Chapter Text
22 years ago - Early January - Somewhere in the Grandline
It has been two years since Gol D. Roger had been executed and Mihawk had made quite the name for himself. After the execution, he had started hunting down marines to use as training dummies and he was now known as the Marine Hunter because of this hobby . It was a name that struck fear into the hearts of anyone he came across, even the most seasoned marines turned tail if they heard even a whisper of his arrival.
And Mihawk thought that was a good thing. It’s what the marines deserved after all for everything they had done and took from him as a child. It also kept the more aggressive pirates at bay. Not that he was afraid of them, but he didn’t enjoy being bothered by arrogant fools.
Now here he was, sailing alone in his little boat under the stars.
Mihawk had caught a ride on a merchant ship with an old friend to get to Loguetown and after the execution, they went their separate ways. Mihawk had gone back to the harbour to try to find another ship to ride on, but he found that everybody had already left in the mayhem to find Roger’s treasure.
So Mihawk went to the local mortuary and stole a coffin from them. He then brought it to the shipyard and built himself a boat out of it. Sailing in it was certainly a learning curve, but it had made him look even more terrifying to his enemies.
Since the boat had done such a great job of scaring stupid people away and had lasted him until Water 7, he commissioned a boat that improved on the original design with some of the money he took from the marines he’d killed. He even had it painted red to look like blood.
The new design was larger and had candles at the points of the coffin. It even had a room for sleeping, a narrow rectangular room that was only slightly bigger than him. But he didn’t mind sleeping like a vampire, it was better than the recliner he had bolted down on his last ship. This boat also had a seastone bottom like the marine ships to keep those pesky sea beasts away.
All in all, Mihawk enjoyed traveling the sea by himself in his little coffin boat and focused on getting stronger. It was quite peaceful when everyone thought you were insane.
After all, who in their right mind would fight someone who sails in a coffin through storms that wrecked galleons and wields a sword bigger than themselves?
Although, it did get quite lonely sometimes.
Mihawk missed his friend, they had been together since escaping God Valley. But they had different goals in life, so it was inevitable that they would separate. Only hearing about each other through the papers since neither of them stayed in one place long enough to have an address.
There were also his other friends Shanks and Buggy.
Although he hasn’t heard or seen anything in the paper about the latter in a while. The clown was probably laying low somewhere until the manhunt for Roger’s child cooled down and people have forgotten that he was on Roger’s crew. Buggy was smart like that, at least when he didn’t let his insecurities get the best of him that is.
Shanks was not smart like Buggy however, he had started his journey just a year after the execution with the massacres in the s\South Blue still in full swing.
Mihawk had run into him a few times, the boisterous fool had even tried to get him to join his crew everytime they crossed paths and Mihawk always declined. It’s not that he didn’t like Shanks or his crew, it's just that they were very… rowdy and he could only be around them in small doses.
It also seemed that Shanks was trying to fill the Buggy shaped hole in his heart. Whether that hole was platonic or romantic, Mihawk didn’t know, but he certainly wasn’t going to be his shoulder to cry either way. He had his own dreams to fulfill.
Not to mention the fact that Shanks must have done something really stupid for Buggy not to be with him. He was lacking emotional intelligence after all.
Or maybe Buggy had smartened up and dropped the dead weight of an indecisive man.
Whatever the issue was, it wasn’t Mihawk’s problem.
So whenever he ran into Shanks, he would win a fight against him, stay for dinner, reject Shanks’ offer of joining his crew, and then leave the drunken fool behind. It’s not like he noticed anyway, the man was always too far gone by the time he left, blabbering about not understanding why the clown left him.
That was his life, just wandering and fighting.
And he enjoyed it, he really did.
Mihawk liked being able to go anywhere he wanted without being tied to a crew.
He liked the freedom it gave him.
Although, it did get lonely sometimes.
Sometimes he wished he had a place to go to, just so he could have a break from the constant travel. Maybe do a little gardening and sewing. If it was a big enough place, he could even make his own wine.
But for now, it was just him.
~~*~~
Mid January - Somewhere in the Grandline
About two weeks later, Mihawk got caught up in a very bad storm.
