~Sanji POV

Zoro didn't want a burial, at least not a proper one. One where everyone shows up in black and people who didn't even know the real him tell the audience touching stories. No. He hadn't ever wanted that. I guessed that was the kind of funeral that Kuina had, as did Mai and most people. But Zoro didn't want to remembered in such a fake way. That's what he called it. Fake. Because the people who didn't know you were just glad that it wasn't them or someone they loved.

He did , however, tell me who he wanted to be there and who he wanted to say something. He told me he wanted me to say something even if all I said was that I hated him for leaving me alone in such an unfair world. He said he wanted everyone to say something no matter how irrelevant or wrong it sounded at the time. He said that everyone as well as sharing the good times would share a bad time. That was the real reason he said burials were so fake. People only told one side of the story after you died. The good side, no matter how spiteful or conceited they were. He didn't want to be half remembered. He despised the idea.

He said that I had to tell them about when I found him unconscious on the roof covered in sick. And how then I had learned that the past few days had been a lie and that Zoro would be leaving me much sooner than I had imagined.

We each had something to say about our beloved nakama Zoro. Nami was to go first to speak seeing as she had known Zoro the longest.

We stood in a circle around the hole that had been dug the previous day, the jar in the center. The jar that held Zoro's ashes wasn't anything special just an old, used nutella jar. He had insisted on finishing a whole jar the day before he died and then insisting his ashes were put in it. I laughed of course which earned me a slap on the thigh from Nami in place of Zoro. I told him it was unhygienic and plain disgusting but he simply shook his head. 'I want to be in there when I'm buried,' he said pointing to the jar.

"I knew Zoro long before any of you. I knew him before Kuina. I was so jealous when they first met and all he would do is talk about her. But I'm glad they met. His face would always light up when he talked about her. She taught him to smile no matter what. She taught him to be brave. She taught him that love isn't scary because she was the first person he really truly loved. People do crazy things when they're in love. They lie, they cheat, they keep secrets. I should know that better than anyone. Zoro knew that but he embraced it," Nami smiled.

"Now something bad," Robin said holding her friend's hand as tears began to fall from her eyes.

She sniffled, "Sure. I always loved him, much more than nakama. I was in love with him long after he had moved on. He had found someone, someone that wasn't me. He told me long before he even realized himself. He didn't realize that the way he acted told me that he no longer felt the same and that there was another. That person was Sanji and though I hurt for so long after I'm so glad you found him, that you smiled even until the very end."

Nami took off her bracelet and placed it next to the jar. I watched as Robin pulled the ginger into a hug.

"Zoro liked being part of a family much more than he let on. That's why he always did his best to protect us. He was too naive to know that we were the ones protecting him. He never thought about himself, he was he was deaf to his last song, for him there was never really one," as Brooke finished he placed his violin bow into the hole.

"I hope they have food as good as Sanji's up there," Luffy said resting his hat on top of the jar.

I hadn't expected much from Luffy. He was a fragile boy and his emotions were unstable. But even that one sentence, that would be enough to please Zoro.

Kaya sat down with Usopp beside the hole and held each other's hands.

"Zoro," Usopp began. "I don't think that you'll ever really know how much we loved you and still do now. I want to thank you for every extra second you spent with us despite the fact it was such a strain to you."

"I have to do the bad thing," Kaya mumbled biting her lip.

She tossed her head towards me smiling.

"I wasn't too sure of you when we first met seeing how you look like you have a moss ball on your head."

I smiled to myself as they both stood back up. Usopp put in his favorite slingshot and Kaya a small vile.

"Tangerine flavor, your favorite," she said before stepping away.

The others all gave touching sentiments some serious, some intended for us to laugh or to reminisce on. Each putting in a personal item of their own. For Chopper, a stethoscope; Robin, a book she had once lent to Zoro; and Franky, plans for the remodeling of the Thousand Sunny.

Then it was my turn. I had cut my fringe so it was above my eyes on the left of my face and put the hair on top of the scissors before placing it in the hole.

"I loved you so much it hurt. And I hate the fact you left me but I'm not alone, I have our nakama. It was for the best that you chose to leave but that doesn't mean it was an easy decision. The last thing you said to me was 'Forget about the past, there's more to life'. I have thought about that day and night since you left and I finally understand. You had a great life, Zoro, and because of you so did I."

~The End