Chapter 10: Autumn Leaves

"I could do this all day"

"Me too"

Yulie chuckled before flushing her face on Bepo's fur. The two of them were on deck, too lazy to move and too sleepy that they could instantly sleep there. The island they had landed in had this weird weather where it was always Autumn. Leaving the temperature of the area just right to make you feel sleepy.

"Ahh Yulie, captain would get jealous again if you do that"

Yulie frowned as she eyed Shachi and Penguin who were playing cards on the deck not too far from where she and Bepo were lying down. 

"Law won't get jealous, it's Bepo, he knows how fluffy his fur is"

"Well, you can't be sure, he did got jealous of Uni when you helped him carry some stuff"

Yulie then apologetically shifted her gaze to Uni who had just ascended to the deck, behind him were Ikkaku and Jean Bart.

"I still have nightmares because of that Yulie"

She grimaced when she remembered what had happened. Law doesn't get violent when he is jealous but she has learned that him subtly implying it was much scarier than him beating the person up. She had helped Uni carry some new ingredients into the kitchen and when Law saw the two of them laughing, he smiled menacingly before telling Uni that if he had kept that up, he would have to sleep in the deck for multiple nights.

Apparently Law rarely smiles when he's with the crew, so seeing him smile like that was more scarier than any sea monsters for them.

"But I'm glad he smiles now and all that"

Jean Bart had quipped when they had finally settled themselves in a small circle around Yulie. Shachi and Penguin moved too so that they could all play cards while Bepo was already sleeping. 

"And that is because of Yulie girl, I'm so glad you found us"

Ikkaku had told her to which Yulie shyly smiled at. She never had friends who were around her age or older by two or five years. The people in the village were all like her Uncle, Aunts, Grandpas and Grandmas. She never had someone who she could call friends, not until now.

"By the way, I was wondering why your name never appeared on tabloids. Strawhat's other brothers and even your father were always being mentioned but none of yours. We didn't even know he had a sister until you told us so."

Uni had mentioned to which everybody else seconded.

"Well, probably because I never had done something noteworthy for the tabloids. I've never been out of Goa Kingdom before."

"Wait is this the first time you sailed?"

Yulie smilingly nodded at the group to which they were all surprised. They had thought that Yulie had been sailing for a long time already with how she was verse in navigating.

"So, let me get this straight, this is your first time sailing and you're already in the New World within a matter of months?"

"Well, it's not like I stopped at every island I saw. I have my list you know"

"Care to share?"

Yulie stopped to remember the list that she had made in her mind. It was a bunch of random islands that she just wanted to go to.

"Well, I'm still trying to organize it but I had my first stop to see Ace, then I went to Sabaody, then to Amazon Lily and now this."

"You've been to Amazon Lily?"

"You really are amazing aren't you"

"And you're next stop is Elbaf?"

"Yeah, I wanted to meet Shanks and his crew after a long time so I wanted to go there first before going to some other places. It is the first time that I'm getting out of my own village so I want to explore the world more. It took me this long to have the courage to sail so might as well enjoy it right?"

A certain figure who was hiding behind the door couldn't help but feel guilty. Law who had been listening since earlier sighed as he stared at the log pose in his hands. The log pose had finally magnetized to the island of Elbaf which meant they can set sail for it already. But, he found it too early to let Yulie go, so he took the log pose from Bepo and hid it. 

Just a day or two more, I'll tell her just not now. He had thought.

He had scrapped all his plans to tie Yulie up with him when he had heard that this was the first time that she had set sailed. He didn't want to be a hindrance for Yulie to roam and explore the world the way he already did. A happy and free Yulie is a thousand times better than a locked-up Yulie. However, he would delay their departure for as long as he could just so he could spend more time with her.

Just for a few more days. He thought with finality evident in his voice.