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If anyone had asked the members of the Straw Hat Pirates what their moss-haired swordsman enjoyed most out of life, each member would have given the same three answers. Swords, booze, and a good fight were all Roronoa Zoro truly needed to be happy in the days before the crew’s reunion at Sabaody two years and three days after the war on Marineford. Yet, after their reunion, the list grew by one notable addition: Nico Robin. The swordsman and first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates fell hard for the raven-haired archaeologist and the two married soon after the conclusion of the battle for the land of Wano. Just when Roronoa Zoro thought he couldn’t get any happier once he became the Strongest Swordsman in the World after defeating Dracule Mihawk while remaining happily married to Robin, his beautiful wife had announced she was pregnant with their first child. The famed first mate and swordsman quickly felt the love in his heart expand tenfold to accommodate his love for the child he and Robin would welcome into the world. Although the rest of the crew was extremely overjoyed at the news that Robin and Zoro were to become first time parents, they would be lying if they said they didn’t have their fears that Roronoa Zoro would not be the most doting and involved father around. With his track record for sleeping whenever not engaged in battle or training, his desire to always put himself at the forefront of danger whenever the crew is attacked, and his devotion to his mastery of the blade, the crew has come to the conclusion they were going to have to help Robin pick up the slack in raising the newest baby on the Straw Hat crew. Nami and Sanji would have their hands full since they welcomed their twin girls, Belle and Sora five months before Robin’s due date. Everyone knows that Luffy won’t be able to be trusted with any baby unsupervised due to his rather exuberant and impulsive personality, leaving not as many potential helpers as one might think. Yet, once baby Keiji was born, Zoro put everyone’s initial fears to rest as he showed an interest in every single moment he could spend with his son, celebrating every single milestone in his son’s life, no matter how small.
Usopp walks onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny and quickly stops in his tracks. For there, in the middle of the main deck is a large, soft baby blanket, a small circular pillow, and Zoro lying prone on his stomach in the middle of it all. Upon closer inspection, the sharpshooter can see three-month-old Keiji lying on his stomach as well, safely encircled by both his father’s strong, muscular arms and the support pillow. With his father’s bright green hair and mother’s deep blue eyes, Roronoa Keiji has every member of the Straw Hat pirates wrapped around his little finger, similarly to Belle and Sora who are currently sitting in their highchairs in the kitchen watching Sanji prepare breakfast for the crew. Usopp looks around the deck of the Thousand Sunny, not seeing Robin anywhere.
“What could Zoro be doing?” Usopp wonders aloud to himself, deciding to stay nearby in case the swordsman needs some form of intervention or aid, keeping himself hidden behind the mast in the hopes that Zoro doesn’t catch sight of him.
Zoro holds both his forearms underneath Keiji’s stomach, dropping a kiss to each one of his son’s round, chunky cheeks. Keiji coos in response to his father’s kisses, moving one of his hands towards Zoro’s face, which the swordsman leans into, relishing the feeling of his son’s little hands on his face.
“Okay, Keiji,” Zoro gently says, placing his face next to Keiji’s where his son can hear his directions. “Ready to do some training with Papa today?” he inquires, a beaming smile making its way onto his lips, exposing every single one of his teeth.
Keiji coos in response, his blue eyes locking on his father’s brown one and Zoro uses one of his hands to tickle Keiji’s belly.
“I’m gonna take that as a yes,” Zoro chuckles softly, so much tenderness and joy present in just those seven little words. “Mama says you need to work on your tummy time and Papa needs to keep up with his training to be able to protect you and Mama from anything, so this will benefit us both. Let’s get to work, kiddo,” the green-haired swordsman explains, remembering that Robin has told him to simply talk to Keiji as he would any other member of the crew, minus the swearing, in order to help boost their son’s brain and speech development quickly.
With that, Zoro props Keiji’s torso up on top of the circular pillow before he moves himself across from his son, their faces nearly touching where Zoro can keep an eye on his son to ensure his safety. From across the deck, Usopp swallows nervously, only imagining just how terribly this could go if Zoro forgets that his son is a baby and cannot train in the way the swordsman is used to training alone or in his sparring sessions with Sanji and Luffy.
“Okay, let’s work on that head control, Keiji,” Zoro instructs, the swordsman pressing himself up onto his toes, his hands planted firmly in front of him and his brown eye watching his son’s every move.
Zoro begins to lower himself to the ground, his forearms bulging with the movement as he begins his regimen of pushups. Keiji watches his father with as much intensity and focus as a three month old can muster, coos and babbles slipping from his pink, pouty lips as Zoro counts his reps aloud.
“Come on, kiddo, your turn,” Zoro tenderly reminds and encourages, pausing to run one of his calloused hands through the tuft of green hair atop Keiji’s head. “We’re working on holding up your head, remember?” he remarks, knowing that from one of the books Robin used to read when she was pregnant that head control and holding his head upright is something that Keiji should be learning how to do at this age. “Watch how Papa does it,” he continues to explain, dropping down for another pushup, ensuring he keeps his head upright and level to watch his son’s progress.
Usopp lets out a surprised gasp from across the deck, shocked beyond words that Zoro actually is implementing a child-safe training approach. Robin soon appears on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, a towel wrapped around her neck following her morning shower.
“It’s a beautiful day, huh, Usopp?” Robin asks, her blue eyes twinkling in the sunshine as the light catches on the water still dripping in her black hair.
“Robin! I….” Usopp stutters, trying to act as if he was doing something other than spying on Zoro and Keiji.
“You wanted to ensure that Zoro wasn’t endangering Keiji, is that it?” the archaeologist questions, placing one of her hands on her chin as her eyes shine with mirth.
“Ummmm, well, you see….”
