Hello and welcome to the voting phase of the tourney!
Theme of the tourney was - Rebirth/Resurrection
(1) Writing Tournament Signup Thread - Theme: Resurrection | Worstgen
We have 5 great submissions for you to read and vote on!
Good luck to all entries!
Entry 5 is in post number 3!!!
Theme of the tourney was - Rebirth/Resurrection
(1) Writing Tournament Signup Thread - Theme: Resurrection | Worstgen
We have 5 great submissions for you to read and vote on!
Good luck to all entries!
Entry 5 is in post number 3!!!
I'm the strongest, everyone knows
but fucking lonesome comes this road
Sitting at the top, everyone below
The pleasure, the vanity, long time gone
new challenges waiting for me ?
new person that I can be ?
a new hope to change my life
but no goals in plain sight
I don't know anything else
Born and raised to fight, mindless
But i can't go on like this
I need to find again the bliss
That life wasn't without goodies
Without wines, girls, victories
It was fun to be the best
For my enemies the hell fest
Okay, it's time to move
The tiger goes back to dove
Take the risk and throw it all
To leave my crown and enjoy
It's decided, I'll let it go
Tomorrow I begin piano
but fucking lonesome comes this road
Sitting at the top, everyone below
The pleasure, the vanity, long time gone
new challenges waiting for me ?
new person that I can be ?
a new hope to change my life
but no goals in plain sight
I don't know anything else
Born and raised to fight, mindless
But i can't go on like this
I need to find again the bliss
That life wasn't without goodies
Without wines, girls, victories
It was fun to be the best
For my enemies the hell fest
Okay, it's time to move
The tiger goes back to dove
Take the risk and throw it all
To leave my crown and enjoy
It's decided, I'll let it go
Tomorrow I begin piano
The familiar icy touch embraced me
Leaving a feeling of indescribable peace
One of no worries to dwell upon
Soft bells rang in the distance
Timely intervals marked each set of rings
As Order took charge of the mysterious land
A lady's singing could be heard overhead
Eerie but angelic
Sweet melodies in a tongue I could not decipher
A quiet forest lay ahead of me
Colored with brilliant hues of green
Golden light peeking through each delicate leaf
The End was on the other side.
As I embarked inside, the stillness overtook me
What had I done this time?
A thick fog surrounded me
Greens faded into grays
The leaves fell and the trees rotted
Light was replaced by darkness
The lady's song was now nothing more than shrieks and screams
The bells clanged with disarray and Chaos
Louder, and louder, and louder, and louder
Louder and louder and louder and louder
Louderandlouderandlouderandlouder
My soul succumbing to madness...
Until it stopped.
Artificial lights poured into view as strange masked people held me
I could only wail in horror
For I was forced to live out a nightmare once more.
Leaving a feeling of indescribable peace
One of no worries to dwell upon
Soft bells rang in the distance
Timely intervals marked each set of rings
As Order took charge of the mysterious land
A lady's singing could be heard overhead
Eerie but angelic
Sweet melodies in a tongue I could not decipher
A quiet forest lay ahead of me
Colored with brilliant hues of green
Golden light peeking through each delicate leaf
The End was on the other side.
As I embarked inside, the stillness overtook me
What had I done this time?
A thick fog surrounded me
Greens faded into grays
The leaves fell and the trees rotted
Light was replaced by darkness
The lady's song was now nothing more than shrieks and screams
The bells clanged with disarray and Chaos
Louder, and louder, and louder, and louder
Louder and louder and louder and louder
Louderandlouderandlouderandlouder
My soul succumbing to madness...
Until it stopped.
Artificial lights poured into view as strange masked people held me
I could only wail in horror
For I was forced to live out a nightmare once more.
On a day like any other, I sit here with my own thoughts, trying to delve deep within the self.
What does it mean that one day is like the other, it surely isn't like the day before. However all the mundane tasks you do every day, and going to the same job meeting your colleagues is a repeating occurrence, doesn't mean it was just the same as the last time. Within all of the familiar every day stuff, new things happen, different variations of the same things, making it not really the same. But like all things, days will come to an end, bringing down the curtains for yet another played act.
