The next day, Chiga followed Kalifa and the others to Marine Headquarters. Inside the massive building, he ran into a familiar face — Domino, the woman he'd once t in the depths of Impel Down, the Deep Sea Great Prison.
Seeing Chiga, Domino's eyes widened in surprise. She hurried over, bowed deeply, and said with genuine respect,
"Your Majesty, it's an honor to see you again!"
Chiga gave a faint nod, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"How did a prison warden like you end up working here at Headquarters?"
Domino straightened and replied, "The position of Warden has been taken over by Sadi-chan. As you know, the number of pirates has dropped sharply in recent years. The prison's been quiet, so I applied to Secretary Kalifa to transfer here to Headquarters."
"I see. With your skills, you're better suited to this post anyway," Chiga said with a light smile.
"Thank you for your encouragent, Your Majesty!" Domino bowed again, her face bright with pride. Then her expression turned serious as she looked at Kalifa.
"Secretary Kalifa, Dracule Mihawk has just arrived. I've already arranged for him to wait in the reception room."
Kalifa blinked in surprise.
"Mihawk? Why would he co to Headquarters?"
"He said he brought his apprentice to visit," Domino explained.
That caught Chiga's attention. "What's his apprentice's na?"
"Zoro," she answered.
A glimr of interest crossed Chiga's face. "Zoro, huh? Interesting. How did those two end up together…"
Kalifa tilted her head curiously. "Boss, do you know this Zoro?"
"Not personally, but he's a swordsman with imnse potential," Chiga replied. "Anyway, you two handle your duties. I'll go greet our guest."
Kalifa nodded and left with Domino, while Chiga headed toward the reception room.
When he entered, he found Hawkeye Mihawk sitting with arms folded, hat tilted down, appearing to nap. The room was otherwise empty — no sign of Zoro.
The mont Chiga stepped inside, Mihawk lifted his head slightly. Upon seeing who it was, he stood imdiately, surprise flashing in his usually calm eyes.
"Why are you here?"
Chiga shrugged casually, walking forward to take the seat across from him.
"Why? Surprised to see ? We're old acquaintances now, aren't we?"
Mihawk gave a short, dry laugh. "I thought you weren't stationed here. With your current standing, people can't just et you whenever they want."
"Hah! Don't tell even you've started caring about rank now," Chiga teased, a smirk tugging at his lips. "I still rember you showing off your al in front of like a showman back then."
Both n chuckled, a shared mory easing the atmosphere. Mihawk leaned back slightly and said, "At that ti, I thought you were terrifying. Yet here you are, not long after, having achieved the impossible — overthrowing the World Governnt itself."
Chiga tilted his head. "So, are you here to defect to ? That'd be quite the developnt."
Mihawk snorted. "Hardly. I brought a young swordsman to broaden his horizons. After all, most of the powerful figures on the seas vanished thanks to you and that war."
"Oh? So this Zoro is your disciple now? That's unusual for soone like you."
"I was bored," Mihawk admitted simply. "With Shanks imprisoned by you, I've had no one to duel. So ti ago, I crossed paths with this boy in East Blue. He was lost at sea."
"As expected. Let guess — you fought him?"
"Of course," Mihawk said with faint amusent. "As soon as he saw , he challenged outright. His swordsmanship is still rough, but he's got a strong spirit. I admired that, so I brought him back to the Grand Line. But he hasn't officially beco my disciple yet."
Chiga leaned back. "And where is he now?"
"He went out to look around. By now, he should be back."
"…You let him wander Marineford alone?" Chiga asked flatly.
Mihawk blinked, caught off guard. "He's not a child. You think he'd get lost?"
Chiga sighed, resting his chin on one hand. "And you haven't noticed anything… particular about him in your ti together?"
"Not really. We lived quietly on my island. I even had him spar with baboons for training. I didn't pay much attention beyond that," Mihawk admitted.
Chiga exhaled through his nose, amused. "Figures. Alright, let check where your wayward apprentice is."
A golden light flashed across Chiga's eyes, and the entirety of Marineford unfolded before his perception. Within seconds, he found Zoro — at the back mountain training grounds.
---
Half an hour earlier…
Zoro had been wandering the back mountain, brow furrowed. "Weird… Marineford isn't even that big. How did I lose my way already?"
Suddenly, the sound of fighting and shouting reached his ears.
"Rubber Rubber—!"
"Take this! Iron Fist of Love!"
Bang!
"Ow!"
Following the noise, Zoro ca upon three young n in Navy uniforms, all about his age. One — a blonde with a water pipe — sat casually on a rock, watching the other two spar.
Well, "spar" was generous. It was more like one-sided punishnt — the boy with the stretchy limbs was taking a beating.
They were unmistakably the Luffy brothers.
Luffy, battered and bruised, sucked in air through his teeth. "Sii—haa—sii—haa…" He swung his elastic arms in frustration, trying to land a hit.
Ace, only lightly scuffed, took a boxing stance with a grin.
"Luffy, what do you think of this new technique I learned from Grandpa?"
Luffy grumbled, "What's so great about it?! I'm not scared anymore!"
Ace's smirk widened. "Oh yeah? Then take this! Fist Bone—"
Luffy's eyes locked on Ace's fist, bracing for a punch — but Ace suddenly jumped and kicked instead.
"Great Foot of Love!"
Slap!
A perfect red shoe print blood on Luffy's face as he tumbled backward, clutching his cheek. On the rock, Sabo sighed and rubbed his temple.
Ace crossed his arms smugly. "Idiot! You couldn't even dodge that? Your Observation Haki still needs work!"
Luffy staggered up, glaring through watery eyes. "That's cheating! You said 'Fist Bone' and kicked !"
"Tch. You always shout 'Rubber Rubber' before attacking. Can't bla for picking up the habit!"
Their spar devolved into a bickering match until Sabo raised a hand.
"Alright, enough! Soone's coming."
The three turned to see Zoro, arms crossed, observing quietly.
Sabo's gaze shifted to the three swords at Zoro's waist. Straightening, he spoke politely,
"Hello there. Are you looking for soone?"
---
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