After saying their goodbyes to Prince Mamba and the Kingdom of Alabasta, the Straw Hat Pirates boarded their battered Going Merry and set sail, leaving Alabasta behind.
They managed to escape from the Marines who were chasing them.
About ten minutes after they finally relaxed, the crew began to feel the weight of leaving Alabasta. A complicated mix of emotions started to settle in.
Among the downcast crew, only Zoro remained unaffected.
Or rather, he might've had the biggest issue of all.
"We've already left, there's no helping it. He's the king's brother. Unless the princess who joined the Marines quits, he's bound to succeed the throne someday."
Zoro's cold and logical response made the others pout and accuse him of being heartless.
"What about all the time we spent together?! Zoro, you're a savage!!"
The first to speak out was Chopper, the talking reindeer and the newest member of the crew.
"You're the worst!"
That was Nami.
"Damn moss-head."
Sanji, of course.
"Natto-head."
Usopp chimed in.
"Two-sword loser."
Even Luffy joined in.
"Wha... what did you say...!!"
Normally, Zoro would've ignored it—but not today.
During his fight in Alabasta against the Baroque Works agent Mr. 1, whose body could turn into blades, Zoro had broken yet another sword.
Since acquiring the Sandai Kitetsu by sheer luck in Loguetown, he had already gone through four swords.
In his mouth, he still carried Wado Ichimonji; in his left hand, Sandai Kitetsu; but in his right hand, it was always just an ordinary sword.
Even finding a decent quality blade was hard—let alone the legendary grade swords like:
Supreme Grade (12 blades)
Great Grade (21 blades)
Skillful Grade (50 blades)
Zoro didn't expect anything fancy. He'd settle for just a decent sword better than a junk blade.
"Hey, Luffy, even if it's true, don't hit the guy where it hurts," Usopp said with a mix of laughter and sympathy.
"Pfft, a swordsman without a sword. Hilarious," Sanji added.
Gritting his teeth, Zoro couldn't help but stew in frustration.
Among the Straw Hats, Zoro was the only one whose equipment degraded so quickly.
Luffy used his fists.
Sanji used his feet.
Devil Fruit users didn't need weapons.
Even Usopp just needed to swap out slingshot bands.
Nami's strange staff was relatively easy to repair.
Only Zoro had to deal with delicate, hard-to-find weapons that wore out fast.
"Zoro, maybe it's time you just switch to two-sword style?" Chopper said innocently.
"No! Absolutely not! I can only bring out my full power with Three-Sword Style!!"
Leaving his ridiculous crewmates behind, Zoro walked off to cool his head.
As he turned and left, a woman stepped out of the cabin inside the Going Merry.
"Looks like we've left the island," she said.
"Wh-What?! Why are you here!?"
Zoro's eyes widened at the sight of the speaker.
...
There was a bit of a commotion.
After hearing Nico Robin's unfortunate circumstances, the crew let their guard down a little.
Only Zoro continued to watch her with suspicion from the beginning.
Accepting someone like Nico Robin—who was once an enemy—as a comrade?
Even though he respected Luffy as his captain, Zoro thought this was reckless.
He looked at Luffy and sighed.
"But I still don't trust you," Zoro muttered.
Luffy was naive, Chopper was just a kid, and Sanji would fall for any woman—so they didn't count.
"Hey, Usopp, Nami. Are you guys really okay with making her one of us? She was our enemy until just recently! She fought against Prince Mamba and the entire Alabasta Kingdom!"
Zoro assumed they'd be more objective since they were the ones who had been the most emotionally affected by Alabasta. He thought they'd at least separate emotion from logic.
"What's the big deal? She wants to join us and make things right. Let's give her a chance! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.
How can anyone be that simple-minded...
To Zoro's relief, Usopp nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, but this does feel a bit too fast. I'll interrogate her myself!"
Usopp pulled out a small notebook and began questioning Robin.
"My name is Captain Usopp! What's yours!?"
"Nico Robin."
Robin answered without hesitation.