As you look up at the starry night sky, greeting the moon and the constellations, you feel the tiredness grow. You will go to sleep, and have dreams, perhaps remind yourself of something you need to do. But once you've opened your eyes again, everything is the same, but different. The self you was yesterday is no more, for now you are yourself today. Each and every life you live will be a slightly different one, until you recall a distant past where your current life is hardly unrecognisable.
What does it mean that one day is like the other, it surely isn't like the day before. However all the mundane tasks you do every day, and going to the same job meeting your colleagues is a repeating occurrence, doesn't mean it was just the same as the last time. Within all of the familiar every day stuff, new things happen, different variations of the same things, making it not really the same. But like all things, days will come to an end, bringing down the curtains for yet another played act.
As you look up at the starry night sky, greeting the moon and the constellations, you feel the tiredness grow. You will go to sleep, and have dreams, perhaps remind yourself of something you need to do. But once you've opened your eyes again, everything is the same, but different. The self you was yesterday is no more, for now you are yourself today. Each and every life you live will be a slightly different one, until you recall a distant past where your current life is hardly unrecognisable.
The sun burned bright behind Zoro’s closed eyelids, the ship’s mast at his back an uncomfortable headrest as he napped. On the fore deck, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper played with a colourful beach ball, while Robin and Brook lounged on a set of deck chairs nearby. All was well aboard the Sunny, the sounds of merriment and laughter filled the air, carrying over a salty breeze and gently lapping sea. Until…
“AIIIEEEEE!!” Nami’s shrill cry pierced the air, turning every head on the ship towards her where she stood, watering her beloved tangerine trees. Zoro’s eyes flew open at once, his hand reaching instinctively towards his swords, prepared to defend the crew from any threat.
“Get it away! Get it away!” Nami squealed, batting furiously at one of the trees, and Zoro scowled, his hand falling limply to his side. Muttering a curse under his breath, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and made his way over to the redheaded navigator, prepared to chastise her for interrupting his nap.
“Zoro!” Nami yelped and rushed towards him as he ascended the stairs to the upper deck. “My trees! They’re going to destroy my babies! You have to get them off!”
“Huh?” Zoro’s good eye squinted at the tangerine trees, still in perfect health, with fat orange fruits hanging from each branch. Nothing at all seemed amiss, but Nami was adamant.
“Look!” she cried, grabbing both of Zoro’s shoulders. “Ugh, why do men have to be so blind!? There’s caterpillars on the leaves! They’re everywhere!”
Zoro blinked and he moved towards the trees for a closer look. Sure enough, plump green caterpillars clung to some of the leaves, enjoying a sumptuous feast. Long and many-legged, the caterpillars left ugly pockmarks in the leaves, oozing a translucent slime that glistened under the light.
“Nami! I got the bug spray!” Chopper hopped up and down, brandishing a canister of insect repellant. Nami snatched the can from his tiny hand and aimed the nozzle directly towards the caterpillars, preparing to spray-
“Oi, stop!” Zoro planted himself between Nami and the bugs, spreading both arms to prevent her from reaching around his broad torso. “Don’t kill them! I’ll get them out of here.”
“What are you doing?” Nami watched, puzzled, as Zoro disappeared into the ship’s kitchen, emerging with a large empty glass jar. Patiently, delicately, Zoro plucked each caterpillar from her trees, placing them into the jar where they writhed and wriggled in a squirming green mass.
“How fascinating.” Robin appeared behind Nami and Chopper, drawn by the sudden commotion. “We must have picked them up from the last island somewhere. These ones seem harmless, but I’ve heard some species of caterpillar are poisonous and can cause serious allergic reactions in humans.”
“Poisonous, you say?” Brook tapped his cane on the deck. “Sounds scary enough to make my skin crawl… If I had any skin to begin with, that is! Yohohoho!”
“You can’t play with them, can you?” Luffy asked his archaeologist. “If only we’d picked up something fun instead, like horned beetles. Then Usopp, Chopper and me could make ‘em wrestle.”
Zoro ignored his crewmates as he screwed the lid tightly on the jar, trapping the last of the caterpillars inside. Careful not to spill them over the deck, he carried the jar towards Usopp’s Pop Green plantation, releasing the caterpillars into the loamy soil beds.
