One Piece x Reader Oneshots: v2 [Requests Open]

Sanji x Reader

'Stable'
lowkey tho i kinda wanna make this into a miniseries that's maybe 10 chapters but shh.

Platonic love platonic love platonic love love your friends love the people you care about it can be platonic it can be platonic it can be romantic but you're allowed to love your friends platonically okay thanks bye

Kingdom!AU in which Sanji is held in the Germa Kingdom until he is replaced near fully with robotic parts and no longer retains the loving self that separates him from his brothers.

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Working with horses was ideal in and of itself–having been raised on a farm originally fostered your love for animals, but being hired to take care of the royal horses only served to aid your enjoyment in the creature's presence. And you were way overpaid, so you never had to worry about money. Although, considering the Germa Kingdom's technology advancements, you were near certain you'd be replaced with an artificially made human in a few years.

Which would be bad for you, sure, but also the whole kingdom, knowing the king. King Judge was power hungry, to say the least, and you figured the moment he perfected his artificial soldiers, he'd go straight to war, probably attacking Totto Land, a neighbouring kingdom that were primary enemies of the Germa after their betrayal several years ago. Not to mention that if he perfected his soldiers, he'd have made the Germa princes into heartless fighting machines, as the poor boys were his test subjects.

You weren't sure of Ichiji, Niji, or Yonji, but you found comfort in talking with Reiju on nights the boys were being tested on, and you came in contact with the third son Sanji rather often.

"My prince," you greeted. "Would you like me to prepare your horse?"

He flipped on his princely charm and sent a grateful smile. "That would be wonderful, thank you (Y/N)."

You nodded and got to work immediately. It wasn't really your business, but you knew he must be stressing a lot. You could see the weariness in his eye and his slightly slumped shoulders. That and the fact that he only took a ride when he was overwhelmed, and usually came around two or three times a week, which was completely understandable considering the mountain of responsibilities and expectations he shouldered everyday. But for the past couple weeks, he'd been going out at least once per day.

It wasn't really your business, but you couldn't help but ask as you readied his riding gear. "Are you going to be alright, my prince?"

"Ah, I've made a lovely lady worry about me. I'll be perfectly fine, no need to worry," he assured. "But thank you for your kindness."

You didn't believe him, but decided not to push it as you finished equipping the horse and leading her out to the prince. "She's ready to go, my prince."

He brushed his hand along the horse's muzzle for a moment before lifting himself onto her back. "Thank you, and do feel free to drop the title. Friends don't need to call each other so formally."

In a blink, he was off and making his way through the short span of castle grounds before disappearing into the thick forest.

Friends, huh? It wasn't the first time you'd conversed with him, but you didn't know that was enough to classify as friends. Then again, you made more friends in animals than humans, so maybe it was absolutely normal. But what you did know, after having genuinely stressed about something like that, is that you definitely needed to get out in the town more often and make some friends.

You were pulled from your thoughts by a large figure near three times your size entering your peripheral vision. You snapped your head towards the king, an odd sight considering he hardly went out, especially to a place like the stables.

You dropped to a knee immediately and bowed your head. "Your majesty, to what do I owe your presence?"

"My son, has he gone off again?"

"Prince Sanji has left only minutes prior," you clarified. "I can fetch him, if needed."

You dared to glance up for a split moment, catching his eyes narrowing through his helmet. "Go on, then. I need him back by sundown."

You nodded frantically. "Of course, your majesty."

It had been a while since you'd gone riding. There wasn't much time anymore, since you had to man the stables and care for the animals, making sure they were ready at any time, and taking them out at night when they should be sleeping seemed cruel to you. So it felt good to hook your feet into the stirrups and grip around the reins, leaning forward as Maple sped into a heavy gallop. You could feel branches weave through your hair and brush along your arms and legs, taking note of the recently trampled ground. You were able to find Sanji in half an hour, deeper into the forest and the most relaxed you'd ever seen him. He lounged in a thinner area, enough light dodging the leaves to let him read clearly. Maybelle, his horse, took note of your lurking presence and trotted to greet you and Maple.

Noticing his ride back wander off, Sanji slipped a ribbon in his book and clapped it shut, jogging to inspect what his horse was looking at.

"Sanji," you addressed, instructing Maple to reveal herself further. You swallowed before speaking again. "Your father wishes you back before sundown," you inform regretfully, not wanting to disturb his peace, something he seems he could really use more of.

He took a deep breath, resulting in a hefty sigh. "Right. Shall we ride back together, or have you business out here in the woods?"

You thought about agreeing, seeing as you planned on escorting him anyway, but you figured that using that type of phrase wouldn't do much good, so you simply nodded and waited for Sanji to mount, and you set off at a trotting pace.

"I hope this doesn't disturb your day too much," you comment.

He hummed. "Not at all. I can say the same to you, your job isn't to fetch me."

You chuckled. "Sanji, the only thing I do all day long is groom horses and clean horse shit–Er, horse poop."

"I don't mind if you curse, even if I don't believe words such as those should ever exit such a lovely lady's mouth."

You clicked your tongue. "You falsely flatter me, good sir."

A quiet washed over for most of the ride, Sanji's miserable sigh breaking it as you entered the kingdom's grounds.

"I hope your father doesn't mistreat you too much."

You weren't sure whether or not you crossed the line with that comment, and with every passing moment of silence, another pound of dread was added to the pit of your stomach. You glanced at the prince when you felt heavy enough to fall through the ground. His head was tilted up, and you could see the light shining against the dampness on his skin from salty drops slipping from his ocean blue eyes.

Panic was sent in bolts through your nerves, and you opened your mouth to try to apologise.

"Thank you, (Y/N). How kind you are to worry about me, ever since I started taking these little trips to ease my mind, and even now. I hope you know I truly do love you. Thank you for caring, darling."

You were left speechless and awestruck, tears almost threatening to form in your own eyes. "I'm sorry I can't do more, Sanji. I love you as well, and I wish for your happiness and wellbeing."

A sad smile pulled on Sanji's lips as he looked down. "You're a genuine lady, (Y/N). I'm sorry you've been pulled into all of this. Good day."

He swung his leg over and unstrapped his riding gear, taking caution to set it down carefully, jogging off to the lab.

He was gone.