Hello all.

Well, I've had this thought in my mind for a while and now I'm trying to bring it to life. I hope that I portray the characters correctly and to anyone reading this fic that wants to be a Beta Reader, I'd happily accept. But now, onward with the story.

So I don't get sued, here is the one and only disclaimer I will place.

I do no own One Piece or anything associated with it, but damn I wish I did.

Time had lost meaning long ago. Reason and logic had fled, leaving only instinct behind. And that instinct said 'Hold On'. And hold on she did. The shattered remains of what had once been part of a ship heaved under her as another wave rolled by. Jagged nails dug in deeper to the edges and frigid seawater coated her again. The planking under her left splinters in her skin, but was large enough to support her body as it bobbed through the water.

Another wave sent the pitiful excuse for a lifeboat swaying again and caused a new jolt of pain to rip through her body. Her muscles had long since gone numb, locked in place and leaving her clinging to the edges of the door sized chuck of wood. She was fairly certain she'd lost consciousness several times, but somehow her body had still hung onto the floating debris.

A cough racked her suddenly, sending agony shooting though her. Too many injuries on her person, she'd lost count of them all. Weakness was starting to take over. The cold embrace of the sea was calling to her. Cawing like an ocean bird, luring her in...

The call came again and a moment of clarity broke through. That call...it wasn't death...it was...

Blue eye blinked, refocusing to see a thick fog around her. The sloshing of the wave overwhelmed her dilated senses for a moment, before she heard it again. The caw of a bird. Birds lived near land, not out on the open sea.

There was a flicker of something in her chest. Something other than pain and despair. She didn't dare try to believe it was hope. As the rolling waves moved on, the fog parted slightly and blearily, she saw tall dark trees and strange hills that curled into themselves. Gasping a bit and feeling her heart speed up, she struggled to move her body. Her muscles practically creaked and groaned at being asked to move and the searing ache in her body brought tears to her eyes, but she managed to slip her legs into the ocean.

The water would have been freezing and would have made anyone else yelp in shock, but her nerve endings had gone numb long ago. Ever hungry for ending lives, the cruel ocean enveloped her, the current dragging her downwards. Muffled silence flooded her ears, her thumping heartbeat one of the only things she could hear.

Legs kicked and her head broke the surface with a gasp. Oxygen filled her lungs, as well as a mouthful of salty liquid. Then there was something solid under her bare feet, something that didn't heave in protest. Air hit her skin, hands grasped fistfuls of wet sand as she pulled herself onto the shoreline through a force of will she didn't even know she possessed. When finally her whole body was on the landmass and the waves of the ocean no longer touched her, she allowed herself to finally collapse.

The next time she opened her eyes, what filled her vision was the wispy air and ominous trees looming high above her.

Must've blacked out again...Damn. A pained groan rolled from between her lips as she rolled onto her stomach. Pushing herself to her knees, she clutched one arm around her lower torso and hissed through clenched teeth. Broken ribs...fantastic.

The chilly air was making itself known on her now dry skin. Shivers started to wrack her form. That surprised her, she didn't think her body had that kind of energy to spare. But it was welcomed, it meant she was still alive.

For now anyway. Staring into the eerie, black forest, she painfully climbed to her feet. Shelter was the first thing she needed to find, someplace to try and warm up a little. As though the world hear her thoughts, a wind gusted past, making her hunch her shoulders. When she looked up again, far, far away in the distance, she spotted something that may have been some kind of building.

That could work...but it was miles away. A near whine exited pasted her lips before she could stop it. Saved from dying in the ocean, only to die on a spooky, abandoned island. Who the hell did I piss off in my last life? Her blackened, sarcastic thoughts found no answer in the still air of the island.

Walking hurt. ALOT. Hell, at this point, breathing hurt. Spending what she assumed to be a few days drifting at sea, not to mention the abuse before the storm had hit had defiantly not yielded a kind result. Limping along slowly and chronically wincing, she made progress into the dank, oddly silent forest (it had to be a trick of her senses that the air seemed to smell a little too strongly of blood and smoke). Rocks and sticks cut into her feet, sharp branches scrapped her skin and tangled in her hip length hair, but she forced herself to keep moving.

A CRACK sounded in the distance. Freezing in place, she darted her eyes around, looking for the source. Shadows moved behind the trees. Really big shadows. Growls cut through the air and red eyes glared outwards. She moved backwards, heart thundering in her chest and adrenaline starting to course through her veins even as she spoke her first words in days,

"Should have stayed in the fucking water..."

Then she ran like hell, hearing bloodthirsty hoots follow close behind.

A quick pull on the rope secured his vessel to the dock. The knot was tight and wouldn't slip, the candles on the edges had burnt out along the way. He'd need to replace them, but for now, he was mildly glad to be back on solid ground again.

Sharp, gold eyes surveyed his island. It was as he had left it. Silent, still and dark with the scent of wet earth and a metallic tang. His tall boots crunched the ground with only the softest of sounds, idlily wondering if it was old bones under his feet. The thought was brushed aside and replaced with a more interesting one.

"Roronoa Zoro…" The name slipped past his lips almost against his will and a barely seen muscle twitch in an almost smile. But of course, his expression remained solemn and serious. Dracule Mihawk was not a man to express emotion unnecessarily. Even when thinking about a brash, inexperienced swordsman, albeit one with some small measure of promise. He would most defiantly be keeping an eye on the young warrior, if only to alleviate his own boredom for a time.

