Chapter Text
Art by Me
She'd been intrigued by the names of the grapes the merchant had been selling.
That was why she’d purchased them.
"Mother's Tears," was the name shouted out as she tried to walk by the stall, in the local market of a small Autumn island on the Grand Line.
She'd stopped to look at them and the merchant presented a bunch of grapes to her like they were strands of pearls, and in a way, they were. Little edible pearls, in shades of blues and purples, sparkled intriguingly in his hands. They were not perfectly round, but slightly oblong and drooping. Like tears running down a face.
"These are beautiful," Robin commented as she admired the fruit.
"Oh, yes! Delicious too! In season now! The best grapes you'll ever try!" the man assured her, "They're best in this shade, though we have some green as well... not as tasty, I think. A beautiful woman deserves the best tasting bunch!" The man droned on, his slightly accented tone musical to Robin’s ear. She smiled, and he smiled brighter, the grin lighting up his face. "Ah, Miss, yes! You, a beautiful stranger, deserve this bunch of grapes!"
His friendly flirt brought to mind a certain blonde chef and Robin offered to buy them. They bartered, as was the custom on this island, and after he agreed to throw in pineapple-sized mango, they settled on a price. He wrapped them for her and gave her a few tips for their care.
They were abnormal grapes, and as long as they were kept cold, they could last up to a full year. And strangely enough, he was insistent, that the grapes had to be cooked, and not eaten in a cool state, frozen, or even enjoyed at room temperature.
"Best to make a jam with them," the man cautioned for a third time as he held out the bag for her. "Eat it on warm toast!"
"I'll be sure to let our chef know. Thank you," She said as she walked away, carrying the precious bundle with her.
When she neared the ship, she opened the bag and popped one grape from the strand, and held it up to the light. They really were as beautiful as sparkling gems, though she wondered why they were called 'Mother's Tears,' and made a note to go back in the afternoon and ask the merchant for an explanation. They would be leaving tomorrow morning, so she'd have to make the trip short.
She popped the grape in her mouth, startled to find it was a bit tart, almost like a lemon. Very quickly it faded into something very sweet, something more grape-like, but the first initial bite was jolting. She mused that perhaps, that was why they needed to be cooked, their sweetness needed to be brought out. Still, even with its tartness, the grapes were nice, and different from any other than she had experienced. Sanji would love these, and she was a little eager to see what he could do with them.
Crepes made with their jelly sounded nice to her.
“Ah, Robin!” Jinbe’s booming voice stopped Robin in her tracks.
She turned around, smiling at the approaching Fish-man, glancing at the bags he had in his arms.
“More keepsakes?” Robin asked, smiling wide, so she wouldn’t laugh.
Jinbe, very affectionately, reminded Robin of an old grandfather. Whenever they stopped off at an island, Jinbe always came back with a trinket or two, or three, or let's face it-ten. One or two for himself, and then usually something odd and strange for someone else. Usopp had a collection of googly-eyed seashells, all wielding slingshots, and all bought from various islands. And Franky was over the moon with his small little figures made out of various nuts, bolts, and tools that Jinbei had found and purchased for him. They all had strange little trinkets gifted to them from Jinbe, and Robin looked rather forward to whatever he normally handed her.
Robin herself always received something that was normally attached to history, and she looks forward to these small gifts.
“Yes! And I’m glad I found you, what do you think Miss Robin? I found this for you,” Jinbe said, smiling proudly as he presented a thick bracelet. It was heavy and carved from a shell, like that of an abalone, but very dense.
Robin took up the bracelet and slipped it on her wrist, grinning at the item, “Oh Jinbe… it’s lovely, thank you.”
“I thought you would like it, it’s made by a local craftswoman. The skill to catch the sea beast and make items from its shell had been passed down from generation to generation in her family,” Jinbe crowed, and then handed Robin a small folded-up paper, “I wrote down some notes about the history for you.”
