ASL + U is such an insane group of siblings. Like pick a struggle!!! You either have:
Luffy - Mr.Abandonment issues with barely disguised suicidal tendnecies
Sabo - One 'Luffy Getting Hurt' away from becoming a pyromaniac serial killer
Uta - An actual potential serial killer who takes hallucinogenic drugs
Ace - A SLUT and SUICIDAL and DEAD and a WHORE and DEAD
Mihawk usually spent the least amount of time required of him in the Cross Guild's wild parties, courtesy of Buggy. He showed his face, had a drink and maybe a pastry. The lemon cake was always delightful. Then he quietly took his leave and left the main tent unseen. Buggy and Crocodile learned it was just something he did. He preferred his solitude, so they did not go looking for him.
This time was no different. Sort of. Mihawk left today's gathering because something was off about it. Someone was missing. Mihawk could see it plain as day. The others had yet to notice.
He paused outside the big tent and looked around. Most of the island's residents were currently engaged in the festivities, so it was quiet around Buggy Town. Despite this, there was still no sign of his quarry.
Go to the beach, an inner voice told him.
It may be his instinct, or may be something else entirely, but Mihawk had found himself listening to that voice a lot lately. And it had yet to fail him, because he saw the bright setting sun the single silhouette of the one he was searching for. He began walking up behind the child sitting onnthe beach, the black wings twitching on its back at the sound of his footsteps in the sand.
"Talon," Mihawk said gently as he came to stand next to the seraphim. "What are you doing out here?"
"Nothing," the child answered.
Mihawk had come to know S-Hawk over the recent months since the child mysteriously appeared on the island. This was a clone made from his own being. Their personalities were quite similar as a result. So Mihawk recognized the tone in the boy's simple answer.
"Is something bothering you?"
Talon, as the child was called now, gave a quick glance to Mihawk before turning back to the ocean as the swordsman came to sit in the sand beside him. "I was just feeling weird."
Mihawk raised his brow. "How do you mean?"
Talon was silent for a moment, then replied, "I was just feeling...lonely, I guess."
"Mmm."
Mihawk understood that feeling all too well, despite the crowded island he now called home.
"So you came out here, to be on your own."
"Yes. It's nice here. The ocean is singing again. It's happy."
Mihawk cocked an eyebrow. Regardless of his seraphim traits, sometimes Talon did give the impression of being an odd child. Then again, Mihawk was himself considered an oddity. "I admit, I thought you would be at the party. There is lemon cake. You always enjoy that."
"It was too noisy. And I wanted to see the Green Flash."
Mihawk tilted his head. "Oh really? Have you seen it before?"
"No." Talon brought a hand to twirl around the pendant hanging from his neck. It was an osprey talon encrusted with small jewels. Buggy had presented it to him as a welcoming gift into the Cross Guild Pirates, and S-Hawk decided the word for the bird claw was a sufficient name for a pirate. "Captain Buggy said everyone sees it at least once, and when they do, they get to make a wish on it."
The lower curve of the sun began to sink below the horizon as Mihawk gazed over the water. His eyes glowed a golden yellow. "I have seen it many times. It is quick. It takes focus to see it more than luck. I am gifted the advantage of seeing it moreso than others. And so are you."
Talon looked up at him. "You mean our eyes can see it better?"
Mihawk nodded.
Talon returned his gaze to the water, the same gold burning along a fiery ring of red in his own eyes. "I want to see it."
"I'm sure you will."
The sun was now halfway down. Talon stared at the glistening crests breaking on the beach. Mihawk silently watched with him.
"Mihawk?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think I will ever be as strong as you?"
Mihawk turned to the boy. "I think you are already quite strong like me, little one. That is your purpose."
Talon shifted and hugged his knees a little tighter. "I know. But...what if I don't always want to be strong?"
Interesting. Now Mihawk was silent for a moment before answering. "I've always done what I wanted. I never let anyone hold me back. That path has led me here. You were made to be like me. So, I would expect you to do exactly as I have. Do what ever you want to do. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Your path is just beginning. You get to decide where it takes you."
He saw the faintest hint of a relieved smile twisted at Talon's face.
"Oh. That's good to know, I guess," the boy said.
The top curve of the sun sunk lower and lower. The sky behind them began to darken. The bands of orange and pink on the ocean's horizon intensified in a final peak of color.
Black wings fluttered in anticipation. "Here it comes!"
The last sliver of sunlight vanished and a split second of green luminance exploded across the sky and into the eyes that were keen enough to be waiting for it. A gasp of wonder could be heard as Mihawk bathed his sight with those few milliseconds of the rare green color. When he looked to Talon, there was an even rare smile spread wide across the child's face.
Mihawk couldn't help the little grin twisting at his mouth.
Talon turned his bright on him. "That was cool, huh?"
"Indeed it was. Did you make your wish?"
"Yeah!"
"Well, we shall see if it comes true in time."
The last light faded and the sky turned a deep indigo. Stars began appearing. He could return to the party now. He could go back inside, but Mihawk sensed there was no rush to move from their spot as Talon silently counted each speck of white glittering into view.
He didn't really want to leave right now, anyway.
He could easily sit out here in silence, counting stars and listening to the waves, with his little, yet powerful companion. Talon hummed along with a tune only he could apparently hear. Mihawk closed his eyes, breathing in the cool sea air.
"Mihawk?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I call you Dad?"
