Chapter 2: Opale the musician

Luffy smiled to Opale. The girl correctly put on her sunglasses on her nose.

"That's great! Luffy said. Do you want to join my crew?"

"I don't know", Opale answered.

"You're a pain, Luffy…" Zoro murmured desperate.

"Why?" Luffy retorted.

"I don't see any problems whit that!" Sandy exclaimed, his eye turning in a heart.

"Luffy… We have just met her! Nami murmured in the ear of her captain. I have a bad presentiment…"

"But I want her in my crew!" Luffy retorted.

"Give us a good reason", Zoro slowly murmured.

Luffy seemed to be thinking, by making faces, screwing up his eyes, his hand on his chin, crooked mouth.

"Tell me Opale, do you play an instrument?"

The girl looked at Luffy with an interrogative look.

"Er… yes… Why?"

"Which one?" Luffy asked, stars in his eyes.

"Piano, fl…"

"HERE IT IS!" Luffy yelled.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"HERE IS OUR MUSICIAN!"

Zoro and Nami fell down.

"You call it a reason?" Nami exclaimed, standing up, a vein on her temple.

"And I have to inform you we haven't got a piano on the ship!" Zoro signalled furiously.

"Nami, lend me money to buy a piano!" Luffy begged, stars in his eyes.

"NO WAY! Nami shouted, throwing Luffy far with a furious punch. IT'S A WASTE OF MONEY!"

"For the first time I agree with her!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Stop shouting! Sanji interrupted. Anyway, she could come with us! Couldn't she?"

"I want a piano on the ship", Luffy murmured.

"If you disagree, I don't come with you", Opale said, raising her shoulder.

"Opale San! Sanji yelled. Don't listen to them! Don't be hurt by their words! You are welcome in the crew!"

"With the piano!" Luffy added, standing up, smiling, his fist raised to the sky… before fell down after a Nami's punch.

"I don't need piano, Opale said calmly. If your captain didn't interrupt me, I would add to the list flute° and harmonica!"

"GREAT! Luffy shouted. WELCOME IN THE CREW!"

"LUFFY!" Nami and Zoro yelled.

"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Sanji shouted, merry.

"I…"

Opale seemed a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, Opale? Luffy asked.

"I think you didn't ask me about my opinion! She answered.

"Moron" Zoro murmured in a sigh.

"You always decide without thinking before, Nami added with a desperate look. And it without asking people opinion!"

"What?" Luffy asked.

"You have to be gentler!" Sanji exclaimed, coming near Opale.

Behind her sunglasses, Opale stared at Sanji who was coming near her elegantly, and then he kneeled down, facing the girl.

"Opale, do you want to…"

Simultaneous punch of Zoro, Nami and Opale in the cook's head, who finished his sentences knocked, on the ground.

"… join us?... "

"I believed he was asked me to get marry to him, Opale said scratching her back head. Sorry!"

"His behaviour with woman could be badly interpreted, Nami whispered. I also believed it..."

"What a moron", Zoro murmured, sighing.

"What? Luffy asked. Can you explain me?"

"Too difficult for your intellectual level", Nami murmured desperate.

"So, do you come with us or no?" Luffy asked again.

Opale sighed, and smiled.

"Well… Okay, but temporally, all right?"

"GREAT!" Luffy yelled hopping around.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sanji shouted also merry.

"Kids" Zoro whispered, closing his eyes, a hand on his forehead.

"They will never change!" Nami added in an embarrassed smile.

"Before doing anything, I have to take my belongings at the hotel…"

"Let's go!" Luffy exclaimed.

xXxXxXx

"What are they doing?" Usopp asked, anxious.

Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Sanji were gone several hours ago.

"Maybe they have been killed", Robin calmly answered, changing page of her book.

"STOP IT!" Usopp yelled, crying.

"Really!" Chopper asked, trembling.

"HERE THEY ARE!" Usopp shouted, going to the gangway.

Memory of our long nose friend activated… Faces analysis. Search: Luffy… Zoro… Nami… Sanji… and…

"Who is she?" he asked with a suspicious look.

"Our musician!" Luffy answered happily.

Opale, with a shoulder strap bag, politely saluted Usopp.

"My name is Opale..."

Then Robin rose, leaving her couch to meet the girl… then they looked at each other.

"EH!" all the members of the crew exclaimed, except Robin.

Opale had taken her weapon on her back, and charged Robin, who didn't react. Then, arms appeared on the young girl body, while the archaeologist crossed her arms and closed her eyes, murmured "Seis fleurs". The arms "surrounded" Opale's limbs, who dropped her weapon, before falling down on the deck.

"Why did you do that?" Luffy exclaimed, going near the girl, tied to the floor by Robin's arms.

"THIS WOMAN IS NICO ROBIN!" Opale shouted, struggling to try to free herself from the arms.

"We know it!" Nami replied, surprised. And?"

"This woman is dangerous!"

Robin's arms disappeared, and the woman stayed motionless. Opale slowly raised, dusting down her clothes.

"She's not dangerous, Luffy retorted helping Opale to stand up. If she was, I wouldn't accept her in my crew!"

"All right… Opale murmured. I have warned you!"

The girl went to the rear of the ship, taking a long case out her bag. Zoro stared at her in silence.

"Well! Luffy exclaimed. Nami, is the Log Pose reloaded?"

"Not yet!" the navigator replied, looking at the sphere on his wrist.

"Perfect…" Luffy murmured.

