Chapter Text
Of all the people Shanks had ever invited onto the Red Force, Zoro and Perona were probably the strangest.
He had met them on an island three hours from Kuraigana while he was procrastinating over whether or not he should visit Mihawk. It had been three months since their last meeting on the beach ; two since Marineford. And although Mihawk had implicitly permitted Shanks to visit him, the redhead was still hesitating what to do and had just decided to leave the decision to luck - heads he would go to Mihawk and tails he would return to the New World - when a teenage girl with pink hair and another with green hair entered the bar while bickering like two brothers and sisters.
"We're lost," the girl grumbled as she walked towards the only empty seat, the one next to Shanks.
"We’re not lost," replied the youngest before looking around, "we’re in a bar."
The girl rolled her eyes before motioning for the bartender to serve her an orange juice, "you deserve the Nobel Prize for stupidity. We arelost because Mister said and I quote: 'I know where the port is'. We've been walking for two hours without finding the boat because of you. I should have known that if you're unable to find your way around a castle then you wouldn't be able to do it on an island either!"
"It was your idea to go shopping on this island and you cried because you were afraid to go alone," the green-haired teenager added, crossing his arms on his toned chest, the saber at his belt glinted slightly, "you should have let him go alone. We would have had some peace, at least."
"But that old curmudgeon never brings back the fabrics I want!"
The brother rolled his eyes before approaching the pink-haired girl to ask for a glass of sake, "well, Hawkeyes is going to kill us if we don't bring him his fancy wine before the end of the evening."
"For that, we need to find the…"
"Excuse me," Shanks said, leaning towards the two young people and interrupting their conversation without caring. Their bickering had amused him and reminded him of when he argued with Buggy back in the days, but the redhead was now curious as to how they would know his soulmate, "did you say 'Hawkeyes'?"
"What if we did?" The young man asked defiantly while raising an eyebrow and placing a hand on his white saber.
"Don't be mean, you brat," replied the older one, tapping her brother's muscle, implicitly asking him to be nice, "yes, we talked about Hawkeyes, the greatest swordsman in the world and Warlord to his wasted hours. Why? He's our... protector and Zoro is his super-duper apprentice!"
Shanks looked from the girl to the boy before bursting out laughing loudly. He had just recognized one of the two young people in front of him: Roronoa Zoro, the green hair was quite revealing but the famous three-sword swordsman had lost two along the way. Now, Shanks didn't know why Mihawk would train the boy he beat a few months ago, or who the girl was. But imagining his taciturn and grumpy soulmate having to put up with these two energetic and bickering young people was the best joke he had heard in a long time.
"What are you laughing at, Mr. Tramp?"
Shanks laughed harder at the nickname, it had been an even longer time since he had been insulted by someone who didn't recognize him on the spot and it was as refreshing as it was hilarious. Mihawk had certainly chosen these two children well since they looked strangely like him. Chuckling, Shanks grabbed his left side with his right hand to hold his ribs and the movement caught Zoro's eye.
"Perona...," the swordsman began after recognizing who they were dealing with but was cut off by Perona.
"No! As much as Hawkeyes is a mean old grump, he's the one who feeds us. Are you really going to let him make fun of the man who trains you? You should cut him in two!"
"Oh, I'd like to see him try," Shanks replied, stopping laughing and regaining his seriousness, "I don't think Zoro is ready to face me, not if Mihawk is still training him. Now, If you want to try your luck kid, you're going to have to get through my crew first."
Perona swallowed as she felt the air thicken dangerously and the men around her put their hands on their weapons.
"Why are you so close to Kuraigana, Red-Haired Shanks?" Asked Zoro who remained suspicious and on guard, even when Shanks made no sign to attack them.
Perona hid behind Zoro and he let her.
Shanks shrugged, "It doesn't really matter now that I found you. I can take you to Mihawk, if you want."
"It's tempting…," Perona whispered in Zoro's ear, but she wasn't discreet and Shanks heard her perfectly.
"We're not guiding an Emperor to a Warlord without warning. Especially since Shanks is Hawkeyes' biggest rival."
"I'm not just his rival," Shanks replied, sulking a little, "Mi and I's history goes back to before you were born. Which makes me someone old enough to know that he will be happy to see me. I can't say the same about you, Mi never even spoke to me about you."
