Sometimes she remembers that moment. It was long ago, but sometimes it works its way into her memory. Before she met Usopp. Before she met Merry, and when her parents were still alive.

When Kaya was still young and healthy.

It was an uneventful day according to her father, but Kaya enjoyed the family picnic nevertheless. Just the three of them in their private yacht, relaxing on an island off the East Blue. The island was the jewel of the ocean, but there was just one thing off about it…

Just then, the crisp smell of rain wafted through the trees. Kaya glanced up at the greying skies. The seagulls always frightened her when it was about to rain-it sounded like they were crying.

"Let's pack up and go, Kaya," her mother said. Her grey eyes were very much like Kaya's own. Kind and earnest. "We don't want you getting sick."

But there was still leftover food.

"It's already soiled by the rain," her father said. He was a kind man. "We'll leave it to the birds or pirates that come by. It's the best we can do."

Pirates? The books described them as ruthless crooks who plundered and stole whatever town they visited. Not to mention the wanted posters in her father's study. She shook her head.

"Relax, Kaya. We'll make sure you never meet such a barbarian." Her mother stroked her head. "Let's go. We'll wrap the food up in case anyone wants it."

Okay.

The rain was coming down harder now, almost like hail was assaulting her skull. Her mother shielded her with a jacket while her father looked around for the yacht. It was as if the entire island had transformed in an instant-the colorful, vibrant atmosphere of the woods plunging into a dull, mournful grey.

What's there to love about the rain?

"Watch your head." On the other hand, the yacht was warm and full of life. Kaya jumped into the couch. Her mother yelled, and she was forced to change out of her soaking dress. The cozy feeling of fresh clothes never felt so good. Her father pulled out the map.

"This isn't good. The weather's not letting us sail home in one piece," he said. "The Weather Report promised sunny weather! What a hack!" The wind howled against the window; the rain banged against the roof. Kaya bit her lips so hard that she tasted blood.

"Poor dear. Why don't you go to the bedroom?" Her mother handed her a cup of water, to which she chugged eagerly. "We'll be here a little while until the weather calms itself."

Kaya's stomach curls uncomfortably as she made her way down the rocking ship. Her bed was comfy and fluffy, but it didn't drown out the wretched howling of the storm. She stared out the window at the melancholy landscape.

"Why aren't you in bed, Kaya?" her father asked with a raised brow. "You were alone, and you're scared that the rain might take us?" Her parents exchanged a curt glance at each other. "It's a big one, but the rain isn't taking anyone-"

A giant wave crashed against the side of the ship. It left a deafening boom like an earthquake. The lights flickered and died, and plunged the room into complete darkness with the eerie screeching of wind. Kaya reached out for her parents.

"Kaya!" A rogue wave rushed into their quarters. The ship tilted dangerously as more water gushed into the room, staining the shiny plaster floors with claw-like smudges. Kaya screamed. Water filled her nostrils. Salt burned her eyes.

When she came to, she was in a completely different part of the island. No yacht. All the trees looked the same. She staggered to her feet, the wet sand falling in clumps from her soaking clothes. The wind was strong enough to knock her off her feet. She called for her parents. She called for anyone.

Only the storm replied.

Kaya cried. Hot tears streamed down her cold cheeks. She wondered around, yelling herself hoarse, but the storm won't stop.

Eventually she found shelter: a cave, tucked away in a grove of trees. It wasn't warm, or cozy as the brightly-lit yacht. It wasn't dry and inviting. Rather, it was cold, forlorn, and slimy. Her clean clothes are muddled in mud; her hair clinging to her face and her legs and hands streaked with barbs and sand.

Oh how she hated the rain.

Kaya forgot how long she stayed there. The rain made everything longer than it should be. How long was it that her mother rubbed her head? Or when her father wrapped the food up in the tablecloth? She was cold to the bone. And scared.

And lonely.

…

Scrape. Scrape.

Her heart froze. There was a sound. Most definitely a sound that wasn't the rain.

It was coming from behind her.