He had tried to get to a port when he saw the clouds rolling in, but he was still a couple hours away from town when the storm hit. Now he was being thrown about like a rag doll in the waves.
But Mihawk was a very resourceful and determined man, he was not dying here.
Thankfully his boat was fast due to its size, so Mihawk had an easier time of maneuvering it over waves and steering clear of the rogue ones. He was doing this by standing behind the sail and pulling on two ropes that were tied to each side of the sail. According to his log pose and his map, he was heading in the right direction.
And as the boat crested another wave, he saw lights in the distance.
How delightful, I’m almost there, Mihawk thought, I do hope the inn isn’t full.
As he made his way towards it, a flash of pink caught his eye.
While being very careful, Mihawk spared a glance to the right and saw what seemed to be a purple wig floating in the waves. Then he saw pale skin come into view along with dark clothes.
Nope, that’s a body, Mihawk realised, I wonder if it has anything on it.
While Mihawk did have some morals, stealing from dead people was not one of them. Obviously if it was jewelry or a sentimental item, he’d leave it on the person, but he would take it if it was money or something useful.
Mihawk quickly weighed his options, but it didn’t matter what he did in the end because the body was drifting towards him on a piece of wood. The person’s head harshly bumping into the side of the boat.
Mihawk quickly tied the ropes down so the boat was still heading to town and hauled the body onto his boat.
Upon closer inspection, he found that the person was still alive, looking incredibly weakened with their purple hair plastered to their face and their tongue sticking out. The person’s skin was also a sickly gray colour, although that might just be a them thing considering they also had little horns and stitches on their forehead. They didn’t look much taller than Mihawk and they had a lean, muscular build.
Must be a devil fruit user, Mihawk pondered, If that is the case, it’s a miracle he is still alive. Maybe I won’t rob him.
The person was dressed in a punk styled outfit. It consisted of black pants, gloves, and boots with an open leather jacket. The person was also wearing a studded choker and eyeliner that was clearly not waterproof.
Before Mihawk knew what he was doing, he tied the man to the mast and continued to steer the boat towards the town in the distance.
When they got to the dock, Mihawk jumped off and made sure he securely tied the boat to the dock before grabbing the strange person tied to the mast. He then grabbed his bag filled with all his important items, his sword, and lugged the stranger to the nearest inn.
It was a worn out looking building that was right next to the harbour. It looked like the kind of place people went to get murdered, but it would do for the night.
Perfect, Mihawk thought, If they die in their sleep, it won’t be a problem.
Thankfully, there was a room left. So Mihawk carried the stranger up the stairs and dragged them through the door. Only to find that the room had one bed in it.
“Well this is annoying.” Mihawk huffed as he set the stranger down to sit against the wall and started to survey the room, “What to do, what to do…”
The room didn’t have much in it. There was a bed, an old chair, a nightstand, and a dresser. Other than the mirror that hung above the dresser, the only other decorations were some thin white curtains that did little for privacy on the window.
Mihawk walked over to said window and saw that it looked out into the harbour. He couldn’t see anything unless there was lightning flashing due to lashing rain.
“At least I’ll be able to watch the boat.” Mihawk mumbled.
He then turned around to spot a closet on the wall between the bathroom and the bed. Mihawk went over and opened it to find nothing but coat hangers. He was about to close it when a flash of gold caught his eye.
Looking at the bottom of the closet, Mihawk saw that there was a folded hammock sitting there and he picked it up to inspect it. The hammock looked almost brand new and when he looked around the room again, Mihawk noticed that there were two hooks across from each other on the wall.
Huh, guess I’ll sleep in the hammock then, Mihawk decided, And Stitchhhead can have the bed.
Stitchhead was what Mihawk had decided to call the stranger he picked up until he knew what their name actually was. Said person then let out a groan and slid from sitting to face planting onto the floor.
Mihawk sighed at the sight and got to work. He quickly stripped Stitchhead down to their boxers and then tucked them into bed under the covers. Then he took their wet clothes and used the coat hangers he found to hang them to dry in the bathroom.
