4.

THE STRAW HAT AND THE PROMISE

Jane Camille was sitting at the bow, staring at the gold-red setting sun, when Rufy asked her "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired and when I'm tired I lose myself thinking and remembering."

"Oh that happens to me too sometimes! I don't know how you could stare at the sun without making your eyes weeping!"

"I'm a pirate, I'm used to the burning sun."

Zoro asked "Do you come from South?"

"From North."

"You come from North and you don't suffer the heat?"

"The first times I did. Then I got used to it and now I couldn't live without it, I'm always cold. Look: I have goosebumps!" She stood up, drew out of her bag a yellow cloak and wore it. She took off her white cow-girl hat and let down her hair, spreading in the air a soft vanilla's essence. Rufy's stomach mumbled "I'm so hungry..."

"Bernadette gave me some rice and flans. Help youself, it's all in my bag."

Zoro stared at Rufy eating for a while, then, once sure he wouldn't have listened to them, he approached Jane Camille at the bow "So you come from North Blue..."

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I'm from here, my village is not far. Why did you decide to become a pirate?"

The girl studied him for a while, then asked "You don't trust me, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"I appreciate your honesty."

"I never lie, even if now I'm a pirate."

"Usually I don't either."

"Usually but not always. And if you want to hide something, you do it without seconds thoughts, am I wrong?"

"You can ask me what the heck you want, Pirate Hunter, but, if I don't want to answer, I simply don't."

"I know: you still haven't answered my second question."

"You see, one of the best things about being a pirate is freedom: you can do everything you want. Even simple things, like avoiding answering unpleasant questions."

"What are you hiding, Young Bride?"

"My past isn't worth telling."

"Is that the reason why you're smiling so happily on your bounty's photograph?"

Jane Camille tightened her grip on the edge of the boat "When that photo was taken I wasn't a pirate. But, as you already understood, I don't intend to talk about my past with you. Why should I trust you if you don't trust me? I'm not letting my guard down with you, a former bounty hunter."

"I have nothing to hide."

"Oh really? Who's Kuina then?" Zoro went visibly pale, so she added "Don't think you're tricking me, rookie."

Rufy cut in on their conversation "Aaah now I feel much better!"

Camille gasped "How much have you eaten?"

"You said I could have all I wanted and I had all!"

"Rufy, that food should have lasted for at least 3 days!"

The captain bowed in front of them, with the head touching the boat's wood "I'm sorry. Please, forgive me. It's just that I was so hungry..."

Jane Camille rolled her eyes, thinking "Just like him..." then said "It doesn't matter. Tomorrow we'll try fishing." Rufy smiled, happy to have been forgiven.

They talked for hours about Kobi and Rica, then, around midnight, Rufy fell asleep. Jane Camille stood silently and drew out of her bag a bottle of rum. She sat next to Zoro, uncorked it and took a drink "I'll miss Bernadette's rum. Would you like some?"

"You won't buy my trust with rum."

"Damn, you're so mistrustful! I always say that a bottle of rum uncorked alone doesn't taste the same as one in good company. I thought that Bernadette's rum was the only thing we had in common, I was just trying to be polite, but if you don't want some..."

"I've never said I didn't want it." He snatched the bottle out of her hands and drank, trying to ignore her grin. Rum's taste was simply divine, but with it there was something else...a fruity taste, like cherry "You're the first woman I see drinking on an empty stomach."

"I'm a pirate, I wouldn't be surprised if they discovered that in my veins runs liquor instead of blood." She giggled, making Zoro think "She's so mysterious, but her laugh is so natural..." He was also surprised by her white teeth: usually pirates were toothless or with rotten teeth, but she seemed to care a lot for her physical appearance, even if she didn't wear make-up. Her hair was clean and sweet-scented; her snow-white skin had no sign of burns nor dryness, even if she spent a lot of time in the hot sun; her nails were perfectly well-groomed; her legs looked smooth as silk; on her lips she was wearing lip gloss, because, he noticed it only then, in the candle-light they sparkled a bit. That's where the rum's fruity taste came from! While he was thinking that, Jane Camille handed him the bottle. He stared at it for a moment, so she asked "You don't want it anymore? I'm warning you: if you let me drink all this, I'll soon start singing!" Zoro grabbed it and drank, thinking "This cherry is not bad at all...Oh shit, what the hell am I thinking? Pirate life upsets me!"

Once the rum was gone, Jane Camille asked "Do you wanna start the turn of duty?"

"Duty?"

"We can't let the boat float off while we're sleeping. One of us we'll stay awake till 4.30-5.00, while the other sleeps, then we'll swap."

"But we're not heading anywhere!"

"No, but we could crash against a cliff or meet a sea monster or a pirate ship."

"Ok, I'll go first then."

"Ok. If you feel you're falling asleep wake me up, even if your turn isn't over yet. Goodnight."

The hours went by and nothing went wrong. Zoro approached silently the sleeping Young Bride and crouched in front of her. She seemed so relaxed and calm, he didn't want to wake her up "Dammit, I must be very tired! I should be happy to disturb her, she's a dirty pirate!" Slowly he stretched his hand to shake her, but he stopped halfway: should he shake her by the shoulder or by a hip? Maybe he could touch her leg. No, kick her! No, you can't kick a woman, neither if not hard. He stretched a bit more his hand, but stopped again: he didn't want to be too rude, but neither too gentle. Maybe her shoulder was the best solution. "Do you think you can make it before tomorrow?" Zoro froze: she was awake! He asked "How the hell did you notice I was gonna wake you up?"

"I always notice when someone stares at me. Even when I'm sleeping."

"Well get up, it's your turn!"

"Next time a slight shake on my shoulder will be fine. Or you can simply call my name." How could he not think about that? Calling her he didn't have to touch her.

At midday the 3 pirates were laying on their backs, exhausted for the heat and the hunger: they hadn't fished anything, not even a rotten shoe. Jane Camille was the only one enjoying the heat; Zoro's forehead was covered in sweat; Rufy had literally his tongue out of his mouth. Suddenly they felt a breath of wind. Rufy stood up, to get fresh, but he lost his hat, that was lifted into the air, over the bow. Terrified, he screamed "My hat! I can't lose it, I've promised it!" Luckily Zoro reached it and caught it. Smiling, he handed it to his captain "Next time watch out, if you care so much about it."

"Yosh! Thank you very much, Zoro!"

Jane Camille sat beside him "Can I ask what promise were you talking about?"

"A dearest friend lent it to me. He cared a lot about it, it was like an amulet for him, he wore it in all of his adventures. But, before setting sail, he gave it to me. I was so happy, I couldn't believe it! He told me that, when I become the Pirate King, I will have to give it back to him."

"That's why you have that ambitious dream! So it belonged to a pirate, right?" While asking it, Jane Camille uncorked a bottle of rum and took a drink.

Rufy answered "Yes, a pirate named Shanks." The girl spat out all the rum she had in her mouth on Zoro's shirt "YUCK! Watch out, Young Bride!"

Blushing, she apologized "Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose!"

Trying to clean his shirt with seawater, Zoro asked her "Why the hell did you drink it, if you knew that hot rum is disgusting?"

"It's not that, it's good!"

"Then what? Wait: you spat it when you heard that pirate's name, am I wrong?" Jane Camille blushed even more. Rufy was enthusiast "You know Shanks?"

The girl nodded, sighing "I owe him a million of my bounty."