a/n: this js me trying to write ffs, this is experimental and for fun only so expect this ff cringe and oc
tags: sfw, fluff, soft, ooc(?)
masterlist | ko-fi
: đ˛đ ŕšŕŁÂ ࣪ ËâŠŕżŕż đ
SHANKS
You were many things aboard the Red Forceâcalm, sharp-tongued, and painfully unbothered by Shanksâ endless antics.
You were also completely unaware of the fact that the most feared (and flirted-with) captain in the New World couldnât seem to stop touching you.
Not in a creepy way. Not even in a romantic way⌠at least, not that you noticed.
Heâd toss an arm around your shoulders like it was a habit. Rest his hand on your waist when laughing. Tug you into his side when something âdangerousâ happened, like a slightly aggressive breeze or a seagull flying too low.
You just chalked it up to him being Shanks.
Until, one bright morning, the crew decided enough was enough.
It started with Benn Beckman sighing dramatically as he walked onto the deck.
âDo you two need a room or something?â
You blinked from where you stood, arms crossed. âWeâre not even doing anything.â
Benn pointed. âHis hand has been on your lower back for ten minutes.â
Shanks blinked down at his own hand like it betrayed him. âHuh. Didnât even notice.â
You raised a brow. âAre you okay? Do you have tactile issues?â
Lucky Roux snorted as he passed by with a turkey leg. âYeah, itâs called âfalling for someone and not knowing what to do with your hands.ââ
Shanks turned red. You remained⌠utterly unaffected.
âTouch-starved pirate disease,â Lime Juice muttered, jotting fake notes like a doctor. âTragic. Symptoms include: prolonged physical contact, excessive grinning, and spontaneous cuddling in public.â
Hongo popped his head out of the crowâs nest. âI saw him brush your hair behind your ear during the storm last week.â
âThat was because it got in their face,â Shanks defended.
You nodded. âHe didnât want me to get stabbed by my own bangs. Very heroic.â
âYouâre wearing a braid,â Yasopp called from the helm.
A long pause.
ââŚOkay, Iâm not good with excuses,â Shanks muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His hand bumped yours in the process.
You tilted your head, eyes narrowing. âCaptain.â
âYes?â
âYouâre touching me again.â
â...I genuinely didnât notice DAHAHAHA.â
The crew erupted into laughter.
You blinked slowly and glanced down at your joined hands, then back up at him. âYouâve been holding my hand for a minute now. You good?â
âMaybe.â
You stared.
He stared.
ââŚYouâre kinda warm,â he added, grinning.
âIâm wearing gloves.â
âExactly. Impressive.â
You didnât smile, but your voice was flat with dry humor. âYou wanna marry me, too? Get it over with?â
Shanks choked. âWhoaâwhat?â
âYouâre already touching me like Iâm your lover. Might as well commit.â
The crew howled.
âIâm starting to like them more than you, Cap,â Benn said, lighting a cigar.
âTheyâve got more bite,â Lime Juice grinned.
Lucky Roux offered you a celebratory turkey leg like a sword. âYou just proposed better than he ever could.â
You calmly took it, giving a single nod. âThanks. I accept my own proposal.â
Shanks was still frozen. âWait, are we actually engaged now?â
You took a slow bite of the turkey leg, deadpan. âKeep touching me like that, and youâll owe me alimony.â
ZORO
You were minding your own businessâarms crossed, eyes half-lidded, back leaned slightly against the Sunnyâs railingâwhen a familiar weight thunked into your side.
Again.
You didnât flinch, didnât glance, didnât even blink. Just spoke.
âZoro.â
âWhat.â
âYouâre doing it again.â
âDoing what.â
âTreating me like a living chair.â
He grunted. âYouâre stable. And not annoying.â
âThatâs a compliment?â you asked, still deadpan.
âTake it or leave it.â
The crew had noticed. Of course they had. This was the sixth day in a row Zoro had casually latched onto you like a sleepy barnacle.
âOi, mosshead!â Sanji snapped, appearing from the galley with smoke swirling and a righteous fury in his eyes. âGet off them, you clingy cucumber!â
Zoro cracked open an eye. âMake me.â
âOh, I will!â Sanji stomped over dramatically. âY/N-chwaann shouldnât have to carry your freeloading swordsman body weight! If anyone deserves to be close to them, itâs me!â
You raised an eyebrow. âYou literally tripped into my lap yesterday trying to âtie your shoe.â You were barefoot.â
âIt was a metaphor!â Sanji cried. âFor falling head over heels!â
Zoro scoffed. âThat was the dumbest thing Iâve ever heard.â
âSays the mossy limpet glued to their side like a touchy fungus!â
Zoro didnât move. âJealousyâs not a good look, curly.â
âYouâ!!â
âGuys,â Nami sighed, âcanât we go one day without turning affection into a shouting match?â
Brook leaned on his cane, chuckling. âYohohoho! Young love⌠or something!â
Usopp squinted. âWait. Has Zoro always been this clingy with Y/N?â
Robin smiled mysteriously. âSince thriller bark, at least.â
Franky nodded solemnly. âSaw him fall asleep on their shoulder mid-battle once. SUPER unconscious.â
âI thought he was dead,â Chopper added, horrified. âTurns out he was just really comfy.â
Zoroâs grip on your shoulder tightened very slightly, and you finally glanced sideways at him.
