Disclaimer: TEN HUT! If Oda-sensei is present say here!... Yup, that's a no.

A surprise guest

If I had a better memory, I probably could have prevented what was about to happen.

To my credit, I at least thought something strange was going on. Of course, I felt the same way when Nami and Robin came on the ship too. Granted, they both turned out to be traitors, but it always worked out in the end, y'know?

I guess that's why a part of me disregarded the new guy's sudden appearance.

That, and I was also so dangerously giddy I couldn't think straight...

Narration

"Hey, crap-swordsman, wake up."

Roronoa Zoro was sleeping soundly in his cot. He heard a voice tell him to wake up, but, having trained himself to do so, promptly ignored it and fell back to sleep almost instantly.

"HEY! MARIMO HEAD!! GET UP!!!!" The voice yelled. Zoro flung his arm out at the source of the noise. He felt it connect, and heard a nice "thud" sound that meant that the noisemaker was down. He smiled to himself, and then fell back asleep.

Meanwhile, Sanji (for indeed, it was he) picked himself up off the floor. Why was he even bothering to do this? Surely, Zoro had never done anything to deserve his kindness. Perhaps it was the way Robin had been acting happier than usual that pushed him on. "That's right." he told himself "I'm doing this for Robin-chan, not this craphead."

"Yo, Zoro, get up now or you'll be sorry." Sanji warned. When Zoro refused to wake up, Sanji smiled. What was forbidding him from having a little fun with this? Sanji raised him leg high in the air, then brought it down right on top of Zoro's chest.

"OOF!!" was all Zoro was able to get out before the wind was knocked out of him. He lay on the bed for a few minutes, gasping for air. When he finally got enough breath to talk again, he began to say… "Why you damn..."

"You can thank me later" said Sanji coolly.

"THANK YOU?!??! FOR WHAT?" Zoro screamed. Apparently, he regained his breath a hell of a lot quicker when he was angry.

"You made a date with Robin-chan right? Well if you're planning to go out to dinner, you might want to think of getting up. It's almost 7:00."

Zoro gasped. Then he jolted out of bed, rushing to his closet. He frantically searched through it, looking for something decent to wear. "DAMN!" he said. "I don't have anything fit to wear to a coffeehouse!"

"I got you covered" said Sanji, holding up a suit, recently pressed and washed. "You and I are probably the same size, right?"

Zoro simply stared. What was with Sanji? "Who...are you?" he asked.

Sanji simply laughed. "Don't think I'm doing any of this for you Marimo head. You just better make damn sure that Robin's happy tonight, got it?"

Zoro nodded. "Thanks" he said, extending his hand. Sanji hesitated, but then shook. A historic moment. Zoro grabbed the suit and quickly began to change.

"WHOA!" said Sanji, shielding his eyes. "At least wait 'till I'm out of the room, eh crap-swordsman?" Zoro chuckled and gave a quick nod.

When he was finished changing (and had "borrowed" some of Usopp's cologne) Zoro quickly made his way to the woman's quarters. He knocked on the door with three, shrill raps.

"Who is it?" came Robin's voice from within.

"It's Zoro." was all he said. There was a great rushing noise within the room, followed by the hushed sound of two females whispering quietly among themselves. After a minute, the door opened, and Robin stepped out, wearing a dress that Zoro was quite certain he'd never seen her wear before. He could feel his pulse quicken. Robin smiled. The dress was working like a charm.

"Well, shall we go?" asked Robin. Zoro simply nodded.

They walked to the coffee shop. Zoro got lost and had to be redirected by Robin at least three times. When they finally got there, a snooty looking waiter came out and greeted them.

"Goood day, Monsewer, Madamwazelle" he said, obviously attempting to fake a French accent and sounding suspiciously like Patty. "May I seat yoou?"

"Sure" said Zoro, never the one for formalities " window, if you have one."

"Of course sir" replied the waiter, faux-French accent forgotten. "Follow me."

The waiter led them to a two-person table next to the shop's window. "Drinks?" he asked, whipping out a pencil and pad.

"I'll have a bottle of grog," said Zoro.

"We do not serve alcohol in this establishment, sir."

"Wha... fine, I'll have… em...a glass of water."

The waiter turned to Robin. "And you Ma'am?"

"I'll have a triple shot ventei, light cappucino with no espresso, no whipped cream, no extra flavoring, and no beans." Robin said with a smile.

The waiter went through the list in his mind. "That's an empty cup," said the waiter, finally.

"Oh, and fill it with coffee." chuckled Robin.

The waiter sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this," he said. Robin and Zoro looked at him with stern expressions. "Oh, I'm sorry" he said hurriedly. I meant that to be a thought bubble." He dashed away quickly, leaving Zoro and Robin laughing at the table.

"Of course it's annoying," said Robin, hints of a smile creeping across her lips, "That's why I enjoy it so much."

Zoro smiled. "Well, we'll at least have to remember to give him a nice tip, eh?"

"Indeed." She picked up her menu and began to peruse it.

The waiter came back, still sore from their last encounter. "Water and... em... coffee." he said. "Have you decided what you'll order then? No wait, don't tell me. A hamburger with no bun, no lettuce, no patty, and no condiments, right?"

They all laughed. "That sounds pretty good actually" said Zoro "but on top of that, add a steak, eh? Well done." (Narrator: No, I don't know why a coffeehouse serves steak and hamburgers, it's not like I just made this up.)

"Excellent choice" said the waiter. "And you, ma'am?"

"I'll have the grilled flounder, no tartar sauce," said Robin. (Narrator: The coffeehouse is by the ocean, I guess that's why there's fish.) The waiter gave a quick nod and scurried off again.

"So" asked Robin gently "What made you decide to act so civil all of a sudden?"

Zoro shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Well..." he said, nervously "Its because... of the way I treated you as Ms. All-Sunday." he made up quickly. "I kind of felt bad for mistreating you and stuff. You're our nakama, and I should've realized that."

Robin smiled, but at the same time felt a little disappointed. She could have sworn... "Is that it?" she asked bravely.

Zoro put his hand behind his head; it was a nervous habit, one that he hardly ever used. "Em... well...there was one other thing..."he said, leaning a little closer. Robin gasped. Was this it? She leaned in. Closer. Closer...

"RORONOA ZORO AND NICO ROBIN, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!!!!!!" a voice shouted from the street. Zoro and Robin snapped back into their chairs and looked into the street. A small army of marines had gathered outside the shop, apparently having learned about the "vicious pirates" that were inside.

"Oy vey" said Zoro, rolling his eyes.

"Should we deal with them, or simply run?" asked Robin.

"I say we deal with them, I'm looking forward to that steak." Robin smiled. So simple.

Before they could even move, however, a figure in a long cloak and hood suddenly rushed at the marines. There was yelling, screaming, shooting. The figure kept on, slashing the marines with some find of ax. Then it was over.

Zoro and Robin exchanged puzzled glances, and then rushed out of the coffeehouse, steak forgotten.

"What was that?" asked Zoro.

"I didn't want you guys to have to go through all the trouble of getting rid of them," the figure said.

"Well...thanks" said Robin. "Anything we can do for you?"

"Well..." said the figure "I do have one request."

"Name it," said Zoro.

"Let me join your crew," said Daz Bones.

Ooooooh, creepy. Chapter 10 is present and accounted for SIR! or MA'AM! Whatever the gender of the reader may be!!