Chapter Text
Coming back from Marineford, Mihawk can sense that there’s something different about the island, though he can not divine what the cause is.
But he can hear the tittering and squabbling before he even opens his castle doors and he’s already so battle-weary from nearly having to face Shanks again that he audibly groans.
He can feel a ping of Sanji’s observation haki and quickly the bickering quiets down.
Sanji greets him in a the hallway, “We have guests.”
“And they’re still alive? How very kind of you to allow freeloaders into our home,” Mihawk drawls.
“They didn’t leave me much of a choice. Miss Perona arrived and stormed the castle with her ghosts, then a few days later that mosshead showed up, injuries on every inch of skin.”
Mihawk raises a brow.
Sanji scowls and blushes, “I had to tend to his wounds. Miss Perona doesn’t need to sully her hands with his blood.”
Mihawk arches his brow higher.
Sanji blows a raspberry at him.
Mihawk rolls his eyes, before schooling his face back into his stoic expression. “I come bearing unfortunate news for Roronoa, then. And I supposed the ghost princess as well.”
Sanji leads Mihawk to where he’s stashed their guests, happily in his wing instead of intruding on Mihawk’s hall.
“I see Sanji has seen fit to offer you both sanctuary,” Mihawk drawls sweeping into the room where Roronoa is fighting with Perona while looking like a mummy.
Sanji follows after, scowling at the green haired teen. “What did I tell you, Mosshead!” he pushes him back so he sits on the edge of the bed.
Zoro glares at him for a moment, electricity passing between them, before Zoro scoffs and transfers his stare to Mihawk himself.
“Your captain, has suffered terribly, Roronoa. His brother is dead and Strawhat himself was grievously wounded.”
Sanji gasps and Zoro is speechless for a moment, before begging, “is he alive? Is he okay? Oh fuck, I wasn’t there!”
Sanji lays a comforting hand on Zoro’s shoulder, letting it trail down to rub his back.
Mihawk makes a mental note to ask Sanji what exactly has transpired while Mihawk was away. “I left as Shanks was arriving,” Sanji interrupts with a snort which makes Mihawk glare at him. “But I have reason to believe Strawhat Luffy has survived. He is stubborn but more importantly, he is lucky. I do not think that he will be taken down so simply by the mad dog of the marines.”
“What of Moria!” Perona interjects, her voice shrill. “If you were called, then he must’ve been there too, as a warlord!”
“He is dead,” Mihawk says simply, seeing no reason to sugarcoat the news.
“Nooo, not Master Moria!” Perona wails, tears already flowing as she flings herself at Sanji and Zoro.
“Who else was there? Was my crew there?” Zoro asks desperately, pushing Perona closer to Sanji to comfort so he can try to get closer to Mihawk.
“Your crew was absent. Strawhat had some… unusual allies, like Sir Crocodile and a clown.”
Sanji’s making a face, Shanks had spoken about a clown pirate during Marriage Number Two, a conversation which eventually lead to Divorce Number Two. Mihawk glances at Sanji and the blond knows the expression is commiserating.
“He was there alone? Oh god, that must mean that Kuma got to all of them.”
Mihawk stands silently, watching as Roronoa struggles to his feet, using his white sword as a crutch, though Sanji stands to steady him, one arm supporting a bawling Perona as well.
Zoro shakes the blond off and Sanji backs off without a word. Mihawk raises a brow as Roronoa struggles to face him. “Dracule Mihawk…,” He says formally, dropping into a supplicant bow, “Please train me.”
Mihawk glances at Sanji, but his expression is a mystery even to him. “You would have me train my own would-be-murderer?”
“I need to get stronger. Not only for my dream, but for my captain and his dream…” Zoro looks up to Mihawk, his gaze as strong as his conviction. “Your death is not my goal, nor my dream. I just want your title.”
Mihawk hums, considering. “Fine,” he sighs. “You will start with the humandrills. Once you defeat them, you will train with Sanji. Then, I will train you both.”
“Thank you, Mihawk,” Zoro deepens his bow. He’s shaking as he stands and Sanji leaves Perona to help him, though the swordsman brushes away his help. “Where are these human drills?”