"Why?" Usopp asked.

"IT'S TIME TO EAAAAAAAAAAT!"

Sanji understood, and went to the kitchen, followed by his captain. The other members of the crew didn't take a long time doing the same, except Zoro, who suddenly froze when he heard a soft melody, playing with a flute, which reflected a bit of melancholy. He didn't realize that the music guided him, and he found himself at the back of the ship. Opale was leaning on the fence, the sun reflected on her sunglasses, showing a little her eyes, closed, behind the darkness curtain of the lens. She was holding her flute, and was playing it, her lips brushing the mouthpiece. She suddenly stopped, and looked at Zoro, who was coming near her. The swordsman started.

"Mmmmm… We will eat soon."

"Okay…"

"You know, about Robin…"

The girl sighed.

"Yes?"

"At the beginning, I was suspicious, as you, about Robin… But we saw during our adventure that we can trust her."

Opale didn't reply. Zoro sighed.

"But now, you have to get used to her, anyway, he said. Luffy have engaged you, you can't turn back now."

Zoro was surprised, when he saw Opale smiling.

"Thank you, Zoro."

She took the case of her flute which was near her foot, and put away her musical instrument. Then, after putting her bag slung over the shoulder, she followed Zoro.

xXxXxXx

"Afterwards, I surpassed this merman!"

Usopp brandished the chicken leg in a brave expression of courageous sailor… according to him. Opale stopped herself laughing when she listened to the long nosed boy telling his feats, for the most of them (so, the majority) invented.

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Could you stop keeping repeated the same story three times in a week?" Zoro sighed.

"I can tell you others of my feat!" Usopp retorted thrusting out his chest.

"It is difficult, Zoro replied. Except this one and the penguin's one, we know everything else is lies!"

Opale couldn't stop herself anymore… and started laughing.

"Good grief! Opale guffawed stopping laughing. Who are you? I heard about you, but not as a comic crew!"

"Because you think we are comic?" Zoro murmured.

"Looking at Luffy, Usopp and Chopper, we could doubt, Nami replied to him in a murmur. AND YOU, STOP LAUGHING WITH FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH!"

Luffy stopped laughing, and closed immediately his mouth. Yeah, we have to say that Nami hit hardly, and he was trying to know how she could hurt him so much. He swallowed everything he had in his mouth… giving to his throat the aspect of a big bowl. Opale was looking at him with disgust.

"Moron! Sanji exclaimed. Don't you see that you're chocking my darlings with your behaviour?"

"Ah? Opale said dubious. Are Nami and Robin your fiancées?"

Opale saw she might have better done to shut up… On the one hand, Sanji started a nose bleeding with his eyes in hearts, on the other hand, the temple veins of Nami were standing out… And then, Robin discretely laughed. Opale, version big drop behind his head. She put on correctly her sunglasses in a nervously movement.

"Sorry… I believe in your words…"

"NAMI AND ROBIN MY FIANCEES!" Sanji shouted, hopping in the kitchen… before being ejected by Nami to the deck.

"SHUT UP!"

Finished to laugh… Opale tried to hide under the table, when she saw Nami's look to her.

"Sorry", Opale murmured, ashamed.

"Never…" Nami whispered.

"I promised!"

"Stop tormenting her, Nami! Zoro retorted. It was funny!"

Zoro was now on the floor, knocked.

"It's OK, Opale! Nami said in a smile. We can continue to eat!"

Calm came back… Tensions were calmed down, replaced by laugh and usual jokes of Usopp, or account of their adventures principally narrated by Luffy. So, they finished eating. It was night outside, and the lanterns were lighted.

"Eh Opale, Luffy exclaimed. Don't you want to play a song?"

"Of course!"

The girl went and got the flute case in the girls' room. She took her instrument, carrying it to her lips… and began to play a peaceful melody. The crew, noisy during the lunch, suddenly became silent, when they heard the music. Any noise, just the sound of the melody which arose in the room… Slowly. The crew felt surprised when they started at the end of the melody, and when Opale declared:

"That's all!"

Luffy smiled.

"GREAT!"

"I though I was sleeping, Nami said. It was… how can I explain it…"

"Bewitching!" Sanji finished.

"Rather good, Zoro said unconcerned. Have you got something more rhythmic?"

"I think I have it in my repertory!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Chopper!"

Opale took her instrument to her lips again, and played a famous pirate hymn… The crew began to hum, accompanied by the music.

xXxXxXx

It was late… The moon was high in the sky. Its light was reflected on Zoro's sabres, who was training at the back of the ship. Sometimes, he saw people who were walking on the quay, pirates as couples. But he didn't care. He was here for training. The night was the only quiet time.

"What?"

He clearly heard the sound of Opale's flute rising, at the front of the ship. A melancholy music. The swordsman, without realizing, put his swords in their case, and listened. He advanced, climb near the Nami's orange trees, and looked down. She was here, sitting on the barrier of the ship, near the prow. The light of the moon made the flute shining, and was reflected by the sunglasses. Zoro mentally struck him.

"Hang it, he though. Her music is bewitching…"

He went back at the back of the ship, and continued to train, with the music, which rocked the rest of the crew, asleep.

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°: By flute, I am talking about "Flûte traversière"(in French). I find the same word for "flûte" and "flûte traversière" in English. So, I will try to explain: it's the flute you hold on the side, horizontally. Well, maybe you will think my explication is stupid, because you understand during the reading, but I just want to specify…