Storm

-x-

"KRIEG'S ARMADA WAS DESTROYED BY ONE MAN!?" screamed a bunch of frantic cooks. Who the hell could've destroyed forty-nine ships ALONE!?

Gin didn't answer, he was crouched on the ground holding his head trying to remove the painful memories from his mind.

"Well then, it had to be him," commented Zeff. "It could only have been the one known as Hawk Eye."

"Who?" questioned Patty.

"Hawk Eye?" repeated Gin.

"You said his eyes were like a hawk's, that's proof enough," explained Zeff. "And what he did to your ships... it had to be him."

Zoro started shaking all over through Zeff's explanation. "Hawk Eye Mihawk..."

"You've heard of him Zoro?" asked Luffy.

"Yeah, Y/N's even seen him," answered Zoro. "He's the man I've been looking for. He's the whole reason I set out to sea. He's the World's Greatest Swordsman."

"What?" questioned Luffy.

"Johnny said he comes here," commented Zoro.

"Don't know about Hawk Eye," said one of the cooks. "But Red Eye was here about a month ago when he died."

"Who?" asked Usopp. "Another monster?"

"Aye," answered Carne. "He was a dangerous pirate from the Grand Line. That bastard drank our entire stock of grog then just when we were about to ask him to pay the bill, there was a big explosion at his table. We think he exploded from drinking too much because he was gone!"

"But that guy must have been just as scary as Hawk Eye," commented the first cook again. "Almost everyone was afraid to go near him. The guy's a murderer that had been plaguing the Grand Line. He had that one eye that glowed bright red, the only person who actually got a good look at him was that idiot waiter. He scared the waiters so much they all jumped ship."

"We still haven't been able to replace 'em," added Patty.

Zoro ignored the cooks' story and glared at the table in front of him, he remember Johnny telling him that Hawk Eye went to Baratie. Then Y/N had mentioned that he had actually seen Hawk Eye during his time in the Grand Line. While Y/N might have been telling the truth, Zoro wasn't looking for Red Eye, he was looking for Hawk Eye. Johnny hadn't gotten it right. "That snake! He lied to me!" growled Zoro.

"What'd Johnny do?" asked Luffy.

"Oh, nothing," replied Zoro, hoping Luffy would forget it.

"So he beat the whole Armada," commented Sanji as he turned back to Gin. "Did you do something to make him mad?"

"Not that I know of," answered Gin.

"Maybe you interrupted his nap," suggested Zeff.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" yelled Gin. "HE MURDERED MY CREWMATES!"

"Calm down, I wasn't joking," said Zeff. "That's the kind of place the Grand Line is. Anything can happen there."

"That's what Y/N said," Luffy commented quietly. Luffy had been listening on Gaimon's island when Y/N told them about the Grand Line. But how did Y/N survive when Krieg couldn't? From the look of things, Y/N had only gotten stronger after going to the Grand Line. The only negative thing that had happened to him was that he had only one eye and didn't show much emotion.

"Anything can happen there, eh?" repeated Zoro.

"Woo-hoo!" exclaimed Luffy. "I've got goose-bumps! That's just what Y/N said, it's a place where anything can happen!"

"Please," pleaded Usopp, "For once think of the danger!"

"Now I know where I have to go, to the Grand Line," said Zoro as he put his feet up on the table in front of him. "That's where I'll find him."

"You're fools," scolded Sanji as he took a drag of his cigarette. "You'll both be killed as soon as you get there."

"True enough," replied Zoro. "But the day I decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I left my life behind. No one calls me a fool but me. I have my reasons."

"Me too, me too!" agreed Luffy, he was going to become King of the Pirates.

"That's true for a real man like me," bluffed Usopp.

"Stop lying," scolded Zoro as he lightly hit Usopp in the head with the handle of his sword.

"Humph, stupid..." muttered Sanji, while Zeff and Gin just stared at the three Straw Hats.

"You lame-brains!" Patty suddenly shouted. "You still don't understand what's going on! Right outside those sea-wolves on Don Krieg's galleon are reviving themselves. Dey're the most savage pirates in all the sea! If you wanna dream, do it after this is over!"

-x-

Outside on Don Krieg's ship the pirates were eating and slowly reviving but at that time another commotion was going on.

"Hey you! Get back here!" shouted a pirate as he and another pirate chased after Y/N.

"Not likely," muttered Y/N as he ran with a large sack of treasure slung over his back. It was half as big as he was but he was still putting distance between himself and the two pirates. "Who's brilliant idea was it to feed the starving pirates?"

Y/N ended up coming to a dead end at the ship's bow and stood on the deck near the railing staring down at the water below him. He was cornered. The two pirates chasing him smirked as they slowly approached the one-eyed treasure hunter.

"Give us back the treasure and we'll try not ta hurt ya!" said one of the pirates as he pulled out his sword.

"You're just getting yourself in more trouble fer strugglin' boy!" agreed the second pirate.

"And what will you do if I refuse?" asked Y/N with a raised eyebrow, "I'm not giving this back. There's no way you're a guy like 'Foul Play' Krieg abides by the Pirate's Code."

"Alright, now yer dead!" shouted the first pirate as he rushed at Y/N.

