Chapter Text
P.O.V. of Zoro
I never thought much about how I would die. In the ruthless underworld of crime, the certainty of an untimely end is as inevitable as the rising sun itself. No matter how intensely you fight, how much you train, sooner or later, a more relentless, swifter adversary emerges from the shadows. I learned that the hard way when I witnessed her demise.
However, even foreseeing the dark fate that loomed, I never imagined my time would come like this. Protecting one of my victims, someone whom, ironically, I had vowed to destroy. I knew that if I had never made a deal with the Crime King, I wouldn't be facing death now. But despite the terror consuming me, I did not regret the decision that brought me to this point.
Remorse has never been my burden. In fact, I would leave this world with only one regret: not being able to apologize to him. The last moments unfolded before me like a whirlwind, each laugh, each glance, each kiss forming a fleeting dance of which I was now a mere spectator.
However, nothing good lasts for long. This was a truth I should know better than anyone; after all, someone who carries so many bloodstains cannot aspire to a happy ending. I got what I deserved, but at least I would die doing something good.
As my vision darkened and my clothes soaked with blood, both mine and his, I reached out in a final attempt to reach him. "Be happy, Sanji, forgive me," I wished I could tell him, but the words found no strength to come out. In my last lucid moments, I clung to those blue eyes and plunged into the inevitable abyss, embraced by the trail of choices that, in the end, sealed my fate.