Oh, it's Zoro's birthday and I just couldn't resist writing a story for him! Yay Zoro! You're 20! You're old, man! He'll prolly kill me now... Meh! Life goes on!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Zoro's birthday, but I do wish I owned Zoro... ahem, we'll just go onto the story, won't we?

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Once a year

You would be surprised at how people in the world, tend to celebrate birthdays with such an intensity. Like it's once in a lifetime, and it didn't happen every year. Strange that. But then, you are only one age for a year. Only one age. How strange. So, why is it that we can't remain the same age for longer than a year? We don't act any different. We don't talk any different. A few more grey hairs and a few more wrinkles in the skin. Really, a birthday is nothing to get over-excited about.

Nothing to get anxious about either. In fact, some people want to forget and avoid their birthdays. They hate the fuss. They hate the embarrassment and they hate turning a year older. But, that's them. Who cares about them? They're just wet blankets. Boring people. So, let's move onto the story and figure out who's birthday it is, and what happened on that most wonderful occasion.

Nami tapped the soft quill against her lips, the feathers tickling her chin. But she didn't notice. She was thinking about something else.

"Nami-swaan!" a voice cooed from above. She sighed.

"Yes Sanji?" she called.

"I have a delicious drink for youuu, made with all the love in my heart and all the sunshine over your head!" Sanji replied in a sing song tone that made Nami sigh again.

"Thankyou Sanji. Leave it in the fridge and I'll come and get it later."

"As you wish my lovely!" and he was gone. Nami put her quill down and her lips twisted.

"Is something troubling you Navigator-san?" Robin asked from the corner. Nami looked up at her bunkmate and smiled.

"Actually, there is. You know what we've been organising for the last few weeks? His birthday?" Nami asked as if she was picking up a conversation that had been started a while ago. Robin nodded softly as she closed her book and uncrossed her legs.

"Well, I don't know if he's going to agree. I mean, you know what he's like." Nami continued. Robin nodded again.

"Yes, he can be quite… hmm, odd, when it comes to this time of the year." and she stood and smiled down at Nami, "But let's continue, I think he'll enjoy it when the time comes."

"I guess so. I'll talk to Sanji about the cake later today."

"NAMIII!" came a loud cry and Nami sighed and turned as Luffy opened the hatch and bounded down the stairs and into the room.

"What do you want Luffy?" she muttered as she turned back to her map and began scratching in a few new lines.

"Nami, can I go into town?" the captain asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Nami paused.

"Why? You went in yesterday." she replied. Luffy sighed exaggeratedly as if she just didn't get the situation.

"Yes, I went into town with Zoro. I wanna go and get something I saw, but I couldn't get it yesterday because he was there!" Luffy explained. Robin smiled as she crossed her legs again and opened her book.

"Oh alright. Just make sure Usopp is at least with you." Nami said. Luffy beamed.

"Now can I have some money?"

"What's the magic word?" Nami asked in a slightly sing song voice. Luffy blinked.

"…Meat?"

"No."

"…thankyou?"

"Close."

"Please!"

"Good." and she handed him some money. Luffy grinned from ear to ear.

"Thanks Nami!" and he ran up the stairs and out.

"Are you possibly trying to teach our Captain, manners?" Robin asked as she slowly turned a page, her eyes never leaving the page. A small smile played about her mouth. Nami turned and tilted her head, smiling back at the older woman.

"Trying."

---

Luffy skidded onto the deck and looked around frantically before spotting his target.

"Usopp! Usopp!" he cried and then stopped beside his friend. The long nosed boy turned to look at the captain before he grinned.

"Hey Luffy, what's up?" he greeted. Luffy bounced on the balls of his feet again.

"I need to go into town, and Nami said I could but she said I had to take someone with me, and she suggested you so, can you come with me into town?" Luffy blurted, the words becoming slurred together at times. Usopp blinked before nodding.

"Sure Luffy, I'll go into town with you." Usopp replied.

"I'm coming too." a deep voice said behind them and Luffy spun around to see Zoro standing there, one hand resting on his swords. The captain blinked.

"But… you need to stay here." he replied. Zoro frowned.

"Why?"

"Because… Chopper needs you to help him." Luffy quickly said. Zoro frowned further.

"Chopper… needs help sleeping?"

"Yes! He does!" and Luffy grinned, hoping Zoro would just do as he was told and go down to the cabins.

"Whatever. I'm sure he'll be fine. Now, lets go." and the swordsman moved towards the side of the ship. Luffy panicked and stretched himself over to the railing, stopping Zoro from going down the ladder or jumping over the side.

