Chapter Text
Chapter 18.5. Castle tour.
Obviously with Zoro, their second destination after the broom closet was the west wing. The West Wing Dungeon to be more precise. Mihawk only realized where they were when the door closed behind them and they were plunged into thick darkness. He didn't need Zoro to light a torch to feel the dust beneath his feet and the cold biting his skin through his sweater.
"Are you sure it’s here?"
"Yes, there's a game room up there," Zoro replied confidently.
Very welcoming for a game room, thought Mihawk before following Zoro who had just lit a torch to guide their path. He was convinced that Zoro had taken the wrong path - as always - but then again, Mihawk had never been in a children's playroom. And, if he was right, Mihawk's curiosity pushed him to know what was being hidden from him. After all, this place was off-limits to him for a reason, wasn't it?
They took the staircase that went up rather than the one that seemed to go down to the abyss, which must have been a small victory. Nevertheless, the duo climbed the first flight of stairs without suspecting what awaited them next. Cells, many cells, spread across the stairs. The higher they went, the more the cells were filled with people: men and women between 18 and 60 years old and all the second genders were represented between alphas, betas in mass, and a few omegas. They must have had between 100 and 150 people locked up here.
"What are their crimes?"
Zoro shrugged as he continued up the steps even though he was starting to realize that they weren't in the right place, "they've all tried to kill the Captain or crew this year."
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, Mihawk remembered, now looking at the cells from a new angle. He knew he should be among them. Shanks should have put him behind those bars as soon as he had guessed the real reason for Mihawk's presence on the Red Force and even more so after the omega injured him with a bottle. Instead, the Captain had replaced the daily blow-jobs with reading books; patched clothes to soft and comfortable tailor-made sets; and the redhead was as discreet as possible.
What twisted game are you playing now, Shanks?
Mihawk didn't have the luxury of pursuing that thought or remembering Shanks' tortured admission that night because they had finally reached the dusty, dark, and, as promised, inhabited attic.
Ugh, Mihawk thought with disgust as he saw a shadow quickly pass before them. He tightened his arms around himself to suppress a shiver. It wasn't the cold that bothered him but rather the rats and the dust.
"It's not here," Zoro admitted, looking around without understanding where he had gone wrong.
Mihawk rolled his eyes at the understatement and placed his hand on his forehead to hide his despair. He took the opportunity to push his hair back in a gesture full of habit. Mihawk regretted the lack of gel or a hat when two dark locks automatically fell to frame his face. This haircut echoed the one he had as a child when he didn't know the benefits of gel. Even back then, Mihawk didn't like it when his hair was messy, because appearances were important and to maintain control over himself. Except his hair always ended up wild when his father was visiting.
The latter loved to run his big fingers through the raven locks before ruffling them because then he would laugh and say: "look, son, we're the same."
Too bad the color of his irises had been altered because then Mihawk had truly been the spitting copy of his father - at least physically since he had inherited his mother's personality. The only difference was Mihawk's pale complexion which was incomprehensible with parents who had warm, tanned skin. Except that where he grew up on an island with a temperate, even humid climate, his parents spent their days traveling under the sun. Besides, when Mihawk himself had started sailing, he'd always been careful to have sunscreen on Hitsugibune - murdering marines while looking like a crawfish? No thanks.
Mihawk lost his train of thought again when a hand reached out from the darkness to grab his forearm. He instinctively tried to step back, but the grip on him was strangely strong.
"Save me," one of the prisoners pleaded.
Disgusted, Mihawk turned to the prisoner and was shocked to encounter a wish version of himself. The prisoner was an omega male, approximately 35-36 years old, his complexion was grayish, and his hair and beard were covered in dust but were dark enough to be black or brown. The only real difference was in the eyes : the prisoner had light blue irises whereas Mihawk's was golden.
"Please, t-they'll execute me."
"What did you do?"
"A mistake," the youngest stuttered, "I slept with him and I-I…I…."
