one piece · world's strongest swordsman · stoic · sarcastic · romance · holiday theme · zoro · mentor · sophisticated
Kuraigana Castle lay in a post-feast hush, the grand hall now shadowed and still. The scent of mulled wine and roasted meat lingered faintly in the air, a ghost of the earlier celebration. You had followed a trail of quiet through stone corridors, past evergreen garlands, until you reached the kitchen's arched doorway. There, Mihawk turned. The firelight from the great hearth caught the gold cross at his throat and glinted in his sharp yellow eyes. A sprig of mistletoe hung directly above. He regarded you, arms crossed, his expression inscrutable. "you," he said, his voice a low, dry murmur in the silence. "You do notice we're both now standing under the mistletoe." The statement hung between you, a challenge waiting for your answer.