"I think not," replied Y/N as he reached into his top right pants pocket and pulled out an Explosion Ball. "See ya," Y/N threw the ball down on the deck in front of him, KA-BOOM! On impact with the deck the Explosion Ball did what it was made to and exploded in a cloud of fire and smoke. When it finally cleared, the two pirates found themselves standing on their own. Y/N AND the big sack of treasure were gone. All that remained was a hole in the deck where he'd been standing. The pirates glanced over the edge of the ship but they saw nothing in the water.

"He got away!" exclaimed one of the pirates.

"Don Krieg'll kill us when he finds out that some punk kid stole from him!" the other pirate almost cried. "What do we do?"

"We don't tell him," suggested the first pirate. "What the Don doesn't know, won't hurt him and in the mean time, we'll search the ship. He can't have gotten far."

"This is gonna be hard to keep from Krieg," commented the second pirate, the fear evident in his voice, "Our lives depend on finding that one-eyed brat!"

"What I'd like to know is, if he has what I think he does... how he got them out?" wondered the first pirate. "Only Krieg knew the combination to that safe and its too thick to break into with brute force."

"Let's not worry about that and just find the twerp," suggested the second pirate. "I'll search the lower levels, you look for him around here." With a nod the two pirates ran off but little did they know, Y/N was bobbing up and down in the water below them.

Splash! The sack of treasure broke the surface with Y/N underneath it. Y/N held the treasure sack on his back as he swam away from the galleon turtle-style. "Idiots," muttered Y/N but then something caught his eye. A lone figure was slowly sailing closer in a small boat, "No! Not him! Why here?" Forgetting about being discrete Y/N frantically kicked the water and put on a sudden burst of speed and fled the ship as fast as he possibly could without leaving behind his treasure, "Get out of the water... get out of the water..."

-x-

Back on the ship, Don Krieg was getting ready to address the rest of the pirate crew, "WE'RE SAVED!" shouted out a bunch of pirates after finishing they're meal.

"We're back from the brink, it's a miracle!"

"Out nightmare is over! We've escaped our doom!"

"Good," said Krieg, "and now we can return to the Grand Line!" The pirates all turned and stared at him in shock, they had just been there and had barely survived, and now he wanted to go BACK?

"Why the frowns?" questioned Krieg at seeing his crew's reluctant faces.

"You still want to go back to that place?" asked a pirate in horror. But before the pirate could react, Krieg shot him with one of the guns on his arms, BANG!

"Anyone else?" demanded Krieg after allowing the crew to get over its shock of seeing him shoot the pirate, "or are we in agreement?"

"AYE!" the pirates cheered to show that they agreed, then Krieg continued, "Now let's abandon this hulk of a ship and board the restaurant ship. A bunch of stupid cooks can't stop us!" The pirates cheered and started howling. "ARROOOOOOO!"

-x-

No one but a frantic one-eyed treasure hunter seemed to notice a lone figure slowly drifting closer in small coffin-shaped boat.

AROOOOO! Back in the Baratie everyone inside could hear the howling coming from Krieg's ship. "Here they come!" warned Carne. "That's their battle cry!"

"We have to defend our restaurant!" exclaimed another cook.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU STUPID CHEFS!" came the shouts from the Krieg Pirates as the prepared to board the Baratie the ship.

SLISH! SLISH! Out of nowhere and in an instant two huge cuts appeared in the flagship.

KLINK! A swordsman sheathed his sword and stood nearby to watch the result of his work.

KRASH! BOOOM! Out of nowhere Krieg's Galleon suddenly broke into clean pieces as if sliced by a giant blade. "WHOA!" shouted the cooks in marvel as they watched the ship come apart seemingly on its own.

"WWWAAAAHHHHH!" screamed the Krieg Pirates that had been unfortunate enough to still be on the ship. The halves of the galleon tipped and the pirates went rolling across the deck.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Luffy from the restaurant.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" roared Don Krieg from the broken ship.

"CAPTAIN KRIEG!" screamed one of his pirates. "OUR SHIP WAS JUST CUT IN HALF!"

"Cut in half?" repeated Krieg in disbelief, as the two halves of the ship started sinking into the whirlpool that had appeared under them, "THIS IS CRAZY! How could this be possible?"

"DROP ANCHOR!" ordered Zeff. "Or our ship will be sucked into the whirlpool!"

"Damn it!" cursed Zoro as he, Luffy, and Usopp raced out of the restaurant. "Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are on our ship!"

"And Y/N was on that ship!" Usopp reminded Zoro, as they rushed out the door, "We may be too late!"

The second Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp made it outside they heard people shouting out to them, "BROTHERS! BROTHERS HELP!" shouted Johnny and Yosaku as they swam towards them.

"Johnny, Yosaku, are you guys alright?" questioned Zoro. "Where's our ship? Where's Nami?"

"Sorry, Brother..." apologized the bounty hunters. "THEY'RE GONE! SISTER NAMI ... SHE TOOK ALL THE TREASURE AND SAILED OFF WITH YOUR SHIP!"

"SHE DID WHAAAAAAAT!?" Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro screamed together.

