One Piece - Never Forget The One You Love

After so many months on the open sea, everyone was happy to finally have solid ground under their feet again. "We'll meet in three hours in front of the little inn at the harbor that Luffy had already stormed earlier." The navigator pushed her beautiful orange hair back and looked seriously at the others. “Is that clear ?!” The other members of the Straw Hat gang just nodded, bored. Everyone except Sanji, who adored his Nami as always. "Whatever you say, my Nami mouse. I will long for the time when I will see you again who ..." TONK!

They had walked around town together for quite a while and only later broke up. Everyone went his own way. Nami had grabbed Robin and Chopper and was doing some 'important' personal shopping. After all, as a woman you also need something to wear! Usopp had started looking for a gunpowder and weapons dealer. Sanji strolled with Luffy through the big market and looked at the displays of the various stands.The two were responsible for the fresh supplies on the 'Sunny'. Only Zorro didn't know what to do during this time. "I should have swapped with Franky," he muttered bored. After buying some new utensils for cleaning his swords, he dropped onto a bench, yawned heartily, and closed his eyes.
After a while he had the feeling that he was being watched. Carefully he opened his eyes a little and checked his surroundings. Suddenly he caught his breath. There was a girl on the other side of the street. And stared over at him.[i]What does DIE want? He eyed her intently, and with every look he gave her he had the feeling that he knew her more and more. He closed his eyes again. When he opened it a few minutes later, the girl was gone. The swordsman sighed softly. “Sorry ?!” He winced, jumped up and put his hand on the handle of his Wado-Ichi-Monji.But in the next moment he dropped his hand again. “What do you want?” She gave him a friendly smile. It was the same girl who had been watching him from across the street a few minutes ago. “Are you Lorenor Zorro?” He nodded slightly. “And who wants to know?” Instead of an answer, a shy smile. "Please come with me," she whispered softly. "There is someone who has been waiting for you for a long time."