The last part was a lie aimed at pissing off the two youngest. A perfect plan thought by a brilliant tactician since it worked perfectly and the two teenagers easily accepted Shanks' offer. Perona and Zoro wanted to know which of the three Mihawk would be the most "happy" to "see".
And if Shanks won the challenge hand down it was probably because he had cheated by choosing to carry two crates filled with bottles of wine to the castle. As for her, Perona had decided to carry all of her bags and had given Zoro the chance to carry all the other bags filled with food. Then, Mihawk, who had met them halfway between the castle and the port, approached the one carrying his precious cargo. Either Mihawk had a strong enough sense of smell to know who was carrying the wine bottles or he had used their bond to guess.
In any case, the blind man walked straight towards Shanks while ignoring the two young people. Mihawk found Shanks' shoulder first before moving his hand down to the wine crates the redhead was holding against his hip. Shanks shivered softly as he felt Mihawk's cold hand touch him more than necessary and he smiled as he saw the elder's smirk.
Mihawk let go of Shanks after making sure the wine bottles were safe with the younger man.
"I deserve some thanks for my effort, don’t you think?" He asked with a cheeky smile that pierced his voice enough for Mihawk to hear.
"You could have left your other two gifts where you found them," Mihawk replied before leaning forward.
Unable to guide Mihawk with his hand so that their mouths met as usual, their noses collided a little. Shanks laughed and Mihawk grunted softly before his hand came to cradle Shanks' face to find his lips and finally, finally, they kissed. The kiss remained chaste and short because of the two young people who shouted indignantly behind them calling Shanks a "cheater", but it was enough for the redhead to forget his doubts if he had been right to come or not.
Also, Mihawk hadn't yet told him to leave, which was a pretty good victory in Shanks's book.
"You're old enough to know better than to bet with a pirate," Mihawk said in his cold, bored voice while placing his hand on Shanks' lower back to guide his guest towards the castle.
Unfortunately, Zoro and Perona were too outraged to drop the subject and they easily followed the couple.
"What did you mean by leaving us where he found us?" Perona asked, putting her hands on her hips while floating next to Mihawk, "I'm indispensable to you! I cook, I clean, and I'm too cute to be abandoned! The only one who should have been abandoned is Zoro, he’s a useless mouth to feed and he stinks."
"Hey! At least I'm not yelling in people's ears like you!"
Shanks was ready to contradict this statement since Zoro had almost punctured his eardrum, but he couldn't complain as Mihawk's hand warmed him and the bickering between the three amused him. Zoro and Perona continued to insult each other while criticizing Mihawk's parental pedagogy who responded from time to time with sarcasm to outrage them even more as they left the scary and dark forest to arrive at the castle just as... scary and dark. Honestly, Shanks couldn't see himself living on this island for a very long time, it was gloomy, abandoned and its atmosphere was unhealthy. Yet it was ideal for Mihawk who flourished in solitude.
The interior of the castle was clean and warm thanks to good insulation and a fire that must have been lit somewhere, but the decoration was equally cold and minimalist. At least Mihawk wouldn't have to accidentally walk into a piece of furniture if there wasn't any furniture in his way. But the blind man knew the castle perfectly and he led Shanks, Zoro, and Perona to the kitchen without getting lost or hitting a wall. Shanks had just placed the two crates on the kitchen counter when Mihawk finally got fed up with the youngests' bickering and gently banged his fist against the granite counter to get their attention.
"Perona and Shanks you clean up the kitchen, Zoro you come with me. Let's try to make this day not completely wasted for your training."
Mihawk intentionally brushed against Shanks before leaving with Zoro behind him.
The kitchen was strangely well-equipped compared to the rest of the castle, it was even modern and luxurious. Shanks would never have believed that Mihawk was a cook, proof that he still had so much to learn about his lover, although he already knew that the swordsman was a gourmet. The red-head stood in the middle of the kitchen not knowing what to do with himself since he didn't know where to put the food, not like Perona who quickly went from drawer to drawer. At least the young woman was bossy enough to give Shanks tasks like putting away boxes and canned goods up high. At one point, his eye was attracted by a pink cereal box that must not have belonged to Mihawk. Having nothing else to do, Shanks returned the box and was disappointed to see that the maze game had already been completed several times given the number of erasures.
