DISCLAIMER

The world and the characters of ONE PIECE belong to Eichiiro Oda. Only OC's belong to me.
The story takes place before the Time Skip, from the Arabasta Saga, that is, before Marineford's war.

Chapter 14: A difficult moment: confession

Kaylee landed on the east side of the Island, tied the transport with a rope, and asked her companion to take it closer to the ruins. There were no signs of bad weather. She walked happily with the Captain Mask costume in her arms until she suddenly felt that they were following her, she had already left the dense part of the forest behind her, and after hearing footsteps in the grass, Petit jumped to where she was showing his teeth with fury in the direction of the bushes. The mermaid sat on one of the collapsed columns of the Kingdom's ruins, she was not afraid of the violent humandrills; she would scare them there. A group of those wild animals were watching her closely, they began to growl loudly with a slight fear of getting near her. But the growls stopped after hearing someone's steps in the distance.

"I was walking near here when I heard the humandrills approaching in this direction. I assumed that an unfortunate one had arrived, but I did not imagine that it could be you." He spoke indifferently.

"Mihawk..."

She remained static for a few seconds, her voice could not emerge from her vocal cords, a lump in her throat did not allow her to speak. A chill ran down her back, bristling her skin. That reaction was due to the coldness of his greeting; not that it should be described in that way.

The atmosphere was still, the wind could not be perceived, it was not even able to rattle the leaves of the trees, the animals whispered, and the humandrill watched them silently, expectantly.

"Hello"

"What are you doing here again?" His mind questioned her unexpected arrival.

"It's nice to hear you again," she admitted with pity as she accommodated her hair to one side.

He lowered his gaze, revealing a slight regret. He was about to speak when he felt that next to him, the no longer so small mandrill, Petit, as she called him, was sniffing him repeatedly, this one was not yet tall enough to reach him, although he was already reaching his hip. To have the average height of the humandrills he still needed more time.

"Sorry." She bowed her head.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a low voice, unable to explain that attitude. There was a short silence, he looked at the mask and the bag that she carried with her, deduced that she was apologizing for leaving without saying goodbye, which was not even an offense to him; assuming she would come back... "The last time you were here, you weren't thinking of returning"

"That's right." She raised her head off guard and worried. "And to top it all, I left without saying goodbye. That was not correct, you have hosted me, helped me with different things... you allowed me to fulfill my comical project... That's why I understand your reaction when you saw me. And of course, excuse me now that I have come without prior notice."

"It's alright… Let's go."

As they advanced in the direction of the castle, the humandrill ran around them excited for getting back to the island. Kaylee listened to him with a smile on her face, she walked in those moments without the help of her cane. She was pondering on interesting conversation topics to talk with him, but she only managed to lose herself in her travel memories. Suddenly, she remembered about the last news she had heard on the seas.

"There are rumors that two Yonko clashed..."

"The Redhaired and Whitebeard... How curious that you managed to get that kind of information."

"Oh, well, I try to know what is happening around me." After a pause, she added, "Anything can affect the actions we choose."

"Certainly," he nodded. "Those who remain ignorant of what is transpiring in the world are not capable to produce a change in it."

"One of my crewmates and friend, who I once mentioned: Shakespear, kept me up-to-date, not just about what was happening in the newspapers. I learned some of the history of many of the Islands on the Grand Line as well."

"You've managed quite well, any books by your friend that you can recommend to me?"

There was no response other than the sound of a body falling onto the cobblestone floor. The swordsman turned slowly and saw the mermaid on the ground, fortunately she had reacted in time and her hands received the impact without major problems. Moving her hands over the surface, feeling it with a blank expression.

"Ouch, I think I got overconfident," she said raising her head to him.

"I see," he observed doubtingly.

"I was listening to your footsteps, that's how I was guiding myself. I forgot the unevenness in these cobblestones. At least this doesn't happen very often." She dusted herself off and got up.

"Ever since I've known you, you stumble and fall, you should be more careful. Be more responsible to yourself."

"How unusual to hear you say something with concern. See? That is empathy, not naivety."

"..." He raised an eyebrow. "You've got a good memory."

