New chapter release ! We are on 170+ chapters on patreon, join us!
p@treon/hemlet.com
---
The days that followed were a frenzy of activity. Mihawk, Kyros, and Riku refined defense and reconstruction plans. Kiku and Dressrosa's b
The days that followed were a frenzy of activity.
Mihawk, Kyros, and Riku refined defense and reconstruction plans. Kiku and Dressrosa's best artisans began work on the walls and port. Korran, brimming with renewed energy, trained like a madman and assisted with logistics, often under Perona's floating sarcasm. Despite her complaints, Perona monitored the sea approaches with her spy ghosts, aided by Violet's clairvoyance.
The crew also prepared the Nachthrone for their imminent departure. Mihawk had been clear: Dressrosa must stand alone in their absence. They would set out to find the pillars that would make this kingdom a true power.
***
As Dressrosa buzzed under the last rays of the setting sun, in the deep, dark waters just a few miles from the island, a sinister, silent shape glided.
The Heart Pirates' submarine, the Polar Tang, moved with extreme caution, its engines reduced to a whisper.
Inside, the atmosphere was tense.
"Captain… please, reconsider!" Bepo pleaded, sweat beading on his white fur, his round eyes full of worry. "Going to Dressrosa alone now? It's suicide! Hawkeye defeated Doflamingo! Even the Marines won't attack him head-on!"
Shachi and Penguin nodded vigorously, as pale as their bear companion. "Bepo's right, Captain! That guy's a monster among monsters! We don't even know what state the island's in!"
Trafalgar Law, leaning against the cold metal wall, eyes shadowed under his cap's brim, didn't react. He toyed with his nodachi, Kikoku, his knuckles white.
The news of Doflamingo's death had hit him like a thunderbolt. Thirteen years of hatred, meticulous planning, all reduced to nothing by a man he hadn't even considered a player in his personal drama.
A cold rage, mixed with immense frustration and burning curiosity, consumed him.
"I need to know, Bepo," he said at last, his voice low but sharp as a blade. "I need to see. To know how he fell. If he suffered. If, in his final moments, he understood why." He raised his head, his gray eyes piercing like frost from under his cap. "If this Mihawk gave him the death he deserved… or just swept him aside like a nuisance."
"They'll spot you!" Penguin groaned.
Law ignored his crew. His decision was made. "Distance?"
A crew member checked a radar screen. "Five nautical miles from the south coast, Captain. Rocky area, looks deserted."
"Perfect," Law murmured. He straightened, his aura flaring with fierce focus.
"Room."
A faint blue sphere enveloped his body. "Wait here. Don't move. If I'm not back in two hours… leave."
Before anyone could protest again, he snapped his fingers. "Shambles."
***
He reappeared on a jagged cliff overlooking a deserted cove on Dressrosa's southeast coast. The salty wind whipped his face. Below, waves crashed against black rocks.
Law scanned his surroundings, his predator's senses on high alert.
He moved forward with the stealth of a lynx, his long ermine coat silent against the stone. His mind calculated: meet Dracule Mihawk one-on-one and ask his questions. He trusted his ability to escape.
But…
He hadn't taken ten steps across the rocky plateau when a chilling, undeniable presence materialized behind him.
Law froze, his blood turning to ice. A cold sweat beaded on his neck. He'd heard nothing, sensed nothing coming.
*How?!*
A low voice broke the wind's silence.
"Trafalgar Water Law."
Law turned his head, very slowly, his heart pounding against his ribs. Three meters away, blending with the shadows of the rocks, Dracule Mihawk stared at him. His eyes didn't blink.
Mihawk tilted his head slightly.
"Coming to spy in my kingdom…" His voice didn't need to rise to carry like thunder. "Is this an insult, Law?"
He paused, letting the howling wind serve as an omen.
"Or suicide?"
A faint, barely perceptible smirk curled Law's lips. "Well, Hawkeye," he said, his voice laced with feigned nonchalance, "I must say, you found me faster than I expected. Impressive."
