The next morning, Sanji and Akiko had set to breakfast and were now sitting outside at the table with the others.
"Did you sleep reasonably well?", Nami asked Cathrin, who then shrugged.
"Yes, it went like that. Of course it would have been better-"
"If you had managed to sneak up to Zorro!", Akiko interrupted her and finished the sentence in her version. Everyone looked at the two in confusion.
Zorro still had his bun in his hand and looked at his girlfriend with an open mouth. Cathrin, on the other hand, had turned bright red.
"Y-d-d-that's kind of nonsense !!" she protested. "I just wanted to get some air yesterday!"
"And you almost run off to the boys. That even twice!"
"You're crazy! You're just jealous that I seem to get along better with him! You always have to fight with Zorro!"
"You must be crazy!"
"No wonder! No wonder if he's fed up with you!As bitchy and stuffy as you behave! "
Akiko stood up without a word and left the others alone. Very calmly and with self-control she passed Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Luffy, Cathrin and Zorro, who watched after her. Sanji was the only one who noticed that she had tears in the corners of her eyes.
"She started!" Said Cathrin meekly. The crew averted their eyes again and continued to eat in silence.
"Don't you want to go after her?", Nami asked Zorro quietly, but Zorro just shook his head. "For sure?!"
"Am I your nanny, or what? I'm not responsible for everything she does or doesn't do ?! Akiko has to blame it on herself! If she can't handle it: Your problem !!" Nami pouted and Sanji was Already on the verge of over-frying Zorro (* boy, calm down! ^^ "*).
Zorro wasn't that wrong at all! If Akiko hadn't started, it wouldn't have ended like this!
And Akiko thought the same way.It was really her own fault! Now she didn't have to cry! So she wiped away her tears and decided to go back to the others. She ran straight into Sanji, who was already busy clearing up. He looked at her a little uncertainly, as if he didn't know what to say to her.
"Can I help?", Akiko asked and took a couple of plates from him. "I hope that we will reach these Kibo Islands soon!", She tried to bring up a very casual conversation. Sanji nodded.
“Yes, those were really the last leftovers!” And that ended the conversation again. Sanji often glanced at Akiko while she was washing up.
Suddenly she stopped her work and closed her eyes.
“Sanji, if you have anything to say to me, do it!” She tossed him a clean, wet plate. "Or stop staring at me weirdly!"
“Did she hurt you a lot?” Akiko quickly shook his head.
"Of course not!I'm not going to let a child chase me under the horn! "He had to smile and put her face in his hands.
“Are you sure?” She knew it wasn't going to stay that way and took a step back.
"II wanted to help Nami with her cards!" She stuttered and hurried out of the kitchen. Outside she took a deep breath. If she hadn't responded now, Sanji would probably have kissed her! And that couldn't be! She liked him, but nothing more! Above all, what if it had actually happened and Zorro had noticed everything ?? Then everything would be over! "That mustn't happen!"
Akiko decided to go to Zorro. She didn't know why, but somehow she felt guilty.
You do not need! it shot through her head. Just be like always!
And that's why she put on her good-mood smile.
However, she passed this when she saw who Zorro was talking to: Cathrin !! The two chatted and laughed!Akiko swallowed. Well bravo! And what now? Should she just stand there and pretend nothing was there? No, you'd better get out of here before they saw her. She turned and wanted to quickly disappear from the scene again, but too late: Zorro had already set her sights on her.
"Hey Akiko, can I speak to you?" Without thinking, Akiko replied:
"I don't think you have the time !?" and started to run away. Mainly out of the reach of Cathrin.
"Akiko, stop now!"
"But I do not want to!"
“I'm getting really worried about you!” She turned to him. Zorro took a step towards her. "Now don't be so childish!"
"I'm not childish!" She replied.
"Oh no?"
"No!"
"But it feels like I have a 5-year-old child in front of me!"
"You are mean! You have no idea, Zorro!"
"From what?"
"That ..." She broke off and looked at the floor. Robin's words shot through her head: "There are only four years in between!"And they hurt!
"That you get lost?", He tore her from her thoughts again. "Akiko, what's wrong with you? Can you tell me why you're acting so strangely?" And at that moment she knew one hundred percent that he really only looked at her as a buddy.
Zorro noticed that she was trembling all over. And he didn't know how to help her. "Do you think I want this whole argument between us?" He went on, much more quietly. Akiko looked him in the eye.