Robin’s eyes sparkled at that, “Jinbe, thank you, truly!” She took the paper, and he laughed, low and rumbling.
“I thought you might like the history that went with it, a touch more, than the jewelry itself.”
Robin laughed and quietly agreed. And then, chatting amicably, they walked back aboard the Thousand Sunny.
She parted ways with Jinbe, turning towards the kitchen, while he called out to Brook, and produced a thin flute. Something new for the musician to try. In the kitchen, Robin unwrapped the grapes, and opening the lock on Sanji's fridge, and put the grapes inside. She had managed to get the lock's number by using her abilities to spy, a secret she kept for herself. It was a secret little delight of hers to take a snack without the cook noticing, and then watch him chase Luffy and Usopp, demanding to know how they broke in.
Teasing her beloved Nakama was a favorite pastime of hers, she just really couldn't help herself.
Grapes secured in the fridge, standing out like blue jewels amongst the other grapes, she left to go find a book for now. Something her mind could devour while she waited the few hours out before dinner. If not a book, she'd write in her diary, and take special note of the name of the strange grapes she had found.
There was just something so enchanting and mysterious about the name, "Mother's Tears," which had caught Robin's attention.
Robin did not make it to dinner that night.
Her stomach had cramped, and she'd retired to her room. She wanted to keep the cramps to herself, but Nami had come looking for her, saw Robin's pained face, and rushed off for Chopper. Chopper came barging into the women's shared room, mere moments later, and gathered Robin up to deposit her gently in the sick bay's bed.
"I'm... alright..." Robin had wheezed, smiling as she tried to maintain her obvious lie.
"Hush," Chopper said gently, shutting the door to his office so that the other concerned crew members couldn't peek in. "I'm the doctor, let me take a look at you, and I'll determine if you're okay!"
Robin would have laughed if the thought alone didn't make her feel sick.
"Menstruation?" Chopper asked, not shy about the question now that he had a suffering patient.
"No..." Robin managed.
"Did you eat anything strange today?" He asked rapid fire.
For a moment she thought of the grapes, but dismissed it, and again answered a weak, "No."
He asked a few more questions, before he rushed for a vial, "I'm going to withdraw some blood, and then make you something for the pain. Hold on, Robin!"
Chopper gave her a thorough check-up, but apart from a fairly low fever, found nothing. He mixed something for her that would put her to sleep through the night, and running a soothing hoof over the top of her head promised to check on her again in the morning. She was grateful for the chance to sleep through the pain and smiled reassuringly at Chopper.
"I'll be good as new with you caring for me little doctor," she said. But the tonic he'd given her worked so quickly, it caused her to slur, and she wasn't sure he understood her.
He smiled all the same, and she too smiled before falling readily asleep.
Robin awoke warm and comfortable, drowning in a bed that was too big, with blankets that were just the same. For a moment she relished the smell of fresh linen and the feeling of comfort.
But that was what also had her sitting bolt upright.
She had not fallen asleep in a bed last night.
She'd found a cave alongside the beach, near a dock she was watching. She was waiting for the next ship to go out, so she could stow away and get to the next island. This was not where she'd hidden herself, this was not where she was meant to be!
Scrambling from the bed Robin tripped as she stumbled out of a skirt that was far too big for her, a shirt hanging slinkily over one of her shoulders and down past her knees. She looked down at the clothes on her body, eyes wide with terror. This was not the dress she'd slept in. And where was... where was her bag?! She had managed to steal some food, something she hoped could last her on the ship, at least for a little while-
'Calm down,' Robin's voice commanded, and she stilled.
She had a hundred questions, but if she stopped to answer them now, she risked getting caught. She could not get caught. Ohara's memory depended on that. Putting her hands to her chest she took a deep breath, and let it out in a big breath. Taking the room in, she slowly began to recognize it for what it was. A medical room... but not a hospital. It was too small, and she could smell other smells besides the slight chemical cleanliness hospitals contained. She smelled... salt. And wood shavings. There was something else... something good. Breakfast smells.