Kaylee smiled slightly and nodded, reached into her belt for her blind cane and they continued on their way.

The next morning Petit's howls awakened her; Despite her insistence, she could not convince the shichibukai that her animal could stay inside. Her eyes opened lazily; she was still underwater. She was uncomfortable with the situation she was experiencing and felt the need to tell him the truth, to admit her feelings regarding him. However, she still hadn't even managed to feel more closeness or interest on his part, but was it necessary? Maybe it was just an excuse.

"What if I wear the dress I bought? Will he think I look pretty?"

After preparing her clothes, she left her room and heard the swordsman not far from there. She went down the stairs carefully since her dress was long and she could trip. Her shy face approached the kitchen, which was where she heard him.

"Good morning," she greeted him with a slight smile. She adjusted her dress to get his attention.

"Morning," he answered seriously as he left. "You have enough firewood and food for a comfortable stay."

He withdrew and she was left alone.

"Thank... you," she answered too late, confused.

The front door closed leaving her alone, Petit watched her through the window, she turned her face towards the animal showing him a dissatisfied pout, apparently, she had not caused any reaction, in addition, he had left without a wave or a simple and warm "see you later".

She took some bottles and began to water what she had planted. By lightly touching one of them noticed that they already had sprouts, she believed that the flowerpots inside the castle could finally serve their real purpose: to beautify. Later, she went out to the backyard to keep the humandrill some company. The sun gently reached her skin giving her a concealing warmth, she sang to the playful animal that was next to her, he animatedly ran around and accumulated branches in a corner near Kaylee. When he had enough, he began to bury each stick in the ground, gradually building a fort. The humandrills in the distance screamed, she got up from where she was, apparently, he was close. She wanted to enter the castle, but first she had to get rid of the branches, which took enough time for her and Petit to hear the main door of the Castle closing.

Kaylee entered through the basement door, where the wines were stored. The humandrill ran to one of the large windows to wait for her to let him in. The man could not be heard, she walked slowly, very attentive to the sounds, left the basement and went up to the main hall. The only perceptible thing was Petit calling her from the other side of the glass door that was towards the living room.

"Hush, Petit." She put her index finger on her lips. "I need you to be cautious."

To her misfortune, opening the door only intensified his noises, moving from side to side. She tried to calm him, but he was full of energy, so she chose to ask him to just not follow her and advanced towards the grand staircase.

In the middle of her way up the stairs she stepped on her dress and stumbled, she complained muttering a few words while she rolled up her long dress showing her legs up to her thighs, she climbed quickly until she felt him in front of her.

"The dress made me uncomfortable to go up... how are you?" She greeted while the hands that held her dress opened to release it and thus hide her mermaid-legs.

"… Fine," he coughed to hide the discomfort between them and went down. "Be careful you… may trip over the steps."

There was a moment of silence, she was frozen.

"Yes," she finally nodded her head, without facing him.

The hall was quiet for a few hours.

A sweet smell reached his nose, he looked at the window, it was dark, but the sunlight could be distinguished from the clouds. He had fallen asleep reading on his bed, the palm of his hand went over his exhausted face. He blew out forcefully and got up, not obeying his lethargy but rather his curiosity. He walked down the stairs to the kitchen, the place was empty but the strong aroma of something that had been cooked reached to him. He glanced around, clearly spotting a tart.

He placed his hand a few inches from it; warm. He bent his spine a little and leaned closer to smell it. It didn't have a great decoration; the raspberries were scattered throughout the cream filling. He brought his fingers to his lips, reflectively. He enjoyed pastry, unfortunately, he was not able to cook such delicacies successfully. He smiled to himself as he gazed at the tart in front of his eyes and delicately scooped out some of the filling with his index finger. The taste matched its exquisite aroma.

"What are you doing?" Kaylee asked behind him.

"Hmm?" Mihawk turned, his expression tightening he hadn't noticed her. "How long have you known how to cook this kind of things?"

"I learned a couple of recipes a long time ago, with the cook who escaped from my first crew..." She lowered her head at the memory of Leandro. "During my travel I had the opportunity to cook one like that again, how is it?"

"More than acceptable," he stated without taking his eyes off it.

