The Woman Who Broke the Pirate - Part 2
First off, thank you so much for the love on Part 1!
Summary:
Sanji has flirted with hundreds of women across the Grand Line.
But tonight, in a crowded pub, he meets someone different.
Expect a quiet dance, a looming departure, and a reckless suggestion that might change everything.
✧ ･ﾟ: * ⚓ * :･ﾟ ✧ ✧ ･ﾟ: * ⚓ * :･ﾟ ✧ ✧ ･ﾟ: * ⚓ * :･ﾟ
The pub doesn’t quiet down. Tankards still clatter. Someone in the corner is still singing terribly. Luffy is still eating like the world might end tomorrow.
But for Sanji, the room feels… different now. Smaller. Closer. Like everything has quietly narrowed down to one spot at the bar.
She takes another bite of the food he made, humming softly under her breath as she chews.
Sanji pretends to busy himself with the counter. Wiping something that was already clean. Adjusting a bottle that doesn’t need adjusting. Anything that keeps him from staring. He fails at that too.
“Is it always this lively here?” he asks, trying for casual.
She glances around the room, amused.
Her eyes flick briefly toward the Straw Hats’ table. Usopp is whispering aggressively while Nami repeatedly shoves his head down toward his drink.
Sanji huffs quietly, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“HE SMILED.” Nami kicks Usopp under the table.
“Sit down before I throw you out the window.”
Back at the bar, she takes another sip of her drink, watching Sanji with open curiosity.
“You cook like you’ve been doing it forever.”
That’s the understatement of the century.
Her gaze lingers on him for a moment longer than expected. Not bold. Not flirtatious. Just… thoughtful. Like she’s trying to figure him out.
And for reasons Sanji cannot explain, that makes him far more nervous than any flirting ever has.
Someone nearby starts tuning a violin. Another musician joins in with a slow, warm rhythm on a battered guitar. The noise of the pub shifts slightly as the music begins to weave through the room. A few people near the center clear space.
Sanji notices the change automatically. So does she. Her head tilts slightly as she listens.
“Traveling musicians,” the bartender grunts. “Showed up an hour ago.”
The tune grows warmer, slower. Couples begin drifting toward the open space. She watches them for a moment, resting her chin lightly in her hand.
Sanji watches her watching them.
“…Do you dance?” she asks suddenly.
Sanji nearly drops the glass he’s holding.
That was not convincing. Her mouth curves faintly.
Sanji clears his throat, suddenly very aware of everything. His posture. His hands. The cigarette between his fingers.
Across the room, Usopp slowly rises from his chair like a man witnessing history.
Nami yanks him back down by the collar.
Zoro doesn’t even look up from his drink.
At the bar, Sanji sets the glass down carefully, because the truth is very simple. If she stood up and walked away right now, he’d regret it for the rest of his life. He exhales slowly and pushes away from the counter.
“…Well,” he says quietly. Then he offers his hand.
“For you,” Sanji says, voice softer than before, “I could make an exception.”
For a moment, she just looks at his hand. Then she smiles and places hers in it.
Across the room, Usopp collapses forward onto the table
Zoro takes another drink.
Her hand is warm. That is the first thing Sanji notices.
Warm, steady, and completely unbothered by the fact that the man holding it is currently experiencing what can only be described as a full systems malfunction.
He leads her toward the open space near the center of the pub, trying very hard to walk like a normal person and not someone who is acutely aware of every single heartbeat in his chest.
The musicians settle into a slow rhythm. Lantern light flickers softly across the room. A few couples sway lazily to the music.
Sanji stops when they reach the edge of the makeshift dance floor. For a moment, he hesitates. Normally, this would be effortless. A bow. A compliment. Something poetic about the stars being jealous of her beauty.
Tonight? His brain is suspiciously empty. She notices. The corner of her mouth lifts.
“Relax,” she says softly.
“Alright,” he admits, quieter now. “Perhaps slightly less than relaxed.”
Her laugh is soft, warm, and for some reason that makes everything worse.
