A/N: This is the second fanfiction that I've written. I hope it shows improvement from my first one, which was written five years ago. Also, Jinbe needs more love. Happy Birthday, Jinbe! This story takes place before the Alabasta arc.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to anything involving One Piece. That honor belongs to Eiichiro Oda.
March 15-
"Meeting adjourned," Sengoku stated as the topic of the Warlords gathering reached its conclusion. He found this meeting to be quite unprecedented—all of the Warlords were present, and there was no violent conflict whatsoever.
The sound of multiple chairs scraping against the floor was heard as the occupants made their way to the door. As the Marines decided to leave before the Warlords, they didn't notice that most of them remained seated. Jinbe and Moriah were about to pass through the doorway when they realized that they were the only two Warlords about to do so.
"What are you guys doing? The meeting's over," Moriah asked them.
"Is something wrong?" Jinbe inquired.
"No, nothing's wrong," Mihawk answered, "But there is something we want to talk about. Come back over here."
"Fine…" Moriah drawled, making his way back to the others. Jinbe was doing so as well, when he was stopped by Crocodile.
"Wait," the sand user said, "this is something that you wouldn't be interested in hearing about."
"Is that so?" Jinbe asked him, one eyebrow quirking up. "How would you know that?"
"You started to fall asleep during the meeting, most likely due to the topic not being something you care for," Crocodile replied. "We're going to continue talking about it. You can stay if you want to, but you risk falling asleep here, and as none of us know where you live, we have no way of bringing you home."
"How do you know I was falling asleep?" Jinbe was suspicious of his statement. Throughout the meeting, he was looking at the other Warlords, and saw that none of them were making eye contact with him. In fact, it felt as if they were trying to avoid eye contact with him.
"I saw it, and I told him about it when you weren't looking," Mihawk said.
"Uh-huh…" Jinbe was still suspicious, but he had to admit that nothing escaped Mihawk's eyes. He was falling asleep during the meeting, and it was Sengoku's adjournment of the meeting that got him back to his senses. Even so, he could tell when he was not wanted around. "Well then, I shall take my leave now. I hope that your discussion will be a productive one, and that no one will leave here due to Kuma's power."
With that, he turned around and left. The Warlords waited until they were absolutely sure that Jinbe was out of eye and earshot before they started to speak, or in Doflamingo's case, start to laugh uncontrollably.
"Oh man, I can't believe that actually worked!" the bow-legged Warlord said, wiping the tears away from his eyes. "Hawk-Eyes, did you even look at him throughout the meeting?"
"No, I didn't," was the curt answer the swordsman gave. "But we're alone now. Who wants to start this?"
"I will," Crocodile said. "As you all know, the public perception of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is that we don't know each other all too well, and that we're hostile towards one another. However, we know that's not the case… for most of us." Everyone pointedly stared at Doflamingo, who just grinned.
"What? I'm not hostile. I just want to show my love towards all of you, in my own special way."
The other Warlords just stared him for a few seconds.
"Attempted molestation and rape do NOT equal love," Kuma scowled.
"Right," Crocodile continued. "As I was saying, we do know each other well enough that we can celebrate each other's birthdays. This brings me to Jinbe. When it comes to anything outside of basic information, Jinbe is the Warlord that we know the least about—"
"Ahem."
Crocodile sighed. "Okay, Kuma. Jinbe is the Warlord that we know the second least about. Now then, this means that none of us know when his birthday is, which is a shame, considering he's the nicest one out of all of us." He paused to see if there would be any objections to his claim, and was slightly surprised that there were none. "It's up to us to find out when his birthday is, so that we can celebrate it with him."
"Is that what this is all about?" Moriah whined. "We could have just asked him when his birthday is and go from there!"
"That's where the problem lies," Kuma said, speaking up completely for the first time. "We don't know when his birthday is because he's the type of person who wouldn't want us to 'burden' ourselves with doing something big for him. If we did ask him when his birthday is, he would know what we're trying to do and would say something along the lines of 'You guys don't have to do this for me. A simple 'Happy Birthday' would be good enough. Don't worry about it, really.' But we want to do something special for our friend, and that's why we're here."
The other Warlords absorbed this insight, impressed that Kuma voiced what they were all thinking so eloquently.
"I couldn't have put it better myself," Crocodile admitted. "Now that we're all on the same page, we'll need to find out when his birthday is, besides asking him directly. Do any of you have any ideas about how to go about doing so?"
They thought about this for a few seconds, when they heard a chuckle. The men turned to Boa Hancock, who was smirking.
"I have a foolproof way of finding out when his birthday is," she spoke for the first time, replying to their questioning stares. "Don't any of you worry about it."
"Really?" Doflamingo asked, disbelief clear in his voice. "And how are you going to find out this information, pray tell?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Hancock inquired, smirk still in place.
There was a small moment of silence, before realization hit them. They heard the sound of a palm meeting someone's face. They turned to Mihawk, who sighed. "Of course you would use that method of yours. When can we expect the information?"
"Five days from now," Hancock answered, smirk still intact. "That is when the conference at Marineford will take place."
"Alright then," Crocodile concluded. "Find out when Jinbe's birthday is, then tell us. Until then, we're done for now."
The discussion over, everyone got up to leave, except for Mihawk.
"Mihawk, why aren't you getting up?" Hancock asked.
"Your snake wrapped itself around my legs and fell asleep since the meeting started."
"SALOME!" Hancock shouted, embarrassed about this situation. "Wake up and untangle yourself this instant! We're leaving now!"
March 20-
As expected, the medical conference arrived and happened without any incident. At least, that's what everyone thought…
Dr. Fishbonen was in his office, relaxing in his chair, reading a medical journal from the conference and chewing on a fishbone with a smile on his face. Oh, how fascinating the world of medicine can be, with all of these new methods to cure illnesses being discovered!
