Hey to all of my precious readers. Here I'm with the tenth chapter of Tough Trials. I managed to complete it faster this time, even though this is the longest chapter of this story so far and one of the longest chapters of all of my stories. I really really really hope that you'll enjoy reading this chapter and wouldn't kill me for being such a sloth. I guess last chapter wasn't as interesting, hardly anything happened in it after all.

Anyway, I'm greatly thankful to all my readers, reviewers and of course my beta. Hey, guess what? According to my beta Santoryuu3, my writing is getting better and better with every chapter. YAY :D I'M SO HAPPY...but this isn't the time to rest easy. I'll do my best to be even better so that readers don't have to battle through all the words that I've written and Santoryuu3 don't have to use a whole lot of time to beta my fanfics.

So, without much delay, let's move on...

Chapter 10: Unknown Occurrences, the Date and Return

~In Sunny's Library~

"So, are you going to investigate that Tree right now?" Nami asked while arranging the apparatus in its proper place and sorting out her other purchases.

"Yes," Robin answered, strategically shelving her new books onto her shelves. If she wanted to be honest with herself, the historian had to silently admit she was a little nervous about the upcoming encounter, and didn't even realize she put a book into the wrong catalog.

"Hmm… Why don't you wait 'till tomorrow?" Nami suggested as she took her new map papers and sauntered to the desk, laying them flat against the smooth wood. "I'll go with you. I have to learn a lot about this island's geography."

"Sorry, Nami. I can feel that I will find something very interesting there so I have to go right now. Besides, I don't have anything else to do." Robin replied calmly, and finally noticed she had misplaced a book. As she went to return it to its proper shelf, she noticed an empty space between Sacrifice and Serendipity and Silk Trades of Alubarna. The archaeologist was sure there had been a book there before, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Very well, I guess there's no stopping you. Good luck with it." Nami gave up on persuading Robin to postpone her plan and took out her compass to resume her map making.

"Thank you." The missing book was bothering her but she didn't give much thought on that. She couldn't even remember what that book was about, only that there was supposed to be something at that area of shelf. So, it couldn't be of much value if she couldn't remember what it contained. And yet, to Robin, whatever a book holds could never be completely useless. For the moment she decided to shove the thought about the missing book away and concentrate on a more vital matter. Bidding her fellow female farewell, she left the Library and slowly walked to the women's quarters. Robin's lack of response made Nami feel a little bit awkward, but she decided not to be bothered by it and continued with her task.

Robin's a grown woman; she can handle herself. Now, since there's still some time I think…I should put a bit more effort into it. Nami thought as she started drawing latitude and longitudes on the blank page.

~Inside the Women's quarters~

Alone inside the women's quarters, Robin was deciding her next course of actions. Just by coincidence, Robin's eyes landed on her image in the mirror, and while doing so her thoughts drifted off towards her accomplishments regarding her looks so far. She has never gave much thought about it but now if she thinks, out of eight crewmates she thought of as family, only Sanji, Brook, Franky and Nami has ever complemented her before, but despite this minor setback, she was still quite confident of her appearance.

Maybe the only reason that the remaining crewmembers never complimented her was their oblivious nature. Chopper was just a kid and on top of that a reindeer. It wasn't that he was completely oblivious of these feelings; he simply wasn't interested in human females since he is not human himself. Ussop was one of the most ordinary one among the crew. But, as a coward, he mostly used word 'scary' instead of 'beautiful' for both females. Though, when it comes to Nami that was a perspective he shared with almost every male member of crew including the very captain of Straw Hats Monkey D. Luffy. Speaking of whom, Luffy was the most childish one. There were times when Robin could never figure out what he might be thinking because mostly he never thinks; he most always acts upon whatever comes in his mind without giving a second thought, and only really attempts to think when life is on the line.