“Oh hey, that’s actually a good idea.” Usopp stroked his chin. “Some of the carnivorous plants could use a mid-afternoon snack.”
Nami wrinkled her nose. “I still think we should’ve just sprayed them all. Now some of Usopp’s plants are gonna be chewed on too.”
“Nah leave ‘em.” Zoro told her. “They’re supposed to be part of a healthy eco-whatsit. That’s what I was told anyway.”
“Never thought I’d hear that from Marimo.” Sanji smirked, poking his head out from behind the kitchen door. “Didn’t think he had the brains to figure out something like that.”
Robin chuckled quietly as Zoro’s ears reddened. “It seems we all learned much while we were away for two years.”
“Hmph.” Zoro folded his arms and looked away, attempting to hide the red flush spreading across his cheeks.
“I suppose we did.”
—-
Zoro grunted with exertion as he lowered a large wooden crate to the ground, the box’s contents emitting a loud clinking sound as he did. Wiping the sweat streaming down his brow, Zoro pulled a metal canteen from his sash and downed a large gulp of water, wishing, in vain, that it had been sake instead. Out of corner of his eye, he noticed Perona floating a few paces behind him, a skull-patterned parasol in one hand, a jar of homemade sangria in the other. Perona’s large eyes darted back and forth as she surveyed the area around them, a wide expanse of soil and dirt from which a few scattered plants had sprung.
“This place is boring.” Perona declared at last, playing with the cubed fruit at the bottom of her drink. “Why did we even come here? We could be at home watching the monkeys try to learn the piano right now.”
“You’re the one that decided to come watch my training.” Zoro reminded the Ghost Princess. “Besides, the monkeys are terrible. They just bang on the keys and make a huge din.”
“Yeah, but they’re trying!” Perona countered. “One day, they’re gonna learn how to play all the creepy songs I like. Just you wait and see.”
“All you do is annoy me and Hawk-Eyes by making smartass comments on my training.” Zoro complained. “And speaking of training, what kind of training is this? All I’ve done today is unload these crates from the boat; I haven’t even touched my swords at all!”
“Patience, Roronoa. Your wounds have yet to heal from our last spar after all.” Perona and Zoro turned to see the world’s strongest swordsman enter the clearing from the shadowy forest behind them.
“Oh so you’re worried about my injuries are you?” Zoro crossed his arms over his chest skeptically. “You could’ve just let me rest at home then, instead of making me run your little errands.”
Mihawk raised a brow. “We only have two years to train, do we not? I merely assumed you did not wish to remain idle. Now come, Roronoa. Remove the lids from each crate and place the contents on the ground.”
Zoro followed his master’s instructions, grumbling quietly to himself. The crates were filled with glass jars, each containing a single green caterpillar or earthworm. Zoro recognised them as fish bait, available at any market or port town, though for the life of him, he couldn’t fathom what Hawk-Eyes wanted to do with them so far inland. He watched, baffled, as Mihawk unscrewed each jar lid, tipping the wriggling creatures onto the dirt and watching them crawl hurriedly away.
“Well that was a huge waste of time and money.” Zoro watched the last of the earthworms burrow into the dirt and out of sight. “I thought we were gonna use them to go fishing or something. Instead you went and threw away all that quality bait.”
Mihawk pinched the bridge of his nose, silently reminding himself that berating his apprentice for his simple-mindedness was a lost cause. “This is training, Roronoa. Think about what the purpose of this exercise might be.”
“Oh, I know!” Perona interjected. “Caterpillars are super gross. Not cute at all. You’re still mad at me for making sangria out of your wine, and you’re still mad at Marimo for not telling you.”
Both swordsmen paid her no mind, causing Perona to puff her cheeks indignantly. “Dunno.” Zoro scratched the back of his neck. “Nothing really comes to mind. Can I get a hint?”
“Look around, Roronoa. What do you see?”
Zoro glanced around, taking in the brownish-red soil beneath his boots, the sloping hills of Kuraigana in the distance, the rusted remnants of weapons half-buried in the dirt.
