Chapter 52
Will the wooden cup get hot? Clearly, it's not the cup that's hot, it's your body heat and emotions. Mihawk's answer left you speechless, let alone when you heard the cup was made for you and had to return it to him.
Mihawk didn't rush you to answer, but simply added new wood to the fire as it crackled and popped. He kept the fire at a level that was neither too intense nor too dangerous to cause a fire.
Perhaps it's the healing power of firelight at night, or perhaps you've grown accustomed to the rollercoaster of emotions since meeting Mihawk, but the sound of burning wood calms you down. Even though the heat on your face hasn't dissipated, you can now look Mihawk in the eye.
"Actually, I don't know how to face you. I can't believe I'm not moved by your respect, or rather, your appreciation of me."
“But I have no memory of you. In fact, for a long time, you were just a hypothetical enemy to me.”
When the term "imaginary enemy" was mentioned, you almost couldn't help but laugh out loud, considering the difference in strength between you and Mihawk. Fortunately, you managed to hold it in. Mihawk, who was talking to you face to face, heard this and his face showed a helpless expression of habit, along with a slight smile: "I know."
"So I won't force you to follow me. As long as you don't hide from me or disappear, I'll handle things accordingly."
Mihawk casually utters words that make your heart race and even cause your face to flush... That's what makes you unsure how to face him!
Saying "no" is too hurtful, you can't bring yourself to say it; saying "yes" is too narcissistic, and saying "yes" is as if you're admitting you're Mihawk's lover...
The cup you're holding seems even hotter now.
Mihawk, who had been observing you out of the corner of his eye, connected your vivid expression—when you were still in the castle with the other two—with the firelight reddening your face, which seemed both angry and conflicted.
That was you before you left him, the you who dared to express your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness to him. Not the you who seemed relaxed in the white group, yet dared not express your own thoughts, with wariness and loneliness hidden beneath your smile.
Even though Mihawk had learned from Marco and Hongo that your lost memories were irrecoverable, your changes still brought him comfort. As for your unease about his presence, Mihawk had already gotten used to it when you first arrived at the castle.
"You don't need to worry about me."
Upon hearing this, you looked up, your eyes filled with condemnation for the "culprit" seemingly being removed from their position, and a sense of helplessness that you couldn't feign like Mihawk.
Even if you say that, I'll still be conflicted.
Ultimately, it's because you couldn't stop yourself from overthinking that you had to be honest with Mihawk about your feelings. If you could just say "Don't overthink it," you wouldn't have waited until now to say it.
Perhaps in Mihawk's world, "agonizing" brings him zero trouble or distress. He says, "There's no use in agonizing."
By now, you no longer want to discuss with Mihawk why you're struggling with this issue or how to stop. Your heart rate and body temperature, which had been rising due to the cup, have returned to normal while you're talking to Mihawk about this problem.
Now, all you need to do is say "thank you" to Mihawk, drink the water in your cup, and go back to your original spot to sleep. But sitting in front of you, Mihawk doesn't play by the rules: "Even if you're conflicted, I'm still here."
My emotions were like a rollercoaster; I didn't know whether to be grateful for having so many loyal "bodyguards" or annoyed that Mihawk had once again disrupted my mood. Our feelings were intertwined, and that "thank you" turned into a playful complaint.
"...You're so annoying."
As if he had heard an interesting topic, a hint of a smile flashed in his golden eyes, which were usually unreadable. Mihawk, whose mood had been on a rollercoaster, asked in a good mood, "Really?"
"meeting."
An inexplicable sense of familiarity dispelled the awkwardness you felt when facing Mihawk. If Ace hadn't woken up to keep watch after the final leg of the relay, you wouldn't have even realized how intimate your interaction with Mihawk had been. Fortunately, Ace didn't hear the whole thing, and after switching places with Ace, Mihawk returned to his original spot, closed his eyes, and rested, no longer discussing the previous topic.
-
After the long night, you gathered together to analyze the current situation. Based on previous experience and Shanks's adventure experience, Shanks boldly speculated that your current location was most likely in the area where the Devil Fruit was located.
The islands constantly changing locations to scatter people is mainly to prevent them from finding or discovering this place.
"That makes sense, but logically speaking, shouldn't places where treasure is hidden be more active than other places?"
Ace, who shared the same opinion as Izan, nodded in agreement. Shanks, who made the suggestion, did not refute it and chuckled as he stated a conclusion unrelated to logic: "Well, half of it is based on my experience and intuition!"
"Two-thirds is intuition."
"Hey Mihawk, you don't need to say that!"
You know Shanks is reliable, but in his daily activities, he can also make people feel that he's not entirely trustworthy. So much so that emotionally, you and Ace believe Shanks' conclusions, but in action, apart from Shanks, the other four of them unconsciously distance themselves from him at the sound of his laughter, creating an empty space where only Shanks is present.
Shanks didn't take it to heart and instinctively faced the road not far away.