Last but certainly not the least, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Anyone could easily misunderstand him as a homosexual man because of his nature; Robin admitted to herself that at one point she had thought him as gay. But everyone in the crew knew that it wasn't the case. To her, it felt like that not giving in to human desires had become a personal objective of his life. It wasn't just her, either; Robin had never witnessed Zoro being affected by any woman's charm, not even when she used her own womanly charms on him. It wouldn't be considered failure, but neither success. Still, if she was going on a date, if you wanted to call it that, with infamous Roronoa Zoro, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to put some effort into it. Stepping forward, Robin opened her wardrobe and spent a solid five to ten minutes deciding what to wear.

It feels useless, though. Zoro's not the person who'll pay any attention to this kind of stuff anyway. She thought as she analyzed herself in the mirror, running a hand down her exposed thigh. She had finally selected a fitting deep violet dress, showing off her womanly curves. It stopped just at the ankle, where on her feet were light lavender heels. A seamed rip ran from the slim of her waist all the way down, the soft skin of her thigh protected by dark hose. The dress tied at the nape of the neck, leaving her back exposed. The comfortable silk was open neck, two straps riding over her breasts and finally coming together just under her belly button. Around her neck hung a small gold circlet on a chain, and a few bangles dangled on her wrists. She had left her hair straight, but had combed through it a bit and put in a bit of hairspray to keep the strays under control.

Robin figured if she could at least get a compliment from the swordsman, it would be a priceless and historical moment to keep in the collection she kept hidden inside her head that she had personally named 'Priceless Moments with her Precious Family'. Then it struck her mind that the reason she was going to meet him was completely opposite of her actions and thoughts.

I just have to tell him that I've never felt that way. Robin let out a frustrated sigh. Was she doing all this just to go ahead and simply refuse his proposal? These kind of thoughts were clouding her mind. She was getting doubtful of her own feelings now.

I think I should go now. Robin took a deep breath. Casting away all useless thoughts from her mind, she left the room. Luckily, there was no one outside who would notice her. Or more like she waited for the moment when no one would be outside and quickly utilized the opportunity when aroused to leave.

The dying sun had disappeared behind the horizon, and the full moon had conquered the dark sky, its starry minions peeking through one by one. As Robin walked the streets, she noticed that the whole town was almost empty. She found out the reason as soon as she arrived near the Tree.

It appeared as though a festival was taking place. Stalls were set up all around the perimeter, the venders calling out to small children led by their laughing parents. Balloons floated through the air, and the sweet smell of cinnamon and apples floated through the air. Multicolored lanterns hung from the branches, the light casting rainbows over the grass. The fun and yet calming music met Robin's ears, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, young miss! Going for a date?" To Robin's left in the very first stall, an old looking man around the age of sixty called out to her, wearing a big warm smile while pointing to the fascinating antiques that were placed before him. "Well, that's not surprising. How about you take a souvenir with you? I'm sure whoever the lucky guy is will be happy to have a gift from your lovely hands."

"Can I ask you something?" Unaffected by old man's comments Robin questioned him in a straightforward tone.

"Huh? What's that you want to ask?" He looked slightly surprised.

"Is this some kind of festival?" Instead of going for useless chit-chat Robin usually preferred to start her interrogations with, she decided to ask the real question she had in mind.

"Oh yes, you're lucky you got here at the right time. I don't know the exact reason but every year at this particular day this festival is held under the Tree. It is one of the biggest festivals of our tradition." He simply answered, still smiling warmly.

"Is it that you don't know?" Robin's tone changed to one of strict business, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Or is it that you don't want me to know about it? Mayor Kim Jea Han."

"So you know who I am? That's to be expected from the Devil's Child." All of a sudden, his personality and accent took a 180 degree turn.

"That shouldn't be so surprising. This is your town and you're quite popular here." Robin said.

"But popularity isn't of any use now. I've grown old. Age is quite a cruel thing." He halted for a moment to give a rather fake smile and asked, "Would you mind if I ask who the lucky lad is?"

"Do you honestly believe that I wouldn't mind after the respect I received?" Robin looked slightly agitated with his question.