After that was all sorted, Mihawk used the chair to set the hammock up in front of the window with an extra blanket and pillow from the bed. Then he opened his bag to pull out a set of seastone handcuffs.
You can never be too careful, Mihawk thought as he chained Sticthhead to the bed, Hopefully that will keep them secure long enough for us to talk in the morning.
When he was done, Mihawk set his bag and sword within reach before hoisting himself into the hammock.
Hopefully the storm will be over in the morning, Mihawk thought as he got comfortable and tried not to think too much about why he helped the strange person laying on the bed behind him.
Mihawk then slowly fell asleep to the sound of the storm still raging outside, exhausted by his journey through it.
~~*~~
Gecko Moria slowly woke up to the sound of seagulls and a massive headache.
Opening his eyes, he saw that he was alone in a bare bones hotel room, naked except for his boxers, and chained to the bed with seastone.
No wonder I feel so weak, Moria thought, What the fuck happened to me?
Then he heard a toilet flushing and a door opening. A man came out from around the corner carrying a stack of black clothes that he then set on top of the dresser.
Wait, those are my fucking clothes! Moria realised, I’ve been kidnapped by some kind of pervert!
The pervert looked to be a little shorter than him and had black hair that was slicked back with long sideburns. He was dressed in a gothic look with black slacks and boots along with a purple coat that Moria could see had embroidered flowers on the front via the mirror.
He also had beautiful gold eyes.
At least I got kidnapped by someone good looking, Moria thought before mentally slapping himself, Wait, what am I thinking?! He took my clothes and chained me to the bed! I’ve got to kill him before he bewitches me further!
Moria quickly sat up, but immediately regretted it because it just made his headache worse. The sound of him flopping back down onto the bed made the other man realise Moria was up.
“Oh, you're awake.” The man drawled in a bored sounding tone, “I was beginning to wonder if you would wake up at all.”
Moria immediately snapped to attention at the man talking to him.
“Yeah, I bet you were.” Moria growled, “I bet you’re one of those people that drug others and then take advantage of them! You filthy kidnapper!”
The other man cocked his head to the side like a bird and gave him a confused look. If it was a different situation, Moria would have thought it was cute.
He also looked familiar, but Moria couldn’t remember why.
Probably because he was too busy looking at the man’s bare chest and his cool necklace.
Fuck, focus dipshit! Moria told himself.
“No, I kill those kinds of people.” The man bluntly told him, “I found you in the ocean. Also, you’re not a child, so it would be an abduction not kidnapping.”
Moria was taken aback, even more confused.
What kind of fuckass answer is that?! Moria thought, Even if he isn’t the type of weirdo I thought he was, he is still fucking weird.
Slowly, Moria sat up and leaned against the headboard.
“What do you mean you found me in the ocean?” Moria yelled, “I was on my ship and then-”
Suddenly, a memory came back to him.
Moria had been standing on the deck when the storm rolled in and was trying to help tie the sail in place before the wind ripped it out of his hands. Then he heard yelling from behind him and turned around only to get hit in the face with the boom. Moria then tumbled off the side of the ship along with an empty barrel and was swept away by the waves.
“And you fell off the ship didn’t you?” The man filled in for him, “That explains why you were out there.”
“Yes.” Moria huffed, pouting and trying to cross his arms, but the cuffs stopped him from doing so, “Why did you save me to only handcuff me to the bed?”
“Well I don’t know who you are or what you’ve done, so I couldn’t very well leave you out there and have a clear conscience.” The man told him, “And that is also why I cuffed you, you can never be too careful.”
What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Moria thought, absolutely baffled at this whole situation, And why does he look so familiar?!
Then it clicked.
“Wait, aren’t you the marine killer?!” Moria shouted, “Dracula Myhawk or whatever?”
“It is the marine hunter and Dracule Mihawk.” The man, Mihawk, told him while rolling his eyes, “Now are you a marine or not?”
“No, I’m a pirate captain.” Moria stated, “My name is Gecko Moria and my crew is the Gecko Pirates.”
Mihawk seemed to recognise the name because he nodded and then walked away.
