Now I feel bad... you're all going to be so disappointed...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Raya's POV

Those annoying familiar yellow eyes soften, something I never imagined they could do. In front of me especially.

"We do share a striking resemblance, do we not?" she asks.

Yeah.

She.

As in, this is a woman, and therefore not the great Dracule Mihawk. But damn, it's scary how much she looks like him.

"So he wasn't kidding about having a daughter," I mutter, staring questioningly at the gloved hand she offers me. I don't make a move to grab it, and she quickly moves it up to her hat to draw it off her head. Long, flowing waves of ebony hair tumble down, drowning her shoulders in black sheets. Bangs much less disobedient than mine fall down over her face, framing her luminous eyes but cutting off above them so that they don't restrict her vision.

Irritated, I blow the hair from my own eyes with a huff.

This girl... she shares the same sharp, impressive features that make Mihawk's face stand out, yet they look so much gentler on her. If I were to guess, I'd say that fact is only attributed to her being female. Anyone who shares the blood of Dracule Mihawk must be tougher than steel. Hell, I'd rather take on a whole ship of Marines with both hands tied behind my back and my eyes sowed shut than get on even his grandmother's bad side.

"Oh yes, he mentioned having told you about me," she says. "I wasn't certain you'd remember though."

My ass. What was all that talk about me knowing her the moment she ditched the mask then?

A soft sigh escapes my lips. I guess it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Not much at the moment, in any case.

"So..." I take a moment to get to my feet and shake off the shock of my false encounter with Mihawk. Bear may be the last person I want to see right now, but that doesn't mean Mihawk is ranked high on my list of friends.

If he was here, with Zoro...

"What do you want from me?" I ask. No reason not to cut to the chase, eh?

She grips her hat in both hands for only a moment before settling it atop her head again. She unclasps the cloak and lets it fall uncaringly to the stone street. With one hand, she removes the glove from the other, and extends it towards me.

"I simply could not resist," she says, a practiced smile on her lips, "meeting the daughter of Red-Haired Shanks." I blink. "He is, after all, Father's old rival."

Through narrowed eyes, I watch the flicker of excitement pass over her features. It's gone in an instant, but still present to my watchful eyes. There is no way in hell that's the honest truth of her coming here. Nevertheless, we shake hands.

"Flynn D. Raya," I announce, somewhat bitterly. "But you already knew that."

"Dracule Katana. Though I much prefer Kay."

There's a moment of puzzled, awkward silence, where I think she might be joking.

She isn't.

Next thing I know, I'm on the ground, laughing my ass off like some kind of mental patient. This is... I have no words for this. Except...

"Your father.... is such.... an asshole!"

She looks away from my manically laughing form, arms crossed over her chest. And I'm not being a Sanji here, but I notice she too shares in my plight. We obtained our fathers' chests. 

"Yes, well, I happen to like my name," she says. Her eyes shift to the corners to watch me as I slowly pull myself together, breathing heavily but otherwise back to "normal". In the Straw Hats, I'm not sure there is such a thing. "So it would be best for you not to poke fun at it any longer."

"Sorry," I cough, smiling sheepishly up at her. "I just.... Wow, I never thought the Greatest Swordsman in the World would actually name his kid Katana. But I like it too. It suits you. Beautiful and deadly, am I right?"

Her lips turn up in a slight smile. "You could say that, though I'm sure the same is true of you, Raya."

Eyes downcast, I rub the back of head, offering a fake smile to appear composed and easygoing. "I don't like that word so much," I mutter quietly. Looking back up, my voice gorws louder. "But deadly seems about right."

"I'm glad to hear that." She reaches behind her and grips a hilt I can see just peeking over her shoulder. Flashbacks to Zoro's fight with Mihawk pound through my head, and I wince, turning away. That black sword of his.... I wonder what his daughter's got up her sleeve.

"I can't fight with you," I tell her as I climb back to my feet. Her only reaction is to fully draw out her sword. It's length is pretty incredibly for such a thin blade. It isn't much wider than Honoo, but it's a foot or so longer, with a black blade that shines like the nightsky. Whenever it catches the light, it reminds me of starry nights, despite the fact that it is pitch black like the depths of the ocean. The hilt and guard are both a polished silver, inlaid with onyx jewels. It's a gorgeous katana, befitting someone of Katana's status.

