Robin followed the group of revolutionaries down the quiet streets. Night had fallen long ago and not a soul was awake. Robin didn't know if it was because they were in the East Blue and people didn't feel the need to guard their towns at night, or because they were confident in their abilities to protect themselves in the event that something occurred. Either way she didn't care. They had stopped to get supplies and she had asked if she could come along, not wanting to wait on the ship while an adventure was going on. The archaeologist nearly chuckled at how much her crew had rubbed off on her in her time with them.
"Miss Robin, we are in Shimotsuki Village." one of the Revolutionaries, the leader of the group, said. Robin nodded. She had never been to the East Blue before so she didn't know much of it. Many people said it was the weakest of the four seas, yet such people like Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp were born in this sea. That fact alone told her not to underestimate it. "There's a man here who helps us out from time to time when we pass through. He owns the Isshin Dojo." the man said. Robin nodded.
They approached a building in the far corner of the village. It was different then the other building, a style that resembled something Robbin saw in a book about Wano. She wondered if it was a coincidence or if the owner was maybe a person who left Wano once long ago.* "You know it is rude to sneak up to a swordsman at night." a new voice said. A middle aged man with long black hair and glasses stepped out of the building. Robin looked him over, noticing the sword at his side.
"Master Koshiro, we are revolutionaries under the command of Sabo. We are trying to return to the Grand Line and are in need of supplies." said the leader. The man regarded them for a moment, his gaze falling on Robin. She wondered if he recognized her from her newest wanted poster. At least when her poster was still of her as a child people were not as quick to recognize who she was. She wondered what he was thinking, seeing a wanted pirate with the revolutionaries. Then the man nodded.
"I understand. I have some supplies in the storage room you are welcome to. If there are people who are not needed to carry items they are welcome to rest here for now. I will make some tea." and with that the swordsman turned and disappeared into the building. Robin found herself intrigued by the man. He was no revolutionary himself, but he seemed to support their cause, or at the very least respect it.
"Miss Robin, you should go inside and rest. It is still winter so it is rather cold out*." the leader of the group said. Robin nodded, heading into the dojo before her. As soon as she entered the room she noticed how different it was from many buildings she had been in. The entrance had a stone floor and a small shelf where she saw a pair of shoes rested. There was a step up into the body of the building that had beautiful wood floors. Recalling what she read before about dojo's and from watching Zoro when he used the training room on the Sunny, Robin figured she was expected to remove her shoes. As she did she couldn't help but wonder what Zoro would think if he had been there. As a swordsman he would probably enjoy a chance to spend some time in a dojo. She wondered what he was doing now.
Robin walked around the open wooden floors, gathering information. The room she was in was very large and looked like the room the man's students would train in. She could see two doors in the back of the room One probably went into Koshiro's own home. The other was probably a bathroom for the students or a storage closet. As she scanned the room a small shrine caught her attention. Curious Robin walked over to investigate it better.
The small wooden shrine sat on a platform up off the floor. There was a picture of a young girl, but judging how faded the picture was Robin inferred that the individual had been dead for quite some time. In front of her was an empty sword stand. Robin knew some swordsman would have their swords go with them after their death, much like the samurai Ryuma that they learned about in Thriller Bark. She wondered if the girl was a swordsman at all since the stand was empty.
"I see you've met Kuina." she turned to see Koshiro had returned with a tray of tea. Robin watched him approach her and set down the tray before turning back to the picture. "She was my daughter." he elaborated. Robin nodded to show she understood.
"I'm sorry for your loss." she said. Koshiro stood beside her, also looking at the shrine.
"Don't be. It was long ago." he said. Robin wanted to know what happened but she didn't think it would be polite to ask.
"Was she a swordsman?" she asked instead. The man hummed. "I see, but she doesn't have a sword." Robin noted. The man shook his head.
"No, she does have a sword but it's no longer here." he said. Robin thought about Ryuma's blade that now rested on Zoro's hip.