“Hey! Where are you going!” Moria yelled, “I’m still cuffed to the bed!”
“I know, shadow man.” Mihawk huffed, “I’m getting the keys.”
He came back and unlocked the cuffs before stuffing them into a bag along with the keys.
“Now get dressed so we can get breakfast.” Mihawk told him, “After that you’re on your own.”
Then Mihawk walked out of the room and grabbed a big ass sword Moria somehow missed leaning against the wall as he did so.
He’s getting me breakfast? Moria thought, dumbfounded, A pretty man that is a mass murderer and saved me from drowning is now getting me breakfast. I must have a concussion because this can not be real.
Once the door was shut, Moria jumped out of bed and put his clothes back on. The leather coat and gloves were a little tight from being waterlogged, but at least they didn’t shrink completely.
“Thank god I paid extra for waterproof ones.” Moria huffed, “Hopefully they stretch back out.”
When he was finished, Moria opened the door to find Mihawk just outside it, rocking on his heels and reading a map.
Moria looked at him oddly before he cleared his throat to get his attention. Mihawk looked up and quickly tucked the map into his bag.
“Oh good, the coat still fits.” Mihawk commented, “I was worried it had shrunk.”
“No, it’s made out of the expensive type of leather that doesn’t shrink when wet.” Moria explained, rubbing the back of his neck, “It just needs to relax again in order to fit again.”
“I see.” Mihawk quietly said, “Let’s go eat.”
Moria followed Mihawk down to the inn’s bar and they ordered their meals. Then they sat down by a window and ate in silence as they watched people pass by.
When they were done, Mihawk paid and walked out to his boat.
Moria watched him go, before he ran after him.
Moria didn’t know why he was still following Mihawk, the man had said he was on his own after breakfast. He supposed it was because he had nothing else to do or maybe due to how bizarre the man was to Moria.
He was like a puzzle or a riddle that he couldn’t figure out and it was pissing Moria off.
“Hey! Wait!” Moria yelled as trailed behind.
“What?” Mihawk asked as undid the ropes connecting his boat to the dock.
He had already checked earlier in the morning to see if it had made it through the storm unscathed. It had cleared the inspection, even the storage compartment didn’t have any water in it.
“You’re really just going to leave me here?!” Moria asked.
“Yes, I have things to do.” Mihawk calmly replied, “I need to train.”
“Train? Train for what?” Moria questioned him.
“To be the world’s greatest swordsman.” Mihawk stated as he hopped into his boat, “Now if you excuse me, I need to go find some more training dummies.”
Then he pushed off from the dock and started to sail away, leaving a baffled Moria behind.
Then Moria realised something.
He made it through that storm in that little boat?! Moria thought, That man is insane!
Well duh, his subconscious said, He carries a seven foot sword, of course he is insane.
Before he could think about it further, a voice called out to him, making him startle. Looking to the right, he saw that his crew was docked on the other side of the harbour.
“There you are, captain!” His crew cried, “We thought you were dead!”
“Of course I’m alive! A little storm like that could never kill me!” Moria shouted back at them, laughing afterwards, “But how the hell did you find me?”
“We have your vivre card!” A crewmate replied, “So we just followed it.”
Shit, I forgot about that, Moria thought, embarrassed that he chased Mihawk down for nothing, Whatever, it’s not like I’ll ever see that weirdo again.
Unfortunately for Moria, he would be dreaming about the odd man with the pretty gold eyes for months before he saw him in person again.
~~*~~
Meanwhile, Mihawk was having a bit of a crisis.
It wasn’t that out of the ordinary for Mihawk to just help someone like he helped Moria. He considered himself a true neutral of the world, not going out of his way to help someone, but also not walking past someone in need.
But there was something about Moria that made him feel vulnerable for some reason. Maybe it was because Moria didn’t immediately run for the hills in fright or beg for his life when he found out who Mihawk was. The man just studied him as if Mihawk was a mystery that he needed to solve.
It was unusual and that scared Mihawk.
Whatever, if he tries something, I’ll just kill him, Mihawk decided as he steared himself towards a marine base, I hope this marine base has a lot of extra troops.
Thankfully, they did.