His eyes opened. His looked at the child who stared back with the exact same gaze. There was no hesitation. "Of course, little one. I would be honored."
Talon pressed his mouth into a thin smile and his wings gave a happy flap as he shuffled closer. He lay his head on Mihawk's coat, leaning into his side.
Mihawk was frozen still, not knowing quite what to do, but eventually settled on placing his arm over the child's shoulders. They went back to counting the lights in the sky.
There was a pit forming in Mihawk's chest. He distracted himself by searching for constellations. He felt like he should do something, he should say something, at this sudden change in their dynamic.
Though, was it really that big a change at all? He remembered back to when Talon first appeared and how the boy almost instantly earned his protection.
He supposed not.
A sigh relieved some the pressure in his chest. "Look, Talon." Mihawk pointed at the sky. "The edge of that constellation there, that is the Wishing Star."
Talon gazed up at the star with awe. "So that's where it is! Huh."
He then cuddled a little closer into Mihawk's side. "It's okay though. I won't need it."
The pit of pressure in Mihawk's chest became a cannon ball as his eyes blinked away unseen tears.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had an idea for an S-Hawk centric fic and this was my way of getting the premise started. I might focus more on it after I finish Tower of Sand. I just needed to get this little scene out of my head before it mauled me from the inside. If you've read my other fic, The Starlighter, there is a similar theme happening here.
Man I have so many thoughts on the Seraphim and since it's been over a year since their introduction I've had a lot more of them but overall I kinda.. feel bad for them, more than anything else?
No matter how powerful or scary or cool they are, one thing always remains the most important and unforgettable aspect of them.
They're sentient. They're sapient. They're aware and alive. They're people.
Not just people. But children.
They're just children.
And they have to grapple with being the crossover of two terrible things to be.
A clone of someone else, who's life has already been lived and decided by their own terms, and forced to follow it to the letter, and having no fundamental identity independent of them. only footprints of memories that aren't even their own, purely for the purpose of making them better fighters. How can they be anything more than simple variations or derivatives of "real" people? Can they even consider themselves "real"?
A pacifista. A human weapon. No agency. No humanity. Stripped of everything from will to dreams to freedom to even self-expression and forced to follow commands and never ask questions. Like a soldier. Like less than a soldier. Like a tool.
Like a gun.
Vegapunk said that Kuma's lack of free will would force him to obey, even if they asked him to murder a child. But he originally had free will to begin with. Kuma's life as PX-0, a sentient being with no will of his own, nothing more than a passenger in his own body is a nightmare. S-Bear has known nothing but that nightmare since birth.
People said that Doflamingo was born evil, but in reality, his life was shaped by the events he lived through more than anyone in-universe wants to admit. I wonder how S-Flamingo must feel, forced to carry on Doflamingo's legacy as a monster to the core, regardless of how monstrous he himself might or might not be. i wonder if the pressure of being the clone of a demon will cause a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Hancock's worldwide status was one even she did not want. It was a curse she herself learned to turn into a weapon. S-Snake does not even get the privilege of encountering OR weaponizing the curse herself. Already forced into the limelight without warning, and the eyes won't leave. Everyone already treating her like a celebrity, without a chance to even know what it was like to be a person first.
All she can do now is follow the same government that traumatized her origin and forced her to destroy her home.
Similarly, what of S-Hawk? Moreso than any seraph, any creation of the World Government, surely all eyes are on him to succeed. to be the strongest of the Seraphim and a symbol of total global safety. The world's strongest swordsman, new and improved, right? And what if he isn't? What if he's not as strong as Mihawk? What if he never is? What if he can't do it?
And what if he does? What if he ends up even worse than his origin: a bored god sitting on an empty throne with an empty title, with no one left to challenge him?
Jinbei wanted nothing in the world more than discrimination towards Fish-Men and Merfolk to end, to the degree he'd stake his life on it without hesitation. I wonder how S-Shark, a tool of the World Government, partly born from a race nearly extinguished by them, and forced to uphold their fascist, discriminatory rule against his will feels.
If Crocodile's secret is indeed his transgender identity, then what does that mean for S-Croc? At least Crocodile got the opportunity to keep it under wraps, even if some people do know. S-Croc will never get that opportunity, ever. the whole world on him from birth. Will they even let him be.. him? or will they force him to live in a body and identity that not only isn't even his own, but isn't anybody's at all?
and if it isn't, sure! I suppose he won't have to worry about that. but what of his intelligence? his own ambitions? It's said that Crocodile's greatest attribute was his mind, but the seraphim aren't allowed to break from the orders of others or formulate strategies, so S-Croc would be forced to take orders from people less experienced or intuitive. The footprints of a forgotten dream of wealth, fame, power, and freedom still sputter in his chest. A natural-born leader, forced into the role of lowly weapon, emptily paraded as a hero. How pitiful.
And S-Gecko? Always the runt. The last one. The weakest of the bunch. The world government never cared enough to hide their disdain and contempt for Moria. I can't imagine this won't bleed into how they treat S-Gecko. No matter how hard he works, being treated as nothing more than the worst of the best. Being equated to nothing but failure because his origin was one and constantly put down as "obligatory" and only existing at all because they couldn't get a better warlord to clone instead. Sure, he's not traumatized by the loss of his crew like Moria was.
But at least Moria had a crew.
The Seraphim are scary, and they're powerful. They're not naturally-born organisms, and they're programmed to follow the words of the World Government, even if told to kill in cold blood.