When he heard a knock on his door, he allowed the person to enter, reading the last few sentences of the page he was on.
"Hello, doctor," the female voice greeted.
"Hello there, Miss…" Having finished the page, he looked up, and was immediately taken aback, dropped his journal and scrambled to his feet. "Boa Hancock! I wasn't expecting you! Please, tell me what is ailing you, and I will do all in my power to cure it!"
"There is nothing ailing me," Hancock replied in her practiced cold voice. "I have some questions for you."
"Yes, of course!" Dr. Fishbonen exclaimed. "Ask away, and I will do my best to answer them!"
"Good," Hancock said. "Now then, is it true that the medical staff here at Marineford have the Warlords' medical records?"
"That is correct," the doctor said. "Would you like me to get yours for you?"
"No," Hancock replied shortly. "Instead, you will get me the medical records of the Warlord Jinbe. I want to find out some information from there."
"I cannot do that, Lady Hancock," Fishbonen said. "That would be a violation of doctor-patient confidentiality, which cannot be broken."
"But I really want to see them!" Hancock knew how to get what she wanted. Use the right tone in her voice, blush the perfect amount, look as innocent as possible. Her looks would do everything for her, and this doctor would not be able to resist her. "It's important that I do! I won't do anything horrible with them, I promise!"
"Of course I can make an exception for you!" Fishbonen said in a singsong voice, with hearts in his eyes. "I can never deny anything from the most beautiful woman in the world!"
With that, he was off to find Jinbe's medical records. Hancock stood there, reflecting on how all too easy this was. Really, why would the others want to try another method? She thought.
Dr. Fishbonen was back in less than three minutes, hearts still in his eyes. "Here you are, Snake Princess! The medical records you requested are right here!"
Hancock took them without a word and quickly found what she needed. She then handed them back to the doctor.
"Now then, will you please put these back where you found them and never tell anyone about our little secret?"
"I will never breathe a word about this for as long as I live, my fair lady!" Fishbonen ran back to put the records away. When he returned to his office, Hancock was gone. He was sad at first, but quickly banished that thought. I got to meet the most beautiful woman in the world! Not only that, I got to fulfill a wish of hers and make her happy! I shouldn't be complaining about anything! Now then, where did I leave off on that journal…
On her ship, Hancock was on a six-way call on her Transponder Snail.
"Well?" Crocodile asked. "Did you find out when his birthday is?"
"Yes," she answered. "It is on the second of April."
"Perfect," Mihawk said, "I have nothing planned on that day."
There was a general murmur of agreement from the others.
"We should make preparations on the morning of his birthday," Kuma said. "Let's meet up at Shukuga Island at around 9:00 A.M. Is this a good time for everyone?"
"Aww, why so early?" Moriah complained. "I don't like getting up until noon!"
"Drink some coffee when you wake up and get over there on time!" Crocodile snapped. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is a team effort, and we need everyone there. That includes you, Moriah and Doflamingo."
"Well, when you put it like that… okay, I'll do it! I'll actually be doing something for once. Kishishishi! I wonder how that will go…"
"You said that you need me! Does this mean that you love me, Crocodile?"
"No." The very curt answer and tone was from all of the other Warlords.
"Besides," Mihawk said, "Crocodile's heart, mind, body and soul belong to Jinbe and Jinbe alone. Isn't that right, Crocodile?"
"SHUT UP, MIHAWK!" Crocodile screamed, his entire body a magnificent tomato red.
"May I be the one to preside over the wedding?" Kuma asked, the smile in his voice clearly heard by everyone.
"NOT YOU TOO, KUMA!" Crocodile screamed again, his body reddening even more.
"So who's on top most of the time?" Hancock asked, curiosity in her voice.
"I'M HANGING UP!" Crocodile's entire body resembled the reason for Red-Haired Shanks' epithet at this point, and he thought he felt the temperature go up by at least five degrees. It didn't help that all of the other Warlords were having a hearty laugh at his expense. Even my hook is blushing, and that should be impossible by any law of physics!
"Shukuga Island at 9:00 on April 2 it is," Kuma announced. "The island should have everything we need. Arrive there on time, and try to find a good gift for our Fishman friend."
With that, the call ended. Everyone was wondering what their role would be in preparing the surprise birthday party and what kind of gift they would get Jinbe. But there was one thought that they all had in common.
We're going to make this birthday be the best one in Jinbe's life, and we'll do it together! His happiness will be worth it all.
March 24-
Why do I feel like they're hiding something important from me?
This is the thought that Jinbe just couldn't shake off for over a week, no matter how many times he tried to do so. The unwanted thought wouldn't leave him alone, even when he was practicing his Fishman Karate, something that very rarely happened.
It doesn't make any sense. We all talk about things on our mind to each other, and we all try to help one another. Why would they exclude me this time?
He could feel his moves becoming sloppy when he was still thinking about it, so he decided to stop for the day.
They wouldn't do that, unless…
"Are they planning on throwing me a surprise birthday party?" he asked out loud. "They shouldn't do that. They shouldn't spend that much time and effort on me. I don't deserve it. I've done too much wrong to earn such an act of kindness from them."
Oh, if they knew the terrible things that he let happen…
Arlong may be keeping information from me, but I just know that he's hurt innocent humans. He would take any opportunity to do so…
He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a sad look on his face. He was silent for a few moments, then started to walk home. As he walked, he was still thinking about his fellow Warlords throwing him a birthday party. A few seconds later, he mentally slapped himself.
"Use your common sense, Jinbe! Of course they wouldn't throw you a birthday party! They don't even know when your birthday is! You've done what you can to make sure that they don't know, so the chances that they do know are zero."
With that comforting statement, Jinbe continued to walk home, now content, the doubt that he had for the past week finally going away.
At least I'll be able to practice my Fishman Karate with a clear mind tomorrow.