"I'm ... glad." She lowered her head, the words he chose irritated her.

"Any special reason?"

"'If I was in need of reasons to smile, just breathing would be one'", she quoted a phrase from his friend. "No, there are no special reasons."

She sat in the wide armchair in the living room, in front of her was a cup of tea and a plate with her slice of tart, both almost intact. Her arms crossed and a face showing nervousness, after a sigh, she raised her head, his aura emanated something between concern and annoyance.

"Why did you come back?"

"To say goodbye properly." She lowered her head in disappointment. "You know? During the time I was out I realized that not having a 'Wanted' is useful ... I may get a log pose for visually impaired marines."

"That's convenient," he pointed out after sipping a little from his coffee cup. "What about your mask?"

"I used it to steal some stuff."

He laughed to himself.

"I am a pirate, not a saint." She smiled at him. "You are a pirate and a Shichibukai... you are not a saint either and I'm not going to talk about the Marines... Those I met, wouldn't have helped me if I was just any other human. I was told that their coats have the word 'justice' on the back. That is curious, I wonder why they chose the back and not the heart... Why do you think that concepts as important as that have so many interpretations? Words with meanings that are so necessary to know, are the most subjective."

"Justice today is conditioned by the environment in which its concept has been conceived. You know... context is a very determining factor," he said as he helped himself to another piece of tart.

"And isn't the World Government in charge of establishing its only meaning? We know, if a nobleman kills an innocent man, the weight of the law will not fall on him, the opposite happens with any other, right? They don't care about everyone."

"Hmm..."

There was a long moment of silence, Kaylee got angry, she reached her hand out to her cup of tea and drank until she finished, then she took her piece of tart and just took one bite to her mouth. She laughed to herself.

"This subject seems to bother you." After a pause, she crossed her arms. "I'll be concise as you like, why do you serve the World Government?"

"I have my reasons, those, I have no reason to share them with you," he replied, giving her an indolent look, at the same moment that he took another bite to his mouth.

"Then, you are no different from those corrupt ones. Don't you realize the evil that this institution has caused? Don't you care about the people who are suffering now? With all the power you have, you shouldn't just detach yourself from what's going on around you! It's insensitive... Is it that you only look out for your own interests?"

"Do you dare to judge me?" He questioned, setting his empty plate on the table. "Have you even thought of any of the reasons I might have? If you want to judge someone you should at least put yourself in their place." His head tilted from side to side in disbelief. "Ha, and you boast that you know me! I remember you told me that once: 'it is not necessary for me to know your story, but rather a part of your heart'... My heart, which you have described so many times as insensitive. I don't understand you."

He got up and approached her defiantly, waiting for her response. His eyes scanned hers.

"You're right," she admitted annoyed, getting up as well.

"Sometimes you have such an immature attitude, you don't know your place," Mihawk said resignedly.

"My place? Are you trying to say that I am inferior?" She took a step toward him, invading his personal space. "If it is because of age let me remind you how a silly insult like cowardly rat was able to make you angry to the point that you chased after a Captain's ship with a trifling reward."

"I certainly don't remember every idiot that crosses my face, much less the weak ones." He smiled defiantly at her, his body moving slightly closer to her as well. "But a silly insult from someone cunning is able to stir my curiosity."

"What did you mean with "you don't know your place"?"

"This is my home."

"That doesn't change that I'm right, government dog." Kaylee opened her eyes, felt anger come from him.

She took a step back, shuddering.

"So, are you leaving, mermaid? You already said goodbye..."

"I…" her face expressed anguish. "I've heard that before too... You want me to go. Do you hate my company? I prefer you to be more direct and simply tell me that you don't want to see me anymore. I'm being a nuisance... It seems like I annoy you so much that you don't even want to call me by my name ..." She frowned. "You know? Every time you say mermaid to me it sounds disparaging I don't call you human. It makes no sense."

He fell silent; her words had been like an arrow. His heart gave a painful pounding. A penetrating heat rushed through his chest tensing his muscles. The swordsman approached her slowly as he watched her again and felt her soft perfume.

