Maelstrom

Chapter 20

Mihawk's POV

"Long time no see Red Hair." You look up at Shanks, who was giving you his signature lop-side smile.

He chuckles as he nods at you, throwing an arm around your shoulder. The grip is tight, almost crushingly so.

"Ahaha, nice to see you as well Mihawk. Seems you were getting along well with my Ruse, huh?" He laughs, but the pressure on your shoulders says otherwise.

You arch any eyebrow at him, "Your Ruse huh? As far as I could tell, she's her own woman Red Hair."

He glances over at you, an easy-going smile sliding off his face as his steely gaze hardens. He drops his façade.

"Aye, since she's with me right now mate, I don't see how it's any of your business." His voice flat, removing his vice-grip from your shoulders as he leans back, propped against the wall.

"Ah. Well, it's not really. Just curious. I didn't know Silver's had a daughter, much less one that was alive." You reply, sliding a bit further away from the red haired pirate.

It was best to maintain a distance for now with his sort of impulsive mood swings. He cocks his head towards you, a questioning gaze on his face.

"She told you huh? Well, with her name being so iconic, maybe she should try and lie low for a bit. Wouldn't want marines on her tail right after she left the nest." His steely grey eyes gaze at you knowingly.

You smirk slightly before slipping back into your stoic nature. "Well, they won't hear it from me. After all, she's rather interesting." You nod at Shanks, before continuing.

"I best be on my way then, hope you keep your friends close to you, Red Hair." After shooting him a knowing look, you stride across the deck and leap over the edge to your raft.

"Oi! Mihawk!" You turn, Shanks shouting at you as you prepare to leave.

"You should do the same. If she runs into trouble, and I'm not there, I expect you to know what to do." You frown, not quite sure what to make of what he said.

With a nod, you turn back to your raft, not having dueled with your rival, but instead meeting a new kind of rival, you chuckle as you adjust your blades, and begin to steer your raft away from the Red Force.

You were ready to set sail.

--

Shanks' POV

You watch as Mihawk leaves, his coffin-raft drifting out to sea, disappearing in a mist, leaving only the faint glimmer of green-lit candles in their wake.

"Oi, kid! You better have left me some meat!" You call out as you make your way down to the kitchen, not even shocked anymore at the sight of Ruse sprawled across the counter, her face stuffed full, trying to shove more in as she tested her limits on how much she could cram in her mouth.

You chuckle lightly as you watch the white haired girl struggle with her portioning skills and finally decide to help her after she flails around a bit more.

Sliding a mug of cold water towards her she waves in thanks before turning towards you.

"Ah thanks Red, I needed that." You nod as she drains her second mug, a small smile on your face.

"So, how'd you like Mihawk then kid? Everything you dreamed of?" You snicker as she glares at you before she sighs and plops her head on the counter, groaning.

"Well, I could say it better, but he wasn't the worst guy. After he dropped that attitude of his, he was actually pretty decent. Wicked fast with those blades of his though, scary." She shivers and then looks up at you, eyes eager as she perks up.

"Red! Tell me about your duels! I only heard his side, but I know you wouldn't lose that badly all the time, right?" She teases as you frown, clearly not remembering losing against the dark haired swordsmen, but you shrug and proceed to tell her your tales of Mihawk and your rivalry. Might as well have two sides to the same coin, after all, couldn't hurt much.

As you continue to tell the white haired menace about your ventures you notice that she has stopped asking so many questions, only chiming in occasionally with a verbal quip or a comment on 'chivalrous honor.' Deep breaths sound from her, her head having been resting on the counter and you smile.

Damn kid falling asleep on you all innocent-like and adorable-like.

You gently move her head to your shoulder, letting her rest on something more comfortable, and if you started to lace your fingers through her hair, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple- well, no one would see you anyways.

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