Where was she?
Swiveling her head to the door, she crossed her arms, putting an eye on the outside of it.
She was on a ship. She could see that now. She could see a hallway, a ladder that led up, and the beginnings of a foremast. She'd been brought aboard a boat?
Robin jolted letting her eye pop away from the door.
No! No, she'd been captured! They were taking her in! They were gonna take her where… where pirates died! Where they were executed! Ohara... Ohara... she was the last. It couldn't end now!
She pressed her hands to the side of her face, and pulled, stretching it so that the tears wouldn't come. She kept stretching and stretching, pulling her skin until she knew the tears wouldn’t come, until they couldn’t come. And then she breathed. In and out. In and out. One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one.
She exhaled. She was calm. She was calm. It was okay.
Taking in another breath she looked around and spotted a porthole. She rushed toward it, knowing that she could fit through, she'd done it before. Pushing the small window open, she began to slip through the hole, the smell of a salty sea hitting her full-on in the face.
She was looking for a lip or an imperfect groove of the ship that she could dig her nails in and slip her toes against. She would cling to the hull of this ship, pull herself to a lifeboat, and get away. Escape, as she had done many times before. She'd do it, she'd do it, she'd do it! She was mostly out when she heard a sharp gasp followed by a startled and unsure, "R-Robin!?"
Her head snapped up, and she looked up to see a small... teddy bear wearing a hat?
He was staring at her with wide shocked eyes, his mouth open and his... that was a hoof, so he wasn't a bear... frozen on the door. She didn't waste any more time trying to take him in, she'd wasted too long already. Squeezing through the porthole she began to make the dangerous climb alongside the hull of the ship.
The creature inside screamed and appeared next to her, his head poking from the porthole in alarm, "Robin! ROBIN STOP! You could fall!"
She slid alongside of the hull, her bare legs scraping against the wood. There was barely anything for her to cling to, the ship had such few imperfections. And as the sea rocked the ship, wind whipping around her body, the little girl felt that this was a little harder than she had suspected.
The creature's arm appeared out of the Porthole, but now much longer and thicker. She fought a scream as it narrowly missed her, and she slid further alongside the hull.
"Stop! It's dangerous! HELP! HELP!" the creature was screaming, but Robin ignored him and clung to the side of the ship.
The ship dipped low as a wave descended and rolled, and then slowly back up again. She felt her insides shake hard as the force of the movement almost knocked her from the side. Her equilibrium was being thrown off, and her fingers bled as she dug her nails into the wood. She closed her eyes, just for a second, just so she could refocus.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” Robin whispered, "Laugh Robin, laugh."
She did, just a little, mimicking Saul, "Dereshishishi... Dereshishishi..."
It helped a little.
The wind pushed against her face and her hair obscured her vision for a moment, but she still clung tight. She turned her head against the wind, to look out at the sea… and that was all she could see. Blue above and below, stretching on and on. Only sea and sky, no island in sight.
Where would she run to?
From above, a hand clamped down on her.
She screamed, as an impossibly long arm descended from above, and curled around her like a rubber snake. She was torn easily from the side of the ship and was yanked, up, up, up, and up, until with great momentum, she was thrown high in the air above the ship. There were a lot of sounds, and she heard her name said in many different voices, and she was going to be sick now.
There were people, not just one, but many, and they knew her. All of them knew her. She wanted to scream and curl in a ball. How was she going to get out of this one?
And then someone was up next to her. Somehow they had launched themselves up high to be with her and their hands wrapped around her, tight and strong. A boy with dark hair and eyes and a scar on his cheek, was grinning at her wide. It was impossibly wide, and it was real.
"Robin! You're all little now!" He laughed as he pulled her close, and she feebly tried to push herself away as they fell towards the ground together.