March 28-
"I wonder what the others are getting Jinbe for presents?" Crocodile thought out loud, working hard on his own gift to give.
He knew exactly what to get Jinbe the minute the phone call with the others ended. He'd been working on it for a few hours every day since then, and if he kept working at the pace he was, he would be finished with it the day before Jinbe's birthday.
You can't rush perfection, after all, and you should appreciate your work every step of the way… I hope he likes it. I'm working so hard on it…
Crocodile thought about how Jinbe would react when he sees what he got him. Picturing a huge smile on his face, Crocodile smiled as well and started to work with more gusto than before.
April 2, 9:00 A.M.-
It was a beautiful day on Shukuga Island. There were no clouds in the sky, and the sun was shining the right amount to bring warmth without excessive heat. The flowers were all in bloom, and the many colors and fragrances made everyone feel cheery. The townspeople were all doing their daily routines, and the sounds of multiple conversations only added to the amiable atmosphere that the island seemed to endlessly exude.
It wasn't called Celebration Island for nothing, after all.
In a reserved ballroom in the island's main attraction of a building, the Warlords were all gathered, smiles on their faces.
"I see we made it all on time," Mihawk said, looking at the other Warlords. He noticed that Moriah was a little jittery. "Moriah, are you feeling alright?"
"Kishishishi! I haven't felt this energetic in a long time!" Moriah exclaimed, moving around in his chair excitedly. "I took Crocodile's advice and drank some coffee to wake up! I drank two gallons of the stuff, just to be safe!"
Crocodile could only facepalm at this revelation. "You just had to overdo it, didn't you? Kuma, could you please do something about this?"
"Of course," Kuma complied, walking up to Moriah and pushing out the excess energy. He then divided it up into hundreds of smaller paws and sent them into town. They were absorbed by the townspeople, who were immediately more productive from the energy they were given.
"Now then…" Crocodile continued, "in order for this party to be a good one, we're going to need food, decorations and entertainment. Who wants to do what?"
"You know what," Moriah started, smiling. "I felt good when I made that stew by myself a few months ago, and I want to do it again! I'll make the food!"
"No, no, NO!" Crocodile shouted, looking like he was starting to feel ill. "Remember what happened when you made that stew and I had some of it?"
"Oh yeah," Moriah recalled. "You resembled your namesake remarkably well. I never saw you look that green before!"
"Exactly," Crocodile admitted, still looking sick, "which is why you're NOT making the food today! Does anyone else want to do it?"
"I'll do the catering," Kuma volunteered. "I'm especially good at baking pastries, so you can trust me with baking the cake."
The others just stared at him.
"You bake pastries?!" Doflamingo blurted out. "I sure as hell didn't think you could do that! You, Bartholomew Kuma, 'the Tyrant!'"
"It's something that I like to do," Kuma said. "Just because I look like I wouldn't do such a thing, doesn't necessarily mean that I don't." He paused, then added, "I also collect ceramic unicorns. Now then, should I head into town for the ingredients now, Crocodile?"
"… Yes, you should do that, Kuma," Crocodile said, still slightly in shock. "But before you go, does anyone else want to do food?"
"I'll look for drinks," Mihawk spoke up. "This island is famous for its fine alcohol. I can spot the best ones in town."
"Good," Crocodile agreed. "You two should be able to take care of the food. That leaves decorations and entertainment. I'll be in charge of decorations, but do any of the rest of you want to assist me?"
"I do!" Doflamingo said. "I love decorations!"
"I'll help as well," Hancock decided.
"Alright then," Crocodile agreed. "That leaves entertainment. We'll leave that for later, when everything else is done. Moriah, what do you want to do?"
"He can do jumping jacks in the corner," Doflamingo suggested, grinning meanly.
"Oh, shut up!" Moriah yelled, angered by the comment.
"Doflamingo…" Kuma warned, frowning.
"Fine, I'll stop," Doflamingo pouted. "…For now."
"I know what I want to do!" Moriah said. "I'll play music during the party! I know some really good songs that you're all bound to like."
"Sounds good," Crocodile said. "Since we all know what we're going to do, let's head out for everything we'll need and meet back here. But first…"
The Warlords turned to Doflamingo. Before anyone could say anything, Doflamingo spoke.
"I already know what you're all going to say, so save your breath." He put his right hand up in the air. "I promise that I won't do anything bad, and that I'll be on my best behavior. Satisfied?"
"Very," Hancock glared at him, obviously not believing him.
With that, they left to buy everything that they needed.
April 2, 1:00 P.M.-
The room was slowly but surely coming together. The aroma of the delicious food being prepared by Kuma motivated the others even more and made them decorate harder. The music that Moriah was playing was actually pretty good, and it increased their productivity. Mihawk decided to help with the decorations as well, since his mission to find good liquor for the party was accomplished, which the others were grateful for.
Surprisingly, Doflamingo kept to his word and didn't try to harass the others. This made the Warlords suspicious, but they didn't say anything, enjoying the peace that he didn't disrupt. Well, he did "accidentally" make Hancock fall over, causing Mihawk to catch her to break her fall, but they decided to let it slide with just a glare. While Mihawk and Hancock were glaring at Doflamingo, Crocodile smirked, enjoying the sight of Hancock in Mihawk's arms.
Half an hour later, the decorations and the food were both finished. Everyone looked around, extremely satisfied with their accomplishments.
"Now then," Crocodile announced, "it's time to figure out what we're going to do about entertainment. Does anyone have any ideas?"
"I have one!" Doflamingo answered as soon as Crocodile finished his sentence. "Let's hire some strippers! I'm sure Jinbe will love that!"
"NO!" Everyone shouted. Hancock kicked Doflamingo upside the head, while Crocodile and Mihawk struck him on the head with the blunt end of their hook and sword, respectively.