"Was it stolen?" she asked, recalling how the blade and the samurai had been in Thriller Bark because the warlord had stolen them from Wano. If she recalled correctly Brook had said they were national treasures. She hoped that wouldn't cause Zoro any problems in the future. After all Brook and Franky had said he won the sword fair and square.
"No, it was entrusted to her friend." he said. Robin found herself even more interested.
"I see. May I ask what happened?" she asked. Koshiro actually turned to her.
"I had expected you to already know, however the fact you don't does not come as surprise to me." he said. Robin wondered if it was somehow a major incident, or did this man hear of rumors of her and expected her to know everything? "Kuina wasn't the best at making friends. In fact most of the students here at the dojo didn't like her very much. She was strong and defeated any challenger that came at her. Most stopped fighting her after a few losses. One boy however never gave up on fighting her. They had two thousand matches and despite him being defeated each time he still came back to challenge her again." Koshiro said. Robin smiled at that.
"He sounds rather determined." she said. Koshiro nodded.
"Indeed. Kuina was rather ambitious herself. She had dreamed of becoming the worlds greatest swordsman, but as I tried to explain to her, that goal would never be in her reach. As a woman she would never be able to accomplish such a task." he said. Robin felt a pang of anger and sadness. As someone who spent her childhood studying so her mother would stay by her side, it nearly broke her heart that a parent would shoot down their child's dream so easily. She also felt that that line of thinking was incorrect. After all Tashigi was a good swordsman herself. Not as good as Zoro as far as Robin was concerned, but a force not to be underestimated. Herself and Nami were also good fighters and could handle their own in battle.
"I believe our swordsman would disagree with you." Robin said. She had recalled the reports of how Zoro didn't hesitate to take down all of the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak. Some were women and children. To Zoro an enemy was an enemy. The only people he refused to kill were those significantly weaker then him, not wanting their blood on his hands. To her surprise the swordsman chuckled.
"I know he would." he said. Robin wondered if he knew his thinking was not correct. It was also a possibility that the man had heard of Zoro. If he recognized her then he most likely knew what pirate crew she came from. Since no one knew about Brook yet, it was obvious the only swordsman she could have been referring to was Zoro. While a few of her crew members had come from the East Blue, the only one who was well known through that entire sea was Zoro. She knew that when Crocodile had heard rumors of him and ordered Mr.7 to give him an offer to join Baroque Works. Just traveling around the East Blue she heard tales of Zoro from his bounty hunter days. Most people referred to him as a demon who would kill anything for money. The image did not suit the green haired man who was usually sprawled out on the deck napping.
"My words did not deter her however. Her friend and rival had the same dream as her and they had apparently made a promise that one day it will be one of the two of them to take the title the worlds greatest." Koshiro continued on. Robin frowned at that. It was clear things did not work out the way they intended. "They had a battle with real swords. Kuina's one and his two. I'm not sure if she wanted to maintain her sword after their fight or if she was doing it because of her renewed determination from their promise. Either way she went to the storehouse to get maintenance tools for her blade and fell down the stairs when she left." he said. Robin was stunned.
"As you can imagine her friend and rival was greatly upset by what happened. He asked me for her sword after telling me of their promise and set out from here a few years ago to achieve their dream." he said. Robin nodded. It was almost heart braking. Someone that that boy must have seen as so strong, someone that boy saw as his goal, had died by simply falling down a flight of stairs.
"So the boy finds himself with a sword and a promise to fulfill." Robin surmised. Koshiro nodded. Robin immediately thought of Zoro. "That's too bad, I almost wish I could support him." she said. Koshiro gave her a confused look at that.
"What do you mean?" he asked. He sounded genuinely curious and Robin turned to him with a smile on her face.
