She stopped trying to dredge up the memories and just held the box. It had a weight to it, as though it held something, but it didn't rattle when she shook it, and the weight didn't shift when she tilted it from side to side. Unconsciously, she reached into her blouse and pulled out the necklace she'd worn for as long as she remembered. It was a leather thong holding small bronze disk, with no remarkable engravings, just a triangular hole in the middle. Her hands, acting solely out of instinct, turned the box until she reached a corner with an almost invisible change in hue. She removed the disk from the leather, pushed it onto the corner, and twisted. The box silently opened, meriting a collective gasp from the table. Inside, there was a folded paper resting on a bundle, surrounded by some bunched up canvas. She unfolded the paper. Tears came to her eyes as she read.
"My dearest Drache,
You may have been to young to remember me when I left, but I am your mother. I hate to leave you here with my brother, he doesn't know how to raise children, but I have nowhere else to turn, and no one else to turn to. I must leave you, possibly forever, and I'm leaving you this letter to explain why, and the bundle inside to allow you to have your own freedom. I'm wanted by the world government. Not for fighting, but for speaking out against their unorganized and dishonest recruiting and training methods. They encourage their men and women to achieve strength above all else, and thus become no better, and indeed sometimes worse, than the pirates they fight against. In the end, if you're reading this, it doesn't matter why I'm gone. All that matters is that you find a way off this island and go wherever you choose to go.
-Katze"
She folded the letter again and tucked it into her pocket. She couldn't remember her mother, but she would keep this letter safe for the rest of her life. She swiped at her eyes to dry them, then looked curiously down at the box. By this point, Luffy was almost jumping up and down with excitement as she unwrapped the bundle. Inside was a strange looking fruit. Everyone gasped. Nami pointed at it with a shaking finger, then quickly lowered her hand to her side, glancing around the crowded bar. "Let's go to the ship to talk about this. This needs to be in private." Everyone agreed with her, though Luffy seemed ready burst with excitement. They left, Drache carrying the box. Just before she left the bar, though, she ran up to the bar and whispered to Emily, "We'll be on their boat, you should come down after you close down for the night."
Emily smiled, "Of course, Drache! See you later!"
Down at the ship, they decided to build a bonfire on the beach and continue their party. Sanji started to barbecue some fish Usopp had caught the previous day. Drache turned to Nami as the rest of the crew settled back into conversation. "So what is this weird fruit?"
Nami smiled greedily, "That, my dear Drache, is a devil fruit. You can bet it's worth a ton!" She let out a laugh, but then her face fell, "But I guess it's technically your fruit, isn't it, because of that letter from your mother."
Drache relaxed. Now she knew Nami wouldn't demand the fruit for herself, she felt safer. "I don't mean to deprive you of your treasure, but it's the only thing I have from my mother, aside from this necklace. I just wish I knew what she wanted me to do with it!" She sighed, "I guess I have pretty much two options: sell it or eat it. I wish I knew what kind of powers it contains."
Nami frowned, "I say you should sell it. Those fruits are more trouble than they're worth."
Sanji interrupted their conversation, yelling "Ladies, the food is ready, and I want you to eat it while it's hot!" The delicious scent of the fish drew the girls away from the box, leaving it forgotten in the sand.
The night deepened around them as they drank, laughed and sang. Drache was blissfully happy with these people. When the dusk had fallen away completely, giving the dark and starry night full hold over the sky, Emily appeared at the edge of their firelight carrying a bag full of bottles. "Hello everyone!" Everyone greeted her, and Drache asked what was in her bag. "You all seemed to enjoy my drinks so much last night, I thought I'd bring the ingredients down here. Is that alright?" she asked, suddenly hesitant. She nervously fidgeted with her curly blonde hair.
"It's more than fine, it's great!" said Zoro, with a grin.
Soon they all had downed one or two Blasters and were feeling decidedly more drunk than they had been before. Zoro had, in fact, drunk 4 by the time most of them had finished 2. Sanji was starting to look hopefully over at Robin and Nami to see if the alcohol had loosened them up at all. The night went on pleasantly, but Drache couldn't stop dwelling on the box, and the devil fruit inside it. Finally, Usopp had finally gotten so tired of listening to her worry about it that he asked, "Well why don't you just eat it, and see what it does?"
Her blastered brain couldn't think of any excuse not to as he walked over to the box and solemnly carried it back. "Everyone!" he yelled, "It's time to watch Drache eat a devil fruit! Unless you're afraid," he said to her in a taunting voice.
This irked her, and her annoyance drove her to open the box and pull out the fruit. It looked like a mango, but a swirling pattern marred the usually smooth surface of the fruit. She took her pocket knife and peeled the skin away. She looked up nervously at the excited crew around her, and bit deep.
It was juicy, but it was tart, and the aftertaste left her mouth stinging. She dutifully ate the whole fruit, choking down every last bite and gnawing the final stringy meat off of the seed, then looked up. Robin was the first she turned to. The woman smiled at her, but with a worried expression on her face. Usopp gasped, staring at her face. "What?" she asked, or she would have, if she hadn't stopped and gasped in surprise. Something was wrong with her mouth! She slowly raised her arm up to feel what sort of shape it had taken, then she sneezed, tickled by something on her hand. She opened her eyes to look, and saw feathers sprouting from her arm, turning them into giant wings. She stood just as everything around her began to tower, as though the others were turning to giants. She then realized she was shrinking, down, down to the size of a large bird. She slowly stretched her wings out in front of her. "A bird of prey," the cold, rational part of her brain thought. "Too small to be a red tailed hawk or an eagle. Maybe a peregrine?" The rest of her mind was blank in a mixture of fascination and horror. Her next thought came with startling clarity. "I can fly." Instinct took hold and she left the ground with little effort. She looked down on her friends as she rose on the hot air from their fire. She closed her eyes in pleasure for an instant, then panicked. "How do I get down? How do I change back?" At that instant she felt cold air hit her legs and face. She was no longer protected by the feathers that she had only seconds ago been cloaked in. She flapped, and found little resistance against her bare arms. She began to fall. She took a deep breath, extended her fingers, and soon she swooped back up, in control of her body again. This time she had wings and a beak, and her skin was covered in a soft coat of feathers, but she kept her human shape and size. She allowed herself to spiral slowly to the ground, landing on her feet in the same spot she had so recently vacated. The others looked at her with wide eyes and, to her surprise, smiles. She turned to Luffy. "Now that I'm more than useless, can I travel with you?"
"I thought we decided this last night! You're our new biologist." At this, Drache broke into a smile, her eyes tearing up from happiness, and she threw her arms around Luffy's neck. He grinned, "I'm excited for all the adventures we'll have together!"
"Me too, Luffy," she replied through her tears.