"You can't! There's a vicious swordsman eating monster down there! It'll eat you!" the captain cried in desperation. He was out of ideas.

"What?! You've lost it, Captain." and Zoro made to move past Luffy, but the rubber boy blocked him, stretching and arm out on either side and leaning back against the rail.

"Sanji said he needs you to help him in the kitchen!" Luffy cried. Zoro frowned.

"He can help himself, I helped him clean up after breakfast this morning god-damnit." he growled, still trying to get past Luffy. He finally stopped, a tic going in his forehead and an angry gleam in his eyes.

"Luffy, if you don't tell me what the hell this is about, right, now, then I am going to simply tie your arms into knots. Now, talk." and Zoro crossed his arms and waited. Luffy peered up at him.

"Why?"

"Because, you won't let me past."

"Why?"

"I don't know! That's what I'm trying to find out!"

"Why?"

"Luffy!! For fuck's sake!"

"Naa Zoro, why do you need to go into town?" Luffy asked, sounding a little worried. Zoro frowned.

"Because, there's something I want to do. Now, move." he growled. Luffy tilted his head and then sighed.

"Ok." and he moved so Zoro could get down, "Come on Usopp!" and the long nosed boy, who had been watching from a distance as he sensed a battle coming on, ran over.

---

The small town was busy that day, people rushing about in frantic groups. Vendors yelling at the top of their lungs as other vendors tried to beat them. Bright colours, and a few dancing girls signalled a small parade coming through the centre of it all. The girls danced among the crowds as a small group of men on horses paraded through, obviously soldiers, heading somewhere or rather. Luffy wasn't really interested. How was he supposed to get rid of Zoro?

Usopp had reminded him that the swordsman had no sense of direction, so, if he got lost than Nami wouldn't be too pleased. Especially seeing as Zoro's birthday party was that night. Yes, it was the swordsman's wonderful birthday. Twenty years old on the eleventh of the eleventh. Luffy chewed on his bottom lip as he looked back and forth. A smell suddenly struck his nose and Luffy blinked for a moment before spinning around.

"Meat." he said, almost in a hypnotised way. Zoro paused and looked over to see a vendor selling meat on a stick and he sighed.

"Wait here." and he shrugged his way through the crowd. A dancer stopped him, dancing around him and Zoro watched her uninterestedly until she had passed. Boy, if Sanji had of been there, he would have been having a heart attack. Zoro retrieved the meat and brought it back to his captain, who accepted it with the world's biggest cheer before biting into it.

"I'm gonna go and find this shop. See you guys back at the ship." Zoro commented, pushing his hands into his pockets as he spoke. Luffy blinked, hardly able to believe his good fortune. Zoro was going out of choice!

"Bye Zoro!" Luffy cried, but with his mouth full of food, it sounded more like 'Blye Roro!'. The swordsman raised a hand as he left and Luffy turned to Usopp, gulping before he spoke.

"Isn't this great!? Now we can get Zoro's present!" and the boy bounced off, hand tightly clenched around his meat. Usopp nodded. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to let Zoro go off on his own, but, hey, it wasn't that big of a town. Zoro would find his way back… eventually. Luffy paused outside the shop he had seen yesterday, licking his fingers as he did so. That meat had been really yummy!

Pressing his nose against the glass, Luffy saw what he had been looking at yesterday, and with a loud 'Hee!' he ran into the shop. Usopp tailed him and when the long nose saw what Luffy had been looking at, he had to laugh. A large book was clutched in Luffy's hands. It had a black, leather cover with the word 'Legends' embossed in gold leaf on the front. Underneath was a smaller font that read 'Sword origins, legendary swordsmen and why they were famous'. Usopp shook his head when he saw this. Luffy just grinned, clutching the book to his chest.

"Can I help you young man?" an old woman asked, her back hunched and a soft smile on her face. She was harmless enough. Luffy bounced forward.

"I would like this please." and he placed the book on the counter. The old woman looked at it for a minute before looking up at the grinning boy.

"Do you have any idea how long I have been trying to get rid of this book? It's taken three years!" and she picked it up and inspected it, "No one is interested in swords anymore."

"Well my friend is! He's really cool!" and Usopp nudged Luffy's shoulder, warning the boy not to give too much away. After all, they were wanted pirates. At least, Luffy and Zoro were. Not so sure about the rest of them.