"This is Kuro Kishi," she says, gazing down at the briliant blade, stroking her fingers down its length. "A very trusted companion of mine. With this blade, I've taken on many opponents, and the boughts have never lasted more than two minutes. With Kishi, I've earned a very high bounty for myself."

"Never heard of you before," I say plainly. Despite myself, I can't keep my fingers from wrapping around Honoo's hilt. Katana must be who she was talking about earlier. The way Katana and Mihawk present themselves is really similar, and if I was going off presence alone, it would be an easy mistake to confuse the two. 

"My bounty is from years ago, when I was eleven years old. I infiltrated a Marine Base and defeated all those who stood in my way."

I swallow thickly. "What were you doing sneaking into a Marine Base?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. She smiles, and it is the most unnerving thing in the world. Dracules shouldn't smile. It makes them seem more intimidating than when they simply stare. "They took my necklace and refused to return it to me."

Katana reaches under her shirt (pure silk, white as snow, three buttons undone with a black, riveted belt looping around her waist) and pulls out a golden pendant, formed into the shape of a soaring hawk. "It was a gift to my mother, from Father," she says thoughtfully, as though she's learning about its past for the first time herself. "It was also the last thing my mother gave me before she died." Her smile turns soft and sad, and my heart constricts. "I keep it with me always, and those Marines had the nerve to confiscate it, because they assumed it to be valuable. I soon taught them that its true value lies solely with me."

"How high a bounty are we talking?" I ask. I want to get off the topic of deceased mothers. It'll do no good if I break down in the middle of an alley with Mihawk's daughter here to watch me squirm. "im assuming higher than mine...."

"150,000,000."

"Lovely," I sigh, shaking my head. 

"They call me Black Heart Kay," she says. "I was merciless with the Marines, and they deemed me to be a cold-hearted killer because of it. But wouldn't you take the same actions if one was to steal your own blade away?"

"I can't say," I reply honestly. "No one has ever managed to take Yuragu Honoo away from me, and I don't plan on letting her go any time soon. But I'm guessing you only know about her worth from Mihawk."

She nods. "Father told me it's your father's sword, and that you wield it well. That is why I've come to ask you for a duel. We could have it now, you see I've found a great--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I hold up both hands, palms out, in an effort to stop the flow of words. "Back up a minute. Didn't I just say I can't fight? Honoo is--"

Grrrrowwwwwl.

"Say what now?" I quickly unsheathe Honoo and lay her out across both palms. She growls again, and the sound vibrates up my arms, making me shiver in anticipation. "Honoo, you can't...." She's having none of it. She wants to fight, and apparently, Kishi is eager as well. Sigh. This really isn't my day.

"I take it your sword agrees to our match, then?" Katana asks, batting her eyelashes innocently. Scowling, I flip Honoo around so that I can carry her by her blade, just under the guard, and motion for Katana to leave the alley. "If Honoo says yes, I can't argue," I say. "But we're not fighting here. Closed-in spaces aren't good for Swordsmen. Did you have a place in mind?"

I really don't like that smile. While I believe it's genuine, it's also confident. And eager. How long has she been waiting for this match, I wonder.

"We've already gathered a crowd."

Katana's led me to a part of Water 7 that holds no canal, but borders the sea instead. Ships are moored along the stone pier behind us, and those still aboard them are leaning over the sides to peer at us. 

The ground feels slightly uneven beneath my boots, the stones used to form it having been of varying sizes. But I'm not too bothered by that. If you can fight on a rocking ship in the heart of a storm, you can fight on uneven ground with ease.

Dad was crazy about practice. Rain or shine, hurricane or Sea King attack, we were out on deck, going through the moves and motions of a Swordsman. Not that I'm complaining. 

The shops and building around us form this ground in a circle about thirty yards in diameter, though with the people gathering here, it's been reduced to something like twenty. Katana and I stand fifteen feet apart, swords drawn and held between both hands. 

"Didn't you want to remain anonymous?" I ask the girl before me. She smiles and shrugs. "It was inevitable that I'd be found out," she replies. "And I  am in no danger from Marines here, so I see no harm in letting others recognize me."