Mihawk raised an eyebrow. He didn't respond immediately, letting the silence stretch.
Law pressed on. "Relax, I'm not here as an enemy. In fact, it's kind of convenient we ran into each other like this."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed slightly. "Speak," he said, his voice low and cutting. "And be clear."
Law took a step forward. "I had… personal business with Doflamingo. Let's call it a grudge. An old one." He paused, his gaze drifting briefly to the horizon. "I spent thirteen years planning my revenge. Calculating every move, every plan, every sacrifice. All to bring him down. To make him pay. And then…" He pointed at Mihawk, his smirk fading into a bitter grimace. "You showed up, and poof! You swept him away. Just like that."
Mihawk stood still, his black coat rippling slightly in the wind. His gaze didn't waver, but a faint tightening of his jaw showed he was listening closely.
Law continued, his voice rising with barely contained anger. "Can you imagine my frustration? Thirteen years, Hawkeye. Thirteen years dreaming of that moment, picturing it, planning it. And you kill him before I could even face him."
Mihawk tilted his head slightly, his tone still measured. "What's your point, Law?"
Law clenched his fists. "I wanted to see you. Alone. To ask one question. Just one." He took another step, his gaze burning with near-feverish intensity. "How did he die? Did he suffer? Did he understand, in his final moments, why he fell? Tell me, Dracule Mihawk. Tell me if you gave him the end he deserved."
Mihawk stared at Law for a long moment. Then, without a word, he turned, his coat snapping in the wind, and began to walk away.
"As long as you're not an enemy," he called over his shoulder, "you're free to wander my kingdom."
A surge of anger rose in Law. He gritted his teeth, his fists trembling slightly. "I asked you a question, Hawkeye!" he shouted, his voice echoing across the cliff.
Mihawk kept walking, unfazed.
"Wait!" Law roared, his voice breaking the silence, raw with fury. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!"
The frustration, the pent-up rage, the feeling of being denied yet again, reduced to nothing before an overwhelming power—it all exploded in Law. He hadn't planned this. He couldn't tolerate it.
A primal energy, a raw force of will he barely controlled, surged from him like a shockwave.
BOOM.
A scarlet red flash tore through the air around Law, invisible but tangible, a crushing pressure that shook the rock beneath his feet and sent a shower of pebbles flying. The Conqueror's Haki, raw, wild, charged with all of Law's fury and despair, hit Mihawk like an invisible wall.
Mihawk stopped dead.
"How would knowing the details of his end change anything for you, Trafalgar Law?" he asked, his voice still calm but now tinged with an indefinable edge. Irritation? Weariness? Or something deeper? "How would it ease your rage or fill the void?"
Law breathed heavily, his shoulders shaking with effort and emotion. The reddish wave of his Haki still pulsed faintly around him. "That…" he panted, "is none of your business! I want to know. That's all. Tell me that much!"
For a moment, the silence was absolute. Then, without turning, Mihawk spoke, his voice as calm as the eye of a storm. "How would knowing help you, Law?"
Law's breathing was ragged, his Haki still thick in the air. "It's not your concern," he snapped through gritted teeth. "Just answer."
Mihawk stood still, as if weighing every word, every intent. Then, slowly, he turned. His eyes met Law's, and for the first time, a strange, almost unreadable glint crossed his gaze. Pity? Understanding? Or something deeper?
"It is," he said at last, his voice low but heavy with undeniable authority. "It's my concern."
Law frowned, ready to retort, but Mihawk raised a hand, silencing him with a single gesture. "What you're seeking, Law, isn't an answer. It's not the truth about Doflamingo's death. What you're seeking is an end to your own pain. But know this…" He paused, his eyes piercing Law's soul like a blade. "This isn't what Corazon would have wanted for you."
The name hit Law like a dagger to the heart. His eyes widened, and for a moment, he lost all composure.
Corazon. That name, that memory, was an open wound, a fire that never died.
"What…" Law stammered, his voice trembling with rage and confusion. "How do you know…?"