âDo you know youâre this touchy?â you asked.
He looked like he wanted to evaporate into the deck. âI⌠just donât mind you being close.â
You blinked slowly. âIs that samurai code for âI like youâ?â
Sanji audibly gagged. âOi! Donât flirt in front of me!â
âWeâre not flirting,â you said.
Zoro mumbled, âMight be.â
Sanji died inside.
âY/N-chwannâ he said gravely, dropping to one knee. âI beg of youâpick me instead! I would never lean on you like a sweaty tree log!â
Zoro growled. âBecause youâd faint from being close.â
âAT LEAST IâD DIE HANDSOME!â
You looked between the two of them and sighed.
âI just want to drink my tea without being fought over,â you muttered, walking offâZoro immediately following, like a shadow with swords.
âYouâre still touching me,â you noted.
âDidnât say Iâd stop,â he replied casually.
You stopped walking, turned, and looked him square in the eye.
âYouâre aware this is very couple-coded, right?â
He blinked, then grunted. âGuess we should make it official then.â
You blinked right back. âThat was fast.â
âWhy waste time.â
You smirked just a little. âRomantic.â
He shrugged. âYouâre warm. And you donât talk too much.â
âThatâs your idea of a proposal?â
âWorked, didnât it?â
From behind you, Sanji dramatically screamed into the ocean.
MIHAWK
Kuraigana Island was a wasteland of stone, wind, and uncomfortable silences. You didnât mind. You were the type to thrive in eerie places â quiet, observant, and allergic to nonsense.
Which is probably why Mihawk didnât bother with small talk.
Or... so you thought.
Lately, the worldâs greatest swordsman had developed a habit of materializing wherever you were. Youâd be cleaning a blade â and there he was, pouring tea. Youâd sit on the crumbling stone wall for some air â and there heâd be, suddenly trimming the overgrown vines right next to you.
At first, you thought it was coincidence.
Until today.
â...You know you donât have to sharpen every one of my knives,â you said flatly, watching him work silently at the bench beside you.
âI didnât,â Mihawk replied, still honing the blade. âOnly the dull ones.â
You blinked. âThat was my butter knife.â
âThen it was very dull.â
From the far side of the ruins, Zoro grunted as he finished a set of squats. âHe refilled their canteen twice this morning.â
âOnce,â Mihawk corrected, still not looking up.
âTwice,â Zoro insisted. âOnce after breakfast. Then again after they just looked at the sink.â
Perona floated down with a snort. âHe also folded their coat. While they were still wearing it.â
You narrowed your eyes. âWait. Is that why my sleeves were shorter for a second?â
âYou had a wrinkle.â
âI always have a wrinkle.â
Mihawk looked up with that unreadable expression. âAnd now you donât.â
Zoro huffed. âWhat even is this? He acts like a butler. But like, a scary one.â
Mihawk narrowed his eyes at him. âIâm not a butler.â
âCouldâve fooled me,â Perona muttered, arms crossed. âYou fixed the strap on their satchel too.â
Mihawk didnât respond to that.
Perona raised a brow. âYou gonna deny it?â
âNo,â Mihawk said coolly, âbecause it was crooked.â
Zoro leaned against a stone pillar, towel around his neck. âHe also moved your seat at the dining table.â
âThat was my seat,â you said.
Mihawk finally gave you a long, side glance. âYouâve sat on the left for the past four mornings. I simply ensured it remained consistent.â
You deadpanned. âYou rearranged the furniture.â
âBriefly.â
Zoro stared. âAnd when they tripped over that vineââ
âI cut the vine before they fell,â Mihawk snapped with a tone just shy of defensive.
âBro. You lunged across the courtyard.â
Mihawk sipped his wine calmly. âIt was in the way.â
You raised an eyebrow. âAnd when you pulled me by the hood into the shade the other day?â
âYou were overheating.â
âI wasnât sweating.â
âYou were blinking slowly.â
You stared. âThatâs just how I blink.â
There was a long pause.
Then Perona gasped. âWait, wait â you also fixed the strap on their scabbard!â
âI adjusted it. The weight distribution was uneven.â
Zoro clapped once, grinning. âSo you are clingy.â
Mihawkâs eyes narrowed, the glint in them sharp and dangerous. âI am not.â
You leaned your chin on your hand, amused. âThen what would you call this?â
He paused. âAwareness.â
Perona lost it. âYou mean hyper-awareness. Of one (1) person.â
Mihawk ignored her. âItâs strategic. I simply ensure you're at your most efficient.â
âThatâs not efficiency,â Zoro said, wiping his forehead. âThatâs doting.â
Mihawk arched a brow. âYou think a swordsman cannot be observant?â
âYou folded their laundry in order of fabric weight.â
âThey prefer it that way.â
You blinked. âI never said that.â
He side-eyed you, expression cool. âYou didnât need to.â
You blinked again.