His arms coiled around her more securely, not bothered by the hands she sprouted pushed against him, wilting and dying as she grew more exhausted. Her arms were shaking, and she hiccupped a dry sob, when his cheek fell on the top of her head.
It was... he was hugging her.
When was the last time she had been hugged? He was still laughing, but it didn't feel mean; it wasn't at her. Her throat closed tight, the laughter reminded her of Saul.
They were back on the ground now, and she was curled tightly in the young man's arms, waiting for something bad to happen. She tried to think of what to do when the rest of the people descended on her, when the shouting started... where could she run on a boat in the middle of an ocean?
"Robin..." Someone said her name, and they sounded concerned and scared.
But not of her.
This was wrong.
It would be a lie.
Just like always.
“Oh, Robin!” Another concerned voice, the one female and watery.
Robin thought of her mother.
She opened her eyes, and there was a crowd of people staring at her, eyes wide with shock, and mouths open. The boy adjusted her in his arms and she looked up, watching numbly as he secured a straw hat to his head. He was still smiling and his grin got bigger as she looked at him.
"Wow Robin, you're so tiny! How did you do that?!"
She had nothing to say.
Robin sat with a plate of warm food, and a big glass of juice at a nice table. A blanket was wrapped around her, and there were three pillows on her chair that she could lean against and sit upon. Her hands had been washed and tended over with gentle care. The little not-teddy bear, he was a reindeer, had almost cried at the sight of her bloody ruined fingers. She felt good and warm, and the food smelled and looked good.
She was very confused.
First, everyone was very nice. And for real nice. Not the nice where their words were sweet, but their smiles didn't reach their eyes.
Second, they were all concerned about her, and things about her. They wondered why she was small, why she didn't remember them, and how she felt.
Third, apparently, she wasn't supposed to be small... which was the weirdest thing.
Fourth, they called themselves her Nakama, and she was their Archeologist, on a ship, sailing along the Grand Line.
They were a big family of strangers. This powerful thing called Nakama, people Saul promised her she would one day meet, but she didn't have any memory of it. And they insisted they knew her, just not this version of her. An older version.
It felt like a very poor lie, but the nice woman who sat next to her now, a gentle hand on her back, had produced a wanted paper with her face-an adult version of Robin's face, and name-and said that was her.
She had no memory of this woman who she was supposed to be, but it was her face, at the very least that was her name printed there. It was all... mysterious, and she tried not to be excited by the many questions it stirred in her, but it was all... fascinating.
"Not hungry?" The blonde man asked her, and when she looked at him, he flinched. He was clinging to his own hands, wringing them nervously as he looked at her. The one eye she could see was wide and worried. He smiled at her, the type of smile adults gave kids when they were nervous but trying to be nice, and offered, "I could make something else..."
She looked back at the food. It was three neatly cut sandwiches, overfilled with veggies, meat, and specially made sauces. There was a small seaweed salad, and a bowl of rice, as well as miso soup. It was all so lovely to look at. It smelled wonderful.
She hadn't... when had she seen a lovely meal like this before? This was a day of nice experiences she supposed, a luxury she hadn't had in a while. A luxury she was supposed to be careful with. Because good meals… weren’t always full of nice things. Robin kept her eyes on the food, unsure of what she should be doing, even if she knew what they wanted.
"Sanji... I think..." The woman next to Robin gently plucked the girl's spoon from her hand, and Robin watched as she took small tastes of everything that had been set out before Robin. She then reached over sipped a glass of juice, and set it back down. She smiled at Robin, and held out her hands, "Everything is safe, see? I used to be scared of something like that too when I was little."
Robin's voice was lost somewhere, and her throat hurt. She took the spoon and began to eat fast, miso soup and rice first, tears flooding down her cheeks as she ate.
Everyone was quiet, and Robin hated it. It felt heavy. Very heavy. When her throat was too tight to keep going she drained her juice and gasped as she set it down. And then she smiled big and forced out Saul's laugh. It fixed many things, maybe it could fix this now.