“Umm… an old battlefield, I guess.” Zoro mumbled. “Is this important? I thought this whole place was basically a war zone before you moved in.”
“It is… for now.” Mihawk stooped low, catching a handful of earth between his fingers. “One day, this place will be an orchard. Butterflies will pollinate the plants, ensuring a yearly harvest of fruit. Corpses and ash from the war have enriched the soil here. The worms will loosen the earth, making it ideal for planting and tilling. That is what I see.”
“Right...” Zoro suppressed a sigh, secretly frustrated by his master’s tendency to speak in inscrutable metaphors. “And this relates to my training… how, exactly?”
“Geez, you’re so stupid.” Perona stuck her tongue out. “I totally get it, you’re just the slowest one here, as usual.”
“If you’re so damn smart, why don’t you just explain it already?”
“W-well…” Perona began to stammer, unused to her bluff being called. “Y-you see, what he meant was… uh…”
“It is important to visualise one’s eventual goal,” Mihawk interrupted her mid-sentence. “Imagine the level of strength you wish to achieve, and work backwards to understand what must be done. It is not enough to blindly lift weights or swing your sword without an endgame in mind, particularly when our time here is limited.”
“Huh.” Zoro nodded, slowly beginning to understand. “Although I imagine that’d be faster if you stopped dropping crumbs and actually showed me all you were capable of, Master.”
“Such cheek.” Mihawk’s lips quirked briefly. “You are unprepared for what you would see, Roronoa. I would not wish to discourage you from pursuing your dream so early.”
“You think being outclassed would make me wanna give up? Fat chance!” Zoro grinned. “But alright. I’ll keep getting stronger, and one day you’ll have to go all out on me, or else you’ll lose! That’s the goal I’m gonna have in mind from now on.”
Mihawk’s lips quirked again - too wide for a smirk - the first time Perona had ever seen him smile.
“I look forward to it, Roronoa.”
—-
Thin, emerald veins snaked along the length of the chrysalis, the skin pale and translucent, almost pulsating with life. Perona peered at the row of cocoons hanging from the young cherry tree’s branches, licking her lips at the thought of the first fruit in spring. The butterflies would soon emerge to greet the blossoms, bathing the burgeoning orchard in a sea of whites yellows and pinks. Humming cheerfully to herself, Perona floated down from the treetops, watching a family of Humandrills diligently ploughing the ground under Mihawk’s strict direction.
“The cherry saplings seem to be coming along,” he said by way of greeting. “It’s a shame Roronoa will not be present for the harvest.”
“No it’s not. Means more for us!” Perona laughed, anticipating her next batch of fresh sangria, the deep bitter taste of Mihawk’s wine enhanced by notes of ripe young fruit. “Fine wine is totally wasted on Marimo - he’d drink toilet water if it had a high enough alcohol content.”
“His taste is not dissimilar to Red-Hair in that sense.” Mihawk agreed. “Unfortunately, Red-Hair can at least boast of having superior swordsmanship and Haki. Roronoa possesses neither.”
“Aw, you’re being too hard on him. He’s come a long way,” Perona teased. “You know, the first time you brought us here, I was half expecting you to say that the caterpillars represented Marimo, and through your training he would be reborn as a beautiful butterfly. If anything, he’d be a big, ugly moth. Not cute enough for a butterfly.
“Some claim that a swordsman’s training resembles that process. That training requires ill habits to die; for an instructor to destroy their apprentice’s ego so that they may be more amenable to instruction.”
“Ugh.” Perona rolled her eyes. “You’re really good at sucking the fun out of everything, you know that?”
Her exasperation only seemed to amuse Mihawk, and his distinctive eyes twinkled with mirth as he cast his gaze over the land. Formerly a battlefield, a desolate wasteland devoid of light and life, the orchard thrummed now with activity, the crisp night breeze punctuated by the chirps and grunts of curious Humandrills. The chrysalises on the trees seemed to glow, luminous, beneath the moonlight, repeating the promise of rebirth, for the land of Kuraigana to thrive in the wake of destruction. For the once-solitary swordsman, the promise of a brighter tomorrow, anticipation for reunions with an old rival and a headstrong apprentice began to stir warmth in his heart once more.