“You are not starting yet, grass for brains! Get back into bed!”
Zoro growls.
“Don’t even think about it!” Sanji growls back.
Zoro presses his forehead against Sanji’s, challenging him. Sanji pushes back, working with Zoro’s weakened frame to lead him back to his bed without Roronoa realizing.
The back of his knees hit the bed and he falls back onto the mattress. Immediately he’s trying to stand back up but Sanji is faster; he quickly manhandles him into a lying position as Perona throws a thick quilt over Zoro’s prone form, which Zoro works to kick off, ever unhelpful.
But Sanji’s response is quick, as if he and the girl have done this before, he tucks the blanket tightly under his legs, trapping them in place as Perona tucks a side under the bed, using Zoro’s own weight to hold him in place.
Sanji tucks the other in tight, Zoro’s muscled arms neutralized quickly and he’s laying flat like a corpse, though he’s complaining loudly.
Perona dances away, her tears forgotten for a moment with their victory. She smacks a wet kiss onto the swordsman’s forehead and saunters out of the room.
Sanji quickly follows with his own quick kiss, which causes the swordsman to blush furiously and yell at him to stop and get the hell out.
Mihawk has to excuse himself, walking quickly to the library so he can laugh under his hand, stifling the sound from Sanji’s ears.
“They’re so obvious, right?” Perona asks, appearing through the wall beside him.
Mihawk does not deign to respond, but she continues anyway, “now you know what I’ve had to deal with for the last week. First the blond’s flitting and fluttering around me, then he shows up and I’m practically forgotten about! Can you believe it! Overlooked for someone who is so not cute!”
“These are dire times,” Mihawk says sarcastically.
“Thank you!” Perona exclaims shrilly.
The Little Knife forces Roronoa to stay in bed and wraps for a full week before the other swordsman is in a state to strongarm himself to his swords and out the door to search for the humandrills.
Sanji is smoking away like a chimney while he’s gone, muttering angrily to himself as he cooks, shaping rice into skulls and ghosts for Perona, and “mossballs” for the “marimo”. He makes Mihawk the regular triangle shape.
When he finishes that, Sanji moves on to the next recipe, working through their pantry steadily.
“Shouldn’t he be back by now? It’s dark out already!” Perona says at the dining table, while Mihawk sips his wine and Sanji eats a meager meal, his stomach seemingly too upset to hold much.
“Great idea, Miss Perona, I’ll go search for him,” Sanji stands immediately, walking quickly from the dining room.
Mihawk hums and swirls his glass as Perona squawks at his quick departure.
He listens to Perona chatter nonstop as he waits for Sanji’s return.
Sanji and Roronoa are so different from how he and Shanks were/are. They are rivals, certainly, but not necessarily with sword fighting. They do enjoy sparring and pushing each other, but the electric flow between them is steady rather than the lightning storm that his relationship with Shanks is.
Their fights are intense, taking out wide swatches of decrepit land. Mihawk knows Sanji will steer them away from the garden, because he values food and his life.
Zoro’s three sword style is something Sanji has never faced and Sanji’s style is his own, the duel wielding swords, mostly as a finisher to his powerful kicks.
It’s easy to see their rivalry and fire, but some might miss that the fire is controlled and stoked with a tender hand rather than left blazing. They care for each other as easily as they breathe and it’s obvious in the ways that they try to hide their budding relationship like schoolchildren in puppy love.
Mihawk will spy them in the ruins of the chappel, still sweaty from their duel, Zoro with his head laying on Sanji’s lap, chatting and laughing. The way he plucks a flowering weed from nearby and pushes it into Sanji’s hand. Sanji tucks it amongst Roronoa’s green hair and teases him about the plant finding roots amongst the moss. But when Zoro shakes his head like a dog out of the bath and the flower goes flying, Sanji is quick to retrieve it and place it into his cigarette case.
Mihawk purposefully scuffs his shoe into the loose rock and they spring away from each other. He raises an elegant brow at them, his only comment.
