Archive of Our Own ^beta

I'm not dead. Well at least I don't think I am.

I don't remember much from my early childhood. I never knew my parents. All I knew was that I was from Shimotsuki and I wanted to be the world's greatest swordsman. 

I wandered from dojo to dojo. Until I made it to Isshin Dojo. I was only ten at the time. I challenged Sensei Koushirou, the owner and teacher of the dojo. Instead I was put up against his daughter. I was easily defeated. 

Kuina. She was my first friend. We trained and fought together. At the time I never understood why people laughed or scoffed at her. She was a great swordsman for her age. It wasn't until our 2,001 fight that I understood. 

I thought it was insulting that she thought like that. She thought she would never be as strong as a man. All because she was a girl. 

I made her promise to not give up. That we would both train harder and become stronger. That one of us would become the world's greatest swordsman.

If she was still alive, she would've gotten that title before me. And she would have been delighted to know he would not have treated her any different than a man who challenged him.

And she wouldn't have had to face death like I did.

Around sixteen I left the village. I killed pirates to make a living. I didn't plan on being a bounty hunter. 

But that's what I became. The demon pirate hunter.

Someone who is now dead.

I don't regret what I did when I was nineteen. That marine captain's son Helmeppo had no right to treat people the way he used to. 

I knew I probably wouldn't have survived. Not even the strongest willed people can survive long without food or water.

I would have died if it wasn't for him.

I thought he was an idiot. But he had a dream like I did. Luffy understood that i would do everything to get my dream just like him.

Joining as the first mate of his crew was the best decision it made.

We became quick friends. Nothing was ever dull. 

Nami, Usopp, Curly Brows. A navigator, a snipper, a cook. 

We helped each other. We kept each other safe. First was Captain Buggy, It's where we ran into Nami. though she didn't officially join yet.

I never let anyone know, but he scared me. He was a swordsman's worst nightmare.

Then Usopp With Caption Kuro. He was a coward but a damn good shot.

Then him. Sanji. Curly brows was… something. I didn't realize at the time why he interested me. But I didn't have enough time to think before the man I would kill showed up.

I should have died. But he saw something that peaked his interest. I was so far away from even being close to his level. I needed to train harder.

To this day I still don't know how I survived the fight with the Arlong pirates. I lost too much blood but lived.

At Loughtown I fully knew I made the right choice joining luffy. I could so clearly see him being the pirate king. 

In the Grandline we meet many people. Some enemies, some allies. One was Vivi. She is an honorary Straw Hat. I wonder how her kids are doing.

We met Chopper. He was our Doctor, a reindeer who ate the human-human fruit. He's cool. 

Luffy had an older brother who we met. He was surprisingly normal. He was the second division commander of the whitebeard pirates. It was the only time we ever met him.

Luffy defeated a Warlord and we freed a country. We parted ways with Vivi. But gained a new crew member. Nico Robin. At first I didn't trust her. But grew to. 

So much happened. The sky islands are real and Gol. D. Roger was there. We fought CP-9 at Enies lobby to free Robin. Met Koby and Helmeppo again. Learned that Luffy's Grandfather was Garp and his dad was Dragon. Got a new ship and a shipwright named Franky who's part cyborg that runs on cola. 

We made a new crew member when we were in the Florian Triangle. A musical skeleton swordsmen. Brook ate the revive-revive fruit. He can hold his own in a fight pretty well. And if it wasn't for him we would have all lost our shadows. 

Also fuck Absalom.

But Kuma appeared. Another Warlord. He could take luffy pain away, but it had to go somewhere. Me and the cook were the only ones still able to fight. He tried sacrificing himself. I didn't let him.

Sanji knows nothing happened.

We were supposed to meet up in three days when the marines came to Sabaody. 

I couldn't defend myself. I was too weak. I should have been left for dead.

I woke up in a castle covered in bandages with that ghost girl nearby. She was one of Morias crew members. All she knew was that this place seemed to be taken care of. But not who lived here. It was just us for a while.

I learned that Luffy was still alive. That we were to meet up after two years. I hope he's doing well. I know what it was like to have someone you care about die.

We found out who lived here I tried to leave. But kept getting lost. We were both allowed to stay. At first I didn't want to. But after I asked Mihawk to train me and he agreed, it didn't cross my mind to leave sooner than the two year mark.

Everyday I was challenged. I learned observation Haki. Armament Haki. And more sword fighting. I also learned other things.

How to garden, make tea, simple meals, sew were among some. 

In these two years I grew close to Perona. To where I told her about Kuina. She's like my sister. I hope she's doing well.

Both me and Perona call Mihawk dad more times then either of us would ever admit. But he referred to us as his kids a few times as well. 

In the last month there I got close to asking about why I had such a numb feeling about dying. Though I never asked.

Perona brought me to Sabaody even though I could have gotten there myself.

In those two years we all changed a bit. It was nice seeing everyone again.

We defeated another Warlord and freed another county. We found out Luffy's other dead broth is actually alive. I refuse to question that family.

Sanji disappeared. He left to protect us. We found out a lot about him. It terrified me. The thought of losing him. I wasn't there. But I heard everything.

I realized how I felt. And I told him. I thought I was going to get rejected. Though I did and didn't. But we started to date. I love him. 

Along with two other crews we defeated two Yonkos. Luffy became an emperor of the sea. 

And I came face to face with death. I was almost dead.

Sanji asked me to kill him if he ever lost his empathy. I didn't hesitate to agree. After everything when we were getting ready to leave I gave him one of my earrings. I hope he understood what that meant. He always did know though. 

I was surprised when the Cross Guild formed. I didn't think Dad Mihawk would join up with anyone, especially not Buggy.

We were so close to achieving all our dreams.

I spotted Mihawk.

He was fighting someone.

Then he was running and yelling a name.

I turned in time to see who he was calling fall into rock spikes.

I let him drive.

We fought.

One of us was going to die.

Mihawk fell.

Before I put Wado through his chest I said something I don't think he heard.

“Thank you for training me, for being someone I could rely on. I hope to see you in another life. Now go be with him.”

I don't know why I said that. But it felt right.

Luffy became King of the Pirates. We still traveled together. But we agreed to split up. We all kept in contact.

I opened a Dojo in the new world. We got married. I deal with rowdy customers for him. We adopted a kid. A little girl. She's in her 30s now.
I was the last of us to die. We used to make jokes that I would be the first. But I wasn't leaving curly brows. 

I just hope the world doesn't think my niece is weak for being a girl. 

She was able to beat me.

I wonder what being the World's strongest swordsman will be like for her. 

I hope it won't be lonely like Mihawk. 

This time I let death take me.

I never realized how alive I truly was.