"Land! I see land!"
Chopper looked up at the crow's nest at Nami's announcement. He grinned widely, for he couldn't remember the last time the crew had seen land. Sure enough, Luffy was out of the galley before Nami could even finish the declaration, taking his spot on the figurehead to see for himself. A rather mischievous laugh sounded from him, and he turned to face his crew.
"Finally, we can get some more food!" Luffy commented, seeming to point the statement meaningfully at Sanji.
Sanji only rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette. Zoro leaned against the mainmast and grinned. It was no secret everyone on the crew was driving him crazy.
Chopper strained to see past them, to see if Robin was there. She had just come out of the lower cabin, a small smile illuminating her lovely face.
"I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever see land again," she remarked.
Chopper found himself grinning stupidly at the sound of her voice. No matter what she was saying, it always seemed to intoxicate him.
He couldn't remember when it started, really. When Robin had first joined the crew, every fiber of Chopper's being wanted her off the ship. He was scared of her. Then, the day came when the crew left the two of them alone to watch the ship. After he'd done a good job of making a mess of things, he and Robin got time to talk. They exchanged stories, and Chopper came away from the experience feeling much closer to her. She seemed to be rather fond of him as well. Over time, it must have festered into something more. Heartache became a regular feeling for Chopper, to an even larger extent than what it used to be. It had been so hard for him to accept that friendship could come to someone like him; so how could he expect someone as stunningly beautiful and intelligent as Robin to love him?