"Whatever," I mutter under my breath. As she gives me an amused smile, she tosses the cloak she was wearing before and her hat to someone in the crowd. It falls over their heads, with the hat perching on the cloak perfectly. The person makes no move to take it off. Are they dead?

"No killing, right?" I ask, shifting my foot back to gain a better stance. She mirrors me, but with the opposite foot. Seems we have opposite dominant hands then. Alright, I can work with that. 

"No killing," she agrees. A sly smile curls her lips and I flinch. "But that does not extend to non-fatal injuries. I want this to be as real as possible, or I doubt I'll see your full potential. Father says it's quite impressive when you give a fight your all."

He saw me once, and he's making assumptions like that? Presumptuous bastard...

"Before we start, I have one question." I look up at her, and silently thank Kami for letting me remember to tie my bandana around my head. It does wonders with keeping the hair out of my eyes. "Why exactly do you want to fight. This seems like more than just a spur of the moment type of deal."

She hesitates for no more than a second. "Wouldn't it be grand if we continued on our fathers' rivalries?" she says animatedly, her voice taking on such excitement it's hard not to join in and grin. I restrain myself, however, because her offer doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

"I have nothing against fighting you this once. But as for a rivalry? I'm not interested. I don't fight to prove myself to others. I fight for my friends, nothing more, nothing less. So after this, I don't care who comes out on top. If I lose, it means next to nothing to me, because I can't see any repercussions that'll affect my nakama. If I win, I'm not going to go bragging about it."

"I see," she says slowly. Those damn yellow eyes close to slits, piercing me with another sharp look. "I can respect that, I suppose. But perhaps you'll change your mind afterwards."

"Not likely. I don't like going back on things I've said. So let's just get going. I was in the middle of something when you cornered me."

"Alright then. Begin!"

I take a half second to decide if she's planning to make the first move. Seeing her remain still, I tighten my grip on Honoo and rush forward. Our blades connect with the hiss of sparks. We press against each other, testing who has the stronger push. The shock of the first blow tingles up my arms and I realize in a split second that she isn't any stronger than I am.

This isn't going to be a quick bought after all.

I duck out of the way when she suddenly shifts and slashes at my head. But before I can take advantage and attack under her guard, she steps back and aims another slash doward, forcing me to throw up Honoo. 

I force her off and go for her legs with a quick, decisive hack, but she jumps, straight up and over me and lands gracefully, already pivoting to attack at my back. I block with a sharp turn, and we continue going back and forth, trying to get the other to slip up, or show their bare back for a split second too long.

Zoro says scars on the back are a Swordsman's shame, and that is one of his ideals that I firmly believe in. Maybe not for the same reasons, but I believe in it all the same.

To actually suffer an attack from behind.... It's humiliating to be caught by someone so underhanded. Yeah, now that I'm a Swordsman (or admit to being one, anyway) I actually care about stuff like that.

"How many minutes was your longest fight, up till now?" I pant as we clash, once again, and our faces end up three inches apart. She's bleeding from cut on her cheek I managed, but that's the worst of her injuries. My worst is a gash on my left shoulder that ripped open not only my white jean jacket and the black pirate skill tee underneath, but about five inches of my flesh as well. The blood's already ruined both the shirt and the jacket, though the pain isn't unbearable.

"One minute fifty-seven seconds," she says cooly, her controlled breathing hiding the fact that we've been fighting nonstop for five minutes already. Neither one of us can gain the upperhand, and unless I want to resort to my Devil Fruit powers, this is going to drag on and on and--

Her foot flashes out and knocks out my knee, sending me completely off balance. "Shit!" I hiss as she takes the chance to arc her sword down at my head. On instinct, I plant Honoo down vertically into one of the cracks between the stones and force her to take my weight as I swing myself around, avoiding her sword by mere centimeters. My momentum brings me around and I slam my foot into her side, kicking her back a good ten feet. 

She lands at the edge of the crowd, who, by this point, are cheering and hollering for us to keep going. Some are rooting for the redhead, others for the ravenette, but all want to see bloodshed.

When I dodged her last attack, she did managed to swipe at my face, and her sword nicked my temple. Blood oozes down, hot and thick, right into my eye. "Dammit," I mutter, brushing at the blood with my fingers. I wipe them on my jeans and readjust my grip on Honoo, waiting for Katana to stir.

