Ok, here's the next one. Like promised, Robin finally makes her appearance. There's something quick I want to add and its that this fic doesn't start out overly ZoLu, but the further into the story, that will change. It'll be a slow-build kind of thing. Well, that's it for now. I hope you like!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of One Piece's characters mentioned in this fic.

Warning: This is AU. Basically, all that remains are their names, faces, and a few personality traits, but other than that, the characters in this story are mostly OOC.

Re-uploaded: June 4, 2015

**Okay, this chapter is where the major changes I made start, 'kay?**

Luffy headed up the stairs, passing by Chopper as he headed back down, giving Luffy nothing but a stern look before rounding the corner and disappearing from his sight. His eyes lingered after Chopper for a second before shrugging and going up the rest of the stairs, walking a short distance down the hallway until he was standing in front of a half-opened door. Breathing out, he slowly pushed it the rest of the way open as he took a step in, glancing around the room.

It was a long, octagonal room painted a pineview green with dark wood floors, a fluffy aubergine rug placed in the center of the room, and three windows, covered by tomato red curtains, on the far wall, across from the door (where he was standing); a long, dark blue plum leather sofa was positioned underneath the windows, against one of the side walls was a king-sized bed, covered by a green potion bedspread and sheets, with the dark iron-framed headboard resting against the wall, and across from the bed was a chest of dark wooden drawers where a large flat-screen TV rested on top of it. Little knick-knacks and photos were spread throughout, but it was mostly neat and tidy, save a few dirty clothes littered here and there.

Luffy walked further inside, kicking the door shut behind him absentmindedly, his gaze now riveted on the three swords resting on the wall above the bed. He's a swordsman? Luffy wondered to himself, coming to a stop next to the bed. His eyes then flickered down, to where Zoro was currently laying, moving from the unconsciousness Luffy put him in to restful sleeping, and let his eyes study him.

Shortish, slightly slicked back and messy lightish green hair over a squared face, with a straight nose, stern mouth, strong jaw, and he remembered seeing that he had green eyes (eye) when he was conscious; there was also three, gold dangling earrings in his left ear, seeming to match the three katanas he spotted a minute ago. Below his face was a broad neck that went down to broader shoulders and a tall, extremely muscular body. Luffy sucked in a deep breath, feeling his heart speed up slightly just from the sight of him.

He's really handsome, Luffy thought suddenly, a smile stretching across his face.

His smile then widened when he felt a sense of comfort envelope him, the feeling of being away from half his soul tapering away. But before he could relax fully, however, he had to be sure the bonding stuck, or complications would arise.

Reaching forward, he took ahold of the fluffy comforter pulled up around Zoro's neck and started peeling it back, letting it rest at his knees before leaning back to study his well-built form. Shaking off that distracting thought, he reached his hand forward, hovering over Zoro's chest, before letting his mind shut off as he allowed his soul to guide his movements, trying to find the mark; it took a few seconds, but his hand finally rested around Zoro's hip, though shifted more to the back before finally stopping. Letting his fingers drift down, he pushed the shirt up out of the way before pulling down on the waistband of his sweats slightly, squatting down to get a better look.

"There you are." Luffy whispered, a soft smile on his face as he spotted the slightly raised flesh, mimicking a scar, that bared his initials in elegant script—MDL.

His fingers twitched forward, landing on the mark and lightly stroking over it a few times. He let out a shuddering breath when he felt the answering call in his very own soul, this mark being the place where the half of soul he gave Zoro actually entered him. It's the area that connected them, bound them, so, with this proof, Luffy was now one-hundred percent certain he casted the bonding over this Human…but he still had no freakin' clue as to why he even did it. It was driving him insane! And once it's discovered just what he did…and to a Human, no less…

Luffy shivered in fear at the thought of Nami's reaction. The orange-haired Kitsune scared him like nothing and no one else…except maybe his grandpa.