At first he hadn't wanted to go, but then he followed her after all. Zorro didn't know why himself. On the one hand he was curious who was waiting for him, on the other hand it was also this girl who had just let him go. She was a stranger to him, and yet he had the feeling that he had known her forever. And so he went after her. They had been on their way for a good half an hour. And seemed a long way from having arrived. They were just walking through a rather shabby neighborhood. Most people hid immediately when they saw someone stranger walking the streets.Those who had given up or who wanted to be forgotten seemed to live here. “So, there we are.” The strange girl gave him a friendly smile and pointed to a small house on the right-hand side of the street. It was more of an old barrack than a house and it seemed to be uninhabited. At least it made the impression that it was going to collapse any moment. “You live here?” In disbelief, he stared at the shack that stood in front of him. She nodded, a grin on her face. “Now come on in.” With a slight push she pushed him inside. Zorro looked around. It didn't look much better inside either. The plaster was crumbling everywhere, cobwebs stretched for meters over the walls and the floor creaked suspiciously loud with every step. “If you keep creeping up here, you will soon be covered in weave yourself.” The girl giggled softly and ran up the stairs in front of him. The swordsman followed her grumbling.They climbed step by step to the second floor. There was a door at the end of the corridor which, unlike all the others, was not covered with cobwebs. She stopped in front of this door, waited a moment, then pressed the handle and disappeared behind it. Zorro looked around again. She seemed to be the only one who lived in this house. All the other doors were totally filthy or only half hung on their hinges. In terms of the condition of the house, no one could be blamed for NOT living here. Hesitantly, he entered the small apartment. Immediately he was in the living room. A small, sparsely but comfortably furnished little room in the middle of which an old stove puffed small gray clouds over and over again. Right next to the front door was an old secretary, on the table top of which a variety of letters were piled. Even the chair that stood in front of it was loaded with papers. On the opposite side of the room was a small burgundy-colored sofa, which invited you to relax.Next to it was the showpiece of the apartment, an old leather wing chair that had apparently been in use for many decades. And still was. Next to the door to the next room was a small cherry-tree-colored dining table with three chairs around it. On it stood an old, copper pot, the contents of which smelled invitingly, several plates and spoons. “Maya, please take them over with you.” A soft woman's voice came from the other room. The girl appeared in the doorway. She was holding three glasses in her hands, which she set down carefully on the table. “So Maya.” Zorro's voice let another person enter the room. "It really is you." The woman, whose voice he had just heard in the next room, came up to him and smiled and stroked his cheek. “Were YOU waiting for me?” He was slowly getting a little queasy. Why was he standing here in the middle of a strange apartment, among strange people? "First sit down and eat with us."The strange woman didn't answer the swordsman's question at all, but instead sat down on one of the three chairs, took a plate and ladled a ladle filled with deliciously smelling stew on it. Maya did the same, sat down and did not care about the question in the room. After a while he sank resignedly on the chair that was still vacant and also took some of the stew. They ate in silence. Zorro kept glancing out of the corner of his eye at the strange woman . He knew her. The long, black hair, the dark brown eyes, the gently curved lips. Everything about her seemed familiar and yet he just couldn't remember who she was. She leaned back, smiling. While the girl had plates and After clearing the spoon the woman finally began to talk, "You know Zorro, so many years have passed since I left you all. “She cleared her throat slightly before continuing.“ You were only ten when she left us.It was as if I had died with her to me. I don't like to imagine what you felt then. "She paused for a moment, looked at the man next to her. At his reaction. He seemed to understand slowly, and yet not know more than before." Would you like something to drink, mom? "The woman waved it off." Not now, Maya. Please go outside for a moment, will you? "Seconds later you heard the door slowly slam shut." Do you know who I am? "She looked into the swordsman's face, partly hoping, partly fearful. Zorro let everything he heard pass him by. And with every word he came closer to the solution. A slight nod let the strange woman breathe a sigh of relief." Why did you go back then? "Tears welled up in her eyes. She had been afraid of this question. Since the day she disappeared." Why did you leave us alone? We both needed you. "She nodded. Through tears she whispered:" At that time I only thought of her.No matter where I was, her scent was in the air everywhere. It was just everywhere. I couldn't take it. That's why I left. "She sighed softly, slowly smoothed her skirt." Kuina meant everything to me. I would have perished to constantly feel her presence and yet to know that she is no longer alive. "Zorro swallowed hard when she mentioned the name. He thought about the time after Kuina's death. About how sad he had been. How sad Kuina's father had been. And how desperately he had been looking for his wife when she suddenly disappeared. Without leaving a message. Without saying goodbye. "They ran away. "She stared at the floor for a moment." Yes. ", she answered with a broken voice." I ran away. Because I didn't want the same thing to happen to Maya. "-" Maya? "A silent nod. What did the girl have to do with the whole thing? Zorro was getting more confused by the minute." When Kuina died I was pregnant, Zorro.And my greatest fear was that the same thing could happen to this little creature if I let her grow up there. That's why I left. "Only slowly did the swordsman understand the words of the crying woman. He stood up abruptly." And? Were you able to protect them? "A sob rang out. Maya's mother shook her head." I couldn't prevent her from being trained to be a swordsman. My daughter is still alive, but who knows how long? Or do you think we live here voluntarily in this hovel? "Zorro shrugged and turned away from her." No. Please, Zorro, don't go. You meant so much to Kuina. I don't want you to go and think bad of me now. I miss it as much as you do. ... understand. I don't want to lose another child. "She went down on her knees crying and sobbing. The swordsman, however, left the apartment.

Maya was standing at the stairs and seemed to be waiting for him. She smiled at him. With the same smile that he could have seen at Kuina before."Don't be mad at my mother. She's bitter. She's lonely. And infinitely sad." He looked up a little puzzled. Did these words really come from her? A little girl? "How old are you, Maya?"[I]- I was just pregnant at the time. - She looked at him questioningly. “I'm 16. Why do you ask?” He just nodded.[i]- You were only ten years old. - Maya stepped up to him, looked up at him, smiling gently. “You were her best friend, weren't you?” It was as if she had triggered something in him with those words. He pressed her brusquely against the wall, held her by the wrists and pressed them tightly against the wall as well. Some plaster crumbled from the wall and rained down on him