My Flufftober 2023 contribution for the prompt extra : Create a crossover of two or more fandoms.

I'm sorry for the mistakes, English is not my native language. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer : Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

The Woman He Loved

Sanji came out of the kitchen. Night had fallen and the cool air made him shiver. He buttoned his jacket and lit a cigarette. He had tidied up the kitchen and he had planned his meal for the next day. His day was finally over. He always went to bed after everyone else and woke up before everyone else. But he was not complaining. He was a cook and he loved it. It was his life and he would not change it for anything.

He walked quickly towards the deck of the Sunny. He knew she would be there. Sakura-swan, he thought with a dreamy look and a huge smile. He arrived on the deck. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and she was watching the stars. She seemed so peaceful that he felt guilty for disturbing her.

"Here you are at last," she said.

"I was delayed by Luffy. I had to stop him from eating all the meat we have."

She laughed lightly. Sanji sat next to her and Sakura moved a little closer to him, closing the gap between them. He could feel her arm brush against his. He did not know if she had done it unconsciously.

It had become a ritual between them. In the evening, when the entire crew had gone to bed, they met on deck to watch the stars, to talk, or to enjoy the quiet after the eventful dinner that had taken place a few hours earlier. They only stayed for a few minutes, but this time spent with her was the best moment of his day.

Sakura had become a member of the crew after their fight against Arlong, when they headed for Grand Line. They had landed on an island where she was a doctor and after preventing pirates from invading the island, she had accepted Luffy's offer to join them. One day, Sanji had asked her why she had decided to follow them. She had answered with a smile filled with sadness :

"Because he reminds me of someone important to me. He has this impossible dream and yet, we are ready to follow him and to trust him unreservedly."

She had described perfectly how everyone felt about their captain. Even if Sakura still remained a mystery to him, he knew that she was from the ninja nations where there was a war a few years ago. He remembered that all the newspapers had talked about it.

She told him about her two friends that had died during the war. They had fought until they killed each other. She blamed herself for not having been able to save them. When she told him about this part of her life, tears were running down her cheeks, saying that if she had been faster, stronger, she could have stopped them and saved them. Sanji had hugged her until she felt better.

It was the first time they had been alone on deck and their ritual had begun.

When he was on Whole Cake Island, it was those moments with her that he missed the most. When he thought he would never see her again, he had been hurt. But she had come to get him with all the members of the crew, she had fought for him and for him to return to them. He had always loved her, like he loved Robin or Nami. But in that moment, he realized that what he felt for her was true love. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He had not told her his feelings. He was afraid of her reaction, afraid that she would not believe him. He was not ready to lose what they had.

He saw her shiver. He took off his jacket and put it on her shoulders. She opened her eyes wide, surprised, and thanked him. She hugged the jacket, wrapping her arms around her to warm herself up. She laughed lightly.

"What ?" Sanji asked smiling.

"Nothing. It's just that your jacket smells like you. A mixture of cigarette and bread. It's comforting."

Sanji blushed and his heart skipped a beat. Every day he fell in love with her a little more. He felt her put her head on his shoulder. He looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling. He smiled, drawing on his cigarette, and closed his eyes too. He enjoyed this moment alone with Sakura, hoping that it would last as long as possible.

The end