He retracted his hand from Zoro's flesh quickly, letting the clothes settle back into place, before reaching down to grab the comforter, but paused when a thought occurred to him. He let the blanket slip from his fingers once more and pulled the waistband down again, staring at the mark contemplatively, before an idea flickered in his mind. Wanting to do what he could, he leaned down even further, swallowing to wet his suddenly dry throat, before placing his lips lightly over his initials. Closing his eyes—trying to ignore the weird tingles now spreading through his chest and gut—he breathed a stream of air onto the mark—into the mark, hopefully aiding in speeding up the Human's recovery time. If what Nami said was true, Zoro got this way saving them. He had to do what he could to help. Plus, he really didn't like seeing the Human like this…and, like the recurring theme of the day, he had no idea why he was feeling that way.

Luffy finally tucked the comforter back around Zoro's shoulders and smoothed it down, glancing over his face as he did so, studying it. Before he even knew what he was doing, he had laid his hand on the side of Zoro's face, his thumb coming up carefully to stroke over the raised scar tissue marring his left eyelid. What happened, he wondered. What would cause such a severe wound that he'd lose complete usage of that eye? Luffy leaned down, a sudden urge gripping him, and placed a light kiss on the scar before moving to rest his forehead just underneath Zoro's chin, on his chest, and just breathed, taking some odd comfort in the feel and scent of the Human. He also knew that he didn't want to move or leave, not just yet. He found his lips slowly stretching into a smile as he listened to the comforting sound of Zoro's heart beat underneath him, letting his eyes drift shut in contentment; everything about this Human made him feel strange, but also really happy. If you listened closely, you could probably hear him start to purr.

Nico Robin—looking the same as she did the day she met Zoro, though currently wearing an ocean blue turtleneck sweater with slouchy sleeves, orange booty shorts, and light tan sandals with her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail—looked up at her old house with curiosity, and maybe some apprehension. She knew she wasn't reading the signals wrong, she's certain of that…just as sure as she was last night when she first felt them. If it wasn't for the storm, she'd had already been at the house. She supposed she's rather protective of both Zoro and Perona.

"Demons, hmm?" Robin hummed to herself, glancing around again. "I wonder what their business is here."

Seeing as the powerful wards set up around the house hadn't been activated, the Demons were let in by someone who lived on the property. So that meant neither one of them were in danger or trouble, but she couldn't know that for sure until she checked it herself. Smiling lightly, Robin made her way over to the oak double-front door, pausing to consider her options, before simply knocking on the door. She heard a shout of someone that sounded like Perona from the inside followed by footsteps making their way closer to the front door before it was swung open, showcasing someone who was definitely not the pink-haired Medium.

"Hello." Robin said calmly, eyes roving over the orange-haired woman in front of her before inhaling discreetly, but deeply. A Kitsune. She must be one of the Demons I sensed.

It seemed the Kitsune did her own scent test of her, because her eyes suddenly widened before taking a step back. "You're a Vampire." Her hands then curled into fists. "What is your business here?"

Now, technically, Vampires were classified under Demons and do live in the Demon Realm, but Vampires didn't have allegiances to anyone but themselves; they were the gray area in the largely black and white world Demons view themselves to be in. Vampires were finicky, self-serving creatures, so Supernaturals—especially Demons—found it hard to trust them.

Robin tilted her head. "I don't believe I have to explain myself to you." She smirked. "Unlike you, my dear, I am not a stranger."

"Nami, who are you—" Perona cut herself off when she walked into the foyer, a smile lifting her lips when she saw who was at the door. "Robin! What are you doing here?"

Nami looked between the two, but stepped back, allowing the Vampire to enter. "You know this woman?"

"Yeah. Basically my whole life." Perona said with a giggle. "This is Robin. She's a close friend."

Robin waved her hand in a friendly manner. "How do you do?"

"But she's a Vampire." Nami said, still confused.

Perona blinked. "Yeah, I know that."

"Where's Zoro?" Robin asked Perona, looking around. She didn't see Zoro, nor his Hellhound, anywhere, but after peeking over Perona's shoulder, she could see Kumashi prowling around before disappearing into another room and out of sight.

