Tipping her white cowboy hat forward, she strode down the busy street with such grace that made everyone cast a second glance. All around her, she could still hear them talking about her. She gave a small smile before continuing on her quest.

???

On the other side of town, a raven-haired man cursed as he bumped into another local. He gave a somewhat apologetic grin as he pushed himself off the ground. The local regarded the fallen man warmly before returning to whatever he was doing.

At least this one is courteous enough. He thought absently as he brushed off excess sand off his black hat before replacing it on its usual spot.

???

"Morning Miss. What can I do you for?" the man behind the counter asked easily. He pushed his reading glasses higher up his nose and gave the young woman a once-over. Tall, thin and definitely elegant, she also gave off an authoritative aura that is surprising for someone as youthful as her.

"I'll be fine. Thanks," she slipped off her hat and placed it on the wooden coat stand, possibly made of pine. This little corner store was possibly one of the most prized antique shops in that area. Only people in the trade would know of this little world of treasures and the owner was curious, but he knew better than to shoot offhand comments out loud.

The tinkle of the bell signaled the arrival of another customer.

"My my. This must be my lucky day. Can I help you?" the owner asked. The young woman whirled around only to come face to face with a half naked man with a cowboy hat much like her own, with the exception of the color. The toned torso matched with black bermudas. The freckles. The longish black hair.

"You are…" she started but he cut her off in the nick of time.

"Shh!" he winked. "No reason to alarm everyone, do ya?"

She gave him a sly smile and got back to her browsing. Two shelves and three glass cases later, she stopped in dead her tracks. Right before her eyes, the most exquisite pocket watch she had every laid her eyes on. She was about to call for the shopkeeper but he beat her to it.

"Oyaji, how much's this lil tinker?" she glowered at him but he seemed unfazed. Instead, he kept his goofy grin on and proceeded to examine the watch.

"Oh. You've got a great eye, lad. This is one of my most treasured possession," the owner smiled dreamily, reminiscing of the history of the piece. "20 million bellies, nothing less."

"Ouch! That's even more than the bounty on my head!!"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh nothing. Force of habit, that's all. Ahahahaha!!" the owner wasn't quite convinced but decided to let it slide. But the lady smirked.

So utterly typical of him…

"So? You'll be taking it?"

"You bet I will!" He patted his back pocket for his wallet but nothing was there. A light frown touched his face as he searched every inch of his body, each time coming up empty-handed. "Um… this is kinda embarrassing but I think I got mugged on my way here."

"I'll be taking that then," she finally spoke up, claiming her well-deserved prize. She handed over the twenty million with a hefty tip before picking up her new watch and white hat. "You should be more careful here." With that, she exited the shop.

She allowed herself a small smile as she heard heavy boots falling on the cobblestone roads. She slowed her pace until he was within earshot. "You don't have to run, Fire Fist Ace. I'm right here."

"You got me there, Ms. All Sunday," Ace grinned. "I just wanted to treat the lady a nice drink. Any objections?"

"I'm honored. But what makes you think I would oblige?"

"With this." He opened his palm to reveal her new pocket watch.

End.

Heehee! Finally a new fic! I sure took my time, didn't I?

Well, this is done on a whim. And a prompt from kuroi neko-kun. Hope u enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it.

This piece ain't as long as I liked but it'll hafta do. Timeline for this is somewhere before/near Whiskey Peak. I always liked Robin/Ace. There's just something right about these two. Haha… Hope I get my facts right & forgive me for any blunders.

…ff.net is screwing around with my format once again… when will they finally stop making our lives hard? Such tragedy!!

Read & review!!!