Chapter Seven: Azar the Phoenix

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Watching you leave hurt, a lot. But it meant that you were safe, so he should have been happy, right?

Sanji couldn't stop thinking about you as he cooked while his new captain, crew mate, and the bounty hunters doing whatever the shit they were doing were on the outside of their boat. He just couldn't stop thinking about that incredible show of power, controlling the oceans. And yet at the same time, he was worried. It was clear to him that you weren't conscious of your actions, and he wondered what kind of affect it had on you.

What if you died? The thought made his heart pound in his ears and sweat profusely. No, you wouldn't die so easily. You were strong. You had a renowned Warlord by your side, you wouldn't just suddenly die. You were his angel, he had to believe in you. Earlier he had used that pearl man as a way to blow off some steam, but now it seemed like it wasn't enough.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, revealing a very hungry Luffy.

"Sanji! What's taking so long? I'm hungry..." Luffy whined, holding his stomach. Sanji sighed. Was he the only one thinking so hard? Luffy and the others didn't seem like they were having any trouble, so was it just him? His eyes trailed to the rubber man.

Maybe he should've just used Luffy as a punching bag instead.

Then again, that'd probably make you unhappy, and he couldn't have that now can he?

Unbeknownst to the chef, Luffy was in fact, having a difficult time.

For Luffy, he ate a lot of food when he was stressed, and right now he was beyond stressed. Gobbling everything up, he just couldn't stop thinking about you. He wanted to know when you'd come back to join his crew. Hopefully before they set sail to the Grand Line, the two of you promised after all.

He chewed on his meat, gazing at the thing.

Were you eating something too right now? Were you hungry? Would you have liked it if he shared his food with you like the two of you did when you were younger? Those thoughts made him think of Ace and Sabo, and all the times you tried to stop them from fighting, and the laughter inside the base. Then there was Dadan, who always favored you for some reason...

Those were the good days, and he missed them. But there was a new adventure waiting now, one where he was sure to travel with you.

Zoro quirked a brow at Luffy's silent behavior, chugging his alcohol. He was probably thinking about you, so Zoro thought it was no big deal. That reminded him. That Doffy man you mentioned... Zoro swore that name sounded familiar. He assumed that 'Doffy' was probably a big bounty pirate, considering the fact that the man mentioned your Master. He turned to Johnny and Yosaku.

"Oi, have you two ever heard of this 'Doffy' dude?"

"Doffy?" Johnny echoed. "Haven't heard of him, but it sounds familiar. Does he have a bounty?" Yosaku grabbed their stack of bounties, sifting through it.

"Dunno, probably." While looking through the stack, Yosaku asked,

"Where did you hear of him?" Zoro put his hands behind his neck, propping himself up.

"Heard him talking on the Den Den Mushi that our First Mate had." He yawned. "He probably has a big bounty, considering the fact that he mentioned Mihawk." His thoughts subtly trailed off to you and your innocent smile.

That's right. You saved him from your Master. Or so Johnny and Yosaku said. Maybe he should thank you...?

He tensed. Thanking someone was weird, he didn't know if he had the courage to do so. Then again... Your face filled his mind, happiness radiating off of you as you were in the clutches of Don Krieg... How you were so oblivious. Zoro let out a sigh. He supposed that thanking you wouldn't be so bad.

Someone like you needed protecting anyways, especially when he considered the fact that you were the First Mate, and Luffy would be super pissed (and sad) if something happened to you. Even now his captain was sulking.

"...before you can pass me, you have to pass my student." Mihawk's words suddenly rang inside his head like a mantra.

Then again, apparently you were freakishly strong if Mihawk told him that he had to surpass you before reaching the man's level. And hearing Yosaku and Johnny yap about how majestic and gorgeous you looked coming out of the water and manipulating it was enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable that all they thought of it was that you looked like an absolute goddess and not look to see that there was something special about you. He blinked, hearing Yosaku's voice, bringing the moss head out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, Zoro-aniki. I don't have a wanted poster for 'Doffy'. Maybe he just has a too big of a bounty. We collect smaller bounties after all."