"He's resting right now," another voice said as they came down the stairs. "Who are you and why are you in this house, Vampire?"

Robin moved her gaze to the stairs, curious at the protective, yet strangely commanding, tone she could hear present in the voice, but froze when she caught sight of who it was that spoke. Her eyes widened the tiniest bit, but for someone who had such excellent control over their emotions like Robin, that little was a lot. She was dumbstruck and awestricken at the same time, not emotions she was familiar with feeling. She didn't want to believe it, but there's no way this boy could be anyone else.

"Nami?" Luffy asked, looking over at the Kitsune as the Vampire did nothing but stare at him.

"This is Robin, Luffy." Nami answered, but gave the Vampire a weird look. "She's a friend of Zoro and Perona's."

"Really? A Vampire?" Luffy questioned, glancing over at Perona as his bare feet finally made contact with the marble of the foyer floor.

Perona nodded. "It was Robin's mother who actually started this town, so its Robin's territory now. Like I told Nami, I've known her basically my whole life. Zoro as well." Perona looked over at the black-haired woman, but raised an eyebrow when she saw Robin's face. "Robin, you okay there?"

"You." Robin finally said, voice soft as she continued staring at Luffy. "What would someone like you be doing in the Human Realm?"

Both Nami and Luffy looked sharply at Robin, faces showing their surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Perona, however, was lost.

"Do you know just who it is you two have brought into our home, Perona?" Robin asked the girl, though her eyes never left Luffy.

Ignoring the our home part, Perona shrugged. "Demons, right? Zoro already saw that."

"That isn't incorrect, but that also isn't what I meant." Robin said softly, slowly pushing the front door shut before leaning against it.

"How could you possibly know that?" Nami asked, nerves evident in her tone, as she glanced between Luffy and Robin. "You live in the Human Realm. There's no way for you to know that information or even what he looks like."

"Know what?" Perona said with a huff, resting her fists on her hips. "Somebody tell me, right now, what the hell you guys are talking about!"

"Him." Robin said, nodding at Luffy. "He isn't just a regular Demon, Perona."

"Okay…" Perona said slowly, still not getting it.

She turned her gaze back to Luffy. "What I'd really like to know is just what one of the Demon Princes is doing in the Human Realm." Her head tilted. "Why are you here, Monkey D. Luffy?"

Perona froze as her eyes widened, head whipping to stare at Luffy.

Luffy's eyes met Robin's, but her gaze didn't break from his, which was highly unusual; usually nobody could keep their eyes locked with his—or any member of his Family—for too long. Just who was this Vampire?

"What do you mean by Demon Prince, Robin?" Perona asked, her voice nothing more than a whisper, as she stared at the Vampire.

Robin moved her gaze to the girl. "Exactly that, Perona. His father is the current King of the Demon Realm." She crossed her arms primly in front of her. "His Family, known as the D. Family, have ruled the Realm for several millennia. They're Archdemons, a breed of extremely powerful higher-level Demons who are always born a D. and always with some sort of special power and extraordinary abilities." She tilted her head in thought. "Now, there are several D. Family lines, but the strongest of them have always been the Gol D.s and," she looked over at Luffy, "the Monkey D.s. The two have ruled side-by-side, a Gol and Monkey always on the throne, but because of the death of the last King, Gol D. Roger, Monkey D. Dragon is the only King at the moment until the next generation is ready to take the throne."

Nami and Luffy were looking at Robin, eyes wide and jaws slack, completely speechless.

Perona, however, was nodding in understanding. "I see." She then looked over at the two Demons, shock turning into amusement as she hid a laugh; she remembered the feeling well of being overwhelmed by Robin's sheer knowledge of many different subjects. "Don't mind Robin." They looked over at her. "She loves learning things, and history and culture are her favorites. If there's something to learn on a subject, Robin will do so. It's just who she is."

Robin giggled before glancing over at Luffy again. "So, little prince, what are you doing here? I doubt your Family would be happy to know you're in the Human Realm." Her tone was now curious more than anything.

