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Mihawk relaxed into the chair in front of the fireplace and closed his eyes as he listened to his daughter giggle and talk excitedly about her Christmas presents.
Four years had now passed since the day he decided to adopt Perona and he couldn't be more satisfied with his life.
Since the little girl had entered his life, everything had changed, before her everything seemed so monotonous and too silent.
"Dad!" the little girl exclaimed.
The man turned to his daughter and looked at her in surprise when he saw her angry and dissatisfied expression.
"What is it, Perona?" he asked patiently "Is there one of your presents you don't like?"
Mihawk had always been an honest man, he came from a wealthy family and his title of best swordsman obtained during his sporting career and his fame allowed him to live in luxury, and he was not ashamed to admit to using his money to please his only daughter.
Maybe he spoiled her too much, but he didn't care, Mihawk knew how to command respect and when to tell her no.
"It's almost everything I asked Santa Claus for in the letter" she said, still sulking at him.
"Almost?" he asked, surprised.
He was sure he had bought everything his daughter wanted.
"There's only one present missing" she said "Where's my..."
The child was interrupted by the doorbell.
Mihawk sighed.
It couldn't be anyone but that damned Red.
As always, his timing was impeccable.
"You'll tell me later" he told her, stroking her hair and getting up from the chair "I'll go check the door"
He crossed the corridor and opened the door, ready to blurt out to that Akagami not to disturb him even on Christmas day, but there was no one in front of him.
He looked down and saw a basket with... a baby inside.
He slept peacefully, he was so small, barely covered by a light sheet.
Mihawk wasn't stupid, there was only one reason why anyone would leave a baby in front of someone's house.
He couldn't leave him in the cold, so he grabbed the basket and went back into the house with the baby.
"What's in?" Perona asked as soon as she saw her father come in with the basket in his hand.
"A baby" he replied dryly.
His daughter's eyes immediately lit up and she grinned toothily.
"So Santa Claus didn't forget my present!" she exclaimed, running to hug his legs.
“What present are you talking about?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"The last present that was missing" she said with a smile "A little brother"
His heart sank, but still he forced himself to clarify the situation.
“He's not ours” he said, placing the basket on the floor, where the baby was still sleeping undisturbed.
"He's so cute!" she exclaimed happily "he has green hair, how strange"
"You have pink ones" her father pointed out.
She stuck her tongue out at him and then looked back at the baby.
"What's this?" she asked, pointing to the letter inside the basket.
"A letter, his parents must have written it" he said taking the letter and opening it.
He started reading it.
"Please take care of my grand grandson, his name is Zoro, his parents died in an accident and I am too old to take care of him.
~Ryuma"
He placed the letter on the table and took the baby into his arms, looking at him better.
He was really small, even smaller than Perona had been when he first took her into his arms.
"There's also a photo and some earrings here" Perona said, taking the items in her hands and handing them to her father.
With his free hand, he grabbed the photo.
It depicted the baby in the arms of what must have been his mother and his father at her side.
He turned the photo over and read.
"Roronoa Arashi, Roronoa Terra and Roronoa Zoro"
"So that's your full name, Roronoa," he said to the baby, who ignored him, continuing to sleep blissfully.
At the bottom of the photo he read the date and it must have been the day of the baby's birth.
"He's only five days old..." he whispered "He's just a newborn"
"Why three earrings and not two?" he was interrupted by Perona, who was looking at the three drop-shaped golden jewels with curiosity.
Mihawk turned the photo over again, looking for some clue.
Then he noticed the famous earrings.
Two of them were worn by the father and one by the mother.
"They belonged to his parents" he explained, sitting in the armchair with the baby in his arms.
He took a heavy breath.
And what was he supposed to do now? Should he have handed the baby over to Dadan?
"What happened to his parents?" Perona asked curiously.
"They're gone" he replied vaguely.
"So can we keep him? Please!" she asked him with pleading eyes.
The father sighed.
"Perona, he's not a dog" he explained to her.
"But I want to keep him, he's cute! I want him! I want him!" yelled in tears his daughter.
He was about to scold her when he felt the baby move in his arms and yawn.
Perona's screams must have woken him up.
He slowly opened his eyes, revealing his beautiful gray eyes.
He looked at him curiously and then smiled and stretched out his arms towards him, giving an absolutely adorable giggle.
Something in his frozen heart melted, a warmth crept into his body.
It was the same feeling he'd felt when he held Perona for the first time.
He sighed as he realized that at this point he was trapped, he really couldn't do anything about it, now he would never be able to get rid of the baby.
"We'll keep him" he said finally.
"Yeah!" his daughter exclaimed happily "What's his name?"
"Zoro" replied "Roronoa Zoro"
"Welcome to the family Zoro, I'm your big sister, my name is Perona" she introduced herself to the newborn, who looked at her with a smile, stretching his arms towards her face.
"He likes me" she said proudly and then looked at her father "Merry Christmas, Dad"
Mihawk smiled.
"Merry Christmas, Perona," he said, stroking her hair.
He moved his gaze towards the baby again and gently caressed his cheek with his finger.
"Merry Christmas, Zoro"