No one laughed with her.
The boy, who turned out to be the Captain, got up from his seat across from her and picked her up. She was held tight against his chest, her hands bunched against the scar there. The scar was warm, and the heart underneath it beat steadily. A hat was dropped on her head.
She looked up, the hat wobbling on her head, and saw his great big smile.
" S'okay Robin. You don't need to do that. You can laugh later. You just take your time and think. While you think, let me just remind you of some stuff.” He then turned, shifting Robin so she could get an even closer look at his face, “So I'm Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates, and that's Nami, my navigator! And that's Franky..." on and on it went, and Robin calmed down again as Luffy introduced, or reintroduced, the entire crew.
They all smiled at her, eager to have her eyes land on them. He ended with Brook, and she did a double-take. She hadn't noticed the skeleton before, but he opened his mouth at her, and she could only see a grin.
They welcomed her, and it was real.
"If you're not ready to talk we'll wait. We've got a long way to the next island anyway, so we should be able to figure out how to make you big again by then. Or maybe you'll figure it out," Luffy reasoned nodding, "You know everything."
Robin looked up at him, "Everything?"
His eyes twinkled when he looked down at her, "I think almost! We've still got a lot to see," was his answer.
Robin managed to finish her meal with the straw hat sitting atop her head. It felt important somehow, as special as a golden tiara. It gave her strength. After she ate, the doctor examined her again, just to be safe. He then passed her a floral shirt that belonged to Nami, and a pair of his own shorts. Robin could wear Nami's shirt, like a dress. It was the prettiest thing she'd ever seen, and she twirled in it once. Just once.
Chopper smiled at her and opened the door for her encouraging her to go outside.
She was led back out on a ship, where the crew was talking all at once, but they silenced themselves at her arrival. They must have been talking about her, and she hoped it wasn't bad.
Usopp, the long-nosed sniper, and liar (as Luffy had called him) asked her, "Hey Robin... do you... feel okay?"
"...I don't feel bad at all. Just... lost?" Robin answered forcing herself to keep looking him in the face. He had kind eyes, and they were concerned and a little afraid. But not at her. And him not being afraid of her was nice.
"How about those fingers?" Zoro, the man with three swords asked, crossing his arms, and frowning, "Those all good?"
"Yes... I've had worse," Robin promised, holding up her bandaged fingers for him to see.
No one seemed to like that answer.
"Well as Captain says, we'll figure this all out, little Robin! You've got nothing to worry about, A-OW!" Franky rumbled and struck a strange pose, his voice piercing through the awkward silence.
The Fish-man, knelt before her, his large hand over his heart, “You are very precious to us, and it is our privilege to look after you for as long as you need.”
Robin touched his cheek, not meaning to do it. It just happened. She'd never seen a Fish-man so close. Blushing, she retracted her hand, and tucked both of them behind her. "I'm sorry, that was bad of me."
Jinbe chuckled, voice as warm and affectionate as a grandfather's, "No, not all. I don't mind in the slightest."
Robin stayed quiet, nervously looking up at the crew. She wasn't really sure what to do or say now.
Luffy burped, loudly, interrupting the silence again, and laughed as Nami started to smack him and call him gross.
“Don’t do that in front of Robin! It’s rude!” Nami snapped, “And gross! What will Robin think?”
"That I'm the best belcher on the ship!" Luffy crowed.
"Don't lie! I am!" Franky snapped, immediately insulted.
"You both wish!" Usopp snorted, puffing up his chest, "I'll prove it-"
Nami braced her arm around Usopp's mouth, and pulled him down in a fierce headlock, "No burping! None! Can we have some fucking decorum for fuck's sake?!"
Robin laughed for real this time, and eventually, the others joined in.
For the rest of the day, she was led around the ship and shown amazing things and told marvelous stories that she had also taken part in, back when she was big. Supposedly. She did want it to be true, but it still felt... too impossible. Most of the crew seemed to be scrambling to impress her, which was new and strange. Many wanted to hold her hand or carry her, which Robin politely endured.