Usopp is clutching the edge of the table like he might faint.
“He’s talking like a normal person.”
Zoro watches the dance floor without moving.
“…Look at his shoulders.”
“…Why are they so stiff?”
“Because,” Zoro says calmly, “he’s trying not to panic.”
Back on the dance floor, Sanji gently places one hand at her waist. Careful. Like he’s handling something fragile. Her hand settles lightly on his shoulder.
They begin to move with the music. Slowly. Not dramatic. Just a quiet sway in time with the violin.
For a moment, neither of them speaks. Sanji is extremely aware of how close she is. The faint scent of citrus and sea air. The warmth of her hand in his.
“You dance better than ‘sometimes,’” she says after a moment.
Her gaze studies him again, curious. There’s that look. Like she’s trying to solve a puzzle, and Sanji, who has spent years charming women with ease, suddenly feels like he’s the one being carefully examined.
“…You’re not what I expected,” she says.
Sanji tilts his head slightly.
“And what did you expect?”
She glances toward the bar where he’d been cooking earlier.
“A loud pirate with a big ego.”
Sanji sighs dramatically.
“My reputation suffers again.”
She smiles, and something in his chest does that quiet, unfamiliar thing again.
Usopp is lying flat on the table now.
“Yes,” Nami says patiently.
Usopp squints again toward the dance floor.
Sanji is watching her like the rest of the world stopped existing.
Back on the dance floor, Sanji glances down at her.
“Do you come here often?”
The moment the words leave his mouth, he freezes. That was… painfully generic. Her grin widens.
“Was that your famous pirate charm?”
“I promise I’m normally better at this.”
“I believe you,” she says.
And somehow that’s worse, because she sounds sincere.
The music slows even more as the violin draws out a long note. She shifts slightly closer without thinking. Sanji forgets how breathing works.
Usopp grips Zoro’s sleeve.
“He stopped blinking again.”
Zoro doesn’t look away from the dance floor.
Back in the lantern glow, Sanji lowers his voice slightly.
“You said you left town for a few days.”
Her gaze drifts briefly around the pub.
The familiar walls. The bartender. The music.
Sanji doesn’t realize he’s smiling until she notices.
He shakes his head slightly.
But the truth is very simple. He’s already wondering what it would take to come back here someday... Just in case.
The song eventually ends. Sanji almost doesn’t notice.
The violin slows, the final note lingering softly in the warm lantern light before fading into the usual noise of the pub.
For a moment, neither of them moves. Her hand is still resting lightly in his. Sanji realizes this approximately three seconds too late and gently lets go.
“The pleasure was entirely mine.”
That at least sounds like something he would normally say. Progress.
Usopp wipes imaginary tears from his eyes.
Back on the dance floor, she glances toward the bar again.
“Your food’s getting cold.”
Sanji blinks and gestures lightly back toward the counter.
They return to the bar together. The bartender watches them approach with poorly disguised amusement.
Sanji pretends not to notice.
She slides onto her stool again and takes another bite of the dish he made earlier.
Sanji leans one hand against the counter nearby. Trying very hard not to look like a man who just danced like his life depended on it.
She chews thoughtfully. Then smiles.
“That might actually be better than the first bite.”
Sanji exhales slowly through his nose.
Usopp whispers aggressively.
Nami smacks his shoulder.
“Yes, we all heard that.”
Back at the bar, she takes another sip of her drink.
“So,” she says casually, “how long are you staying in town?”
Sanji hesitates. There it is. That small, inconvenient fact.
Her gaze lifts back to his.
Sanji scratches the back of his neck.
The words sit awkwardly in the air between them. For a moment she just nods.
“Pirates,” she says lightly.
She doesn’t sound disappointed, but something about the way she takes another quiet sip of her drink makes Sanji wish he hadn’t said it.
Usopp slams his hands on the table again.
Nami grabs his collar and drags him back down.
Zoro watches Sanji carefully.
“…He regrets it already.”
