Hey, all my faithful readers! Here it is! Stay tuned for the latest chapters~! This Chapter goes out to all those faithful readers and my awesome reviewers. Having you guys back me up, makes writing this book so much more worth it!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of its characters however, Rosalie is my OC.

Here you go! Please enjoy it

Chapter 37

"WHAT?!"

Aston rubbed his temples as Blake exclaimed on his loudest, the sound echoing through the hidden house. They managed to get Rosalie back to the house, bandaged and in bed but this idiot had to ruin it all by yelling.

"I can't believe you brought a Warlord here! I thought you said that the Government issued an immediate arrest for her!" Blake pointed out as he glared at Mihawk who sat calmly on one of the arm chairs, arms crossed over his chest.

Aston let his shoulders slump and pushed back his irritation. He knew that they would probably overreact but this was getting on his nerves. His biggest concern now was Rosalie's mental state and not the worry of a Warlord in the house.

"Brat, I would recommend you to shut up before I shut you up permanently," Mihawk snapped at Blake, his golden eyes glaring at the male. It managed to anger him more but he shut his mouth, knowing full well that he didn't stand a chance against the World's Greatest Swordsman.

"Listen, Blake, Ryusei, there isn't time for me to tell you the entire story. I told you that I had someone who I trust who can help Rosalie. That's the only reason why Mihawk-san is here. I trust him and even if you don't, I expect you to respect him," Aston stated and Blake gritted his teeth.

There was no way he would ever…

"We understand," Ryusei spoke up and Blake's eyes widened before he looked at the male in disbelief. Ryusei looked at his companion and put a hand on his shoulder. "If he can help Captain, then I will throw away my pride." Blake averted his eyes towards the ground, his thoughts rambling in his head.

Ryusei looked at Mihawk. "I don't approve of you being here, seeing that Captain is in that state because of a Warlord. But… If you can help her, then I promise that we won't cause you any trouble," he told the older male and Mihawk grunted.

Aston smiled and nodded in approval. "Thank you, Ryusei, I really appreciate that. Now, I want you two to go rest. I'll call you for dinner and don't enter Rosalie's room until I permit it," Aston told them as he walked towards the kitchen.

Blake said nothing but stormed off and Ryusei let out a sigh. He nodded and then followed his angered partner. He understood Blake's emotions, however, neither of them had a choice.

Aston let out a breath he didn't know he held in and ran a hand through his hair. He briefly closed his eyes and tried to relax his stiff muscles. This wasn't easy. He didn't know how long he could hold his composure.

"Liza-san, how did you do it?"

"She was a natural at it." Aston jumped slightly at Mihawk's voice and glanced back at the male who stood in the doorway. He was looking at the roof, his golden eyes gleaming with a peculiar emotion that he didn't try to hide.

"Liza was a natural in everything she did. No matter what challenge was thrown at her, she found a way around it and solved any problem," Mihawk stated. Liza was good at a lot of things and when it came to her own well-being, she merely pushed it to the back of her mind.

"Yeah… She was strong despite being weak. She… She really did love you, you know?" Aston said, his eyes softening. "Then again, I guess things had to work out like they did." Aston grabbed a tray with Rosalie's food and drink on it, turning back towards the door where Mihawk stood.

"Let's go," Aston said and Mihawk grunted as he followed the younger male towards Rosalie's room. Silence lingered between them and he was lost deep within his thoughts. His thoughts recalling the memory of Liza.

A part of him wondered why he answered Aston's call and the other part of him was shocked at how fast he reacted. Why, though? When Aston contacted him, he was sceptical. He only gave the male an emergency line when it was needed and even made it clear to not call him in any situation.

This was different.

The moment he heard that Rosalie was here, he came. He didn't bother worrying about the fashion crazed female back on his island, knowing that she would occupy herself more than enough. All that mattered in that instant was helping Liza's child.

The only dream she ever had.

The creaking of a door made the golden eyed male snap out of his thoughts and he glanced up to see Aston enter Rosalie's room. It was dimly lit, the snow raging outside and the only light being the few lamps that burned.

Rosalie stood in front of the window, staring outside. She held her bandaged right arm, unable to move it effectively and could only twitch her fingers from time to time.

"I see you're already up and walking. That's good to know. I made sure to change most of your bandages. I'll come check later if there is any bleeding." Aston could've rather spoken to the walls as the redhead completely ignoring him.

Aston continued, not being fazed. "I brought food and something to drink." He saw that her previous meal had become cold and wasn't even touched.

