"You know, I was hoping he'd be less of a jerk since you two got together. He's still the the same stubborn ass he's always been." Commented the navigator as she entered the kitchen to find the archeologist feeding the toddler.

"He's actually really sweet." Was all Robin replied as she still gave all of her full attention to baby in her arms.

"Yeah, I know, around you. When I'm trying to ask him for such a simple thing he seems to always go off on me." Nami told her friend. She had taken the seat directly across from Robin after she grabbed herself some iced tea.

"He is quite the same around me I assure you. He just expresses it differently." Robin explained. "His determined nature is actually one of my favorite qualities about him."

"I don't see what you find so attractive in him. I can't stand that idiot." Nami breathed out. Clearly lost as to why her best friend would even consider dating that man.

"He's subtle." Robin said distantly. Barely above a whisper as she rocked the baby asleep. Nami just gave her a look of disbelief and tilted her head. Robin only smiled as she could tell the navigator wanted more of explanation.

"He may not say it, but he cares, about everyone. He looks after Chopper rather fatherly, which I find quite adorable. He tends to the others like brothers. Luffy may be his captain, but he has no problem straighting him out. Usopp and Franky too. He'll watch with a genuine curiousity at their newest inventions or even humor Usopp enough to tell his made up stories. Sanji he'll argue and fight, but no sooner have his back in a fight. Both have the mutual respect to never hurt one anothers pride. Brook he looks at like a long, lost older brother. Giving him no special treatment as well. Believe it or not, he looks at you like a sister. He'll lay his life on the line for you just like the rest of this crew. His small arguements or comments on how you dress are only because he knows the intentions of lesser men. He knows full well that you can handle yourself, but he doesn't want the opprotunity to present itself. He's just bad with his tone when he says all of these things. He cares, he really does." The raven haired woman finished. Finally meeting the eyes of the ever attentive red head.

"What about you? How did he show he cared before all of 'this'?" Nami requested.

"After Water 7, he told me if I ever needed someone to confide in, he or anyone would be happy to listen. It was his own way of saying he accepted me. He didn't expect me to confide in him, but he wanted me to know he would listen if I needed it. At first, I still didn't feel like talking about everthing, but it helped to know you would listen. Sometimes during my watch I'd find him drinking in the kitchen. He just greet me casually and continue drinking. It took me a few times for me to sit down and join him. We still didn't talk, but he didn't seem to mind. Once during his watch though, I was having trouble sleeping with the waves crashing into the ship. In our room, it faintly sounded of explosions and connon fire as the ship rocked back and forth. I was still haunted by the memory of The Buster Call. I wandered into the kitchen and for some reason I found myself grabbing Zoro's sake." Robin recounted.

Flashback

The sake burned her throat more than she thought. The alcohol percentage must be much higher than she anticipated. It didn't matter though, she needed something strong. The stronger, the better, the quicker it would calm her nerves. She took another large gulp, coughing as the liquid harshly passed through her body. Quickly feeling it's effects. Definitely easing her nerves but she was no light weight. She was about to take another swig when a voice came from the kitchens entrance.

"I'd prefer it if I still had some of MY sake." the voice joked in low tone. She turned around to see serious faced Zoro, as he eyed her up and down. Wondering why she was up and of all things drinking his good sake.

"I'm sorry, I was just alittle uneasy from the waves, I figured a quick sip might help me sleep." He frowned at her response walking over and taking the jug from her before taking a swig himself.

"Almost a third of it is a quick sip?" He questioned, somewhat angerly. She could only look away from his scowl as he sighed in defeat. Clearly he wasn't going to win an arguement with her if she tried. He justed turned away taking his jug with him to the crow's nest to finish his watch. She was about to walk back to her room when a rather large wave smacked into the side of the ship. The loud crack echoed through the kitchen, Robin flinched at the likeness to far off cannon fire. Zoro stopped mid stride, he could feel her flinch. He knew she was lying about why she was up but he figured she'd discuss it with someone she was more comfortable with. He turned to see her still standing there with her eyes clenched shut, trying to shut out the sounds and memories.

She was still standing there when she heard the distinct sound of liquid swishing around of a bottle. She opened her eyes to see Zoro holding out the jug for her to take. Her slight shock and questioning eyes looking back at him to see what the reason was for such a gesture.

"I think you could use some more, you still seem uneasy." Was his stern reply. She nodded in thanks before taking the jug from him and drawing from it. He turned to leave once again only to be stopped by Robin's voice this time.

"Would you mind staying here while I make myself some coffee? This doesn't seem to be the thing I need." He turned to see her place the jug on table before going around to collect a mug and the coffee. He sat down at the table in front of his sake while she started to brew the dark drink.

"It sounds all too familiar tonight. The waves crashing into the ship. The first time it happened I was young. I watched it destroy everything I knew. The second time, it threatened to take away all that I had found. It seems to haunt me. Never giving up on trying to take everything from me. Tonight sounds all too familiar." She told him. She had just poured herself a cup now making her way to the table opposite of him. He only stared at the jug before taking a sip himself. She also stared into her own drink, watching the steam rise.