“Sorry Robin, just until you have your sea legs,” Chopper had apologized to her, looking up at her in the crook of Franky’s arm. “You’re a bit unsteady.”
“The Grand Line is very choppy,” Robin agreed, resting against Franky, who was smiling smugly at Sanji and Jinbe. The latter two actually looked jealous.
Robin was having a nice time. It was all… so new. They all wanted to make her smile and answer her questions and she had a lot of questions.
“There’s a library you know, full of books that you picked out,” Brook said, and when Robin lit up, Brook cleared his throat, “Allow me to escort you there.”
“Hey! No fair! I’m holdin’ her!” Franky snapped.
Brook pilfered Robin up in his arms, and swung her around, “Well, and now she’s with me.”
“Cheeky skeleton,” Franky muttered.
And so Robin saw the library and an aquarium that later she watched Usopp swim in.
“What’s Mr. Longnose doing?” Robin asked eagerly, pointing at Usopp who was emptying a bag into the aquarium.
“Ah, he is restocking our fish. He is one of our better fishermen on board, and since he is not a fruit user, he normally dives in to replenish our stock. Our Captain eats a lot, just so you know!” Brook said, voice twinkling with delight.
Robin waved to Usopp inside the aquarium, and he waved enthusiastically back, until an octopus wrapped around him. Then Usopp started flailing and panicking, bubbles spilling past his lips as he began to scream.
“Usopp’s funny!” Robin laughed, delighted by the sight.
Brook chuckled along with her, “So he is.”
Nami came and got Robin a little later, introducing Robin to her Tangerine trees. She plucked a big one, and gave it to Robin, smiling brightly as she said, “Here, eat this. The vitamin c is good for you.”
“It helps prevent scurvy,” Robin agreed eagerly and began to peel the fruit while Nami smiled.
“Yes, Robin… that’s right. Gosh, even small you’re so brilliant.”
Robin’s face colored, and she looked up at Nami. Nami was very pretty, with her long oranger hair, and her pretty clear eyes. She thought of saying so but felt suddenly too embarrassed, and ducked her head down and away.
“Is everything okay?” Nami whispered, kneeling so Robin and her were at eye level, “You’re still feeling okay?”
“Yes, I feel fine…” Robin whispered, voice going very quiet. She took a bite of the tangerine and swallowed its sweetness down for courage. In a louder and stronger voice, she said, “I just think you’re brilliant miss Nami. You’re very pretty. Like this.”
And Robin held out the tangerine fruit in her hands, the sweet smell perfuming the air.
Art by Me
Nami flushed, and her eyes shone brightly. With a tremble, she asked, “Can I give you a hug?”
“Yes,” Robin answered, and Nami wrapped Robin up in a hug. Robin hugged her back, smiling as she was embraced.
Robin had, the very best day, she had ever had, in a long, long time.
By dinner time, she returned Luffy his hat, who thanked her with a big rubbery smile. He slapped it on his head, the hat suiting him the best. She smiled back, liking how it stretched on his face.
She chose a seat next to Zoro, because she hadn't talked to him much yet, and she wanted to ask about his three swords. He raised an eyebrow at her, and inside she was intimidated, but she smiled politely back.
"Still can't believe you wear such a mask as a kid," Zoro rumbled, lifting an eyebrow at her, "Shame." His hand fell heavy on her head, and he pet her hair a little too hard, his hand friendly but a little rough, as it trailed down to squeeze the back of her neck. "Wish we'd found you sooner."
Zoro then scowled as Nami kicked him under the table, a confused look crossing his face as the woman glared at him and hissed for him to shut up.
"What?" Zoro snapped, brows furrowing more into his eyes, hand rubbing one more time over Robin's head, rubbing wrong, so her hair became mussed and momentarily full of static.
