AN: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!

Hey! New story for you today! This was a request from megaME for Zoro joining Baroque Works instead of the Strawhats ^_^ Hope you enjoy this first chapter!

Chapter One – Miss All-Sunday

"Can I help you?"

"Well, Roronoa-san, you are the only one who can answer that."

"'Roronoa-san'? You know who I am then. What do you want with me, Woman?" Zoro grunted, lowering his pint to the bar top as he glanced over his shoulder at the unusually tall woman.

"You are Pirate Hunter Zoro, are you not?" She smiled, a cold, knowing glint in her icy blue eyes.

It wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him, but the first time it had been a woman. This woman didn't seem like the others though: she'd clearly seen things that many would never see in thousands of lifetimes. Her smile was part of a poker face, a mask. He could tell from one glance at the older woman that her eyes didn't even reflect the truth, just the coldness of someone who's known death.

Someone familiar with killing.

"I didn't give myself that title." He replied, turning back to his pint but never letting his attention drop from her.

He didn't trust her.

"It does seem very fitting if the rumours are true." She returned, walking towards him, her hips swinging in their ridiculously short purple skirt, the white fringe brushing against the top of her soft-looking pale thighs.

"I take bounties to pay for food and drink, not some form of self justice." He replied into his pint, aware of her taking the bar stool next to him.

"Not a place to stay the night?" She laughed, causing him to look at her again, watching her warily having never heard such a forced laugh.

"I don't need somewhere to stay." He grunted back, finishing his pint. "What do you want?"

"Well, perhaps I just wished to look upon the great Pirate Hunter Zoro of East Blue?" She smiled coyly, leaning towards him slightly.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her as he refused to glance down as her large chest struggled against the restraint of her purple waistcoat, the white shoelace strings that held it closed pulled taunt. Was she attempting to seduce him? Like hell that was going to work. He wasn't interested in some woman in her twenties here to make him into her pet. He was going to find Mihawk and become the World's Greatest Swordsman. He didn't have time to mess around with some woman, and he certainly couldn't become some shitty pet!

"I asked what you wanted – don't answer me with a question." He growled, his left hand reaching for Wado Ichimonji.

"I only wish to talk, Roronoa-san." She smiled, sitting back again, clearly realising that wasn't going to work on him. "I wish to invite you to join us."

"Baroque Works again, huh? I figured you'd get the hint after what I did to your last messenger." He grinned, tightening his grip on Wado. "What makes your boss think I won't do the same to you?"

"Oh, Roronoa-san, I'd be very impressed if you managed to, however Mr 0 is very determined to have you join us." She replied, waving a hand airily to the bartender to gain his attention. "Could you possibly get this young gentleman another drink, and I would like a glass of white."

Well, she clearly realised the bar only had the one type of white wine then, or red for that matter. Had she checked the board? He hadn't seen her check it? He'd been watching her since she'd entered the bar, and she'd been watching him. She'd just come straight up to him. Who was this woman? She was clearly higher up the food chain than the last guy, but just how high up was she? She'd come here knowing full well who he was and she still doubted he'd manage to slice her? She wasn't worried about getting that pretty skin of hers covered in cuts?

"I told the last guy that came to me that I'd only join if you made me the boss." He smirked, accepting the offered pint from the bartender. "So what's the plan? Get me drunk and drag me off? You don't look like you'd get me very far."

"You would be surprised by how far I could get you, Roronoa-san." She replied teasingly, making him wince slightly. "However, someone as strong and skilled as yourself should be able to make his way towards the top fairly quickly."

"I'm not interested, Woman." He growled, taking a gulp of his pint – the faster he finished it, the quicker he could get away from her.

"You are only interested in defeating Dracule Mihawk." She stated simply, elegantly sipping her wine.

Zoro's head snapped around to look at her, his eyes going wide with surprise. How had she known? Just who was this woman? How had she known about his goal? She must have actually done some research before coming to him. What else did she know? Did she know about Kuina? No. That wasn't possible. No-one knew about her, not out here anyway. It wasn't as if it would be all that surprising for him to be interested in defeating Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.

