[ She had set him free, right? How could she ever see that as one small favor...? The mask on his face looks anything but pleasant; combined with the information from Reiju's prior memory, putting together that they must have all been tormented to some extent. That act of kindness must have defined his whole world, back then.

Hella's brows tense, and she shakes her head. ]

I don't think you have any idea how much that "small favor" meant.

[ When all you know is suffering, one person showing you the light can be life changing. She knows, because Ninety-Nine has told her. Hella taking her to see the sun had made her realize just how much she wanted to live. ]

Did you know? It wasn't just those doctors that cut into me and hurt me. Ninety-Nine did too, countless times. [ She says this bluntly — it's just a fact, and she holds no ill will towards her companion. ] But there's a big difference between her and them. It's why I did everything I could to save her, but I left all the others.

[ She thinks it's the same reason why Sanji must want to save Reiju, even if she's a part of this horrible organization. It's not the same, being created under such cruel circumstances, inheriting a role in something so sinister. Reiju and Ninety-Nine aren't the same as the things they've become a part of through no choice of their own. ]

He knows you're good, no matter what you've done — he can't ever forget it. Just like how I know no matter how many times Ninety-Nine bites or cuts me, it can't make me forget that she's kind. [ she leans her elbows back on the counter, looking across the room. ] To you, it might seem like risking his life for you wasn't worth it, but to him... it's something he wanted to do, for someone he really cared about. Because he wants you to be free alongside him.