The cook started shouting at him next, and then the two were fighting, the swordsman with his swords, and the cook, with his feet. Robin wished they wouldn't. She thought Zoro had said something very nice, and it made her warm from the inside out as she thought about it.
Eventually, Luffy demanded food, and everyone settled back down for dinner, which was an event in itself.
Everyone tried to steal food, but it seemed like it was a tactic to try and prevent Luffy from getting all of it. Jinbe guarded his food the most successfully, using one massive arm and shoulder to block his food from Luffy’s stretching hands. Brook was singing, and sometimes belching, which would make Nami scream and throw something at him. Usopp was passing a cup to Sanji, who filled it without looking, as he lashed out with his other hand at Luffy who got too close to Robin's plate. Franky and Chopper were making funny faces and Chopper had chopsticks up his nose... it was a real party.
"Is dinner like this every day?" Robin laughed, catching a drumstick Usopp had lost ahold of as Luffy tried to steal it.
"Unfortunately!" Nami sighed pushing Brook away from her as he screeched about panties.
If this was a dream, Robin hoped it never would end.
When it was dark, the crew all went out to the deck, and Robin looked up at the stars.
She started naming constellations aloud, and Luffy sat himself down on the grass and asked her to keep going. She pointed them out and soon had a captive audience, Nami joining in on her explanations on occasion. Jinbe added his own two scents, naming new constellations that the Fish-man race had made. Brook would sing off little ditties about the stars, his light tenor voice filling Robin with wonder. It was all so wonderful.
When Robin was tired, because really there was too much about the sky she could talk about, she sat down in the grass, hands stroking over the grass deck.
Robin asked a question, that had lingered all day in the back of her mind: "If I don't get big again... what happens?"
It was quiet, quiet like it had been that morning, and Luffy was again the one to interrupt it, "We keep sailing. You want to stay with us right?"
Robin looked for Luffy's face then, surprised that it was her choice to decide what would happen next. Luffy was looking at her, eyes hopeful and expectant, and she saw that he wasn't the only one. All the people of this ship, the ones that claimed to be her Nakama, were looking at her. All worried that she might say something other than what was in her heart.
"I do want to stay," Robin said and jumped as a relieved cheer went up around her.
She laughed, "I'm not so important to cheer over."
Franky's large engulfing hand was on her back and he leaned over, his sunglasses pushed into his hair as he met her eye, "Robin-sis, you are so important to us."
"Yeah!" Luffy agreed, sounding angry, his mouth curved in a deep frown, "Better not say mean things about my Nakama, or I'll hit you!"
Sanji and Nami both kicked Luffy hard, Nami shouting, "IDIOT!" while Sanji roared, "YOU WILL NOT LAY A HAND ON ROBIN-SWAN!"
And the crew fell into chaos again, Robin's eyes glittering as the crew broke into another ridiculous fight. Robin hunkered down in the grass, leaning against Franky's big leg, which made him weep with honor that she had "chosen him to sit next to," and hugged her knees to her chest. Jinbe, gently removed his jacket, and draped it over Robin, both Franky and Jinbe laughing as it swallowed her up.
Robin wrapped herself up in the large jacket. If this was her life now, every day, for the rest of her life, she hoped she remembered how lucky she was if she ever got big again.
Robin came to as Nami tucked her into a big bed, in a room that apparently was hers.
"Oh, sorry Robin! I didn't mean to wake you... You fell asleep, so I thought I would put you to bed," Nami whispered gently.
"How long have we all been together?" Robin asked quietly as sleep tried to tuck her back in its folds.
Nami tilted her face, biting her lower lip, "Not long... but not so short either," She laughed seeming not sure how to further explain.
"I'd like to be together forever," Robin whispered, yawning big as she tried not to.
Nami's eyes were shining in the dark, big and bright. She swallowed, and her hands fell on Robin's and she squeezed very tight, "We want to be together forever too, Robin. We'll all try."
