The Day It All Began (Mihawk X Shanks)

Chapter 14: The Great War

Mihawk met up with Shanks often. They didn't duel, but they did love to drink together (even though Hawkeyes was not much of a drinker). The two were going to meet each other once more like the usual, but it was different this time.

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"I'm being summoned to the Navy Headquarters? And for what reason?"

Mihawk was enjoying his day resting peacefully on an island, when Vice Admiral Momonga appeared from his battle ship.

"The execution of Fire Fist Ace will take place in a month. All the Warlords of the Seas are required to attend."

"What so I can mourn the death of the Whitebeard's commander?"

"No. Once the execution is in place, Whitebeard will surely make his move. You will be fighting alongside the marines to fend off against the pirates."

At the sound of that, Mihawk stared at the man. This won't be just a regular battle between the marines and the pirates. No, it would be bigger. A war, at the least.

"And what if I refuse?"

"You will be stripped of your title, and the Navy will be after your head. You don't have to answer immediately, but there will be a meeting with the warlords 2 weeks from now. You can show up if you want to keep your position, Hawkeyes."

Without another word, Vice Admiral Momonga jumped back on the warship, and yelled at the crew to head to Amazon Lily. The ship set sail, and quickly disappeared from sight.

Mihawk thought about this thoroughly. If Whitebeard is involved, no doubt there will be huge casualties on both sides. And with his alliance with hundreds of other pirates, who knows who else would show up?

After pondering for a while, Mihawk stood up. He walked to his coffin boat, and set sail to the seas. He traveled back to the uninhabited island that he and Shanks trained on.

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It wasn't too long ago that Shanks finally achieved the title "Yonko". He was finally one of the emperor of the seas. But even before he obtained that name, he met not only one, but two other emperors. One being the pirate that he defeated to gain the title, and the other being Whitebeard. After getting to know him better, Shanks and Whitebeard had a solid relationship.

Being one of the emperor, he had ears everywhere. So it wasn't too long before the news of Ace's execution reached his ears. Knowing Whitebeard, he would definitely do something about it. Shanks sat down with his crew on that day, and announced a news to them.

"As you might have heard, Luffy's brother Ace will be executed within a month from now. I didn't want to get involved in it, but it feels wrong to just stand still as this poor soul gets killed. We'll end this war ourselves, if Whitebeard doesn't make it. I've contacted some of Whitebeard's allies, and they've agreed to contact us once the war becomes too much for Whitebeard to handle."

At the news, the crowd went silent. They knew it was a big risk to fight publicly against the marines, but at their headquarter? But no matter what, the crew stood with their captain. He was famous for being strong for someone with only one arm. This war wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Shanks walked out and left the sound of cheering behind him. He leaned against the railing, and looked up at the starry night sky.

"Shanks, something's bothering you isn't it?"

At the sound of Beckmann talking, Shanks turned around to face him. Instead of replying, Shanks just gave Ben a smile. He placed his hands on his head, and covered his eyes. He let out a huge sigh.

"Are you going to talk, or am I going to have to force it out of the drunk you?"

"It's not just the war that I'm worried about. It's just that... The Shichibukais are probably summoned to fight."

"You're worried about Hawkeyes? You do realize that he has the potential strength of a Yonko, right?"

"I know... It just bothers me, okay?

Shanks let out another sigh, and sat down leaning against the railing. He was planning on meting Mihawk soon, so he still had a chance to talk to him before the war.

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Shanks knew that Mihawk would want to meet up at their old training place. He didn't know when, but somehow Mihawk managed to steal his own vivre card from Shanks. Knowing that, Mihawk would have wanted to meet in a familiar place that both the men knew.

By the time Shanks reached the island, it was high noon. Perfect timing for a nice chat, he thought.

When the boat reached the shore, Shanks impatiently jumped off from the railing onto the sands. He walked over to the beach, but saw no sign of Mihawk. So naturally, Shanks walked inside the jungle to the old hut.

When he walked in the hut, he saw nothing but a piece of paper on the bed. He reached down and picked the paper up to read its contents.

Don't try to look for me. I'm going to be busy for a while.

-Signed, Hawkeyes.

At the sight of the letter, Shanks was furious. He was mad that Mihawk would pull something like this on him. Now he had no idea how to find Mihawk. Shanks sat down on the dusty bed, and placed his head on his hand. He might have been feeling furious, but it didn't beat the feeling of loneliness that he felt in his heart. But little did he know, Mihawk only did this to prevent Shanks from doing anything reckless in the war.