"I should have known that 'best behavior' coming from you isn't the same as the way normal people behave," Crocodile grumbled, irritated. "Does anyone else have any ideas?"
"Actually, we have one," Mihawk said, indicating both him and Kuma. "We were talking about it when we were back in town."
"What is it?" Moriah asked.
Mihawk told them what it was. A few seconds later, everyone was laughing.
"Consider it done!" Crocodile said, laughter still in his voice. "This absolutely has to happen!"
"I'll go back to the town to get what we need," Kuma suggested, smiling happily.
"Good," Crocodile said. "Now then, we'll need to get Jinbe here. I have an idea as to how to make that happen. Soon, this party will commence. Get ready, everyone!"
April 2, 2:00 P.M.-
Another birthday, another year of it passing by quietly.
This was Jinbe's first thought when he woke up. He was fine with that, really. He liked it that way. In fact, he already knew what he was going to do for the day: practice Fishman Karate, have a light breakfast, practice some more, have a light lunch, practice even more, shower, have dinner, practice yet again (but not enough to break a sweat), and go to bed. He's done this for years, and doing it again this year would be no big deal.
He had his light lunch (a slice of bread and a cup of water) two hours ago, and he was pretty sure he already worked it off. He was practicing when he received a message. Its content, along with the rushed scribbling, made him widen his eyes and get worried.
"URGENT: Attack on Shukuga Island. Others' strength not good enough. Need your help. Crocodile."
The instant he finished reading the message, Jinbe called a whale shark, jumped on it, and told it where to go. It would take an hour to get from Fishman Island to Shukuga Island. He hoped he wouldn't be too late.
Crocodile would NEVER ask for help, unless it was absolutely needed. For him to ask for it, and to say that not even the other Warlords can defeat whatever force this is… everyone, please be alright when I get there! I will help all of you, even if it costs me my life!
Jinbe urged the whale shark to swim faster and tried to calm down his heartbeat. As he braced himself for the acceleration, he kept repeating his thought for everyone to be alright when he arrived, like a mantra.
Hancock, Mihawk, Doflamingo, Kuma, Moriah, Crocodile… hang on!
April 2, 3:00 P.M.-
The first thing Jinbe did when he arrived was to look at the whale shark in its eyes, thank it and tell it to leave before it was in danger. He watched it swim away, and then turned to the island. He was expecting to see the island in near-ruins, civilians running from the pandemonium and the Marines and his friends fighting whatever monstrosity it was destroying the island.
When he saw the completely intact and tranquil island, he was beyond stunned.
What's going on here? He thought wildly. Did I go to the wrong island by mistake? There's nothing horrible going on here! Everything's alright!
"Relax, Jinbe. You're on the right island, and everything is perfectly fine."
Jinbe turned to his left and saw Crocodile step from behind a tree.
"Crocodile!" Jinbe exclaimed. "What's going on?! Your message! I don't understand!"
"Calm down," Crocodile instructed. "That message is mostly a lie. Nothing's wrong."
"You lied about everyone's safety, including your own?" Jinbe was starting to get angry. "Why would you do such a thing?"
A look of slight guilt appeared on Crocodile's face. "I had to insure that you would get here quickly. I wasn't lying when I said that it was urgent."
"What could possibly be so urgent that you lied in such a manner?" Jinbe was still angry, but was now also curious about this situation.
"You'll see," Crocodile replied. "Follow me and you'll get your answers."
With that, Crocodile started to walk towards their destination. Jinbe followed him. During the walk, Jinbe's anger faded away and Crocodile avoided eye contact.
When they reached the building, Crocodile stopped in front of the entrance.
"I'll see if the others are ready," he told Jinbe. "When they are, I'll send out a signal through the window where we're located."
That said, Crocodile walked in. Jinbe waited for a few minutes until he saw a cloud of sand burst out through an open window. Seeing the signal, Jinbe walked inside and up a few stairs. He saw the door to the ballroom and knocked.
"Guys, are you in there?" he asked. "The lights are off, which is why I'm asking."
"Yes, we are," Crocodile answered. "Turn them on when you come in."
Jinbe was suspicious of their behavior, but opened the door regardless. It was too dark to discern anything, so he felt around on the wall for the light switch and flicked it on.
The moment he did so, there was a burst of confetti and streamers.
"SURPRISE!" Everyone shouted, smiles on their faces. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JINBE!"
To say that Jinbe was floored was an understatement. His jaw dropped and he could only gape for several seconds. When he came to his senses, he was completely confused.
"… What?" Jinbe managed to say. "You all got together to throw me a surprise birthday party?"
"Yep!" Doflamingo cheerfully said, blowing on a noise maker. "Isn't it great?"
"It was Crocodile's idea to do the party," Hancock explained, "and we all decided to pitch in and go all out with it."
"Crocodile…?" Jinbe turned to look at him. Crocodile just smiled and nodded.
"Yeah!" Moriah added. "I decided to be active today in order to help, so you better enjoy your special birthday party!"
Many emotions were running through Jinbe's heart and mind. Happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, regret, shame… He decided to voice what he was thinking.
"Why?" It was the only thing to come out at first.
"Why what?" Mihawk asked, one eyebrow quirked up.
"Why would you all do something so kind and selfless for someone like me?" His sadness appeared on his face. "I've done so many awful things in the past. I don't deserve this generosity that you've given me."
There was silence for a few seconds, and then Doflamingo decided to break it.
"Oh, come on! All of us here have done wrong! God KNOWS how many wrongs I myself have committed, and yet here I am, still smiling and partying to this very day! We're not here to add on any burdens! We're here to celebrate the day you were born in style! Believe me, Jinbe, you're a good guy, the nicest one out of the whole lot of us as a matter of fact, so just forget everything for once and party at your very hardest!"
Jinbe wasn't the only one who was gawking at Doflamingo for his outburst. To say that that speech was unexpected of Doflamingo is an understatement.