Mihawk noticed Aston's small frown that flashed onto his lips before the smile returned. "I'll put this right here. You can call me anytime you need assistance with anything. Be sure to get some rest too." He only received silence.

"Well, see you later for dinner."

Aston exited and closed the door behind him, leaving Mihawk alone with Rosalie. The tension was quick to form in the room, the silence lingering. Rosalie kept her dulled blue eyes onto the storm that raged outside, her grip tightening on her right arm.

"Why are you here?" Her words were cold, the question slicing the silence in the air. She didn't care to turn and look at the male. Mihawk could hear the emptiness in her voice, his brows furrowing but nothing else showing any emotion.

"Because the kid called for help."

"I don't need your help," she snapped back almost too quickly and didn't bother to look back at him. She didn't want his help and she didn't ask for any help. How did he want to help her? He didn't even know anything!

"I agree, you don't need my help." Rosalie's eyes widened at his words. "You don't need my help to be consumed by that curse and kill everyone around you. I'm sure you'll be more than capable of doing that," Mihawk told her and Rosalie growled, turning to glare at him.

His golden gaze was immediately there, locking onto her dull blue orbs. It was the closest she had ever been to the Warlord. The tension in the room was thick and Rosalie faltered for a brief moment at the intimidating stare.

"I'm not here because you asked me, I'm here because the kid asked me," Mihawk pointed out. "Moreover, I doubt that Liza would want her daughter to be consumed by the curse of that dagger. Even if that daughter was stupid enough to let herself be controlled."

Rosalie gritted her teeth and clenched her fist. "I never asked for that dagger! I never asked for any of this! Don't sound like you know anything! In the end, you just left my Mother because you were too scared to fight for what you wanted!" She snarled at him.

It hurt.

The truth hurts. He could feel the painful stinging in his chest but showed no emotion. He didn't know how Rosalie knew of the past, yet, she was lashing out about things that didn't concern her. She was raging because of the confusion inside her.

"Everything was just fine before I picked up that cursed thing! I didn't hurt anyone who I cared for. I had complete control and everything was still mine… I… I was still sane… Now… I'm a monster. I don't even have control over my own body anymore." Rosalie brought her hand up to grip her hair.

She gripped it painfully and then smirked dryly as laughter broke loose from her throat. Mihawk could hear the fear and despair behind the sound. He could see how tears flickered in her eyes and how her shoulders shook as she tried to push away her sobs.

"You want to help me? HA! What are you going to do? You couldn't even kill me! So much for helping me! How the Great Swordsman of the World failed to help one poor girl who just wanted to die! The Government should promote you for that!" Rosalie exclaimed between laughter.

Mihawk's brows furrowed and he frowned. "Dying is the coward's way out." Rosalie's eyes widened at his words and then hid beneath a shadow of her bangs. She bit her bottom lip and her fist fell, tears slowly streaming down the side of her face.

"Killing you would not solve any of your problems and it would be running away. I would've thought that Liza would teach you better than that," Mihawk stated, his eyes not softening but his heart giving a squeeze at the girl's broken state.

"I know that… I know that… Even so… I'm tired… I don't want to hurt anyone…" Rosalie fell onto her knees as the tears dripped down onto the wooden floor beneath her. "What am I supposed to do? I don't know anything anymore." Rosalie sobbed softly.

Mihawk watched as she cried softly. It was the most human emotion she showed and it meant that she was still sane. Mihawk let out a sigh and briefly closed his eyes. There was a lot of recovery to be done but it was still possible.

She snapped out of her sobbing when she felt something land on her figure. She looked at the jacket in confusion and then looked back at Mihawk who had his back towards her. Her brows furrowed in confusion, her tears briefly ceasing.

"Put that on. We're going out," Mihawk ordered, the female still confused and unsure what his intentions were. "If you don't know where you are, we'll start with finding the answer. I'll train you and you will gain control. I will make sure of it."

I won't make the same mistake twice.

Rosalie couldn't see his expression. She wiped away her tears and stood up. She managed to change into the jacket with her disabled arm and then looked at Mihawk who grunted. He exited the room, her figure following behind him.

She didn't know what he had in mind for her but a part of her was desperate. She looked at her bandaged arm and then averted her eyes away in shame. She didn't want to be reminded of what she did. She had to find a way to make peace.

Before it consumed her.

Mihawk led her through the thick snow towards a mountain. The storm had stopped brewing and the snow that once fell from the sky, stuck to the ground. It was still cold but the iciness was much less than what was expected.