"Ahahahaha…" The mayor chuckled nervously. "Yes, I suppose. I should apologize for my rudeness. Though, the truth is truth, no matter how harsh it is." Just like that, while scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly, he said one of the harshest things that Robin never wanted to hear again. But she knew that no matter how much she wants to be accepted, she's still hated by the entire world, and can only find refuge with her nakama.

"If you don't want the truth to be spread, then why not destroy those few remaining books? Or you could hide them from foreigners' eyes." She completely ignored their previous topic and continued on to the next one, which felt a bit more intriguing to her.

"It's ironic to hear a scholar of Ohara talking about destroying books." Indeed it was ironic. Of course Robin didn't want any of the books or historical objects to be destroyed. She was just surprised as to why they are still keeping something as dangerous when they could've gotten rid of them anytime.

"It's not like I want you to dispose of them. Those are some precautions most people would take to keep themselves save from The World Government." She picked up a palm-sized antique and examined the workmanship curiously.

"But fortunately, we're not under World Government's jurisdiction. Red Hair Shanks is the one who protects us." He calmly answered.

"Indeed."

"Besides, it's just a romance novel," Jea Han continued. "It's not like anyone can find out about Void in the history just by reading it. Those are just side notes that give next to no information about those events barely related to this kingdom. And we don't let anyone take those books off this island. If by any chance someone related to World Government ever visits we always make sure that they never find out. But that's a very rare event. So, I think it's quite secured already."

"Anyway, I think I should be going now. I wouldn't say that I liked talking to you, but it wasn't a bad experience either." She wasn't lying. Almost in the beginning he made some statement which irked her but on the other hand she got to know a little bit more about other things. Turning away, Robin started walking towards the heart of the festival where she had to meet Zoro. But after few steps she heard Jea Han's mocking voice again.

"Hehe! Good luck with your date, Nico Robin. Whoever it is, I'm sure he'll face great misfortune." He almost muttered his last sentence but Robin heard it nonetheless. She could've easily broken his neck, but that wasn't her thing to kill innocents who merely annoyed her. She had lived almost all of her life hearing these kinds of comments or insults. Ignoring his words, Robin silently went ahead.

Almost half an hour passed. Mayor Kim Jea Han was arranging some new antiques after selling a wooden vase when he noticed a curious green-haired man bent over to his knees, his lungs gasping for breath. Jea Han immediately recognized him as Roronoa Zoro from his Wanted poster.

"Damn! That was definitely Robin," Zoro mumbled angrily. "I thought I would get there eventually but it was sure a pain in the ass." He straightened as rubbed the back of his neck to relieve the tension, still breathing hard. If merely running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop was exhausting him this much, then he was losing his touch. He had been trying to figure out why he was back at the harbor when his Kenbunshoku Haki had sensed Robin walking toward the Tree. He would recognize that creepy aura anywhere. At that moment he decided to stop following the damned Tree by streets and reach there by jumping over the rooftops.

Damn, I've surely become weak. On top of that Chopper just wouldn't let me train properly. I'm getting sick of it now. Zoro thought, finally catching his breath.

That's, Roronoa Zoro. What is he doing here? Mayor Kim looked surprised to see him. He quickly asked "Roronoa Zoro! You're Roronoa Zoro, right?"

"Eh? So what if I am?" Zoro turned his eyes towards the old man and spoke in his usual grouchy voice.

"What…are you doing here?" Beads of sweat started appearing on his forehead as the mayor detected the pissed off tone in the swordsman's voice.

"I'm here to meet up a friend of mine, nothing as chaotic you may think. Who the hell are you anyway?" Zoro answered indifferently, a bit surprised by his reaction. Zoro wasn't as scary as some other villainous figures, nor was he as infamous. From Zoro's point of view, that old man was kinda…over reacting.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry, my bad. I didn't mean to sound impolite. I was just curious, that's all. Hehehehe," He said as he scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. Zoro could stay and waste his time with these kind of idiots or he could ignore him completely and move on. He decided on the latter.