Perhaps he too could learn to live again.
“AIIIEEEEE!!” Nami’s shrill cry pierced the air, turning every head on the ship towards her where she stood, watering her beloved tangerine trees. Zoro’s eyes flew open at once, his hand reaching instinctively towards his swords, prepared to defend the crew from any threat.
“Get it away! Get it away!” Nami squealed, batting furiously at one of the trees, and Zoro scowled, his hand falling limply to his side. Muttering a curse under his breath, he climbed unsteadily to his feet and made his way over to the redheaded navigator, prepared to chastise her for interrupting his nap.
“Zoro!” Nami yelped and rushed towards him as he ascended the stairs to the upper deck. “My trees! They’re going to destroy my babies! You have to get them off!”
“Huh?” Zoro’s good eye squinted at the tangerine trees, still in perfect health, with fat orange fruits hanging from each branch. Nothing at all seemed amiss, but Nami was adamant.
“Look!” she cried, grabbing both of Zoro’s shoulders. “Ugh, why do men have to be so blind!? There’s caterpillars on the leaves! They’re everywhere!”
Zoro blinked and he moved towards the trees for a closer look. Sure enough, plump green caterpillars clung to some of the leaves, enjoying a sumptuous feast. Long and many-legged, the caterpillars left ugly pockmarks in the leaves, oozing a translucent slime that glistened under the light.
“Nami! I got the bug spray!” Chopper hopped up and down, brandishing a canister of insect repellant. Nami snatched the can from his tiny hand and aimed the nozzle directly towards the caterpillars, preparing to spray-
“Oi, stop!” Zoro planted himself between Nami and the bugs, spreading both arms to prevent her from reaching around his broad torso. “Don’t kill them! I’ll get them out of here.”
“What are you doing?” Nami watched, puzzled, as Zoro disappeared into the ship’s kitchen, emerging with a large empty glass jar. Patiently, delicately, Zoro plucked each caterpillar from her trees, placing them into the jar where they writhed and wriggled in a squirming green mass.
“How fascinating.” Robin appeared behind Nami and Chopper, drawn by the sudden commotion. “We must have picked them up from the last island somewhere. These ones seem harmless, but I’ve heard some species of caterpillar are poisonous and can cause serious allergic reactions in humans.”
“Poisonous, you say?” Brook tapped his cane on the deck. “Sounds scary enough to make my skin crawl… If I had any skin to begin with, that is! Yohohoho!”
“You can’t play with them, can you?” Luffy asked his archaeologist. “If only we’d picked up something fun instead, like horned beetles. Then Usopp, Chopper and me could make ‘em wrestle.”
Zoro ignored his crewmates as he screwed the lid tightly on the jar, trapping the last of the caterpillars inside. Careful not to spill them over the deck, he carried the jar towards Usopp’s Pop Green plantation, releasing the caterpillars into the loamy soil beds.
“Oh hey, that’s actually a good idea.” Usopp stroked his chin. “Some of the carnivorous plants could use a mid-afternoon snack.”
Nami wrinkled her nose. “I still think we should’ve just sprayed them all. Now some of Usopp’s plants are gonna be chewed on too.”
“Nah leave ‘em.” Zoro told her. “They’re supposed to be part of a healthy eco-whatsit. That’s what I was told anyway.”
“Never thought I’d hear that from Marimo.” Sanji smirked, poking his head out from behind the kitchen door. “Didn’t think he had the brains to figure out something like that.”
Robin chuckled quietly as Zoro’s ears reddened. “It seems we all learned much while we were away for two years.”
“Hmph.” Zoro folded his arms and looked away, attempting to hide the red flush spreading across his cheeks.
“I suppose we did.”
—-
Zoro grunted with exertion as he lowered a large wooden crate to the ground, the box’s contents emitting a loud clinking sound as he did. Wiping the sweat streaming down his brow, Zoro pulled a metal canteen from his sash and downed a large gulp of water, wishing, in vain, that it had been sake instead. Out of corner of his eye, he noticed Perona floating a few paces behind him, a skull-patterned parasol in one hand, a jar of homemade sangria in the other. Perona’s large eyes darted back and forth as she surveyed the area around them, a wide expanse of soil and dirt from which a few scattered plants had sprung.