"It's my cereal box," Perona informed him, moving closer to the old man, "when he's bored, Zoro tries to help the unicorn find her way out of the maze but he always fails. Look," she pointed to the single blue streak among the sea of black erasures, "even a blind man has a better sense of direction than him. He's ridiculous."
Shanks put the box of cereal back in its place before noticing that they had tidied up the kitchen, "What do we do now? We could go watch them practice..."
"No, that's lame," Perona said before grabbing Shanks' arm and pulling him forward, "you're going to help me carry my bags."'
Perona's room was representative of the young woman: pink and explosive. The large bedroom was covered in fabric of all colors, the four-poster bed had been repainted pink, and stuffed animals were lying here and there. The only explanation for this mess was "Hawkeyes don't come into our rooms".
Shanks sat on the bed while Perona was busy putting away her new fabrics and filling in the blanks about their presence with Zoro at Mihawk's house. She spoke of their respective encounters with Kuma, Mihawk's fellow Warlord, and how they had been alone here before Mihawk's return from Marineford. The two young people having nowhere to go, Mihawk had reluctantly agreed to share his living space with them. More like he adopted the kids just as much as they adopted him but Shanks didn't mention that, instead he asked:
"You like him?"
"Which?" Asked Perona as she tried to find the shade that would perfectly match Shanks' hair to make a plush toy in his likeness. It would be weird if Perona didn't already have stuffed animals shaped like Zoro and Mihawk.
"Hawky."
"Hmmm... I guess so. His nastiness is overrated. Well, he is cold and mean," she added quickly, seeing the small smile on the redhead's face, "but he lets me stay as long as I read books for him."
And then, Perona started a long lament about why she didn't like Zoro and Shanks quietly slipped away to reach the training area lost in the forest. There, Zoro was training with three armed baboons while Mihawk sat gracefully on a tree branch. From his perch, the experienced swordsman criticized Zoro's technique and gave him advice.
"Aren’t you a little too hard on him?" Shanks asked as he leaned against the tree trunk next to the one Mihawk was sitting on, "Zoro is doing well."
"Good isn't enough," Mihawk replied, continuing to focus on his protégé, "imitate me and you'll see."
Shanks smiled slightly before deciding to play the game and he closed his eyes to see the world like Mihawk. He focused on the fight in front of him. First on the sound of the blades clashing. The redhead easily spotted the discrepancy which should not be there ; the fight wasn't as smooth as Shanks initially thought. Then he set his observation haki to the same degree that Mihawk had to use, just enough to see blurry shapes and the obvious immediately hit him.
"Your left foot is in the wrong place, Zoro!" Shanks shouted with amusement and opened his eyes.
Zoro narrowly avoided a sword blade before shouting angrily, "don't start too!"
"Focus, Roronoa!" Hawkeyes barked as he noticed Zoro was starting to lose his rhythm and then he turned to Shanks, "you can only stay if you don't unfocus him."
Shanks smiled as Mihawk's authoritarian tone awakened something in him but he promised to be as good as possible.
In fact, for a good hour, Shanks continued to follow the fight like a discreet spectator as the sun set over Kuraigana, but none of the men were afraid of the dark and the training continued. At first, the redhead watched the fight with great interest. He could understand why Luffy would have chosen Zoro as his second or why Mihawk had agreed to train him. Zoro had the potential to become the world's next greatest swordsman.
Suddenly the idea of Mihawk having a rival strong enough to beat him wasn't so impossible.
Shanks then looked towards his lover, wondering if Mihawk was aware of this reality or not. That he was training his successor and how crazy that idea was. But Mihawk was still so stoic and distant as ever. Knowing the old man like Shanks did, Mihawk must have been aware of that. Except that instead of being on guard, Mihawk was strangely... domestic while his traditional Warlord outfit had been replaced by a white shirt, a cape, and soft black pants that gave him an incredible butt. The only times Shanks had seen his lover be this relaxed was in his presence, but Zoro and Perona had easily won what Shanks had fought hard to obtain.
