Hello everybody,

so this is it, this will be the very end.

At first I want to answer some apparent questions from the last chapter (I got some mails so of course I will explain for all of you^^) so when Zoro woke up, we were during the two years skip, so after the war had happened and Zoro was at Kuraigana (if it's written like that o.o) with Mihawk and Perona and if you want to know what kind of body Zoro had I advice you to read the last part of the last chapter again and pay attention to what Mihawk is doing, then you will get it ;-P

So, but now I simply want to thank all of you who stuck with me to the end, who followed, favored and read this story, who commented and criticized it. Thank you all so much and see you all again.

Sharry

Epilogue

Finally he made it.

Two long, long, horrible years later than once agreed upon and now he was in heaven, finally. After twenty-four lonely months, hunted and loved by nobody else than the queers from the momorio islands, or how they called it the Kamabakka Kingdom, he had made it back to the Sabaody Archipelago. The place, where they wanted to meet. The place, where they wanted to continue their journey and last but not least the place, where real female beauties were awaiting him.

He was in heaven!

But although he seemed to be only excited because of those women – oh yes really excited about those goddesses – he could actually barely wait to meet his friends again.

Of course he longed mainly for his beloved Nami and the beautiful Robin, but he had missed the other ones as well, more or less.

With dancing steps he made his way from Groove 44 to Groove 13.

In front of him Shakuyak's little bar showed up.
He made it!

Lighting up a new cigarette he went inside.

The owner of the bar stood behind the counter and cleaned it neatly.

On the couch to the right somebody was hidden behind the big newspaper. With sandals and silver hair it was unmistakably Silvers Ryleigh.

Shakky greeted Sanji like he was a daily visitor and not like someone who had been gone for over two years.

Greeting her friendly he sat down at the counter and drank whatever she offered him. He would even drink used bathing water if it was served by such a beautiful lady like her.

"I'm impressed that you all managed to get back here." Rayleigh laughed and folded his newspaper. "Just getting back to this island is quite a feat and you are already the sixth one and Brook is the seventh."

"Oh really?" Sanji was surprised as well. He actually had expected that he would be one of the first ones to arrive.

But they were already seven. Suddenly his mouth became dry as unwanted memories clouded his happiness.

"That means only one's left, right?"
He starred at his glass.

"I bet it's Luffy, if one's too late it must be our captain." He tried to lighten his mood with a hoarse laugh.

"You're right." Rayleigh agreed. "Ruffy's still missing, but Nico Robin as well has not arrived yet."
Sanji's heart missed a beat while he observed his glass and his eyes slowly grew wide.

Could it be? Could it really be?

"But… But that would mean…"

"Brook arrived today just like you." Shakky explained relaxed. Apparently she had not noticed his raging emotions.

"Because of his concert. Chopper showed up yesterday and Usopp three days ago. Nami was the third one and our dear Franky showed up ten days ago and headed straight for the sunny."
"Of course there is not a scuff to be seen and I've finished the coating." Rayleigh threw in.

But although Sanji was grateful that their ship was alright, he had only one question in his mind.

He ignored completely the injured Duval, who told him how he had guarded the Sunny with his life, but stared at the old man.

"And… and who was first?"
This could not be true!
"Well, your swordsman Zoro of course." Shakky answered too relaxed and picked up her cigarette.

"What do you mean with of course?" Rayleigh replied with a raised eyebrow. "I wasn't even sure if he understood my plan, although I explained everything to him into detail."
Zoro was here? Zoro was here?

"You have seen him? He was here? In person?"
He jumped up, the chair fell over.

Surprised the other ones looked at him.

"Did you really see him?!"

"Yes, like I said he was the first one. But Sanji what…"
"Where is he now?!" He interrupted Shakky almost rude, but with a pounding heart.

"He just visited this morning again, but…"
"I think he wanted to go fishing." The dark king entered the conversation, a mysterious smile on his lips and threw a small transponder-snail towards the cook.

"Franky will call you when you're good to go."
Without losing another word Sanji rushed out of the little bar.

This could not be! This really could not be!

All those years, all those years!

Luffy and the other ones never had lost hope, that Zoro was still alive, but for him, Sanji, it had been impossible.

At least since they had been separated two years ago and Zoro had not shown up to help them he had been certain that they had lost the green-haired idiot for good, that he had lost his favorite enemy for good.

And now he should still be alive?!
In a running pace he rushed his way back until he reached the coast. He had to be somewhere at Groove 42, if he was not mistaken.

His heart was pounding, but could that be true?

"He's gone. The green-haired guy. Poor fellow."

Something caught his attention.

"Hey." He called the fisherman who had spoken. "Green? Did something happen?"

The old man scratched his head. "I've gone and done something terrible! You see, just now this guy with three swords happened to come by here, right? He said he was bored and wanted to do some fishing. So I told him I would be taking my boat out soon and he could just wait for me onboard…"

Sanji came closer. "A green-haired guy with three swords and a Haramaki around his waist?"

Could it be?

"Yeah! You know him?"

Something in between happiness and silence filled him. Could it be?

"Well, I suppose I know him… kind of. So what happened?"
"Listen." The man screamed in panic. "I swear I told him to wait on my fishing boat! I really did! But you know what I saw when I came over? He was asleep on the gigantic pirate ship right next to it! And although I yelled at him to get off that ship, he just kept snoring until it was too late!"