Zoro grunted. âYou see? Heâs acting like weâre all weird for noticing.â
Perona jabbed a finger toward him. âHe's totally doing the âif I act calm, no one will notice I'm obsessedâ thing.â
Mihawk finally gave a soft, tired sigh â the kind that said you people are exhausting.
Then, turning to you, he asked, âWould you like tea?â
âI havenât said I was thirsty.â
He didnât blink. âYou will be.â
You stared. âAre you psychic?â
âNo,â he said simply. âYouâre predictable.â
You squinted. â...That sounds like flirting.â
Mihawk blinked slowly. âI donât flirt.â
Perona groaned. âOH MY GODââ
Mihawk stood up, cloak sweeping behind him, expression unreadable as always. He held out the canteen like heâd already won this conversation.
You took it with narrowed eyes, muttering, âThanks... I guess.â
He nodded, calm as ever. âYouâre welcome.â
Zoro crossed his arms. âStill denying it?â
Mihawk looked at all of them â then at you â and with perfect poise said,
âIâm just efficient.â
And with that, he turned and walked away.
You stared after him, took a sip from the canteen, and sighed.
for ages, heâs spent countless hours by himself. whether it be during battle, at sea, or simply within the quiet croaks of his castle.
and for a long time, mihawk thought that heâd prefer the silence. that it was better to be alone, as it created less issues. or maybe it was that itâs easier to keep everyone at arms length than let them in.
i guess maybe it was just his lack of trust. how was he supposed to trust anyone in a world like this?
somewhere along the lines, he ran into you.
mihawk can remember the exact moment he laid his eyes on you. it lays vivid in his memory.
beautiful legs that were accentuated by those black strappy heels. a figure of a goddess. lips painted in a dark blood red, tempting him to smear it with his lips and fingers. and most of all, eyes that made him feel like he was drowning in something unknown.
you quickly began to make a mess of mihawkâs life. or maybe his mind. or maybe his heart. whatever it was, mihawk wasnât sure how he survived this long without you.
and today, as he returns home after a cross guild meeting he sees you in your shared bedroom. wearing a black thin silk robe with lace on the edges.
you sat on your vanity. soft music played off the record player. you had just completed your makeup, and were putting on a pair of earrings that mihawk had bought you for your wedding anniversary.
mihawk got drunk off the sight of you. divine creature, bewitching his mind, body, and heart.
how could this feeling be real.
within a moment, you noticed mihawk staring at you through the mirror.
âdracule,â you said breathlessly.
you turned your head to face him. his gaze was so sharp, always so laser focused. and it made your heart thump.
sometimes itâs hard to believe this is real.
mihawk walked closer to you. he reached out for your hand, slowly pressing a soft kiss.
mihawk thought he didnât understand what soft meant before you. he thought everything in life was supposed to be done harsh and rough. but with something as delicate as you, how could he be anything but soft?
you were the reason for every breath. you were the reason for the end of every battle he fought. you were the reason he fought carefully. you were the reason he saw good.
deep down, you were the only thing that kept him bound to the world.
âi say we skip this gala, darling wife,â
âand what do you propose we do instead?â
you were both standing now. you stood so closely together, eyes intently staring at each other. his hands lay tight on your waist, as if you were his anchor.
in turn, you placed both of your hands softly on either sides of his face. it grounded both of you.
for a moment, mihawk really didnât think.
i mean how could he, when his eyes were locked on yours. pools of thoughts and lust weâre gathered in his mind.
âdracule?â
mihawk softly placed his head against yours. and he began to move slowly, so that you both ended up dancing to the melody playing softly.
and in this moment, mihawk could only think of one thing. how incredibly lucky he was.
ę° Ë⧠˰ đ˘Ö´ŕťđˇÍÖ ŕź Ë ęą Being a marine your duty to serve the government would always come first. Whether that was to your friends or family you would always have a clear priority in mind. A shame that your soon to be husband disagrees with this notion.
ę° pairings! ęą yandere! shanks x reader! & yandere! mihawk x reader! ( separate )
ę° author's note! ęąŘ : Decided to try my hand at a darker love story and was pretty satisfied how it turned out! Originally the reader wasn't supposed to be as toxic as they are but I just couldn't help myself lowkey.
â Red-haired Shanks
Being a Vice-admiral was rough on the soul. Having to deal with paperwork, annoying criminals that only knew how to cause trouble, and of course having to handle an overbearing Yonko.
So, maybe you did bring the last one down on your head. But who could blame you? Being the apprentice of Garp the Hero meant being exposed to a wide variety of pirates of the great era. Amongst the most important were the Roger Pirates, of course. Which was probably when you first laid your eyes on the bright bundle of red hair who was staring into your soul from behind the dock. It had not been something all that interesting to you at first. Matter of fact you dismissed it as something not worth your time, and instead focused on proving your worth to your mentor.