"How's that information going to help you?" He grunted, turning back to his pint, his eyes narrowed once more as he stared into the cool depths of the wooden tankard.

"If you manage to prove yourself useful and work your way to the higher ranks of our organisation, then Mr 0 will organise for you to duel Dracule Mihawk." She smiled challengingly at him from below her purple cowboy hat, hiding her eyes from him.

"Your boss must have some interesting connections to be able to make a promise like that." He stated, not rising to her.

"You'd be surprised, Roronoa-san." She laughed quietly, taking another sip of her wine as she turned away from him, crossing her long pale legs towards him.

"What am I supposed to call you anyway?" He grunted, ignoring the slight warmth to his ears as he took a sip of his own drink.

"I am Miss All-Sunday, Roronoa-san."

"Roronoa-san, I did not expect to have to come find you again so soon."

"What you talking about, Woman?"

"I believe I only seen you just under a year ago? Mr 0 isn't too happy that you've lost another partner – what happened to this one?" She asked, a sickly sweet smile across her deceitful lips.

"She fell in the water – not my fault she was a Devil Fruit eater." He grunted, maintaining his seated position as he leant back against the tree, his eyes closed.

"And you did not think to help her? That must have been a very interesting death for her, slowly drowning as all the energy was sapped out of her body by the slowly darkening water as she sunk. I would imagine it was slow and particularly painful." She replied, Zoro clearly able to picture her thoughtful expression as he continued to sit with his eyes closed.

"The same would happen to you if you fell in, right?" He smirked, sure he'd caught her by surprise. "You're a Devil Fruit eater. It's been bothering me since we met a year ago, but it's the only conclusion I can come up with."

"Very good, Roronoa-san." She chimed like a teacher praising her student, Zoro picturing a happy smile across her lips. "Do you know what Devil Fruit I ate?"

"I'm working on it." He grinned, opening his eyes to look up at her.

"Do you want me to show you?" She replied playfully, taking a few steps towards him, the white fringe of her ever-present purple skirt brushing against her pale thighs as always, not that he'd met her more than once.

"Where's the fun in that?" He replied, grinning at her challenge.

"Then perhaps you would like to explain why you're five miles from where you are supposed to be?" She laughed annoyingly.

"The map was wrong." He grunted, ignoring the heat in his ears.

"That was the same map that your partner directed you using, correct?" She asked, and he knew she was already aware of the answer.

"Yes." He growled, glaring up at her. "What do you want this time anyway, Woman?"

"You have already lost four partners – we're going to run out of woman willing to work with you if you continue like this." She replied, a strange smile across her lips.

"And? I don't need any damn woman yapping in my ear all the time." He grunted, closing his eyes again – she was just here to lecture him.

She'd actually proved to be quite interesting a year earlier. He'd even seen that strange smile once, just as she was leaving the pub, telling him that they'd be in touch. He wasn't sure what it meant, but maybe she was about to disappear in a puff of smoke? She was a Devil Fruit eater, so anything was possible. They hadn't actually talked much, other than the teasing she'd given him after she'd told him her name. The connotations of 'Miss All-Sunday' had been enough to make him actually choke on his beer. He'd never gotten to the specific date of his past partners, so he had no idea if there was anything to their names, but he wasn't sure he even wanted to find out.

"Mr 0 has decided you are definitely proving to be a very valuable asset, as pre-"

"Then let me fight Mihawk."

"-as predicted. He has decided that he needs someone with a little more intelligence to keep an eye on you until we can find you a partner that is more...more 'compatible' with you." She replied, a mildly annoyed look in her chilly blue eyes that contradicted her smile. "He has asked me to watch you."

"You?! I don't want to be stuck with you, Damn Woman! I'm fine on my own." He argued, determined he wouldn't put up with being thrown together with this woman.

