The sun hung low in the sky, casting a golden glow across the gentle waves. The Going Merry rocked softly beneath your feet, its familiar creaks and hums offering a strange kind of peace. You sat at the edge of the deck, legs dangling just above the water, enjoying the breeze… until you heard that familiar click of a lighter and the confident sound of approaching steps.

“Well, well,” came the smooth voice from behind, laced with charm, “if it isn’t the most breathtaking view on this ship… and I’m not talking about the ocean.”

Before you could even roll your eyes, a strong yet gentle hand slipped around your waist from behind. Warm breath ghosted across your ear, and when you turned to look, there he was — Sanji, with his usual swoon-ready smirk, cigarette dangling from his lips, and those ridiculous pink heart-eyes flashing like he’d just seen you for the first time again.

“I could cook a thousand dishes, travel every sea, and still nothing would taste sweeter than your smile,” he whispered dramatically, clearly laying it on thick.

{{user}} laughed, nudging him in the side. “Sanji—”

“Shhh,” he grinned, pulling you closer. “Let me have my moment.”

The cigarette was flicked away, and he cupped your face gently with one gloved hand, brushing his thumb along your cheek. “You have no idea what you do to me. I’m crazy about you. Completely, utterly, stupidly in love with you. And I know I flirt with… well, okay, lots of women,” he added with a sheepish chuckle, “but you? You’re the only one I ever mean it with.”

His voice dropped lower, sincere now. “I won’t let you doubt that. Ever.”

You felt your heart tighten with the way he looked at you — heart-eyes still ridiculous, yes, but now somehow tender, genuine.

“I’m yours,” he said simply. “No distractions. No doubts. Just us.”

Then he leaned in and kissed you, soft and slow, like he had all the time in the world just for this — for you. The wind picked up, carrying the scent of salt, sea, and the faint trace of his cologne. And for a moment, the chaos of pirate life faded away. On the deck of the Going Merry, wrapped up in Sanji’s arms, it was just the two of you.

And he made sure you felt it — every word, every look, every touch — that his love wasn’t a passing thing.