Mihawk's eyebrows furrowed, "you tried to kill Shanks?"
"Only for his bounty, my sick mother need money, but his skin is tough even during his sleep!"
Beyond their physical resemblance, Mihawk was surprised by the closeness of their story, at least for the end. The only differences were that Mihawk hadn't been f*cked by Shanks, he had hit him to protect himself, and he had no choice. Now, once again, Mihawk was forced to realize that he could have been locked up awaiting execution, except that he was being treated like a guest instead. Why was Shanks a double standard?
"Enough, let him go," ordered Zoro, who had retraced his steps - without getting lost - upon noticing that Mihawk had been tackled by a prisoner. The teen forced the prisoner back into his cell before forcing Mihawk down the stairs. "You're good?"
Mihawk hummed a response to avoid saying anything stupid and allowed himself to be guided down to the bottom of the dungeon. He took a deep breath of fresh air once he was back in the hallway, but it caught in his throat as he noticed they weren't alone.
Uta, Perona, Luffy, and Usopp all looked at them with unimpressed, disappointed, confused and worried looks.
"Seriously, Mom?" asked Uta who had her hands on her hips in a clear sign of disapproval.
Mihawk swallowed hard because Beckman had forbidden him not to go to the west dungeon and what did he do not a day later? He was in trouble now...
Perona walked closer to the duo without even glancing at the pink sweater Mihawk was wearing, "yeah, how dare you let that idiot give you the castle's tour?"
Uh?
"I'm not stupid!" Zoro replied angrily.
"Because you know where you are maybe?"
"Um, well…a hallway?"
Fortunately, Perona was floating otherwise she would have fallen because of her laughter, "there's no way you are going to finish this visit alone. Otherwise, well have to look for Hawky for the rest of the day after you'll lost him."
Do they take me for a literal dog?
Still, Mihawk couldn't be irritated that the teenagers were talking about him as if he wasn't there. Perona's attention to him was quite touching. It meant she didn't want to lose him because she cared about him.
"And me?" Zoro asked, irritated.
"We don't care," Perona replied haughtily before intertwining her arm with Mihawk's, "come on, we'll give you a real castle tour."
"As if mine was fake…"
"We can even do it in song," Uta decided, imitating Perona by grabbing Mihawk's second arm and retrieving a microphone out of nowhere.
Unsteadily, Zoro began to follow them while the girls led Mihawk in a specific direction. At least they knew where they wanted to go.
The only one who hesitated to follow them was Usopp who called back, "my father will be waiting for us..."
"Who cares," Luffy laughed before jumping to the front of the group to lead the escort, "let's go!"
The teenager's stomach took them straight to the kitchen where the team was stopped in their cleaning by their small motley group. The head chef - who was not Lucky - agreed to prepare a second round of breakfast when the girls forced Mihawk to admit that he hadn't eaten yet. It was almost as if the cook had been ordered to obey Mihawk...
Their next destination was the mess hall - which looked quite similar to that of the Red Force. Then, they visited the infirmary which, again, was not run by Hungo but by an old lady who wanted to auscultate Mihawk for no apparent reason. She said she wanted an information sheet on him, but luckily he was dragged out of the room before having to give his blood group. They continued to the famous game room - located in the east wing.
They continued on the formal part, starting with the entrance, then the great hall, the dining and ballrooms - where Uta and Perona waltzed for a dance -, the Council chamber, and the throne room. There, Perona gave him a friendly nudge before ordering him to sit in the main chair -Shank's.
"I can't," he whispered hesitantly, for sitting on a throne was not his place.
"Of course you can!" Uta sang with a laugh.
"I am not sure…"
"...this could end badly," completed Usopp who was hiding behind Mihawk.
"You sissy," Zoro scoffed before walking over to the throne and sitting on it. He sat sideways, his legs on the armrest to show that there was no need to be afraid and that they were ridiculous. It was just another armchair, even if it was made of gold and a deep red fabric.
