•Black Hat•

•48•

When Chopper and some Minks left to go bandage up Zunesha's foot and the rest of the alliance was scattered around in the island Pearl decided that it was time she solved the matter with Luffy. This time she wouldn't settle for 'I'm not mad' because everyone knew that wasn't the case. Luffy had walked all the way to the end of Zou to wait for the rest of his crew. He seemed pretty eager to leave judging from the way he walked around in circles.

Pearl felt quite uneasy about talking to him after Zoro had told her that they had seen her during her hysterical crises. What calmed her down slightly was that he had seen her digging her own blade in her hand during the war to snap out rod her vision.

Suddenly she wanted to throw a knife at him and see whether she could catch him off guard but just a second before she got ready to reach for them she remembered that Law had confiscated every single one of them. So instead she took a small rock and without putting to much force in it she threw it at him aiming for his shoulder. Luffy noticed it only a moment too late to avoid it so instead he brought his hand up and grabbed it. Pearl could see that, that had slightly hurt him from the way he had squinted his eyes.

"Too slow. If that was a blade, it would have cut you"

"If that was a blade you wouldn't have aimed at me".

Pearl cocked an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

"You wouldn't have thrown a blade at me" he explained reluctantly.

"Because you're my captain?" She asked but didn't really expect a reply. "Well my captain has started to get on my nerves" she said and took a few steps towards him. "Say that you're mad at me"

Luffy rolled his eyes and went to sit on the edge of the cliff

"Say it" She said again fighting down the urge to throw something at him again. "Say it goddamnit and tell me why!" She shouted and Luffy turned sharply around to look at her. Their eyes locked and Pearl felt slightly rewarded, because it was the first time that he looked her in the eyes ever since they had arrived at Zou.

"I'll see you in Wano, go away" he replied.

Pearl's eyes widened. "I'm not going anywhere until I hear you admit that you're angry at me!"

"I'm not!"

"You are!" She yelled. "Do you really resent me so much because of that fucking Bounty, that you don't even want to talk to me?"

"No-!"

"Then why are you like that?!"

"Because you only used him!" Luffy shouted back at her. For a moment no one spoke as if both of them couldn't believe what had just been said. But Luffy continued. "Alright?! I said it! I'm mad at you for taking his hat and using his fame to feel rewarded. As a matter of fact I'm pissed!" He had gotten up still standing at the edge of the hill and his eyes were burning. His words echoed in Pearls ears making them sound even worse every time she heard them.

"That's what you believe?" She asked trying really hard to prevent her voice from breaking. "You think I took the damn hat to earn fame?" Her voice began to rise.

"Why did you take it then? You said you stole it!"

-We had conversation before how could you forget?

She thought to herself. She felt her eyes aching from the tears she held back. She felt them turning into teardrops of anger.

"How can you be so naive? So childish? You can't understand anyone's feelings!"

"What is there to understand? Why don't you just answer me?"

"And tell you what?!" She cried clutching her fists.

"Why do you wear his hat?" Luffy shouted at her.

"There's no way someone like you would understand!"

"Really?" Luffy asked sarcastically. "Well I think for the first time I do!" He shouted at her.

"I swear I want to push off that hill so much right now!" Pearl hissed as her whole face twitched from the tension.

"What?" Luffy asked.

"I said I HATE YOU!" She yelled and ran into the forest disappearing from his sight. She ran, fell down, got back up again, tore her clothes and got her hair tangled in the branches but she didn't care. She didn't know where her feet were leading her because she couldn't think clearly until she found herself climbing the wooden steps that led to Law's room. Luckily it was quite isolated than the rest of them so she wouldn't be seen.

She knocked on it repeatedly but no one answered. She thought of shouting at him to come out but she realised that it wouldn't be a good idea so instead she sat down, leaning against the banister at the top step. Her hair was messed up once again and she could feel her knees and calves stinking. Luffy had angered her. The things he had accused her of had hurt her a great deal. She had never used anyone but Luffy couldn't see behind all this. He couldn't think sensibly. Pearl rubbed her face with her dusty hands to completely wipe away any sign of tears when suddenly she heard a pair of familiar voices approaching.

"You didn't have to get me back here! I would be able to do it on my own!" The first one bickered.

"You'll get lost even if you walked in a straight line" the second one mumbled and the two heads appeared in front of the stairs. The one was Law and Pearl was somehow relieved knowing that he hadn't just bluntly ignored her when she knocked on his door, since he wasn't actually there and the second one was Zoro but she didn't need to see him to understand that.

The two men didn't spot her immediately so she rushed to try and tame her hair. The first who noticed her was Zoro who poked Law as he took a very meaningful expression.

"What are you doing here?" Law asked and rushed to climb up the stairs. Pearl looked as if she had survived from a ferocious fight and even though Law didn't want to show it he was worried. But when she hoped up on her feet he breathed out relaxed. "I'm not giving you back your blades-!"

"I don't care!" She interrupted him and looked at him trying to make him understand what she wanted without speaking.

Law breathed out and signed at her with his eyes to follow him. "Come inside" he muttered in a defeated tone and before he closed the door behind him he turned to look at Zoro who was staring at them, disappointed but not surprised.