Mihawk built a house and a family in Kuraigana. None of the three would admit it, but the family dynamic was obvious and easy between them. Zoro and Perona bickered like siblings as they looked up to Mihawk as their father figure who they hated as much as they admired. All three of them needed each other to heal even though they didn't notice it.
And Shanks didn't know what his place was in Kuraigana.
Was he Mihawk's official boyfriend or just his dirty little secret?
Was that how Mihawk felt when Shanks introduced him to Uta without warning by adopting her without asking his partner's opinion first?
Too many questions were running through Shanks' mind that he was surprised when Mihawk jumped off his perch, signaled Zoro to stop his training for today, and grabbed the redhead's wrist to pull him deeper into the forest.
"Are you seriously jealous of Roronoa?" Mihawk asked after sensing this feeling, in particular, coming out through their bond.
"How could I not be jealous when he has everything I ever wanted with you?" Shanks replied, raising his arm to point to the island.
Mihawk raised a mocking eyebrow as he rested his back against the back of a tree, his arms crossed over his chest, "there's nothing between us if that's what you're worried about."
"Wait? What? Do you think I… That you…," Shanks chuckled softly at the scowl on Mihawk's face, "the idea that you might have a 'special' relationship with Zoro never crossed my mind, my love."
"You think I can't seduce him?"
Knowing he would upset Mihawk's ego if he wasn't careful, Shanks moved closer to his soulmate until there was only a small space between their chests, "you're as irresistible as ever, Hawky. But I don't think you're his type, nor is he yours. You're not interested in kids."
"I was in love with a kid once," Mihawk reminded in a softly mocking voice before his arms came around Shanks' neck to pull him closer.
"I'm not a child anymore."
Mihawk smirked, "yes, I noticed last time."
They shared a knowing smile before Shanks invaded Mihawk's personal space to whisper in his ear, "I'm jealous that they have everything I ever wanted for us. A home where we could raise our children in peace. To have you to myself without having to worry about who might be watching us. I have wanted so much more, Mi."
"It's not like I wanted them here," Mihawk replied coldly even as his fingers played with the ends of Shanks' red hair.
"Uh, uh," Shanks said, unconvinced, with a smile that brushed the base of Mihawk's neck, "is that why I sensed your anxiety through our bond, Daddy?"
Mihawk groaned at the nickname, "You got me wrong, I wasn't worried about them, but about the wine. And don't call me 'daddy'."
"Why not? You're older, you have kids now," Shanks gently nipped the base of Mihawk's neck, his knee rising to insert itself between the older man's slender, muscular legs, "and this role is fitting you so damn well."
"Completely ridiculous," Mihawk muttered even though he was starting to get affected by the attention Shanks was giving him, "kiss me, Red."
Shanks grinned as he received the permission he was waiting for, "as you wish, my love."
This kiss was more urgent and passionate than before, their tongues meeting in a wild dance that followed the sole rhythm of their reckless and intense love. Mihawk's arms tightened around the younger man's shoulders to bring him closer, while Shanks' hand gently cradled the swordsman's face. But like the other kiss, this one was interrupted again by Mihawk's "children".
"Arghh! The daddies are kissing!" Perona shouted, grabbing Zoro's arm to shake him, "cut my eyes with your swords. This vision will haunt me forever..."
"What do you want?" Mihawk asked with a look that would have been deadly if he wasn't blind, instead his voice was filled with venom.
Zoro shrugged as much as he could with Perona clinging to him like an attention-starved monkey, "eating."
"You heard the kid, Daddy," Shanks whispered in Mihawk's ear to avoid disturbing the two children even more, "we're hungry."
Shanks' joke got him pushed back by two strong hands and he laughed loudly as he heard Mihawk mutter something unintelligible, but sounding quite angry, before heading towards the castle, the two hungry teens hot on his heels.
*☠️*☠️*
After this first time where Shanks had the right to a delicious meal before being invited to do villainous activities in Mihawk's bed, the red-haired pirate continued to return to Kuraigana during these two long years where Zoro trained relentlessly with Mihawk and where Perona was their cheerleader. Shanks still didn't know what his place was among this unique family and decided that he didn't care as long as he could spend his nights in the arms of his soulmate.
