Chapter Text
Sitting idly on an island shore, Mihawk polishes Yoru diligently. He works quietly, simply minding his own business. And that is how he stays, until a certain red haired Yonko waltzes his way up to him and sits himself beside him.
The man has a bottle of some type of alcohol held loosely in his grasp. He's been drinking for a while, Mihawk can tell. The man reeks of the stuff.
Neither of them speak. Mihawk continues polishing Yoru as the Yonko drinks himself into an early grave. Quickly glancing in the other man's direction reveals a mask of indifferent calm.
Mihawk speaks first.
"So, how did your meeting with one of the retired Sins go? I take it the Wind Knight treated you well?"
The other man simply rolls his eyes, a lazy smile plastered on his face. He takes another swig, the bottle now more than half empty. The mask is still firmly in place.
"Ha ha, Hawk-Eye. Very funny. It was nothing more than a simple get together followed by an even simpler request."
Mihawk simply raises an eyebrow at the other man.
"Is that so? And I take it they took you up on that request, then?"
The man balks just the slightest bit. There's an edge to his eyes, something akin to insanity. Clearly, he thinks he's still in the clear here.
How foolish.
"Well, yeah! Of course! I'm a feared Yonko of the seas! They'd never say no to me!"
If Mihawk wasn't so dignified, he'd roll his eyes at the statement. What does this man think he is? Some kind of simpleton?
"And what, exactly, did you have to offer them in return, hm?"
The red-haired man pales.
"Huh?"
Unlike a certain red-haired idiot, Mihawk actually did some research. The Wind Knight doesn't do bribes, not in the simple sense. He knows for a fact the other man is already aware of this.
He'd have to be a true idiot to think Mihawk himself wouldn't already be aware of such a thing as well.
"I'm not a fool, Shanks. I did my research. I know that the Wind Knight operates solely on a basis of favors and nothing more."
He is met with deafening silence. One that speaks volumes when it comes to determining just how royally the fool on his left has messed up. Because, as he's certain they're both already aware, while retired they may be, the Wind Knight is already plenty
powerful on their own.
Add in a Yonko that owes them a favor, and you're just begging for trouble.
"How many, Shanks?"
The man will distinctly not meet his line of sight. Oh dear. This can't be good.
"...Three."
Mihawk pauses. How did this idiot get himself so royally stuck in the thick of it? As a Yonko, owing anyone a single favor is begging for trouble.
But three? He might as well be challenging God by this point. Such buffoonery can only be met with equal punishment, after all.
"Shanks."
The other man finally looks at him, then. He looks crazed, as he tries his hands into the air. Miraculously, he still has his mystery bottle, now held in a vice grip.
Any tighter, and there's no doubt it's going to shatter.
"I know, alright!? I know! But they wouldn't do it for one, so I had no choice! They said three, and they weren't exactly in a bargaining mood, and it's not like I had a lot of time!"
Mihawk simply stares at him. Just how foolish can this man get? A simple question, truly, but one he fears he'll never get an answer to.
"They're pirates, Shanks. That's the life they chose to lead. That's the life they chose to live and die by. You, of all people, should know that."
The man grabs a fistful of his own hair with his free hand. The red a stark contrast to the pale skin submerged within it. The man looks about as ragged as he's seen him.
And that's saying something, given the idiot's history.
"I know! And I do! But you've seen how happy that kid makes Luffy! I couldn't just stand by and let him die!"
Mihawk raises an eyebrow at him.
"So, you went out of your way and dragged some poor sod out of retirement just so they could go and do your dirty work for you, is that it?"
The man looks about five seconds away from trying to strangle him. How amusing. The look never gets old, no matter how many times they may part and meet back up again.
"Yes! No! That's not- They could have said no if they wanted to! I didn't make them say yes!"
Personally, Mihawk finds that hard to believe. He's met the other man, after all. He knows how he can be.
"Shanks."
The man goes red in the face. Mostly with rage, but there's an edge of something else in there, too. Mihawk's no fool, after all.
He knows what's going to work by now.
"Stop saying my name like that!"
Mihawk sits silently, simply waiting. All that's left to do now is let this whole thing run its course. The red-haired man will get it out of his system soon enough.
"Fine! Yes! I know I messed up! But what's done is done! Besides, it all turned out fine in the end!"
Raising an eyebrow again, Mihawk stays silent. He's not even going to dignify that with a response. There's no point.
Not only is it not worth it, but the idiot will just go and do it again at some point. It's one of the fool's many nasty little habits. He sees no reason to waste the breath.
Besides, that red-haired idiot has let his damn bleeding heart get him into far worse trouble before. He'll figure it out. He always does.
"It did! Both pirate crews are safe and sound, and the Wind Knight is still alive! That's, like, a grade-A fairy tale ending right there! Tell me I'm wrong!"
Mihawk smirks. He can do that, no problem. It's one of his favorite things to do, actually.
"You are incredibly, horribly wrong."
The red-haired man practically squawks in indignation.
"Mihawk!"
Quietly returning to his polishing, Mihawk must admit to the fact that he can't say the other man is technically wrong. An idiot? Yes.
Always.
But wrong? Not necessarily. Not entirely, at the very least.
"Well... They certainly won't be on their own anymore, that much is for certain."
The red-haired man laughs, sudden and sharp. He's less crazed than he was, but that kind of crazy never leaves. Trust him; he'd know.
"See! There's always a bright side! You just have to look for it!"
As foolish as the sentiment may be, Mihawk can't say that there isn't, at least, a modicum of truth to it. Not everything can be found by simply looking for it, though. A fact they can both attest to.
Some things must be worked for; rebuilt and made anew.
"And if they prove lackluster, then Zoro can simply use them for extra training."
The other man simply laughs again. He looks out towards the water, watching the ebb and flow of the tide as he takes another swig. How that bottle isn't empty yet, even Mihawk can't say.
"Yeah!"
Then, the red-haired man pauses. He blinks, finally comprehending what's just been said. His head whips in Mihawk's direction.
"Wait, no! What the hell!? And you tell me I have a problem!"
Mihawk doesn't smile. He doesn't. But if he feels like smiling, then who's to say?
"Who's the one looking out for their almost-son, now!? Huh, Hawk-Eye!?"
Mihawk can neither confirm nor deny any truth regarding that statement...
"...Shut up, Shanks."
This man. He's as insufferable as ever, and stupid to boot. A combination forged in hell when the devil sneezed on a rogue patch of fungus.
One thing's for certain, though; boredom has met its match. The seas are definitely going to be far from calm for a while yet, thanks to all his meddling. It's only a matter of time before everything comes to a head, truly.
As with all things, patience is a virtue.
That being said, Father Time and Mother Nature have quite the complex relationship. The two work in tandem whilst being at war. The results are going to be nothing short of catastrophic, Mihawk is sure.
How fun.