Hello! My name is Dragoscilvio(Drago for short) and this is just something I thought of off the top of my head that seemed interesting enough to gnaw at my brain for days on end until I wrote it.

It MAY become a drabble series, but that all depends on whether you the reviewers want it to be. Let me know!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the One Piece characters

Summary: The unexpected happens when the only thing capable of bringing Zoro to his knees comes through a letter. Can the crew help him through his grief?

Warnings: None…I don't cuss, all my work is family friendly, and I don't ship homosexual relationships in any way shape or form…so yeah.

…

The day was sunny, the waves were bright, and the Thousand Sunny cut through the waves like the proud lion that it was. On board, the Straw Hats were enjoying the time of repose with their own forms of relaxation. Usopp sat on the grass, Chopper watching his every move, and was grinding up plants and gunpowder to make his exploding stars. Franky was banging away on his newest contraption, a mask covering his face to protect him any time he used the blow torch on the metal parts. Robin, as per usual, was reading a book on a lawn chair. Sanji was in the kitchen cooking lunch, Nami was writing in her daily ledger, Brook was playing a merry tune to match the waves, Zoro was napping near the prow, and Luffy was playing among the rigging.

Suddenly a loud caw split the air, and Nami glanced up into the sky, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun's glare, and her face split in a wide grin as she saw the mail bird flying towards their ship. Running towards the white bird, the ginger headed girl eagerly snatched up the envelopes and paid the bird their monthly fee for its services.

"Guys, the mail's here!" Nami called merrily, her arm going back and forth as she waved a bright thank you to the mail bird as it flew away.

"Sweet!" Luffy grinned as he bounced towards the ginger and proceeded to dance around her clapping his hands excitedly "Anything for me? Huh, huh, huh? Anything for me, Nami?"

"Uh…" the navigator answered slowly as she shuffled through the letters in her hands before giving an apologetic smile to her captain "Sorry Luffy, nothing for you today."

"Aw…" the dark haired teen slumped forward with an endearing pout before shrugging his shoulders and brightened his features "Oh well, hey Chopper, let's play!"

"Ok!" the little reindeer called from where he was standing on the grass.

Nami giggled at her crewmembers before returning to searching through the letters and her eyes widened when she noticed the last one in the bunch "Hey Zoro!" she yelled her features full of surprise as she turned towards the spot where the swordsman was currently napping on the other side of the ship "There's a letter for you from Shimotsuki Village!"

The green haired man's eye popped open, and he stumbled to his feet and rushed to the railing, his face blank and eyes wide with uncharacteristic surprise at such a thing being on the ship "…Huh…?"

Nami snorted in amusement shaking her head "Nicely said Zoro," she chuckled before turning to Sanji "Sanji-kun, could you be a doll and take this letter to Zoro so I don't have to walk all the way over there?"

Sanji flung his arms into the air, his body turning into a limp noodle as hearts popped out of his eyes "Of course, anything for you my angel!"

Grabbing the letter, the blond jumped over the railing, running across the Sunny and shoving the envelope into Zoro's hands and snarling "Here ya go, moss head,"

Zoro grit his teeth, an angry vein throbbing in his temple before he shook his head, and let his curiosity over the letter override his irritation with a certain cook.

Tearing open the letter, the entire crew fell silent as they watched their swordsman begin scanning the letter's contents, and a heavy feeling of dread fell as they noticed him begin to pale and his eyes widen with shock.

Sanji shifted his weight from foot to foot, uncomfortable with the sudden change in mood, his keen eyes watching Zoro as his heart thudded in fear at what he saw.

The normally stoic man suddenly began to tremble, and his breath came in low shallow gasps. The hand not currently gripping the piece of paper ran its way through messy green hair, and Zoro caught his bottom lip between his teeth in a valiant effort to keep it from quivering but only succeeded in making it worse as his chin began to wrinkle up and a choked sob escaped clenched lips. Zoro swallowed, over and over repeatedly, trying to dispel the boiling beneath his sinuses, but suddenly his vision blurred and the unthinkable happened. A tear slowly rolled down his tan cheek and dripped to the ground.

