Harlock never lost track of time despite his age, and that was why he was the only one who remembered that today was the twenty-fourth of December, the day before Christmas. He did not blame anyone for that, since his crew did not care about any festivals and the Amazons simply did not know that it existed.

Which was why he waited after almost everyone had fallen asleep in their tents. The abandoned Gaian base was yet to be cleaned, and all of them couldn't return to the battleships until Tochiro had finished the construction of the hull of Pontus, so they camped on the hill far away from the ships, which required a one-hour walk if one wanted to check out for the progress. He had to admit that Hippolyta had chosen a good planet to conquer, but he dared not dig into details. The Amazons still hadn't thought about her name yet.

The weather was humid and mild, which made this Christmas Eve very different from the ones Harlock had remembered. There was no snow, and there wasn't even rain or strong winds. He had to dig for his short-sleeved shirts from the bottom of his wardrobe in order not to be melted by the heat. The Amazons had surprisingly strong bodies, so weather didn't bother them as much as it had to the pirates, who had got all accustomed to the air-conditioning in Arcadia.

The pirate Captain checked the clock between him and Hippolyta's sleeping bag. Sharing a tent wasn't their idea, but some of the older girls wanted someone to look after their young leader despite she was nearly as mature as they were, so the leaders of the groups lived together. For the first time Harlock was glad that the Amazon was young. Crawling out from the tent with the gift in his hand, he found the girl sitting in the middle of the circle formed by the Amazons' tent, gazing at the stars with her large, round eye. The other was covered with a handkerchief which she always complained about.

'Hippolyta,' he said as he sat down. 'I have a present for you.'

The pair of black eyes concentrated on the grass not far away from the girl. She frowned and asked, 'Christmas?'

Harlock was surprised that she knew. 'You know?'

'Have been counting using your calendar,' the girl replied. 'See how long do I need to wait for revenge.'

'It's not good for you to hate starting from so young.'

'Mother wouldn't care,' Hippolyta spat. 'If she did, she would have taught me on her own instead of sending me to the Gaians to "teach me how to treat men." I don't think it's something a mother would do.'

The pirate frowned. Although he treated the girl like she was his own, she never talked about her past. 'Your mother?'

The Amazon nodded. 'A crazy creature who murdered a whole planet for a daughter she had abandoned when she was born because she looked too damn like a human but wanted her back after realising she could use her as a weapon.'

'Your mother…' a chill crept ever so silently up Harlock's spine as he recalled the person, 'she's not a human?'

The young leader did not answer.

Realising that he couldn't get an answer, the Captain of Arcadia decided to change the subject. 'The present, Hippolyta.'

The called one looked stunned for a moment before recalling what the conversation was originally for. 'Right, it's Christmas,' she muttered; 'of course it is.'

Harlock held up his fist but did not release his grip. Hippolyta held out his hand, and Harlock put the present on her palm. With slightly trembling hands, the girl pulled it close to her body. 'It looks like yours.'

The pirate smiled. 'Like it?'

The Amazon nodded. Untying the handkerchief she hated so much, he helped her put her present on. It covered the ugly scar which used to be her left eye.

'Always remember,' Harlock said, 'do not forget what you fight for.'

The Captain of Pontus nodded. The soil in front of her moved, and a tree started to grow. The pirate watched in surprise as it grew taller and taller until it was four stories high. A mega-sized Christmas tree.

'What the…?'

He did not get an answer, because Hippolyta was already asleep. Sighing, Harlock carried her back to their tents and placed her under the blanket. He did not take the eyepatch of, knowing that it would stay in place.

'Merry Christmas, Hippolyta.'

He kissed her forehead. Climbing into his sleeping bag, he slipped away.

Harlock was woken up by the noise outside. People were pointing at the Christmas tree, their eyes as big as eggs. Stepping out from his tent, he found Hippolyta sitting in the tree with a proud grin on her face, undiscovered by the crowd.