·
Word had spread across the seas—Aus was back in action.
Every major power with half-decent intel networks knew by now. Their reactions? All over the map.
The Marines were shitting bricks.
Whitebeard couldn't give less of a damn about some brat from Roger's crew.
Young supernovas were practically drooling for a piece of him...
And right now, aboard the legendary Oro Jackson, the guy causing all this chaos was—
Uh... fishing.
"Man, it's been forever since I fished on this ship. Takes me back."
Aus sat on the ship's rail, expensive rod in hand, zen as hell. Two hours down, zero fish caught. Didn't seem to bother him one bit.
Course, this wasn't just fishing.
This was training.
Future Sight—the god-tier Observation Haki technique—needed a calm mind. While Aus worked on his patience and willpower, he kept pushing his Future Sight duration.
Started as a split-second glimpse when he first awakened it. Now? Nearly a full minute. Pure grinding paid off.
Hell, this mental discipline might be boosting his spirit too. His Conqueror's Haki had grown during these sessions, even if just tiny amounts.
Meanwhile, Mihawk wrapped up sword practice. Towel draped around his neck, wiping sweat as he approached Aus.
"Still don't get why you're obsessed with Ohara, but whatever. Just the two of us can't sail this thing there fast."
Mihawk's expression stayed ice-cold. He shot a glance at the meditating Aus and dropped into a deck chair, legs crossed. Yoru leaned against the armrest. Watching Aus play the lazy boss made his eye twitch.
He wasn't a chatty guy. But something about Aus always got under his skin.
"This was your plan, right? First stop, Ohara? But you can't navigate, steer, read charts... can't even fucking cook. When exactly are we supposed to—"
The cold little hawk watched Aus sit there with his eyes closed. Veins bulged on his forehead.
Just as he reached for his sword...
"Chill out, Mihawk."
Aus cracked his eyes open and stretched. Hopped down from the rail and stood in front of the seated swordsman, looking completely relaxed.
"Sailing's just about getting where you need to go, right? You point the way..."
Mid-sentence, Aus lifted one foot and stomped down.
WHOOOM—
Mihawk felt something shift.
Everything looked identical. Same ocean, same sky. But something was off.
"I'll warp us there. Good training for my Devil Fruit too. Half a day, guaranteed."
Aus flashed an OK sign.
No landmarks on the open ocean made it hard to notice, but from above? The Oro Jackson now flickered across the water like a ghost ship, blinking forward at impossible speeds.
"..."
After bitching like a worried mom, Mihawk finally saw Aus had some use. He tossed over a compass.
"Sami collected eternal poses for your route before we left. Just follow the needle."
Seeing Aus nod, the little hawk headed to storage, grabbed vegetables and meat, then went to cook.
Aus tagged along.
"Shouldn't you be steering? Why are you in the kitchen?"
Mihawk stared as this bastard pulled orange juice from the fridge, grinning. "What's the problem? My Observation Haki covers ten thousand meters. Doesn't matter where I am."
Hearing that, Mihawk gave up caring. He ignored Aus's eager spectating and started cooking.
Aus leaned on the dining table, watching with fascination.
Holy shit, those knife skills. Two seconds to perfectly peel a potato. Flowing like water—ultimate technique in swordsmanship AND cooking.
Aus's eyes lit up.
He'd always eaten grilled meat on islands or fancy food in red-light districts. Every time he wanted to watch Mihawk cook, the prideful bastard refused.
Finally getting to see this.
Iconic scene unlocked +1
When food hit the table and Aus took his first bite, stars exploded in his eyes. He finally got why tricking the little hawk onto his ship was pure genius!
This rivaled the top chefs from those high-end districts!
Future world's strongest swordsman who never got lost.
Master chef who wasn't a pervert.
What was this?
Premium Sanji plus Zoro rolled into one!
One crew member, quadruple the value!
After demolishing everything, Aus leaned back, satisfied. Mihawk elegantly wiped his mouth, then fixed that cold stare on him.
"Why are you staring, little hawk?"
Maybe he'd said "little hawk" so much that Mihawk stopped protesting. He just spoke coldly.
"I cooked. You wash dishes."
Mihawk felt secretly pleased.
This bullshit had been building since they set sail. Big stuff, small stuff—he handled everything while Aus just watched.
Time for this lazy "king" to do some actual work.
"Yeah, sure."
Aus shrugged like it was nothing.
Mihawk's lips curved slightly.
He started explaining proper dishwashing technique.
"When you wash, pay attention to—"
Halfway through, Aus casually raised his hand.
Snap.
Every scrap of food vanished. Only spotless plates remained, looking fresh from the cabinet.
"Hm? Pay attention to what? I just warp the mess overboard."
Another snap. Clean plates appeared neatly in the cabinet.
"..."
"Little hawk? Why'd you stop talking? You naturally this quiet?"
"...Let's fucking duel!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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