"Yes, of course!" She said.
"Are you serious?"
"I mean it the way I said it! And now you better go back to Cathrin! She's sure to be bored without you." Now some things were clear to him.
"So that's what it's about you. You're really jealous of her!"
"That's not true at all!" She yelled at him. "You all don't understand me! Not you, not Sanji, not Nami! Just nobody !!"
"Then explain it! I can't understand you if you close yourself off from me!""Oh, you know what? You can ma-" But then she was interrupted by a violent tremor that suddenly came up and shook the Flying Lamb vigorously. Akiko and Zorro fell to the ground together. "Damn it, what was that again?" Akiko sat up.
“I don't know. Apparently nothing good!” She looked at Zorro, and Zorro looked at her. Both sat so close together that the tips of their noses almost touched. However, before they could do anything, Cathrin had rushed to the railing.
"Kibo !!", she screamed loudly and her gaze was fixed on something that was on the beach of the island that they had now reached. Zorro and Akiko also looked there and could now just like the others, see what was offered.
A large red bird lay on the sand. A pretty big one, if you couldn't even say it was a giant! Completely powerless, it lifted one of its wings, equally large and broad, the color of which was as warm a red as the rest of its long, heavy body, and a painful sound came from its beak. "Kibo !!she shouted again, jumping off the ship with one leap. Cathrin ran up to the bird and patted it immediately.
The rest of the crew went ashore, amazed at this creature, and examined the matter.
"Can someone tell me what kind of cattle they are?" Asked Usopp.
"That's Kibo!", Cathrin replied angrily, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to know such a bird.
"A phoenix!", Akiko said and stroked Kibo's feathers. "And I thought they didn't even exist!"
Suddenly there was a growl. And this came from Luffy's stomach.
"Can you eat it ?!", it came from him and the rest could only sigh. “Ouch!” Nami had kicked his ass.
"Don't you dare even think about it!" She admonished him and put her hands on her hips. “I'm just wondering why it's lying here like that ?! That's more than unusual!” Cathrin got up again.
"They were those pirates !!" Akiko crossed her arms over her chest.
"I don't see any here far and wide!""Of course not! There is a harbor on the other side of the main island. They will have docked there!"
"And what do they want from this bird? Selling it for money?" Cathrin nodded.
"Yes, they've been trying that for a few years!"
"Now you have him ..."
"You can really encourage one!"
“I'm just saying the way it is!” Zorro could only roll his eyes. I started again!
"We have to stop them!" Cathrin looked determinedly at the others. "You're welcome!"

"I'm not at all comfortable with this thing!" Said Akiko when she and Nami arrived in the port city. The group had split up. You and Nami should play the spies and find out all sorts of things about these pirates.
"Why? Because of the short top you're wearing, or because we are most likely among a horde of pirates here ?!"
"Both." The girls were walking through the city and suddenly they heard loud laughter from a group of people.
In a small pub.Akiko and Nami went in there and saw the mess. At least forty had gathered and were drinking, singing, and shouting.
We will probably not have to help much! Akiko thought, moving towards who was apparently the boss of the gang.
"Yes, hello! What kind of hot check do we have here?", The greeting came immediately and he pushed one of his members off the bar stool next to him so that she could sit down.
Akiko really sat down and let him invite her for a glass of rum.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him when she was sure that it was already full. The captain dropped his mug on the counter and grinned.
"We captured a nice little bird here!", He said and she poured it more so that he could tell more. "Such a phoenix. Yes, yes! The whole time Maria believed that he would be safe ... but we chipped them over ... uh ... outsmarted them ...""And what are you going to do with this phoenix?"
"Selling berries for a lot of people. Just like the last twenty on this island! At least five million will have to jump out of it, ha ha ha !!!" Akiko smiled. So it was that easy! Now just one more important question!
"And who were you thinking of ???" she asked. The boss looked at her angrily.
"That ... that's none of your business! You're not from the Navy, are you?" Akiko shook her head vigorously. “That’s better that way too. It’s too good for you!” And as if it should emphasize his words, he put his hand around her waist.
Akiko shot her fist in his face, causing him to fall to the ground. Then she got up from the bar stool again and eyed the result critically.
"I would say ... he's knocked out", she said finally and noticed how the other pirates had got up from their seats and were now reaching for their weapons. "Okay, just for fools: I don't like it when