She's only down for seconds and rights herself with ease. There's that smile again. Ugh, how is she.... Alright, I'll admit this is kinda fun. But I don't want to fight forever. One of us is going to have to end this, quick, before we both run out of steam.

 I never really imagined I'd be a match for someone like her, but I guess this is fate. Shanks and Mihawk fighting it out in the next generation. Still, a rivalry with her is not in my best interest. I don't need that kind of pressure, not now, not any time soon, either. 

"Father was right," she says as we circle on another, looking for openings and, sadly, finding none. "Your skill matches mine perfectly, and you've only had a month of practice."

"Yeah well, I guess you could say it's in my blood."

"Such a modest thing to say."

That startles me. Not enough to put me off guard, but enough that I blink at her in surprise. How the hell is that modest? I'm basically bragging about my genes here, and how great my dad is.

Her smile widens ever so slightly. "You do have the blood of a great Swordsman in you, but that alone is not enough to make you a great Swordsman. To have skill and talent such as yours at an age so young, it is proof that you have the potential to become even greater than your father."

"Too bad it isn't what I want."

"....Pardon?'

It's my turn to grin. "I don't want to outshine my dad. That's my cap'n's job. He's going to be King of the Pirates!"

Whispers erupt from the crowd, but I ignore them and focus on Katana's reaction. "Plus, our first mate is the future Greatest Swordsman in the World. I'm not going to steal his dream, now am I? That'd make me the worst girlfriend in existence."

She blinks several times, tilting her head as she takes that in. Finally, she smiles obligingly, though something's off about it. "Father said you and Roronoa Zoro had something special," she says. "Though I'm not sure he recognized what that really meant."

Heat floods my cheeks, overshadowing the sting of my wounds with an uncomfortable warmth. Mihawk.... was talking about me and Zoro.... to his daughter.... It gives me chills just thinking about it! And... I don't know.... the way she talks about Zoro.... I'm positive they've never met, but this girl... She couldn't.... she wouldn't.....

"We're wasting daylight," I inform her lightly, nodding up at the sky. We've been fighting for ten minutes, but it feels like only seconds. And yet there's a light tinge of pink blossoming through the white clouds above us. Sunset is well on its way. I spent more time wandering around Water 7 than I originally thought, it would seem.

She looks as well, then back to me with her mouth set in a hard line. All traces of friendly warmth are gone, revealing the determined huntress beneath. And here I am, still stuck on the fact that she and her dad were discussing me somewhere on the Grand Line. And during these discussions, Zoro was mentioned, probably more than once. And now I'm stressing on how Katana views Zoro.

How creepy.

"Last round," I say, smiling brightly. "Let's finish before--"

"I heard the Franky Family's house was demolished!"

"Franky Family?" My head snaps around, ears perking up to pinpoint where that came from. What happened? And why do I get the feeling my crew was involved?

"One Sword Style: Demon's Dance!"

My sword can't go up fast enough.

Katana is a blur, whirling around and aiming slashes seemingly at random, but with pinpoint accuracy. First my thigh, then my already wounded shoulder. There's another arc of her sword that has me trying to sidestep, completely caught off guard. Her blade sails past me, but it lacks the distinctive sound of steel hissing through empty air, and my eyes widen when strands of crimson hair float around me in what feels like slow motion, as I stumble over my own feet and crash down onto my back.

Katana's black blade stabs into the ground an inch from my face, though I don't hardly flinch. She leans down using her sword as balance and stares into my eyes. All I can do is force back my groans and moans of pain and return her stare.

"Something distracted you," she says quietly, somehow deafening even over the whoops of excitement rising up from the crowd. "Otherwise, you would have countered. Losing focus so easily.... is truly pitiful. Despite extraordinary skill with a katana, you lack basic focus."

I stay silent for a moment, grinding my teeth in frustration. Then I turn my head and spit out the blood that filled my mouth upon cracking my head against the stones. "My focus is always on my crew, my nakama," I say seriously. "Anything that feels like a danger to them is always going to become my priority. I'm sorry our match ended with such an easy win for you. But as I said, I was in the middle of something, and I feel like the situation is only going to get worse. So I'm going to be off." 

With difficulty, I shove her away from me and stand, letting Honoo slip back into her sheath. She's trembling after our fight, and I know it's because she can feel herself on the verge of cracking. I'm glad this is over, even if it ended with me gaining so many new injuries. Honoo wouldn't have been able to take much more.