"So... Nami's gone?" questioned Y/N. Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro whirled around to face him and their eyes went wide. Y/N was sitting back against the wall of the Baratie attempting to catch his breath. A large wet sack of treasure was lying next to him, and since he was sitting it looked to be as big as he was.

"You don't seem overly surprised," commented Zoro as he glanced at Y/N and the big sack of treasure that was sitting on the Baratie deck next to him.

"I'm not," answered Y/N, "But I have a surprise for you..."

In the doorway of the restaurant, Zeff noticed a mysterious man sailing through the wreckage of Krieg's flagship on a tiny boat. Just one look at the man told him all he needed to know. "It's him," mumbled Zeff.

While clinging to the railing of his sinking flagship Krieg noticed the same figure that Zeff did, "THAT BASTARD! HE FOLLOWED US HERE!"

-x-

The Parting of Ways

-x-

Luffy, Usopp, and Zoro stared down at Johnny and Yosaku as they laid on the deck of the Baratie, Y/N was sitting against the wall nearby. "What did you say?" questioned Usopp.

"For real?" asked Luffy. "Nami sailed off with the Going Merry?"

"I need a straight answer! Now what happened!?" demanded Zoro.

"Well, it all happened in only a few minutes..." began Yosaku.

-Johnny and Yosaku's Flashback-

"Hey, whatcha lookin' at Sister Nami?" asked Yosaku as he and Johnny approached the navigator who was staring at a bundle of Wanted Posters.

"It's nothing really," Nami said dismissively.

Johnny peered over her shoulder at the poster on top, "Nice!" he commented, "Now that's a big bounty. I've gotta say I'm impressed. But I think you're aiming a little too high going after Arlong. These days that maniac is causing all sorts of trouble."

"That guy's so powerful," said Yosaku as he and Johnny stared off the side of the ship, Nami quietly snuck around them while the bounty hunters were lost in thought. "It's hard to walk away from a twenty million berri bounty but we wouldn't stand a chance."

Johnny and Yosaku turned around to see Nami tugging at her shirt, "Hey, would you guys mind turning around while I change into something more comfortable?"

"Yeah, sure, I don't mind!" Yosaku quickly agreed, he and Johnny blushed.

"Changing?" questioned Johnny, "Like right now?"

"It's so hot," explained Nami as she winked at the two bounty hunters, sending them scurrying to turn around.

"Yeah, you're hot... uh... it's hot," they agreed as they stared off the side of the ship.

"Is she really changing?" wondered Johnny.

"Hey, what do you say we turn around and see if she's done yet?" suggested Yosaku.

WHUUMP! Before the Bounty Hunters had a chance to peak, Nami shoved them both over the railing, "WAAAAAHHHHH!" SPLASH!

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" demanded Johnny as soon as they resurfaced. He and Yosaku glared up at Nami who was leaning back against the railing they had been pushed over. She had her back to them.

"I'm doing business of course," replied Nami as she turned and smiled at them. "Use your heads guys, I'm a thief that only targets pirates and my next score is this ship. I'm not a member of this crew any longer. Even though I only spent a short time with Y/N, Luffy and the gang, I sue had a lot of fun." Johnny and Yosaku just gaped at the thief. "Make sure to tell them that if it's really meant to be I'll see them real soon."

"HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" shouted Yosaku as Nami took control of the Merry and started sailing off.

"We're gong be in so much trouble!" exclaimed Johnny.

"Our only job was to look after the ship and you made us fail miserably," wailed Yosaku.

SLISH! SLISH! BOOOOOM! Don Krieg's flagship was suddenly sliced and fell apart right in front of the two terrified bounty hunters.

-End of J and Y's flashback-

"And that's how she got away," finished Johnny.

"That wench, she had us all fooled!" snapped Zoro.

"Kaya gave us that ship!" exclaimed Usopp, "that heartless witch!"

"Wait, I can still see our ship," Luffy called out.

"Really?" asked Y/N as he stood up and walked up beside Luffy and looked in the direction he was looking in but due to the fact that he barely had depth perception with one eye he really couldn't see the small speck that Luffy could. Y/N quickly turned to Johnny and Yosaku, "Where's your ship?"

"It's still here," answered Yosaku.

"Alright, first... do you mind if I borrow that green thing?" requested Y/N, "All my clothes were all on the ship."

Uh... alright..." agreed Yosaku as he shrugged off his long green hooded coat, leaving him in his black t-shirt and yellow shorts. Yosaku handed the coat over and Y/N quickly slipped it on so it went down passed to his knees. The coat clashed horribly with his red hair but since he would otherwise be shirtless, he had to make due.

"Now go get your ship ready," instructed Y/N, "we'll go after Nami."

"YES SIR!" chorused Johnny and Yosaku as they ran off to get their ship.

"Zoro! Usopp!" started Luffy. "Get—"

"Forget her, why should we go after that little thief?" questioned Zoro.

"But what about the ship... Kaya's ship!" said Usopp as he turned and looked at Zoro in shock.

"I don't care if you go or not. But I am," said Y/N. "I'll get Nami back if it kills me."

"NAMI'S GOING TO BE OUR NAVIGATOR AND NO ONE ELSE!" Luffy shouted.