"I don't know." Luffy finally answered, scratching the back of his neck. "We didn't even plan on coming here."

"What do you mean?" Robin questioned, curiosity turning to confusion.

"It's a long story." Nami said, rubbing her forehead before looking around at everyone. "Perona and I were just about to make breakfast, so why don't we do that and we can tell you everything then."

Robin nodded, smiling. "That sounds good." She then looked at the stairs. "You said Zoro was resting." Luffy nodded. "Why? It's too early for him to be taking one of his naps."

"He's sick." Perona said, already heading back to the kitchen. "Caught a cold when we brought these guys in last night."

Perona disappeared from sight before Robin could question that, so after giving one last look at the Demons, she was suddenly gone from sight, using her Vampire speed to ascend the stairs and enter Zoro's room quickly. Once she came to a stop next to Zoro's bed, her nose wrinkled at the scent overlaying Zoro's own. She'd known the boy for nearly fifteen years, so she knew that something had changed with Zoro's scent. Lightly sniffing again, trying to differentiate between the various smells, she suddenly inhaled a sharp breath and reeled back when she finally could place it.

No, that can't be possible.

Robin's eyes quickly scanned Zoro's form before using her own special power to sprout a disembodied arm from the bed next to Zoro's hip and pull back both the comforter and then Zoro's clothes, eyes finally resting on what she feared she'd find.

MDL

"Has the scent aura settled that quickly?" Luffy's voice questioned from the doorway.

The arm she sprouted disappeared quickly into a flurry of peach petals before she pulled the blanket back over Zoro in a motherly fashion. She didn't know quite what to say yet, so she didn't respond. Remembering that Perona said Zoro was sick, she rested her hand over Zoro's forehead, but was surprised to find that the fever had already broken. He shouldn't be getting well this quickly, not unless…

She finally turned around, facing the Prince as he leaned against the doorframe, watching her in turn. "You have bonded with him?"

Luffy pursed his lips, eyes dropping to floor in what Robin thought was guilt. "Kinda."

"Kind of?" Robin asked, slim eyebrow raised. "You can't "kind of" bond with someone."

There was a silent pause that went on for several moments with the two just staring at each other, neither moving or even breathing.

"He only has my half of soul." Luffy finally replied, arms crossed over his chest tightly.

"Explain." Robin simply said.

Luffy sighed, letting his arms drop. "I didn't mean to do it. It just…kinda happened. I looked at him and…before I knew what I was doing, I was already saying the mantra." His eyes then looked back up at her, almost desperately. "I don't know what happened!"

To say Robin was stunned would be an understatement. It happened again. Robin studied the distraught Demon in front of her and could see he truly didn't know what's going on. Just like the last time, a bonding was cast without either soul having a say in the matter. Like someone had some bigger plan, or that these bondings were simply meant to happen, one way or another.

"Robin?" Luffy questioned, a little meek, as the Vampire stayed silent for several minutes, thinking things over.

Robin saw how the boy was almost close to tears, and she finally sighed out, knowing she couldn't let him suffer like this. "This isn't the first time something like what you're describing has happened."

Luffy's eyes widened as he bounced closer to her. "Really? When? How? Who?" He got closer with every question until he was nearly on top of her, looking up at her like an overexcited puppy.

Robin nodded, not even phased. "It was not too long ago, maybe about forty or so years, and it happened not too far from here actually." Luffy nodded, still paying attention. "It was between a Demon and a Human…well, a Hunter, more specifically." She had a faraway look in her eye, remembering. "He told me that the Demon told him exactly what you just relayed to me about this. The two of them just met eyes and suddenly the Demon had cast the bonding." Robin tilted her head in consideration. "I'm guessing he's living with only half a soul as well."

"You know that guy it happened to?" Luffy questioned, bouncing on his toes.

"Very well." Robin said, glancing around. "He's the current owner of this house, actually." Robin then looked at Luffy with a smirk. "As well as Zoro and Perona's adoptive father."