"It was a great fight." I hold out my hand, and she hesitantly takes it. We shake. "The daughter of Hawk Eyes Mihawk, and the daughter of Red-Haired Shanks in a sword fight, and the daughter of the World's Greatest Swordsman took the top spot. Congrats."

"It's no win to me if you lost because of a careless mistake," she says. Kishi is slipped back into his own sheath that she's strapped to her back. One of her hands, now free, reaches up to press against her side. The other swipes at the cut along her cheek. She flicks the drops off blood away absently, her gaze on the ground. When she looks up at me, she looks exactly like Mihawk, her eyes just as penetrating, just as fierce. "I won't go seeking you out, as I did this time," she says. "But if we are to ever meet again on the Grand Line, we will finish what we've started here. And if I cannot convince you to acknowledge my request, I will simply attack you. This may not be a matter of importance to you, but for me, it is to define who I am as a Swordsman, where I am placed in this world. I no longer wish to compare myself only to Father, though I still strive to surpass him. And for that, I need a worthy opponent. It appears that will be you, Flynn D. Raya, whether you wish it or not."

"Seems you really are Mihawk's kid, huh?" I roll my eyes. "Blunt as hell. Well, alright. If I can't convince you otherwise, I guess we'll leave it up to fate. The next time we cross paths, we'll have another go at it. Maybe by then we'll finally have a real winner." 

She goes to retrieve her things, a smile sitting comfortably on her lips, and I take the chance to look myself over. Damn, I'm a mess. My shoulder hasn't stopped bleeding, from either cut, nor has my thigh. A sharp pain runs through my leg when I shift my weight. Walking back to the ship is going to be hell. Blood's running down my pant leg, ruining yet another pair of black jeans, and I'll have to toss the jacket and shirt as well. 

I really liked these clothes, too.

I take a step forward, and nearly slip and fall onto my ass again. But I recover in time, and turn to curse at whatever just tripped me up. 

Oh.

My hand goes up, and my fingers tangle in my uneven hair. Loose and cut strands fall away, drifting down to the ground to join the majority of my hair that lies on the stones. The sea breeze that blows across the city only serves to dislodge more strands.

I pull out Honoo only enough to catch a glimpse of myself in her reflective steel. 

"Damn," I hiss, wrenching my gaze away. 

Katana managed to lop off almost all my hair. It now lies uneven, choppy and short, only faling to my chin. One side is slightly longer than the other, but that isn't surprising. It's not like she was trying to style it.

Miraculously, my bangs are untouched, still falling in front of my eyes and irritating me to no end.

It's just hair.

That's what I want to say, and what I'm going to say to anyone who asks. But right now, I find it a little tough to take in. As ridiculous as it sounds, no matter how many times I admit to it, that hair was special to me. Something besides Honoo that linked me to Dad. 

I release a soft sigh.

I'll get over it. It's not the same as losing a person, obviously, so I'll be alright. It's just a shock right now.

"Do you want help in returning to your ship?"

I blink, having almost forgotten Katana was here. She stands a few feet in front of me, though angled to a small break in the whispering crowd, like she's preparing to leave. I look down at myself, gauging how far I can make it on my own.

Then I consider the crew's reactions to meeting Katana....

Nami, Usopp and Chopper: Scared of Mihawk's kid

Robin: Probably wary of anyone who's close to the World Government. And since her dad is a Warlord....

Sanji: Lovesick puppy

Luffy: Eh, he'd probably just say she's cool. Unless he actually holds a grudge against Mihawk...

Zoro: Obvious reaction. He'll challenge her to a fight

The world does not need to see a Dracule fighting against Roronoa Zoro again. Not for a while anyway.  And I don't really want to see what she'd do if she met him, if my assumptions are correct. I hope to Kami I'm wrong. But I suppose I shouldn't worry about that right now. Katana seems nice enough, and I don't want to start any conflicts with her.

I shake my head, waving away Katana's offer. "I'll be fine. But thanks anyway, Katana," I say. My smile is forced only because of my stinging wounds.

"Kay," she says in response. "I'd like you to call me Kay."