( Many would argue that bringing a child to a fight against one of the more notorious pirate crew would be insanity. However, you would argue that you turned out pretty well all things considered and it certainly wasnât that bad )
What you didnât consider was that such a cold dismissal had sparked something in the future captain of the red haired pirates that you would never quite be able to extinguish.
Shanks would after this moment repeatedly seek you out much to Buggyâs chagrin. It was like watching a moth desperately chase a flame â and try to fight it?
Well, when youâre raised in a pirate ship your whole life things may become a little warped in terms of behaving normally. For Shanks who had seen Roger fight Garp his whole life and call it âfriendly roughhousing' it wasnât too unexpected that he would copy what he saw.
This being going after you every time he saw you to fight as a way to get your attention. It baffled you at first â as you had believed the two cabin boys did not participate much in combat. Only to have to dodge a punch to your face in a normal afternoon. But you werenât the one to backdown from a challenge, not back then and not even now. So you gave it your all right back to the scrawny red-haired boy that always seemed eager to chase after you.
What you didnât know was that Shanks had surprised the whole crew by going after you. Their young protege had not been someone who sought after fights. Rather he dealt with them if they came to him or to his friend. So, seeing him be so eager to run after Garpâs young apprentice had left many scratching their head in confusion.
But not their Captain. The future king of the pirates had simply stared after Shank who seemed to be almost jumping in anticipation to see you again and laughed himself silly. Afterwards, it seemed that Roger left Shanks to his own devices when Garp was nearby, and if anybody asked he would simply shrug and call it âyoung loveâ
The intensity of the so called âyoung loveâ was upped by a hundred after the execution of Roger.
A day that would be engraved in the red hairedâs memory for two reasons. The death of the man who raised him, and your presence. It had been a surprise to see you wondering around in the execution â Shanks didnât think Garp would have let you witness the gory parts but perhaps he was mistaken.
Not that he had much time to think about what Garp was doing after being rejected by his closest friend under the rain. Shanks felt the rain seep into his clothes, and he couldnât bring himself to care. The streets seemed to be empty, and he had forgotten where exactly Buggy had run off to. He felt too numb to acknowledge the tears dripping down his face as he stared down at his hands.
Until a hand grabbed his hand and brought him into an unsure hug. You had seen Shanks take off onto the distance and worried for someone you had considered a friend you took after him. Only to find him drenched by the rain like a pathetic cat that was thrown away.
You werenât someone usually moved by pity, but to see someone who was usually so bright and cheerful drenched in rain looked like his life had been drained away did move your heart just a little.
However, if future you could go back into the past and stop you from comforting Shanks without doubt you would have done it without hesitation.
Because this very moment would give birth to your biggest headache know to earth.
Shanks became almost obsessive with how much he had started checking on your whereabouts. Sending you parts of the treasure he would obtain with his start up crew, and talking his crewâs ears off when it came to you. What had once been an innocent, albeit persistent, puppy love had snowballed into a possessive devotion from one of the strongest pirate this new era had ever seen.
And you? Well, initially you found it amusing. It was funny to think a pirate had fallen in love with a marine whose job was to bring the guillotine down on his head. A situation that would probably make him the butt of the joke in many places.
In the back of your mind you could admit that you held some sort of affection for the pirate that you deemed pathetic. However, the bigger part of you knew that most of the indulgences you let him take was to boost your ego. Having someone like him practically begging at your feet for your attention? Who wouldnât be flattered?
But perhaps you had forgotten that you should never feed a stray dog; they always keep coming back for more.
So, perhaps you started indulging him. Perhaps you let him into your bed to have a good time with him. But who could blame you when whimpered so pretty? Batting his eyelashes and leaving his shirt unbuttoned every time he came into your bed at night. Clinging into you and shedding tears every time he wishes to sway you into keeping him longer by your side.
But at the end of the day. You were a marine. Somebody who shouldnât let their affairs with a nefarious pirate get in the way of their job or a good relationship with a trustworthy civilian or fellow marine officer. Which was why you didnât assume that Shanks would take it too personally when you started seeing other people. After all, it wasnât a serious arrangement for you so why should it be one for him?
And the one day he found you indulging a young officer who had gifted you a bouquet of flowers to ask you out. Shanks, disguised as a marine, stared down with a blank look on his face at the marine who had pink cheeks and stuttering words, and then looked at you who had an amused smirk in your face while accepting the flowers.
His hands dug so deeply into the tree he was hiding behind that it caused a hole to be blasted into it.
Rage didnât cut what he felt after seeing this. Neither did betrayal. What he felt was more easily compared to somebody reaching inside his chest and holding his heart tight enough that it caused death from pain.
The confrontation afterwards did not do him any good either.
âWho was that you were with?â Shanks asked as he cornered you in your office while staring daggers at the flowers you held in your arms with a detached look on your face.