"I have to admit, I didn't think you could make such a good speech, and one that we can all agree on at that," Mihawk confessed.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Doflamingo is right, Jinbe," Kuma said, walking up to the stunned whale shark Fishman. "We all have our sins and burdens, some of which are greater than others. However, today is the day to put all of that out of your mind and enjoy yourself. You are our friend, and we want you to be happy. You've more than earned the right to be."
By the end of his sentence, Kuma was smiling. Jinbe was staring at him, then at everyone else.
"Do you all feel that way?" he asked, voice slightly wavering.
They all smiled and nodded.
"We don't want you to feel bad, especially on this day," Hancock said. "Please, open up and be happy, if only for today."
They care. They all truly care about me…
Jinbe suddenly felt lighter, as if a burden was lifted from off of his shoulders. Oh, there were still many more of those, but if what Doflamingo, Kuma and Hancock said was true, then none of those burdens mattered right now.
Maybe, just maybe, I do deserve to be happy, for once…
Jinbe bowed his head, his expression unable to be seen by the others, and slowly exhaled. The others exchanged looks of worry, hoping that he was feeling alright.
"Jinbe?" Crocodile quietly called out to him, stepping close to him.
"Well, in that case…" Jinbe started quietly.
There was a beat of silence, where nobody moved. Suddenly, Jinbe whipped his head up, eyes closed, and with the biggest grin on his face that the others never saw before.
"Let's get this party started!"
The others were stunned, then expressions of joy exploded on to their faces.
"YEAH!" They all cheered.
"I know just the song to play right now!" Moriah exclaimed, going to the music station. "And like I said, I'm actually on my feet and being active, so you better damn well enjoy yourself, or I'll send my Brick Bats after you, birthday or not!"
"Noted!" Jinbe said, watching him go. He turned to the others, all of them asking what he wanted to do. He told them to surprise him, and they all went about to do so.
He caught Crocodile's eyes, and saw the truly happy look on his face. He reflected it back at him.
This was going to be one party that he would never forget. He was very sure about that.
April 2, 8:00 P.M.-
The townspeople could feel the happiness exuding from the ballroom, and it in turn made them celebrate. The island was filled with cheers, and the positive feelings reached everywhere in the world. Everyone ate, drank and made merry, all feeling good.
In the center of all of this good will was Jinbe, who could be likened to a sun of energy and warmth at this point.
He loved everything about the party—the decorations (a lovely undersea theme, with mostly reds, oranges, greens and blues; Jinbe wondered how Crocodile, Doflamingo, Hancock and eventually Mihawk managed to work together to decorate), the music (Moriah had quite the ear for good music; it wasn't all that surprising, considering that he didn't have to lift a finger to listen to it), and the food (Jinbe complimented Mihawk on his good taste in wine; he was shocked when he found out that Kuma was the caterer and could only praise his cooking skills).
The cake was the best part out of all of the food. It was a cake with four tiers, with blue frosting and orange icing. On the sides of the majority of the tiers, "Happy Birthday, Jinbe!" was written in green icing, with one word per tier. On the top of the first tier was the Jolly Roger of the Sun Pirates in red icing. Surrounding it were seven candles. There was one red one, two orange ones, and four blue ones.
"The red one represents twenty years, the orange ten years, and the blue one year," Kuma explained. "One candle represents one of us."
"Kuma, you really outdid yourself with this," Jinbe complimented, smiling.
"I can't take all of the credit," Kuma confessed. "I did the baking and most of the cake decorating, but Hancock was the one who did the Jolly Roger. It was her idea, and she insisted on being the one to do it."
"Really?" Jinbe asked, turning to Hancock, slightly surprised.
Hancock nodded. "It popped into my head, and I thought that it would go well with the rest of the cake. Do you like it?"
"Absolutely!" Jinbe said, smiling. "It's perfect!"
"Thank you," Hancock accepted, smiling. Jinbe thought he saw a hint of sadness in her eyes, especially whenever she looked at the Jolly Roger in icing form, but he dismissed it as a combination of just his imagination and a trick of the lights.
When it came time to cut the cake, and after Jinbe had the first bite, he jokingly asked who to feed first.
"Feed Crocodile!" Doflamingo suggested, laughing madly.
"Why me?" Crocodile asked, slightly blushing.
"Because you love him," Kuma answered, a teasing tone in his voice.
"Oh, shut up," Crocodile's blush was more noticeable.
"If you say so," Jinbe said, shoving the fork into Crocodile's mouth when he opened it to protest. Everyone chuckled at the look on Crocodile's face when he swallowed the cake.
"It is only the deliciousness of this cake that will make me drop the matter," he said, sounding intimidating, but the feeling was non-existent as he had some frosting on his lips.
When everyone had their fill of food and drink, Jinbe was engrossed in a conversation with Hancock, Doflamingo and Moriah. He was so engrossed in it that he didn't notice the disappearance of the other three for a while.
"Hey, where did they go?" Jinbe asked, looking around for them.
"They went to get ready for the next part of your party," Moriah said, shutting off the music for now. "You guys ready?" he called out to another pair of doors off to the side.
"Yep!" Kuma responded.
"Okay!" Moriah turned to Jinbe. "Prepare for the entertainment!"
"This ought to be good," Jinbe said, sitting down with Doflamingo.
"Let's just say that you probably weren't expecting what's about to happen," Doflamingo smirked, putting extra emphasis on the word.
Jinbe just shrugged, smiling. Hancock and Moriah made their way to the center of the room. Moriah mimed knocking on a door.
"Come in," Hancock permitted. Moriah mimed doing so.
"Trouble at mill," Moriah said.
"Oh no," Hancock said, sounding worried. "What kind of trouble?"
"One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle," Moriah answered with an accent.
"Pardon?" Hancock asked, looking confused.