Back at the bar, Sanji clears his throat.
“You said this place feels like home.”
She glances around the pub again.
“How long have you been here?”
Sanji nods slowly. He tries not to imagine her here every night. Laughing with the bartender. Listening to the musicians. Existing in a place that he will probably never see again after tomorrow.
She watches him for a moment.
“For someone who supposedly flirts with every woman he meets?”
She gestures vaguely toward the Straw Hats’ table with a smirk.
"Can gather that from their 'whispering'"
Usopp immediately ducks behind his mug. Nami waves politely. Zoro lifts his sake bottle in greeting.
She laughs again. The sound is bright and easy.
“So where are you sailing next?”
“Wherever the wind takes us.”
The musicians start another song. Faster this time. Livelier. The room grows louder again.
“You’ll probably come back tomorrow night.”
He nods once. Then looks away.
“…We’ll be gone by then.”
Usopp whispers dramatically.
Nami pinches the bridge of her nose.
Back at the bar, she finishes the last bite of food and sets the fork down.
For a moment they just look at each other again.
The same quiet stillness from earlier settles between them. Then she slides off the stool.
“I should probably head home.”
Sanji feels something sink in his chest.
She pauses. Then smiles slightly.
“But I’m glad I came in tonight.”
She starts toward the door. Then stops. Turns back.
“If you ever come back this way…”
She gestures lightly toward the pub.
“I’ll probably still be here.”
Sanji stares at her for a second. Then nods once.
She smiles, small and warm. Then she pushes open the door and disappears into the cool night air.
The door swings shut behind her. The noise of the pub rushes back in.
For several seconds, Sanji doesn’t move.
Usopp slams both hands on the table.
Sanji doesn’t even turn around.
“You could at least try.”
Zoro leans back in his chair, sake bottle in hand.
“…He’s thinking about it.”
At the bar, Sanji exhales slowly and lights another cigarette.
“…We leave tomorrow,” he repeats.
Across the room, Luffy finally looks up from his plate.
He’s been chewing thoughtfully this entire time.
“You like her a lot, huh?”
Sanji nearly chokes on his cigarette.
He stops, because lying feels unusually difficult right now.
Across the table, Usopp leans forward eagerly. Nami raises an eyebrow. Zoro watches quietly.
Luffy nods like that answers everything.
Luffy shrugs and goes back to eating.
“So she can come with us.”
The entire table freezes.
Usopp slowly turns his head.
“…You can’t just invite people onto the ship like that.”
He points his fork toward the door.
“If Sanji likes her that much, she can come.”
“She said she just got back from traveling.”
Sanji pauses. Because… she did say that.
Across the table, Usopp leans forward.
Zoro tilts the bottle slightly.
Sanji rubs the back of his neck.
“…That’s not how that works.”
“…He’s thinking about it again.”
Usopp points dramatically.
He stops again, because the thought has already appeared.
What if she would say yes?
Sanji takes a long drag from his cigarette.
Across the table, Luffy grins.
The cigarette burns low between his fingers.
Luffy continues eating like he didn’t just casually rearrange the future of everyone in the room.
Nami is staring at Sanji.
Usopp is staring at Sanji.
Zoro is staring at Sanji.
Sanji rubs the back of his neck.
“…You’re all looking at me.”
Usopp slams his hands on the table again.
“BECAUSE YOU’RE STILL STANDING THERE.”
Nami points toward the door.
Usopp leans forward like a man delivering critical battlefield intelligence.
“You have approximately thirty seconds before she disappears into the night forever.”
Zoro lifts the sake bottle.
“…Forty if she walks slow.”
Sanji looks at the door. Then at his cigarette. Then at the door again.
Luffy grins around a mouthful of food.
Across the room, the bartender wipes a glass slowly, watching the entire exchange like it’s free entertainment.
Usopp points dramatically.
Sanji doesn’t look at anyone. Doesn’t say anything. He just grabs his jacket and heads for the door.
Behind him, Usopp jumps onto the table.
“Sit down before you break something.”
