"Kasumi-sama!" Akira sprinted towards the village. Would she understand or would she turn them in? No, she's not like that. I mean, she didn't turn me in.

The girl finally approached the village and she backed up against the first house she came to, inching along the wall. Once she came around to the front, she peeked around and examined the street. Most of the people within sight were in the nearby shops or had their attention focused elsewhere.

There's her house! If only I could get across . . . With a deep breath, Akira sprinted towards the white and green colored doctor office.

"It's her!" Ah, crap.

"Get out of here before you destroy us all!"

"Go back to your home, monster!"

Akira narrowly dodged a large rock thrown her way as she pounded on the wooden door.

"Kasumi-sama!" Akira spun around, preparing to block anything else directed her way. Suddenly the door behind her opened and an arm lashed out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in.

"There you are," a sweet voice greeted her. "What could possibly have happened for you to come to me during the day? Don't you usually come at night so the villagers don't see you?"

"Kasumi-sama, thank you!" Akira moved to face the doctor and gratefully bowed, her forehead touching the floor.

The woman sighed. "How many times have I told you to just call me Kasumi?" She stepped forward and lent a hand to the girl.

"No matter how many times you say it, I will still call you by the title you deserve."

"So what's going on, apple blossom?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Akira whined. "I'm not a little kid anymore, you know."

Kasumi chuckled. "Sorry, old habits die hard."

"Anyway, I need to borrow some anesthetic."

"Anesthetic? What do you need that for?" Kasumi began pouring some tea and set it down in front of Akira.

"Um . . . I found some injured pi—people at the harbor and am tending to them until they get better. One of them has a serious chest wound that needs to be stitched back up, and it will be much easier if he is sedated. The others have also suffered severe wounds as well, and I don't have sufficient supplies."

The old woman sipped her tea slowly and pondered over what the girl was requesting. With a fierce nod she set the cup down and walked over to a cupboard, taking out various medical tools and placing them in a black tote bag.

"Thank you Kasumi-sama," Akira said gratefully, holding her hand out to take the bag. Kasumi slapped it away.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm coming with you, of course! You are skilled yes, but I still want to oversee the treatment." She clasped the bag shut. "Let's go."

"B-but, it's best—"

"You know, sometimes you talk too much, apple blossom. Just take me to those who are injured. It doesn't matter who they are, it is our job to make them feel better."

Akira sighed. Guess there's no avoiding it.


Sanji awoke to a very beautiful sight. Nursing his burn marks was a vision of beauty. She had silky, hazel brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached her shoulders, parted bangs, and entrancing sapphire eyes. She was dressed in a gray T-shirt with long black sleeves underneath that went an inch or two past her elbows, and a short blue skirt that matched her eyes with tight black leggings that went to her knees. The girl also wore two large silver hoop earrings in her right ear, and black leather gloves with the tips cut off.

Said girl was also leaning over him and redressing the bandages on his chest. His eyes lit up in hearts. "My heavenly angel! You have returned to me!" Sanji proclaimed happily, taking her hand and kissing it.

Akira shrieked and pulled her hand away, staring at the blonde in utter confusion and slight terror. No one had ever talked to her like that before, and she didn't know how to handle it.

"Idiot!" Nami's fist came crashing down on his head from behind Akira. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

Sanji's smile did not falter. Rather, it became directed at Nami.

"Oh, Nami-swan! I shall obey your every command!"

Nami grinned mischievously. "Fine, now just act normal around Akira so she can tend to your injuries."

Obediently, the hearts left Sanji's eyes and he turned to Akira, trying to act as casual as possible.

She cleared her throat. "So, what happened to you?" Akira asked somewhat awkwardly, continuing her work.

"We ran into some sea kings. About twenty of them."

"What? You guys went up against twenty sea monsters and survived?" All the pirates nodded. Akira knew it was common for travelers to run into sea monsters every so often around her village island because they were so close to the Calm Sea, but she had never heard of that many in one place.

"It was an epic battle," Usopp began dramatically, slipping into his tall tale mode. "An adventure worthy of being told by Captain Usopp, the bravest warrior on the sea!"

The girl blinked. "Isn't Luffy the captain?" Everyone laughed at Usopp's crestfallen face.

"How's Zoro?" Akira asked, directing her attention to the bed.

"Just fine," an elderly voice called out. "Sleeping like a baby." Sanji lifted his head and saw an old woman with short gray hair tied back in a bun and in a white smock with white pants. She was unlike any old woman he had ever seen. She was tall and large, yet only large in the sense that she was muscular, not burly; as if she had grown up on a pirate ship. Her nimble fingers were delicately running a needle in and out of Zoro's ripped flesh while he was snoring peacefully.

"And how are you feeling, dear?" the woman asked, locking her black pearly eyes with Sanji's.

"Better," he admitted truthfully. He could tell this woman was quite beautiful in her younger years.

"I figured as such," Kasumi nodded. "Akira's skill rivals only my own." The girl's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'll finish up here, how about you make us some dinner, Akira. You can find some bread in my bag." She nodded.

"I can help," Sanji offered, pushing himself off the ground. "I am a cook after all. Ahhhh!" He grasped his side and winced from the pain.