"You'll get over it." He said dryly. She could only expect such a detached answer from him. He may have seemed to care, but the extent of his compassion only seemed to be that he tolerated her. That was until he spoke again. "I use to be scared of stairs. A friend of mine died going down some stairs, when I was younger I tried to avoid stairs as much as possible. I started to not be able to go into some places because of it. I was forced to either use the stairs or not. I started to feel stupid for such a small fear to be such an inconvience. I treated it just like the every day challenges in life. I needed to beat every challenge set before me. So eventually I just started using stairs again." He ended the story there.

Leaving much to Robin's imagination about the deeper meaning behind it all, but what she did get from it was actual comfort. She shouldn't fear losing something or somenone. In life, you will always lose. Fearing how or what you lose it to was pointless. She only smiled as she realized how big of a help he really was about this. She stood up and poured the rest of her coffee down the drain. As he was walking to the exited he got up to follow, they split up outside the hall. He turned to her and asked, "Going back to sleep?"

She shook her, "I'll just lay down, I still need to get over this, but thank you for listening."

"Anytime." He answered, making his way to the mast up to the crow's nest.

End of Flashback

"And after that, I would seek him out if he was on watch or I would talk with you if we were alone. He showed me that even if I felt like an outsider still because of my past, you would all relate to me and connect with me. That is when, I believe, I was starting to think about him more than I care to admit." The acheologist added. Nami had listened to her story about Zoro somehow comforting her. She didn't once interrupt or laugh or roll her eyes in sarcasm. She was genuinely intrigued that Zoro seemed to be capable of anything remotely comforting.

"I need to know more, tonight I have watch, would you mind coming up and humoring me?" The navigator asked, albeit, a little demanding.

"Of course, we haven't had a decent time to ourselves in a while. I'd be happy to join you."

"Great, I'm gonna go make sure our course is good before I rest so I can be awake tonight." Nami explained as she slightly rushed out of the kitchen.

Nami was staring out into the night sky tracing the constellations as she navigated through them all. Preoccupied with her thoughts unaware of the person climbing up the crow's nest. The movement from the hatch opening caught her attention catching the eyes of the historian as she pulled herself up.

"Hello, I brought some tea to share." Robin said. Reaching down the hatch to grab the two glasses and pitcher her clone hands held.

"Thanks, I must have been lost in thought. I hadn't realized how thirsty I am." The naviator confessed. Taking one of the glasseswhile Robin's clone hands poured the tea.

"What seems to be on your mind?" Robin asked as she took small sip from her tea.

"Do you think all of this is OK?" Nami breathed out.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, her, like, being raised by pirates. She'll be marked as a criminal as a baby. The green hair certainly doesn't help her case either. They'll immediately name her the daughter of Roronoa Zoro, and if they see you two together, the child of the devil's child? What then? Zoro's likeness is enough to condemn her in the goverment's eyes. If they even think that you're her mother, she'll be labeled with a bounty like the rest of us. Is that something that we're really allowed to do to such innocence?" Nami questioned. She hadn't really thought about all of this before, at least, not to such a degree, but it had been 4 months since they found Olivia. The longer they had her, the more at risk she was. It didn't seem fair.

The raven haired historian thought about what she said before this. "I know what you mean, Zoro and I have this discussion before. He wasn't pleased with the outcome we came to. Neither was I." Robin stared at her hands as she balled her fists, clenching her dress in discomfort.

"What did you guys decide on?" Nami's cracked a bit. Alittle saddened by the painful expression Robin wore.

"We, decided that it would be best for her to also grow up with a normal life." Robin let out a heavy sigh before she continued. "We were going to go out on the next friendly island, and look for worthy parents, to, adopt her." The last words stung to her very core. She had always wanted a family, one where she could be the ever present mother, there for comfort and guidance. She never even believed she could have it though. Zoro and her's relationship was one of the biggest shocks and changes she ever had in life. Never once considering she could let anyone in or that anyone would want to even get that close with her. Then, Zoro asked her to help parent this child they had stumbled upon, as their own. Her heart fluttered at the idea of having a family, with Zoro, and so soon. It was all too good to be true but it was happening. In the end though, it was too good to be true. It wasn't fair, she was going to be living a dream long forgotten and now it was to be seperated from her once more. It was for the best though, even if they wanted to they couldn't put the little girl through this life. She deserved a normal life.

"Robin, I'm sorry. I know it's gonna be hard for you two but, it's for the best right?" Trying to sound sincere, while the last part, she was also trying to convince herself it was for the best.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about earlier?" Robin asked, with a slightly teasing tone. She wiped a lone tear as she struggled to smiled at the younger woman.

"No, I was actually planning on getting dirt on that idiot boyfriend of your's. I kinda ruined this talk though, huh?" The navigator half-heartedly joked. The awkward tension and emotion was still in the air as they tried to change the mood.

"No, not at all. It's nice to just talk so freely."

"So... what's he like?" Nami easily turning giddy as she eagerly waited to start the "Girl Talk" she so craved recently. Robin smiled, thankful they could turn away from such a tough subject.

"Where do I start? He's..."