Mihawk remained seated on the branch, his thoughts turning to the Provisional Parchment that had appeared the moment she spoke:
[ Name: Kaya ]
[ Age: 18 ]
[ Power Rank: Noncombatant ]
He'd experienced Resonance once again. It occurred when someone destined to join him behaved in ways that aligned with or clashed against his expectations.
Here, Kaya's response no doubt clashed.
This encounter prompted him to evaluate the nature of Resonance on a deeper level. Leading him to believe a hidden mechanism must be at play. If simple confirmation or contradiction of his expectations was the only requirement, the number of potential companions would grow beyond control.
If he had to guess what the hidden mechanism behind Resonance could be, it would concern what he 'wanted.' But what about what 'they' wanted? Did their desires factor into the equation, or was this entirely one-sided? These questions multiplied, but straightforward answers eluded.
Mihawk's deliberation then turned to Kaya.
How did he feel about the matter? Over the many years he'd watched and read One Piece, his mind occasionally wandered to a hypothetical crew he might assemble if given the chance. Kaya hadn't been part of that imagined crew, but now, faced with the actual opportunity, his answer had changed.
The reason for this change became clear as he reflected on what he'd observed. Kaya's reaction to learning he wasn't Death had been completely unexpected. Rather than relief or continued fear, she'd expressed disappointment, even calling him 'merely human.'
Her casual admission that she'd been 'absolutely delighted' by the prospect of Death's arrival revealed a darkness beneath her polite exterior that he found intriguing. Most people would have recoiled from such thoughts, but she'd voiced them with startling honesty.
This unflinching self-awareness and her willingness to engage with a stranger, even while believing her time was short, revealed hidden depths that the original story had never shown.
Her worsened state also reminded him why he'd come here: answers about the would-be sniper's fate.
First though, he would let her finish processing his two questions.
Returning his attention to Kaya, Mihawk found she'd kept silent during his musings. She sat forward on the bed with a pillow pressed to her chest, struggling to find words that wouldn't come.
He waited another minute before she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry... I-I can't answer you." She bit her lip and kept her eyes fixed on her pillow, refusing to look over. Her shoulder-length wheat-colored hair framed her face in gentle waves, but even that seemed dulled by her troubles.
"Don't concern yourself too much. I have one more question, and I believe you can provide me with an answer."
Kaya peeked over cautiously and waited, her large brown eyes reflecting both curiosity and wariness.
"Do you know what happened to a young man named Usopp?"
"Usopp...?" She scrunched her brow in thought, recognition dawning across her features. "Oh yes, what a woeful tale. Though calling him a young man isn't quite right. My butler and dear friend Merry, rest his soul, told me about the incident around two years ago."
"What about Merry?"
She paused, her grip tightening on the pillow before she responded. "Tragically, he fell down the stairs earlier this year."
"It happens."
"Y-Yes it does, I'm afraid. Now please let me answer your question about that little boy Usopp."
Kaya leaned back against the headboard, still clutching her pillow like armor, and continued. "The day after his father left to become a pirate, if memory serves me, his mother came down with a terrible illness and passed the following day."
Her voice grew quieter. "Her death came much sooner than expected. Usopp, the poor little boy, couldn't accept it. He snuck away from the villagers who were trying to care for him and is believed to have built a makeshift raft. Then he set out to sea to find his father...
A day or so later, his body washed up on shore, and he... he was buried beside his mother in the village cemetery."
The words from the Almighty's final note came to the forefront of his mind: 'Live with this truth. Live with the guilt. Live with the drive for atonement.'
Living with the truth and guilt was straightforward enough. The weight of it settled on his shoulders like a familiar burden. But how was he to drive for atonement?
Did he even want to atone? Yes, the answer came without hesitation, but he didn't know how to atone for Usopp's fate. The boy had perished many years before he'd arrived in this world.
Aid Yasopp in the future? The thought held some appeal, but was the Red Hair Pirates' sniper someone who needed help?
What about Kaya? Did looking after her count as atonement? Beyond protecting her from the Black Cat Pirates, when she joined his crew and considering the potential for engagement in the Sacred Covenant with her... was this truly atonement? It seemed more like a gift.
Would there come a day when he could truly atone? Not only for Usopp, but for his past life's sins?
Mihawk didn't know…
He'd been foolish thinking he had earned a peaceful retirement in his previous world, pretending he'd done nothing wrong. That he'd only been following orders, doing his job, making the world supposedly better by serving his country and handling the dirty work others couldn't.
While his past remained fixed, he could change the lives of those living in this world for the better.
Evidence around him only reinforced this urgency. So far, the Straw Hat Pirate members and those connected to them had been subject to altered fates. Even Merry hadn't been spared.
"H-Hello?"
Kaya's soft voice pulled him back to the present, her concerned expression showing that Mihawk had been lost in thought. It also served as a good signal that it was time for him to depart before nightfall claimed the island.
But not before having her do him a favor or two.
☠ ☠ ☠
Hours later, the moon hung high in the sky by the time Zora found her way back to the forest's edge, where the moonlight shone brighter.
As she pushed through the thick foliage and stepped forward, it was too late to realize there was nothing beneath her foot before she plummeted meters through the open air, crashing onto the sandy beach below with enough force to kill an ordinary human.
Pushing herself up with a low grunt, Zora brushed away the sand. "Huh, how did I end up back here?"
The familiar shoreline where they'd first landed spread before her, their ruined skiff still resting in the sand. She turned toward the waves, listening to their steady ebb and flow while recalling Mihawk's note and his instructions about bathing.
"Tch."
Still... nine days bound to that execution cross had left her coated in layers of dried blood, grime, and sweat that her wandering through the forest had only worsened.
Zora moved with deliberate purpose as she stripped. Not because of the note, but because she wanted to. She first placed her three swords carefully on the sand, then unwrapped the wide green haramaki from her midsection.
Her black boots came off with a few quick kicks before she peeled away her white shirt. Layers of caked-on grime had made the fabric rough and abrasive, scraping against her skin as she pulled it free.
Beneath lay the white sarashi that bound her chest, now stained a muted gray from constant wear. She next removed her black pants and undergarments, leaving only the tight wrapping across her torso. With practiced motions, she began unwinding the long strip of cloth.
As the last layer came free, the firm pressure across her chest melted away. She rolled her shoulders back, and her large breasts settled with a heavy, satisfying bounce into their natural weight and shape. A deep breath escaped her lips – one she hadn't realized she'd been holding – as the cool air brought welcome relief to her skin.
Stepping over her discarded garments, she waded into the still-warm sea and began scrubbing herself clean, salt stinging the raw abrasions on her body. The sharp sensation was a welcome trade for washing away the remnants of those nine days.
Ducking beneath the surface, she let the seawater saturate her hair and wash away the dirt and dried blood on her face.
Once clean, she moved deeper until the water reached her shoulders, finding peace in the sea's quiet rhythm. Several minutes passed before she turned and waded back toward the shore.
Halfway to the water's edge, she froze.
Folded clothes sat on the sand, placed where she'd left her dirty ones. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the empty beach, every sense alert, but found nothing. No movement, no sound beyond the gentle lapping of waves.
Only one person could be responsible.
Mihawk had been here. Heat gathered in her cheeks despite the cool water. He'd seen her. Zora's hands flew to her wet green hair, fingers combing through damp strands that clung to her face. He'd witnessed something he shouldn't have – her back.
How shameful.