Your Beauty Never Ever Scared Me

DANCE ME TO THE END OF LOVE

You watched your captain die right in front of you.

The great Pirate King– Gold Roger. Who conquered the Grand Line, leading his crew to the very end. Your captain.

You were only eighteen at the time as you watched his execution. The man who had led you from island to island, across the Grand Line, through each ocean and sea– no. The man who had it all. Fame, money, power. Your mentor, your teacher, your whole world, was killed in front of you, bringing your world to a grinding halt...

For about ten seconds

Then the panic set in

If Roger was still alive right now, which– he might be. Either he was killed instantly or was going to die of internal bleeding, but still, if he was going to say something to you, it would be that you shouldn't get your sorry ass caught by the Marines. That wouldn't be a fitting fate for a thief of your caliber, now is it?

There'd be a target on your back if someone found out about your relations to Roger. A big and fat target sure to fetch a high bounty. You were lucky you were able to get through Loguetown with the price on your head already.

But you were once a part of his crew. You didn't know who else knew that, aside from Buggy and Shanks, and the rest of the disbanded Roger Pirates. It didn't matter right now. You'd have to deal with it later. Nobody would expect a pair of kids to be on Roger's crew. They'd surely expect you to be a member since you were an adult.

So, mulling over the options of either being caught here, or living the rest of your life free, you ran. The crowd seemed to sway with you as Roger's last words echoed through the air, ending this age and starting the new pirating era. The new golden age would come to be known. Everyone around you wanted Roger's greatest treasure.

You couldn't care less about it given your predicament. You shoved past anybody in your way to escape. You needed to find an out. Rotting in prison would certainly be the worst fate for someone like you. Because of what you did, you weren't the strongest. Speed and wits were your choice of weapon.

So you searched, as the screams of the crowd and cheers rang out around you, people blurring in your peripheral vision, and ran as fast as you could. Run, run, run. Run to escape. Run to freedom. Run to your survival.

And there he was– your safety

Well, you didn't know it at the time, especially when you slammed full-tilt into a young Dracule Mihawk, but he was your safety nonetheless. He was already notorious in his younger years, and still very handsome, and had yet been invited to join the Shichibukai.

You two were complete strangers. The only thing you had in common was that you were both pirates. Frightened, and honestly too rushed to apologize, you sat bolt upright, yanked Mihawk to his feet, and started yanking him towards the docks.

"Hey, do you have a ship?!"

He looks annoyed. "How else would I have gotten here?"

Oh, so he's a smartass? I can deal with that. You shake off his cold nature and shoot him a desperate look as you release him. He comes to a stop, and so do you, since you have no ship and no other way off Loguetown.

You begged. Pleaded. "Look, I have to get out of here. Please, help."

His gaze is piercing. It hardens as he stares into your eyes. Clothes ruffled –along with his feathers, you're sure– from the fall, Mihawk picks apart your very soul.

"And why should I?"

"I'll be captured if you don't. That man up there was my captain," You admit, allowing yourself to be subject to this absolute stranger's judgment. "I have no other option."