagger or missed completely. Noriaki's stomach is sinking by the second. This fight wasn't going in Zoro's favor. In fact, Noriaki is increasingly certain that Zoro can't win. Not against this man, a living force of nature whose aura is crushing like Dio's with the only comfort being the lack of megalomania in it. If anything, Mihawk seemed almost bored.
Noriaki feels sick. No, more than that, he feels helpless. He hates feeling helpless. He hates being stuck on the sidelines like this, but Luffy's grip is strong and he's not letting him move. That doesn't necessarily stop him from using Hierophant, the fact that Zoro wants no interference… That is the only thing stopping him from using his Stand. Oh, he hates everything about this. But what can he do except watch? Noriaki grips the railing until his free hand hurts and keeps watching. He wants to look away, for no other reason than to calm himself down but he can't. It was like watching a car accident. He wishes he did when the knife sinks into Zoro's chest in a flash.
A quiet gasp slips past Noriaki's lips. He'd completely missed that Mihawk had moved under Zoro's defenses like that. His heart stops for a second. He can't breathe.
"Why won't you retreat?" Mihawk asks.
Noriaki would like to know the answer to that question, himself. Zoro raises his head slowly. His eyes are burning like supernovae.
"I made a promise," he says. "I'll die before I give up."
His resolve was clear and firm. Noriaki wavers. Part of him is in awe, but there's a not so inconsiderable part of him that was screaming that Zoro is being way too cavalier about this. Death stole everything from him; his home, his friends, his family, everything he'd ever known. It should never be embraced so nonchalantly! His death was the reason he was here. Noriaki doesn't say anything, but it's not for lack of trying. He has several things he'd like to say.
But the battle hasn't stopped. It's still raging and Zoro's still fighting like he didn't just get stabbed in the chest. Mihawk has sheathed the knife now. His demeanor has shifted and Noriaki wasn't sure what it meant.
"You… are not just another fool. This kind of honest resolve won't be met with mockery."
Noriaki's throat seals up when the man draws the massive black blade from his back. It looked even bigger now that it was no longer on Mihawk's back. Beautiful beyond words, but it is a harbinger of destruction and ruin. Noriaki swallows fearfully. Zoro simply prepares himself, appreciating Mihawk's shift from bored mockery to budding respect. They clash again, the sound causes a shudder to run down Noriaki's spine. And Zoro's two swords, not Wado, the others, break. Oh God… The battle is practically over now. Zoro lost. Luffy is shivering. Noriaki's chest is tight. Zoro stands up gracefully, shearing Wado and holding his arms out to the side. Noriaki stares at him. What was he going to…?
"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame."
"… Magnificent."
Noriaki watches as Mihawk raises the blade, and then watches it come down across Zoro's chest in slow motion. It was like watching mister Avdol get shot all over again. His heart has dropped into his stomach as he watches blood spray everywhere and Zoro falls onto the deck. Noriaki finally can't hold still. Something in him just snaps.
Mihawk blinks when something snaps onto his right arm and tightens. Confused, he looks down and sees a ghostly tentacle binding his wrist. When did that happen? His Observation hadn't alerted him to an attack. Then it yanked.
Mihawk isn't used to being moved. He partially puts down his undignified stagger upon being unbalanced down to sheer surprise, but only when he blackens his wrist with Haki can he resist, or even interact with the ghost tentacle, otherwise it was completely ephemeral. How intriguing. Was this a Devil Fruit or perhaps something new? He plants his feet firmly, being sure to coat his hand in Haki before he grabs the tentacle holding him and gives it a sharp yank in return. A spirit screeches, and Mihawk looks up to see… Oh. It seems… he can still be surprised. The red-haired boy is the source of the tentacle… Or at least the serpent God rising from his body is. Perhaps this wasn't a Devil Fruit after all. Which was much more interesting.
"You've one," the boy says, his voice shivering. "Everyone can see that. Let him go."
"You're a bold one," Mihawk observes.
The redhead glares stonily at him. No one else around the boy was reacting to the specter behind him. Could they not see it perhaps? His own Observation could tell something was there but not quite what it was. It was obviously tied to the redhead but that was all he could really discern.
"Relax. Your friend isn't dead, though he could use a doctor. I have no intention of killing him, not when he has proven himself a worthy rival."
The redhead's eyes narrow, clearly trying to judge his sincerity… then the ghostly limb releases his arm in favor of slinging the young man straight to the fallen swordsman's side. He watches how, as the boy falls to his knees, the spirit disappears as if dismissed. Curious. Very curious… unfortunately Mihawk very much doubts the redhead will indulge his curiosity. Perhaps they will encounter each other later on. That strange power… He can say with certainty that he's never seen anything like it before. Suddenly, the world is a little more interesting again.
Noriaki barely hears Luffy and Mihawk conversing over the blood roaring in his ears. He's too busy holding Zoro's chest together to try and staunch the bleeding with the frantic help of Yosaku and Johnny. There's so much blood, it soaks his hands, his shirt, the wood of the deck, the coppery smell is almost overwhelming. Thank the Lord Yosaku and Johnny has some experience treating these kinds of wounds. It keeps Noriaki from completely panicking. He just keeps as much pressure as he can on the wound. And somehow, Zoro is still conscious. What is he made out of?!
"Don't move," Noriaki orders. "We're trying to get the wound closed so you don't bleed out."