"Ok then. I'm sure he'll like this. That'll be thirty belli." and she held out a hand. Luffy blinked at the price, before handing over the correct amount. That had been cheap. He still had heaps left over. The old woman wrapped the book in some old brown paper and handed it back to Luffy, who grinned, thanked her, and then ran out of the shop.

"Now, why don't we buy some decorations or something?" Luffy asked Usopp, who shrugged and paused as he spotted a familiar green head. The swordsman was standing in the middle of the street, a hand on his head and a puzzled look on his face. In other words, Zoro had not a clue as to where he was. Usopp sighed.

"You reckon you can find your own way back to the ship?" Usopp asked. Luffy nodded brightly and Usopp turned to go to Zoro. Luffy continued moving, letting the flow of the crowd take him further and further away from Zoro before he finally found a small shop that looked pretty cool. It had a skull and crossbones over the door, and various odds and ends were displayed in the front window. Luffy strolled inside and looked around, the book clutched under his arm.

There was no one in sight and Luffy poked at a stack of fragile looking pots. They swayed for a moment and Luffy waved his arms, dropping the book to the floor as he tried to steady it. They swayed to the left and Luffy ran to the left, but then they swayed to the right and Luffy ran to the right before he finally managed to grab onto the sides and steady them enough that everything settled back into place again. Picking up his book and sighing in relief, Luffy turned at the sound of clapping. A tall man with a salt and pepper beard and a pair of small, half moon glasses, was standing behind the counter. He was bald as anything and his skin was tanned.

"That was well done young man." he said and Luffy grinned.

"Thanks!" he replied and then tilted his head, "Do you have any party stuff?"

"Party stuff?"

"Yeah! Like lanterns, streamers, stuff like that!" and Luffy bounced on the balls of his feet. The man thought for a moment before nodding.

"Indeed I do young man. Come with me." and he moved towards a door at the side of the shop. Luffy bounded after him.

"What's your name?" Luffy asked.

"Balthazar. You?"

"Luffy!"

"Well, it's mighty fine to meet you Luffy. It's been a while since I have had any customers in here." Balthazar replied. Luffy grinned. The older man stopped outside a small door and then opened it to reveal a room packed with brightly coloured lanterns, beautiful ornaments, candles, boxes, reels of streamers and ribbon, pinwheels, balloons, and funny party hats. Luffy grinned brightly as he ran into the room and looked around.

"Wow! So cool!" and Luffy began grabbing streamers and ribbon and lanterns.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." the man said and Luffy paused, "Ever think about how you're going to carry all of this back to your home?" Luffy blinked and then visibly deflated.

"No."

"Well, how about I give you one of these?" and he passed Luffy a large, heshion bag. It was perfect!

"You're so nice Balthazar! Everyone's so nice in this town!" and Luffy began throwing in stuff. Balthazaar watched as Luffy worked and when the bag was full and bulging, and sitting on the floor, the older man sighed.

"How are you going to carry the bag?" he asked.

"That?" and Luffy looked at the bag, "Easy! Like carrying one of Zoro's weights on my back!" and he grinned. Balthazaar didn't even bother to ask about who Zoro was and what the weights were about.

"Listen, kid, you can have all that stuff for free." and Luffy's eyes went really big.

"Really?" he asked, unbelieving.

"Yep. Go for it." Balthazar replied, "I'm never gonna use it. It's just cluttering up space. I could use this room for my grandson when he visits."

"Cool!" and Luffy picked up the bag with one hand and swung it onto his shoulder as easily as if it was a bag of feathers. He laughed at the look on his newly made friend's face before he zipped out of the room.

"Thanks!" he cried as he exited the shop. Balthazar twitched and then nodded.

"No problem." he muttered.

---

Luffy got back to the ship as easily as if he had been transported there. He left the bag at the bottom of the ladder before climbing up onto the deck. There he saw Zoro, leaning against the mast and staring at the sky and clouds above him. The sails had been drawn up ever since they had docked. Luffy grinned at the swordsman before running down to Nami's quarters. The navigator agreed that it had been a good idea and Luffy was feeling increasingly proud of himself as the day wore on.

He hadn't screwed up! So, the next step towards giving Zoro an awesome birthday party, was to set everything up for him. In other words, they needed to preoccupy Zoro in the cabins, so he wouldn't come onto the deck and see the decorations.

"Couldn't we just knock the stupid bastard out?" Sanji suggested as he leaned against the kitchen cupboard, the bench covered in ingredients for the cake which had yet to be started.

"No Sanji." Nami replied absently as she chewed on her bottom lip in thought.