"Kay it is." I give her a final closed eye smile before saying my goodbyes and heading off, ignoring the looks I recieve from the troublesome crowd. 

The atmosphere around the Going Merry is taught with anticipation, and an unyielding sadness I don't understand. 

The sky is dark now, as it took me a few hours to find my way out of Water 7 and to where we docked earlier. Limping around like I was, it attracted some unwanted attention. Several people insisted I let them take me to a doctor, others tried to rob me. A sharp glare was all I needed to ward off both.

But all that, plus my condition after my fight, made it so that it took longer than necessary to come back here. 

Something tells me I should've been here earlier.

I study the ship in front of me, frowning heavily. Merry looks like she always does, and yet I don't doubt what that Kaku guy told us. The trouble is the keel, and I can't see that from here anyway. I should quit staring and just try to accept the fact that one way or another, we're going to have to move on from Merry.

"Sorry, Merry," I whisper softly, my eyes glued to my blood-stained boots. "Please don't hate me for thinking that...."

"Raya?!"

"Oh, hey Chopper," I greet, smiling up at the little reindeer doctor who's practically falling overboard as he gapes at me. "Mind throwing down the rope ladder?"

Five minutes later, I'm hissing like a cat as Chopper disinfects the gash on my shoulder. Well, both of them, but the deeper one stings like.... I have no words to describe the uncomfortable pain I'm in right now, actually.

Zoro, Sanji and Nami are the only other ones in here. Luffy is resting below deck, Robin never showed up, and Usopp...

"Let me--ow!--get this straight," I say between breaths. "Usopp didn't believe Luffy when he--shit!--told him about Merry, and--holy crap that hurts!--challenged Luffy to a duel.... to see who gets Merry? And just before this, he quit the--shit--crew?" Nami nods solemnly, while Sanji and Zoro stay quiet about the matter.

I lean back in my chair with a sigh; Chopper's finally finished! This is the last of my wounds, and he wraps it up tightly. My shoulder and thigh are both wrapped, and there's a pad over my right eye, where Katana nicked me. I sigh again and set Honoo on the table beside me, resolving to clean her later. Blood will rust her if I don't do anything about it.

"He's an idiot," I say quietly, without any real conviction in my voice. 

"Which one?" Nami asks dejectedly. "Usopp for quitting and challenging the captain, or Luffy for accepting it?"

"Usopp," I answer without hesitation. "Usopp is the idiot. He's letting his feelings cloud his thoughts and actions. Luffy isn't. Luffy doesn't want to fight, or give up Merry, anymore than Usopp probably does. But he was right when he said there isn't another option. There just... isn't, in a situation like this."

"So what happened to you?"

"I sorta lost a fight," I tell Zoro, ducking my head bashfully.

"How do you sorta lose a fight?" he asks, leaning back against the wall as he studies me.

"Well," I mutter, rubbing the back of my head with a sheepish smile on my lips. "She said she wouldn't accept the win because I got careless in the end. So it wasn't really settled. But I definitely got the worse end of the inuries, and that makes me feel like I lost." 

"If the other person refused to accept a win, then it's just unsettled," he says. "You didn't win or lose, no matter how injured you got."

"That doesn't make these hurt any less," I say. My fingers skim over the bandages on my shoulder and I wince when I run over the gash beneath them.

"It wasn't meant to," he replies bluntly. 

"Oi! Marimo, have some sympathy!" Sanji snaps and swings out a leg to whip Zoro's head around. Zoro simply blocks it by throwing up his arm and says nothing else to the cook. He knows Sanji wouldn't understand, nor would Nami or the others. So he's choosing to keep silent. Smart man.

Before either Chopper or Nami can add to the belittling of the Swordsman, I stand from my chair and head out the door. "I'm going to see Luffy," I call over my shoulder.

I have my hand on the handle of the trapdoor, ready to pull it open, when a hand snakes around my arm and tugs me around. "Are you alright?" Zoro asks, looking down at me as serious as I've ever seen him.

"I'll be fine, Swordsman," I assure him. "They just burn a little, is all. I've been in worse shape."

"The person you fought against.... they were good enough to hurt you this badly."

"It's not that bad--"

"Are they someone we should be worried about?"

I blink, taking a moment to wrap my head around the question. Is Katana a threat to us? 