"One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle," Moriah repeated, still in that accent.
"I don't understand what you're saying," Hancock admitted, still looking confused.
"One of the cross beams has gone out askew on the treadle," Moriah said, slightly irritated and dropping the accent.
"Well what on earth does that mean?" Hancock was still confused.
"I don't know," Moriah said, sounding annoyed. "Mr. Wentworth just told me to come in here and say that there was trouble at the mill, that's all. I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition."
As a jarring chord sounded, the door that the others were behind flew open, and Mihawk entered, flanked by Crocodile on his left and Kuma on his right. They were dressed in familiar red outfits.
"They're not…" Jinbe said under his breath, grinning from ear to ear.
"NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Mihawk shouted. "Our chief weapon is surprise…surprise and fear…fear and surprise…Our two weapons are fear and surprise…and ruthless efficiency…Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency…and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope…Our four…no…Amongst our weapons…Amongst our weaponry…are such elements as fear, surprise…I'll come in again."
The "Inquisition" left the way they came.
"I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition," Moriah repeated, not sounding annoyed anymore.
The jarring chord was heard again as the "cardinals" burst in again.
"NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Mihawk repeated, with just as much passion. "Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms - Oh damn!"
"This is great!" Jinbe exclaimed, laughing and applauding with Doflamingo as the rest of the Warlords "on stage" continued acting out the "Spanish Inquisition" sketches from the one and only Monty Python's Flying Circus.
"Damn right it is!" Doflamingo agreed, laughing and applauding as loud as Jinbe was.
When the sketches were finished, Jinbe was applauding and praising the three of them for the pleasant surprise and the excellent acting.
"We've always wanted to do that," they admitted, smiling. "We knew you'd love it."
After they changed back into their normal clothes, Hancock announced that it was time to open the presents. Everyone was both excited and curious about what the others got for Jinbe. Jinbe opened the first gift he reached for, which was from Mihawk. He opened the box to reveal a short sword with a whale shark engraved on the hilt.
"Thank you, Mihawk," Jinbe said, smiling. "I have to admit, this is a very nice gift."
"You're welcome," Mihawk said. "I thought that it might be a good idea for you to know how to handle a sword. While knowing Fishman Karate is what you're famous for, imagine the look on your opponent's face when you pull that out on them." Mihawk was smirking at the end of his sentence, thoroughly enjoying the images his mind came up with.
"It will be hilarious," Jinbe agreed. "But who would want to teach me swordsmanship?"
"I have nothing else to do," Mihawk said. "Whenever you have time on your hands, call me."
"I'll take you up on it," Jinbe accepted.
"As nice as this is, you have other gifts to open!" Moriah butted in. "Come on, already!"
"Alright, alright," Jinbe said, laughing softly. "I'll open yours next."
He did so, showing that he got a homemade DVD. The title of it was How to be Lazy, written in black permanent marker on white paper.
"You should be thanking me for how active I was in making that!" Moriah smirked. "You're going to laugh at my comedic gold when you see it! Unfortunately, this DVD doesn't include your two very own personal trainers."
"I'll take what I can," Jinbe said, pretending to be saddened about the lack of trainers. "I'll be sure to watch it tomorrow and call you up to tell you how much I love it."
"Damn straight!" Moriah shouted, using his powers to make himself look awesome.
Everyone took in the sight then turned back to the presents. Jinbe opened Kuma's gift, which was a book on human martial arts.
"You're known for practicing Fishman Karate," Kuma explained. "If someone challenges you on the grounds that you can't use Fishman Karate, psych them out with these techniques."
"It's always good to be extra prepared," Jinbe agreed. Crocodile nodded in agreement, smirking. Jinbe noticed that there was another gift from Kuma. He unwrapped it, and his eyes widened.
"Did you make this?" Jinbe asked, holding up the ceramic unicorn for everyone to admire.
Kuma nodded, smiling. "His name is Vladimir. Take good care of him."
"I will," Jinbe promised, setting Vladimir down gently. He decided to open Hancock's gift next.
"Are these Amazon Lily recipes?" Jinbe asked, flipping through the sheets of paper.
"Handwritten and everything," Hancock confirmed. "I know it's a small gift, but if I tried to get you something more appropriate, everyone on the island would get suspicious of what I was doing and ask too many questions. I hope that this is alright with you, compared to what you've gotten from everyone else."
"I appreciate the gift, no matter what," Jinbe smiled. "Besides, if I ever feel like eating something exquisite, all I'd have to do is peer through these. Thank you!"
"You're welcome," Hancock said, returning the smile.
Jinbe then turned to Doflamingo's gift. He wondered what the eccentric and crude humor-loving man got him. Hopefully, it isn't anything embarrassing…
If he caught Doflamingo's grin and thinly-veiled laughter, Jinbe would have opened his gift alone and burned them immediately after, enlist Akainu to burn the ashes, just to be safe, then have Kuma push the thought out of him, and have Akainu destroy that as well. But as he didn't catch it, he opened it, completely unaware of what he was about to see.
With the exceptions of Doflamingo, who was now fully laughing, and Jinbe, who looked extremely annoyed, everyone's face turned a varying shade of red, and Mihawk couldn't stop himself from shouting "What the HELL?!"
Jinbe looked right at Doflamingo. "What is this, Doflamingo?" he asked, though he already knew what it was.
"It's a sexy fundoshi!" Doflamingo explained, still laughing. "I got you a whole bunch of them, as you can clearly see. Oh man, being on my best behavior and not doing anything that I really wanted to was SO WORTH seeing the looks on all of your faces!"
"DOFLAMINGO!" Crocodile roared, looking extremely pissed off. "HOW DARE YOU GET JINBE SUCH A GIFT?!"
"Oh, relax," Doflamingo said, annoying grin still on his face. "It's not hurting anyone. Besides, you know that you'll enjoy looking at them later when you two are alone. He's going to model in them for you, right?"