"Okay... okay..." conceded the swordsman. He shook his head at the Captain, First Mate, and Sniper. "I get it. You're giving me a headache."

"You're really coming?" asked Y/N as he looked at Zoro in disbelief. He knew Zoro would want to stay once he found out who had cut Krieg's ship in half.

"Yeah..." answered Zoro.

"HOORAY!" cheered Usopp causing Y/N to shake his head.

While they were talking Johnny and Yosaku had gotten their ship ready. "Brother Y/N, the ship's ready," reported the Bounty Hunters. Y/N grabbed his big sack of treasure and let out a low grunt as he carried it onto the ship.

"Wow Brother!" exclaimed Yosaku, "How'd you get that!?"

"I raided Don Krieg's ship, where do you think I got it?" retorted Y/N. "The best part is that now that his ship is sinking, he'll never miss it."

"How much is it?" asked Johnny as he stared at the sack that was half as big as Y/N.

"I haven't gotten around to counting it yet," replied Y/N, "Come on Usopp." The swordsman and the marksman climbed onto the small boat but the Captain stayed where he was.

"Luffy, you're not coming?" questioned Usopp.

"I can't," confessed Luffy, "I need to stay on the Baratie."

"Take care," said Zoro as he walked over to the ship. "Things could get dangerous."

"I know," answered Luffy.

"Zoro, why are you coming?" asked Y/N.

"You guys badgered me into it!" snapped Zoro.

"Look over there," instructed Y/N as he pointed off at the small boat that was sailing through what remained of Krieg's flagship, "It's him. It's 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk."

-x-

Over with Krieg, his pirates were making the observation that the Straw Hats just did. "DON KRIEG! IT'S HIM!" screamed a pirate, "ITS THE DEVIL THAT SANK ALL OF OUR SHIPS! HE FOLLOWED US HERE! HE'S COME TO KILL US!"

"That son of a bitch!" cursed Krieg.

-x-

"Is it really him?" asked Zoro, "Hawk Eye?"

"That's him," answered Y/N with a nod, he glanced at Zoro. "Suddenly you don't want to leave."

-x-

Hawk Eye sailed around the wreckage and came up to the Baratie he was in a small boat with a single black sail. It was shaped like a coffin and had two burning green candles in front of it. The guy had to be strong if he sailed the Grand Line in that. He wore a large wide-brimmed black hat with a feather in it, he had a black beard and short black hair and wore gray pants with black boots. He also had on a long black coat with purple sleeves. The coat was opened showing his sculpted muscles and the gold cross on his neck. It was also hard to miss the hilt of the huge six-foot sword that was about as big as the man was that was strapped to his back. When Mihawk tilted his head up, everyone could see his piercing yellow eyes, just by looking they could tell he really was the World's Greatest Swordsman.

"Dat's him?" Patty asked the other cooks, "The one who sunk fifty ships, single handedly?"

"So he's the one who cut Krieg's ship in half," commented a cook. "He looks like a normal person. And I can't see any weapons."

"His special weapon is on his back," said Zeff.

"That's impossible!" exclaimed a cook. "How could he cut a ship in half with a sword?"

"That's because Hawk Eye is a Master Swordsman," explained Zeff. "He's the Greatest Swordsman in the World."

-x-

"I never thought I'd meet him so soon," Zoro thought to himself, "it's time for me to fulfill my promise."

-x-

"We're doomed!" cried one of Krieg's pirates.

"YOU MONSTER!" screamed one of the braver pirates, "WHY DO YOU KEEP PICKING ON US!?"

"To kill time," Hawk Eye replied simply.

"YOU BASTARD!" roared the pirate as he drew a pair of pistols.

"..." Mihawk stayed silent and simply drew the giant blade on his back and held it out beside him.

BAM! BAM! The pirate aimed right at Mihawk and fired at him. TINK! TINK! Mihawk simply twisted his sword and easily deflected both of the bullets so they went passed his face.

"I missed!?" exclaimed the pirate in shock, "But I aimed straight for him!"

"No wonder you idiots got crushed in the Grand Line," commented Y/N as he and Zoro stood behind the pirate. "Shooting at a swordsman is just stupid."

The pirate turned around and glared at Y/N, "And what would you know!?"

"I know you're about to take a swim," answered Y/N, "Machete... BACK KICK!" Y/N jumped up into the air and lashed his leg out behind him, driving the steel bottom of his boot into the pirate's face, THWACK! SPLASH! The pirate went flying backwards and landed in the water. "A guy like that would never survive over a week in the Grand Line."

"Three swords... could this guy be..." muttered one of the Krieg pirates as he noticed the three swords sheathed at Zoro's waist.

Zoro stared at Mihawk in a mixture of admiration, awe, and shock, "He deflected the bullets with the tip of his sword," commented Zoro. "I've never seen such subtle sword work."

"Without subtlety a sword is just an iron bar," lectured Hawk Eye, who was now close enough to hear what Zoro had said.

"You used that sword to split the galleon?" questioned Zoro.

"Of course," replied Hawk Eye.

"I see, then you are the greatest," said Zoro with a huge smile on his face. "I set sail for only one reason: to meet you."

"And what is your goal?" Mihawk asked curiously.