It was the first time for her that she asked him about that. Certainly, standing in front of him was her, the veils got removed; there was no mermaid nor the one he characterized as a child.

"I don't hate you... Kaylee," he said in a warm whisper, his voice hoarse.

"Why else would you speak to me in such manner? Sometimes you can express yourself with so much coldness."

"Listen to me," he demanded gravely. His chest tense, he lowered his gaze to her lips. "I don't know when I hurt with my words."

"Guh!" The sound of the humandrill was heard coming from the room Kaylee was staying in.

"Oh... I can explain." She felt his breathing return to normal.

"Did you enter that animal without my consent?" He questioned with great confusion.

"Umm... Probably."

After the lunch of the next day, it started to rain. She was in her room combing her hair, still uncomfortable with the memories that piled up and kept emerging, a lot of emotions hitting her heart. What she could mean to him was her greatest riddle. Every now and then she did not understand how she should approach him, if she should speak to him more affectionately or in the same way he's been doing it. Kaylee believed that expressing herself shouldn't be difficult, thought that she was creating a barrier between them and began to ponder what things she could solve that state of poor communication.

"How can I fix this? I need to talk to him... Ah!", smiled to herself. "I didn't apologize to him for judging him. I was overcritical towards him too. Also, I have not thanked him properly and I think he didn't understand that I made the tart for him."

Petit watched the rain and tried to touch the drops that reached the window, to his surprise it was impossible, licked the glass in search of the liquid from the sky and bitterly gave up. He gave one look at the mermaid and pulled her from the long-sleeved shirt, he wanted to get out.

"I can't now, I don't want to catch a cold again, the temperature has dropped," she clarified with a soft caress on his head.

"Ghuu!" Not happy with her answer, he took her by force and lifted her onto his back.

"What are you trying do?!" She asked with a little fright. "No, don't! Put me down!"

The humandrill opened the door and with agile leaps made it to the first floor. The mermaid's allegations reached the swordsman who, at that time, was taking a nap. He got up from his bed massaging his forehead and move toward the railing that led to the floor where she was. The moment he looked at them, his presence was noticed by the animal who turned and looked at him petrified, his gaze emitted a clear threat, the animal feared the worst and crouched submissively. She sensed it too and got down from Petit that was shaking with fear.

"Even as the years go by, I'll always see him as my little humandrill," and she added firmly: "You don't need to scare him with that energy, I noticed that intimidation."

"Becoming fond of him will bring you nothing but trouble."

"But…!"

"What are you looking for?"

"Keeping memories of who you love is that bad?" She asked in distress.

"What do you mean?... Can't you understand that this union will only cause you more damage?" He stared at her silently, "Sooner or later his instincts will return, and he will want to return to his equals and then, you, will be suffering about your separation."

"We don't have sufferings beyond what we can bear ... I would worry if I don't suffer after that, because it would show that I didn't really love him," she clarified, lowering her head towards the humandrill.

"Talking about these things with you is useless."

"Ha! I think the same."

Petit got up again, that man was gone. They both knew after hearing a door slam. She sighed and led the humandrill into the garden, she stayed indoors while he played in the rain. She ordered him to sleep outside the castle, knowing that his host would not accept his floor wet.

She went up to the second floor, stopped in the middle of the corridor and breathed slowly, as if waiting for something to happen resulting only in the usual: sounds from outside. Then she began to walk in another direction, towards Mihawk's chamber, her steps were slow but certain she knew that path perfectly and already in front of the door, she knocked it softly.

"Are you there?" She asked, but there was no answer.

She played with her fingers impatiently, suddenly she heard him, and the heat colored her cheeks, her right hand tried to stop that burning. He was already moving toward the door. At that moment the latch on the lock gave way and the door slid open.

"What do you want?"

She raised her head, losing every trace of her nervousness. Again, he spoke curtly, she could not smile; he was like an impenetrable wall.

"May I have a word with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"May, I come into?" She asked as she took a step forward.

His only response was to leave the door open and take a step back.

She noticed that his room was cold, the essence of the rain was inside there. If she could see, she would have also noticed that the window that overlooked the balcony of his room was open, he had been there, since he was soaked and had left a trail of water on the floor.

