Chapter Text
When Mihawk was young and brash. When his reputation did not yet preceed him, but his confidence in himself was stageringly high, he made a declaration.
"I will take whoever as my mate who defeats me in a swordfight."
He'd said it with a deadly serious look in his eyes that made everyone in the bar hold their breath. Although his words were technically an invitation, his expression made clear that such a challenge will not be met with mercy. It was more a death sentence than an offer.
And so the story starts. At first it was a small amusement amongst the islanders. But soon the news spread to the neighbouring islands. So grew the list of challengers, along with the list of the defeated.
Realistically, he wouldn't have ever done it if he were in an entirely clear state of mind. But it was too late to take back his actions driven by his slightly drunken state. And surprisingly, it deemed to be almost as useful as he sought it to be.
At about twenty years of age he was sick of it. Sick of old men thinking they could offer him a better life by their side because being a single omega of marriageable age was pitiful and yet tempting to them. He was sick of following eyes, of the audacity of up and coming young alphas and most of all sick of earnest expectations placed on him determinded by just the gender he was born as.
By twenty he had already been travelling for a few years with only his dear Yoru by his side. And yet no matter where he went, he could never escape the endless line of umwanted suitors. Worse were those of them, who dared to ask more than once, as if he'd change his mind in the matter of a few minutes of their innecesant babbling.
So it was after one of those times, when another could not understand the word no, that he made the declaration. And it worked wonders. Sure, in the beginning more than a few over-eager candidates made use of said declaration to challange him. But over-eagerness quickly turned into fear when all of them were too swiftly wiped out. And just like that, after only a few days of that process repeating itself, he finally managed to sit at a bar in town with not one person approaching him that night.
'Ah', he'd thought then, 'this was a good idea'.
Alas, nice things don't often last. In a few months time, there came a man to challange him once more.
He was unremarkable in every possible way. Dull eyes and even duller wit, with a smarmy smile. But he'd heard of a young omega with the gal to challange 'his betters' and got curious. It was also said that the omega was quite the looker and so he couldn't hold his curiosity any longer, the man explained.
When Mihawk was done with the lone challanger, he made sure to clear up which of the two of them was who's better. If nothing else, the man was unlikely to smile that disgusting smile at anyone for the forseeable future.
What Mihawk, despite his normally excelling forthought, did not see coming, was that this unremarkable man turned out to be quite renowned in this particular cluster of islands. What once turned people away in fear, now turned into a legend-adjacent story that only made people curious again. Very quickly, more and more neighbouring islands were taking notice of a young omega with a daring challenge. The alphas of this island were deafeated by an omega swordsman by the name of Mihawk, it was said. But people only deemed, that that particular island must have some pretty weak alphas. And any other challengers weren't much better off or just didn't want to hurt the fragile omega. How else could such a thing be?
By that point, Mihawk was dueling an only growing variety of opponents several times a week. Challengers from islands further and further away came along. And yet Mihawk still didn't regret it even once. A swordfight was far more comfortable to him than seeking touches. And insufferable smirks were quicker wiped off in a duel of swords than in a duel of words. If some of the mostly older alphas that came up to challange him unfortunately couldn't be saved anymore, well, then it was only his right as a vulnerable omega to act in self-defence right? It was only after one too many navy soldiers fell against him, that he finally got his first wanted poster.
It was his cue to leave the island. He had achieved whatever studies needed to finally satisfy his curiosity partaining this region's history. It was mostly the challengers prolonging his stay there anyway. But even after leaving, it only took a few weeks for the rumor to find him again. It became quite clear that almost the whole of the West-Blue heard about him by now - either by wanted poster or through other challengers and wittnesses.
It was of good use to him all-together. Every fight now, was a fight for his freedom. It only made him hone his skills at every turn all the more. He couldn't afford to loose and so he didn't. His sword never missed it's mark and he never wavered in his path, even if it lead him into the treacherous Grand-Line. A drunken declaration unexpectadly became his life for the next few years.
It was only after a long time in the Grand-Line and after acquiring an exhorbantly high bounty, that the challengers finally ceased. Now, it was only an odd day in the year that some alpha sought to prove themselves and win him over in the same stroke. And each year it became less likely. Especially after he became a warlord of the sea.