As he walked through the forest of Kuraigana Island, enjoying the oppressive silence of his chosen home, the screaming battle cries of the Humadrills spilt the air in the distance. His pace didn't waver in the slightest, the baboons won't dare come near him. Another series of jagged howls came and this time, Mihawk flicked his namesake eyes towards the sound.

Senses tuned far beyond what any normal human could hope to achieve honed in on the disturbance the intelligent apes were causing. A quick surge of Kenbunshoku Haki flared up and his vision shifted in perspective.

Several of the primeapes were running in the distance, moving quickly and in coordination. Barely twenty feet ahead, a second presence fled widely, waves of fear rolling off them, but a nearly muted sliver of steely determination shining through. Though with the weakened state of the individual, even the most stubborn of wills would break quickly, given the black shade associated with death that colored the edges of the yellow hued aura he saw.

Shifting his stance slightly, Mihawk waited. The Humandrills prey was heading right for him and mild curiosity at the uninvited visitor to his island made him willing to wait and see if they even made it to him before the monkeys caught up. Out of caution, he scanned the distance for more intruders, surprised when he found no other living auras then the Humandrills and their target.

Speaking of which...Mihawk glanced back towards the commotion just as tree branches parted and a flesh colored blur flew out of the darkness. His eyebrows raised up a fraction of an inch at the movement. Not because of the appearance of the person, but because of her state of dress. Or rather lack there of. The female running for her life was bare as the day she was born.

As he stood stoically in place, the girl finally looked up from her frantic dash. And her response to his presence was not what he was expecting. Instead of desperately begging for his aid, pleading for her life, she skidded to a stop so suddenly she fell on her backside. Blue eyes opened so wide he saw the red edges of her eyelids and a wheezing, terror laced scream exited her lips.

Mihawk watched passively as the women scrambled backwards, feet slipping in the dirt as she twisted onto her front and crawled away as fast as humanly possible. Behind her, the Humandrills leapt from the treeline and promptly froze at the site of the World's Greatest Swordsmen. He ignored the apes in favor of studying the flailing form of the women at his feet. She finally managed to push herself up...only to trip on the roots of one of the trees and crash to the ground again.

He waited for a few heartbeats. The girl didn't move. Walking over, he looked down at her. She'd fallen and hit her head on a rock, knocking herself unconscious and causing a trickle of blood to flow to the ground. He nearly rolled his eyes. She'd fought that hard to escape the monsters of the isle, only to leave herself helpless at the sight of him.

But as his trained eyes flicked over her form, understanding blossomed. The women was an absolute wreck. What skin wasn't colored black and blue was brunt red from exposure. Cuts, scraps, gashes and lacerations coated her body, some fresh wounds openly oozing crimson liquid while others were older and scabbed over. A frown marred his expression as he studied her and replayed the event in his mind.

There had been no recognition in her expression when she'd seen him. Mihawk was more than accustom to people noticing him, staring at him and in most cases, nearly soiling themselves in fear, but this girl hadn't reacted in that manner. No, her actions had a much deeper meaning, more primal and instinctive.

His gaze trailed from her feet and climbed up her form, aura darkening as he saw distinctive fingerprint bruises on her hips and bare breasts as well as a red crusted crescent-shaped mark on her shoulder that only human teeth could replicate.

The Humandrills in the distance shifted slightly, sensing his mood blackening, but still unwilling to leave their prey, unsure of what he would do. And truthfully, Mihawk was unsure as well. This girl was an uninvited presence on his isle and however unfortunate her situation was, he owned her nothing. Gold eyes glanced up at the muscle bound apes. If he walked away, the violent creatures would tear the girl apart and another litter of bones would join the blood soaked grounds. That didn't really bother him very much.

On the other hand, his recent encounter at the Baratie and brief visit with Shanks had left him in a rather generous mood. Life had ceased being interesting or challenging, leading the Shichibukai to seek alleviation of the mononoms drone in other ways. And this girl was indeed something unexpected, something to alter his routine for a time. At least till he grew annoyed of the company, which he undoubtable would.

Plus, the girl had fought valiantly for her life, pressing on when more resilient beings would have happily submitted to fate. She had a tenacity rarely seen in this age. That alone made him slightly more willing to help. There was no value in allowing someone to live that didn't possess a strong will to survive.

And despite himself (and he would sell Yoru on the black market before ever admitting it), seeing the physical marks of brutality on the women stirred a righteous rage and desire to peel the skin off whomever had harm her. He did not support weakness, the world was a cruel and harsh place that allowed only the strongest to prosper, but human savagery on this level crossed a line that he abhorred.

Decision made, Mihawk bent down and scooped the naked women into his arms. The Humadrills faded back into their forest without further protest. As he lifted the girl, she whimpered softly and turned her head away from him. A tiny smirk graced his lips. Clever girl. Even with her sense muted, she recognises danger.

Turning, he started the trek back to his castle. It had been sometime since he'd had another's presence in his home. This might prove to be interesting yet.

Well, I originally intended this chapter to be longer, but this feels like a good place to end it as an opening.

I will be attempting to a add some Japanese content to the story, but I am full blow Canadian born and raised, so I might screw up a bit. Most of the info I'm using is from the One Piece Wiki and the Funamation anime, so I apologise if I miss something.

In the meantime, I hope I managed to capture Dracule Mihawk correctly. I've always liked his character in the anime and am always browsing the fanfics for new stories about him. As so little is truly known about him, it give some wiggle room to be creative.

Anyway, I hope everyone likes the first chapter and please feel free to review if you do.