She could not believe that she had managed to enter, her face expressed more confusion than tranquility. She hardly smelled his typical wine scent, she walked over to him and reached out, held his shirt and patted his back.

"Why are you so wet?"

"I suppose you haven't come to talk about that," he said reluctantly, and looking at her hand, he sighed with resignation. "I was outside, on my balcony… Feeling the rain soothes me."

"Are you mad at me Dracule Mihawk? Yes, I was out of place…" She spoke suddenly raising her head towards him. "I was thinking about my past actions, it was not correct to have judged you. The moment I depart I do not want to leave with any regrets. I'm really sorry."

He watched her hand move up slowly to his forearm, the mermaid's face showing a certain embarrassment. He glanced at his balcony, gently removed her hand, and walked over to it. Outside there was still light, a blue hue painted the entire atmosphere the drops of water became a soft drizzle. It resembled a snowfall. The birds flew quickly in search of a refuge among the high treetops.

He reached his hand out to the glass door and closed it slowly.

"I know you don't believe in destiny, but would you be able to say that people's lives, like nature's, are not governed by a law?" He asked, his voice gentle.

"It's a somewhat a difficult question to answer... I don't believe in destiny, because I believe that man is the one who builds his own history with his own will" she paused, "in any case, if the book of destiny existed this one would need us to turn its pages If it was fate or my decision that I am here, I already made myself clear, right?"

"Clearer than water." He lightly stroked the stubble on his chin. "The first time I invited you to this Castle it was because I wanted to know a little more about the eccentric masked pirate, after that I was planning to kill him." He fixed his golden eyes on her. "But I didn't want to."

"Why?"

"Curiosity," he simply replied. "You were a mystery, more questions surrounded me, they did not end."

"If I had really been Captain Mask, you would have killed me?"

"Perhaps," he said instantly. "It all depends on how much interest you would have gave me."

"So, if you hadn't had those doubts, you wouldn't have received me..."

"Most likely, you'd probably just be a decomposing body somewhere in the forest."

"Really, I am more and more convinced about the lack of restrain in your words. It doesn't bother me that you are direct, yet you have little interest in how much your words may affect. Before you say it, I know very well that you are not interested in knowing my opinion about you... You don't like visits either, I won't categorize you as someone bitter about that, after all, when I observe your calm aura, I conclude that it's simply a part of you. However! You should be more hospitable." She shook her head up and down. "You have a big castle with many rooms, you would be of great help to whoever is lost."

"Didn't you just apologize for being out of line?... I already told you once that you would not give me more orders or moral speeches," he replied, sitting on his bed. "I am not interested."

"Bah! I'll keep talking, nonetheless, I know you'll listen to me and something that I'm saying will get to your conscience," she stated with a challenging smile, approaching where he had sat.

Silence.

"No one comes to this island..."

"Mhihihi, come on! it doesn't hurt to be cautious, and if you remember it well, I'm a woman who came to this place by chance."

"Are you trying to make me change my mind?" He shifted his gaze to the side and chuckled. "Such weird things you say, mermaid!"

"Well, there are many things that are difficult to change, human," she said, referring to how he had called her once again. "I want you to know that my boat will remain here on the east side, now it's all yours, and I hope you give it to whoever needs it... By the time of my depart, I will go by swimming."

"You're so insistent," he said, looking at her exhausted.

"And you are very complicated..." She smiled fondly and sighed. "Do you have my scarf? The one Shanks gave me. I can't find it and I don't like to lose the gifts I'm given."

The room had turned dark, she was within arm's reach. He examined her intensely with his golden eyes.

"Yes."

He took a deep breath and got up. He advanced towards a shelf; from there he took out what she asked for. He held the scarf in his clenched fist, squeezed it, approached her, grabbed her hand again, and placed the fabric in her palm.

"Here it is ... If you don't have more to talk about, you can go, I'm busy," he said, pulling away from her hand, as if she was burning.

Mihawk lowered his gaze to her smiling lips, all that the rain had washed away had returned. His heart would not let him breathe normally, he asked her to leave there again, to speed up her pace he accompanied her to the door. As he held the handle, he felt her take his face with her warm hands, making him turn.