"To beat you!" stated Zoro.

"Hmmhmm, how foolish," chuckled Mihawk.

"You sure you want to do this?" Y/N asked Zoro.

"I've got to," Zoro answered quietly before directing his attention back to Mihawk, he took his bandana off his arm and tied it on his head, then drew Wado Ichimonji. "If you're looking for some fun, then fight me," challenged Zoro.

"Zoro, you haven't been to the Grand Line yet," Y/N reminded him, "do you really think you're ready? Krieg thought the same thing and look what happened to him."

"I've been waiting for this moment my entire life," said Zoro, "I might not get another chance."

"Fine," conceded Y/N with an indifferent shrug, "just don't get killed, that's the only way your dreams will be truly destroyed. Good luck Zoro." With that Y/N turned and walked back towards the Baratie, this was something he definitely didn't want to get in the middle of.

"Did the cyclops just say Zoro?" questioned a pirate, "I knew it! Roronoa Zoro of the three sword style!"

"The Pirate Hunter..." muttered Krieg.

"Him?" questioned Sanji.

"..." Zeff simply stared at the ambitious swordsman.

"Y/N! We don't have time for this!" exclaimed Usopp as Y/N laid down on the deck next to him and stared up at the sky. There were storm clouds overhead. "The ship is almost out of sight!"

"I know where she's going," Y/N told him calmly without looking at the marksman.

"You do?" questioned Usopp and Luffy at the same time. But Y/N didn't answer.

"You want to fight?" questioned Mihawk. "You're a weak pitiful creature." SKISH! In the blink of an eye Mihawk leapt from his coffin-boat onto the sinking deck of Krieg's galleon beside Zoro. "If you are a competent swordsman then you don't need to cross swords with me to know that I far surpass you. I must ask you why you've challenged me? Could it be your courage or is it simply ignorance?"

"It comes from ambition," answered Zoro as he put his sword in his mouth and quickly drew his two other blades, "And a promise to a friend."

"The World's Greatest Swordsman going up against Roronoa Zoro," commented Patty, "they're both masters of swordplay, I wonder how this fight's gonna turn out to be."

Luffy stared and watched the two swordsmen while Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku all gulped. GULP!

-x-

"They really are a great bunch of guys," Nami said to herself as she sailed off in the Going Merry, "I hope we meet again, maybe they'll let me sail with them." Finally the tears started to fall, "I can't wait to be free... Bellemere..."

-x-

Zoro Overboard

-x-

Zoro drew his swords and faced off with Mihawk, he knew that if he was going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman then he needed to beat 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk for the title. "I never thought I'd find you so soon," commented Zoro.

"That does not make you any better," Mihawk replied.

"The World's Greatest Swordsman and the Pirate Hunter," observed a cook.

"No one alive can defeat Brother Zoro," Johnny bragged.

"Look at what that bastard did to my ship!" Krieg exclaimed as he stared down at the sinking remains of his galleon. All that was left was the last of the deck, a mast, and a few railings.

"What's that for?" asked Zoro as Hawk Eye took the cross off of his neck and pulled off the end to reveal a tiny dagger. The blade of the dagger was no bigger than Zoro's middle finger.

"It'll be more than adequate to beat you," explained Mihawk, "only and idiot would try to kill a fly with a cannon."

Y/N grinned, he could think of an idiot that would do that.

-Somewhere Else in the East Blue-

"AAACHOOOOO!" sneezed mini-Buggy, as he hid around the corner of a cliff and waited for the giant bird he was hunting to fall in the pit he'd dug. "Someone must be flashily talking about me."

CA-CAW! Buggy's sneeze had drawn the attention of the bird, it ignored the hole and chased after Buggy.

"DAMN IT! GET AWAY YOU STUPID BIRD!" shouted mini-Buggy as he ran for his life.

-Back at the Baratie-

"You may have a big reputation in the East Blue," Hawk Eye admitted, "but that doesn't mean much to me. This sea is by far the weakest of the four." Hawk Eye held up his tiny dagger, "Unfortunately, I don't carry any blades smaller than this one."

"Take it easy with that bravado," Zoro warned him as he charged forward. "YOU'LL REGRET IT WHEN I BEAT YOU!"

"You have no idea how big the world really is," said Mihawk, as he held the dagger in front of him.

"DEMON SLICE!" Zoro shouted as he swung his swords at Hawk Eye, SLISH!SLISH! KLANG! All Mihawk had done was thrust out his tiny knife and he managed to block and keep all three of Zoro's swords at bay.

"What the..." grunted Zoro in complete surprise.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed.

"He stopped Brother Zoro's Demon Slice attack!" Johnny shrieked.

"That move never fails!" Yosaku added.

"He's completely outmatched," said Y/N, he was still staring up at the clouds in the sky, not even looking at the fight. "Talk about being emasculated."

"It won't budge!" shouted Zoro in his head as he fought against Hawk Eye and the dagger, "No one has ever stopped that technique! But he did it with that pocketknife! This can't be happening! He can't be this much better than me! There's no way our skills are this far apart."