The crew watched the tear fall, as much horrified as they were mesmerized by its mere existence. And as the salty drop splashed onto the deck, each crew member winced at the sound, and finally cast shock filled gazes back onto the struggling swordsman.

Sanji was the closest to the swordsman, and his cigarette had long fallen to the ground, almost at the same time as the unbelievable tear, and the man stood in shock as his mind raced to process just what was occurring less than three feet away from him.

"O-Oi," Sanji stammered alarm bells ringing in his brain as he suddenly realized that Zoro, unbeatable Zoro, the crazy man who took on Mihawk and lived, was…crying "Is getting a letter from home so strange? Can't say that I blame them for not wanting to write an idiot like yo-"

"…Shut up…"

Sanji stopped at the quiet snarl, his heart practically exploding in his chest with fear at the horrible irregularity of the current situation "Huh?"

"I said," Zoro repeated turning red rimmed, tear stained eyes to his rival, his mouth a bitter snarl and his face a mask of unbridled agony, and screamed "SHUT UP!"

Planting a meaty hand on the railing in front of him, the moss haired man vaulted over white washed wood, and landed on the grass below. Ducking his head in shame so not having to face any of his crew, and praying they would not see the tears now streaming freely down his face, he sprinted across the grass, and through the door towards the men's quarters, slamming it shut in the process.

"O-Oi," Luffy murmured as his wide cobalt eyes stared at the door his first mate just disappeared through "what's wrong with Zoro?"

"I…I don't know," Nami said softly shaking her head as one hand slowly reached up to cover her lips.

Suddenly Luffy's gaze darkened and he flung angry eyes towards the cook "What did you do Sanji?"

Sanji jerked back like Luffy's words had been a physical slap "I didn't do anything." He replied quietly his eyes beseeching the captain, pleading the dark haired boy to believe his innocence "Really, I didn't,"

"Zoro was fine until you went over there," Luffy growled "and he told you to shut up before running away. Zoro never runs away, so what did you do?"

"I was just joking with him the way we always do," The blond replied weakly with a shrug as he struggled to convince Luffy that he wasn't the enemy here "I didn't know that he would freak out like that…I mean…he never, you know…cries."

The last word was barely above a whisper, and it was enough to drive the entire crew back into silence as a cold wind suddenly blew through causing each one to shiver involuntarily. Luffy merely pulled his hat low over his eyes, and turned his back on Sanji.

"Fix it."

With those simple words, he turned and walked into the galley, leaving Sanji standing on the deck.

Glancing around the ship helplessly, Sanji gave a swallow and rushed towards the door to chase after their swordsman, scared of what he might find.

…..

Zoro stumbled down the hallway after slamming his way through the door, his already blurry vision was getting worse and made it impossible to see where he was going. Thankfully he knew where the men's quarters were, and flung himself through the door, and shuffled through the darkness, his hands hastily wiping away the accursed tears, before suddenly tripping over a crate.

Looking around, his eye adjusted to the dim lighting, and Zoro wondered at how he managed to get into one of the many storage rooms in the bottom of the ship. "Stupid Franky and his retarded moving rooms," Zoro sniffled from where he lay before once again falling silent.

Pulling his legs up, the green haired swordsman wrapped his arms around them, tucking his knees under his chin. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gave a heavy swallow, and felt tears burn the edges of his eyes in another fresh onslaught. Burying his face in the fabric of his pants, his shoulders convulsed with a silent sob, and his muscles bulged as he fought to regain control. But it was a lost battle, and Zoro knew it. Some blades could not be blocked, and the one the letter carried was already buried deep inside his heart, giving a painful twist with every second that passed.

Minutes ticked by, the silence of the store room being broken by the choked coughs that Zoro allowed to drift up from the floor, a lone warrior doing battle with his own emotions, struggling to once again pin them down and force them into submission…but was losing miserably.

Suddenly footsteps pounded past the door, before pausing, and running back to it. The door creaked as it opened, and Zoro's senses went into high gear preservation mode as he slithered across the floor and hid behind a crate, but unfortunately his visitor had seen his escape, because the footsteps clopped closer and closer until they were directly in front of him.