"Maybe Captain-san can play a game or something with him?" Robin suggested. Nami and Luffy both shook their heads.

"I wanna help set up!"

"And Luffy brought the decorations, so he's entitled." Nami muttered before turning to Usopp and Chopper.

"What am I supposed to do?" Usopp asked desperately. Clumping steps were heard outside and everyone shut up, even Luffy managed to close his mouth on what he had just been about to say. Zoro moved into the kitchen and went to the fridge, pausing as he heard the silence behind him. The swordsman turned to find everyone staring at him, and Sanji giving him the world's smugest smile.

"What?" he growled as he grabbed a bottle of rum out and then went back outside again.

"Close one." Usopp muttered.

"Yeah." everyone agreed. Sanji looked at the ingredients behind him and snorted.

"Stupid bastard didn't even realize they were sitting there." he muttered, but it was plain he was a little worried that Zoro had. Everyone was. But, if luck was on their side as it usually was, then Zoro would still be oblivious to what was going on around him.

"I guess we could get Zoro to help Chopper and me with some inventions or something." Usopp suggested, putting a finger on his chin before grinning, "Yes! That's a great idea!"

"It is actually." Nami agreed, nodding her head in approval. Usopp sat up proudly and threw his head back so his nose stuck straight up in there.

"But, we need Usopp to paint the banner." Luffy added in. Usopp blinked and looked across at the boy before frowning in thought. That was a good point.

"I'll do it." Nami volunteered, "Of course, it won't be quite as good as what Usopp could have done," Usopp's chest swelled with pride again, "but, if I can do a map, I can do a simple banner. Go on Usopp."

"Come on my faithful sidekick, Chopper. We shall venture forth and vanquish the great Zoro beast!" and then the boy was out the door, a giggling reindeer following him.

"Now, that's them out of the way, let's get to work with everything else. I'll get some material from the storage room and start the banner. Luffy, you and Robin get to work on the deck. Make sure neither of you fall overboard. Sanji,"

"I'll get started on the cake for Marimo-head." he said bluntly as he turned away.

"Thankyou Sanji." Nami said. Sanji spun back to her, love hearts floating from his head and a dazed look in his visible eye.

"Anything for you my wonderful Nami-swaaaan!" he cooed before starting on the cake. Robin and Luffy ventured out onto the deck while Nami went and got what she needed for the banner. Luffy looked around, swinging around the deck like a monkey as he made sure his first mate wasn't anywhere in sight.

When he had confirmed this, Luffy jumped down onto the docks, grabbed the bag that he had hidden in the bushes nearby, and threw it onto the ship and rocketed himself back up again. Robin blinked at the bag before smiling and placing a hand on her hip.

"It's nearly twice the width of you Captain-san." she commented. Luffy peered over the bag at her (it was just underneath his chin in height) and grinned widely.

"I got heaps of stuff!" he said proudly. Robin nodded, still smiling, as she stepped towards the bag and Luffy opened it. Streamers, balloons, and everything else Luffy had gotten, spilled onto the deck of the ship.

"I'm gonna decorate the mast!" Luffy announced, and grabbing three rolls of streamers, he stretched his arms up to the crow's nest and rocketed himself up and into it. Robin eyed the lanterns before three hands picked them up and then began passing them along the deck and then up the wall of the kitchen so they could be placed on the small nails that had been put there, especially for them.

She placed two there and then the other one was placed at the opposite end of the ship. Robin then pulled out some of the funny party hats, and she began to laugh quietly. She could just imagine Zoro wearing one of these.

"Woohohoo!" Luffy cried as he jumped out of the crow's nest, one arm wound around the mast and then his legs clamped around it and he stopped.

"This is so much fun Robin!" he cried. The older woman smiled.

"Indeed it is, Captain." she replied. Luffy continued winding the streamers in an… interesting pattern around the mast and Robin continued placing ornaments, and lanterns in strategic places, all over the ship.

"I wonder if Sanji's finished the cake yet..."

---

"Us-opp!" came Luffy's sing song voice and the long nosed boy looked up.

"Luffy's ready." he whispered to Chopper. The reindeer looked over and frowned at the sight of Zoro leaning against the wall, snoring as loudly as possible.

"If we wake him up, and try to get him up there, he'll just ignore us and go to sleep again." Chopper muttered, a small pout on his furry lips. Usopp nodded before crossing his arms and thinking.

