Huge ups to
@Flower for keeping this idea going! Below is what I submitted for the contest before none of y’all joined in 🙄 Enjoy! Or don’t; I get paid either way.
“Feh!” a man spat as he stood above another defeated swordsman, his third of the day. “No strong opponents, no strong booze...what’s this place even good for?” His sharp eyes, shaded by both the black bandanna he wore and the jagged green bangs that slipped out from under it, narrowed as he stared at the sky.
“Waaah, so cool!” a man whispered from behind a tree nearby, tears streaming down the eyes underneath his sunglasses. “Yosaku!” he said as he nudged his partner beside him. “Did you see how effortless that was?!”
“I saw it,” the other man replied, a grim look on his face. “He was...impossible to miss.”
“We should ask him to join us!” the first man said gleefully. “Can you imagine the big bounties we’d be able to take down with him on our side?”
The second man shook his head. “There’s no way he’d wanna work for us, Johnny. Look at him - that’s not someone who takes orders from anyone else.” Before Johnny could respond, Yosaku pointed at the swordsman’s back as he began walking away, stopping only to look around as if unsure of which direction he needed to go. “Besides, he-HEY!”
Yosaku’s eyes popped out of his head as he realized his partner had left the cover of the giant trunk and raced over to the swordsman. “That was...absolutely incredible!!” Johnny gushed. “What’s your name?!”
“Zoro,” the man said with a sour face. “You know where I can find some liquor? Or maybe some meat?”
“I know how you can make enough money to keep you drunk for weeks,” Johnny replied gleefully as Yosaku suddenly appeared by his side, his hand behind his head and his eyes downcast. “Become bounty hunters like us!”
Zoro squinted as he squared the two men up. “I don’t need the money *or* the trouble. I’m looking for someone specific...have you heard of the man with eyes like a hawk?”
Impressed by his effortlessly cool demeanor and completely ignoring his question, Yosaku responded, “We can help you! Not to brag, but we’re known around these parts for tracking down our targets without fail!” He and Johnny struck a pose, both flexing their left arms as they intertwined with one another and shouted in sync, “WE’RE JOHNNY AND YOSAKU, THE SILENT HUNTERS!!”
Despite being put off by their contradictory behavior, Zoro grimaced and continued, “Listen!! If you know of Hawk Eyes, I’d appreciate you telling me where to find him. Otherwise, I’m happy to draw the information out of you...by force...” His scowl turned into a sneer as he reached for the three hilts on his right hip, exuding a bloodlust that could be felt for miles.
This same sensation sent shivers up Johnny and Yosaku’s spines. “Woah, all right! There’s no need for that,” Johnny said hastily, waving his hands in the air. “We HAVE heard of Hawk Eyes, but we’ve never met him, we swear!”
“You’d do well not to tamper with that guy, Zoro,” Yosaku added nervously. “I can tell you’re strong, but he’s on another planet! He owns one of the only black blades in the world!”
To the duo’s surprise, this made Zoro grin. “Exactly why I wanna cross mine with his. If I can beat him, I can fulfill my dream...there’s no way I’ll lose before-“
Johnny and Yosaku didn’t see the man leaping out from the same tree they’d previously hidden behind before he was upon Zoro, their blades sparking when they clashed. “WAAAAH!!” they cried as they embraced each other.
“So,” the stranger said calmly, “it’s Hawk Eyes you seek, ehh?” His wavy red hair danced in the slight breeze as he stared Zoro down. “What makes you think you can stand on his level?”
“Who are you?” Zoro asked as Johnny and Yosaku cowered behind him.
“Nobody important,” the stranger responded. “Just someone who knows what that man is capable of...if you want to cross your sword with his, you’ve got to fortify your mind as much as you do your weapon.”
Zoro noticed that the man’s left arm appeared to be missing under his tunic. “Is he responsible for mangling you like that?”
The stranger smiled confidently. “Nah, I sacrificed that for a greater cause. Beating an invalid won’t get you any closer to defeating him, though.”
“We’ll just have to see if that’s true,” Zoro replied before charging towards the mysterious man, his swords flying out of their scabbards as he prepared to slash. Johnny and Yosaku were yelling behind him - the words “emperor” and “infamous” were all he could hear over the adrenaline coursing through his veins. “SHISHI...SONSON!!”
Three blades spun gracefully through the air before meeting the one held by the stranger as if attracted by some preternatural force. “That can’t be all you have,” he grinned, infuriating his opponent.
In his frustration, Zoro leapt backwards, crouched down, and jumped directly at the stranger again with weapons outstretched. “ONI...GIRI!!”
Again, their swords clashed; again, Zoro was clearly exerting more effort than the other man. “You can’t win against him!!” Yosaku’s voice finally cut through. “He used to be Hawk Eye’s rival!!”
Zoro turned his head, stunned. “What?! This man...was his rival??”
“In another life,” the stranger’s voice breathed down Zoro’s neck. When he turned back to face the interloper, a sudden chill shot through his body, virtually paralyzing him where he stood. “I’ll admit, most people wouldn’t still be conscious...maybe there is something you could do against Hawk Eyes. I’ll be sure to remember your name...Zoro.”
With that, the stranger began walking away. Zoro remained in place, still trembling from the force of the intense spirit he just felt. “I...will surpass you!” he shouted at the man’s languid auburn locks. “I will surpass Hawk Eyes! Mark my words, I will be the strongest swordsman in the world!” He found himself breathing heavily as the man continued walking until he became nothing more than a speck on the coastline.
Resolute and reinvigorated, Zoro swiveled to ask Johnny and Yosaku something...until he noticed the two crumpled on top of one another on the ground. “Wake up, you weaklings!!” he screamed as he kicked the partners, who yelped as they returned to the world of the waking. “I need you to do me a favor.”
“A-anything,” Johnny choked weakly as he stood and dusted himself off, Yosaku rising beside him.
“Do you have a ship?”
“We do,” Yosaku coughed.
Once again, Zoro smiled, freshly determined. “Let’s go out to sea and hunt some bounties...I’ve got a feeling there are a few interesting people I need to meet!!”