Incidentally, today was such an odd day of the year.
Mihawk was bored. In fact, he was bored most days now and sought a bit of amusment by following his prey into the east. He didn't expect the challenger that journey led him to.
His own thoughts and emotions in that encounter where confusing. It left him slightly unmoored, although nobody would ever notice by his outward appearance. Maybe it was because while seeminly an adult by most people's standards, his challenger was evidently still only a young man. So, the reckless young man shouldn't have been 'looking for Mihawk' for several years now. Surely a teenager wouldn't seek out an omega so much older than him even if to prove himself... right? If nothing else, it seemed an unhealthy obsession for the younger swordsman.
And what was that about a promise? Excuse his language, but who the fuck did he promise getting it on with Mihawk to?
It all seemed quite weird and maybe that was why Mihawk couldn't be quite convinced to kill him. If nothing else, he proved to be somewhat of an interesting fight and so it would at least resolve some of his boredom in the future to fight him again if it ever comes to it. Although surely, whatever unhealthy obsession that green-haired fool had with him would fade away with age. Either way, Mihawk would, of course, still stay at the top till then. Which is exactly what he promised the young man, much too his own bafflement. Maybe Shanks was right, maybe his seclusive tendensies were catching up to him.
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He saw the young man sooner than expected. Only a few months after said encounter, the green-haired swordsman suddenly appeared on his home island, bloody and bruised. It was even more unexpected, that said young man bowed down to him asking Mihawk to train him so that he one day may defeat him. It was absurd in every sense of the word. Here he was, an alpha, that by any means should think Mihawk a spinster, kneeling to him, seeking training in order to overcome the challenge Mihawk declared years ago in a fit of rage.
Zoro, by any means, wasn't a bad prospect for a partner. He was young, promising and not not handsome. So why did he desire him specifically? He couldn't help but ask.
"Are you so desperate for an omega? Surely you could find someone willing without having to duel them, could you not?"
That brought a confused expression onto Zoro's face. He froze in his bow, head now turned up with scrunched eyebrows. "Huh?" He grunted out in an obtuse manner.
"Why do you seek to challange me?" Mihawk asked in clarification with an eyerole. To his credit, the green-haired man didn't seem to mind Mihawk's dismissive attitude. Instead Zoro's eyes only grew more determined when he answered. "Because you're the best swordsman there is." He explained.
Oh. So he wanted not just any omega, but the world's strongest. Mihawk knew better than to take it as mere flattery. There was only conviction to be found in the young man's gaze. And it was a fact. Mihawk was the greatest swordsman in the world. He'd had enough challangers to prove that. He might have found it respectable; wanting a strong omega, if the mere want of an omega didn't always carry a tad too much possessiveness in it.
For all his good qualities, the young alpha carried too much pride and too little experience. Mihawk wasn't really keen to seek an answer for why exactly the alpha only deemed the strongest omega worthy of his claim. Any reasoning of such an alpha surely promised disappointment.
Nevertheless, sober as he was towards most of the world's temptations, he wasn't entirely immune to the apple hanging from the tree. A weird, unknown feeling krept into his veins. Despite his many set-backs and despite his kneeling before him - an omega -, the green-haired pirate was sure of himself and of his statements. And while not quite so far gone as to feel flattered by merely pointing out a factual truth, it was the first time Mihawk actually allowed the words of an alpha to reach him in any capacity. Mihawk was the best. And Zoro, young and foolish as he was, was drawn to him because of that. It almost felt like his born designation didn't even matter. His strength was seen as an absolute and not relative to anything else. And his strenght on its own was enough to make the alpha want.
Well, maybe Mihawk did feel flattered. His titel was earned through hard work and dedication after all and it was so rare for people to react in anything besides dismissiveness or fear to it. He doesn't remember anyone ever talking about his prowess with such... reverance. It felt nice, to be wanted not because of anything other than his hard earned strenght. Not many were able to appreciate that about the older swordsman, their egos too fragile and worldview too narrow. Mihawk was only human in the end. At least deep inside somewhere. And so he accepted this pupil on a slight whim.
The next two years will either end in death or in a potential suitor for himself - even if the second one was unlikely.