"Whatever." Shrugging off the old man's words he moved ahead.

As Zoro disappeared from the mayor's visual range, he looked around a few times as if he was looking for someone. I haven't seen anyone else from their crew, Kim contemplated. Don't tell me that…he's the one…Why was he worried about it so much? There was no reason for such a reaction. Why would he care about the relationship between two pirates? And very notorious ones at that. He shouldn't stick his nose in those matters, but the words he uttered afterwards were completely unexpected. "No…this is the worst. Just as my Father told me. Why it had to be in my time?"

~Two years ago. When the news of Straw Hats destroying Enies Lobby and Nico Robin becoming a member of Straw Hat pirates was officially announced~

Mayor Kim and the captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Yonko Shanks were seated under the shade of the large Tree, passing a bottle of rum between them. The air was humid for a summer day, and both men were dressed lightly, though Shanks kept his black cloak around his shoulders.

"Shanks-san!" Kim chortled, taking a swing of the fiery liquid. "I fully trust your judgment as well as your trust on that Straw Hat kid. But think carefully, both of them in the same group, is like a ticking bomb that could explode anytime and would engulf this whole world into its chaotic flames. It's just a legend passed down in our generations but it's certainly true. Please, I beg you, don't be so carefree. Either Nico Robin or Roronoa Zoro, at least one of them should cease to exist, or at least they should be separated. Only then we can ensure everyone's safety." One could mistake the mayor for a drunk if they only spotted the flush on his cheeks, but his voice betrayed him as moderately sober.

"Come on Kim-san, nothing has happened yet and you're acting like death is trying to suck you in. I guess it's a side effect of age. Don't worry, everything will be fine." As carefree as always, Shanks gulped down the rum and laughed a bit afterwards.

"Don't laugh it off so easily. If it continues like this, one day you'll definitely regret it."

"But if I do anything stupid right now, I'll regret it my whole life. After all we pirates are the free men who live their lives without even a shred of regret." Shanks stood up, took a few steps ahead and continued while looking at the sea of the New World. "And Luffy has given the perfect example for this. I trust that kid, and I trust the nakama he has put his faith upon."

~Present Time~

"Hozen! After all you've done, after all you have sacrificed, is this what future behold?" His face showed great anxiety. He turned around and grabbed an amulet hanging from a cord around his neck. "We can only pray now."

The very next moment his anxiety was replaced with surprise as he heard an unfamiliar female voice from behind. "You can do more than just praying."

~About the Same Time When Zoro Reached the Festival. In Other Words, Rewinding Time A Little Bit.~

After walking for half an hour Robin found herself standing directly under the Tree surrounded by other party goers. While most of the families, elderly and children were in the festivals and around the stalls entertaining themselves with different activities, the Tree was mostly surrounded by young people, couples should be a more accurate word though. Robin walked passed a handsome boy going in for the kiss on his girlfriend behind a bush where they thought they couldn't be seen. This situation almost forced Robin to fall into another sea of dreams, but before she could a strange feeling overtook her whole body.

What? She was completely conscious yet wasn't able to control herself. Her legs started moving on her own, her eyes fixated on the thick wood of the Tree. She had no idea what was going on, everything around her was blanked out, even in the lively crowd of the festival she couldn't hear anything around her and felt like moving on a blank path which lead towards nothing but darkness. She tried to speak but nothing came out of her throat. Suddenly some shapeless shadows appeared before her and started screaming, their voices like nails on chalkboard.

He took it…He stole it…You can give it back…give it back…give back our names…give back…our names!

The voices reverberated in her head, pounding in her ears. Against her will, her right hand rose and touched the rough bark of the Tree. Within a moment all the darkness around her disappeared and she found herself standing alone before the Tree, her hand still resting on it. She could hear again the clamor of the festival, but it was dulled, for Robin had been moved to the opposite side of the festivities, standing alone in the dark and cold. She wished she had dressed more appropriately.

