•Black Hat•

•6•

Luffy and the others had finally arrived at the deck. From the den den mushi Luffy was holding onto I could hear Jinbe's voice telling us to jump into the calm belt.

"We're going to be eaten by the sea kings!" Someone shrieked.

"We have devil fruit users with us!" Somebody else cried.

But Jinbe kept repeating the same thing.

"Just jump in the sea!"

"All of you!!" Luffy shouted over everyone's voice. "Jump in the water! Trust Jinbe!" I couldn't believe that guy. He had met the Fishman only a few hours ago but the faith he had in him was unimaginable.

At that moment Magellan showed up on the final level. It seemed to everyone that we would either die from the warden's poisonous attacks or from the teeth of a sea king. Luffy repeated his order and some prisoners started jumping. I didn't hesitate. As the boy was ready to fall in the calm belt I jumped on him and held him tight. We both sinked inside the water bound together. He was heavier than I had imagined and I hadn't swam in years! (Eight to be exact)

I remembered that as he had previously proven while fighting our way out of Impel down, he was made of rubber. I rushed to tie his limbs around my body, freeing like that my arms and legs, something that allowed me to swim better.

Get to the surface, a voice in my head kept repeating. I swam as hard as I could. I was fighting for someone else's life too. With that thought I tried to throw away the tiredness I was experiencing and forget my heavy legs that ached with every move.

But suddenly something rose from underneath us and we found ourselves on the surface sitting on the back of a big black shark. I almost fell backwards from the relief and exhaustion but at the last moment I remembered that the straw hat boy was tied on my back. So I collapsed, face down on the shark's soft skin.

Luffy, behind me didn't seem to be breathing. When I realized that I almost shrieked in fear. I slid out of his hands and legs, that I had wrapped around me and took a scared look at the unconscious boy. He looked like a boy to me at least. Black spiky messy hair, that were now glued on his forehead a scar under his left eye, soft and kind characteristics. Features of a boy. I stood there, not knowing what to do! What should someone do to help a person that almost drowned, or perhaps did. I didn't know. No one had ever taught me.

My breath became faster. Maybe I had drowned him. Maybe I had killed him when I pulled him inside the water. Maybe-

"Pearl!" Jinbe's blue hand touched my shoulder. My breathing came back to normal.

"Is he dead?" I asked him.

"He's snoring!" Jinbe replied and I turned to look at him dumbfounded. "Yes!" He said I returned my eyes to the boy.

He was snoring. I got ready to kick him in the stomach but I held back. He had scared me to death, that fool! Instead I sat down again and buried my face inside my hands.

"Did we escape?" I asked Jinbe.

He nodded. "We're going to be free soon!"

I didn't really like that reply, it seemed to me like our escape wasn't secured yet. I turned my head to ask Jinbe what was yet to come but then I saw it.

The gate.

It was huge! Surrounded by a fog so thick that I was barely able to make out the blue sign of the marines that was drawn on the gray mass.

A hoarse voice ordering us to get on a marine ship that had approached us prevented me from asking how we would get pass the gate. I took Luffy in my hands and carried him to the ship.

From Impel Down we could hear Magellan's evil curses reminding us that the gate wouldn't open for scumbags like ourselves. I placed Luffy down on the wooded deck and got ready to poke him. Suddenly a hand with huge dark pink nails laid on my shoulder.

"Straw hat boy deserves some rest little girl!" Ivankov. His shrill voice made me winch. I looked at his hand and then without sparing him a look I hissed:

"Get your claws off of me!"

"Claws?" The man said laughing. "If only I had claws little girl!"

With a swift move I removed myself from his touch and glared at him. I didn't like it when people touched my shoulder. I didn't like it when people touched me in general, especially men. My hand came up and cleaned the spot Ivankov had touched with a few pats.

"It's not personal purple guy!" I muttered under my breath but maybe it was. Maybe his appearance scared me. I returned my attention to Luffy. I kneeled down close to him harking to his breathing. It relaxed me.

"Maybe now I'm less scary?" I heard the man saying again and when I turned around having in mind to glare at him I gawked at him or her. I didn't know anymore.

In comparison with his/her tall slim but curvy body I looked like a sack of potatoes. I was still wearing the prison's uniform but I wasn't really complaining. At least it hid my bony miserable body. I didn't have huge breasts like... Ivankov I guess, or a nice round butt. And even though my skin was white and soft it had some scars and it was glued on my bones. I used to throw up everything I ate if it was more than my body could take. And apparently what my body could take was what I needed to simply remain alive.

Unconsciously I hugged myself over my loose uniform and I could count my ribs. I felt ugly standing in front of him/her. The only pretty thing on me were my girly ginger hair. Untamed and wild but beautiful in their own way. I had once heard that redheads were fierce; brave and always spoke their mind. I wished I could become like that. But the only thing I knew was that my mind was something no one would ever want to get in to and that I would never be able to speak it.

I didn't reply to Ivankov. To be honest I preferred him huge and weird looking than this beauty that made me want to offer myself as a meal to the sea kings.