The strawhat crew were currently sailing through a winter area. Be it the cold weather or a supernatural phenomenon, the Thousand Sunny was unusually quite. Chopper was enjoying himself with his favorite weather. Luffy and Usopp were in the aquarium watching their newest catch, a sharkranha. Franky was at his office building something as usual. Nami was at the library drawing maps for her world map. Brook was at the kitchen trying to warm himself up by the stove while saying 'my skin is cold, even though I'm only bones, yohohoho'. Sanji was cooking a recipe he learned at the Newkama Land made especially for chilly days such as these, a chilly pepper rabbit stew, making sure to put the spiciest peppers on seaweed head's bowl. Actually, Zoro's bowl consisted only of peppers.

The swordsman was sleeping on the deck as he always do, even in such an ungodly weather. This caugh the eye of the always observant archaeologist of the crew, Nico Robin. Even if she wasn't observing him, it would be nearly impossible to ignore the man's deafening sneezes.

"Wouldn't you find it easier to sleep inside where it's warmer?" said her as she approached the swordsman

"Shut up, it's none of your damn business. " he said while trying to look tough, but his shivering gave him away

"You won't be able to sleep outside when it minus twenty degrees Celsius in here. "

"Hmph, you think I can't stand such little cold? Well then watch me."

"In this weather it may be dangerous to be outside. You might die, you know?"

"Watch. Me"

She knew that with his stubborn nature he wouldn't come inside. It was only a matter of time until he got frostbite, or worse. So she left.

"What, can't stand a little cold?" Zoro said tautingly to her retreating form

"No, I just went to get you this" she said handing him a thick blanket

"Don't want it" was what he said but it took him every bit of his self control to not snatch that blanket from her hands and wrap himself on it

"Alright then" she said while standing up and crossing her arms on her chest. "Tres fleur, wrap" arms sprouted from around him and wrapped the soft, warm blanket on his body

"Hey, what the heck are you doing? Stop it" he tried to free himself from her, but it was fruitless. Sure, he could easily overpower her, but what if it ended up hurting her? No, he can't have that.

"Cien fleur, delphinium" a path of arms rolled Zoro into the girls' quarters, and onto Robin's bed. The swordsman struggled the whole way there, but he couldn't force himself to fight any longer once he found himself in the warmth of the soft, comfortable bed. Compared to the hellish cold outside, this was better. Much better.

"Bastard, why did you do that for?! " said the annoyed moss haired man

"I should be the one saying that! Don't you realise you could have died out there hadn't I heard you? Even you are smarter than this, Zoro! " said the exasperated woman. Is he really that stupid? Or maybe just reckless? Yes, that's what he is, stupidly reckless

"What did you say? How can you say all these things when it's all your fault! "

"My fault! How can it be my fault? I have just saved your life! "

"How can it be not your fault? Because of you I can't focus on my training, or sleep right, or drink all I want! Even when I'm fighting all I can think of is if you are doing alright, or imagine if you are hurt. I can't do anything right lately because all I think of is you! "

This sudden declaration got the archaeologist off guard, but she had that feeling that if she didn't hear the right words from his mouth this might become a terrible misunderstanding.

"And why do you think it is my fault?" she was blushing violently by now

"Clearly you have done something to me! I'm not acting like myself. My bad, I must be sick, that must be why I'm this red. Forget I said anything" he said while standing up

"Don't get up. Honestly, Mr. Swordsman, you must be even more hard headed than I though. You are not sick or anything like that. What you are feeling is called love. You love me, and that's why you are acting 'strange' as you have just said"

"I love you? "

"Yes, you love me. I want you to say it with all the words, and not as a question either. I want you to affirm it. Say that you love me. "

"I'm not saying it! " but it only took one look from Robin to his stubborn pride fall. "Ok, ok I'll say it. Nico Robin, I-I l-l-love you. Yeah, I love you. You make me act all weird, sometimes you are an annoying troublesome woman, I can't focus when I fight knowing that you are in the battlefield as well, that you could get hurt, but it's also reconforting to know that you have my back. I know all that, and I still love you. I want to be by your side at all times, not as just a friend or a comrade or a crewmate, but as your lover. I know I'm not the easiest guy to be around and I'm too proud and stubborn, but would you be with me? "

"I thought you would never say that"

Then Robin pulled Zoro into a passionate kiss. At first he was stunned but then he kissed her back and was fierce, almost hungry of her. She let his tongue in and explore every part of her mouth. Their kiss lasted for a few minutes but for them it passed like the blink of an eye. Robin noticed Zoro was still slightly shivering and then proceeded to lay him down on her bed, but he pulled her with him and so the two of them stayed like that, cuddling under the warm covers, sharing their bodies' heat.

"I still haven't figured out why you did that stunt back there." Robin said after some moments of comfortable silence

"At first I just fell asleep on the deck, but when I was about to get inside you showed up and I didn't want to look weak in front of you. "

"So you were ready to die of hypothermia just because of your stupid pride? "

"Hey, it's not stupid, it's called a man's pride! "

"No, it's just stupid"

"And you love it. "

"I think I do. "

"Say it. "

"What? "

"Say you love me. "

"I love you, Roronoa Zoro. "

And so the couple stayed like that, sharing some kisses under the covers on the comfortable silence. Until a certain stupid love cook came to call 'his Robin' for dinner and made a huge fuss before fighting Zoro. The fight destroyed half the Thousand Sunny, and after a few good punches from both Nami and Franky, Zoro and Sanji will help Franky repair the ship as payment for the money Nami 'lent' them.