He'd had four different women shoved on him so far, and the only thing they'd been good at was irritating the hell out of him, spending all their money and getting in the way. He'd felt a little guilty at not jumping in after the last one, but if she was useless enough to get that close to the water fighting one person when he was busy fighting the other thirty-odd, then she had no business being with Baroque Works as far as he was concerned. He'd accidently sliced the first while they'd been training, and she'd ended up bleeding to death in her sleep in the hotel after yelling at him that she was fine and storming off on her little temper tantrum. The second had lost to her opponent in a room on the opposite side of the building from him, and the third had been shot by a pirate...which was how he ended up in a fight with said pirates...winning against them had actually gained him a decent promotion.

"Roronoa-san, you may be Mr 12, but you definitely still need a partner – without one, you would never complete a mission." She returned, her annoyance slightly more obvious.

He'd make her do something other than smile.

"And what makes you say that? I've completed every mission so far, even after losing my partners." He replied, a cocky smirk set to annoy her further – she shouldn't doubt him.

"How could you complete a mission if you get lost on your way there, as you have now?" She smirked back, knowing she'd caught him as his cheeks warmed slightly.

"Damn Woman." He grunted, glaring up at her as he turned his face away from her.

"Miss All-Sunday." She corrected with a cute laugh.

"So, how we gonna do this?" He sighed, looking at the double bed in front of him.

"Is there more than one way?" She smiled, a teasing tone to her voice.

He was not in the mood.

"I'd have thought you'd have at least gotten a twin room, Woman." He grunted, moving over to the window to stare out at the pouring rain rather than at the irritating woman that had brought him to this stupid tropical island.

"We'll only have to stay one night, Mr 12." She replied, the smile still annoyingly clear in her voice.

"And I don't know shit about you, and you expect me to share a bed with you? After I didn't even want to share a room with you? You haven't done anything useful on the past missions, so why are you even here?!" He exclaimed, fed up of her constant teasing, her constant silence, her constant never doing anything to help him.

"What do you wish to know, Mr 12? I am Miss All-Sunday of Baroque Works, and I have been your temporary partner for the last six months. I am solely here to direct you on your way to your missions since you are so adamant that you do not need a partner. I am the Vice President of the organisation, and the partner of Mr 0, but I find myself leading a directionless man around because he can't keep a partner alive." She explained, her voice completely neutral. "The only reason I was chosen to keep an eye on you was because I can keep myself alive."

"We're finally getting somewhere." He smiled, dropping down onto the chair next to the window.

"Mr 12?"

Zoro's smile grew even wider as the mild look of confusion past through her cool blue eyes.

"That's the most you've ever said to me at one time." He grinned up at her, watching as a small smile appeared on her lips, the most genuine smile he'd ever seen on her strangely beautiful face.

"And that made you happy, Mr 12?" She replied, taking a few steps past the end of the bed towards him.

"Very. I may not appreciate anyone yapping in my ear all day, but not knowing anything about you has been irritating me for a year and a half now." He answered, his face becoming serious as he watched her. "I didn't know you were as high up as Vice President, I guess I should be honoured – were you that high up when you came to invite me to join?"

"I was." She replied, stopping directly in front of him, holding his gaze.

"The Vice President of Baroque Works came to invite me to join the organisation, and even went through the effort of doing some research on me. I was just some random swordsman from East Blue back then." He continued, staring back up at her, awaiting an explanation.

"Back then, yes, but Mr 0 saw your potential." She stated, her fake smile back, her death-stained eyes as impossible to read as always.

"Are you ever going to tell me who you really are?" He asked, searching her mask for the smallest crack.

"I've already told you many times before, Mr 12." She replied, a sad smile gracing her lips.

"Same answer as always?" He sighed, her sad smile signalling to him that she'd said as much as she would.

"Miss All-Sunday."

Well, how was it? Obviously this is just the first chapter, and Robin is still being mysterious, but is she being completely truthful?