Author's Note: Hello hello! So I finally named my girl, her name is Yara; which means water lady or a small butterfly :) Hope you'll enjoy! Thank you for the support so far!
For the last time, she allowed herself the luxury of walking ever so casually around the deck, observing all that she could, memorizing the whole place as if it would belong to her. She was thinking about how to thank them, what should she do. She pouted.
"You'll be responsible for keeping the ship's deck clean at all times. Got it?" She heard Cabaji ordering around two of the newest recruit members. She turned her head away to hide her smile that was slowly appearing on her lips. Making a few steps back, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Heading to kitchen, she decided to make them some snacks as a small thank you gift. She started placing various kinds of fruits and vegetables on the counter and took a knife out of the drawer. Then, she started chopping up the vegetables and fruit into cubes, it was a tedious chore but she did not mind at all. Separating them into two different piles, she grabbed another apple and started chopping. After a moment, she looked down at the apple she'd been cutting, the peel still completely on the fruit.
"Well, they won't mind I bet." She shrugged and placed them into a bowl.
She washed the grapes and arranged them in the bowl, then opened the oranges and started cutting them in half. She chopped the oranges and placed them under the grapes. All the fruits were chopped and ready to be served. She chopped enough for the whole crew, including herself. She sighed as she began chopping some peppers, garlic, few carrots and onion together. Midway through the chopping of an onion, she realized tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Damn!" She rubbed her eyes into her shoulder and sniffed. She couldn't remember when was the last time she cried.
The young woman pulled the frying pan from the cabinet below the counter and grabbed some bacon from the ice box. She turned the burner on and placed dozen of bacon strips on the pan to fry. For a moment she watched it to see if the bacon would begin to cook. It did. After about a minute, she could see it sizzle and then smell of the bacon filled the kitchen. Successfully she grinned. The young girl quickly chopped the remaining vegetables and placed them next to the bacon, adding some salt and a small piece of butter for a better flavour. She started humming as she turned back to the stove. When the pieces were done on one side, she turned them over.
"It should be okay now." She took the sizzling frying-pan off the stove and laid it on the table. Instantly, the sounds of banging pot and sizzling food filled the room, like a busy restaurant kitchen. "I hope." A deep sigh left her lips.
She knew she was not a good cook but she never thought she'd ever have to cook for others. Cooking and creating something for herself was okay, since she was the one eating it, but now she had some doubts.
"Guys!" She yelled, alarming them, trying to call each one of them down into the kitchen. "Uncle!"
Hearing footsteps — hurried footsteps — she smiled. Quickly, she put a bottle of booze in the middle of the table and turned around as she heard muttering.
Cabaji walked casually around the table while eyeing everything carefully, the Funan trio followed him in silence as Mohji sat down and took one grape, throwing it into his mouth. Buggy stood leaning against the door frame to their kitchen, looking around; she looked at him and smiled. The pirates were eyeing the food, unsure if it is for them or not. All of them looked at her as she took a deep breath.
"Um, I know it might not be enough, or good," she shrugged with an apologetic looks, "but I would like to thank you all for having me, also teaching me new things," she looked at Cabaji and smiled at him, the man nodded, then she looked at Buggy and added "and for having the patience with me." The clown neither said nor showed any sight of emotions. She walked towards him and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the table.
"Come on you old man!" She chirped as she brought the Captain to the table. Buggy said nothing and allowed her to drag him. The pirates hearing the food was made for them created an approving smile, and smirks on their faces. All of them grabbed something as they started stuffing their cheeks.
After spending some time in the kitchen, all of them headed back up on the deck to finish their work. Buggy took her to the vector and showed her the island that could be spotted.
"I-Is that..?" He nodded.
"We will be there soon." The sun was shining brightly upon the two figures. The sky was clear. The clouds were just a temporary covering. They didn't stop the sun from shining.
Her foot touched the sand, and then the another one, she grinned at the feeling and started running forward - into the forest.
"Yara! Wait!" She heard Buggy yelling at her, she whispered an apology and continued running.
"Stupid child! She is never listening!"
Her heart started to beat faster and faster, for a moment she slowed down, catching her breath. Leaves brushed her cheeks and legs as she was making her way into the forest. Her hands were slightly shaking from the excitement.
"I'm so close!" She sniffed the air, and could smell the burning wood. "They are close!"
Suddenly Yara gasped as she felt something cold pressed against her throat. She tried to turn her head to meet his eyes but as she did she felt the pressure on her neck.
"Nuhuhuh," the man warned her. "I will detach that pretty head of yours if you turn around."
Yara gulped hard, a shiver ran down her spine. She could feel his breath near her ear as he whispered, "or make a sound." She knew that pirates were scary, but she had no idea now frightening they were, until now.
"Understood." She nodded. Her voice was a breath.
"Smart." He noted.
For a moment she thought about Buggy, and his crew. Remembering how they spent their time on the deck and talked about various things, or teased their Captain. A faint smile crossed her lips as though a good memory had flitted through her head. Yara knew very well that her Uncle's crew would save her, but the lecture she would get later on did not sound appealing to her at all.
With his free hand she pushed her forward, not hard enough yet he wasn't gentle at all. She was walking in silence, she could tell that the man behind her was tall, he was towering her, his hands were dirty and smelled of burned wood. His hand was big, like a piece of hammer that would break her in a blink of an eye.
They walked in silence for several moments, as they reached camp, they were suddenly surrounded as everyone swarmed forward, wanting to know what was happening. She blinked few times, recognizing some faces; although they looked quite different – older she would say. She smiled as she opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted.
"Captain, I found this girl sneaking around." He pushed her from behind and she fell on her knees, she hissed as she looked at the man behind her, and then turned her head to look forward. She spotted a red haired man sitting on a rock slab, holding a bottle in his hand. Her eyes became watery and she tried to stand up. The man behind her knocked her on her knees again and she growled at him.
"What is your problem?!"
He squatted down and with one hand grabbed her face, squeezing her cheeks. "Fierce one, aren't you." If she could, she would spit on him even though he was her father's crew member.
"Let her go." She heard a deep, husky voice speak. And so he did, Yara ran her fingers over her lips and clicked her tongue.
"That's not a right way to treat a lady." He said as he sipped his drink. She wasn't sure how to react on that, she stood up and cleaned her trousers from the dirt.
"Where are your friends, lady?"
She cocked an eyebrow and sighed, slightly amused and hurt with her father's memory. "Family, you wanted to say."
Turning her head around, she saw her father sitting on a rock. He glanced at her as he took a sip of the bottle, which she assumed was booze and said nothing only nodded his head.
"Answer, kid!" She could have sworn she heard Rockstar yelling at her. She made a mental note to herself not to forget about this that easily.
She took a deep breath as she spoke; "Thanks for the heart-warming welcome, dad."
The red haired man chocked on his drink, the bottle fell on the ground and the liquid started leaking out. The man who brought her and the other ones who were sitting by the fire screamed a loud WHAT as they were eyeing her, and then their Captain.
"Dad? What are you talking about?" He asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he walked closer to her. He was wearing a coal black shirt, green loose pants tucked inside his buckled boots and a yellow sash wrapped around his waist. And a blue coat with white spirals hanging on his shoulders, she couldn't see his gun anywhere. His hair was no longer black as she remember, time has paid its coin it seems.
"Yes, as I said Shan—"
"Yara!" She heard Buggy's voice appearing from nowhere. A vein popped on her forehead as she turned around to meet two pairs of piercing eyes and a red nose she wanted to squeeze hard until it would fall off.
"Not the best timing, Uncle."