Crocodile was about to use his Sables technique to throw Doflamingo out (if Kuma didn't use his own powers to push him out first, that is), when he noticed that Jinbe was holding one of the fundoshis in his right hand, still looking annoyed. It was pink with black hearts decorating it. There was a tag on it that had "Croc" written on it. Everyone turned to look at Doflamingo, demanding an explanation from him via death glare.
"Ah, I see you found the super sexy fundoshi," Doflamingo noted, looking and sounding genuinely happy. "You can only wear that one whenever you and Crocodile are alone together now, you hear? That's why his name is on only that one."
"… There are holes in them," Jinbe stated, deciding not to react violently. "There's one hole in the front and one in the back. Why are there holes?"
"They're there for easy access, so you won't have to struggle to get out of them, if you know what I mean," Doflamingo announced, wiggling his eyebrows and making a crude hand gesture.
Crocodile was seriously considering turning Doflamingo into a mummy right then and there. Hancock was gawking at the fundoshi in shock, left eye twitching. Mihawk, admittedly not for the first time in his life, was regretting having the level of eyesight that he did, as he could never unsee this spectacle, no matter what he would try. Moriah wasn't sure whether to laugh or sic his Brick Bats on the blasted flamingo. Kuma was asking Jinbe through eye contact for permission to push Doflamingo away, preferably into an active volcano.
No, Jinbe silently denied. It would mean that he wins. I won't give him the satisfaction. Kuma nodded, accepting this, then placed a hand on Crocodile's shoulder, causing him to snap out of his homicidal thoughts and look at the both of them, figuring out what they were silently communicating, then calming down.
"I see," Jinbe calmly yet curtly stated. "Well then, thank you for the gift. I'm sure you put a lot of thought and consideration into this."
"You have no idea," Doflamingo agreed, slightly disappointed that Jinbe wasn't shouting at him, but happy with the overall results. "Seriously, this was worth playing nice for."
Jinbe buried Doflamingo's gift at the bottom of the pile, then turned to Crocodile's gift. He saved his gift for last, partly because he had a feeling that he would need another gift to open after he opened Doflamingo's, but mostly because he enjoyed seeing Crocodile get slightly antsy from making him wait for so long. Mihawk was the only other person to notice Crocodile's veiled jumpiness, but didn't comment on it, instead using the raised eyebrow expression on him.
Deciding Crocodile would probably open the gift himself if he kept him waiting any longer, Jinbe wasted no time in opening the present. When he saw what it was, he gasped.
"Crocodile…" Jinbe gasped out, holding the gift out for everyone to see. "It's beautiful."
It was an outfit similar to the one Jinbe was currently wearing, but it was so much more than that. The sheer effort put into making the outfit radiated from it. The colors were carefully chosen so that they would look perfect on him, and the material felt extremely comfortable. However, it was the designs that he loved the most. A snake, a hawk, a crocodile, a whale shark, a flamingo, a bear and a gecko were all on there, repeating nicely throughout the outfit, with the crocodile and whale shark always together. The snake and the hawk were too, which Jinbe chuckled at. He looked closely and saw that the bear was protecting the other animals from the flamingo, which made him chuckle some more. You just can't help yourself, can you, Crocodile?
"I made it myself," Crocodile said softly, smile matching his tone. No, I can't help myself, Jinbe, and you know it. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," Jinbe replied, a huge smile on his face. "Thank you very much. I'll be sure to wear it on special occasions."
There was a comfortable silence between them for a few seconds. Jinbe decided to pass the outfit around for the others to see and feel for themselves.
"You really made this yourself?" Hancock asked, admiration in her eyes. "I'm impressed."
"Of course I did," Crocodile answered, pride in his very being. "I make all of my own clothes."
"Really?" Hancock asked again, admiration increasing.
"Yes," Crocodile answered again, still looking and sounding proud. "You'll never find such good fashion anywhere else, although I respect the 'competition.'"
After the outfit and the other gifts were safely packed away (Doflamingo couldn't stop adulating it, constantly repeating "It's so AMAZING!" with tears pouring down his face), they noticed that there was still plenty of food and drinks left over.
"Doflamingo's stunt made me burn off everything I ate today out of sheer righteous fury," Crocodile said. "Waste not, right?"
Everyone agreed on both accounts and ate and drank until there were no leftovers, laughing, singing and dancing the rest of the day away, as Moriah played whatever music he wanted to. Somehow, he managed to get Mihawk and Hancock to dance to a slow song, which they did gracefully, their cheeks tinged a slight pink from how good the other could dance and their close proximity. Crocodile silently thanked Moriah for this opportunity. He exchanged looks with Jinbe, who seemed to enjoy this as much as he did.
"So when are you going to play matchmaker for those two?" Jinbe asked him quietly, smirking. "I'm surprised no one else has noticed how badly you want those two to be together."
"Someday, but not today," Crocodile replied, smiling. "For now, let's just enjoy this step in the right direction. You know, I didn't know they were this good at dancing. This is going to be important in the future. Just you wait."
When the song ended, Mihawk and Hancock smiled at each other, lingering in each other's arms for a few seconds more than necessary. The moment was ruined, however, when Doflamingo drunkenly hollered "MAKE OUT!"
"May I?" Crocodile asked Jinbe, a blood vessel in his head throbbing.
"Yes, let's," Jinbe corrected, also angry with the flamingo's behavior.
"SHUT UP, DOFLAMINGO!" Both men shouted, whacking the man upside the head, Crocodile using his hook again, but with the sharp side this time.
The other Warlords both respected and enjoyed the good-sized goose egg on and amount of blood coming out of Doflamingo's head.
