The Ocean

Part 1

You are the ocean's grey waves,
destinend to seek.
Life beyond the shore, just out of reach.
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time.
The path is your's to climb,

A lovely song rang out, and on a cliff stood a young woman in her twenties, looking out to sea. She had long, dark hair that reached almost to her bottom and dark brown eyes that looked almost black. The clothes consisted of a light brown tunic that was much too big and black leggings. She didn't wear shoes. And the young woman's name was Yn.

Yn took a deep breath and said, "Ah, the air is lovely this morning!" The winds on Vent Island, lying on the Grandline, had always been refreshing to her and freed her mind. After this sigh of relief, the white woman turned and walked behind to Calme, the city of Vent.

The city and harbor were not very big, but many ships stopped here. Pirates too. And pirates, while well behaved, didn't like to be seen in Calme. Residents deeply despised pirates. Yn walked the streets, was frowned upon or looked at with disdain by many people, but ignored the looks. "Hey, you!" someone snapped at her. Yn lifted his head in surprise, "Hm?" and looked towards the bakery, where the owner and his wife were standing in the doorway. "Go away!" the baker snapped at her. "You're driving away all my customers!" Yn took a deep breath, "First of all, I'm not driving away anyone. Second, I'm just going for a walk and third, I keep walking. Hello!" and walked on. The couple of bakers looked after her in amazement. "Come on, darling," said his wife. "We're busy..." "Oh, you're right! There's no use talking to a brat like that! Quite the mother! You couldn't talk to her either!" Yn clenched his hands into fists and bit his lower lip. She could take insults themselves, but when they were directed at her late mother, it hurt. Her mother, Luna Nojima had been a warm and kind woman. Despite funny looks from the residents of Calme, Luna had successfully run an antique shop that was frequented by people from across the Grandline. But all that was over.

Luna, along with a few other Calme residents, was injured in a gas explosion in the city center. Although help arrived in time and she was treated, Luna succumbed to her injuries eight days later. After the death of her mother, Yn lost everything. The store, the apartment above, and the other belongings were auctioned off less than twenty-four hours after Luna's death. Yn was left with nothing and she ended up on the street. For three years she lived this life.

Just the song Luna taught her when she was a child helped Yn to make ends meet and it was enough for a meal. Sometimes for a place to sleep. The only belonging Yn had left from her mother was a gold pendant with a light blue stone. Yn always wore the pendant under her clothes, as this talisman was very important to her. Yn had few memories of her father. He was a privateer at sea and had not been seen for years. She knew his name, but that was all.

Yn's father regularly sent letters and parcels, especially on birthdays. The strange thing was that Yn wasn't even angry with her father, even though he had been around for a long time. She didn't even know why herself.

Since Luna's death, however, the contact was gone. He probably didn't know what had happened. Yn wouldn't know since no one would answer her. The fact that Luna had gotten involved with a pirate was a reason for the residents of Calme. not being nice to Yn and she often felt that.  Yn had promised her mother not to be sad and, above all, angry with her fellow human beings. "Not all humans are bad," Luna had said. "There is something good in everyone. You must always keep that in mind, Yn. Be friendly and smile, even if it is sometimes difficult." Yn had taken these words to heart.

It was really difficult sometimes, but Yn always remembered her mother's promise and then it was easy for her again. Yn walked along the beach away from Calme and looked out to sea in the distance. She would never understand why the townspeople were treating her like that. "Is it bad to be different?" Yn wondered. "Just because you're not like the others?" She stood with her hands folded in front of her chest and listened to the sound of the waves.