“This place is boring.” Perona declared at last, playing with the cubed fruit at the bottom of her drink. “Why did we even come here? We could be at home watching the monkeys try to learn the piano right now.”
“You’re the one that decided to come watch my training.” Zoro reminded the Ghost Princess. “Besides, the monkeys are terrible. They just bang on the keys and make a huge din.”
“Yeah, but they’re trying!” Perona countered. “One day, they’re gonna learn how to play all the creepy songs I like. Just you wait and see.”
“All you do is annoy me and Hawk-Eyes by making smartass comments on my training.” Zoro complained. “And speaking of training, what kind of training is this? All I’ve done today is unload these crates from the boat; I haven’t even touched my swords at all!”
“Patience, Roronoa. Your wounds have yet to heal from our last spar after all.” Perona and Zoro turned to see the world’s strongest swordsman enter the clearing from the shadowy forest behind them.
“Oh so you’re worried about my injuries are you?” Zoro crossed his arms over his chest skeptically. “You could’ve just let me rest at home then, instead of making me run your little errands.”
Mihawk raised a brow. “We only have two years to train, do we not? I merely assumed you did not wish to remain idle. Now come, Roronoa. Remove the lids from each crate and place the contents on the ground.”
Zoro followed his master’s instructions, grumbling quietly to himself. The crates were filled with glass jars, each containing a single green caterpillar or earthworm. Zoro recognised them as fish bait, available at any market or port town, though for the life of him, he couldn’t fathom what Hawk-Eyes wanted to do with them so far inland. He watched, baffled, as Mihawk unscrewed each jar lid, tipping the wriggling creatures onto the dirt and watching them crawl hurriedly away.
“Well that was a huge waste of time and money.” Zoro watched the last of the earthworms burrow into the dirt and out of sight. “I thought we were gonna use them to go fishing or something. Instead you went and threw away all that quality bait.”
Mihawk pinched the bridge of his nose, silently reminding himself that berating his apprentice for his simple-mindedness was a lost cause. “This is training, Roronoa. Think about what the purpose of this exercise might be.”
“Oh, I know!” Perona interjected. “Caterpillars are super gross. Not cute at all. You’re still mad at me for making sangria out of your wine, and you’re still mad at Marimo for not telling you.”
Both swordsmen paid her no mind, causing Perona to puff her cheeks indignantly. “Dunno.” Zoro scratched the back of his neck. “Nothing really comes to mind. Can I get a hint?”
“Look around, Roronoa. What do you see?”
Zoro glanced around, taking in the brownish-red soil beneath his boots, the sloping hills of Kuraigana in the distance, the rusted remnants of weapons half-buried in the dirt.
“Umm… an old battlefield, I guess.” Zoro mumbled. “Is this important? I thought this whole place was basically a war zone before you moved in.”
“It is… for now.” Mihawk stooped low, catching a handful of earth between his fingers. “One day, this place will be an orchard. Butterflies will pollinate the plants, ensuring a yearly harvest of fruit. Corpses and ash from the war have enriched the soil here. The worms will loosen the earth, making it ideal for planting and tilling. That is what I see.”
“Right...” Zoro suppressed a sigh, secretly frustrated by his master’s tendency to speak in inscrutable metaphors. “And this relates to my training… how, exactly?”
“Geez, you’re so stupid.” Perona stuck her tongue out. “I totally get it, you’re just the slowest one here, as usual.”
“If you’re so damn smart, why don’t you just explain it already?”
“W-well…” Perona began to stammer, unused to her bluff being called. “Y-you see, what he meant was… uh…”
“It is important to visualise one’s eventual goal,” Mihawk interrupted her mid-sentence. “Imagine the level of strength you wish to achieve, and work backwards to understand what must be done. It is not enough to blindly lift weights or swing your sword without an endgame in mind, particularly when our time here is limited.”
“Huh.” Zoro nodded, slowly beginning to understand. “Although I imagine that’d be faster if you stopped dropping crumbs and actually showed me all you were capable of, Master.”
