Within the walls of the Baratie, you appear again. You want to quickly get everyone together to scurry back to Nami. Her condition was unstable and you don't wish to leave her alone for too long.
But your hope to rush back to her as quickly as possible is crushed the moment you see what had occurred. Don Krieg's ship was sliced in half right in front of your eyes. A huge wave shakes the sea restaurants ground, causing you to tumble forward and grab firmly onto a pillar.
What's going on?!
Not too long after, the sea eventually calmed itself. You carefully head out the door, where everyone seems to be gathered. There on the patio, you spot Luffy and Usopp.
"Guys!" You wave both of your arms in the air.
"Y/N? You're here?" Luffy's eyes widen.
"Nami, she-"
"Ran away with all the treasure!" Usopp cuts you off.
"Huh?" You look at him befuddled but when you see Yosaku and Johnny sitting in the corner, you realise they must've told them their side of the story. "It's not like that... She wouldn't betray you."
"That's right!" Luffy states. "And besides, I want her to be our navigator, no matter what!"
You smile at his words. "I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that," you assert. "Let's quickly go after her." You look around, trying to find Zoro, wanting to tell him the news. You catch him standing on the cut ship's rubble and sprint there immediately, not noticing the hawk-eyed man standing in front of him.
"Over here! We have to go!" you run and shout, swinging your arm furiously, trying to get his attention. Only when he does not turn around even after you reach him, you spare the man he is currently talking to a glance.
"Hm?" The Shichibukai Dracule Mihawk gazes down upon you. The moment his eyes land on your belt, an ominously dark shadow covers his eyes. Bereft of any kind of self-control, anger and fury build up inside him. He slowly reaches his hand out for the sword on his back. Zoro takes a stance, readying his swords for the duel.
You take a few steps backwards, not feeling too well about the way he glared at you.
"Imposter!"
Suddenly Mihawk leaps forward, raising his sword in your direction. In this decisive moment, you couldn't let confusion take over you. Instead, you act upon your instinct, swiftly unsheathing your knife. As you move to shield yourself, a gush a strength flows through your right arm just before the impact. A huge blade in comparison to yours strikes down. Clashing together, you don't even flinch as his golden eyes gaze into yours.
Your guard couldn't be broken. In a moment of hesitation, when he detects your empty and vacant stare, the fortitude advancing his attack begins to waver. At that instance, his mind clears up, no longer clouded by his emotions. He jumps back, distancing himself.
Zoro's head whips back in your direction. Feeling exhausted, the strength in your legs leaves you. Before you fall to the ground, he catches you in his arms.
"Y/N! Are you alright?!" He shakes you as your eyes fall shut. When he notices that you are not going to wake up and that your right arm is hot to the touch, he grits his teeth and growls. "What the hell do you think you are doing?!" he screams at the Shichibukai.
He gently puts you down and picks up all three of his swords. "You crossed a line there," he mutters.
With his signature attack, he charges forward, keeping in mind the promise he made with his childhood friend. To become stronger for her, to become the world's strongest swordsman whose name is famous enough to reach the heavens! All those thoughts bundle up into one: To defeat Dracule Mihawk.
But his ambitious thoughts were for nothing. Mihawk pushes through his strike and pierces him in the chest with his smaller knife.
"Why do you refuse to step back?" Mihawk asks, breaking the deafening silence.
"I get the feeling that if I were to take even one step back right now, I would lose something very important to me." His lips quiver as he exhales.
"Even if it means your death?"
"I would much rather die," he says with conviction.
Mihawk pulls his knife out from Zoro and draws the sword he used to cut ships in half. With one last confrontation, the duel was decided. One of Zoro's swords broke in his hand as he spewed blood. He turns around, exposing his chest to his opponent.
"A wound on one's back is the shame of a swordsman," he says before the black blade slices through him.
ஐ
Their duel was decided. Who won and who lost was clear as the sky. Although Zoro had to bear with the fact that he was defeated, he did not lose his conviction to become stronger at all. In a matter of fact, Mihawk himself had high expectations of him, even telling him that he will wait for Zoro to surpass him one day.
