The Curse (Shanks X Mihawk)

Chapter 2: Acquaintance

Shanks felt miserable. First he watched his captain get executed, then all these shitty pirates wanted to go after his treasure, and then he had to deal with that asshole in the alley. So much for being a pirate. He didn't feel like strolling around the town anymore, so he left to find some peace and quiet. He noticed a small ledge outside of the town, and decided to head to there. It would be better to enjoy the sound of nature, rather than hearing all those fuckers laughing and shouting about how they were going to get their dirty hands on Roger's treasure.

Meanwhile, after disposing the woman in a hotel, Mihawk didn't feel like doing anything anymore. He was in a bad mood after being lectured by some redheaded ass who seemed to be younger than him. Since being a Vampire meant that he was mostly nocturnal, Mihawk didn't feel like going to sleep either. Too soon for that. Instead, he left to get away from the smell of alcohol. He preferred wine anyways.

While making his way to the hills, he noticed a figure that was already resting by the place. Approaching the figure with caution, Mihawk slowly made his way to the hills, grabbing Yoru by the hilt. But for some reason, his mind was telling him that the figure looked familiar. As if he has already seen this person before. Inching towards the person, Mihawk focused his vision onto the figure and saw that it was... The redheaded asshole. Great, just what he needed to brighten up the mood. He was about to turn back, when the red haired man also noticed the black haired man's arrival.

"Who's there- oh. It's you. What did the girl not satisfy you enough?"

"Shut it. I didn't come up here just to listen to some dumbass's lecture."

"Whatever. At least I would know how to treat a woman correctly."

"I told you that wasn't the reason why I was up here. Why are you here then? Going off crying again like a little bitch?"

"Who the fuck said I was crying?"

"Red, teary eyes? Anger issues? Clearly someone can't hide the fact that they're being a crybaby."

"How the hell did you even see that? It was pitch dark. There's no way anyone would have seen that."

"Trust me. Everyone would have known. Why am I even talking to a little bitch like you?"

Shanks was quiet. He wanted to respond, but replying back would only make the matter worse. Whatever this guy's issue was, it wasn't Shanks's problem. He took a deep breath and sighed, putting his head to his hands.

"Please. Leave me alone."

It took Mihawk by surprise that someone who was just cursing and having some anger issues would say something like this out of nowhere. Obviously, even Mihawk could tell that this man was having a bad day. He knew it would be rude to ask, but his curiosity got the best of him in the end.

"Rough day?"

"Very. My captain died, all these assholes are aiming after his treasure, and now I'm all alone."

"Wait. Your captain is Rogers?"

"Yes. Well, correct that to was. He was my captain."

Who knew someone this young and short was part of the Pirate King's crew? There was no bounty on his head, which meant that either he joined in late or he wasn't someone very important, but still- for someone to be a part of the Pirate King's crew was a huge deal, even to Mihawk. 

"... I see. Well then, I shall take my leave. Even to me, it is disrespectful to bother someone while they are grieving for a loss."

"Wait. Tell me your name."

"Worry not. You shall find me again soon." 

And with that, Mihawk made his way down the hills. Shanks stared at the odd man walking down the slopes, but returned back to his train of thought. Sitting under the tree, he sat alone, quietly weeping at the loss of his crew and his dear captain.

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Shanks made his way through the town when it was about noon, so that he could grab something to eat. He felt empty, and not just because of what happened the previous day. As he left the store with a bread in his mouth, he noticed a couple of young swordsmen running towards his direction. Shanks moved out of the way for them, and caught a bit of their conversation as they ran.

"Really? He's here on the island right now?"

"Yeah! I heard he's taking on challengers!"

Challengers? "He"? Just who were they talking about that made all the swordsmen run in that direction? Curious as to who they were talking about, Shanks made his way to the direction of where the swordsmen ran off to. As he approached the arena, he heard the sound of metal clashing against each other, with others cheering in the background. He made it through the circle of audience surrounding the arena, and saw just who they were talking about. The black haired man from last night. 

With ease, Mihawk defeated challengers one by one. At this point, it wasn't even called a match. It felt like he was taking on bunch of kids with bamboo sticks. Was there even a point of staying on the island any longer? 

"Is there any more challengers who will actually fight? The only thing all of you have done is run."

Without thinking much, Shanks approached the black haired man standing in the circle. He took out his saber, and pointed at Mihawk.

"You were right. We did meet again."

"I see. Maybe it is faith trying to tell us something."

With a grin on his face, Shanks dashed towards Mihawk with his saber. Again and again he clashed with Mihawk, but he managed to block every strike with ease. The duel went on for a while, swords clashing against each other. Shanks tried to look for a blind spot, but found something more... interesting. Or he thought he saw it. It was a black marking on his chest, where his heart was. He couldn't make out the marking from a distance, but when he blinked, the marking was gone. Was he seeing something?

Mihawk noticed how Shanks was spaced out. Using that as his advantage, Mihawk knocked both Shanks and his saber to the ground, and pointed his own sword at Shanks's neck. Smiling, Shanks raised his hands above his head, signaling defeat. At the sight of yet another victory, the audience cheered. 

"Not bad of a swordsman I see."

"You know I could have won but I just gave in cause I thought you might enjoy the victory more."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure."

Mihawk grinned and offer his hand to Shanks. He lifted the fallen man up and gave a pat on the shoulder.

"You're the first one to last this long in a duel with me."

"What an honor."

"How about we duel again another time? These guys just won't do, even for killing time."

"I got nothing better to do, so why not?"

"Good. Then meet me at the hills tonight. I'm leaving soon, so I'll give you my contact information there."

"Wait but what about now-"

Mihawk grabbed his belongings near the crowd of audience, and turned his face to meet Shanks's eyes. He gave him a small wink and left the arena, leaving Shanks confused. 

"I didn't even catch your name..."