Disclaimer: one piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. You may also see this one Fanfiction.Net, this doesn't belong to me but I wanted to share her beautiful but sad story. Check out the original story on fanficition.net @Sezu
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"Zoro I'm dying."

Zoro raised his eyes from the glass he was holding in his hand and looked at Luffy. His eyebrows had furrowed a little but he didn't say a word. Luffy had spoke in a matter-of-factly-way. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't sad, and maybe that's why Zoro knew he wasn't lying.

"Back then I wanted to protect everyone. Now I'm paying the price." The pirate king leaned back on his chair in the small bar with no one else but him, Zoro and the owner inside. Luffy was far old, and he should've had more time left than he has now. He smiled a little. "I guess I understand why Roger did it."

"Gave up and surrendered?" Zoro asked.

Luffy shook his head. "He didn't give up. He surrendered but he didn't give up. You see, if he had never let the Marines have him, no one would've known of One Piece. No adventures, no pirates. Well not as much as now, anyway. No meetings." Luffy looked at the swordsman -the best in the world- seemed to have a hunch on where this was going. He also didn't seem to like that but he wouldn't protest for now. The words needed to be said aloud. "I want to give the same chance that was given to us to the next generation."

Zoro leaned forward and looked at Luffy seriously. Though Luffy hadn't voiced that certain sentence, he knew what he was saying. "You think we would just stand by and watch you get executed?"

"I don't think so. I know you will. That's because it is captain's orders, and you have to obey them."

At that moment Zoro would've been thankful if someone else had been there with him to talk sense to their captain, tell him it wasn't that easy. There wasn't many Straw Hats on the island they had docked their ship last night. They had been separated along the years -not all of them, but less of them were present now than when Luffy had became Pirate King. Sanji had found his All Blue and now lived there. His restaurant was well known amongst some, but for now the Marines didn't know where Black Leg had disappeared to. Chopper had passed away some years ago -it had been natural, but that hadn't made the pain following his death any less bearable. Robin had gone her own way soon after they left Raftel. She had said she was seeking even more information because what she had found out back then just hadn't seemed complete. She had wanted to go alone, no matter how hard the others protested. They hadn't heard much of her since but she was still alive. Their instincts told them this.

Usopp had returned to East Blue, but he would visit the Thousand Sunny every now and then. He was the brave warrior he had wanted to become so badly, and the reason he had returned home was to protect it.

The rest had remained by their captain's side. They were sailing the seas, going through adventures, meeting new and old friends, enemies alike. But now all that would end, Zoro realized in the back of his head. No more saving of the rubbery ass, no more demands of meat and jumping after him into the sea. Though he would keep saying he wouldn't let Luffy get killed he knew as well as the rest of his nakama that what Luffy wanted, Luffy got.

"You know the rest wont like your decision, either."

"I know."

"Then just leave it. Keep living as you always do."

"Sorry Zoro, but this time I can't. My time really is up."

Zoro looked down. He really wanted to tell him his time was not up. He had fought death so many times and always defeated it in the in. It was so hard to believe that this time he wouldn't win, that this time death would claim him and never give him back. And he decided not to believe, he raised his eyes to Luffy again. No, he didn't look as if he was dying nor he was about to surrender. He looked just the same as always, ready for another adventure. He had always taken his friends suffer, but he wouldn't be able to do that know. This time he wouldn't be able to offer his head so that Luffy could live on. But he would ignore that because Luffy wasn't dying, though he had known from the very beginning of their conversation he was.

Luffy turned his head to look at his first crewmate he had found on his long journey. The look in his eyes was knowing, of course he knew what his nakama was thinking. He turned his gaze back towards the distant horizon and reached for his straw hat.  It had been there all this time, even after they had met Shanks. He took it off and turned it around in his hands. "Zoro," Luffy stated, "I have one other thing to say." Zoro replied with silence and Luffy turned to face him. Luffy stretched his hands towards his treasure and gave it to the swordsman. "Find the one this hat fits the best. I know you can do it since I don't have the time."

Zoro hesitated to reach out and take the hat, but Luffy's smile gave him courage. If he wasn't afraid the why should he be? He took the straw hat and nodded.  "I will, captain."

Luffy's smile grew wider. They stood there for another minute,  face to face,  and then the younger one turned around. Hands on his hips he said: "I should be going then. Bye Zoro. And look after everyone else."

"I will."

And so he left, the King of the Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the straw hats and he never thought of turing or looking back because that was the man he was. And Roronoa Zoro, the best swordsman in the world, the first mate of the said man, stood there and would never admit he cried because that was the man he was.
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After reaching Luffy's grave Zoro sat down and took a deep breath. He had felt lonely for so long, but now the feeling eased. He was with his nakama again. His eyes trailed amount the grave as memories flooded in his head so strongly it could've all happened just yesterday even if it had been years ago. Those days he treasured so much, and he felt he didn't have any regrets.

Except for one. His eyes returned to the grave in front of him. Once again he took a deep breathe. His voice trembled as he spoke the words he should've had the courage to speak long ago.

"I know you tried. I'm sorry." He leaned forward, hiding his eyes behind his palms, and cried. And if anyone would ever ask, he would say he regretted these tears. He regretted them for they should've never been shed.
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Remember this isn't mine I just wanted to share this with everyone. Make sure you check out the entire story @Sezu on fan fiction.net.