The Last One (One Piece x Reader)

Special Chapter: His Unrequited Love

I can deny it all I want. I can't pretend I don't feel it. I cannot deny that I don't want answers from her. I could just run off from Loguetown, find her, and ask if everything in this damn paper is true.

I clutch it tightly, the paper crinkling under my grip. I keep staring at the words, hoping they'll change. But they won't. Not even the clear image of her bloodied form, her eyes full of loathing, will fade.

Her infamous dark blade, was soaked with red fluid. Blood.

"Smoker-san, you've been staring at that since I came in," yawned Admiral Aokiji, lazily stretched out on a foldable bed.

Smoker took a long drag from his cigarette before glaring at the admiral.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else, Admiral Aokiji?" His voice was gruff, tinged with annoyance.

Aokiji hummed, hands behind his head, utterly unbothered by Smoker's tone.

"I was sent here to make sure you're clear of any suspicions. Especially with the records of you and Vice Admiral Rose— I mean (Y/N)— being close when she was just enlisted. You should be thanking me. If not for me, you'd already be on your way to Marineford, suspected of working with her."

"I haven't seen her in years," Smoker uttered seriously.

Aokiji slid his eye mask up just slightly to look at the younger marine.

"True. But your constant calls to her office since the day of her resignation have been... unusual."

Both men stared at each other, understanding things that others could not see.

Smoker said nothing more. He simply crumpled the paper in his hands and tossed it into the nearest trash can before walking off the deck.

Aokiji watched him, his gaze steady, before he sighed and lay back again.

The problems you give always tire him out so much.

•••••

"She's a monster, I'm telling you. Killing all these innocent Marines just to save a damn traitor."

Smoker sat in a tavern, an intoxicated drink in hand. He needed to get away from the admiral. It was obvious that bastard had some feelings for you.

But what frustrated him, even from here, was that your name kept haunting him. He didn't feel anger toward you, though—no, it was the asshole who kept insulting you that sparked his rage.

He shouldn't feel like this. What you did was a crime. You betrayed everything you stood for, and soaked your hands in the blood of people who were fighting for justice, just like you once did.

He shouldn't care how others see you now.

Yet...

It enraged him to no end.

"I hope that bitch died brutally."

And that was it. Smoker lost control. He stormed toward the drunkard, his fist landing on the man's face again and again. The man tried to fight back, but Smoker was stronger. More experienced.

Tashigi, one of the Marines under his command, entered the tavern to find her captain. She froze when she saw Smoker beating the civilian to a pulp.

Without thinking, she ran to him, grabbing his arms in a desperate attempt to stop the assault.

Tashigi tugged at Smoker's arm, her voice urgent but shaking. "Captain! Stop it!"

Tashigi's grip tightened around Smoker's arm, pulling him back with all her strength. "Captain, you'll kill him!" she shouted, her voice sharp and urgent.

Smoker paused, chest heaving, as he looked down at the wreck of the man beneath him. The sight of the civilian's blood splattered on the floor, his broken body barely moving, sent a jolt of clarity through him. He slowly withdrew his fist, his knuckles aching from the impact.

He could feel Tashigi's hands shaking on his arm, her desperate touch pulling him back from the edge. The anger still burned inside him, but it was now smothered by a strange numbness.

With a growl, he jerked his arm free, standing up and pacing away from the beaten man. "Get him out of here," he muttered to Tashigi, his voice hoarse.

Tashigi, her eyes full of worry, didn't respond at first. She quickly went to the man, checking his pulse and dragging him off the floor with some difficulty. Her gaze never left Smoker as she moved the injured man toward the door.

Smoker turned his back to her, running a hand through his hair. He could feel the weight of what he'd just done settling on his shoulders. This wasn't how he wanted to be. He wasn't a monster, but right now, he wasn't sure.

The door swung open, and Tashigi returned. She stood there, watching him for a moment, before speaking quietly. "What has gotten to you, Captain?"

Smoker didn't respond, his thoughts elsewhere. The memory of her—of you—lingered in his mind like a ghost he couldn't shake.

What are you doing to him?

"Captain, I—"

"Leave me alone, Tashigi," Smoker muttered, burying his face in his bloodied hands, feeling the heat of frustration burning inside him.

"But Captain—"

"I said leave me alone!" he snapped, his voice raw with emotion.

Tashigi flinched at the harshness of his words, but she didn't move, her eyes searching his back as if she were waiting for him to turn around. He didn't.

The silence hung heavy between them. Tashigi hesitated, but after a long moment, she nodded slowly, stepping back. "I'm... I'm here if you need to talk," she said, her voice soft but unwavering.

Smoker didn't answer. He just stood there, hands clenched into fists on his side, trembling with a mixture of rage and helplessness.

Tashigi lingered at the door for a few more seconds before turning to leave, the faint sound of her footsteps echoing in the empty tavern.

Smoker stayed motionless, a storm of conflicting thoughts crashing through his mind. He had no answers, no clear direction. All he had was this deep feeling he kept denying within him—burning hotter with every thought of you.

What had you done to him?