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Nico Robin is an archaeologist. Of course, that barely scratches the surface of who she actually is. She’s an assassin, a friend to some, a motherly figure to others, but above all else, she’s an archaeologist. Above all else, her job is to remember, and above all else she strives to remember that which nobody else does. However, contrary to popular belief, Nico Robin is also human, not a devil child, not a monster. As a human, Nico Robin also remembers, though she doesn’t strive to remember the long-gone past in this way. No, Nico Robin remembers smiles that shine brighter than the sun, a ship created in its image. She remembers maps, swords and medicine, she remembers masks and mechanics. She remembers words, and, after all of these years, she finally remembers that it is not a crime to exist.
The archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates rises slowly from her desk, ink and textbooks and equally large notebooks strewn across its surface. She steps out onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny, her home, and takes in the smell of the sea, though it is swiftly overshadowed by the scent of fresh food. She hears the stomping of her captain and he sprints and jumps and fills the air with his cheers as he sprints to the kitchen, the familiar chant of “Sanji! Food!” destroying any chance of conversation being overheard until he got what he wanted.
Robin could have predicted this, of course, because she remembers. She remembers the times the crew eats, remembers how Luffy behaves when even the idea of food is proposed to him. She remembers all of these things, because her crew is like a family to her (and isn’t that odd, to finally have a family again) and she’ll be damned if she forgets them, so she sears every little facet of their personalities into her memory.
In her attempts to remember them, however, she sometimes forgets what they deem to be the most important thing of all; she can exist, she can be happy, and she can want to live. Her crew, however, as much as they may call each other (and themselves, in Usopp’s case) idiots, don’t forget. In every beaming smile Sanji delivers her, every passing compliment from Franky, there remains the reminder of how far they would go, how far they have gone, for her.
Of course, these sentiments remained unspoken, and that was fine. One way or another, she could pick up on each crewmate’s unique way of showing affection, none of them direct. Even Brook, though he may not have been at Enies Lobby, showed how deeply he cared for the archaeologist in small ways, asking (but not pushing, never pushing) if there were any old songs from Ohara she used to remember. Looking back on those times, she chuckles, because of course the skeleton is the one to worry most about inheritance. So things remained as they were, unspoken affection and unspoken thanks. Until today.
The meal went as per usual for the crew, Luffy stealing food and Sanji berating him for it. The peculiar thing happened afterwards. It was Zoro. Of course it was Zoro. Robin always believed him to be one of the harder Straw Hats to understand, his penchant for silence and his rude facade masking his true meanings, though he could be deciphered after spending enough time with him. He was like the Poneglyphs in that regard, she supposed. He stuck to her side after the meal, climbing up to the crows’ nest which he’d claimed as a makeshift gym. “You gonna follow me up here or not?” the irritable swordsman barked at his crewmate. Robin smiled fondly, ascending the ladder and finding herself seated next to the swordsman.
Zoro sighed and pinched his nose, as though the next words to leave his mouth were going to be the greatest challenge he’d ever face, greater than his eventual duel with Mihawk. “This crew… Everyone really cares about you, huh? I guess that’s obvious, considering Enies Lobby but… It doesn’t just stop there. You’re not the only one who notices the little things they do, y’know. I feel kinda bad, considering I don’t really do the same.” Robin held back her protests, because he did do the same, even if he didn’t notice. The whole crew naturally know the value of Wado Ichimonji to him, and yet he trusted them with his treasure. Whether it was the way he left it by Nami’s side as he sparred with Sanji, claiming “I only need two swords to beat you, love-cook!” or the way he allowed Franky to examine it, the cyborg’s claims of “Zoro-bro, I just gotta see what kinda metal a sword like this is made of! I bet it's super tough!”, he still demonstrated that he cared, in his own, stoic way.
“My point is… Our captain’s an idiot, y’know?” Zoro continued. Robin nodded, a peaceful smile making its way to her face, as the swordsman spoke; “He’s an idiot but he’s just the right type of idiot. I mean, what type of idiot would just let an enemy join the crew? What kind of idiot would declare war on the world, just for one woman? What kind of idiot would think that a bunch of morons like us deserve the greatest archeologist the world’ll ever know?” Zoro rose, though Robin remained seated. He picked up a weight, and begun lifting, but continued to speak. “My point is, Robin, dumb as he may be, letting you join this crew was the smartest damned choice Luffy’s ever made. You deserve to live, and somethin’ you deserve even more is every little reminder of that that this crew gives you. You could, however, use some more muscle. Wanna join me?”
The archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Devil Child
(not anymore, not unless they need her to be), Nico Robin, let a wide smile adorn her features, as arms sprouted out of the ground, the walls, everywhere, and began lifting weights. Nobody heard, but if you were to listen closely, you’d hear a quiet “Dereshishi…” under her breath.