•Black Hat•

•45•

Pearl cursed under her breath and started walking away. What exactly did Law mean by that? She wasn't sick, or hurt, she didn't plan on killing herself, she never had- or wait. That was a lie... Law had stopped her from committing suicide once, but that was after Ace's death. She wasn't suicidal anymore.

"Are you two lovebirds done?" A voice said interrupting her thoughts and frightening her.

"Who's there?" She stuttered desperately grabbing onto her pants in hope of find her blades.

"Zoro" The man said and appeared from the shadows.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"What happened to your blades?" He asked pointing at her waist with his hand that held a big bottle of booze.

"Law took them, I came to ask him to give them back to me"

"And?"

"He said no" Pearl admitted. "Can I have some of that?" She asked looking at the bottle.

"Well... your doctor warned us not to give you any alcohol because you're not able to tolerate it" Zoro said and sat down on a rock. Pearl walked closer to him and sat down as well.

"Bullshit, give me some".

"I heard you, Luffy too, you're not getting any. Not from me not from anyone on this island. Your doctor's orders" He smirked.

"What do you mean you heard-?" She began but stopped. "No!" She whispered and Zoro nodded. They had seen her pulling her hair and crying hysterically. "Why do you hate me so much?" She snapped at him.

"I just don't like you"

"Why?"

Zoro took a moment before he spoke to explain himself.

"You never told anyone why you left back in Sabaody"

"I told Luffy" she lied.

"No you didn't! And now you lay with Law. It's just that I hate dishonesty!"

"So you do hate me?" Pearl cut him and Zoro remained silent. "You know what? I'll tell you!" She hissed and got up to stand in front of him and before Zoro could express his surprise she began talking. "My father is Kizaru, the marine admiral. I never said that to Luffy or to pretty much anyone because whoever knows that, is in danger"

"And you're telling me now because who gives a fuck if I'm in danger" Zoro commented sarcastically.

"No but you're not someone I wish to protect. He killed my mother and ordered to hunt me down. I never got to understand why. If he was the one that had caught me back then I'd be dead, but instead" Pearl took a deep and dreary breath before continuing. "It was Luffy's grandfather Garp, who as an act of mercy" She pointed sarcastically "locked me in Impel down. He could have let me free and report to the headquarters that I was dead, or at least put me in a more reasonable prison but no! He was sooo merciful that he gave me to Magellan who at least was kind enough not to put me in any of the first five hells, I guess he didn't think that an eight year old girl could survive there without being raped by all the prisoners so... he locked me in the sixth level with all the infamous criminals, where I got raped by the guards every time I took a shower!" She said quickly and stopped to study his reaction, as if she had just blurred out a silly joke and feared that no one would laugh. "Luffy keeps whining about how he doesn't know me, but if he knew me he would be disgusted" she said after a bit.

"Maybe you don't know him" Zoro muttered under his breath.

Pearl ignored him and went on. "Back when we were heading towards Fishman island I sensed my father and realized that he was on the look for me again after I'd been spotted in Sabaody. I couldn't stay with Luffy or with any of you so I left. I understood at that moment that my father would always be tailing me looking for an opportunity to kill me and whoever tried to stop him, so in order to keep that damn oath I gave to Ace I decided that I would have to cut all ties with him... Satisfied? That's why I left. That's why I dyed my hair black and went to Dressrosa seeking for Doflamingo's protection."

Zoro shifted from side to side uncomfortably and afterwards offered the bottle to her. She took it and drank a good portion of the booze it had left.

"I wish I could simplify everything and be able to stay by Luffy's side for all damn eternity. And even though he somehow did convince me to join his crew, he's now acting like a baby about the bounty, and I just can't make him understand without endangering him. I can't even make him listen to me!" She gave Zoro the bottle again and closed her eyes to calm down. Confessing all this things to someone, even if that someone was Zoro, had momentary cleared her head.

Zoro got ready to drink but stopped cursing under his breath. "Fuck I forgot you shouldn't drink" making Pearl smirk. "Okay, I get why you're acting so mysterious and all, but you can't convince me that you have a reason as to why you're sleeping with that doctor"

"I didn't sleep with him I just asked him to give me my blades back"

"That's what you were doing in Bartolomeo's ship?" He cocked an eyebrow and Pearl frowned.

"That was... none of your business and still isn't" she replied and got up leaving him alone.