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Artwork that Inspired this short drabble Here
Sanji lit up another smoke and began sucking on it impatiently. It was night and most of the small crew he was with had gone to sleep.
This meant that sadly, he couldn't get any comfort of looking at his beatiful comrades.
Or distract himself by bowing to their whims and demands.
He was simply stuck alone, by himself, out behind the small cabin while he looked at what looked to be an endless ocean.
He could hear some commotion not far off, people out on the deck making noises.
And Usopp telling stories.
He took another large heave on his lit cigarette and let the smoke out slowly. He tried to focus his minds on the swirls he could see in the dim light of the moon up above him.
"And it took me 5 days to even gather enough water to drink every time!" He heard Usopp's voice sound off.
To his dismay, he thought back to the time he was a child, the time his head was in an iron cast and the only view he had was a climb up by a small barred window.
He remembered the tree outside it, and how a boy would sometimes come by and tell him stories.
The smoke finished and he angrily put out the butt on a nearby ashtray.
And to his horror, he didnt have any more smokes on hand.
He could go to the sleeping quarters where he kept a pack, but that would mean going to the deck and seeing Usopp.
And right now, he was not in the right state of mind to confront one of the only good things to happen to him while he had been imprisoned by his so called Family.
Especially not since Usopp seemed not to remember him, or at least recognize him.
Which granted, Sanji acknowledged was because his cell had been on a wall where the sun never quite reached, and the mask he was made to wear would've obscured his face too much.
It nevetheless hurt to think about.
And he couldn't just ask or tell Usopp, they'd already sailed together for weeks, months even, and it took this long for him to recognize hus childhood friend?
It was some kind of disgrace for him.
But at the same time, if he never said anything then Usopp wouldn't know or might not ever bring it up himself.
With a sigh and a grumble, Sanji looked at the cigarettes in the ash tray, and decided to relight an older one that still had a bit of length to it.
He still wasnt quite ready to look Usopp in the eyes again, but maybe he would be tomorrow.
He hoped so at least.