"Eh, it's fine. Probably not that big deal."

Foreshadowing at it's finest.

* * *

It was peaceful, and Mihawk let out a small sigh in content. Adjusting his hold on you slightly, he hummed as he stroked your cheek. Just feeling your warmth against his chest was enough to send him into a state of euphoria. Oh he didn't want this moment to end. He wanted to hold you until the end of time.

The image of Shanks appeared in his mind.

He frowned. Though he'd have to share with Shanks one way or another, Mihawk knew it was inevitable. That man was clingy, and would never let him have you all to himself. But it was okay to some degree, as long as it was someone he tolerated, it would be okay. As long as it wasn't some fucked deranged man, then it would be okay.

As long as it wasn't Doflamingo.

You moved slightly, snuggling into his chest, shaking slightly. It seemed that even in your unconscious state, your body knew that you were close to the sea. Typical. A caw cried from above, and he glared at Phoenix. It was pretty clear to him that that mischievous bird had ulterior motives, doing whatever the shit he wanted, whether it benefited Mihawk or his rivals.

Sometimes he wanted to skin the fucking bird alive.

Hearing groaning, his attention was immediately on you, eyes watching you as you yawned cutely. Hearing the ocean, you immediately froze, glancing around to see that you were indeed surrounded by water.

Your mind was racing. Where was Phoenix? Where were you? How did you get in the middle of the ocean? What happened?

You were shaking at this point, tensing when you felt a hand stroking your back. Looking up, you saw your Master, and you immediately relaxed, everything leaving your system as you leaned against him. Everything would be okay as long as Mihawk was with you.

Your eyes turned gold for a brief second, seeing the vision of Zoro fighting against a fish man.

Wait... Zoro..?

You widen your eyes. Zoro! About to speak, it seemed like Mihawk already knew what you were going to say.

"If you are asking about that man, I reassure you, I did not kill him."

You calmed down. "Oh... thank you."

"No need to thank me. I owe you an apology. I did not realize that seeing him gravely injured would cause you to jump in as well. I apologize for my incompetence." It kind of sounded like he was saying that you were too empathetic, but you disregarded it. You knew your Master, and he was very kind. Of course he wouldn't have killed Zoro.

"No, it's okay. I forgive you, but what am I doing here? I was supposed to be with Luffy."

Those words left a foul taste in his mouth. Ah yes, the captain and the lecherous and delusional cook, of course you would think of them immediately. "I have decided to take you back home. I don't trust you with those bracelets on. I'm going to find a way for you to take them off."

"What?! But I can take care of myself!" He gave you a glare. "...kind of... But I've already spent two weeks looking for him. Are you saying that you don't trust me?"

"To but it bluntly, yes. I don't want you to go alone unless those bracelets are off of you." You were about to stay compliant, but you widened your eyes in realization.

"How did you know about the bracelets?" you asked him suspiciously. When he failed to provide an answer, you felt like crying. "You didn't trust me from the start did you?"

Mihawk didn't trust you. You had to rely on him again. You didn't want to become a burden to him, so why couldn't he have just said it to your face instead of following you around? If he had asked, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

You wanted to go, dive into the water to get away from all this sadness and betrayal, but his grip had tightened, already anticipating your actions. You could only curl up into a ball against his chest, your Master gazing down at you in pity. Or at least, you believed it to be pity.

* * *

Guilty. Mihawk felt guilt stabbing his heart. His chest felt heavy as though he was drowning, and he couldn't get himself to stop feeling such emotion. It hurt him so much to hurt you emotionally. He thought he was doing something for the greater good, but it was just a blow to their relationship of trust. And now that trust was crumbling before his eyes.

What was he supposed to say? Apologize? Tell you that it was all because of his obsession with you? What is it that he had to do?