Robin tried to pull her hand back, but it was stuck to the trunk like sap. As she watched, text etched itself into the wood. It translated before her expert eyes, the strange symbols inscribed on the ancient Poneglyphs reading in her own mind as clearly as if it were being spoken. Without wasting even a second, she whispered the words aloud:

Some truths should stay hidden, buried for eternity. Thou art the harbinger of destruction not without certainty.

Stay away, remain in thy solitude. Keep this in mind, thou who art in eternal servitude.

Even if millions fall to their knees, thou shalt fail to please.

Even if millions of eyes go dry, this heart must not soften because Devils Never Cry.

There was more. As soon as she finished these lines, she began to decrypt the text underneath, but it disappeared and only blank wood remained before her eyes.

No, no, no! Robin frantically ran her hands over the smooth wood as if that would bring the scripture back. Why has it disappeared? There was still more. She definitely wanted to read it to the very end. Those words sounded unworldly no matter how many times she repeated them in her head. But…what is with this Tree? What does it mean?

"Robin." A familiar masculine voice landed on her ears and she turned around to find exactly whom she expected it to be. It was impossible not to recognize that green yukata, red sash with three swords through the straps. Anyone could spot that mop of shaggy green hair anywhere, and in the light of the moon, the scar over his left eye shone white.

"Z-Zoro?" Why did she sound so surprised? The reason she was in this place was that man to begin with. Now then, she decided to shove all other things aside and handle the matter at hand. It's not like she'd forget about the incidents that occurred earlier; they were too intriguing to ignore. Not only Robin, but no one could ignore an occurrence of that sort.

Silence remained between the two for several moments and as Robin pondered the strange events of the night, she was unconsciously staring at Zoro, which made him feel a bit awkward under her watchful gaze. So, he decided to break the silence.

Mistaking Robin's silence as anger, Zoro tried to come up with an excuse to explain his late arrival. "Umm…sorry. I took a little detour." It was the only thing that came to his mind, and he felt stupid the moment the words left his mouth. When a guy asks a girl, it's honorable for him to arrive first.

He was lost, he was definitely lost. Robin thought. Of course, she knew quite well that there shouldn't be any other reason. But as nice as she was, she tried not to sound rude about this one flaw of his and simply accepted his excuse. "It's…fine, I just got here."

More silence followed. By now Robin almost completely assured herself that there couldn't be any other reason for Zoro to call her out like this. If not for that, than for what reason would he go through all this hassle? Deep down in her heart she just wanted confirmation from Zoro's mouth, and she wanted to witness what method he would choose.

"So…you wanted to talk about something?" She calmly asked, getting right to the point.

"…Oh yeah, about that." He put his hand inside his green coat and grabbed something. Robin knew that it should be the very object he wanted to give her earlier before they had been rudely interrupted by Nami. But instead of taking it out he stopped again and asked in a very serious tone, "You won't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Depends." She answered after a short pause.

Don't give me that half-assed assurance. Zoro was slightly irritated by her answer. He figured that he should explain the reason of keeping this a secret a little further, just to annoy her." I just don't want anyone to know about this, especially the witch and that idiot cook. I'll be a laughing stock for the rest of my life if they got even a clue about it." That was indeed true, but one of those special persons may have already known about this.

"I understand. Whatever it is, your secrets will be safe with me. You should know this better than anyone." Robin was quite confident in her secret-keeping abilities as well. After all, she has already hidden two of Zoro's secrets within her memories, one of which he didn't know she knew.

"…Yeah…I definitely do know that." Focusing a bit on her last words, he remembered the time when she caught him babysitting those three babies in Water 7 as Franky was building the Sunny. She was right; no one other than themselves knew about it. So, that was an assurance in and of itself.

I guess that's that, Zoro decided. I had no idea I would end up like this. I should have controlled myself before I completely got myself into this shit. I have no choice other than telling her straight out. He tightened his grip on the object once again. "I…wanted to give this to you."