Zoro raised an eyebrow as if to mock Mihawk and Usopp, but he quickly stopped when Luffy jumped on his stomach to sit with him, "yeah, Shanks doesn't care! He sits on the stairs to let me the chair!!"
"See, totally safe," Uta said before pushing Mihawk forward the cursed seat.
Having no other option than to trust the children, Mihawk took his turn on the throne and his uncertainties vanished with a snap of his fingers. It felt right, so much. Mihawk felt the power swell within him at the thought of being the king rather than the slave; to be in a position of strength rather than being defenseless.
Instead of admitting he was wrong, Mihawk placed his hand under his chin in a regal position before asking, "how do I look?"
"Stupid."
"Royal."
"Cute!"
"Scary…"
"Awesome!"
"Are you planning a dethronement, Hawkeyes?" a deep, powerful voice asked ironically from the other side of the room.
Mihawk jumped out of the seat when he realized that Beckman was spying on them. The old man had papers in his hands, but he was focused on the scene before him. Far from being angry, Beckman seemed amused.
It was Usopp's cry that brought the group out of their general torpor, "ah! A pirate!"
"We’re all pirates!" Luffy sneered before grabbing Zoro and Mihawk's wrists and running towards the wide door. Uta and Perona easily followed them and only Usopp hesitated a little because of his fear.
"I always forget…," the young man admitted with cheeks red of shame.
Mihawk was about to apologize as they passed by Beckman, but the elder beat him by bowing down a little, "your highness," the pirate mocked with a friendly smile.
The last place the group visited inside the medieval castle was obviously a room that all the children knew Mihawk would love: the armory. It was not an inordinately large room like the ballroom or the library. It was actually quite dark and menacing with all the weapons hanging on the walls or displayed in transparent cases. From pirate sabers, rapiers, katanas, two-handed swords - like Yoru -, spears, and weapon flails to daggers of all kinds, and even shurikens and Sai. Virtually all of the world's weapons were locked in a single room. A true paradise.
"Be careful, you're drooling a little," Zoro mocked before being called upon by Luffy who was arguing with Uta.
Finally, Mihawk visited the middle of the room where one last weapon was locked in a small display case.
The cross-shaped dagger looked exactly like Kogatana. So much so that Mihawk's eyes widened and his hand trembled to retrieve it, but he didn't because it was impossible. He had abandoned Kogatana to protect her from the horrors he was going to experience since Yoru, his most precious possession, had been less fortunate. So it was impossible that Kogatana was in this castle - the Nest as the children called it - because she was gathering dust on the desk in his room in Kuraigana.
His heart broke a little in his chest when he turned away from the fake Kogatana, but he didn't let the depression win. So far, it had been a magical morning between the teenagers' laughter, their arguments, and the stories they wanted to tell him. It was without forgetting Uta who accompanied their adventure with multiple songs.
"It would be much better with a guitar, but my last master sucked and I fired him," the young singer lamented as they walked towards the exterior of the castle. She has been refining her song since the start of their adventure. To his untrained ears, Mihawk thought the song was great, but Uta found multiple points to criticize it.
"I could teach you," Mihawk offered without thinking.
"Really? You know how to play guitar?"
"Among other things," the elder admitted with a mysterious little smile that made the young woman gasp and she began to pester him for more. How many instruments? Which? Was he still singing? Will he sing for her again?
Very quickly, too quickly, Mihawk found himself with a group of curious teenagers who wanted him to sing for them. Outnumbered and unable to resist their puppy eyes, the omega gave up the battle he knew was lost and agreed, but another day, they had a visit to finish.
Their grand tour ended with a visit to the exteriors which were enclosed within the castle walls. There was the main courtyard made of four squares of green grass separated from gravel paths and with a fountain representing a mermaid at the epicenter. Then, they passed under a covered courtyard, visited the solarium filled with exotic plants from the four corners of the Blues, accessed the astronomy tower, and concluded the visit with the secondary courtyard where the swimming pool was located.