Mihawk was never the emotional type, and he never had much experience with people, especially with women. The only women he interacted with was occasionally Hancock and that woman was annoying, but that was only his opinion. She was your friend, so he tolerated her to a certain degree. Though he didn't like those heart eyes that she constantly gave you. That made him want to strangle her to death.

You didn't belong to Boa Hancock, no. You belonged to him.

You were all he could ever think about. The first thing he always did in the morning was to check on you, and he always ended up watching you sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of his habit. Then, in the afternoon when the two of you trained with bokkens, he would always feel pride well up inside him knowing that you were just as skilled as he was (and he'd be even prouder to know that you would actually wield a fucking sword). And then at night he would comfort you until you slept, and sometimes he would even bring you to his own room.

Ah, but when he does so, Phoenix would always stare through the window, watching his every move with amusement. Insert Lenny Face.

Even with all these interactions he just didn't understand why you had such doubts about yourself. Yes, he knew about what went on in your head; you weren't exactly subtle with it, no matter how hard you had tried to keep it to yourself. He thought that if he made sure that he showed how much he cared about you, that you would eventually realize that you weren't a burden to him. But it only seemed like it made it worse.

So he tried to see what would happen if he left you. Granted, he was going to buy you a present, but it too had ended in failure. You didn't want to be a burden, and yet you didn't want anyone to leave you by yourself. Whenever he would try to talk to you, Phoenix would always interfere, causing his worry to grow.

Would you blame him for not knowing what to do with the situation?

"Y/n. Everything I do is for you." You ignored him, staying silent. Why must feelings be so complicated? "I care about you deeply, and wish only for the best for you. I only followed you to protect you." Holding you gently, he stroked your head, running his hands through your hair. Frowning when he didnt't receive a reaction, he lifted your head up, positioning so that you faced him. When he saw your face, he sighed again, brushing your tear stained cheeks with his thumb.

You fell asleep.

* * *

He liked drama. Maybe it was because his life had always been so boring, reincarnating over and over again to the same things. Maybe that was why Phoenix liked to mess with people, his favorite, being Y/n. He reminisced in his memories.

How long had it been? Eight hundred years? Nine hundred?

Did it even matter anymore?

A couple millennia ago, when he was to be the expected age of a teenage fire bird, already having undergone 21 rebirths, he had lived on an island of beauty and riches. The island in which he inhabited was home to the people of power, gifted with ingenious intellect and strength unlike any other. Those people were descended from the very first people who utilized Haki, the very people who had created Devil Fruits themselves.

But just because they were descended from greats, didn't mean they had unimaginable power themselves. No, that power was only gifted to a special family, with blood the color of shimmering gold, and affinity to the world around them. The great dragons bowed before them, the sea creatures brought them gifts, and for the people of the island, they gave them gold, diamonds; and just about any precious minerals and stones they could get their hands on.

To the 36 races, they were known as gods, the creators of the world. A legend; a myth.

But if you've lived as long as Phoenix did, seen as much as he did, then you would have known that they were not a myth. After all, he himself knew one. They died of course, but that was irrelevant.

Those with the golden blood were known as the Ancient Ones, some who dubbed them as the 'Phoenix'. It was kind of funny, to be honest. He was a phoenix, they're last name was Phoenix- alright, maybe it wasn't that funny, but you get the memo.

So then on one fateful day on the island, Phoenix had encountered a little girl. The moment he laid eyes on her, he knew she was special. Multi colored locks that swayed in the wind, and beautiful eyes of a thousand hues. She was beautiful, innocent, and yet something mysterious swirled in her eyes. He decided to perch on a branch above her, observing her actions.

From what Phoenix could tell, he was pretty sure that he hadn't seen her on the island before. He practically memorized everyone's faces out of sheer boredom. So who exactly was this little girl?

The child looked around before walking towards a small stump, pulling out a piece of chalk. Scrunching up her face, contemplating something (Phoenix thought she looked like she was constipated), she decided to draw something on the stump of wood.

One stroke.

Two strokes.

