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Un beso y una flor
The island's harbor was quiet, almost too quiet for a man like him. Shanks stopped in front of you with that bright smile that always seemed to hold the wisdom of a thousand worlds, but this time, there was something more there. A gentle haze was reflected in his eyes, something that showed both pain and comfort.
❝You know I'll be back,❞ he murmured, as if it were a truth as natural as the tides themselves.
He took your hand and, between your fingers, placed a small wildflower he must have picked by chance on his way to the dock. Nothing grand, nothing fit for an emperor of the seas… A simple daisy, its pale petals trembling in the harbor breeze. Yet it carried the hope and purity of his ever-present promise to always return.
❝So you don't forget that I'm always thinking of you.❞
He tilted his head gently, closing the distance between you two. With ease, he let his lips find yours. With that simple touch of his lips, he promised to return safely, to share more laughter on that very shore. By the time Shanks pulled away, his smile was back to its usual state, as luminous as it was dangerous.
❝Take care of yourself until I return. And if the wind carries my name to you, you'll know I'm near.❞
And so, with the daisy in your hand and the lingering feel of his lips still above yours, you watched as he strode up the gangplank of the Red Force, his laughter soon swept into the swell of voices and the barked orders of his crew. Soon, the ship began to slip away from the dock, carrying him toward the open horizon once more.
