•Black Hat•

•36•

It wasn't the first time that the two embraced as one of them cried and since Luffy had never seen Pearl cry it pained him in a weird way. Not knowing what to do, how to help her. The feeling that had taken over him when the girl had kissed him was still with him and made his heart pound like crazy as he felt her body leaning against his. When Pearl stopped shaking, he lifted her head taking it between his two hands and touched his forehead to hers.

"Luffy?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry" she whispered and lowered her eyes to look at the ground. The boy remained silent for a moment. He didn't understand what for she was apologizing so he didn't judge it was necessary to forgive her.

"Be my nakama" he said without asking this time. He was ordering her.

"I'll come with you" she carefully replied.

"-and you'll be my crewmate!" He finished her sentence and slowly brought his lips to hers.

7 minutes had passed and Luffy was almost done recovering when a familiar voice rang to their ears.

"Well well well... look at you two!"

It was Doflamingo's voice and for a moment both of them froze thinking that he had discovered them.

"Aunt and niece both coming to kill the man that took royalty from you!" The voice continued.

For a moment Pearl stared at Luffy puzzled.

"It's Rebecca!" Luffy realized. "And Viola!" He added as both of their eyes widened in shock and fear.

"Stay down!" Pearl hissed at Luffy forcing him to sit down when he got ready to jump outside.

"But-"

"You are our only hope! And we need you at your full strength. In three minutes you'll be good to go, so please stay here till then!"

Pearl sat on her knees and dared to peek through the hole on the wall they were leaning against.

Doflamingo had immobilized Viola and had taken control of poor Rebecca as he forced her to charge at her aunt and kill her. Both women wept and cried but Viola was shouting at her niece to close her eyes and that she knew it wasn't her fault.

In the blink of an eye, without even realizing it pearl jumped in front of Viola and cut the strings that were attached on Rebecca's hands just a moment after the girl had began to swing her sword. Rebecca fell to the ground, dropping her sword and Doflamingo grinned at pear victoriously.

"Hello Sweetheart!" The man said and brought his foot up to kick her when all of the sudden a Haki covered punch hit him on the stomach saving all three women from them.

"Luffy!" Pearl muttered as she got up grabbing both women from their hands. "Let's go!" She urged them and they began running away to leave these two to their fight.

But Pearl couldn't help herself. She wanted to see what would happen so she rushed to close her eyes and found herself able to see the fight from up close.

Luffy blew into his arm, and Doflamingo put up both a defense and attack, but it was not enough as Luffy broke through his strings with his new attack Gomu Gomu no King Kong Gun and hit the Shichibukai, sending him falling into the ground with a force so great that it ripped the ground asunder and propelled him all the way to the underground port, breaking his sunglasses.

And that meant that the fight was now completely over. Doflamingo had finally been defeated. Pearl returned her gaze towards Luffy but to her surprise she couldn't find him. She snapped out of her vision and ran out to look for him. The birdcage had began to come down making it clear to everyone that the enemy had been defeated.

Pearl found Law sitting beside an unconscious Luffy and rushed close to him.

"He did it!" She said and Law nodded.

"Yeah... he's such a drag" he muttered and pulled him up. "Let us take him somewhere safe!"

• • •

A couple of days later everyone was ready to go and after a brief fight with Fujitora the Strawhats, the four of them, together with Law set sail towards Zoo on Bartolomeo's ship, following the vivre card Law shared with his crew

Luffy was sitting at the edge of the ship, as he usually did at Sunny and before that at Going Mary, and gazed at the vast sea that surrounded him, as it glimmered from the setting sun. Pearl walked behind him without speaking a word, and looked at the sea as well.

"Why aren't you coming to sit beside me?" Luffy suddenly said without having previously shown that he had noticed her, causing her to smile surprised. Very few people were able to do that, realize that she was standing behind them. Pearl jumped and sat on his right cross legged. They didn't speak for a few minutes enjoying the sea aura around them.

"Did I ever thank you?" She asked after a while and turned her gaze to him.

Luffy made a spontaneously confused face and tilted his head to the left slightly as if he was trying to understand the words that had just left her mouth. Pearl rolled her eyes and went on to explain her question.

"For getting me out of prison and making me a free woman? Remember?" She explained tilting her head sideways as well.

Luffy squinted his eyes for a second and suddenly his eyes lit and his pupils widened. Pearl laughed thinking that he had momentarily forgotten how they had met but Luffy took a pouting expression and halted at her.

"You're younger than me!" He said, still pouting.

Pearl gawked at him and her lips unconsciously curved in a smile and soon she was laughing harder than she had ever laughed in her whole life.

"And when did you find out?" She asked when she had calmed down.

Luffy had crossed his hands across his chest and glared at her like a mad baby.

"After you had punched me a couple of times!" He muttered.

She swallowed a giggle. "Yeah I'm younger than you... captain" she whispered and leaned closer to him. Luffy's pout slowly disappeared and his eyes were fixed on her lips. Pearl didn't disappoint and kissed him. The sun had now vanished and no one would be able to see them kissing.

"Is there anything else I should know about you?" He asked whispering and Pearl felt his breath hit her lips.

"Do you want to hear my life story Luffy?" She asked and cocked an eyebrow. "It'll bore you to death, trust me!" She rushed to add before he was able to reply and after giving him a quick peck she got down on the deck. "I'll go get some sleep, I barely slept these past days!" She said and Luffy nodded.

He wanted to tell her that her life story would be the most interesting thing for him to hear but something in the way she spoke made him feel that it wouldn't be welcomed as a request. So he remained silent and let her go.

Pearl walked down from the steering wheel level and reached the cabins. They all faced the deck and after she had thoroughly checked to see if there was someone out there and felt safe after making sure that she wasn't being watched, she entered the cabin on the very left.

When she closed the door behind her she noticed that the room was completely dark.

"I wondered when you'd come" a familiar masculine voice said. It came from the armchair beside the door.

"Should we turn on the lights?"

"Do whatever you want kiddo!" he replied.