A/N: Three cheers for no plot.

I don't own One Piece.

Role Model

"So, what are the others like?"

"The...others?"

Chopper looked at the raven-haired woman. She was smiling at him gently, and her blue eyes nearly pierced his heart. She'd done a good job of warming up to him in the past few days, which he wasn't sure he liked or not. He knew he shouldn't be too trusting, but Robin made it extremely hard to ignore her kindness.

"Yes, your other crewmates. I'd like to hear your opinion of them."

The reindeer cringed, unsure if he should explain anything to her. He didn't think anyone else would mind so much, but he wasn't exactly sure. Returning Robin's affectionate gaze with an uneasy one of his own, Chopper cleared his throat, "W-Well, I haven't been part of the crew for that long… I joined just before we got to Alabasta."

Robin frowned momentarily, but quickly brought her smile back, "I see. You've settled in though, haven't you?"

"Oh, definitely!" Chopper bounced with a laugh, seemingly forgetting about his prior anxiousness. "Everything's been great! I never knew being a pirate could be this much fun!" The archaeologist brought a hand up to cover her laugh. "Hey! What are you laughing at?!"

Robin crouched down in front of him, lightly tapping his blue nose with a slender finger, "You, silly. Won't you share some of your happiness with me?"

Chopper jumped back and began his little dance, "Shut up, jerk! I'm not happy at all! Just 'cause you smile at me doesn't mean I'll tell you anything!" Robin sat back down atop her stool, watching the reindeer with nothing but amusement. He certainly was adorable, but she did want to know what he thought of the others. They were the only ones inside, just below the galley, and she wanted to take advantage of the time she had alone with the doctor.

"Well, you never answered my question," she reminded him. The doctor calmed down and looked back to her with a confused expression sprawled across his face. "How about we start with the captain?"

Chopper swallowed and nodded, "Luffy? I'm sure you've noticed, but he's kind of…uh…" he paused, trying to think of the best suited word to describe the rubber boy. "He's kinda weird," he finally decided.

"Fufufufu… How so?"

The reindeer's furry eyebrows creased, "You mean you can't see for yourself? I mean, he's made of rubber!" Robin smiled and lifted her arm. A hand bloomed out of Chopper's side and began tickling his belly.

"You and I aren't the most normal people either," she told. Another laugh escaped her lips as she watched her new crewmate roll around the floor.

"PFFF AAHH OKAAAAY! HA HA I GET IT!"

The appendage disappeared in a puff of petals and Chopper rose to his hooves, dusting his pants off before continuing where he left off, "Luffy's weird in the best way, I think. I can't really describe it, but there's just something about him that makes me glad I'm a part of his crew." Robin nodded her head in understanding, finding herself heartily agreeing with him. The straw hat boy was surely interesting, this Robin knew. The reindeer doctor smiled and let out a short laugh, "He's also really fun to be around, especially with Usopp!"

Robin was having trouble controlling her smile, "Oh? And what of Long-nose?"

"You mean Usopp? He's great! He tells really awesome stories! I think some of them are exaggerated, but he's a great pal regardless!" Chopper smiled thinking of the cowardly sharpshooter, "Me and him beat Mr. 4 and his partner together in Alabasta. Usopp may seem like a coward, but he believes in Luffy just as much as anyone else!"

The archaeologist's smile wavered, as she found herself inwardly distraught over the fact that the poor reindeer had trouble with agents of her organization. But as she repeatedly told herself, there was nothing to be done. She had been an enemy, but now she was here aboard their ship and a part of their crew.

"Your relationship with those two sounds lovely. Hm, let's see… How about Miss Navigator?"

"Oh, Nami?" A nervous smile took over his face, "She can be…scary at times, but she's a great navigator. She loves money too. Every time I think we're about to sink, Nami gives us orders and we're out of the storm in no time! I don't know how she does it! She's also really good at drawing maps. Did I mention she loves money?" Chopper finished as he waved his arms incredulously.

Robin closed her eyes as a genial chortle escaped her mouth. It seemed the reindeer was getting more comfortable sharing his thoughts to her, and for that she was grateful. "Who's next? How about the cook?"

Chopper began pacing happily in front of the archaeologist, "Sanji's such a great cook! His food is amazing! When I thought about being a pirate, I figured living on a ship would mean eating bad food every day, but boy was I wrong!"

"Fufu… He does outdo himself, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah!" The doctor came to a stop and gave her a surprisingly worried look, "The only thing is… When I first met him on my home island and he was my patient, him and Luffy kept trying to eat me. He also refers to me as the 'back-up food supply' or something and I can't tell if he's serious!"

Really? That was a new one. "Doctor, if any one tries to eat you, please just let me know. I'll happily deal with them." Chopper laughed, but quickly looked at her, remembering she was a skilled assassin, "EEEP!" He clumsily ran across the room and hid behind an empty stool, the wrong way of course.

"I can still see you."

He slowly reversed his body, but never broke eye contact.

"Now you think I'm going to eat you?"

The zoan type released the breath he'd been holding and moved out from behind the chair, his hooves making that distinct patter sound with each small step. He made his way back over to his companion, "Sorry…"

Robin peered down at him playfully, "No need to apologize." She leaned forward with a smile, propping her elbow up against her knee and laying her chin in her palm, "It seems there's still one crew member remaining."