Hating himself with every fiber of his being for the amount of weakness he was showing, Zoro kept his legs in a fierce hug against his chest and his face firmly buried in his knees, not daring to look up and meet the eyes that were surely looking down at him in disgust.

"Zoro,"

The green haired man tensed even more at the voice, his shoulders hunching in a childish wish to disappear and be left alone and unseen "…Go away…" he croaked.

"Zoro, if it was something I said…" Sanji persisted, his hands wringing in front of him in a public show of how helpless he felt.

"I said go away!" Zoro yelled into his knees, his voice cracking halfway through.

"Look I'm sorry," Sanji exploded his frustration bleeding through as he tried not to growl at the man "I didn't mean what I said, I mean, we always insult each other like that and I just thought you would do what you always do, and respond with your usual hostility-!"

"Just…" Zoro cut in, finally lifting his head and meeting Sanji's eyes, making the blond to immediately swallow his words at the pleading defeated look haunting them "…leave me alone…please…"

Sanji's breath caught in his throat as he looked at his nakama, the usually string unmovable mountain now reduced to looking very much like a little boy, lost and alone in the middle of a sea of hurt.

Zoro cast green eyes swimming in shame and sorrow back to the floor, before once again resting one cheek on his knees, careful to angle his face away from the cook.

Sanji slowly sat down on the floor, his captain's command to fix whatever was wrong with Zoro echoing in his head, and he gave a forlorn sigh loaded with confusion on just how to do that. Suddenly though, like a light bulb, an idea sparked in his brain and the blond pinned his eyes on the letter still lying on the floor next to the swordsman.

With slow measured movements, the cook reached forward as casually as he could, and inched his hand toward the letter until he was able to gently clasp it between two fingertips. Pulling it back from its resting place, Sanji sent a quick glance at Zoro, a wince adorning his features as worry that he may suddenly incur his wrath from invading his privacy burned in his stomach. Thankfully though, the green haired man had not moved an inch, and showed no sign of acknowledging what Sanji was currently doing.

With a silent prayer of gratitude sent to the heavens, Sanji brought the letter up to his face, and read it slowly.

Zoro,

My name is Katsuko.

No doubt you have no idea who this is, as we have never met, and I did not begin my training in the dojo until after you had left. However I am writing in order inform you that our master Koshiro-Sensei has passed on from this life.

I am sure that you remember how Sensei's health was always fragile, unfortunately the past few years it took a turn for the worst, and this time Koshiro-Sensei was unable to pull through like he always did.

Before he died, he told me to make sure that I wrote you specifically, to give you his last words…

Sanji stopped, unable to go any further in the letter, knowing that those words were surely something deeply personal for the swordsman, and did not want to invade any more than he already had.

Placing the letter back on the floor, the cook sighed, his shoulders giving an involuntary shiver as he imagined getting a similar letter concerning Zeff from the Baratie "I'm so sorry Zoro, I can't even imagine…"

Zoro drew in a shaky breath, frustration at not being allowed to grieve on his own coating his words as he whispered "Don't talk, I don't feel like listening to empty words."

The blond, not for the first time that day or even the second, was struck dumb. 'How heartless does the marimo think I am?'

Elegant fists clenched, as a sudden urge to prove Zoro wrong, that he wasn't here to degrade or insult him, rising up in his heart. And with a huff of agitation, the man scooted forward across the floor so to sit next to the swordsman, and wrap an arm around his shoulders.

Zoro tensed at the contact, a grimace biting into his knees "What are you doing?" he snarled.

Sanji shrugged, uncomfortable with the height of the limb he was currently walking out on, but kept his arm where it lay "Not talking."

One trembling hand rose from where it had been gripping his pant leg, and instead clutched mossy green hair as Zoro puzzled through Sanji's words. Why wasn't he berating him for his childishness? Where were the insults, or the cruel words showing just how disgusted the cook was with his pathetic display of weakness?

But instead, Zoro's expectations were neatly shot down by the warm arm offering strength to its nakama, and the swordsman felt his resolve that he had spent so much time and effort into building beginning to crumble, and the tears once again began to stain the material covering his knees which were still tucked under his chin.