"RAAAAH! I AM NOT THAT FAR BEHIND THE WORLD'S STRONGEST!" Zoro yelled as he pulled back and then began swinging all three of his swords at Mihawk. The strikes were lightning fast, and few people could actually see them. SWISH! SWISH! KLANG! KLANG! But those who could see the swords saw that Hawk Eye was easily deflecting and blocking them all with his tiny knife.

KLANG! THUD! Mihawk pushed his knife forward and Zoro was knocked off balance and onto his back, but he quickly got back up.

"Brother Zoro, don't let him beat you!" Johnny encouraged him.

"Pull yourself together and fight seriously!" Yosaku advised.

"He is fighting seriously," Y/N stated. "He's going all out. Zoro's gonna learn not to underestimate people from the Grand Line."

"YOU CAN'T BE THAT MUCH BETTER THAN ME!" Zoro yelled as he once again charged at Mihawk and attacked him with all three swords.

Zoro was once again lashing out at Mihawk using all three of his blades with lightning fast attacks. SWISH! SWISH! KLANG! KLANK! "Such heavy handed sword play," criticized Hawk Eye, KLANG! Mihawk leaned back and used his knife to block the sword in Zoro's mouth.

"He's fending off Roronoa Zoro's three sword attacks with that toothpick!" exclaimed a Krieg Pirate.

"I didn't devote my entire life to swordsmanship to be dispatched by a toy like this!" Zoro thought to himself.

"ZORO!"called out Kuina in Zoro's mind.

SWISH! Mihawk dodge another of Zoro's attacks causing Zoro to go off balance and fall passed him, CHOP! Mihawk brought his hand down on the back of Zoro's neck, driving him down to the deck. THUD!

"AAARRRGGG!" screamed a younger Zoro when Kuina sent his 'real swords' flying.

"You're lucky Zoro, being born as a man," said Kuina, "all I ever wanted was to be the World's Greatest Swordsman. If only... if had just been born a man!"

"Promise me, promise me that some day one of us will become the World's Greatest Swordsman! We'll see who gets there!" exclaimed Zoro when he and Kuina made their promise. But Kuina had died the next day, and now Zoro had to carry on for her and adopted his three-sword style.

HUFF... HUFF... Zoro panted as he stared at his opponent, who still hadn't even broken a sweat. "I have to beat this man," Zoro said to himself, "for her."

Zoro staggered towards Mihawk and swung at him, SWISH! His attack came up empty as Mihawk easily dodged it. Zoro tumbled passed him and fell to the deck once again, THUD!

"What drives you?" Mihawk inquired as stared down at Zoro. "Why do you fight so hard when you can not win? You're a weakling!"

"Brother is not a weakling, Buzzard Eye!" Johnny shouted as he rushed at Hawk Eye.

"We'll teach you a lesson!" threatened Yosaku as he ran towards with Johnny towards the two swordsmen.

"STOP!" Luffy ordered as he reached out and grabbed their collars, "DON'T GET INVOLVED! CONTROL YOURSELVES!"

"Luffy..." mumbled Usopp.

"No! I won't lose!" Zoro refused as he got back up and prepared to attack Mihawk again. "I refuse to be defeated."

"The World's Greatest Swordsman," said Luffy with a smile, "that's great. And it's fitting since your new Captain is going to be King of the Pirates. Anything else would make me look bad."

"TIGER HUNT!" Zoro leapt at Mihawk and swung his swords at him.

SHUNK! Mihawk countered by thrusting his knife in between the blades in Zoro's hands, inside his guard, and plunged the knife into Zoro's chest. Blood squirted out and started dripping down Zoro's chest.

"BROTHER!" shouted Yosaku and Johnny, while Luffy simply kept watching.

Drip... drip... Zoro grunted in pain, but made no move to pull off of the knife, causing more blood to drip down onto the floor. Mihawk was surprised by this and decided to voice his concerns. "Do you want me to cut your guts out?" asked Hawk Eye. "Why don't you retreat?"

"I can't," Zoro answered, blood was dripping down out of his mouth and had already reached his neck. "If I take a single step back... my ambition... everything I care about... will be shattered... and all my dreams will be lost forever."

"That's what defeat is," Mihawk pointed out.

"Heh heh, that's why I can't step back," Zoro chuckled, despite the knife imbedded in his chest.

"Even if it means death?" questioned Hawk Eye.

"I'd rather die than give up!" Zoro growled.

Mihawk was impressed, "What a strong will, he'd rather die than lose." Hawk Eye withdrew the knife from Zoro's chest and put it away, "Boy... speak your name," requested Mihawk.

"Roronoa Zoro," Zoro complied as he moved his swords and got into a new fighting stance

"I'll remember it," Mihawk promised. "It's been a while since I've met someone with such strong spirit. As a swordsman's courtesy I'll use the world's strongest black blade to finish you." To the shock of everyone Hawk Eye drew the enormous black blade on his back and held it in front of him. Even Y/N sat up and was actually watching the duel now.

"I appreciate it," replied Zoro.

"HE'S DRAWN IT!" screamed a pirate. "THAT'S THE SWORD HE USED TO SLICE APART OUR SHIP!"

"Good job Zoro," Y/N whispered. "You might not win but you've earned his respect. That'll go a long way."

