This fic was written by listening to various versions of Bink's Sake no less than four hundred times. Amongst other character songs. But mostly Bink's Sake. I think by now I know half the words and I don't even know what they mean.

Title: Sing Along
Theme: #8: Bink's Sake
Claim: Zoro
(Words:) 2,150
Rating: PG
Warnings: Couple bad words, that's it.
Disclaimer(s): I do not own, or pretend to own, One Piece or any of its subsequent characters, plots or other ideas. That right belongs solely to Eiichiro Oda. I do not own the prompts either—those are assigned by 30_OnePiece.

Zoro was just waking up from a nice nap on the couches in the aquarium bar when a shadow unexpectedly fell over him. He looked up and was surprised to find Brook staring down at him, violin and bow clutched in his bony hands.

"Hello, Zoro-san," the skeleton greeted immediately. "Would you like to sing a song?"

Zoro blinked blearily and gave Brook a sleepy glare. When the skeleton didn't budge an inch, Zoro said flatly, "No. I wouldn't."

Brook's face seemed to fall, and he said a little sadly, "I see. You never seem to sing, Zoro-san. Whenever the rest of the crew sings together at parties or at any other time, you never participate."

"I'm not the only one," Zoro said with a yawn. "Robin doesn't sing either."

"That isn't entirely true. She does join in sometimes!" The skeleton sighed and placed one bony hand over his chest, adding, "And she has the voice of an angel when she chooses to! It's enough to stir a man's heart—although, I myself have none—"

"Great." Zoro rolled off the couch and made to beat a hasty retreat, before he could be the victim of any more Skull Jokes, or, worse—continuing their current discussion.

But Brook wasn't to be dissuaded so easily. The skeleton caught up to him quickly, and said, "Is it my fault, perhaps? I have been playing music for so long I must have grown overconfident! Is my singing not satisfactory? Perhaps my instrument choice?"

He actually looked anxious, and Zoro almost felt bad for making him worry. "No, you're fine, Brook," he assured hastily. "I've only heard you play the violin and the piano, but they both sounded good. And your singing sounds fine, too." Although he could stand to do less of it at five-thirty in the morning...

"Then whatever is the matter, Zoro-san?" Brook asked. "Why is it that you never join in, no matter the occasion?"

Zoro sighed in exasperation, but clearly this was very important to Brook, and he wasn't going to let up until he got an answer. And he could be very persistent when he wanted to be. Best get it over with now. "Look, I just don't like singing all that much. Especially in front of other people or in a group."

"Why is that?" Brook asked, looking politely puzzled. "You just said you don't mind the music or the songs, so if it is enjoyable, why not sing along?"

"It's just...embarrassing," Zoro said, grasping for an explanation. "I don't like making an idiot of myself in front of other people like that."

Brook looked quite baffled at this answer, like he was incapable of comprehending what Zoro had just said. Zoro supposed he couldn't blame the guy. Brook was a musician after all—music was his life, and he probably didn't see how a person could look stupid singing. And that was if he even cared; Brook was pretty much known for making a complete fool of himself on a regular basis for the sake of others' entertainment, anyway.

"I'm a pretty terrible singer, anyway," Zoro added quickly, before his first statement could be interpreted as an insult. Zoro had plenty of respect for people who actually could sing, and if they knew what they were doing they didn't look silly at all. He just wasn't one of those people. "Really, everyone is better off if I just stay silent."

"What a silly claim!" Brook said cheerfully. "How could you possibly know if you're a bad singer, if you always remain silent?"

"Trust me," Zoro said flatly, "I know. Before Luffy recruited me, whenever I got conned into singing, people would always stare at me like I had three heads. You know. Without the Asura effect. Obviously it means I'm pretty terrible or they wouldn't stareat me like that. I got real tired of the looks—like I said, it's embarrassing. So I figured I'd just stop singing and save everyone the hassle."

"That's a very sad story," Brook said, and he really did appear to be treating it like some sort of tragedy, instead of what it was: just common sense. "Music is the voice of the soul! It is always a great shame when it is cut short so early."

"Um...yeah. Sure." Zoro started sidling for the door again, suddenly not liking so much where this was going.

"Zoro-san, wait!" Brook gripped his arm with one skeletal hand and said almost pleadingly, "Please, will you sing just once? I've yet to hear you so much as hum a note, and music is the way I interact with my nakama—why, it is the very foundation for the reason I am here, on this ship!"

"Please. Luffy would have invited you to join anyway, just because you're a skeleton with an afro," Zoro said, getting an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Nevertheless, please humor me, just this once!" Brook said, still with a tight, bony grip on Zoro's arm. "I am still the ship's musician, and I feel I simply must live up to my duty, both to provide music and song and to understand my nakama's musical inclinations as well! So far I have been able to provide for the rest of my nakama, but I must confess, Zoro-san, you're still quite a puzzle to me...what if I can't do the job Luffy-san wants me to do?"

Zoro grit his teeth. Brook was being unreasonable, but dammit, if that was how he interpreted his job...crap. He hated being guilted into things. Especially when it involved duty and nakama almost in the same breath. "Fine," he grated. "One song, and that's it. But you'd better not laugh."

Brook looked appalled at the notion. "I would never dream of laughing at anyone's music," he said very seriously. Then he brightened. "But I am quite happy to hear you'll give singing another chance! Do you have any particular requests? I know a fair number of songs from the East Blue." He readied the violin, almost quivering with happiness.

"You probably know more than I do," Zoro said with an irritated sigh. He couldn't believe he'd agreed to this. "I recognize plenty of tunes, but I don't know the words to most songs. That's another reason I refuse to sing so much."

"That is easily remedied," Brook said cheerfully, "But we can worry about that later. I'm certain you know the words to Bink's Sake?"