Rosalie followed the male, not knowing where he was going. She glanced around, everything looking the same. Every tree seemed identical, the snow covering the greenness and depicted a strange beauty that had a nostalgic feeling.

Mihawk stopped and then turned towards Rosalie. "This is where we will train," he said, standing near the mountain and a cave behind him. Rosalie raised an eyebrow at the male and was perplexed because of his words.

"Your first training will be inside this cave where you will meditate." He unsheathed a familiar dagger and Rosalie flinched, taking a retreating step backwards. She felt a familiar burning sensation crawl up her right arm and her eyes swirled with panic.

"It is the only way."

Mihawk watched as she hesitated. He knew there had to be a bunch of thoughts going through her head but it didn't appear that she would act on any of them. She was scared and he understood that. Nonetheless, she had to move on.

"Stop hesitating!"

He threw the dagger towards her and Rosalie's eyes widened. Everything seemed to slow down as she closed her eyes and turned her head away, waiting for the impact. She couldn't do this after all. There was no way she could do this.

Sweetheart.

The voice had Rosalie's blue eyes snap open, her right hand shooting out on instinct towards the dagger.

Rosa-san. Rosa-chan. Rosalie. Captain. Her fingers grazed the handle of the dagger and curled around it.

Rosa-ya.

Mihawk smirked with satisfaction when Rosalie caught the dagger after much hesitation. Rosalie gritted her teeth as she held it, the darkness creeping onto her, not moving further than the metal clasp that Aston put on her arm.

Rosalie looked up at Mihawk, her dull eyes darkened but not to a stage where she lost her consciousness. She managed to suppress the slithering presence and for that moment, she had control over her right arm.

"Let's begin with the first stage, shall we?" She walked behind Mihawk until she was in the cave and watched as he went to sit down. She saw him give her a glance and followed suit by sitting down, the dagger still in hand.

"There is only one way you can truly gain control over a curse. You need to meditate and make that power your own," Mihawk told her and Rosalie looked down at the dagger. How was she going to make this power her own?

"What if I fail?" She already knew the answer to her own question. There was no doubt about that answer and it made her blood run cold. Mihawk's gaze hardened and he crossed his arms over his chest, not giving away any emotion.

"It will consume you and I will kill you."

Rosalie huffed lightly and let out a sigh, her plush lips turning into a sad smile. "Of course. Then, I'll leave it to you then…" She softly spoke and then went to close her eyes before she stopped. She looked up at Mihawk and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry and thank you."

His eyes widened at her words and a painful pang came from his chest. In that instant, she resembled Liza. Mihawk frowned and gripped his biceps tight. He hoped that Rosalie came out of this in one piece. It was his biggest hope.

Rosalie closed her eyes and gave into the darkness that crawled in her thoughts, finding herself in a place of meditation. With her mind already in a cloudy state, nothing distracted her to find where she needed to be.

She didn't know how exactly she was supposed to meditate to gain control but waited. She was sure that if she cleared her mind and opened herself up, she would find out. She could feel worry flush through her veins but ceased it.

Mihawk was there. He would take care of everything if something happened.

Are you sure about that? The slithering voice echoed through her thoughts as she stood in the darkness, looking around. He couldn't do anything the first time. How can you have faith that he will do something now?

Rosalie let out a breath. "I'm not sure. To be honest, I don't know if he will do it. All I know is that I won't give up. I want to wield you and use your power. I don't want to be consumed by you anymore," she told the voice that merely laughed at her.

Well, not everyone can get what they want now, can they? You won't be able to wield me. You don't have the strength. I will consume you and everything you are. I will kill everything and everyone who stands in my way and bathe in their blood. The voice countered.

Rosalie could feel the bloodlust crawl underneath her skin and hissed. She swallowed thickly and then steeled her gaze. It hurt and she knew it was manipulating her. However, she had nothing more to lose. There was literally nothing more left for her to lose.

If you have nothing, you can lose nothing.

"Tell me what I have to do to wield you. I refuse to be taken over by you. I won't go down without trying," she insisted and heard a scoff from the darkness. Yet, she couldn't make out any possible figure anywhere.

You're a persistent one, aren't you? I'll concede, but only if you survive my little challenge. The voice schemed. If you can keep your sanity and survive every single death that was caused by my blade. Only then will I give you permission to wield me.

"And I take it that if I don't, you'll kill my persona?" She heard a dark chuckle as an answer. "Well, I guess I don't really have a choice, do I? I accept your challenge," she agreed and stood firm, not giving a single ounce of hesitation towards the voice.

Very well then. May you be as strong willed as my first master.

What came after that, was bloodshed.

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