"This is it, my last chance," Zoro said to himself. "It's either become the Greatest Swordsman, or death."

"DIE!" exclaimed Mihawk as he charged at Zoro.

"BROTHER, PLEASE! GIVE UP!" Yosaku pleaded, causing Y/N to shake his head, that stupid bounty hunter hadn't been listening to anything Zoro said.

"THREE-SWORD STYLE SECRET TECHNIQUE ..." started Zoro as he spun the two swords in his arms around like a pair of propellers. "THREE... THOUSAND... WORLDS!" KLANG! There was a flash of purple as Mihawk rushed passed Zoro and slashing his sword as he went. Zoro stood still for a moment but then... KRA-KRACK! SPURT! The two swords in Zoro's hand broke in a half and blood burst out from a large wound on Zoro's chest.

"I've lost," Zoro said to himself, as he dropped down to his knees and put his remaining sword away "It's over... I never foresaw this! So this is the world's greatest."

Zoro slowly stood up and turned to face Mihawk while holding his arms out at his sides.

"What are you doing?" asked Hawk Eye.

"It's shameful for a swordsman to have scars on his back," Zoro reminded him.

"Magnificent," commented Mihawk. SWASH! There was another flash of purple as Mihawk lashed out at Zoro and sliced him diagonally across the chest. SPLURT! The violent slash caused even more blood to burst out from Zoro's chest, even Y/N winced. Zoro's new wound intersected the first one, now he had a big bloody x-shaped wound on his chest.

"ZORO!" Luffy hollered as he watched in horror as blood burst out from the large wound on Zoro's chest.

-x-

The Oath

-x-

Mihawk had won, with that final slash of his black sword he sliced Zoro open. Blood splurted everywhere as Zoro dropped his sword and fell to the ground. "Don't give up on your life so soon, young warrior," said Mihawk. Screams filled the air as Luffy, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku screamed in horror at Zoro's defeat.

"Why?" wondered Sanji as he watched Zoro fall.

"Is this the true power of the Grand Line?" questioned a pirate. "Even 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro can't compare to him!"

Sanji kept looking on in shock, remembering how Zoro had said he left his life behind when he decided to become the Greatest Swordsman. "That crazy kid, he went against the world's best. He never had a prayer. But he'd rather die than give up." He glared at Zoro and shouted, "IT'S EASY! ABANDON YOUR STUPID DREAM!" Y/N rolled his eye then got up started walking to where Mihawk was standing.

SPLASH! Zoro dropped his remaining sword and fell backwards into the water. "BROTHER!" Yosaku and Johnny cried out as they dove into the water and swam over to Zoro.

"DAMN YOU!" Luffy shouted as he shot out his arm, SWISH! Mihawk simply stepped to the side and dodged Luffy's first strike. VREEENNNG! Luffy's rubber arm retracted and he went flying at Mihawk, but again Mihawk simply moved to the side, WHAM! Luffy went crashing down to the deck and smashed his head through the wood.

"So that mouthy little brat is a fruit user," Krieg realized, as he and all the people who hadn't already seen Luffy's rubber powers were shocked.

Y/N shook his head and walked over, "I'm not here to fight," Y/N stated as he reached down and picked up Zoro's remaining sword. Luffy meanwhile struggled to pull his head from the deck where it had been imbedded. Y/N stood in front of Mihawk and stared him in the eye, both of them were eerily calm. But one was six inches tall and was known throughout the world as the World's Greatest Swordsman while the other was simply the First Mate of a relatively unknown pirate crew from the East Blue.

"Haven't I seen you before?" asked Mihawk as he stared curiously at Y/N.

"Once in passing," replied Y/N. "I was with my older brother. And I'm still thankful you decided not to kill us all."

"Ah, now I remember, you were the mouthy kid that threw a treasure chest at me."

"To be fair, I was just getting used to being a pirate in that part of the world," Y/N pointed out. "Seeing the World's Greatest Swordsman at that stage of my career was very surprising."

"You were with that crew back then though," recalled Mihawk. "You also had longer hair and two eyes. Is this your new crew?"

"Yup, being a part of that crew was great," admitted Y/N. "But he's in the past. That's why I never took his mark. The rubber guy behind you is the future." Mihawk glanced at Luffy who was still struggling to get his head out from the deck. Y/N sweat-dropped but continued anyway. "He may seem strange but he's my brother and I'll support him in everything he does. He's the one pirate I'd pledge my undying loyalty to. We're Nakama."

"Hmmhmm, I see," chuckled Mihawk, "Then I look forward to seeing you again. You did well to allow him to fight his own battle."

"Beating you has been his life's dream," Y/N explained. "I've learned that you can sometimes learn more from a loss than a victory. I'm not sure you'd understand that but I'm hoping that he'll learn from this loss and get stronger because of this." URK! WHUMP! Luffy pulled his head out of the deck and flopped onto his back.

"Don't worry, I left him alive," Mihawk told Luffy.

Off in a distance, Johnny and Yosaku had pulled Zoro up onto their boat. "Brother, speak to us."

Luffy sat up and looked in the direction of the boat, "Zoro?" Luffy called out, suddenly Zoro coughed and started coughing up blood. "Zoro!"