"Who are you?"

Kaya screamed. There was nothing. Then in a second, a hunched figure peered at her with glistening eyes. Like it wanted to kill her.

"You're just a girl. Scram, girl. This's my land."

Kaya's breathing eventually calmed down. This… was a human. It wasn't a monster.

"You're lost? You can't find your mum and pa? And you've been sitting here ever since?" Silence. Then its eyes raked over her figure, as if slowly examining if the victim would fight or flight. More silence. "You're not a Marine, ain't ya?"

What's with that question?

The figure shuffled into light. Kaya prepared herself for a horned behemoth or a disheveled, drunk, blubbering pirate. Instead, it was just a boy quite older than herself. His tense posture didn't suggest his age, neither do his cold, piercing eyes.

"You don't look like a Marine. Heck, you don't look like none of them fools." The boy leaned in. "Actually, you look like you got some riches on you, girl. Mind if I take 'em?"

Kaya slapped his hand away.

"Ah. You rich folks actually do the fightin' yourself? You got guts, rich girl, I give you that." The boy chuckled good-naturedly, but his voice was like grated steel across flesh. "Tell you what. I'll let you live. I won't rob you, how's that sound?"

Kaya didn't mince words.

"I'm a pirate? You hate pirates, dont'cha?" An dark smile passed through his features. He could pass for a servant, or even a waiter at a bar. But the malice in those eyes betrayed his young face. "Well, you're not goin' anywhere for a while. So you gotta stay with me and bear it.

"H-Hey. Are you crying now? Why're you crying for? Did I make you cry?" Suddenly his whole demeanor changed, and he stood over her awkwardly. Not the same smug pirate from before. Kaya sobbed into her arms. The rainwater mixed with her tears created an awful taste, but now she didn't care for that. She wanted her parents. She wanted to go home.

The rain just keeps going.

"Hey, girl." Something's crackling. Kaya opened her eyes to see a mini bonfire and the same boy beside it, now with a bundle in his hand. "Look. Here's some food. Stop crying."

Kaya timidly reached out for the bundle. It was rain-soaked blue tablecloth with butterfly patterns. There were meat, salads, and biscuits, a little soggy from the rain. She made a face.

"Rich people are so picky," the boy says with a thin smile on his face. "H-Hey. Don't cry. It's still edible. Where did I find it? Must've got blown by the wind. Shame that someone forgot their food."

Kaya didn't say anything. She watched as the boy wolfed down the soggy biscuits, then meat, then tore into the salad like an animal. Now that they were closer, she noticed how sharp his nose was. Like a hawk. And his hands, which were long and slender, were covered with scratches and scars.

"This is good meatloaf. Huh? It's chicken? How about this? Looks like some kind of bamboo paper. Oh? Salad?" The boy stared at the food long and hard-the first time she saw him take a break from eating. "Yeah, my eyes're pretty bad. Can't see far. Glasses? No, we can't afford them."

Kaya stopped eating. He was a pirate… and he can't even afford his own glasses?

"Man this turkey's amazing. Huh? It's still chicken? I swear, rich folks have confusing words." The boy rubbed his temples. "Huh? I have food on my chin? My nose? All over my face?" She handed him a napkin-a monogrammed napkin with cute pink stitches. For the first time, he looked lost. "For me? Really? Won't this be a waste? No..? Um… thanks." He squinted at the letters, even though they were a few centimeters away. "What does this say?"

"...Kaya? That's your name, rich girl?" The boy sneaked a glance at her expectant face. He seemed to mull something over. "That's… a nice name," he finally muttered, suddenly looking away. "Like a butterfly. Now don't cry, okay?"

Amazing. Even with the rain raging outside, the cave suddenly turned into a warm little house. The boy was funny. He wasn't as threatening as she'd thought. Kaya rubs her cheeks. Probably it was the fire, but she felt quite hot right now.