Three strokes.

It took him only a split second to realize what she was drawing. Or writing to be precise.

Why are you watching me?

Oh shit he was caught. How he was caught was the question. Flapping his large wings, he landed onto the stump, and the two of them locked eyes, a shimmering rainbow rivaling gold. He was several feet taller than the child, considering the fact that he was in his larger form. He internally smirked at the sparkles that radiated from the child's face.

"So you've come out. I didn't expect you to be a Phoenix. Did you know that my family's the embodiedment of your species?"

He tilted his head. Embodiedment? His golden eyes widen. Was this child...?

"So what's your name?" she continued. "Do you have one?"

Phoenix shook his head. "No." His words echoed, resonated within her head.

The small girl could only stare at him in awe. "I didn't expect you to have such a deep voice."

"Most don't meet phoenixes."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." She nodded her head, contemplating something. Sitting on the stump, she spoke excitedly. "Well if you don't have a name, can I give you one?"

Phoenix nodded his head. "Bestowing a name upon someone like me would be a great honor."

"You don't have to be so formal with me!" She chuckled, before placing her hand under her chin, thinking hard. "What about Phoenix?" He deadpanned. Using his literal species name as a name? She literally had zero imagination. It seemed like she caught on as the girl stared sheepishly into his eyes.

"I was just kidding. I think... Azar suits you."

Phoenix gazed down at the child as she awaited his response. Never had all his lives had someone treat him with such respect. The people of the island always treated the creatures as that. Creatures. Beings with lesser intelligence then they, but should be worshiped like no other. He couldn't help the fondness in his eyes as he stared at the little girl, overpowering his thoughts of not manipulating the child. "Hmm... I like it. It does suit me, doesn't it?"

The smile on her face told him that she was satisfied, and his eyes crinkled slightly. Though he could only make limited expression on his face, she could tell that he was happy. A butterflies slowly fluttered by, brushing against her cheek, and she let out a soft giggle.

"Well then it's nice to meet you Azar! I'm ^̵̢̻͇̱̗̟̹͍͔͙̠͇̜͖͕̦̎̐́̽̑̓̋͐̓͐͐̕̕͝͝͝͠*̵̨̼͇̥͓͍̣̳̹̰̱̝͉̘̅̅͊͒̈́́͝ͅ#̵̟̭͂̀̾͛́̃̆̈̍̀̎͗̇͝͝(̵̨̡̛̛̗̙͇̜̰̲͖̤͖̤̙̞̘̐̒̄̀͗̐̊͐̈̊̄͘͜@̶̡͖͔͕͚͖̰̺̩͚̘̟́!̴̡̡̢̡̳͈̩̝͖̟̮͖̥͉̱̥̻͍̟͓̔̂́ͅ*̷̰̦͓̚%̷̢̡̨̧̝̞͍̥̩̬̞͇̻͈̩͉͈̆̍̆̒͆̽͊̿͆̓̽͛̀́͘͝." The wind blew in pink flower petals, and he couldn't help but think of how angelic the little girl looked. He briefly wondered if she'd make a good companion.

"Nice to meet you as well. Now what do you say to a little bit of fun?"

The girl jumped up excitedly, her hair transitioning into a warm colors. "What kind of fun?!" It was cute, precious even. So very innocent and easy to manipulate- not that he'd want to manipulate something so pure.

"What do you say we go mess with some people?"

"Sure! What do you mean by 'mess with'?"

Bam! He felt like he was smacked in the face with pureness. God, what kind of sheltered life has this girl been living? After some explaining (to which lead to more explaining), she eagerly nodded, and the two were off into the town.

In the end, it was safe to say that Phoenix, or rather Azar, had a new partner in crime. Too bad she had to die in the end.

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Author's Note:

I am so not satisfied with this chapter. It feels so shitty. I am sorry. But anyways, Happy Birthday to our favorite fucked up flamingo. Yay...

(For some of you it already passed but I live in the Western Hemisphere)