"Come on, get him on board!" Usopp ordered as the Bounty Hunters struggled to get Zoro on board.

Hawk Eye turned to face the boat and called out to Zoro, "It's still far too early for you to die. My name is Hawk Eye Mihawk! You're strong but there is much for you to learn. No matter how many years it takes I will hold this title as the Greatest in the World and wait for you. Until that day you must hone your skills. Then, SEEK ME OUT RORONOA ZORO!"

While Luffy got back up, Johnny and Yosaku were pleading for Zoro to wake up, "Please Zoro, speak to us!"

"Not just anyone can earn the regard of Hawk Eye Mihawk," Zeff commented.

"You two, what is your goal?" asked Mihawk as he turned to face Y/N and Luffy.

"To find the treasure," Y/N answered immediately.

"To be the King," said Luffy.

"You're ambitions are even loftier than your friend's," Hawk Eye remarked. "That's quite a task."

"Like I told you, Luffy here is the future," Y/N informed Mihawk. "Just ask Shanks. That's his straw hat he's wearing. Once we reach the Grand Line you'll be hearing our names a lot." SPLASH! Y/N turned and dove into the water and swam for the ship bringing Zoro's sword with him.

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S DANGEROUS!" Luffy yelled a Mihawk, not caring that he was the World's Greatest Swordsman, or that he had just thrashed Zoro. "I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"

"Usopp, is Zoro okay?" asked Y/N as popped up out of the water and climbed onto the boat, bringing Zoro's white handled sword Wado Ichimonji along with him.

"No!" answered Usopp, "He's not okay! He's not dead, but he's unconscious and he's bleeding all over the place!"

UBB! UBB! "Brother!" Johnny cried as tears poured out of his eye..

"Brother, say something, please!" Yosaku pleaded.

"Hear that Zoro?" asked Y/N as he picked up Zoro's sword and held the blade, offering the handle to the supposedly unconscious swordsman. "They want you to say something. Are you still going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman? Or are you going to give up your dream? You're still alive so you haven't failed yet, are you going to give up and let Kuina down?"

In response Zoro gripped the sword tightly and raised it up into the air. Y/N's face broke out in a grin while everyone else seemed surprised. "Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed, happy to see that his Nakama was still moving.

"Luffy... can you hear me?" asked Zoro.

"Yes I hear you," Luffy answered.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you," Zoro apologized. "I know you need nothing less than the Greatest Swordsman in the World. I've let you down. Please forgive me."

"Brother, save your breath!" Johnny scolded him.

"NEVER AGAIN!" Zoro shouted with tears streaking down his face. "I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! From now until I beat that man to become the World's Greatest Swordsman... I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! Got a problem with that, KING OF THE PIRATES!"

"Haha, NOPE!" Luffy laughed in reply.

"They make a good team," Mihawk commented to himself as he headed back to his boat, "I hope to see you again someday."

"Hey, Hawk Eye!" Don Krieg suddenly called after the departing swordsman. "Didn't you come here for my head? The head of Don Krieg, King of the East Blue?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Mihawk admitted. "But I've had enough fun for today so I'm going home to get some rest."

"Hold it right there!" Krieg snapped. "You may have had your fun but I haven't. I've only been on the receiving end."

"Don Krieg," called out one of the Krieg Pirates, "If the man wants to leave, for the love of God, let him go!"

But Krieg ignored the pirate and used the gun barrels on the back of his gloves to shoot at Mihawk. "NOW IT'S TIME TO DIE!" BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

"You are indeed a slow learner," Mihawk remarked as he drew his black sword and deflected bullets, causing them to blast the water and create a large splash. KA-BOOSH! Hawk Eye was momentarily blocked from view but when the splash cleared he was gone.

The large waves caused by the explosion rocked the remains of Krieg's ship and the ship the Straw Hats and the Bounty Hunters were in. But despite that Y/N stood up and turned to face Luffy.

"Y/N, Usopp, set sail!" Luffy called out to them.

"Aye, aye," said Usopp.

"As long as we're all making promises," commented Y/N as he took Zoro's sword and turned to face Luffy, SLIK! The rubber-man flinched when Y/N used Zoro's blade to cut his palm. Y/N kept the sword at his side as he raised his hand up so Luffy could see the blood on it. "Luffy, I swear on my blood that I'll get Nami back."

The expression on Luffy's face was serious, his brother had just sworn a blood oath. He knew from growing up that that meant Y/N would die before he failed. Luffy showed the same courtesy and was serious for once, he nodded. "I'm counting on you."

"You get that cook to join us," Usopp suggested.

"Or don't, whatever's easier," Y/N added as handed Zoro back his sword while Johnny and Yosaku dropped the sail.

"And when we're all together we'll head into the Grand Line!" Usopp announced.

"Right, good luck guys," said Luffy. And with that, they were gone.

"Here come the locusts," Sanji pointed out when he saw Krieg and his band of pirates prepare to attack again.

"Hey Mister," Luffy called up to Zeff as he climbed up onto the deck, "If I chase those guys off can I stop being Chore Boy?"

"You've got a deal," agreed Zeff. Luffy grinned and got ready to fight Don Krieg.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!