"Noriaki…" Zoro starts before getting cut off.
"Don't… I'm mad at you right now…" Noriaki's voice is shaking again. "Just let us stitch the wound."
Zoro blinks slowly at him.
"Do not move, Roronoa Zoro."
Noriaki's voice is sharp and commanding as he puts on more pressure.
"You are lucky, lucky, lucky that his blade didn't cut much deeper or else you'd already be dead. So, help me God, if you make me watch another friend die, I'll drag you out of Hell to kill you myself."
His eyes burn as he tries to keep from crying. Nope. Stay calm and focus on helping Yosaku with the stitches. He can freak out later. It has to be later. He has to focus on what's happening now. He also wants to be sure that when he does freak out, he's alone for it. He can't read Zoro's expression. He shifts his hands slightly as Yosaku moves towards him.
"Okay…" Zoro says at last.
"Okay, what?" Noriaki asks.
"I understand fully… crewmate… I will… never lose again."
Shakily, Zoro raises Wado to the sky.
"Captain…"
"Zoro," Luffy says and Noriaki glances over and sees tears in his eyes.
The Noriaki glances down at Zoro and realizes that he's crying too.
"If I fail to become the world's greatest swordsman… you'd be disappointed, wouldn't you…?"
"You could never fail me," Luffy says, crying openly.
"Then hear my words… until the time that I achieve that goal… I will never lose again! Is that acceptable… King of the Pirates?!"
Noriaki feels tears start to roll down his cheeks. The weight of those words is titanic. He knows immediately that Zoro is deadly serious. The oath gives him chills. When Jotaro and Mister Joestar decided to go and destroy Dio… Noriaki's heart squeezes. Zoro passes out about a minute later, Noiraki suspects the adrenaline had finally worn off. He hastily returns his attention to healing. Zoro still needed more stitches. Noriaki moves out of the way to give Yosaku the needed room to work. He should… go find some bandages.
Noriaki is thinking feverishly when he hears Nami's name come up again. Right. Right. He remembers Johnny saying that she'd stolen the Merry. He doesn't have the time or the energy to process that. There's got to be some somewhere inside. Noriaki jump to his feet and runs back into the Baratie, looking around frantically. Bandages… Bandages… There has to be a first aid kit somewhere! Oh. Oh, a couple of cooks just... the kit lands in Noriaki's hands and it takes him a second to register it.
"Thank you," he says. "Thank you so much."
He sprints back outside. Luffy is currently giving an order and Noriaki tries to focus on what he's saying.
"-go ahead and find Nami."
Oh. They're going to find Nami. Good. But what should Noriaki do? Stay and help Luffy or go help Zoro…? Torn, he freezes in place. Luffy glances back at him, and then he smiles despite his tears.
"What's the plan, captain?" Noriaki asks.
"You go and look after Zoro for me. I gotta finish things up here," Luffy says.
"R-Right. Finish what up?"
Luffy snorts and looks out at where Krieg and his crew are lingering.
"Oh," Noriaki says. "To be honest, I forgot he was even here."
Hear Krieg sputter… There was something oddly satisfying about it.
"I'll get Zoro inside and comfortable," Noriaki says. "Leave some of them for me?"
"You bet!"
"Thank you."
Noriaki walks over to Zoro, summoning Hierophant again. He picks Zoro up bridal style and uses Hierophant's tentacles to secure him. He carefully carries him into the Barati, listening as the sounds of chaos erupt behind him. He'll join them later. He needs to find somewhere safe for Zoro to rest. There has to be a room where he can lie down steadily. He needs to be able to rest up. Noriaki scrambles around for a minute before finding a place. 'This must be where the cooks sleep,' Noriaki muses to himself. He brings Zoro to the biggest bed and lays him out. He hopes the person who owns the bed won't be too upset.
Noriaki sits down and sets about further bandaging Zoro up. He's careful not to move Zoro around too much to avoid causing him pain. Zoro shivers a little but doesn't wake. Noriaki badly wishes Mister Joestar was there, Hamon would be very useful right about now!
His heart is still racing… Why can't he calm down? It isn't as if he has no experience with violence. Perhaps it was because of the pressure Mihawk seemed to exude. It was so familiar to Dio's after all. Power that eclipsed the sun… Maybe that's why he's so freaked out. He never expected to encounter another person like that again. This is what he can expect from the Grand Line? Maybe… Once Noriaki has Zoro fully bandaged, he lets out a shaky breath.
"There we go…" he murmurs as he looks at Zoro's face.
He was definitely unconscious now, but his face didn't seem tight in an indication of pain. He looks stoic, even asleep. Kinda like a samurai from the old stories. 'You remind me of Jotaro…' Noriaki thinks with an aching heart. He misses Jotaro so much, wishes desperately that he was there with him, if only to provide a familiar friendly face. He'll always miss Jotaro and yet… he looks down at Zoro again, his heart feeling strangely lighter. He's… happy. He has friends again. He missed having friends.
Oh. That's why he can't calm down, isn't it? He has friends again, and he almost lost one. He doesn't want to lose anyone else. He can't lose anymore of his friends. Not again. It might kill him for good.
"Stay alive, Zoro. I can't lose another friend."
Reluctantly, Noriaki stands up and looks back out in the direction of where the fighting is going on. He should probably get down there. Noriaki takes a deep breath and runs off. He's got a battle to join.