Robin nodded, "Good... good..." and fell asleep, hoping to wake up back here with them again.
When Robin did wake, she had a slight headache.
She rubbed her head, and it faded like a dream sometimes did, and she sat up stretching her body. She looked down at herself, before squinting around the girl's cabin and finding a robe of hers. Wrapping it around her body, she meandered through her closet looking for something to wear. She heard Nami stir from her bed, and looked at the other woman smiling, "Good morning, Nami."
She had not been expecting Nami to scream.
Nor was she expecting for the rest of the crew to come barging in and have similar reactions at the sight of her.
Franky and Brook then charged her, snot and tears streaming down their faces as they proclaimed how good it was to see her.
However, at the sight of the two of them charging her in nothing but her robe, she crossed her hands, and two extra sets of hands slapped them in their faces.
Behind Brook and Franky, more of their friends were spilling inside the ladies' cabin, something Nami didn’t usually tolerate. But Nami was still silent, staring at Robin like she was a ghost.
"Sorry," both Franky and Brook meekly groaned, before Robin looked at all of her emotional friends and asked, "Now... what is going on here?"
Breakfast lasted a long time. In fact, it lasted so long, that you could say it bled into brunch. But the crew had a lot to say, and Robin wanted to hear it all.
"...This is... hard to believe," Robin said, a warm cup of tea growing cold in her hands.
"But it's true!" Luffy said with an emphatic nod, and a wide grin, "Yesterday. you were so small!"
"And you don't remember? Not any of it?" Chopper asked.
"No..." Robin said trying to recall any of the events the crew had told her about, "Last thing I can recall, is my stomach hurt and I was in the sick bay."
"That was the day before," Chopper said, sounding a little disappointed.
Robin glanced at her friends, head swiveling from person to person, and noticed that they all looked a little disappointed.
"What's all this now? Did you like the little me so much?" She asked smiling and setting her cup down so she could lean on her hand.
"Of course we did!" Franky said sounding a little angry as he banged his hand on the table, "You were a great kid!"
“Robin, you could fit in my hand, in the palm,” Jinbe bragged, Franky glaring at the fish-man.
“She coulda fit in mine too!”
Jinbe puffed up her chest, “But Robin sat in my hands, Franky.”
“Well, Robin rode on my shoulders!” Usopp boasted, and then to Robin, “And I showed you all my plants. You were so knowledgeable about botany, you could almost tell me how things needed to be done.”
“Yeah, well Robin napped in the hammock with me,” Zoro announced, sticking a thumb on his chest. He grinned as Franky, Brook, and Usopp gasped with jealousy.
“What?!” Sanji shrieked tugging his hair, “When did she do that!?”
“When she finished her snack,” Zoro said, with a smug smirk, “I’m warm.”
“Yeah, well she wore my hat most of the day, and she said she liked me the best!” Luffy blurted, the last half a clear lie, judging by how he twisted his lips and avoided eye contact.
“Liar!” Nami snapped, and with that, the crew broke out into bickering, over who Little Robin, had enjoyed the most.
Robin felt warm from the inside out, and something about that was familiar. This quiet blooming, as if being cared for was the greatest gift she’d ever received.
She sat a little straighter looking slightly far away and muttered, "Maybe I do remember something..."
The crew quieted and looked at her, slightly concerned.
Eyes shining with sudden tears Robin smiled at her friends, “I love you all, very much.”
Every member on the ship suddenly had a case of watery eyes and oversized grins.
Luffy was the first to say, “Well, we love you too!”
The crew echoed thunderously along with their captain, and when they all quieted down, Brook spoke up.
"Well... missing memories aside, how did Miss Robin shrink in the first place?"
That could not be figured out that morning, and eventually, the group chalked it up to another oddity of being on the Grand Line. Robin promised to keep thinking about the matter, and Chopper promised to explore his books and research if there was any disease that turned someone into a child for twenty-four hours.
In the fridge, the grapes sat quietly forgotten.