"Too late?"

"Yeah, the ship was all coated up and it sank right down into the ocean. Must be heading for the Fishman Island."

The panic which had just disappeared seconds ago was right back. Unfortunately this really sounded damn much like the annoying Marimo, but that would mean…

"Look! Out at the ocean!" Somebody behind him screamed. "There's something coming up!"

Sanji turned around.

"It must be gigantic!"

And indeed, a huge pirate ship broke through the surface of the ocean, neatly split in half.

But he was shocked by the person sitting on the main mast, which was slowly falling to the side, while the crew claimed him to be at fault. Despite the distance Sanji knew exactly who it was.

"I got on the wrong ship." The man murmured in a dark voice.

The cook could do nothing but stare wordless as the other one left the sinking ship, unable to control his emotions, let alone saying something.

Zoro was alive! Zoro was alive!

He wanted to cry, scream, laugh, dance and kick some asses.

And all of it at the same time.

Helpless he watched the other one approaching him. He had changed. The most striking thing was the scar over his left eye, but aside from that he seemed much more mature than before, if that was even possible. But none of that mattered, because Zoro was alive. He did not lose him, had not lost him back then.

"You're actually still alive." The swordsman murmured finally unimpressed as he stopped in front of him.

The cook snorted dismissive, grateful how strong he sounded. "Should be my sentence. How come you're still alive after all that had happened?"

The green-haired one shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter, I wanna go fishing."
"No! You won't go fishing now. You will tell me what the hell has happened! Just wait!" He yelled after the other one, who started walking past him.

How was that possible?

And why was Zoro not willing to say anything? The last time they had spoken, he had almost died, saving Sanji and everybody else and for the last two years Sanji thought that the other one was dead and now he wanted to go fishing rather than explaining him what had happened?

"You owe me an explanation!" He gnarled and grabbed the other one's wrist.

To his surprise he let go of the other one right when this murderous gaze fell upon his hand, before the greenhead looked up and stared him down totally dismissive.

"I owe you nothing, number 6."
Then he turned around and left the surprised cook behind, who was trying to get his head around those words.

"Wait a second, what?! You don't tell me because I arrived after you."

He followed the other one.

"That's insane. Besides we have to head for the Sunny, the other ones will be there as well."

"I have no idea why I, number 1, should listen to you, number 6."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" He yelled at the other one. How could it be that after all this time, after all that had happened that the other one continued right where their last quarrel had ended?

He had not changed a bit!
"Sanji."

Surprised he stopped, as he heard the other one call him by his name.

"Yeah?" He asked hesitating.

"Here."
Without stopping Zoro threw small object up in the sky, which fell directly into Sanji's open hands.

With dropped jaw he looked down at the little, golden lighter with fine lines. It looked almost exactly like the one which he had gotten from good old Zeff and which got destroyed two years ago together with the G-6

"I did owe you this."

He felt how his eyes became glassy, when long gone memories of their adventures came up and he realized that all of them came home, all of them, no matter what had happened. Thriller Bark, G-6, Sabaody Archipelago, the war.

And still all of them were alive, all of his friends, still the same, although changed.

"Oi Marimo." He yelled and reached up to the other one. "Although it might be two years late…"
He offered his arm to the other one.

"Happy Birthday!"

This one eye of the other one widened a bit, but then he grinned widely and shook his hand.

"Thanks."
A moment later the transponder-snail called out.

"It's Franky…"

After an adventurous escape all nine members of the strawhat-pirates were back on the Thousand Sunny, which was drowning deeper and deeper down the ocean to bring them to new adventures.

Zoro sat a little bit aloof from the other ones and watched his friends. Except for the cook nobody had doubted that he would return. All of them had welcomed him warm-heartedly but were not as surprised. Of course they had questions, but because all of them had experienced a lot over the last two years, it had been possible for him to avoid most questions without answering too much, which was for the best. Not all stories needed to be told.

All of them had changed, had become stronger, more mature but happier as well. Each of them laughed more, so it seemed for him.

He was not surprised when the captain sat down next to him.

"I'm glad you're back." Luffy grinned.

"Me too." He answered and allowed his friend to pull him back to the party.

Yes, he had changed a lot as well over the last years, like all of them had and over time they would get to know each other all over again.

But his story had time and he really did not want to tell it. All that mattered was that he was back with his friends.

Some days later, when the Sunny would be sailing under the sky again, he would find a moment of piece and quietness to pull out a small, white transponder-snail and he was already looking forward to that moment, was already looking forward to hear that voice, but this had time as well.

He had time, a whole life time.

"Hey, Zoro let's go fishing." He was suddenly asked by his captain, who leaned his outstretched hands against the rubberlike coat, which separated their ship from the water surrounding them.

"Sure, wanted to do that all day already. We could compete who gets more." He answered and pulled one of his swords.

Seconds later he was down at the ground side by side with his captain, while different fists hit his head.

"Just don't!"

"Are you idiots?!"
"We could die!"

Yes and some things would never change.

Clumsily he sat up and looked at his captain.

"To the Fishman Island?"

Luffy laughed.

"Yeah, to the Fishman Island!"