"Who me? Nah. My name's not worth rememberin'. You'll forget it soon." Kaya gave him puppy eyes. His thick brow rose into his hairline. "Um… sorry, Kaya. No means no." She persisted. "Why're you so interested in me? I'm really nobody-just a pirate that wants your treasure!" He flashed a menacing smile. She threw a stick at him.

"I'm serious, Kaya. I'm just a pirate. Hmm? Well, okay. I'll amuse ya. I grew up in that town over there." He pointed outwards, past the choppy waters. "Well. It should be somewhere over there. But still in the East Blue. Not anymore cuz of… well, reasons you won't understand. I'm training over here to be useful." Kaya pointed to the scars on his hands. "Haha. Whatever I don't have in strength, I make up in speed." He gestured at Kaya's cold chicken, still clutched in her palms. Swoosh. The meat flew from her hands to his in barely a blink of an eye. "I'm gonna perfect it someday and be rich. Then I'm gonna buy all the food I want. And nice clothes. And glasses." He eyed her white linen dress with something like envy as he nibbled on the chicken.

"My parents?" For a moment, a shadow passed through his eyes. But then it was gone, and he was giving her an amused smile. "How about yours, Kaya? You don't talk much. Tell me about yourself, rich girl." Just the thought of her parents made her grin. She told him about her father, who went out of the way to help the homeless. Her mother, who wrote books about medicine. She told him about her travels, and most recently, how she ended up here. The boy listened intently through every last word.

"You're so lucky," he said. There was something strange in his voice. He wouldn't meet her gaze, instead giving her a half-hearted smile. "Didn't know there were such a thing as caviar. I'd pay everything to even step into that mansion of yours."

Kaya didn't understand. The boy finally caught her gaze. "You look like you're gonna cry again. Don't do that." He stood up and dusted the food crumbs off his shabby clothes. "Finally the rain stopped. You need help finding your parents?"

Kaya rose too. She followed him outside. The sunlight hit her the strongest, almost blinding her. There was still a lingering rain, but the sweet air of tropical fruit and leaves was stronger. But when she turned around, he was already far ahead.

"Sorry. I'll slow down. Don't cry, okay?" She grabbed his hand. He flinched, but he didn't pull away. "Your hands are reeeallly soft. And wet. Rich people." But he was smiling with that crumb-filled face of his. Kaya found it difficult to get mad at him.

"Hey look. Are those your parents?" Kaya broke from his hand. Yes! They were soaked, but unharmed. "They're calling you, rich girl. Hurry up or they'll leave you."

Kaya turned to him. She stared directly into his eyes-those hardened, unreadable grey eyes that once threatened to rob her. She would remember his face, if not his name.

Thank you.

"...You don't need to thank me, rich girl. Don't remember me." The pirate tore his gaze away. "Just be careful. And don't cry a lot."

The girl ran off to her parents, who immediately grab her into an embrace. They yelled at her; they cried with her. They were soaking wet, but she never felt more warm. As they sailed away in their battered but functioning yacht, Kaya took one glance out the window.

A figure was waving something in the air. At her. Could it be the boy? She waved back.

"Kaya, darling. Don't wave to random strangers. They're just pirates looking for trouble." Life continued after that, but the family refused to travel by ship. Kaya eventually forgot about that island. About that cave. And about that boy. She would have many new people enter her life, and many would leave as quick as soon as they came.

But sometimes, these memories would resurface. Fuzzier, intangible, but still proof that it had happened. And as always, they would fade into oblivion, until the right circumstances call them back.

Like the rain, they assaulted her with their nostalgia. Then they fizzle out to reveal the bright and welcoming present.

"Captain. What's that?"

"I thought I told you not to snoop through my stuff!"

"Eeek! B-But it's just sticking out!"

"...That thing?"

"It was Sham's idea! I-I-I just went along with it! Uh… what happened, Captain? You have that look again."

"I honestly do not remember how I picked it up. It's always been here. But don't you fools dare touch it."

"Eeeek! Don't worry, boss! It's a very pretty napkin! Pretty like a girl's napkin!"

"I'm giving you 30 seconds to rethink that statement."

"EEEEK!"