His crew said nothing when Shanks left for two or three evenings at irregular intervals at Kuraigana. They were happy that their captain was happy and had long since stopped fighting the bond between Shanks and the swordsman. But they didn't fail to laugh every time Shanks left with a case of wine under his arm and came back with a hickey on his neck. Shanks was willing to put up with their mockery as long as his crew continued to cover up for his repeated absences from Shin Sekai. He was careful every time but didn't want to draw the attention of his enemies to the small island.
However, during one of his visits, Shanks took advantage of a good evening, cool and dry, to go camping with Zoro in the woods. He had asked Mihawk and Perona if they wanted to join them, but both had preferred the comfort of the castle rather than having to camp under the stars with just a small fire to warm them.
"I'll protect you from predators," Shanks had whispered in Mihawk's ear to convince him.
But the oldest had pushed him away, responding flatly: "you're the biggest predator here."
So, Shanks and Zoro went camping some time after the youngest suffered the injury to his left eye. According to Perona, they were "scar bro", but had more to share than their common injury to their left eye. Including stories about the Straw Hats crew and their crazy adventures and then, Zoro wanted to know things about Mihawk.
"What’s the story of Hawkeyes?"
"His past?" Shanks repeated, frowning slightly, he hadn't expected this question, not after hearing why Luffy had challenged the Marine at Enies Lobby.
Zoro nodded a little, his cheeks pink with embarrassment, "I've been here for over a year, but I still feel like I don't know him."
"Well, Hawky gives that kind of impression, he's quite lonely and withdrawn," Shanks confirmed before thinking about what he knew about Mihawk and his childhood, "even I don't know much about it…," he admitted after going through his memories of the times they had shared stories late at night, Shanks about his past on the Oro Jackson and the importance of religion to Mihawk, "I know that his parents 'abandoned him when he was a baby and he was raised by nuns in a poor little convent. They filled his head with bullshit about death and life. Nothing very happy."
Despite Shanks' warning, Zoro remained curious about that last part, "what did they tell him?"
"That death is just a passage from one life to another like an obligatory ritual," replied Shanks mournfully, now regretting not having brought alcohol with them even though he had promised to respect Zoro's special training, "Mihawk is not afraid of death."
"I'm not afraid either," Zoro replied bravely, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive gesture.
"No, you're not afraid of your own death, that's different. You and I are both afraid of the death of our loved ones, of being the ones who have to survive. You would give your life for Luffy, aren't you?"
Zoro nodded without hesitation and Shanks knew the teen had already done so by the strange glint that flashed in his right eye. He smiled proudly at the reaction of his protégé's Vice-Captain. Luffy sure had surrounded himself well.
"I'm not sure Mihawk would sacrifice himself for me," added Shanks whose red eyes were lost in the flames of the fire between them, "he would be sad, that's for sure. Maybe devastated if I have any luck. And he even treated me after I got my scars. But Mihawk would never intervene in one of my fights. First of all, it would be just as degrading for him as it would be for me, and secondly, it would not fit into his code of respectable swordsman"
"But you are his soulmate…," Zoro pointed out as he was probably thinking of his own soulmate who must be somewhere in this world.
Shanks silently hoped that Zoro would be luckier with his soulmate. He would never trade his relationship with Mihawk for anyone, even for the most beautiful woman in the world or the richest man, but that didn't prevent Shanks from hoping that the other soulmates had a less torturous path to climb before they could love themselves.
"It was an arduous battle to get Mihawk to accept our bond," Shanks confided with a sweet, tender smile, thinking back to all those times when the eldest had refused to hear about their love decided arbitrarily by the universe. "He will perhaps never accept it completely, he is too independent and solitary for that, and deep down, that suits me. I have a responsibility towards my crew, I have no right to run away and disappear with Mihawk. As much as I want to, I would never do it. My crew needs me as much as I need them. I'm still lucky though, if Mihawk loves me it's not because he accepts our bond, but because he loves who I am."
"How do you know if Hawkeyes love you? I've never heard him say...the words...but you say them all the time."
"He's an emotionally constipated old man, much like you," Shanks replied, laughing at the embarrassment Zoro had felt talking about something as easy as love.