Suddenly he felt that a kiss was fleetingly placed on his cheek.

"I never thanked you for helping me save Petit," she said softly from outside his room.

He was looking in her direction, his fist about to break the handle.

He did not reply, only slightly nodded his head. He lowered his eyes irritably and closed the door of his room.

It had already been three days since the arrival of his guest, and he had hardly spoken to her. It had been some minutes, he couldn't turn the page of the newspaper he was holding, absorbing the reading was difficult all he had read was no longer in his memory.

"What am I supposed to do?"

Already tired, he touched his forehead with both hands and sighed. He went to a large hall of the castle and approached the old phonograph that was there, selected a vinyl record, took it out of a large envelope, blew on it to remove any trace of dust and began to play music. On the other side of the castle, the mermaid could hear the soft melody, the humandrill that previously moved everywhere, stopped suddenly hypnotized by such composition. She walked fascinated to the origin of music accompanied by Petit.

When he saw her arrive, he looked at her apathetically, she was bringing the animal with her, she was dressed like the first time he had seen her. He took a quick glance at the humandrill, he would not allow him to enter there.

"What do you need?"

"I remember hearing this music before," she said, standing still in the doorway. "I always wondered how it was possible that the origin of a ballad could come from a single source, I still don't know what that is."

"Come closer," he invited her. "But that one cannot enter. This room has a different floor from the others."

"Okay."

She closed the door and approached the swordsman, he took her hand and placed it on the apparatus.

"This is a phonograph and it's what makes the sound you hear now." He paused. "This you hear is a waltz."

"Indeed, it is. It's very beautiful. As Captain Mask I didn't dare to ask my subordinates… After all, I preferred to have a musician rather than a machine" She chuckled, with a hint of sadness. "I was thinking... it was a long time, practically a month. There is a reason why I did not say goodbye ... I thought that if I did, I would become weak, because for you saying goodbye is not even important. And it was worse, in fact, the opposite happened, and in my travel, I remembered you a lot and my guilt only grew."

"..." He stared at her. "Don't expect something from me that I can't offer."

"J-Just the fact that you worry if I fall makes me think otherwise. Am I mistaken? Shanks probably thinks the same."

"You're even more stubborn than him... Worrying for someone who is blind is normal."

Mihawk glanced at her and noticed that his words affected her. The silence between them intensified.

The music changed.

She had her hand delicately resting on the apparatus, feeling the vibrations emitted by the new ballad. He saw her smile slightly, it looked as she was remembering sweet moments from her past. Then, inadvertently he walked over to her and took her left hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know how to dance?" He asked, still without detaching himself from her hand.

"No… I just came to listen to music and share a bit," she admitted, scared.

"Easy Kaylee... It's not difficult, pretend you're swimming," he said, taking position.

"I just stepped on you! I don't want to hurt you, I can't do it, it's too fast."

"Just do as I tell you."

The dance in a waltz is comparable to the feather gently swayed by the wind. Achieving harmony between their steps was a difficult task. The harmony to achieve a good coordination was established after a few minutes, she was happy and eager to learn more, it was the first time she danced with her feet and she didn't want to stop. The music confined them in a unique atmosphere. She felt a strange dizziness, a desire to laugh and a warmth in her chest. Suddenly, the songs on the vinyl ended and in the last step Kaylee felt an enticing intimacy. He regained his composure, and she was standing in front of him, at that moment a warm silence stopped time, the precise moment to tell him the truth.

"Mihawk." She paused. "It was enjoyable... Thanks for sharing something you like with me."

He just nodded his head.

They both left the living room and went to the fireplace. Despite being cloudy, some rays of sunlight illuminated that area amiably. He sat down to read with a glass of red wine. He noticed that she looked restless, it could be that the dance had left her exhausted, because she was breathing with a little difficulty and was blushing.

After a few minutes, he looked at her again, deduced that maybe she was playing with her hair because there was a lot of silence, he remembered that she was uncomfortable with that and decided to take the initiative to speak.

"Kaylee, what is your dream?"