H-he's…blushing? Robin could see it. The redness was slowly creeping up his cheeks. Faint, but definitely there, visible enough for Robin to spot. It made the archaeologist a bit nervous. The look on his face, the way he was acting, the very moment was priceless. To be honest, at the moment Robin wouldn't mind even falling in love with this man. Ever since they had arrived on this island, for some unknown reason she couldn't stop thinking about him. She never wanted to accept that she was actually falling in love with a grumpy, strong, handsome and one of the manliest men she has ever met in her life. It was like a dream… that was suddenly shattered the very moment the object was pulled from inside his robe. It was…a book.

The cover was colored a light blue, an intricate gold thread sewn into the border. Printed on the cover in a red calligraphic script were the words 'Seven Swordsmen of Ashina Clan'. Under the title, an image of seven katana were lined up side by side, unsheathed.

"Huh? What…is this?" Was all she could say before going silent once again.

"I…took it from the library a few days ago…without…your permission." Zoro hesitantly admitted.

"Is this what you wanted to give me?" Robin was too shocked to accept it. So, she asked once again to clarify it.

"Y-yeah…I thought I should return it. It's yours after all."

"Oh…so…this is why you…called me out here?" She sounded completely disappointed, and also a bit perplexed that she dressed up this much for nothing, but luckily Zoro couldn't notice her disappointment nor did he notice a strange dark aura that had begun misting around her body, curling like tendrils into the air. Or one should say Zoro's ignorant nature was to blame for the fact he paid little attention.

"Yeah, it piqued my interest when I read its title. Chopper wouldn't let me train much you know? And since I didn't have much to do except sleeping, I thought I might give it a try." Zoro fidgeted a little. "I thought I'd be bored after reading a few pages but…surprisingly it got more and more interesting. Romance stuff was crap though, but nonetheless it was a good read. It has romance as a genre in it, and that's why I don't want anyone to know about it. Actually, I don't really care about others but Nami and Sanji are a different case." He stopped trying to explain and looked up to meet Robin's eyes, only to notice she looked angry, her eyes narrow and hands clenched.

Damn it, just as I thought. She's pissed. I knew I shouldn't have taken it without her permission. Being a risk taker, Zoro cautiously voiced his thoughts. "Are you…angry?"

Unless you have something more important to talk about, i-idiot. This was the third time she had ever gotten so irritated over one of her nakama, or more like she really was very angry. "You do know that you could have placed it back without even telling me and everything would've been fine, right?" At least that way she wouldn't have to go through all the trouble.

"Yeah I thought about that. But…there's something else I wanted to ask you as well."

His words lit up a new ray of hope in Robin's heart, just a little bit. But this wasn't the time to rest easy. She had already learned that if she let her guard down when dealing with the first mate, he could hurt her in the worst possible way. She decided to hear him out.

"Very well, go ahead." Robin said, crossing her arms and clearing her mind to prepare herself for the incoming surprise.

"It looks like there is a continuation of this story. I could've put it back without you noticing but…I wanted to ask if you had the second edition. These days are quite boring so I thought it would be a good idea. So…do you have it?"

And there it was. She hoped for the best, but it was in vain after all. The thickheaded idiot in front of her was only thinking about books. Granted, it was odd thing for Zoro to be interested in novels, but all he ever cared about were his katana. First it was swords and now books, the very things that Robin also greatly cared for. Just how did he get so attached to the books, anyway? That was enough. Robin was already trying extremely hard to control her temper and keep from exploding. She decided to finish the supposed 'date' right there.

"It's fine. I'll give it to you." She answered, struggling to keep her voice calm. While putting on a poker face and showing Zoro that she wasn't feeling like going on a rampage at all, she turned around started walking off with slow, almost lifeless steps. She had moved a few feet until Zoro spoke again.

"By the way, Robin? What's with your getup? Were you at a party or something? Or maybe you finally took some pity on that ero-loser?" Zoro chuckled softly after his last comment.