"Occupation?"
"Archaeologist. My family's been archaeologists for generations."
"Ooh... an archaeologist..."
Hey! Wait! Why are you so into this!? Zoro thought, sweating at Usopp's enthusiasm.
"Wait a second! I'm not okay with this!" Nami suddenly stepped forward.
Yes! That's it, Nami! Zoro thought, relieved.
"Isn't everyone getting way too soft? This woman used to be the vice-president of a criminal organization!"
Nami walked up beside Robin, watching her closely.
"You might be able to fool a gullible guy like Luffy, a simp like Sanji, or a kid like Chopper, but not me. Try anything shady, and I'll personally throw you off this ship!"
Even under Nami's hostile gaze, Robin remained composed and simply said:
"Understood. I'll keep that in mind."
Then, she pulled a small bundle from her pocket...
"Come to think of it, I took a whole bunch of the most valuable jewels Crocodile had…"
"Eeeek! I love you, sis!"
And just like that, Nami was completely sold.
Watching these "pathetic" crewmates, Zoro figured there was no use arguing anymore and decided to just keep his distance from Robin.
Sighing, he walked toward the bow of the ship to rest—only to be approached by Robin.
"Do you hate me that much?"
"It's not about hate. I'm saying I can't trust you."
Zoro answered bluntly.
"A woman who worked with Crocodile is now boarding the ship of the guy who beat him down? And not just some underling—you were the vice-president of Baroque Works. Who knows when you might betray us?"
"Hm... Seems I'm really hated."
Though she said that, Robin had already earned the favor of everyone else in the crew—except Zoro.
"Tch."
Knowing that, Zoro simply clicked his tongue and didn't bother arguing further.
"By the way, Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, you're known for using three swords, right? Where's your third?"
"Huh? It broke when I fought that Mr. 1 guy of yours."
Looking annoyed, Zoro replied with a grimace.
Robin summoned one of her hands from the ship's storage, delivering an item over to the bow—straight to Zoro.
It was a sword.
"Here, take it."
Zoro took the katana she handed him—but didn't even bother drawing it before turning it back toward her.
"No matter how desperate I get, I'm not about to accept a sword from the likes of you."
"My, quite stubborn, aren't you?"
Robin gave him a curious look.
But then she handed the sword back.
"Still, I did snag this from Baroque Works. At least take a look."
Reluctantly, Zoro drew the sword.
The blade was elegant, and the grip fit snugly in his hand. The weight was just right, and the scabbard had no damage—almost as if it were brand new.
"The sword's name is Ishibashira—Stone Pillar. It's a quality blade. Doesn't quite make the 50 Skillful Grade swords, but it has comparable durability. What do you think?"
"A sword called 'Stone Pillar,' huh…"
"Exactly. That means it's got amazing durability."
"Even so, I'm not about to—"
As Zoro started to refuse again, Robin played her trump card.
"If I ever do anything suspicious… use that sword to cut me down."
"What?"
Zoro hesitated, taken aback by her resolute tone.
A durable sword… just what he had been looking for.
"..."
"Well? Do we have a deal?"
Robin looked at him calmly. In the end, Zoro sheathed the blade and fastened it to his side.
"If you do anything shady—I won't hesitate."
"Of course~ When the time comes, you're welcome to kill me."
"Rooobin~♡♥♡♥♡♥ I brought you some dessert~♥!"
Sanji came climbing up with a red bean shaved ice bowl in hand.
"If that day comes, you can do whatever you want with me~ I'll take it all~ I'd even become your slave if you asked, Roronoa Zoro~"
Robin said it with just the right tone—loud enough for Sanji to hear.
"Wha-wha-WHAT?! You moss-head bastard! What did you do to our sweet Robin-chwaaan?!"
"What the hell are you on about, you damn curly-browed, half-baked chef?!"
...
And so, another peaceful, "ordinary" day passed aboard the Going Merry.
----------------
Want to read 20 advance chapters ahead?
Go to my patreon: patreon.com/Kinglass