"Just lie down, your injuries aren't healed sufficiently enough for you to be moving around." Akira grinned. "I may not be that much of a cook, but I make a mean apple jam and apple pie."

Luffy's mouth watered. "Pie?!"

"You might want to make a separate one for Luffy, or else he'll eat it faster than you can blink," Nami suggested with a scowl.

Luffy laughed, and Akira couldn't help but join him. She reached into her fridge and pulled out a large container of apple juice, grabbed some cups, and set them down on the table, only to return a second later with a pitcher of ice.

"You must be thirsty," she said. After a chorus of "thank you" was heard, she headed to the kitchen and began preparations for two apple pies. Digging through her cupboard she gratefully noticed she had just enough.

Looks like I'll have to make do for a while. I was saving that for Kasumi-sama's birthday next month, but she'll understand.

After placing the pie in the oven, Akira began cooking all the fish she had caught, as well as a few she had stored for later so there would be enough for her guests. Luckily, she still had two left over. I guess I'll have to make some rounds tonight, since I don't know how much longer these pirates will have to stay here. All I have left are two fishes plus an unlimited supply of apples, apple juice, and apple jam.

Despite her large apple orchard, none of the other villagers ever bought anything from her, so she had a very meager diet consisting of all variations of apple dishes she could think of, as well as the fish that she caught in the harbor. Akira enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, trying to come up with new dishes, but due to her limited supply of other ingredients that was sometimes difficult.

Kasumi-sama and the mayor (a kind old man who took pity on her situation) bought apples from time to time, but other than that Akira had no money coming in. If she was lucky, she would catch incoming pirates or travelers coming to their island without the other villagers knowing, and sell apples to them. Kasumi would come by and give her other food from time to time, but Akira insisted that she not waste her money on her. Medical supplies were expensive and the village needed them.

As she was cooking the last fish, everyone sniffed the air and sighed in delight at the delicious aroma. Pleased with their reaction, Akira finished up and began washing out a glass mixing bowl.

"That smells good!" Akira glanced up and stared. Luffy's face was a few inches from her, but his body was still in the chair.

"S-s—so, you ate the Gomu Gomu fruit," Akira said slowly.

"Yep!" Luffy's head snapped back to his body. "I'm a rubberman." To emphasize his point he pulled at the corners of his mouth and stretched them about a foot out.

"Ka-Kaien—san," Akira said softly.

"How are you this morning, Kaien?"

"A little better. I can move my arms today! What about your hands?"

"All right, I guess. I still can't feel anything with them."

"Don't worry! Maybe tomorrow will be bett—"

"Akira!"

The girl blinked, shaken out of her daydream. She felt something warm dripping down her hands and she glanced down, realizing she had gripped the glass bowl so hard she crushed it. Shards of glass were digging into her skin because of her balled up fists, and the last remains of her bowl were lying in a heap on the floor. She found herself blinking back tears as she slowly unclenched her hands and examined the damage. Kasumi was at her side instantly, ripping out the glass with tweezers and whispering soothing words that only Akira could hear, who was still white with shock.

All five conscious pirates glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised out of concern and bewilderment. They could all tell the girl wasn't reacting to the fact that Luffy was a rubberman, but what was she reacting to?

After a few awkward moments had passed, Kasumi resumed stitching Zoro while Akira laughed nervously.

"S—sorry! The pie should be ready in another five minutes!" She smiled falsely, carrying a plate of sliced bread and plates to the table. As she sat them down in front of Nami, the navigator noticed her bandaged hands trembling slightly and she was having difficulty gripping objects properly.

"Here, let me help set the table," Nami offered kindly, pushing her chair back. Akira bit her lip, then nodded slowly. The navigator flashed her a warm smile and together they finished getting dinner ready.

Ten minutes later, everyone except Zoro were happily seated at the table, enjoying a meal consisting of cooked fish, bread with apple jam, apple juice, and then apple pie.

"I've never had apple jam like this before!" Sanji proclaimed. "You must show me your recipe later."

"That's a pretty high compliment, coming from Sanji," Usopp grinned before stuffing his face with a large piece of fish.

Akira chuckled. "Sure, maybe sometime tomorrow!" She turned with concern to the sleeping Zoro. "He should have woken up by now. We didn't give him that much anesthetic."

"He's probably sleeping, the lazy idiot," Nami sighed. "He can sleep through practically anything, and won't wake up until he wants to. It's best if we store his food for later, cause he will no doubt be hungry."

After dinner, Sanji and Usopp had insisted on washing the dishes. Luffy had too, but Sanji recalled how he handled the dishes at the Baratie restaurant and told him to back off.

"You have blankets on your ship, yes?" Akira asked the crew. "I'm afraid I only have the one on my bed."

"I'll show you where they are," Nami volunteered.

"Yeah, I'll come too!" Luffy exclaimed, walking towards the door.

"No, you can't come!" Akira said quickly. "You need to stay inside this house until you leave just in case anyone in the village sees you."

"That's right. Oh well!" Luffy grinned and jumped back onto one of the chairs, watching Sanji and Usopp finish the dishes.


Not one of my longer chapters, but oh well.

EDIT: Hmmmm, going back over this I realize it follows a cliche storyline, but there are a few twists and turns so please stay tuned!