Sanji sat there, biting his bottom lips as he felt the palpable waves of sorrow literally roll off his nakama, and unconsciously squeezed the man closer to him in a one armed hug. That was all the encouragement Zoro needed as the walls shattered and a harsh sob rocked his frame. His chest heaved as his breaths became shorter and more ragged until finally he leaned against the blond, and allowed a wail of pure grief explode from his lips.

Sanji rubbed circles on the man's back, pulling him closer, and felt another sorrow filled sigh slip past his lips. The broad shoulders, usually so unyielding and strong as they bore the brunt of everyone else's pain, now convulsed and shuddered as broken sobs were muffled by the cook's shoulder. One muscular hand had now attached itself to the front of Sanji's shirt, and as the green haired swordsman clutched it like a lifeline Sanji couldn't even muster the smallest bit of resentment at what might be a ruined shirt.

How long they sat there, the cook lost track, but after what honestly felt like hours of helpless sobs and grieved cries, Sanji finally felt the trembling cease and the hulking mass turned to dead weight as Zoro effectively cried himself into an oblivion of sleep.

As carefully as possible, Sanji crept out from under the man, gently detaching the fingers still gripping his shirt, and began his walk back to the galley where the crew was no doubt waiting his return. Quickly dipping down though, the cook folded up his jacket and placed it under Zoro's head. Nodding in satisfaction, he ducked out of the storeroom, and down the hall, he had plans that needed to be discussed with the crew.

…

Zoro woke up, his eyes gritty from sleep, and swollen from crying.

Rubbing them, Zoro gave a harsh wince as he remembered bawling like a small child on the cook, and slapped his forehead with an aggravated palm "I must have looked like some pathetic weakling," he snarled to himself.

Standing up, Zoro gathered up the letter, and folded it back up before gently tucking it away in a pocket. With a huff of irritation, he slapped his legs helplessly, his eyes dancing between his hiding place and the door. All his instincts were urging him to run, to dive out the door, and cast himself into the unforgiving depths of the sea. However he really didn't want to leave his spot behind the crate, maybe he could just camp out here…for the rest of his life.

'No, nononononoNO!' Zoro slapped his cheeks a few times shaking his head vigorously. He refused to act even more like a weakling by hiding away.

True, his stomach was sinking because he was honestly afraid that Sanji would tell the crew about him acting like a complete baby and teasing him about it for the rest of their lives, but he didn't want to prove any insults the love cook came up with to be true by skulking in a corner like a coward.

Squaring his shoulders, the first mate finally decided to walk through the door with his head held high, and accept the consequences of his weakness earlier. However that plan was neatly squashed when the door he was reaching for swung open and slammed him in the nose.

Sanji felt the impact, and a soft groan of pain floated from behind the door. Peeking around the wood, the cook smiled apologetically at the swordsman as he stood clutching his face, two fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stem a possible nosebleed. The cook opened his mouth to apologize, but Zoro waved him away, his eyes clenched shut as he breathed heavily though his nose and focused on not yelling at the blond.

Clearing his throat Sanji spoke hoping to dispel the tension "Uh…" he said hesitating for just a moment "we're anchored at an island, and are going ashore."

"What time is it?" the swordsman grunted.

"A little after midnight,"

This made Zoro open his good eye and raise an eyebrow in question "Then why are we going ashore?"

"B-Because," Sanji stammered "we…we wanted to do something for you…"

Zoro buried his face into his hands as a sound caught between a growl and a groan rumbled in his chest "You told…?" he whined.

"Ye-es," Sanji answered slowly with a wince "and I know you probably don't want to, but all I ask is that…that you roll with it...ok? Please?"

Zoro sighed, peeking between his fingers at the cook's pleading face, and felt his former resolve to refuse said request give in. He had said please, and this would probably both the first and the last time he ever heard that word come from the man's mouth. So with a longsuffering sigh, Zoro finally snarled "Whatever."

"Good, meet you on shore then."

With a click, Sanji quickly closed the door, and the swordsman was left on his own.

….

