(Title of this chapter comes from "Time Is All Around" by Regina Spektor, hehe.)

This one is based on a scene in Film Z! You'll be able to read this even if you haven't seen it, because (hopefully) it makes some sense out of context. ^^" There really aren't any spoilers either, I think. I hope you enjoy- I am super proud of this one!


Kuzan watched as, one by one, the Straw Hat Pirates left him standing there in the rain. Some declared outlandish things, some sighed and kept walking, and all were standing under their own brightly colored umbrellas.

They left in this fashion until only Nico Robin was left. Kuzan, however, was left dumbfounded by how simple the pirates were, though he'd had an inkling of an idea that that was the case already. He took in a breath slowly, trying to understand what these pirates were.

Robin took a step forward, following after her crewmates, while Kuzan watched with a blank look on his face. Robin blinked, looked upward and held out a hand.

"Oh?" she whispered. The rain had stopped.

She closed her orange umbrella and let the sun shine on her face. Her gaze fall on Kuzan, who blinked when her brown eyes dragged him back to reality.

She smiled at him, with the sun illuminating her face and hair in a manner that he never thought was possible. She looked radiant, joyous, happy. If she had started glowing right then and there, Kuzan wouldn't have been surprised. It was so hard to wrap his mind around the fact that this happy young lady, twenty years ago, was a haunted young child hunted down by the entire world, and it was mostly his own fault.

Just as a feeling of doubt fell over Kuzan, Robin jogged away, toward her crewmates. The magic of the moment was broken rather abruptly, and Kuzan tried to recall exactly what had just happened. He stared at the wet cobblestones of the road and realized that, two years ago, Nico Robin would not have smiled at him like that.