Zoro groaned and rolled his eyes at the thought of being compared to Hawkeyes, but the similarities were undeniable that was for sure. The same laconicism, seriousness, passion for the sword, and adoration for alcohol. There were, however, undeniable physical and mental differences. Zoro, even if quite introverted, was attached to a noisy and happy crew, he had decided to heal his wounds with Luffy, while Mihawk would never do that. He was independent, and self-sufficient, and had never turned to Shanks for help.
They were silent for a while, looking at the slowly burning fire before Shanks admitted what had been on his mind for a long time, "yet Mihawk is not suicidal. He is not running to his death, always thinks about everything before acting, and he treats his wounds if he is injured. Since he was little, Mihawk has fought for himself, to become the best. In this case, he is different from us who become stronger to protect those we love. And maybe it's this little difference, this strength that burns in you but was never ignited in Mihawk, that will one day allow you to win against him."
"And you want me to spare him when the time comes?" Zoro asked with a smirk, already imagining himself winning against the powerful Hawkeyes.
"No," Shanks whispered softly, "I won't beg you to spare his life. There is a difference between what you want and what has to happen. I have learned the difference in the harshest way," he added, thinking of Roger's execution; Shanks hadn't wanted it, but it had to happen.
And then, Shanks was aware enough to know what would happen if Mihawk one day learned that Zoro and the redhead had made a deal behind his back to ensure a future for the swordsman. This time, there would be no second chance : Mihawk would hate Shanks forever and maybe even kill himself to prove to them that his death was his choice. Either way, Shanks would lose Mihawk forever. The only choice he had was whether or not his soulmate would hate him when the time came. And Shanks never wanted Mihawk to hate him again, it was too much to bear.
"I just want you to understand the man who's training you," Shanks added looking towards Zoro who had lost his smile upon realizing that the conversation was serious, "Mihawk never imagined himself with white hair. He wants a death worthy of the life he lived, on a battlefield and by someone worthy of being the new best swordsman in the world. He wants the death of a warrior. It's that's why Mihawk's been training since he was a child, to become the best and, in the end, be beaten. Mihawk was even disappointed when no one strong enough managed to meet his demands, I didn't count even when I had both my arms because of our bond, and he finally got tired of waiting so he accepted the Marine's offer so that he would have even more enemies to fight."
Zoro frowned, "this is crazy even for him."
"That's how Mihawk was raised," Shanks replied with a shrug, "He lives by and for the sword and he has long since warned me that he will die the day he loses his title. I'm glad to see that you never thought about what will happen if you win the title."
"I…," Zoro hesitated before admitting, "before, I would have had no trouble killing him, but now… after this year of seeing you together… I hope that if I give him the choice, he will choose to have his life spared."
That was it.
Zoro had understood the lesson that Shanks had wanted to teach him this evening.
Shanks wanted that when the fight came and if Zoro won, then he would give Mihawk the choice to live or die. Certainly, the redhead had sworn not to intervene directly so as not to lose Mihawk in both cases, but he could influence the end of the fight. Shanks was no longer that naive kid filled with hope not after being hurt by Teach, forced to abandon Uta, and almost losing Mihawk. And more recently, Marineford and the death of Whitebeard had put certain things into perspective. If the old man Shanks had known since he was a child could have been killed, then so could he and Mihawk.
Except that Shanks would always fight for his old dream of growing old in peace alongside his crew and his soul mate.
"If you can beat him, this whole conversation is still very hypothetical. Between you and Mihawk, I'll always bet on my love, he'll kick your ass," Shanks said with a smile to lighten the mood..
"I'll kick his ass," Zoro replied with that wide, confident smile that assured him of a bright future.
And Shanks couldn't help but smile too.
Yeah, a glass of alcohol to complement this evening would have been nice.
"For your part, it is in your interest to ensure that Hawkeyes agrees to have his life spared," added the young man, whose only eye glowed with menace.
"I'm sure I had managed to convince Hawky before the loss of his sight destroyed all my hard work, but I sure can do it again."
"Good, because I don't want to kill him," and Zoro's voice reflected the same naivety as when Shanks was young and confidently said that no one would ever be potentially strong enough to defeat Mihawk. He was wrong since this person was now before his eyes.
"But you will, if you have no other choice," thought Shanks bitterly as he had more perspective on this unfair world than Zoro.