The Daughter of the King (English)

Chapter 11 - The boy with the Pinocchio nose

Hey guys, before the story starts I have a little announcement to make. 

I calculated how long it would take me to upload the last part of the East Blue Arc, since I'm already working on the Alabasta Arc and there's a vote in the first chapter of it. And I was shocked. 

 If I stuck to uploading only one chapter per week, it would take 17 weeks (including this chapter). So no earlier than early/mid-September.

But I don't want to wait that long, otherwise I won't be able to continue writing after a certain point. And it would be unfair for all other readers if I just uploaded to Fanfiction.de and therefore only took their votes into account. So I had an idea. Think of it as a little Easter gift if you want to.

Starting today, I will upload two chapters per week until the East Blue Arc ends. This means we should be finished in the 1st or 2nd week of June and I can continue writing in peace.

That's it and I wish you all happy holidays and enjoy reading.

____________________________________________________________

The trio had already been sailing for a few hours when Nami finished sewing the straw hat. "Here. I hope that's enough," said the orange-haired woman and handed the hat back to Luffy. Smiling broadly, Luffy said as she put it back on: "Thank you, Nami. You're the best!" She looked at Luffy for a while. She didn't understand how a young girl like her could even think about becoming a pirate. Zoro was dozing a little, but heard every word the womans were saying when Nami finally asked her: "Say, Luffy. Why is the straw hat so important to you? I noticed that you got it from a friend, but there's more to it, isn't there?" She looked at the black-haired woman waiting. She noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes as she spoke, "Yes, it's true that I got the straw hat from a good friend. He was actually like a father to me, even though he and his crew were only anchored in my village for a year. The straw hat is a sign of our promise, besides..." "Besides?" "Besides, it used to belong to my father. It's the only thing I have from him." Nami looked at her in surprise. "Does that mean your father just ran away?" "No." She shook her head. "He died before I was born. But I know who he was and what he did and I also look up to him. He lived his life and I think he had no regrets." Nami carefully asked: "And what about your mother? Wouldn't she worry about you? Wouldn't she maybe even be disappointed with what you're doing with your life?" Luffy pulled her hat slightly over her face so that her eyes couldn't be seen. "No, I don't think so." "How can you say something like that?!" she asked angrily, "She's your mother! Surely she would be worried about you if..." Luffy interrupted her. "No, I don't mean it like that." She looked at her confused when Luffy looked up again. A sad smile was on her lips. "What I mean is that my mother can't worry about me. She's dead. She died shortly after she gave birth to me." Nami's eyes widened, she didn't know that. Luffy took the photo out of the hatband and handed it to her. "Porgas D. Rouge, that was her name. The photo is also my treasure. It's the only thing I have of her. Without it, I wouldn't have even known what she looked like. The old man who took me in, Gramps, told me that she was very happy when I was born and held me in her arms. After she died, he took me to an island in the East Blue, where I grew up." Nami handed the photo back to her as she asked in surprise, "Does that mean you weren't born in the East Blue?" "No, my mother lived on an island in the South Blue. Batel...Batu...Bata something with Bater." "And this 'Gramps', as you call him, agreed that you becoming a pirate?" Nami asked skeptically. She found it difficult to imagine that anyone would agree if their child, be it their own or a foster child, wanted to pursue SUCH a career. Surprisingly, the black-haired woman started laughing. "Nah, he wanted me to become a marine, but they have to stick to the rules and that's not for me." "Besides, that would be far too dangerous for me." She looked at Luffy in disbelief. What had she gotten herself into?