"I know!" he cried, a spark forming in the air above him. Chopper blinked as Usopp got up, and crept over to Zoro. Carefully, Usopp tickled Zoro's nose with a feather he had gotten from his shoulder bag. Zoro wrinkled his nose and turned away, waving a hand around as he did so.

Usopp tickled Zoro's nose again and the swordsman scratched at his nose, muttering something about chickens invading his dreams. Chopper began moving to the door. When Zoro woke up, he would not be a happy guy. Usopp frowned and thought again for a minute before grinning.

"I have it!" and he ran from the room, disappearing down the hall. Chopper blinked, and Usopp's footsteps had only just faded when the boy ran back into the room again, carrying something pink, and frilly. Chopper's eyes went wide.

"Is that…?" he began. Usopp grinned.

"Yep." he replied before tying the lacy object around Zoro's head and over his eyes. When Zoro woke up… ohoohoo. Danger city.

"Isn't Nami going to be angry about this?" Chopper asked.

"Well… maybe a little. But, she'll forgive me. After all, how many bra's has she got?" Usopp replied. He then waved his hand at Chopper, signalling that the reindeer should get out while he still could. Usopp backed away to the ladder and stood there for a moment.

"Zoro's got a bra on!" he yelled and then bolted up the ladder. As he slammed the door trap door shut, he heard a loud roar. Maybe that was a little… harsh. Oh well, what was done, was done. Luffy looked at his friend and then jumped backwards as the trap door smashed open to reveal an irate swordsman.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" everyone chorused. Zoro paused, his bright red face making him look almost comical. He looked around at everyone, the decorations and brightly coloured lanterns. Luffy jumped forward and crouched down in front of his swordsman, grinning widely in the man's face.

"Zoro didn't think Luffy would forget about his birthday, did he?" he asked. Zoro blinked before a slow grin began spreading across his face.

"Thankyou Captain." and he scruffed Luffy's hair, making the hat fall sideways over the boy's eyes. Luffy giggled and backed away again.

"Get your ass over here Marimo." Sanji called and Zoro turned to see a small table set up by the kitchen, a cake on top of it. Twenty candles peppered the surface of a lime green cake. Zoro blinked at it before laughing and jumping up onto the deck. Usopp closed it as the rest of the group gathered around the birthday boy.

"I was gonna make it hot pink, but, we didn't have that type of food colouring." Sanji commented, a sly smile on his face. Zoro let the comment go as he blew out the candles.

"Whadidja wish for?" Luffy asked brightly. Zoro gave Luffy a mysterious smile.

"For me to know, and you to find out." he replied. Luffy blinked in confusion but then Sanji began cutting the cake, and he promptly forgot all train of thought.

The night was spent with Nami belting Usopp around the head for using her bra as bait, Zoro chasing Luffy around the ship after the boy stole his piece of cake. Sanji commenting that Zoro was old, and would soon have to go to a retirement home for Pirates.

At least, he did this until Zoro pointed out that Sanji was the same age as him, and that was when Sanji shut up about that matter. The moon was in the middle of the sky above them by the time everyone finally got tired enough to call it a night.

"Na, isn't Zoro going to bed?" Luffy asked, yawning widely as he stood beside the trap door. Zoro, who was leaning against the mast, smiled.

"Nah, I think I might stay up here for a while yet." he replied. Luffy tilted his head, silently asking if anything was up. Zoro shook his head.

"I'm fine. Just want to sit here for a while yet." and Luffy nodded.

"Night Zoro!" and he bounced down the stairs and out of sight.

"Night captain." Zoro muttered before sighing and standing. He moved to the front of the ship, and stood behind the figurehead as he looked up at the night sky. He had been silently dreading his birthday, as his last one had brought broken ribs and a busted lip from a particularly violent pirate he had been hunting. That pirate had gotten away too. The year before that, he hadn't been around anyone who would have cared about his birthday anyway.

The year before that, he had been half starved, dying of thirst, in a dingy in the middle of the sea after a storm had swept him off course. No, he hadn't had a good run of birthdays. Zoro always seemed to get bad luck on the eleventh of November.

But this year, he had had a good birthday for once. Just this once. He didn't care if next year brought something terrible. He would deal with it. At least, for once, he had had a good birthday.

"I don't have to wish to be the best… I will be." he muttered and turned away, heading back towards the cabins.

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Yay! Happy birthday Zoro! This is my gift to you! And anyone else who has their birthday today! Happy birthday to you all! -throws confetti, giant chickens and random Zoro's around the room- Review! Or I will make sure a plague of locusts decends on your homes. -grin- have a nice day!