Both boys blush bright red but Sanji raises his swirled brow right back.
Mihawk smirks and Zoro scowls at him while Sanji makes a petulant face. “I expect I will not hear a peep in my wing,” Mihawk drawls, lazily.
“Oh my god, Mihawk!” Sanji squawks, tugging at his bangs to try to make them hide his face more.
Zoro looks between the two of them before he draws his swords and take up fighting stance, “Let’s see how far we’ve come; me and Curls against you, old man.”
“Old man?” Mihawk quirks a brow, sardonic.
“Old man!” Sanji echos, outraged, kicking at Roronoa who blocks and dodges most of his attacks.
“He was embarrassing you!”
“You’re embarrassing me!”
“Tch,” Zoro scoff.
“Oh my god!” Sanji yells, finally drawing his dual swords.
“Not here. Not near the chapel,” Mihawk interrupts their little skirmish.
Both boys pause in their attacks and look at Mihawk with wide, excited eyes.
They push each other away from the chapel and towards the training yards, Sanji herding Zoro like a sheepdog to keep him headed in the right direction, Mihawk trailing behind, still watching them, wondering if they know how they look.
He allows the young men to arm themselves, three and two swords drawn as they take their fighting stances. Oh, they’re actually taking this seriously. Very good. He hums and he spots Sanji’s smile brighten a little bit, the boy ever attuned to Mihawk’s moods.
He unleashes Yoru and the fight is on, the two of them making separate attacks at the same time that nearly neutralize each other before they even reach their goal.
Mihawk raises a brow, scoldingly.
Zoro grunts in irritation before he attacks again, locking blades with Mihawk. Sanji follows with a kick and his dual blades swinging, and he is locked into the hold to with a quick maneuver from Mihawk.
He pushes them back with a slice from Yoru, sending them flying through the air.
Sanji catches them midair, his sky walking ability keeping them from injury.
“Let’s work together,” Zoro says, catching his breath. “I think 30 seconds should do it.”
“30 seconds?” Sanji questions rolling his eyes. “Whatever you say, Mossball. Let’s work together.”
It takes longer than 30 seconds– they work together for nearly an hour before they jump high into the air together, Zoro landing on Sanji’s leg in midair, the dual-wielder launching the other through the air like a missile towards Mihawk where their swords clash into sparks. The Greatest Swordsman is able to block two swords but Zoro is able to slice Mihawk’s coatsleeve with the third.
Mihawk pushes Zoro back, disengaging their crossed blades, sending Roronoa flying back into Sanji’s arms.
“Yes!” the teenagers crow, clasping each other in a hug in the middle of the battlefield like young boys as Mihawk inspects the new hole in his coat.
He tries to hide his smile under his hat at their raucous celebration over a cut that didn’t even draw blood. “You’ll need to keep practicing your teamwork, but do be sure not to neglect your individual training. There can only be one World’s Greatest Swordsman…”
“Is that your dream too, Curly?” Zoro asks, deflating momentarily.
“No,” Sanji nearly barks before he calms, “No. I don’t dream of power or a title… I… I dream of something else.”
“Well what is it? You’re gonna have to tell me eventually if you’re going to join Luffy’s crew.”
“Who said I’m joining that guy’s crew?”
Zoro shrugs, “He asked you to. He usually gets what he wants.”
“He asked me before you guys started your adventure. He doesn’t even know me!”
Zoro shrugs again, certain that the blond will join them after the mysterious 3D2Y.
Sanji lights a cigarette, looking up at the cloudy sky and the ocean below from their view on the curling cliffside. Mihawk follows his gaze, but stays quiet to listen to what his boy says… “Have you heard of the All Blue?”
Mihawk allows himself to smile, just a little, glad that Sanji hasn’t changed over the years to be more like him, aloof and bored. But now that he thinks about it, he hasn’t been very bored since the sea led him to Sanji. He’s already anticipating the absence of the boy, the young man now– Mihawk is certain Sanji with join Roronoa, join the Strawhats and he doesn't begrudge him his adventure but he will miss him, his company his food, and his spirit most of all.