"I have..." her eyes widened, and a bitter expression crossed her face. "I have a clue in the New World to find my mother who was kidnapped. I hate the existence of slavery to beings like me, species that some call "exotic" or "rare", I would like to do something about it."

"I told you, this world has its roots rotten. And that would be going against the Heavenly Dragons themselves."

"Should I care? Captain Mask is ready, the Blind Pirates will be reborn." She chuckled, turned her face in his direction. "Until I find my mother, I mustn't reveal my identity and besides, as myself I am just a harmless traveler."

"Try to proceed with caution. Fire Fist Ace was recently taken prisoner to Impel Down," he pointed out as he read.

"I feel something very deep for you," she confessed bluntly, smiling slightly. Her expression warm and soft.

Mihawk took his eyes off his reading and looked at her in surprise. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, she was still in her seat waiting for his answer, her blush increased. He picked up his glass of wine and took a long sip, set his newspaper aside, rose from his chair, and walked over to her, standing beside her in awkward silence.

"Mermaid, I'm afraid your feelings are not reciprocal," he said abruptly, and continued walking.

Kaylee cleared her throat softly as a painful breath sank her heart and she paled. It had been many years, when she lost track of her mother, ever since she had felt such a great pain in her chest. Not even the betrayal was that painful. Mihawk was close to her, but at the same time distant and speaking words of rejection. Had she confused the way he was addressing her lately? His concern for her? What did it mean for him to reject her without daring to speak her name?

"Don't tell me! Did you think it was true? I was just joking around. I wanted to know what your reaction would be like, you know... We have never talked about love related topics. C'mon! I'm just a friend or for your comfort, a sympathetic acquaintance," she clarified, trying to hide her nervousness. "Oh, wow! How long have I been here? How rude! I'll leave today, don't worry. The moment is precise."

"There will be a storm today."

"It's not a problem."

"Will you take the boat you brought?"

"I told you I'd go swimming, I'm ready."

"Kaylee?" He asked even more puzzled, stopping his steps, and turning to her.

He called her by her name.

She paused her train of thoughts, frowning as her questions accumulated. What did he want from her? Was he expecting company without feelings? What should she do? She smiled painfully, there were more important things than the pain that pierced her heart with every passing second.

"I'm worried about my crew, considering how they act, I think they've already left to meet me, and I don't want to keep my mother waiting any longer. I must go and fix that. Thank you so much for everything."

He watched as she walked towards her room, going very slowly up the stairs.

Back in her room, she put all her belongings in her bag and went slowly down the stairs dressed as Captain Mask, with his cold and empty smile... Mihawk was near the fireplace, looking at the fire, showing the other his back.

"Goodbye Dracule Mihawk," he said in the rough voice of the masked man.

There was no answer.

After a few seconds, he heard the main door closing. His eyes were fixed on the fire, his serious face saw that familiar silhouette in the flames. "A mermaid from the sea but similar to the fire itself."

The rain had taken the centre stage.

Captain Mask was lost deep in the vastness of the forest. Beneath his mask, silent tears slid down her cheeks. The mandrill carried a sword with him, cut a log to use as a float. The masked pirate tied a rope around his waist and the other end tied him to the trunk.

"Let's go Petit, I'll swim until I have no more strength... and I'll forget about him."

A difficult moment once again repeated. Captain Mask walked silently, each step toward the shore of the beach felt painfully in his chest. The waves carried him into the violent sea comparable only to the chaos within his broken heart. Then a great roar was heard, he knew what was coming but not even fear could take away his melancholy, he remained still with his back to the Island of eternal darkness. Thus, a great beam of light emerged from the heavens: a lightning caused by nothing more and nothing less than the veil that was placed over the moment of the stormy confession.

THE END

Author Notes:

Hello! here Jou ~
This has been quite a journey! I am very happy to have finished the translation of my fic "Ceguera Aparente"
I hope that if you enjoyed the fic you leave me a comment, thanks for reading it! hope you liked the hidden illustrations in one piece style~! (u will find them in the a03 version)

Yes this is the final chapter, but Kaylee's story doesn't end here of course...
Due to the lack of reviews I still don't know if I should do the next part, at least in english OTL

anyways! byee