“Such cheek.” Mihawk’s lips quirked briefly. “You are unprepared for what you would see, Roronoa. I would not wish to discourage you from pursuing your dream so early.”
“You think being outclassed would make me wanna give up? Fat chance!” Zoro grinned. “But alright. I’ll keep getting stronger, and one day you’ll have to go all out on me, or else you’ll lose! That’s the goal I’m gonna have in mind from now on.”
Mihawk’s lips quirked again - too wide for a smirk - the first time Perona had ever seen him smile.
“I look forward to it, Roronoa.”
—-
Thin, emerald veins snaked along the length of the chrysalis, the skin pale and translucent, almost pulsating with life. Perona peered at the row of cocoons hanging from the young cherry tree’s branches, licking her lips at the thought of the first fruit in spring. The butterflies would soon emerge to greet the blossoms, bathing the burgeoning orchard in a sea of whites yellows and pinks. Humming cheerfully to herself, Perona floated down from the treetops, watching a family of Humandrills diligently ploughing the ground under Mihawk’s strict direction.
“The cherry saplings seem to be coming along,” he said by way of greeting. “It’s a shame Roronoa will not be present for the harvest.”
“No it’s not. Means more for us!” Perona laughed, anticipating her next batch of fresh sangria, the deep bitter taste of Mihawk’s wine enhanced by notes of ripe young fruit. “Fine wine is totally wasted on Marimo - he’d drink toilet water if it had a high enough alcohol content.”
“His taste is not dissimilar to Red-Hair in that sense.” Mihawk agreed. “Unfortunately, Red-Hair can at least boast of having superior swordsmanship and Haki. Roronoa possesses neither.”
“Aw, you’re being too hard on him. He’s come a long way,” Perona teased. “You know, the first time you brought us here, I was half expecting you to say that the caterpillars represented Marimo, and through your training he would be reborn as a beautiful butterfly. If anything, he’d be a big, ugly moth. Not cute enough for a butterfly.
“Some claim that a swordsman’s training resembles that process. That training requires ill habits to die; for an instructor to destroy their apprentice’s ego so that they may be more amenable to instruction.”
“Ugh.” Perona rolled her eyes. “You’re really good at sucking the fun out of everything, you know that?”
Her exasperation only seemed to amuse Mihawk, and his distinctive eyes twinkled with mirth as he cast his gaze over the land. Formerly a battlefield, a desolate wasteland devoid of light and life, the orchard thrummed now with activity, the crisp night breeze punctuated by the chirps and grunts of curious Humandrills. The chrysalises on the trees seemed to glow, luminous, beneath the moonlight, repeating the promise of rebirth, for the land of Kuraigana to thrive in the wake of destruction. For the once-solitary swordsman, the promise of a brighter tomorrow, anticipation for reunions with an old rival and a headstrong apprentice began to stir warmth in his heart once more.
Perhaps he too could learn to live again.
@Den_Den_Mushi @Garp the Fist @ShishioIsBack @Cinera @Light D Lamperouge
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@Blackflamesanji @Ishin @As Lama @KaiHiei @ali @Missy @Doggo @Whos D. Silhouette @Arrow @BleakAsh @Cuisto @NotTommy @TheKnightOfTheSea @LordVinsmoke @Vinsmoke D. Zolo @Rulo D.Oro @PerfectHie @phatltse62882 @[No Name] @Nameless-San @Necrohol @U c 4 up da idly @YASER @Toph @Kagurashii @Straight From Laughtale @Raiden7 @Lord_Braggy @soheilhazrat @JioFreed : @K!NG HARA$H!MA @TheAncientCenturion @stealthblack @Fleet Admiral Lee Hung @MarineHQ62 @Yo Tan Wa @Finalbeta @Arara @Chrono @Owl Ki @RayanOO @Cobra. @Marimo_420 @Ishin @Vonal @Hiragaro @Denim @Gensui Sazid @Enma @Cross_Marian @Sanji D Goat @Constantine @AkainuTheGrimReaper @Monkey D Theories @Buusatan94 @Sunita @KiriNigiri @Reddot4 @King7 @sprolololo @EtenBoby @Monet @Parker @Artorias @PerfectHie @VersusPhD
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