April 3, 1:00 A.M.-
All good things had to come to an end, and the day was no exception. Everyone had to go home and prepare for another day. However, due to lack of foresight, a few of the Warlords didn't have a way to go home, so they had to turn to Kuma and his Devil Fruit powers.
"Hey Kuma," Doflamingo started to say. "I need to get home. Could you-?"
"Yes," Kuma bluntly replied before pushing him away. The Warlords just stared at him. "I'm sure none of you want to deal with him anymore, so sending him home first was the best thing to do. Don't you agree?"
"Right, right…" the others murmured.
Moriah was the second to leave. "I've been too active and on my feet for my liking," he confessed. "I need to start being lazy again. Kuma, would you do me the honor of sending me home so I won't have to lift a finger? What I'm trying to say is, 'You do it.'"
"Sure, why not?" Kuma replied before sending him away.
"I need you to do the same as well," Hancock admitted, stepping up. "I need to get home as soon as possible to avoid causing suspicion and worry." That old woman will never let me hear the end of it if she finds out about this…
"Understandable," Kuma said, nodding.
"Goodnight everyone," Hancock said. "I hope you enjoyed your birthday party, Jinbe. Goodnight, Mihawk." She was smiling and slightly blushing when she finished speaking.
"I did," Jinbe said, smiling.
"Goodnight," everyone answered, Mihawk reciprocating the smile and slight blush. Kuma made sure that Hancock arrived at the Island of Women safely when he sent her home.
"Does anyone else need to get home with my powers?" he asked, turning to the others.
"I don't," Mihawk said. "I came here with my boat, so I'll leave the same way."
"I see," Kuma said. "Would you like a speed boost on it?" He flexed his hand to show what he was talking about.
"No thanks," Mihawk declined. "I'd like to enjoy the ocean air tonight. Goodnight, everyone. Jinbe, let me know when you're free for those lessons," he smirked at the last part.
"We'll keep in touch," Jinbe said, returning the smirk.
With that, Mihawk sailed back home on his Coffin Boat, looking vaguely eerie in the moonlight. The others watched until he was out of eyesight before turning back to each other.
"I have my own way of getting home as well," Jinbe said. "I can share it with Crocodile. You don't need to use your powers on us."
"Very well," Kuma said. "Then I shall take my leave now. I hope you enjoyed your birthday, Jinbe, and that you have a good place to display Vladimir. Goodnight, guys. I hope you get home safely." He ended with a smile before pushing himself home, leaving just Jinbe and Crocodile. Jinbe summoned two whale sharks.
"Bring Crocodile home safely," Jinbe commanded to one of them. It smiled and nodded, then swam up to Crocodile.
"Jinbe," Crocodile said. "I want to ask you something first."
"Alright," Jinbe relented. "What's up?"
"Be honest. Did you enjoy today?"
Jinbe wasn't surprised at the question. "I was wondering when you would ask. Today was … unexpected. You lied to me about yours and the others' well-being in order to get me to come to a birthday party that I didn't want. Doflamingo's "gift" wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to as well."
Crocodile deflated after hearing that. "When you put it like that, it sounds downright awful. I can understand if you didn't really enjoy it. I'm so-"
"However… I can safely say that I wouldn't have it any other way." Crocodile looked up at that. "All of you gave it your all to ensure that I would be happy and enjoy myself, especially you, and I can honestly say that I did. I saw how happy you all were when you knew I was having a great time. I had my fair share of surprises today—we should get Kuma to cook more often and have Moriah be our musical guru." Crocodile laughed at that. "But the best surprise of all was the gifts. They're all amazing, especially yours. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Crocodile." Jinbe was beaming at the end of this.
Crocodile felt lighter than air when Jinbe said that. He enjoyed himself. He's happy. He loves my gift. He enjoyed his birthday. I made him happy… Crocodile couldn't help but smile back.
"You're welcome, Jinbe," he replied. He was about to get on the whale shark that was going to carry him home, when he felt a pair of strong arms turn him around and embrace him.
It took Crocodile a moment to realize that Jinbe was hugging him. When his brain processed this information, he returned the hug with just as much feeling. They stayed like that for a full minute, enjoying the feeling of one's arms around the other and listening to the other's heartbeat, before gently unwrapping their arms and getting to the whale sharks.
They were about to leave when Crocodile realized something.
"Wait a minute," he said, turning to Jinbe. "You said you like all of your gifts. Does that mean that you like what Doflamingo got you?"
"To be fair, we really should have known better when it comes to Doflamingo," Jinbe shrugged. "I will admit, those fundoshis look nice."
"Even the special one?"
"I just might end up using that one in the future," Jinbe said, a devious smirk on his face. "Who knows, maybe Doflamingo knows more than he lets on."
"You sound just like him!" Crocodile exclaimed, but he was blushing and smiling. "Even when he's not here, he somehow manages to get his point across!"
"I know that, and I'm pretty sure he knows that too," Jinbe admitted. "We should be heading off now. Goodnight, Crocodile!"
"Goodnight, Jinbe!"
With that, the two men traveled home, each lost in their own thoughts.
When Crocodile got home, he thanked the whale shark and dismissed it, watching it swim away until he couldn't see it anymore. I hope that you'll be happier from now on, Jinbe.
When Jinbe got home, he thanked the whale shark and dismissed it, watching it swim away until he couldn't see it anymore. This is the best birthday I've ever had in my life. Thank you, everyone! Thank you, Crocodile. I pray that nothing but happiness and success come your way.
In the afterlife, Gol D. Roger, Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime were smiling down on the two.
"They look so happy," Otohime observed.
"Jinbe is starting to finally understand," Tiger noted.
"This era sure is full of surprises!" Roger said, familiar grin in place. "I want to see more!"
A/N: That was my second fanfiction. I actually wrote it last year, but I didn't finish it in time for Jinbe's birthday. Needless to say, I made sure that I would post it today. Happy Birthday, Jinbe!