The first thing Zoro saw when walking down the gangplank was the crew gathered on the beach of a peaceful alcove on the edge of a forest. Walking down the wood, he frowned at how loud his footsteps sounded, and how quickly they garnered the attention of those standing on the sand. Luffy gave a gentle grin, and approached his first mate, reaching forward and giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"You ready?"

"For what?"

The captain smiled at Zoro's question "You'll see."

Gripping his wrist, in what Zoro and Luffy both knew was a silent command that he was not allowed to run away as well as insurance that he could not get away even if he tried, Luffy led the moss haired swordsman away from the ship to a spot in the alcove where you could see the moon shining on the water. Bringing him close to the edge, Luffy gestured for Nami and Robin, and the girls came forward one carrying a candle on a beautifully crafted miniature wooden raft and the other matches.

Robin lit a match, and handed it to Zoro "Light the candle Swordsman-san,"

Zoro felt a lump ball up in his throat as he realized what they were doing. This was not to be a rough and rowdy party where Zoro was forced to act cheerful so not to hurt his captain's feelings in the boy's attempt to make him feel better. This was a genuine show of love for their nakama by helping him show a last moment of honor and respect for a man who was like a father to him by holding a candlelit funeral service.

Zoro lit the candle, and Nami gave it to him, her eyes softening as she noticed how his hands shook with suppressed emotion.

Kneeling down at the water's edge, Zoro felt his eyes tear up when he noticed that each straw hat crew member had lit their own candle, and were setting them adrift on the water. Pushing his own candle out to join the others, the swordsman swiped at his face and cleared his throat, trying once again to valiantly fight against the tsunami of emotion driving him towards tears as he sat on the sand.

Nami and Robin picked up on this, giving each other a nod of agreement moved together in unison to sit on either side of Zoro and wrap him in a hug.

The tears came faster, burning their way down his cheeks, and the swordsman mentally groaned in frustration with himself 'Not again!' he cried.

However, that groan came out as a pained whimper, and Nami bit her lip with concern at how Zoro didn't feel comfortable enough around them to show true emotion. Standing on her knees, she ran her fingers through his hair whispered gently in his ear "You don't have to hold back, we won't think less of you for it, no one should be forced to be emotionless when someone they care about dies."

"…But…"

"No buts," Nami shook her head vehemently at Zoro's refusal "we're nakama, aren't we? That means we're family, and family is here for each other. We fight side by side, we party together, and we laugh together, but it would all be meaningless if we can't cry together too. If we can't even do that much, then we don't deserve to say we're nakama."

With that said, Nami fell silent, and hugged Zoro tightly, allowing him to chew on her words. Luffy grinned as he walked over and sat on the sand, his rubbery arms wrapping around Zoro's thick neck, hugging him close "Nami's right," he said seriously though not without a mischievous twinkle in his eye "we're family, and what's the point of saying so if we can't be there for each other?"

"And we love you so much," Chopper cried jumping into Zoro's lap and hugging his middle "we love you more than you know!"

"WAAAAH!" Franky wept into one beefy arm as he knelt down and pulled the entire group into a huge hug "Zoro-bro! We love you man!"

"My heart is warmed by this wonderful feeling of familial love," Brook sighed before pausing "Ah, but I have no heart, Skull Joke! Yohohoohoho!"

"Listen to them idiot swordsman," Sanji smirked from where he stood behind the huddled mass of bodies "and maybe you might get this through your thick skull."

"To put it simply Swordsman-san," Robin said softly "you don't have to grieve alone, you have your family here to carry the burden with you."

The tears were now dripping from his face, and Zoro returned the hug as best he could given his cramped space, but no one doubted his gratitude when he finally said in a whisper that rode on a sob "Thank you,"

The group stayed like that, with multiple group hugs being called for by various people throughout the entire night, and if Zoro finally allowed himself to break and shed a few tears on the shoulders of his nakama the crew never teased him about or insulted him over it later.

Because after all, that's what nakama is for.

So what did you think?

If you want me to make this a drabble series where I do family one shots, that are (I warn you) mostly likely Zoro-centric, then please tell me so in your review.

If I don't get reviews with your opinion, then no drabble series.

Ok, Bye!