Hawk Eyes refused the life potion treatment, using only the basic medical tools available in the ocean restaurant.
Under the careful stitching of several burly cooks, who looked rough, but were even tougher than they appeared, the bleeding wound finally stopped, preventing it from further draining his life away.
After a short rest, Hawk Eyes felt restless, uneasy staying any longer.
Looking at this group of young dreamers, discussing ideals far grander than anything he had ever imagined, Hawk Eyes suddenly felt... old. Perhaps I've fallen behind the times.
He set out early, stepping onto his small wooden boat once again. Despite Luffy's repeated attempts to make him stay, despite the temptations of Baratie's delicious food, Hawk Eyes only asked Luffy to pass on a single message:
"I'll be waiting for you... in the New World."
And so, alone beneath the blazing sun, the man rowed away with his black blade in hand, leaving behind a place that had given him too many bitter memories.
========
In Zoro's Sword Spirit World
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
BOOM!!!
Another hill shattered into countless fragments under Zoro's outburst, the debris scattering in every direction.
Finally, as if venting his fury had brought release, Zoro, drenched in cold sweat, began to calm down.
The savage, beast-like look in his eyes slowly faded, replaced once more by composure.
"Is it over...?"
Ashura's figure appeared before him, his voice calm and low.
"Hmm."
Zoro let out a guttural, almost bestial growl of affirmation. Then, with a sharp motion, he straightened up, flicked the sweat from his forehead, and once again became the reliable vice-captain everyone knew.
"Everything's... back to normal."
"Zoro!"
Kuina, still in the form of a young girl, appeared suddenly. She looked at him anxiously, her voice trembling.
That violent display just now had terrified her.
Knowing what Kuina wanted to say, Zoro spoke first, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"Ha... I know I messed up."
"You don't have to worry about me. With Luffy around, nothing will go wrong."
As if his reassurance wasn't enough, Zoro mentioned Luffy again, trying to prove to his concerned sword spirits that there was no need for worry.
"Alright, since it's over... I should head out."
"Can't keep them waiting too long."
He waved a hand in farewell, not giving them time to respond, and in an instant his figure flickered, dissolving into a breeze that vanished without a trace.
The beast slowly revealed its true form, wanting to speak... but in the end, its terrifying jaws opened and closed without uttering a sound.
With Luffy around...
The three sword spirits knew well, some things couldn't be solved just by will alone.
After all… this world was not as simple as it seemed.
========
A spacious room.
Everything inside was neat and meticulously arranged. One could tell that the room's owner was a man of refinement.
When Zoro awoke, he slowly sat up from the bed, looking around to take in his surroundings.
This wasn't his room on the Going Merry.
So, that meant… he was still at the sea restaurant.
In that case… Looks like Luffy made his decision.
Creak,
The door opened. Sanji entered, dressed sharply in his black suit, carrying a plate of steak.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Zoro awake, Sanji froze for a second, then quickly placed the plate on the bedside cabinet.
"Luffy said you'd probably wake up soon, so he asked me to bring this to you."
There was a hint of awkwardness in his tone, understandable, considering he'd just witnessed the entire battle firsthand.
The man before him was a warrior so strong, it was hard to even look at him without feeling pressure.
To Sanji, Luffy and his crew had once been just another group of travelers, a passing part of his story meant to show him how vast the world truly was.
But after today, his path in life would forever deviate from what he once imagined.
========
Zoro glanced at the steaming steak and immediately understood what Luffy meant.
Between the two of them, words were unnecessary.
A single gesture, a single look, was enough to convey meaning.
He grabbed the plate and began eating straight from the bed, not caring if sauce spilled onto Sanji's spotless sheets.
Seeing Zoro eat so heartily, Sanji relaxed without realizing it. The stiffness in his shoulders faded.
He strolled over to the window, pushed it open, and lit a cigarette.
The endless blue sea stretched before him. The faint sea breeze stirred the little flower on the windowsill, making it sway left and right.
The soft wind brushed through Sanji's golden hair; smoke drifted from his lips, only to be blown back inside.
For a while, the room was filled only with the fluttering sound of curtains and the quiet rhythm of Zoro's chewing.
========
"Hey…"
Sanji broke the silence, his cigarette nearly burned to the filter.
"Out there, on the sea… are there a lot of people like you?"
"Huh? What?"
Zoro hadn't caught his words, too absorbed in his meal.
Gotta admit, this curly-brow's fighting skills are nothing special, but damn… his cooking's another story.
As much as it pained him to admit it, compared to Robin, Nami, or even Koby's cooking, what they made was just food.
What Sanji made... was art.
Sanji turned, a faint smile curling on his lips as he repeated,
"This sea… it's amazing, isn't it?"
"Of course."
Zoro swallowed the last bite of sauce-soaked beef and placed the empty plate back on the cabinet.
He stood up, finding his three swords hanging neatly on the wall, and reattached them to his waist.
"It's because the sea is so vast," he said, "that it can hold so many people with dreams."
"Dreams…"
Sanji turned again toward the sea, his voice barely a whisper.
He was thinking of that long-forgotten dream he'd buried deep in his heart.
"Right."
Zoro's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked over, a bit apologetic.
"About before… I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
Sanji looked back, confused.
Scratching his head, Zoro gave a crooked grin. His loose kimono hung open, revealing his scarred chest.
"I mean when I laughed at you before. I was wrong. Sorry."
"Figures… everyone loses their cool sometimes," Sanji muttered softly.
"To hold onto a belief… sometimes, you end up risking your life without even realizing it."
To risk your life for your beliefs…
Zoro's words struck something deep within Sanji. Like sunlight breaking through clouds, they lit up that forgotten ocean inside him, the ocean of his dream.
A spark of life returned to that world that had been dark and quiet for so long.
"It's amazing…" he murmured. "To live for a dream."
Zoro stepped closer, standing beside him. Together they faced the open sea, the breeze ruffling their hair.
"Why don't you come with us," Zoro said, smiling faintly.
"Come see how vast the world really is?"
=============
150+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon! Patreon.com/Veltoria