And that was it; Robin's anger sky-rocketed and broke every possible boundary that could be used to contain it. And was he trying to be funny with that last part? Robin crossed her arms before her chest, the dark aura surrounding her intensifying to the point it would be next to impossible not to notice. Still, Zoro was a bit preoccupied with the massive hands crashing down on him from above, pinning him to the ground. What the…?

Without wasting even a single moment Robin left the place, walking quickly away so he couldn't see her wiping a stray tear from her eye. As soon as she disappeared from view, the hand disappeared into a cloud of petals, revealing Zoro, who was lying face down on the ground. Zoro lifted his face up and gasped for air, spitting out tiny pieces of grass. Damn woman! What the hell did I do to piss her off so bad? Shit. I guess there's no choice but to apologize before the Dartboard gets wind of this.

~About Half an Hour Later~

A book, just a book? I can't believe it, why make such a hassle over just a book? He really is such a thick-headed idiot! Robin thought as she hastily walked through the empty streets of the vacated town, her heels clicking against the pavement as if to remind her she had dressed up in vain, complimented by the redness in her face and furrowed brow that showcased her anger and frustration very well. She finally stopped in the center of the street and lowered her head, covering her eyes with her right palm. Who are you fooling Nico Robin? Here I was thinking of rejecting his proposal. I should be happy that it wasn't what Nami or I were thinking. Then, why am I feeling so irritated, so…disappointed? What has happened to me?

She had no time to find the answer to her own question, because she heard Zoro screaming her name from behind. Just as she turned around he landed in a crouch a few feet away from her, his katana sheathes clicking together. Judging by his position, it looked as if he jumped down from a high place.

"Z-Zoro?" Robin said.

"Good thing I caught up." The swordsman straightened, his chest heaving.

"What is it now?" The frown reappeared on Robin's face.

"I…I want to apologize. I know that I shouldn't have taken it without asking you. But you now it was just that…a…" Zoro was at loss of words; he couldn't find proper words to explain his actions. Yeah right, like he ever was a man of words to begin with. But Robin had had enough of this already; she couldn't even bear to be angered any more.

Still the book? Honestly…" Its fine, Zoro. I'll give you the second edition. Sorry about before. I should go now." Her words were sharp and concise, not elaborating for fear of revealing something dire. She turned to leave but yet again was stopped by him.

"R-Robin, wait. Something's not right around here." Zoro could feel it. Before he could make sure that Robin really had forgiven him and isn't angry at him, this sudden uneasiness took over, like his foot had fallen asleep and blood was suddenly rushing back into the limb, only it was over his entire body. He could feel something strange but couldn't figure it out. Even his Haki was weakened to such an extent.

Zoro's reaction wasn't normal, Robin knew it as well. There was definitely something strange in the atmosphere around them. Zoro took her eyes off of her just for a moment to glance behind them and next moment he heard a high-pitched shriek from Robin's direction. He quickly turned back to see Robin lying on the ground several meters away, her limbs entangled in a complex network of ropes and beads. She struggled frantically, but as he watched, her movements grew sluggish and weak, and she soon stopped moving altogether. There was only one explanation: sea stone. But who? Zoro instinctively reached for his katana as his question was suddenly answered.

Within a minute, they were surrounded by a crowd of people including men, women and even some children. All of them were wielding some sort of domestic weapon in their hands, like a mix between a pitchfork and an iron pan. The crowd took advantage of Zoro's slight surprise at the sight of his adversaries and moved in to close off the circle, separating swordsman from historian. A couple of men grabbed Robin by her wrists and pulled her further away from Zoro. Even in weakened state Robin was still conscious, and she could clearly see what was happening. Zoro could figure out some of them and especially a particular old man who was acting like their leader.

What? They…are they townspeople? Why the hell are they attacking us? Zoro finally figured out their true identity. Of course this couldn't be the whole town, but there were still a lot of them. Next thing, he tried to find their reason for such actions. "What the hell are all of you doing?" he finally yelled when he couldn't think of anything. He drew his katana menacingly, preparing for an onslaught.