"Well, let's set off anyway! Pirates, when they encounter situations like this, they just keep moving forward!"
It has to be said, Shanks really understands pirates. Upon hearing this, Ace and Izo both wore eager smiles, while Mihawk stepped forward, responding to Shanks' suggestion with action. Before officially setting off, Ace and Izo placed you between them, with Shanks and Mihawk standing side-by-side in front.
To paraphrase Ace, with this lineup and positioning, even the Four Emperors can't hurt you.
Shanks, one of the Four Emperors present, chuckled, his hearty laughter a response to Ace's words: "Indeed! After all, I, one of the Four Emperors, am right here; I can't hurt her."
"I had forgotten that there was one of the Four Emperors among our group."
"Haha, Izang, you're still as funny as ever!"
Regarding the interaction between the three, you only have one thought: Shanks has such a good temper.
-
As it turns out, what Izan and Shanks said made a lot of sense. As for why the island didn't separate you all in the dead of night, you felt that using human logic to explain the island's behavior was untenable.
Right now, the most important thing is for you to get out of this cave with Mihawk, and what you should do to get the hand on your waist and the hand on Mihawk's chest that you placed in your panic back to normal without you even noticing.
"Um, it should be safe now...?"
As he spoke, you subtly removed your hand from Mihawk's chest. His golden eyes, which had been resting on you, scanned you, and then his hand, which had been on your waist, moved away along with your gaze. Sensing the release at your waist, you instinctively prepared to back away and create some distance.
Even faster than your retreat was Mihawk's voice, which anticipated your movement.
"Don't stray too far from me; this island might have other plans."
The half-step back movement stopped at Mihawk's words, for this island was indeed capable of such things. Embarrassment aside, survival was more important. Having weighed the emotions against the issue of survival, you calmed your feelings unrelated to the current situation and offered Mihawk a sincere thank you.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
After a brief exchange, a silence, a sense of "we're not familiar with each other," lingered between you and Mihawk. Fortunately, Mihawk didn't let the silence last long, and proactively brought up a topic for you to continue the conversation.
"Are you still able to walk? Judging from the current situation, we have no choice but to keep going. If you're tired, I—"
Before Mihawk could say "I can carry you," his attention was focused on you, who stretched as far as the eye could see, and he readily agreed.
"Yes, I can walk. Can we leave now?"
Meeting your eyes, which are filled with only forward momentum, Mihawk, who for a moment couldn't tell who the pirate was, gave you a positive answer after a brief silence.
"Can."
Since you only had the option to go forward, Mihawk, who had been leading the way to scout ahead, silently took a half-step back when he caught sight of your position out of the corner of his eye, and instead followed behind you. You, focused on the candle on the stone wall, didn't notice Mihawk's movement, trying to find traces of the exit or information about the "treasure" on the wall.
Unfortunately, there were no answers, only ancient, dusty soil. As your footsteps gradually overlapped with Mihawk's, your attention, focused on the treasure, reminded you of Mihawk's "mission" to come to this island.
"Speaking of which, Mihawk was commissioned by the Navy to find the treasure. May I ask you a question?"
"Can."
After receiving an affirmative answer, you tidied your words and tone and asked about the ownership of the treasure since it was discovered by three factions at the same time.
"If, and I mean if, you, Shanks, and Whitebeard's men all find the treasure at the same time, how is ownership of the treasure determined?"
"Simultaneous discovery is generally rare. But in such cases, strength usually prevails."
It all comes down to skill...
Coupled with Mihawk's emotionless voice, you can picture Whitebeard, Shanks, and Mihawk standing together, ready for battle. It's the kind of image that makes you feel like the island is about to sink just by imagining it.
Let's not do it; it's too dangerous for everyone.
After shaking your head to clear the images from your mind, you steered the topic to a new question: "If I were the one who discovered the treasure, how would ownership be determined?"
Based on your current allegiance, the treasure you discovered should belong to Whitebeard. However, you received kindness from Shanks and his crew without offering them any material thanks. If you truly want the treasure, perhaps you should give it to Shanks and his group...
Mihawk, his gaze fixed on you, didn't answer your wandering thoughts, but instead posed a new question.
"Do you want to?"
You stopped in your tracks, looked around, and after confirming that only you and Mihawk were present, you pointed to yourself: "Are you asking me?"
"right."
Following the affirmative answer was Mihawk's undisguised helplessness, and your silence when asked if you wanted the treasure. To you, pirate treasure held no value. Moreover, a treasure that required the combined resources of all three factions to search for would, in fact, be a disaster for you if you actually obtained it.
"I'd rather not, even if I got it, I wouldn't be able to keep it."
You chuckled and picked up on Mihawk's topic, but his sharp golden eyes seemed to see through the concerns behind your smile, and he said something completely contrary to his stance.
"I will protect it for you."
When you meet Mihawk's sincere golden eyes, you think of things that have absolutely nothing to do with the conversation.
If I remember correctly, Mihawk is from the Navy, right?
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