Zoro pov
In the quiet darkness of the ship, when the only sound is the gentle lapping of waves against the hull, I find myself staring at the ceiling, thoughts tangled like the knots in my swords' hilts.
It’s strange, isn’t it? The way things turned out. I never thought I’d see him like this—let alone have him like this. Curly-brow, the damn cook, always bickering, always pushing my buttons. We were rivals, sworn enemies in our own right, yet here he is beside me, his breath slow and steady, his chest rising and falling like the tide.
He looks so peaceful like this. So different from the fiery ball of rage that he is during the day. It's almost unnerving to see him so vulnerable, so... soft. It’s in these moments, when the world is quiet and the sea is calm, that I realize just how much he’s come to mean to me. How much this infuriating, stubborn idiot has wormed his way under my skin.
I’ve always been the strong one, the one who leads with a blade and a smirk, cutting down anyone in my way. But with him... it’s different. With him, it’s like I’m cutting through something much tougher. Something that’s not so easily defeated.
He’s strong, in his own way. Stronger than I give him credit for. I can feel it even now, in the way he clings to me in his sleep, like he’s holding on to something precious. He doesn’t realize that it’s him who’s precious.
But I’m not soft, I’m not gentle. I can’t be. The world we live in doesn’t allow it. Yet with him, I find myself wanting to be... different. Not weaker, just... different. I want to protect him, not because he needs it, but because he deserves it. Because somewhere along the line, he stopped being just an annoyance and became something more.
I won’t tell him that, of course. The idiot would probably just laugh or punch me, or worse, try to turn it into some sappy romance. But here, in the dark, with no one around to hear, I can admit it to myself. Just this once.
He’s mine, in a way I never expected, in a way I never wanted. But now that he is, I can’t imagine letting him go. I won’t let him go.
Sanji... that idiot cook... He’s my rival, my partner, my—no, I won’t say it. But whatever this is, it’s real. And I’m not about to let anyone take it from me.
Not even him.