Walking past him you gently set your flowers down on the table and took off your coat and shrugged nonchalantly.
âA nice recruit â truly kind of him to be looking out for me donât you think?â You asked with a low chuckle. Shanks felt his eye twitching at the sheer rage he was experiencing and grabbed your shoulder so he could look straight into your eyes and twisted you around.
âReally? Thatâs all you have to say? A nice recruit? He was obviously asking you out!â You had never seen him quite like this. Shanks seemed to be loosing his grip on his temper as he stared at your unbothered face who seemed to find no issues with the situation.
âSo what?â You said as you attempted to shrug his hand of your shoulders and put some distance between the two of you. Only for him to dig his hand more deeply and drag you back closer to him, âWhat we have is nothing serious. Especially with both of our positions.â
Your words seemed to have stunned him. Something you didnât really understand. Thinking that he may have simply having one of his possessive streaks again you placed your hands in his waist and dragged him closer until both of your hips were touching one another.
âWhatâs wrong Shanks? Donât tell me youâre jealous?â You asked with a lighthearted smile not noticing the way his haki seemed to be loosing control.
âReally, youâre thinking too much about this. Iâll still be seeing you, okey? But I need to start thinking about a relationship that will help me out.â The implication that this relationship that you both had was only dragging you down was not lost to him.
His hand slowly moved down until they rested on the hem of your shirt. And rested his head on your shoulders as the cogs in his head started turning.
âSo thatâs what you need, huh?â He muttered into your shoulders while slowly placing kisses on your neck. His hand moved down to get rid of the buttons that held your shirt together to place his hands on your chest, âSomeone thatâs strong?â
You chuckled and assumed this was just another conversation like the others you had before.
âNot only that. Someone thatâs strong would help me in terms of reputation would be nice.â Now you were just talking about an unlikely fantasy. Getting with someone that was strong and had a good reputation? Unlikely.
Thatâs not what Shanks heard, though. He now knew that you would only seriously take his advances if he was strong enough that everybody would think twice before attacking him â or anybody under his protection. You let your shirt fall onto the ground, and spun both of you over so Shanks could rest against the wall while you leaned closer to him to press a kiss in his lips which he returned eagerly.
And then he smirked with a dark glint as he entangled his hands onto your hair. Already imagining a bright future for the both of you. If it included you without your white uniform then that was something that only he needed to know.
Months later his visits had started to decrease, and you had no doubts as to why. Everybody had heard about Shanksâ more active fights in the Grand Line, and the new world. Challenging pirates who had a strong standing to defeat them then taking their territory under their flag so fast it could be considered a sport. What you hadnât expected was for Shanks to eventually clash with a Yonko and win. The marines around you were in a frenzy after hearing that there was a new Yonko, especially with the strong skills he was showcasing.
Many were expecting a bloodbath to start occurring with the new pirate having such a grand tittle.
You held no such worries. Shanks? Shanks who begged on his knees for you to let him sleep over? That Shanks?
And perhaps you had let the version of him in the bedroom and your personal life cloud your mind as to how much of a menace he could be. Which was why you hadnât been bothered when you had been assigned to the New World.
Until you had woken up to Shanks lounging in one of the roomsâ chairs that was placed next to your bed. You startled yourself into a sitting position as you yelped. Your heart thumped in your chest as you looked at Shanks who greeted you with an easy smile and a wave of his right hand.
Ignoring your widened eyes he widened his smile and leaned forwards to be closer to you.
âItâs been a while! Iâve missed not seeing you so regularly.â He had the audacity to pout at you as if you both were old friends catching up.
You blinked rapidly at him almost sure that you could blink him away from reality.
âShanksâŚ? What are you doing here! If somebody catches you â â You whispered with urgency as you yanked his shirt closer to you to shake him around. He chuckled with mirth as he let himself be yanked around. A lovesick glint in his eyes which you failed to notice became more prominent.
He gently placed his hands on top of yours, and rubbed his thumb across your hands who tightened their hold on his shirt.
âIâve missed you.â He repeated his previous stamens as if that was enough to explain what he was doing here. In a guarded marine base that had more than just the average security.
You furrowed your eyebrows with annoyance now rising in the face of his nonchalant attitude. But just as you opened your mouth to rip him a new one a loud explosion rattled your bedroom and left you in a flight or fight mode.
You snapped your neck back to Shanks who sighed with annoyance and muttered, âReally, those guys donât know how to take it easy.â
His tone resembled a child whining over spilled ice cream and you couldnât help but look at him with an open mouth.
âI need to go!â You shouted as you attempted to run towards the door and figure out who exactly was attacking the base ( although in the back of your mind you were suspicious of who exactly was behind this ) but before you could get back a hand sneaked round your wait and dragged you back to bed.
You snapped your head back to shout at Shanks only for him to also move on the bed along with you and sit on top of your hips to keep you immobile.
âShanks! Just what do you think youâre doing?! The base is ââ Just as you were about to attempt to leave again he placed one of his hands over your mouth to silence you and smiled down at you. For the first time since youâve met him you couldnât help but think that it looked quite sinister with the moonlight shinning down on him.