Luffy's jaw dropped as he backed up a few steps. "He's Zoro's dad?" Then it hit him. "Wait. His dad's a Hunter?!"

Robin nodded, an amused look on her face. "Yes, a very good one. You've might of heard of him. He goes by the name of Hawk-Eye."

Luffy froze 'cause, yes, he had heard of that name before, but not for the reasons Robin's thinking of…well, yes, that way as well, but more from a certain person.

"Hawk-Eye?" Luffy questioned, wanting to make sure. "That's his name?"

"Well, his real name is Mihawk, but yes, that's his Hunter name." Robin said, studying the young Prince in front of her; something was going through his mind right now.

"Do you know the Demon who bonded to him?" Luffy asked, expression extremely serious.

"I do." Robin said. "Would you like to know who it is?" She had a feeling this was what's on his mind right now.

Luffy just nodded.

Robin hid a giggle. "If my information is correct, you know him fairly well." Luffy cocked his to the side in question. "His name is Shanks. Shanks Le Roux."

I knew it, Luffy thought to himself, not even that surprised. Sometimes, when Shanks didn't think he was around or paying attention, he'd hear his red-haired mentor muttering something about Hawk-Eye or sometimes even saying Mihawk; the mutterings were usually followed by angry words Luffy could barely catch before ending with Shanks pouting. So did that mean Shanks did to Mihawk what he just did to Zoro? Something then occurred to Luffy and he looked at the Vampire again.

"How did you know I'm close to Shanks?" Luffy asked, hand resting on the straw hat Shanks gave him.

Robin just smiled, wondering when he'd ask. "There are two Families that are under the D.s in terms of strength, power and influence, am I correct?" Luffy nodded slowly. "One of those Families is the Le Rouxs. Shanks, as the current Head of that Family, lives with the D.s in the palace. I've heard it's customary for that to happen."

Luffy just blinked at her, completely stupefied. "How do you know all this, Robin?" His eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "You can meet and keep my gaze when others can barely look at me and you have a special power, the one I saw when I came in. Dammit, I can sense the power you have stewing around inside of you! Just who are you?"

"Oh dear. I suppose I didn't fully introduce myself earlier. Quite rude of me, I apologize." Robin then smiled sweetly at the Prince, taking a step back to drop into a (mocking) curtsey. "My full name is Nico Robin. A pleasure to meet you, your Highness."

Luffy's heart just about stopped beating. "Nico Robin? Did you just say Nico, as in—"

"The other powerful Family beneath your own, yes." Robin said, straightening back up.

"But that can't be possible." Luffy said, still looking at Robin with wide eyes, before narrowing them. "How old are you?"

"About 3,000-years-old now." Robin answered him, wandering past him and leaving Zoro's room—they needed to let the poor boy rest. She stopped at the railing that overlooked the foyer, leaning her arms on it.

"Too young." Luffy muttered to himself, shaking his head before he followed her out. "I didn't know Oran had a kid." He glanced over at Robin, who watched him patiently as he walked over to her.

"Oran is not my father." Robin confirmed, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Then who is?" Luffy asked, leaning on the railing next to her. "He's the only Nico left alive." He gave Robin another look before saying, "Well, as far as we knew, anyways."

Robin rested her chin in palm while glancing over the foyer floor. "Oran had an older sibling, did he not?"

Luffy whipped his head back over to stare at the Vampire, eyes wide, not believing what she was saying. "No way." He shook his head. "She's been considered missing for…" Luffy trailed off, trying to think.

"Probably about 3,000 years." Robin finished for him, looking back at him. "That would be about the time my mother came to the Human Realm."

Luffy honestly couldn't believe it. "Nico Olvia is your mother?"

Robin nodded, a nostalgic smile on her lips.