"Sure," Zoro answered. How could he not, when Brook only sang the song at least fifteen times a day, and often in the company of others?

"Very well!" Brook said brightly. "Then I shall play, and you accompany me!"

Zoro sighed again, but grudgingly nodded. Brook played the opening notes to the old pirate tune, and at the appropriate moment the swordsman jumped in, confident in the words and not nearly so confident in the notes. He had no idea if he was singing it right; his voice definitely wasn't made for this. He glanced at Brook once or twice, to see if maybe he could gauge if he was doing it properly, but while Brook was watching him intently while playing he didn't let on one way or another what he thought of Zoro's attempt. Stupid immobile skull for a face...how was it that Brook always managed to be so expressive, except right at this particular moment? In the end he stopped glancing over and looked at the far wall until he'd finished singing the song—being watched while he sang was just unsettling, made him want to stop.

Finally, after the longest three minutes of Zoro's life, the song finally came to its end and Brook played the closing with a flourish of the bow. "There," Zoro growled. "Happy? I sang your song, now you did your job or whatever. Don't tell anybody." The last thing he needed was to give Luffy an excuse to order him to sing at parties or other gatherings—he definitely did not intend to become the laughingstock of the crew, no matter how entertaining everybody else found it.

"My lips are sealed, Zoro-san!" Brook said, with a flashy salute of the violin's bow. "Even though I don't have any, yohohoho!"

Zoro inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, although he didn't let on visibly how very happy he was to not let this mess get out.

"However," Brook added, "I feel I must tell you, Zoro-san, that my promise is somewhat pointless, seeing as the rest of the crew is standing behind you at the moment."

"What?" Zoro whirled around, feeling his face heat with embarrassment when he came face to face with all seven of the remaining Straw Hat Pirates. To his horror, each and every one of them was doing the exact same stare that he'd come to dread, the one that suggested he'd sprouted extra heads or a tail or something. Curly-brow's jaw was hanging open, as as were Usopp's and Chopper's, and Franky appeared to be suppressing a laugh based on how he was quivering.

"See," Zoro said, face still a little flushed as he turned back to Brook, "This is why I don't sing. This freakin' staring. I told you I was bad." And apparently he'd gotten worse, if those responses were any indication.

"Bad?" Nami said, hands on her hips. Her expression was one of pure disbelief, incredulity. "Zoro, you weren't bad—"

Here we go, Zoro thought to himself with a groan. Two thousand beri says I'm 'worse than bad' and that she'll probably fine me for damaging her ears or something.

"—you were amazing! I had no idea you could sing like that! Especially with such a deep voice."

"Look," Zoro countered immediately, "I didn't even want to sing, witch, Brook made me—wait, what?"

"She is quite correct, Zoro-san," Brook said cheerfully. He looked particularly smug somehow, like he'd made a point. "You sing extremely well for somebody untrained in music. I suspect you have a large amount of natural talent that you've left untapped, and you have a very nice deep baritone as well."

"I...uh...really?" This was totally news to Zoro.

"You sounded great Zoro!" Chopper said, eyes sparkling. "I've never heard you sing before, but it sounded really nice!"

"Such a moving voice, sword-bro," Franky said, fists rubbing at his eyes, and Zoro realized what he'd initially interpreted as laughter was apparently sobbing. Whups. Well, with Franky it was sort of hard to tell sometimes.

"Uh...thanks." Then Zoro blinked. "Wait a minute. If I don't sound terrible, then why do I always get those stares like I'm crazy whenever I sing?"

Sanji shook his head in exasperation. "If they're anything like me," the cook said, "They're probably just in catatonic shock that a voice like that comes out of a brute like you." His voice was grudging, like he'd really wanted to insult the swordsman and couldn't bring himself to. "It doesn't seem right, I tell you!"

Zoro glared at the cook, but this was about as close as Sanji ever came to complimenting him, so he let it pass.

"Let's sing it again!" Luffy said enthusiastically. "All together this time!"

"I'd rather not—"

"No way," Nami growled, and jabbed him with one finger in the chest. "You've had talent all this time and never used it? Do you realize you could have helped drown out Luffy's completely tone-deaf singing for months now? With something nice?" She punctuated her points with several more jabs of the finger, and added, "If you pass on group singing again, I'm raising your interest by twenty percent."

"What! That's ridiculous, just for a little singing!"

"No way Zoro gets to pass," Usopp said.

"Yeah, we want to hear more!" Chopper added, eyes still glittering excitedly.

"Argh, look, I really don't want to—"

"If you like, Zoro-san, I can coach your voice a little," Brook offered cheerfully. "With just a bit of practice I'm sure you can sound even more wonderful than before! And of course, I can teach you the words to a few more songs too!"

"Look, I really don't—"

But they overran him, every single one, and when the argument finally ended in a victorious Captain's Orders from Luffy, Zoro knew he was sunk. It seemed there was going to be no way to get out of musical participation on the ship anymore. Much as he detested the thought, he was just going to have to get used to singing in front of others, and with them too. He was definitely not happy with the way the day had played out.

Although he had to admit, it was sort of nice to know he wasn't as terrible a singer as he'd always thought.

I have no idea if Zoro is a baritone, being musically inept. I tried to research it, but written note ranges mean virtually nothing to me, so I went with the most common male voice: baritone. Zoro's voice is pretty deep naturally, though, so I have no idea if this is correct. If anyone musically inclined has input, do let me know!

Inspired by loooots of character music. The VA's sing very well, but the songs don't necessarily represent the characters, since Luffy sings beautifully in image songs but terribly in the actual show. So I was thinking, Zoro sounds like he'd be a terrible singer character-wise. And then I thought—that's sorta typecasting. What if he was amazing?

~VelkynKarma