Chapter 92: Nico Robin
Robin let Cherry go once they reached the ship's dining room and kitchen.
Cherry sat down at the table whilst Robin went to make some coffee for them both.
When it was finished Robin brought a cup over to Cherry and handed it to her. Cherry took it and gave it a sip.
"You're pretty good at making coffee. Sanji's always tastes of cigarette smoke, don't tell him I said that though." Cherry said. "I should make you another coffee cake sometime."
"Another one?" Robin asked.
"I made the last one we ate together, before you left the island. I didn't tell you because I was embarrassed." Cherry smiled, reminiscing over simpler times.
Robin giggled. "I had thought you had done something to it from the way you smiled then, but you were just happy that I liked it? You're smile has gotten a lot nicer over the years."
"You think so? Maybe my smile hasn't changed, but just the way you see it?" Cherry proffered.
Robin blushed slightly. "... Maybe."
Cherry's fingers gently caressed Robin's hand, causing her to turn very red.
"I like your smile..." Cherry almost whispered.
Robin gathered her courage. "I-"
*BANG* The door flew upon.
"ROBIN-SWAN, CHERRY-CHAN! I SAW YOU COME BACK TO THE SHIP, ARE YOU HUNGRY?! I CAN MAKE YOU WHATEVER YOU LIKE!" Sanji enthusiastically shouted at he danced into the kitchen.
Robin resisted the urge to use her devil fruit to trip him and just sighed.
Cherry was looking at her with a smirk. Then a thought occurred to her.
"You knew he was coming didn't you..." Robin took Cherry's silence and widening smile as a yes.
"Sanji, make eggs! I LOVE EGGS!" Drunk Cherry shouted, receiving an excited reply from Sanji.
Robin realized that Cherry wasn't as sober as she claimed to be and let it go. "Don't drink any more, Cherry. We'll talk in the morning, goodnight."
...
Cherry started to wake up and felt something was off.
When she opened her eyes, she was dangling by a rope tied around her foot from the main mast.
'What the hell... That's it, no more drinking.' Cherry thought. She tried to remember what happened the night before, but all that came to the surface was scattered images of her cutting Zoro up.
Cherry untied herself and went to the dining room to have breakfast with the others.
When she opened the door, all eyes rested upon her. Some of them contained a nervous energy, though it wasn't fear.
"Sorry about last night, what ever I did. I should have known better than to drink that much, but I got caught up in the atmosphere." Cherry apologized sincerely, which improved the mood of the room.
Cherry noticed that Zoro was wearing Shusui on his hip.
'Did Drunk Cherry give that to him?' She wondered, sitting down at the table.
"Oh, by the way. I had a chat with Kuma the other night. He told me that some guy called Blackbeard turned Ace into the Marines to become a Shichibukai." Cherry said casually, putting bacon into her mouth.
"""What?!""" They exclaimed.
"Maybe he was lying?" Sanji suggested.
"I don't think so. He said it would be public knowledge soon enough." Cherry replied.
"What do you want to do Luffy?" Nami asked.
"I don't mind making a detour. Laboon has waited for me for half a century, there's no rush." Brook said.
Luffy was surprisingly calm. "Ace has his own adventure to have, he'd get angry if I treated him like he's weak. There probably isn't anything we can do, anyways."
Cherry thought what he said was perfectly reasonable, but it didn't exactly sound like the usual Luffy.
"From what I know about Whitebeard, he'll probably go to war with the World Government to save Ace. He's not different from you, Luffy." Cherry said. "If you change your mind, I'll fight alongside you."
"That's right!" Usopp exclaimed.
"ANYWAYS! Zoro awakened Haki during your fight yesterday! Fight me too! I want Haki too!" Luffy demanded whilst stuffing eggs into his mouth.
"Hehe, So that's what happened. I'd been thinking about it for a while, but I was worried it would be too traumatizing. I guess I just ripped off the bandage after loosening my inhibitions." Cherry said.
"I'm not sure the same method will work for you though, Luffy. That method requires a strong will to win against impossible odds. Zoro can muster that kind of will against me even if I'm a friend, but you're different." Cherry explained.
"I don't care! Let's do it!" Luffy insisted.
"Fine, fine, you win. I'll kick your ass later." Cherry gave up. There was at least a chance it'll work if she tricked him.
The crew finished breakfast and went about their business. Robin pulled Cherry aside to talk.
"About our talk last night..." Robin started.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I said something rude." Cherry said.
"You don't remember? Anything at all?" Robin asked.
"I drank enough alcohol to kill an elephant, so no." Cherry scratched her head awkwardly, cursing Drunk Cherry silently.
"Oh, well, nevermind then..." Robin said and started walking away.
Cherry squinted her eyes at her in suspicion.
"Would you mind letting me know what we talked about?" Cherry asked.
"It wasn't anything important." Robin turned around, answering with a poker face.
"It's not something you're embarrassed about and now that you know I don't remember, you've decided to run away?" Cherry asked.
Robin felt a nervous sweat coming on, but she was an experienced liar. "No."
"Hey, ladies!" Sanji pranced over. "I just want to apologize. I was a bit drunk last night and I think I may have interrupted a private conversation between you two. I'll make you something nice later, so please forgive me! I'll leave you alone now!"
Sanji pranced away and Cherry turned to looked at Robin whose face was beading with sweat.
"I won't force you if you don't want to say anything." Cherry tapped her shoulder and went to leave.
"Wait." Robin stopped her, grabbing her hand. "I- um, well... I just want to say..."
Robin's mind was spinning in circles, she just couldn't say it. 'Why is this so hard?! I've done this sort of thing a hundred times, the only difference this time is I mean it!'
Cherry wasn't stupid, she was 99% sure she knew what was going on.
"I understand, Robin. Just say it, I already know." Cherry reassured her, squeezing her hands lightly.
Robin gazed deeply into Cherry's menacing eyes, but saw only how beautiful they were.
"I have feelings for you." Robin said semi-confidently.
"Eh?" Cherry looked shocked.
"What?! You said you knew! Why did I say that?!" Robin started panicking.
"Pfft! Hehehehe!" Cherry started giggling. "I'm just messing with you, Robin."
Cherry brought Robin into a strong hug, and Robin reciprocated. Though she was pouting at Cherry's bad joke.
"This is a first for me, you know. I've never felt this way about anyone before." Cherry said.
"I haven't either." Robin said.
"Not that either of us has really had a chance to before now. I was an eccentric training addict for most of life, while you've been on the run." Cherry said.
Robin giggled. "That's true." She felt more comfortable than she'd felt in a long time.
"So will you teach me how to poneglyphs now?" Cherry asked.
"No." Robin replied instantly.
They parted enough to look at each other.
Robin leaned down whilst Cherry tilted her head back. They closed their eyes and slowly drew closer until the moment their lips touched.
*Gacha*
They turned and saw Nami with a camera Den Den Mushi looking at them with a motherly smile.
"It's about time you two stopped dancing around each other. I think I'll start a scrapbook..." Nami said as she walked away, quite proud of herself.
Robin and Cherry glanced at each other and broke into laughter.
"I should get a copy from her later." Cherry said.
"Mhm." Robin agreed.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone