The Day It All Began (Mihawk X Shanks)

Chapter 8: Passing Time

He knew he would meet Shanks again. At least.... It's what he hoped for. He didn't want to imagine what it would be like to lose him.
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Mihawk spent almost a year on the island he was training on after Shanks. After more exploring, he found out that the creatures on surface weren't the only inhabitants on the island. He found more and more dangerous beasts that roamed underground. More training for him it seemed.

Mihawk knew how the seas beyond the Grand Line were dangerous. Full of strong opponents like the yonkos and the marine admirals, the New World wasn't a place for weaklings. Mihawk hoped to find a place there for him.

After he fought all the beasts, Mihawk sailed out to new islands. He needed more training. He wanted to become the best swordsman in the world.

He went from island to island battling people. No one managed to beat Mihawk even once. Hearing this news, the marines thought of it as a rising threat. However, instead of getting rid of him, they asked Mihawk to become one of the Warlord of the Seas. It would be nice to have someone powerful like him in that position.

After much thought, Mihawk agreed to the terms. As months passed by with his new title, more and more people began to recognize him. They started calling him the strongest swordsman in the world, and it stuck around.

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Shanks, on the other hand, traveled from island to island looking for new crew mates. Even though his ship was too small for an official crew, Shanks managed to raid other pirates for loots. He could buy a big ship from Water 7 to travel into the New World.

For a year Shanks traveled around gathering fellow pirates. It was small at first, but it grew steadily. From Ben Beckman to Lucky Roo, Shanks began to open his heart more and more to new crew mates. Soon enough, he had a strong crew and gained fame as the Red Hair Pirates.

Shanks didn't tell anyone about his relationship with Mihawk, except for Ben. Since Ben was his first mate, Shanks felt comfortable telling him everything.

"... I see. Shanks, if that's how you feel, you should visit him. It's been more than 3 years."

"But... I just... Don't know how to face him. I mean I'd be happy to see him again, but... I just don't know." Shanks said as he twiddled his thumbs.

"It's obvious that you want to see him. Let's head out to the New World, since it's most probable that he's there."

"If you say so first mate~" Shanks gave Ben a smile and headed towards the rest of the crew to tell them the news.

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After a short journey, the Red Hair Pirates finally managed to arrive in the New World. Shanks didn't know how big his reputation was on the other side of the Grand Line, but once he landed on an island, he knew exactly how big.

Everyone knew him and his crew. Even street punks ran off when they saw the pirates walking down the road. At least Shanks didn't have to worry about getting his money stolen.

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Mihawk didn't know what to expect in the New World. All he knew was that he heard the news of Shanks being there. He heard of the crew Shanks lead, and how powerful they were. Maybe Shanks was strong enough to be a good opponent.

Mihawk's reputation was also big in the New World. It seemed like everyone knew him as the greatest swordsman, even without knowing his full power. Pirates feared him, and hid themselves from Mihawk's view. Seems like finding Shanks was going to be easier than he thought. He would be the only pirate that wouldn't run off.

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Mihawk stayed on an island for quite a while. He knew Shanks had his vivre card to track him down, so they were guaranteed to meet. Unless that idiot lost the damn card.

Shanks of course took special care of Mihawk's vivre card. He wanted to make sure it was always in his possession to find him when they were separated.

Shanks followed the vivre card, and soon reached the island where Mihawk was staying. It was night time by the time they reached their location, and the town was lit up very brightly. It was a fairly large town, with many buildings lit up to light the pirate's path.

As he walked along, he could feel the tense in the air. Shanks listened in closely to the murmurs that surrounded them.

"...how is it possible that not only the strongest swordsman is here, but also the Red Haired Pirates?!?"

"...shh! Keep your voice down! You might start a fight with them if you're so loud!"

Shanks was right. Mihawk was on this island. Following the vivre card, he finally stopped in front of a bar. Of course he would be drinking. Taking in deep breaths, Shanks worked up the courage and went in. His crew soon followed.

It was loud inside, with bar fights here and there. It was lively, and it brought a smile to Shanks's face. Either everyone was too drunk to care about Shanks and Mihawk, or they were just ignoring them.

Shanks walked in deeper into the bar, and spotted the swordsman quietly drinking with his feet up on table. Same as usual.

"Sir, you shouldn't put your feet up on the tables." Shanks said to Mihawk in a deep voice.

"... And you shouldn't try to imitate the bar tender you idiot." Mihawk replied back. Shanks could tell just by his saying that Mihawk was smiling.

Mihawk got up and turned around to face Shanks. As he got up, the Red Haired Pirates prepared to draw out their weapons.

"No. He's not a threat. Let the captain and the swordsman talk. You guys can just drink freely." Ben said as he walked closer to Shanks.

"And you. You better not disappear on us Shanks. Don't be so reckless." Ben walked away and got himself a drink after warning Shanks.

"So... What an honor to meet the captain of the infamous Red Hair Pirates." Mihawk said as he mockingly bowed.

"And the same to you, master swordsman." Shanks smiled as he mimicked the other man's movement.

"It's been a while Shanks. Hope you're strong enough to be a worthy opponent."

"I'll be more than enough. Forget about that for now, and let's get wasted!" Shanks smiled as he grabbed the other man's arm and ordered booze for the both of them. They had a lot to talk about, and what better way to do so while getting drunk?