"No," I say firmly. "No we don't need to worry about them. But.... you might have to watch out that someone doesn't take down Mihawk before you do," I add after a moment of thought. Katana said she wishes to surpass her father. I'm guessing that means she wants to hold the title of Greatest Swordsman in the World. Which I guess makes her a threat to Zoro, though she didn't make it seem that way. In fact, her eyes were saying she's more of a threat to.... Oh never mind, it's not worth thinking about.

Zoro only nods. He doesn't ask what their name is, how skilled they are, where I met them. He seems content with my answer. I would tell him, if he asked. But without being prompted, I don't feel it's necessary to tell everyone I met Mihawk's daughter. 

I turn to go down below deck, but stop myself, and turn back around. "Zoro... were you here when Kaku came and inspected Merry?" I ask in a soft voice that reveals the vulnerable side ever girl has, but some try to hide. 

"Yeah, I was here," he says. I say nothing more, because that's all I wanted to know. Zoro was the first to get the news then. I imagine he didn't break down like I did, but it affected him nonetheless. I can see it.

I brush off the few tears that manage to slip past my guard. It'd be impossible to hold them all back. 

"Are you going to freak out if I hug you?" I ask, a trace of a smile in my voice. He raises a brow, then shakes his head in a somewhat annoyed fashion. That tugs the rest of the smile out and I slip my arms around his waist, pressing my face to his chest. 

"Least I'm not trying to kill you again," I mumble against his shirt, grateful to have someone's support at a time like this. And Zoro's really warm.

"Just shut up," he sighs. "And Nami said I'd be the one to ruin moments."

I laugh at that, and feel him smile against my hair. A real smile, not the smirks or scowls he likes to give other people. Makes me feel kinda special.

I break away after another moment of "romance" and offer a quick goodbye before heading below deck.

Above me, i hear footsteps creaking back to the kitchen where the others are, and the faint sound of a door opening and closing. 

I hop down from the ladder leading up and quickly look around. My eyes settle on the only occupied hammock. Luffy's lying there with his hands behind his head, and his hat covering his eyes, a grim look about him. I don't ever want to see my captain like this, not when he's usually so carefree and happy. 

I step up to his hammock and kneel beside it. The resounding creaks and moans of the wooden hull alert him to my presence, and he barely lifts the brim of his hat to look at me. He blinks in surprise, looking over all my injuries. "What.... what happened?" he asks.

I smile and shake my head. "It's nothing to worry about, Cap'n," I say. "Just got into a bit of a scuffle." I pause, looking away from him to stare at the walls. My hammock is away from everyone else's, because of tha fact that I'm a girl, and it would be morally wrong for me to sleep so close to them. What difference ten feet makes, I'm not sure. 

My packs, both the one I left here after Baratie, and the one I got from Dad, are both nestled under it. The only things in them are my extra clothes and the money from Dad. I had nothing else I wanted to take, either from Maya or Red Force. But for completely different reasons. Maya holds bad memories, and nothing from my old house held any real relevance to me. So I left them there. Red Force, however, has some of my best memories, and it's simply waiting for me to come back one day. I had no need to bring anything with me.

"Luffy," I start, but bite my lip to stop. Then I shake my head. "Just... just good luck with the duel. I know I shouldn't be rooting for my captain over my sniper, but I think Usopp's made up his mind, and if he wants to come back, he will, regardless of what happens here. So I... I hope... you'll be alright throughout all this." I lean forward and peck his cheek, before slowly getting to my feet. "I'll see you at ten, then, Cap'n."

He's silent all the while as I start up the ladder. But just as I reach the trapdoor, I hear him say, "Thanks, Raya."

Smiling to myself, I push up on the door and ease my way back onto the deck to rejoin the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So...... it wasn't Mihawk. But it was his daughter! Anyone remember when I mentioned Mihawk having a kid? Anyone? Well, even if you don't it doesn't really matter.

But what's this?! Raya seemed very wary of Katana in regards to Zoro. Is Katana (for some reason I really love her name).... Oh forget it. I'll let you make your own guesses.

Anyway, hope you weren't too upset about not seeing Mihawk again. You all seemed so excited.... Oh well. I don't think it would have made that much sense for the Dracule Mihawk to randomly show up in Water 7, but his daughter was fair game. So... yup, that's it. 

See y'all later!