The group ended their adventure with a drink that they shared in the mess hall because it was already past noon. Obviously, pirates would not respect the castle rules by eating in the dining room. Not all the Red-haired pirates were there since most preferred to live in the lower town rather than in the castle. Thus, only the officers resided full-time in the castle. They were all there, eating together, and didn't seem to mind when the children joined them. Worse, they invited - ordered - Mihawk to sit with them.
Thus, Mihawk found himself in this lunar scene where he was sitting between Uta and Beckman sharing a meal and a glass of red wine with the crew who had been snubbing him even less than a month ago. It was so strange that he didn't dare to speak, the lightness gradually leaving him as he paid attention to each of his movements even if it meant being even tenser than a razor's edge. What if Beckman learned that Mihawk had already broken the rules? Or, even stupider, what if he spilled his drink on him? And worse, what if Shanks joined them?
"Relax, highness. Cap's gone fishing with most of our men," Beckman shared in a low voice.
"You're safe with us," Uta added with a wide, confident smile.
"Well if he doesn't starve because Lucky eat everything!"
Everyone laughed at Limejuice's joke, even Lucky, and Mihawk found himself slowly relaxing.
"There's one more problem," Building Snake said darkly, resting his elbows on the table and leaning towards Mihawk, "you have to pay to stay here."
Pay?
To stay here?
Oh, obviously... they expected Mihawk to do them favors to keep eating and to... he stole Shanks' chair, isn't he?
"Yeah," Yasopp added with a smirk, "are you good at All-fours?"
My parents taught me to win at every card game, Mihawk thought, but since no one knew his family history, he evaded the question by shyly answering, "just the basics."
Yeah, to rob all of you without and by cheating.
Yasopp began to deal the cards between Limejuice, Snake, Beckman, him, and Mihawk.
"I don't have any money," he clarified, looking at the red cards in front of him hesitantly.
Snake shrugged, "we can always bet our chores, ha!"
"You want to read…books?" Mihawk asked incomprehensibly because his only task was to give Shanks book summaries.
Against his will, the pirates and teenagers laughed in unison.
Were they making fun of him?
Mihawk shrank a little as the feeling of not fitting into this group hit him again. He had no right to be sitting in Shanks' place, laughing and playing with his men. His place was on under the table as before. The gentle hand that grabbed his helped him not get lost in his dark thoughts and he smiled slightly at Uta to thank her.
"This bunch of illiterate people will die if they open a book," mocked Beckman who received boos from the rest of the officers, "well, except for Hongo and me."
"Thank you," replied the main interested who was looking at his companion’s cards.
"Don't feed his nerd ego, Beckman. It'll be your fault if the mad scientist starts listing every type of acid in the world," Limejuice lamented with a small pout that made Hongo roll his eyes and laugh the other pirates.
"Laugh all you want," the doctor replied haughtily, stepping back a little to look at them disdainfully, "but you would all be dead without me…"
No one dared make fun of the doctor after that and Beckman answered the original question, "we put money in as usual. And, if Hawkeyes has a debt, it will be added to the captain's tab. That okay for you?"
"What debt?" Mihawk asked in a whisper so inaudible that only Beckman heard him but only because they were side by side. He felt his cheeks redden with shame when the elder laughed lightly.
Mihawk apologized but the noise was drowned out by the volley of "Aye! Aye!" which echoed throughout the room.
"Please, Hawkeyes," Yasopp began, catching the former swordsman's attention, "lose as much as you can to blow the Cap's debt."
"Yeah, we'll ruin him!" Snake laughed.
Finally, the game began and the laughter died down, replaced by focused expressions that were at odds with the laughter coming from the teenagers who had their own bets in progress.
The hint of a long-extinguished glow appeared in Mihawk's dull eyes as he won the first round.
