The Reaper | One Piece (LA)

He stepped closer, and for a moment, the familiar smell of his cologne, the faint trace of the kitchen, spice, and smoke made her chest tighten. "Naiara... whatever it is, we'll face it together. You don't have to-"

"Don't," she cut him off, her voice trembling despite the steel in her posture. "Don't say it. Don't pretend there's a 'together' anymore. Not when everything I've lost... not when everyone I've loved..." Her voice cracked,

Sanji froze, the smile he tried to hold back fading. "I... I don't care about the past. I just-"

She shook her head, tears welling up, reflecting the moonlight like tiny shards of broken glass. "You don't understand. You can't. I'm not the girl you knew. I'm not even me anymore."

He stepped closer, brave and desperate. "Then let me know you again. Let me help you remember who you are, not who you think you have to be."

Her hands twitched toward her swords, a reflexive barrier. "Some things," she whispered, "can't be saved. Even you... even you can't save me from this."

He finally understood. Her pain, her guilt, the loss that had carved her soul it was something he could never fight for her. He could stand beside her, maybe, but he could not lift the shadows she carried.

Sanji's jaw tightened. "Then... I'll wait," he said softly, voice breaking. "Even if it kills me to do it."

One Piece (LA)
Season 2 - ?
Female Oc x Vinsmoke Sanji