âDonât be silly.â He tutted with the grace of someone chastising their pet for misbehaving.
âIâm the one who called this attack!â Shanks stated with closed eyes as his smile widened. He pressed down more harshly onto you as you attempted to get rid of his constricting hold.
âAfter all, you were the one to tell me you need someone strong right? Who better to do that than a Yonko.â
âWas this man nuts?â You thought as you stared back at him. Who could your words have been twisted into this?
However what you didnât quite understand was why your limbs were becoming more sluggish. It was as if an invisible weight was pressing down on you. Your hands were they were attempting to push Shanks away only for them to loose their strength and become more of a light touch than an actual attempt to escape.
âDonât worry, I understand this may be new to you but I think itâs time we both move forwards with our relationship.â Shanks stated as he let his hand fall away from your mouth and instead move to pet and caress your hair.
âBut I already did what you wanted you know?â He whispered at a lower volume like a secret between the two of you, âI think itâs time we both do what I want.â
â Mihawk Dracule
You were one of the top contestants for the open position of CP0. A marine who specializes in covert operations and gathering of information. It truly was your speciality.
But perhaps your own strength dragged you too close to the sun. The reason for this? Your most recent target had been Dracule Mihawk, and your part of the mission had gone exceptionally well. Everybodyâs else part? Not so well.
A rising swordsman who had been terrorizing anybody who he deemed a âworthyâ swordsman was more of a pain than your marine higher ups realized. This man was know was Dracule Mihawk and he seemed determined who challenge anybody who he deemed challenge worthy. However, he didnât seem to show any mercy onto anybody who got on his way either. Which was why seven marine warships had been lost to his ire. This swordsman seemed to challenge anybody who crossed his path that was strong indiscriminately. Whether it was marine, revolutionary, or even a bounty hunter.
And it had become a problem faster than anybody expected. Which was why you were dispatched. Before making another reckless decision your boss decided that gathering information regarding the manâs weakness would be beneficial for the marines. Going as far as to offer you a promotion if this mission went well.
With eagerness you accepted and started planning how to make contact with your target.
Thankfully for you there was an edge you had over other agents that would make it more likely for Mihawk to approach you.
Your swordsman skills.
You certainly werenât worthy enough to be put in the level of an admiral but your skills are regarded as one of the best in the marines.
Which was why you decided to take a simple route of approach and challenge him to a duel. Although you doubted you could defeat him without serious injuries, a duel would be easier to control rather than a battle to the death.
And it was a success.
This man had accepted your duel and won just like you expected. However he seemed quite eager for a rematch. Claiming that you could better than that. The fact that he realized that you were holding back was a suprised, but not an unwelcome one. As you twisted it into your favor to keep yourself closer to him for a while longer.
âAh! I recently got into a little spat with some pirates so Iâm not in my best shape.â You mentioned offhandedly noticing how his eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the idea of his opponent not being in their top shape when fighting him.
âCould I buy you dinner as an apology?â This was supposed to make you look a little pathetic and not much of a threat. After all, what type of person invites their opponent for a drink after loosing a fight? However, you had not expected for him to actually ponder it silently then nod in acknowledgment.
As he sheathed his sword you were left a little out of your depth as you realized that this man who had started to become feared across the four seas had accepted to eat dinner with you. It was almost enough to make you smile in victory. Almost.
So, that was how your afternoon went. You invited Mihawk to a nice restaurant in town to eat alongside you. Although, you hated to admit it this was more enjoyable than you had realized. You expected a man who would boast of his accomplishments to his opponents to boost his own ego. Instead, you met a man who was surprisingly thoughtful and not that bad of a company.
A shame he wasnât a marine. You would have loved to take him out on an actual date. But duty calls so instead of lamenting your losses you upped your own act to make it obvious in what sense you were interested in him.
A light touch on his upper arm, a laugh that was just a little too eager, and your body resting just a little too into his personal space to be a coincidence. At the end of the night you had given him your Den den mushi number with the clear expectation of making this a reoccurring event.
However, just as a precaution you mentioned offhandedly that in a couple of days you would be in your top shape and you wouldnât mind a second round.
Under the moonlight at night, your vision must have failed you because you could almost fool yourself into believing you had seen a ghost of a smile in his face. But in the next second after you blinked it was as if nothing had occurred so you shook it off.
While Mihawk went back to his boat looking a little more at ease you went back to a private room to report your findings to your superiors. And your positive progress of the mission. Depending on the information you brought throughout the mission was what the end goal would be. Whether that was ambushing the swordsman or recruiting him was none of your business. As long as you committed your mission correctly you did not care for anything else.
And just like you expected a couple of days later you received a call from the infamous swordsman. Who demanded your presence like a king did for his jester.
âDemanding arenât we?â You teased as if you both were old friends. A smile on your face as you waved at the outlaw in front of you who seemed to be waiting under a palm tree with his arms crossed.
