Luffy, Chopper and Usopp approached Robin tentatively.
Well, Chopper and Usopp did, Luffy bounded over like a dog – more like an over-excited puppy going on its' first walk with its' friend.
"Oi~! Robin! Whatcha readin'?" Luffy asked, sitting in the spot she had made on her banana lounge for him when he had approached.
"The history of a far-off kingdom in the second half of the Grand Line." Robin answered, flicking past a page before closing the book, giving her full attention to the rubber man.
"That sounds boring."
"I suppose it would be if you do not wish to learn of the past, senchou." Robin admitted, leaning forward. "Now, what is it that the three of you wish for?"
"Can we have some flowers, please?" Chopper asked.
"Some flowers?" Robin seems surprised before she smiles gently. "I suppose I can spare some for you three."
"Yay! Thanks Robin!" Luffy pulls her into an almost-bone-breaking hug, which she reciprocates as best as she can.
"Not a problem senchou, now, shall we?"
In the end, they decide on bouquets of red poppies and roses, blue orchids and iris', sunflowers and yellow chrysanthemum, pink roses and, Luffy grabs a beautiful hibiscus-like flower as an afterthought. He doesn't know why he chose it but he felt like it was important. Plus, they gather lots of bendy twigs they found in Nami's grove.
"May I inquest as to what you will be accomplishing with the flowers?" Robin asks as she places her flowers into a handwoven basket with care.
"We're going to make flower crowns!" Chopper says enthusiastically.
"I see, then perhaps we should remove the thorns from the roses."
"No." Luffy said firmly, finishing his picking and leaping down onto the grassy deck of Sunny.
Usopp, Chopper and Robin shared bemused looks before shrugging and following their captain down to Sunny's deck.
"Oi~! Zoro!"
Luffy hears the swordsman sigh loudly, even as he crashes into the 'sleeping' man.
"What do you want baka?"
"Make flower-crowns with us." Luffy mumbles into Zoro's nice and warm chest.
Zoro sighs long-sufferingly, "I suppose I could."
Luffy grins into Zoro's scarred chest. "Thanks Zoro."
Zoro just grunts and sits down closer to where Robin, Usopp and Chopper have congregated.
Luffy flops off of the swordsman and rolls up, simultaneously reaching into the basket of flowers.
The quartet sit in silence, carefully constructing their masterpieces.
"Finished!" Luffy looks at the amalgamation of flowers in his hands with pride and promptly places it on Zoro's head.
Usopp giggles a little because, red, yellow and blue does not match the swordsman's green hair.
"Why those three colours, Luffy?" Usopp finally asks because, while his captain wears them constantly, he doesn't know the meaning behind them.
Luffy grins like the words he is to speak are not an anvil on his crew's hearts. "Because, red roses for Ace cos he loves red and is prickly like the thorns of a rose. Blue for Sabo because he was free in the end and yellow because it's happiness, at least, that's what Sabo told me." Luffy scratches his head, thinking hard, was there something else Sabo said?
He brings himself out of his musings at Robin's light chuckle. "I see, in that case, would you wear this for me?"
The crown is a mixture of pale, pink roses and purple tulips that Robin had chosen. "Woah, it's so pretty, shishi, thank you Robin!"
Usopp finally breaks out of his miniature panic attack and plonks the sunflower and clover crown down on Chopper's head, first removing the doctor's cap and ensuring that it will not break on the little guy's antlers.
Chopper touches it softly then beams. "Thanks Usopp!"
"No problem Chopper, did I tell you about the time I made a daisy chain so large it surrounded the entire island?!"
"Really?!"
"Oi, Usopp." Zoro frisbees a crown of leaves carefully crafted of leaves from the plants. Usopp grins as he tugs it in over his almost-afro.
Speaking of afros. "Yohoho, so this is where everyone has scampered off to. May I?"
Brook sits down next to Luffy and picks out some flowers for himself.
"Super flower crowns!"
"Are those from my mikan grove?"
"Yes, Nami, they were all along the soil so I allowed the boys to pick them up." Robin says pleasantly, glancing in admiration at her own cherry blossom crown, Franky had crafted it from his own blossoms.
"I brought everyone some tea." Sanji appears, carrying two trays of steaming herbal tea.
"What kind?"
"Green sencha with a dash of honey." Sanji says, flourishing the cups to everyone before making his seat next to Nami.
"Here you go Sanji-san!" Brook says cheerfully, placing the dark blue orchid crown on top of the blonde's head.
Sanji smiles and thanks the skeleton, picking up his own flowers and crafting a weaved crown out of the remaining sticks and iris'. "For you, Nami-swan."
"Why thank you Sanji-kun." Nami indulges the man and allows him to gently place the crown atop her smooth orange locks.
Nami picks up some for herself and hums a song as she brings another crown together.
Brook's is a halo of yellow chrysanthemum and leaves.
Luffy laughs quietly, curling into Zoro's side and sipping the tea in content.
Zoro rumbles a laugh of his own.
The atmosphere is peaceful, with the sun beginning to set, casting orange and purple shadows over them, there was nowhere else Luffy would rather be.
"And this one's for you Luffy." Zoro finally says, picking up the crown they'd been making for the past 15 minutes.
Within it were everything, leaves, twigs, sunflowers, roses, poppies, orchids, iris'. The final finishing touches being the beautiful hibiscus-like flower Luffy had felt compelled to choose before.
"Wow! You guys made me another one? Thanks." He grins as Zoro lightly places it on his head, like one would bestow a king with a crown if said king wasn't sprawled against the crown-giver.
The straw hats smile because this is what they live for, the friendship, the bonds they share will never break.
And if their captain freely tells them of a long-forgotten (but not really because how could he forget?) later on, they will be strong for him even if it breaks their hearts.