Chopper looked up at her knowing stare as the gears in his head turned to their correct positions, "Zoro!"

"Fufufu… Yes, our resident swordsman. Have you spent any time with him?"

The reindeer beamed up at her as his eyes sparkled, "Of course! I love Zoro! He's so AWESOME!"

Robin leaned back and blinked away her surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah! He's so strong, and he always knows what to do! Sometimes he even let's me ride on his shoulders and take naps on his head!"

"Naps on…his head?"

With an animated nod, the reindeer eagerly continued, "Uh-huh! I can't believe he actually uses three swords! I mean, have you ever heard of something like that!?"

Robin enjoyed watching the doctor gush about the stoic swordsman. She had assumed the man wouldn't have spared the reindeer a glance, but she found herself humorously proven wrong. Thinking of the two together put her in a good mood. "Now that you mention it, the three sword style isn't anything I've heard before."

"And he swings these GIANT weights around like they're made of tissues! And he can sleep anywhere! He taught me so many things while we were in Alabasta!" Chopper continued babbling happily about the green-haired man. Robin found herself pleasantly surprised as she chuckled to herself. Knowing that Roronoa Zoro had a soft side was sweet, and she took pleasure in seeing the little devil fruit user recalling their relationship.

"You really seem to like Mr. Swordsman, huh?"

Chopper finally calmed down, "Well… I guess I kind of look up to him…" he spoke slowly and quietly, but loud enough for Robin to hear. She hummed sweetly and offered him a warm smile, which he returned with a toothy grin.

"W-Wait!" he panicked, "Don't tell anyone I said that!"

The raven-haired woman brought two fingers across her lips in a zipping motion, "Don't worry, I won't. It's nice to know you share such a bond with him. Thank you for sharing."

Chopper rubbed the back of his head bashfully, "Oh, it's nothing! He's my number one patient, after all!"

"Is he now?"

A frown soon replaced his jovial smile, "Yeah, he had a lot of injuries before I joined that weren't properly treated. I've had to redo a lot of his old stitching, and he has scars everywhere. I'm surprised he's alive, honestly." Chopper peaked up at Robin to see her returning his gaze with a frown of her own. "Have you seen the big scar across his chest?" he asked without any hesitation. He watched a smirk form on her face, and swore he saw some sort of glint in her eyes.

"As a matter of fact, I have."

"I asked him about it, but he just told me Usopp was the one who helped stitch it up. He also got really hurt again in Alabasta." If it was anyone else, Robin would have gotten angry at them for continuously bringing up the desert island. She was at fault, however. While she hadn't directly delivered pain to any of the straw hats, she had been allied with those who did, and that fact alone caused her large amounts of guilt. She thought about how appropriate the swordsman's treatment of her was. Perhaps he related her with the pain they had all went through? Clearly a logical assumption.

"I've been treating his—"

Just then the door swiftly opened, startling both the doctor and archaeologist.

"Oi, Chopper, you in here? I need you to—"

Robin, facing the door, immediately locked eyes with the swordsman. His eyes quickly narrowed as his nonchalant demeanor shifted to surprise and finally caution. The woman closed her eyes with a guilty smile, doing all she could to break eye contact. She was supposed to be the manipulator, given the state of the other crew mates, but the first mate was proving to be much more of a challenge.

Chopper anxiously turned towards the door, "Zoro? What's wrong? Come in, quick!" The reindeer ushered his friend in. He was aware the swordsman was extremely suspicious of Robin, but after the nice conversation he had shared with her, he couldn't bring himself to tell her off.

"Nothing, it's not a big deal. These stitches are coming out. Just wondering if you could fix 'em," Zoro inquired, his tone gruff and terse. Robin kept a cheerful mask on, but couldn't brood over the man's cold disposition. It saddened her knowing she was the reason he was acting such a way, especially in front of the reindeer doctor.

"HAVE YOU BEEN TRAINING AGAIN?!"

Robin's laughter mixed with Zoro's annoyed groan. "I already told you, I'm not sitting still for weeks doing nothing."

"Robin, do you mind leaving for a bit? I need to stitch one of Zoro's wounds back up," Chopper asked apologetically. Zoro merely grunted.

The archaeologist offered a smile to the two, "Of course, doctor. I'll be out on the deck if you need me." Picking up her book and coffee cup, she slipped out the door with a wave.

"What was that all about, Chopper?"

The reindeer looked at Zoro as he laid himself flat, "Oh, uh… Nothing, really. We were just talking." Chopper watched Zoro look away, seemingly not convinced. "She's really not as bad as you think, Zoro. She's nice."

A deep sigh escaped the swordsman's lips, "Seems so. But she can be as nice as she wants; it makes no difference to me. Now let's get this over with. I'm thirsty."

"All right, then stop fidgeting!"

From behind the table, a cloud of petals dispersed into the cabin's atmosphere. On deck, the midday wind gently blew through the archaeologist's hair as she turned to the first page of her new book. Before starting, she observed the ocean with a shrewd smile.

'Such a stubborn man.'

It was a start, at least.