Once he saw you he grunted in acknowledgment and rolled his eyes, but didnât correct you or make you stop your teasing behavior.
âYouâre late.â He stated as he raised an eyebrow before turning his back on you to start walking towards the field both of you would be clashing at.
You chuckled good heartedly and followed him while making idle chat. Taking any comment he didnât ignore as encouragement that progress was being made.
âAnd this is the cold-hearted swordsman everybody fears?â You thought with a secretive smile as you stared at his side profile. Deciding not to mention that he had purposely arrived earlier at the meeting spot.
This back and forth continued occurring. A spar between the two of you would occur and then you would spout an outlandish excuse as to why you both needed to clash again, and he would accept it. Of course these would always end with you dragging him somewhere to visit or eat at. It was almost baffling to you with how much he let you get away with. Taking him by the hand like you both were lovers, buying him clothes for him to wear, and even demanding him to help you get better with the sword.
Eventually it would all reach a new level when the weather became harsh enough that your spoken worries of sickness would sway him enough to stay at a hotel with you over night. One that just so happened to only have one room left with one bed.
And perhaps you let your hand trailed long enough to imply something, your smile may have become more seductive, and your words took a more suggestive tone to them. Enough so that once you both got to the room he didnât stop you when your hand trailed to the back of his neck. Or when your lips touched his throat in a slow manner, and perhaps he was also looking forwards to this with the speed in which he let his clothes fall onto the ground.
You took him by the hand and lead him to the only bed that was present in the room. Slowly pushing him down until you were straddling him and intertwined your hands together to place them in your waist. Taking note of the soft pink hue that appeared on his cheeks you leaned closer until your mouth was next to the shell of his ear.
âIâve been looking towards this for a while you know?â You mentioned like you were commenting on the weather and not about having your way with him.
Mihawk grunted and shifted his hips to be closer to yours and muttered in a tone that if you didnât know any better would call bashful, âIâm aware.â
You chuckled and started trailing kisses down his throat.
âAnd you just let me? Were you that eager to see me chasing after you?â You muttered in a low volume with the intent of teasing him. Keeping a keen eye on the way he momentarily looked away and cleared his throat with some fluster.
âItâs okay â I quite liked it.â You whispered like it was a secret between the two of you nobody was allowed to know. And just for this night you let yourself think you both were lovers that were simply taking the next step in your relationship and that you werenât on a mission to ruin him by the marines.
What you werenât aware of was that Mihawk was by far a hesitant man. Taking more drastic measures with those who started getting in the way of your time together. Marines who he would usually just gravelly injure started getting killed, and pirates that gave him too long of a glance while looking to fight would get beaten down without time to showcase their skills. Something that he previously avoided doing to savor the clash between swords. He had almost become a mad dog since meeting you.
Which was all that the marines needed to know to believe that he couldnât be reasoned with and should instead be put down before he became a bigger issue.
This was the order that you received a week after you spent your first night with him. And like the good soldier you were you followed through. Not before giving him a last kiss on the cheek. Which he wouldnât know would be your so called âgoodbyeâ kiss.
Your new task? Get him to go to a remote island to be ambushed by marine personnel. Of course, you wouldnât personally fight him head on. Rather your invitation to another spar would drive him to go to this specific location where he would be ambushed and put down for good.
Your mission was deemed a success up to that point. Everybodyâs else? Not so much.
You wouldnât only be made aware of this once your personal Den den mushi started to ring in the middle of the night. Assuming it was your boss you responded like you had been programmed to do so.
âMarine officer reporting to dutyââ
âCute.â A low voice muttered through the connection device which was not your boss. This voice was one you had made cry out in pleasure and had become familiar with through the span of months. The voice that had filled you with warmth now only filled you with cold, cold dread.
ââŚhow did you get this number?â You questioned with as much professionalism you could inject into your shaky tone. The person across the line made a âtskâ sound as if he was chastising you for such a foolish comment.
âPerhaps we should ask the man who had this transporter snail.â The man who you knew as Mihawk stated with a flat tone that did wonders to hide the rage that was coursing through his veins, âHowever, he is incapacitated at this moment.â
He commented as if what your superior was going through was a common cold that made it difficult for him to speak and not his limbs being amputated from his body in a cruel manner that had left him in suffering for as long as possible.
âMihawkââ Your sentence got cut off by the swordsman who started speaking with a tone that was as sharp as his sword.
âI thought that what you needed was time.â He mentioned while making a clean slash of his sword to get rid of the blood that was now coating Yoru. Surrounding him were the leftovers of the eight warships which had attempted to take him down. Wood splattered across the floor from the slashes he made to the so called âimpenetrableâ ships. Alongside were the bodies of hundreds of marine officers alongside two vice admirals which had underestimated just how much of a hassle it would to take this swordsman.
Mihawk started taking some steps onto the shore while efficiently avoiding the bodies that were still twitching in the ground, âI am not a fool, and I do not enjoy being made one.â
Before you could speak Mihawk continued talking and his next words would leave you petrified.