Luffy shook his head, a little bit stunned. When Shanks would tell him about the history of the Demon Realm—and he would actually pay attention, since it was Shanks telling him—he had brought up the Nico Family a few times, given that they were at the same power level as Shanks' own; he also wouldn't miss this little smile Shanks got whenever he mentioned Olvia, like he was thinking about some happy memory. There were also times that he'd go with his dad or his brother to visit the Nico estate, but the Vampire who lived there always looked really out of place as the Head of the Family, but Luffy could never understand why he thought that way. It was one day that he, in sheer boredom, started poking around the place—while his brother was discussing something with Oran—and happened upon a room that had originally been locked, but then laid slightly cracked. With his natural curiosity, he went inside and saw there had been a bunch of stuff inside it, like someone just gathered up all of someones items and shoved them inside the room, out of sight. After searching through the room, he finally found a portrait propped up against a wall, one of a beautiful woman with sky blue eyes, defined features, and her hair the color Luffy associated with snow.

Glancing Robin over again, Luffy could physically see the Vampire was not lying; she looked like she could've been the woman in the portrait, only with black hair. Now he understood why he never saw Oran as the Nico Head, because he truly wasn't. That title must had belonged to his sister before she…left. And it was Robin who now should be the Head, but since no one knew she even existed, the wrong had never been righted.

Finding curiosity getting the better of him, Luffy finally asked the Vampire, "Why did she come to the Human Realm?"

"She was pregnant with me." Robin said, gazing off to the side. "My father was a man she didn't wish to marry, because all he was interested in was the Family name, so when he pushed the issue, coming close to violence, my mother fled the Demon Realm, telling no one, and came here. She didn't want to shame the Nico name and knew her brother would be fine to run the Family." Robin smiled softly. "Once I was born, she, over many centuries, built this town, setting us up here. We were happy, the town slowly becoming populous and most didn't even care we were Vampires. They saw us more as protectors than anything else."

"What happened to her?" Luffy asked softly, head cocked.

"I don't know how, but my father finally found her." Robin said, hands squeezing the railing tightly before relaxing them again. "A group he brought with him attacked her, trying to force her to come back, but she fought them, killing each and every one of them, including my father." Swallowing down her unsettled emotions, Robin went on. "She made me hide in a crawl space as soon as she caught the scent of him coming this way. He never knew she had gotten pregnant, and my mother wanted to keep it that way. I would have been forced back to the Demon Realm if it was discovered my mother gave birth and she didn't want that for me. Didn't want that life for me." She laughed sadly. "Too be honest, neither did I. She had told me about her past as soon as I was old enough to understand it, knowing I needed that knowledge for obvious reasons. When I turned 1,000, she actually gave me the option of returning back, but I declined. My life was here."

Luffy felt bad for bringing up these memories for Robin. "Sorry, Robin. I did—"

Robin held up her hand, cutting him off. "Don't apologize. This is probably something you should know." She took a calming breath, trying to remember where she left off. "Like I was saying, my mother battled a large group of Demons by herself, and she won, but sustained fatal wounds in the process. She died several hours later and so now here I am." Robin glanced around the house, nostalgia now alighting her eyes. "This was actually the house I grew up in. My mother built it herself from the ground up."

Luffy's expression turned confused. "Then why don't you live here anymore?"

Robin sighed. "Too many memories, I guess. It sat vacant for many more decades before Mihawk came, drawn here for some reason. I let him have the house and before long, Zoro joined and then Perona."

The two looked at each other for a moment, lost in thought, before a shout broke through.

"Food!" Perona yelled up.

"Food!" Luffy shouted in excitement, instantly getting happy again. "Finally!"

Robin giggled. "Yes, let's go eat." She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back at her. "Then you can tell me exactly what brought you here, little prince."

Well, there you have it. I hope you liked it. I don't think I need to explain anything here, given that I explained everything that needed explaining in the story. I kinda hope I told Luffy and Robin's family background sufficiently enough. I felt I did, but I never know. What makes sense in my head might not make sense to y'all. But, as always, if you have questions, let me know! I'm already working on the next chapter, so it should hopefully be up soon. And, just for your information, there are two more Demons going to make an appearance soon (Sanji and Usopp), they just haven't woken up yet. Everything should make sense soon, so wait and see! As always, please favorite and review! They make me happy! :)