Bold: Zoro Speaking

Bold Italic: Robin Speaking

This Is Why The Rum Is Gone

How is it that no matter where the Strawhats go, there always seems to be a party. This occasion however is special in that they managed to save their nakama Robin from the clutches of CP9 and survive a Buster Call to boot. It seemed as though the whole island was there if you went by the ruckus alone. If you attended it, you had one hell of a sight. Giants, King Bulls, the Strawhats, Galley-La, the Franky Family, and many other people taking in the festivities, including the Mayor of Water 7, Iceburg. As the party continued on, there is one person who is enjoying the party but staying out of the way, even though it is because of her that the party is being held. Robin, the archaeologist and now former prisoner of CP9, was sitting off to the side, casually drinking a burgundy wine from a glass. As she sipped, she heard the footsteps of a certain swordsman walk up to her, with a barrel tucked under his arm. "Kenshi-san. To what do I owe this visit for?" she asked the green-haired man as he set the barrel down. He gazed from his dark brown eyes into her deep blue ones.

"Oi, oi. I just came here to see if you want to have a drink with me." said the swordsman who after having drank enough beer to stock a bar was still practically sober. "Well, it's more than just a drink, but rather a game that you would like." he said as he hoisted the barrel onto the table between them. The tap for the barrel was between them.

"A game is it, Kenshi-san?" asked the older woman as she looked at the young man pull up two mugs and set them between himself and her.

"Indeed, Koukogakusha-san." he said with a smirk as he looked that the woman who was 9 years his senior. Robin's eyebrow twitched as Zoro used her naming technique for her fellow crew mates against her. "A game involving information of oneself and putting it on the line." he said as he began to fill the two mugs with the contents of the barrel. The scent of the liquor known as rum filled the air that seemed to have also been filled with the meat being cooked by Sanji.

"And how do we play this game, Kenshi-san?" she said with a lingering aspect in her voice, trying to play with Zoro. This sort of aspect would have melted Sanji where he stood had he heard her speak this way. However, Zoro seemed steadfast in his character as he hoisted up a mug of the rum and motioned for Robin to do the same.

"We down a mug as fast as possible. Loser has to answer any question the winner asks." he said as he eyed the woman who had tried to use her femininity to falter him. One of Robin's eyebrows raised in a pique of interest over this intriguing game. She reached for a mug and grabbed hold of it. She smiled as she looked up at him from over the rim.

"A very interesting idea. I accept." she said as they held their mugs at mouth level. The two counted off and began to down the rum. It left a good burn along their throats as the down them as fast as they could. Surprisingly enough, Robin took the first round, although Zoro allowed such a victory to happen. "It appears as though I have won. So now to take my spoils." she said as she began to think of a question. Her eyes caught the white glint off of his most treasured sword's sheath. "What is the story behind that sword of yours, Kenshi-san?" she asked. Zoro explained the history that lied between him and the original owner of the sword, Kuina. They filled their mugs and began another round. This time, the swordsman was the victor.

"Now is my turn." he said as he began to pick one of the questions that he had planned out ahead of time. "Why didn't you try to bribe me when you first joined the crew?" he asked the raven-haired woman as she was taken aback by his query.

"I have a deep respect for you, Kenshi-san. You're resolute when it comes to your dream and your self-protection. Those two aspects to which I can relate to." she said as looked at him. Her eyes conveyed the story that her lips were saying to the young swordsman. They filled their mugs once more and began again. The burn of the rum being even less than before though still as warming as ever. The victor was Robin; however, she knew that Zoro had let her win on purpose. "Why did you let me win on purpose?" she asked. She gave up her need to be alluring and started to be straight forward, with a little help from the rum.

"Waiting on you to ask the right question." said the swordsman as started to refill their mugs. As soon as the mugs were given back to the competitors, Robin did a quick count-off that caught Zoro by surprise. Robin won this one again, without the help of Zoro.

"What is the right question that you want me to ask?" she said in a tone that had a hint of anger, more than any real emotions she had ever shown to her nakama before.

"You already know it, Robin, but you are afraid to hear what I might say." he said as he gave her a stare that seemed to probe into the woman's soul. As a swordsman, Zoro learned to read a person's body language to see their next moves, but he was able to use this in regular conversations. He knew that Robin always put up a defensive guard whenever she talked to the others, but she put it up especially for him. Robin felt the eyes of Zoro stare her down as she took in his answer. He started to fill the mugs for the next round as Robin felt a shiver go down her spine courtesy of the swordsman's words. She began to feel a little light-headed as well, but that was courtesy of the rum. As the mugs were handed back to the competitors, they counted off, Robin's speech a little slurry but still clear. Robin was determined now to get the answer that she wanted. She chugged down her mug as though her life depended on it. Zoro tried to win so as to get more info on her, but he knew that he had become an enigmatic fixation of the archaeologist. As Robin slammed her mug down, she got up and walked over to sit next to Zoro on his bench, if you could call what she did "walking". As she sat down, she looked at him through her bleary eyes that damned the very alcohol that caused them. However, it wasn't called "liquid courage" for nothing.

"Would you have saved me if Sencho-san not said anything?" she asked, after thinking about it over and over ever since the Strawhats initial assault on Enies Lobby. Robin's eyelids started to become droopy, but she was resolute in getting the answer she so desperately wanted to hear. She had tried to earn the young man's trust and friendship the entire time since she joined. She always felt that he was always looking down on her and never saw her as a nakama. Zoro reached up and grabbed her chin, steadying her head that swayed as branch in a gentle breeze.

"After our adventures in Sky Island, I had a realization that only furthered once these events happened." he said as he stared into the blue eyes of the older woman, conveying every word of his to be true, "I would have come for you even if Luffy said not to." he said as he leaned in and pressed a light and delicate kiss on Robin's lips, much to her surprise. She never knew that a man who had been called a living demon could show much passion and gentleness as he did with his kiss. Her eyes began to tear up a bit as she had never had anyone profess such an act of sacrifice for her sake. As the tears neared completion, Zoro reached up and gently wiped them off as he stared into her eyes. This sensation of comfort and security blanketed her to where she leaned up against Zoro, lying her head onto his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and leaned in. "You're safe now, Robin. You are home now." he said as he kissed her forehead. A smile grew on her face as she drifted into slumber. Zoro gently picked up the archaeologist and took her back to the Galley-La room that she was staying in and laid her in her bed. He pressed another kiss on her forehead and left her to revel in her new stash of knowledge that she had earned as she slumbered.

The End