âFrom the start I was aware you were a marine. I am not unaware of what goes behind the close doors of the marines â I simply do not care for it.â Your mouth was left opened in disbelief at what you were hearing through the phone.
âI let you keep your charade because I knew your guilt was the only thing keeping you back from being truthful.â He muttered while slowly turning his blank face into a frown that you had never seen before aimed at you.
âI let you into my bed believing that it would be the last step you would need to give yourself completely to me.â Like a man who wasnât used to being wrong his words seemed stilled as if they didnât want to completely leave his mouth.
âHowever, this?â You didnât have to see what he was pointing at to know what he was referring to. You closed your eyes and put your hands in your head at the absurdity of the situation. You? Feel guilty? What type of nonsense was he spouting?
âPerhaps I let your leach be too wide. Iâll make sure to certify such mistake.â You almost sputtered with indignity. You? Having a leach from the man who allowed himself to be dragged around like a well trained dog? It was ridiculous!
âSo Iâll give you one warning,â You were tempted to interrupt but you felt as if you would greatly regret it in the future if you went through it, âYou can hide as much as you want, but Iâll hunt you down and make those around you pay for this betrayal of yours.â
You gulped with trepidation after hearing the promise in his tone, and you were left without leg to stand on in this situation.
âMihawk, sweetheart â canât we talk this out? I know this looks bad, but surely this is too much for this type of situation.â You were grasping straws and you knew it. There was no way you could turn this in your favor. The mission had completely failed and Mihawk now had a personal vendetta against you and possibly the marines.
âIs that it?â, He asked with an entertained tone of voice you doubted was completely without anger, âPerhaps I should teach you a thing or two about begging for forgiveness. Do not fret Iâll make sure to be throughout once I find you.â
Those were his last words before he hung up on you. Leaving you with tremors in the hand that you had be holding your Den den mushi with. It was as if his presence had filled your room for a moment. A finality on his words that let you know he would make sure they were made a reality. You couldnât even comfort yourself with the promotion you were going to get. Having a sinking feeling in your gut that this was far from over.
And you were unfortunately right.
Mihawk made himself notorious for the marines. Making sure to hunt down anybody that wore the white uniform and efficiently taking care of them albeit cruel enough to leave many begging for mercy.
There was no place in the four seas that was safe from his wrath. Nobody that was not part of the mission knew what exactly the marines had done to earn his wrath.
The government had lost thousands of marines alongside millions of berries with the damage that Mihawk had cause every time he was spotted. It was bad enough that the Fleet Admiral had to get involved. Unsurprising, as he had been the one to reccomend your boss to deal with Mihawk.
His solution? Offer Mihawk Dracule a position as a warlord. A position that was denied for months until a second clase was offered. Which by that point the damage had become severe enough that he had been recently called, âThe strongest swordsman in the four seasâ.
So what type of clause could they offer to make him consider the offer of becoming a warlord?
You.
Even to get such a strong asset into their hands the Marines refused to completely hand over an officer to someone that was considered an outlaw.
So the solution? You would become a supervisor of the swordsman. Glorified babysitting is what some would call it. A date with the guillotine is what you would call it. Worse part of this? There was no other position you could go to while being the supervisor of a warlord. It was impossible to leave the job as he would accept nobody else and as a result resign the position. You were in a cage and you had were becoming keenly aware that it seemed to have no door.
So, you accepted your task with none of the joy that the Pirate King seemed to have at his execution. What can you say? Not everybody was excited to meet their end.
As you walked back to your office you couldnât help but drag your feet along the way. Knowing that you would get one week before having to meet with Mihawk, the bane of your existence.
You opened the door and closed it with the speed of someone who had the devil on their toes. Which wouldnât be too far when you consider the situation you found yourself in.
However just as you did that your chair spun around to reveal Mihawk. Who was calmly nursing a glass of wine ( your wine ) and sitting down with the grace of someone who belonged there.
For a second you stared at each other in silence. Before you attempted to sprint back out from your office only to stop last minute as Mihawkâs words reached your ears.
âTake a step out of that door and only you and I will be left alive by the end of today.â He stated with the calmness of someone who knew that there was nobody in this building who could truly pose a challenge to him. The admirals were nowhere near and neither was the fleet admirals. Those who were in this building were of less ranking than a vice admiral. You were truly trapped.
âMihawkâŚâ You muttered with apprehension as you saw the sword that was resting on his lap.
âItâs been a while hasnât it, beloved?â He stated with a small quirk of his lip. You had no doubt that he was finding sadistic amusement from this. Before you could answer he continued as if you had responded.
âI am a man of my word at the end of the day so I thought I should start your lessons early.â Your body shuddered at the implications of his anger being directed at you, âSo, how about you start your apologies by getting on your knees?â
Although he worded the sentence as a question it was the furthest it could be from it.
And you were keenly aware you would never get away from this man unless he killed you first.
*slaps the sunny* this baby can fit so many traumatized characters in it
Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116