The door swings open. Cool night air rushes in. Sanji steps outside. The street is quiet compared to the chaos of the pub. Lantern light spills across the wooden walkway. A few ships sway gently in the harbor beyond the docks.
For a second, He thinks he missed her. Sanji exhales slowly. Of course he did. What was he expecting? That she’d just be standing here waiting?
He turns slightly toward the street and stops. She’s there. Not far down the walkway. Leaning against the railing overlooking the water.
The lantern light catches the edge of her hair as the ocean breeze moves through it. She’s looking out at the harbor. Watching the ships. Like she’s done it a hundred times before.
Sanji hesitates for half a second. Then walks toward her. She notices him before he speaks. Her head turns slightly and she smiles.
“I wondered if you might come out here.”
“You looked like you weren’t ready for me to leave.”
Sanji huffs a quiet laugh.
She gestures toward the harbor.
“The ships are nice to watch.”
Sanji leans on the railing beside her.
The ocean air smells faintly of salt and wood.
“Anywhere in particular?”
That small, dangerous thought from earlier returns. Across the harbor, the Thousand Sunny bobs gently against the dock.
Sanji watches the ship for a moment. Then looks back at her.
Her eyes follow the line of ships in the harbor.
“Before my last trip, where I visited my family, I traveled around for a few weeks.”
She gestures vaguely toward the horizon.
“…You’re not afraid of adventure, are you?”
Sanji shakes his head slowly.
They fall into a quiet pause. The water laps gently against the dock below them. Sanji stares out at the harbor. Then back at her. Then at the harbor again.
Say it. His brain immediately panics. No, absolutely do not say it. You just met her. You cannot invite a woman you met three hours ago to sail away with a crew of pirates. That is insane.
Sanji rubs the back of his neck.
“…You said you like where ships go.”
Sanji opens his mouth. Closes it. His brain is suddenly full of terrible ideas.
Say it. Don’t say it. Say it. Don’t say it.
“…This is going to sound a little ridiculous.”
Her eyebrow lifts slightly.
Sanji gestures vaguely toward the ships.
“Well, you see… we’re sailors.”
Sanji groans under his breath.
Smooth. Very smooth. He drags a hand through his hair.
“What I mean is… we travel a lot.”
She watches him patiently. Sanji suddenly feels like he’s giving the worst speech of his life.
“We go to different islands… across the sea. All sorts of places.”
Pause. He looks at her. She’s still listening.
No. Abort. Abort immediately. Sanji waves his hand.
“No, actually, forget that. That’s…”
“What were you thinking?” she asks.
Sanji freezes. His brain stops functioning entirely.
“…My captain,” he says slowly, “has a very bad habit.”
Sanji gestures toward the ships again.
“He likes to invite people he just met to join the crew.”
Sanji scratches the back of his neck again.
“And normally I would never, absolutely never, repeat one of his insane ideas.”
He gestures awkwardly toward the harbor.
“You said you like adventure.”
“I realize this sounds completely unhinged.”
She’s definitely enjoying this now.
“And I know we just met,” Sanji continues quickly.
“And I know you have a life here, and I’m not actually expecting you to say yes, and honestly I probably shouldn’t even be suggesting this…”
He stops. Because he’s spiraling. Hard. Sanji sighs and looks out over the water.
“…But if someone like you ever wanted to see more of the world…” He gestures toward the Thousand Sunny. “…there are worse ships to do it on.”
For a moment she doesn’t answer. Sanji stares very intently at the ocean. Because looking at her right now might actually kill him.
She studies him for a moment. The lantern light reflects in her eyes as she glances toward the ships in the harbor.
“…You really are seeing it all, aren't you? Always a new place, a new adventure?”
Her gaze lingers on the Sunny.
“…That sounds dangerous.”
For a moment she just watches the harbor again. The ships. The water. The open horizon beyond.
“…That’s a very tempting offer, pirate.”
Because he’s suddenly very sure of one thing.
That definitely didn’t sound like a no.
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