"Because the one who is going to become the worlds greatest swordsman is Roronoa Zoro." she said. Robin fully believed that with every fiber of her existence. She believed it just like she believed Luffy would be the pirate king, that Nami would draw her world map, that Usopp would be a brave warrior of the sea, that Sanji would find the All Blue, that Chopper would be able to cure anything, that she would find the true history, that Franky's ship would carry them to Raftel, and that Brook would be reunited with Laboon. To her surprise Koshiro actually started to laugh. Robin felt a strong anger at that. How dare this man laugh at one of her nakama, one of their dreams!
"I see. I'm afraid I didn't explain the rest of the story. That boy took Kuina's white sword along with his two and ended up heading to the Grand Line on a pirate ship no less." he said. Robin paused at that, her anger fading instantly. She realized what he had found so amusing. Suddenly the dojo became much more interesting. Robin looked around again, this time able to clearly see a young Zoro clashing two bokken with the girl in the picture with their sweat dripping down onto the wooden floor. Robin looked back at the picture.
"So this is where Zoro created his three sword style." Robin said. Koshiro nodded. "And you are alright with the path he has chosen?" she asked. She had never really thought about how those related to her nakama would feel about their decisions. Nami's mother was a marine, Luffy's grandfather was a marine and his father was the leader of the Revolutionaries. Usopp's father was a pirate, and apparently so were Franky's birth parents. Koshiro smiled.
"I only ask that he treasures that sword. As long as he does that I will be proud of him no matter what kind of man he becomes." Koshiro said. He handed Robin a cup of tea and she took a sip. She had never considered the possibility of meeting any of her her crew mates families except Luffy's now that she was headed to see Dragon. She suddenly had many questions about Zoro, but she knew she'd probably never ask them. If they were things Zoro wanted them to know, he would have told them.
"Tell me, what is it like to sail with Zoro." Koshiro apparently had questions of his own. Robin found herself smiling as she thought about it.
"Zoro is very strong. He looks out for the other crew members in fights. He's determined but very stubborn, even fighting with our doctor when he gets injured on receiving medical treatment. He likes to nap during the days but that is because he rarely sleeps at night*, choosing to stay up and guard the ship. If he's not sleeping he's usually training or fighting with our cook." she said. Koshiro nodded, seemingly appeased by the response.
"Zoro wasn't the most social of my students, and he was always stubborn and bull headed. Even when he was a bounty hunter looking for Mihawk he worked alone. I heard he once took some partners but their working relationship was a short one. He may be a handful but he is like a son to me. Thank you for taking care of him." Koshiro said. Robin thought about all the times Zoro had saved them as she sipped her tea.
"I wonder just who has been taking care of who." she mused.
"Miss Robin, we're ready to go." one of the Revolutionaries called from the door. Robin nodded to show she had heard them. She turned back to Koshiro.
"I suppose this is good bye master Koshiro." she said. He nodded.
"May you have a safe journey." he told her. Robin placed the tea cup on the tray and walked to the doorway, putting on her shoes. She glanced at the room one last time before leaving with the men she had come with. As they headed toward the ship again she wondered just where Zoro ended up and what he was doing now. She was sure he was training, probably in the most intense way he could, in preparation for the day they all met again. She knew she had to do her part as well.
* Sorry, I couldn't help but include by own theory that Koshiro was possibly an escapee from Wano and trained Zoro. My theory is only based on the fact that Koshiro's dojo has a very Japanese architecture style and he believed women could not be swordsman, like what Kinemon says. Also it is hinted at that he is an amazing swordsman who is able to cut steel.
When Robin was in Tequilla Wolf it was snowing. Since she was in the East Blue and it doesn't have a crap-ton of weather changing islands I'm just assuming it is winter in the world of One Piece
In one of the SBS corners Oda put up the strawhat's sleeping schedule and Zoro's was only three hours a night plus the naps he takes during the day.
Anyway this is a story I've been sitting on for a while. I think it would have been cool if Robin had a chance to meet Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp's home towns as well as the Baratie staff and Laboon on her way back to the grand line. I highly doubt she did, but you never know. She didn't say anything about Sabo and Koala after all. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it.