"Don't move Roronoa! Or Nico Robin will die." One of the men yelled as he pressed a knife against Robin's neck.

Crap. Zoro thought.

"Throw down your swords." He ordered Zoro. For few moments, Zoro didn't do anything and just threw a deathly glare at him which definitely scared that man but he didn't lose his composure. It was times like these Zoro wished he possessed the King's Haki. The man seemed even more motivated now, and pressed his blade harder against Robin's neck, pricking the skin and causing a bead of blood to slide down her exposed throat. "Hurry up!"

Zoro had no choice at this point. To him they didn't look like bounty hunters or some rookie pirates. They were ordinary citizens alright. If things were more dangerous he would have no choice but to deal with them, but for the time being he decided not to fight them. After all, there were women and children in there as well, and Zoro may be a cold-hearted killer, he couldn't bring himself to attack innocents. Still glaring daggers for effect, he sheathed his swords and tugged them from his sash, tossing them to the ground lightly and raising his hands in the universal sign for surrender.

"I'm sorry Red Hair," the old man muttered. "I trust you wholeheartedly, but neither do I trust that Straw hat kid nor these two. I cannot jeopardize this town, my people's or this world's safety."

Zoro had no idea what was that old man talking about. He didn't had time to worry about that anyway as something similar to a bullet struck beside his right foot and a moment later secreted a strange yellow gas. It rose into the air around him, dissolving into the air within few seconds. When Zoro realized it, it was already too late as he felt his limbs going numb.

His body was paralyzed and he fell to his knees. Suddenly, two shadows landed on his either side. Each one grabbed his arm and stretched them out. Zoro couldn't resist because of the paralysis. Next thing, each one took out a bracelet like object and wrapped them on either of his arms. But these were not some regular bracelets, made of pure steel, they were spiked inside and out, the needles a good five inches long, which meant the moment the shackles snapped shut, twenty thorns were thrust into Zoro's skin, pain racing up his arm and rendering them useless despite the paralysis gas. It was Zoro's endurance that turned even the biggest of screams into minor groans. Because of his thick biceps and triceps, the mini daggers were unable to reach his bones; otherwise it could have severed a normal person's arm within the very moment they dug in.

His two captors forced Zoro to stand up and pushed him back into a wall forcefully. That's where the rough spikes on the outside did their job and dug inside the wall, acting as clips and keeping him from escaping. The pain was intense, like he was being crucified. But despite the evident suffering, Zoro lifted his eyes and saw all the women in the crowd covering their and their children's' eyes while men were completely shocked. This made another thing clear: that those townspeople were not ready for this, meaning someone else was pulling the strings.

Zoro's eyes fell on the two shadows who had trussed him like a calf for slaughter. He recognized both of them. The crowd parted behind them as if for a queen and a third woman strode into his vision. Zoro's lip curled as the woman he hated from the bottom of his heart just sauntered out of the crowd and closer to him, smiling wickedly.

"I missed you, Zoro." She whispered seductively in his ear.

"You bitch." Zoro cursed, his voice full of hatred and disgust.

PHEW...that was one long chapter wasn't it? Well...for me it was. Thanks for reading all the way through and...

1) An old mayor who is hiding a legend passed down to him by his father. And he wants to get rid of either Zoro or Robin at all cost.

2) Some strange, shadows and voice which kept repeating to return their names.

3) Ancient script that appeared before Robin and disappeared in few minutes for some unknown reason.

4) Return of Zoro-obssessed #$%&

5) And of course the date, because of which I think I'll be labeled as a partypooper by my beta :P

6) Why none of the strawhats have any idea about the big festival even though Nami and Robin almost collected every possible information they could get about the Island?

So, is this interesting enough or still crapy? Have you figured out the plot I'm about to use in near future?I can't know my readers' opinion if I don't get a review, right? So...PLEASE REVIEW...PLEASE.

Now then, GOOD LUCK, THANKS FOR READING AND REVIEWING. SEE YA NEXT TIME :D