After their duel, Mihawk hopped onto his small coffin-shaped boat and sailed on. He headed into a specific direction, wanting to bring some interesting information to an old rival and friend. Ever since the clash with you, his heart felt heavy and although he did not want to admit it, he wanted to seek advice from someone, or simply have someone to listen to his story.
✘
Hi, everyone!
⸜₍๑•⌔•๑ ₎⸝
I hope you're all enjoying your weekend!
It's not often that I write an Author's Note at the end of chapters but today is a bit special~ I just wanted to tell you all how excited I am to release the next few chapters! You'll get a lot of new information, so please look forward to that!
But whew~ we've come pretty far right? I can't believe it's already the 31st chapter! Thank you, everyone, for reading my story, it means a lot to me... ♡
Now, I'd like to summarise a few clues I've dropped that will be useful in the upcoming chapters:
Chapter 15 - Forest Guardian
"Sure." Gaimon glances at your guns and freezes. "This gun!" he screams and points at your golden gun. "I remember this gun!"
Your eyes widen. "What do you know? Have you seen me before? Do you know anything about my past?" You bombard him with questions.
"Wait, wait. I only remember seeing a picture of it. It was 25 years ago, exactly two years before Gold Roger conquered the Grand Line and became Pirate King-"
...
"Yes, it was at that time. A strange wanted poster with only a picture of the golden gun was going around. Not many pirates paid attention to it, but the true treasure hunters knew. Although we only had a picture of the gun as a clue, rumours said the owner was just a 14-year-old girl. The sum of the bounty was huge, it was easy cash!"
Disappointed, you sprawl yourself on the ground. "Nothing to do with me then."
"Hmm, you're right. That girl would've aged a lot by now," Gaimon responds. "But I'm sure it was this exact gun..."
Chapter 16 - Fruit
Luffy turns around, seeing how far behind you are and runs back to you. He looks at you and the pig curiously, before picking it up. "Did you lose your parents, little fella?"
In a heartbeat you are squeezing his shoulders, looking at him with wide eyes. "Say that again."
"Uh, did you lose your parents? Little fella?"
A dull sound of thunder could be heard and the flash of a lightning tears the sky.
Chapter 17 - Pinocchio
{ Somewhere on the Grand Line five people are gathered }
"It seems she has appeared again."
"How so?"
"She has been perceptible."
"Has her appearance changed?"
"Only slightly."
"As I thought."
"It has been a long time, Sheridgan."
Chapter 18 - Nostalgia
{ Inside Kaya's mansion }
You stroll into the living room and admire the large space. The more you see, the more this home feels sort of nostalgic to you. You don't know if it is the bright marble floor or the large windows that create a certain warmth inside you. A wistful smile graces your lips. This overwhelming feeling even lets you forget that you intruded someone else's home.
Chapter 25 - K. 596
Your eyes widen and sparkle noticeable as you smile widely at him. "Really?" You are literally beaming with joy. "You can play a keyboard the same as a piano?"
Everyone looks at you with surprise. The reason being, it's the first time they see you showing so much interest and happiness over a certain topic. Usopp nods his head slowly and your smile stays on your face as you hug the scruffy piece.
"Oh! Does that mean you can play it?" Now it is Luffy who gets all excited.
You stop smiling and look at him, searching for an answer in your head. "I'm not sure if I can play it. But I feel like I was familiar with it," you hesitantly reply.
And that's it for now! Of course, those are not the only clues I've given so far, I always try to include some hints, even if they're subtle. Some might too subtle to be ever noticed... that's the hardship that comes with releasing a story part by part - some details are bound to be forgotten.
Well, I hope I could refresh your memory a bit! ♫꒰･◡･๑꒱
If you enjoy the story, please don't forget to show your support by voting and commenting! Feedback is always welcome and I would love to hear your theories about her/your past~
꒰*ゝω・꒱ﾉ Until next time...
~ Rin