“You have no need to worry. Zoro is truly a wonderful father to our son,” Robin smiles widely, watching from a distance as Zoro moves to sit up, collecting Keiji into his arms before throwing the cooing infant into their air, catching him every time the baby’s cooing reaches its loudest volume. “He’s already been a wonderful Papa to Keiji,” she reverently says, turning on her heel before heading over to where her husband and son sit.
Usopp smiles once Robin leaves, finally going into the workshop to help Franky with repairs to the shark submarine.
“How are my boys this morning?” Robin asks as she comes up behind Zoro, draping her arms across his broad back, clasping her hands together in front of her husband’s chest.
“Good morning, Robin,” Zoro replies, tilting his head upwards to press a kiss, long and slow, to his wife’s lips. “I heard Keiji stirring this morning in his cradle when I woke up to train before breakfast, so I decided to bring him out here with me to let you get a little bit more sleep. I know you were up all last night feeding him,” he explains, forever appreciative of the dedication that Robin has to their son and his rather demanding breastfeeding schedule.
“That was extremely sweet of you. I was able to catch another hour of sleep and get in a nice shower. It is very much appreciated, my love.”
“But of course. I’d do anything for you two.”
“How did training go?” Robin smirks, not sure how much Keiji contributed to the training Zoro wished to accomplish this morning.
“I think it went well. Keiji, you wanna show Mama how you can almost hold your head up on your own now?” Zoro excitedly asks their son, using the higher pitched tone of voice he knows his son loves to hear from both himself and from Robin.
“I’d love to see that, but I do believe it’s time for Keiji to eat again,” the famed archaeologist remarks, slight discomfort showing on her face as she places her hand under her right breast.
“I’m sorry if I kept him busy for too long. I just thought…”
“No, you were amazing this morning. I got everything I needed to do done this morning. Now, join me for breakfast?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Zoro settles one of his large hands onto Robin’s back below the base of her spine, handing their squirming son over to her in the process, Keiji immediately tucking himself against his mother’s chest.
Zoro works with Keiji in the coming months, training with his son every way he can think of. When it’s time for Keiji to practice learning to sit up his own, Zoro devotes his own training to sit-ups. When Keiji is learning how to roll himself from his back onto his tummy, Zoro spends the time lying on his own back, performing hip extension exercises by rolling back and forth. As Keiji learns to pull up onto his hands to begin the first step in learning how to crawl, Zoro either once again focuses on pushups or triceps extension exercises. Not only does this approach leave Robin with the free time to read a book or work on her translations of ancient texts, but the bond between Zoro and Keiji deepens every time the father and son “train” together in this manner. Not to mention, Keiji seems to pick up on the physical milestones much faster this way, almost as if he is learning from Zoro’s instructions.
“Papa! Papa! Papa!” Keiji babbles, reaching his chubby little ten-month-old arms up at his father when he sees Zoro returning from a fishing expedition with Luffy, Brook, and Franky now that they’re moored on an island without frozen water.
“Welcome back. We missed you,” Robin smiles, standing and crossing the distance between herself and Zoro, winding her arms around Zoro’s body, pulling him into her.
“Yeah? I missed you both, too,” Zoro murmurs into his wife’s hair, the rumble in his chest passing through Robin’s body as she stands wrapped in his embrace.
“Papa! Papa!” Keiji continues to call, laughing excitedly as he squishes his hands open and closed in excitement.
“You want Papa?” Zoro smiles, the corner of his brown eye crinkling as he gazes down at his son with all the tenderness in the world. “You’re gonna have to come and get me, kiddo,” he says, crouching down and opening his arms wide. “Come on, you can do it.”
Determination set in his beautiful blue eyes, Keiji lowers himself down to his palms, putting his hands one in front of the other as he crawls for the first time over to both of his parents, a pure smile appearing on his lips, showcasing his two brand new bottom teeth sticking up out of his perfect pink gums.
“Mama! Papa!” Keiji calls, clapping his hands together once he reaches the safety of his Papa’s arms.
“Good job, Keiji!” Robin cheers, pressing a kiss to her son’s cheek, love and pride shining in her azure blue eyes.
“Papa’s so proud of you, Keiji,” Zoro murmurs into his son’s bright green hair, wrapping his son into the biggest hug possible. “I can’t wait for the day you take your first steps.”
“Are you sure you’re quite ready for that?” Robin giggles as she hears the voices of Sanji and Nami across the deck.
“Sanji, they’re going off in different directions again!” Nami calls loudly as she chases after fifteen-month-old Sora, the toddler’s blonde hair and brown eyes coming into view soon after as she laughs excitedly.
“I’m on it, Nami, sweet! Belle, dear, come to Daddy! We don’t need you and Sora wandering off!” Sanji calls after their orange-haired, blue-eyed strong-willed daughter, catching Nami’s mini-me around the waist and hauling her up into his arms, eliciting another full round of laughter from the twin girls.
“Makes me happy we only had one at a time,” Zoro chuckles, that rumbling laugh making Robin and Keiji smile. “Man, can you imagine us with two little scamps so young at the same time?”
“Well….” Robin begins, only for Zoro to immediately lock his gaze upon his wife, his chocolate brown eye narrowing in confusion.
“Don’t tell me I got you pregnant again so quickly,” Zoro remarks, his voice husky as he leans in close to his wife, gently nipping her ear in the process.
“Not yet, no. Just thinking how much you’ve been making me want a second one recently with seeing you be so patient and dedicated with Keiji,” she smiles widely.
“How about we wait until Keiji’s just a little bit older, hmm? As much as I loved seeing you pregnant, I think I wanna give Keiji some more time to enjoy being an only child and to give your body more time to heal from pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding him.”
“And people like to say you’re not thoughtful or sensitive.”
“Who? Who says that? Is it that perverted cook? I swear, I oughta---”
Robin’s resulting laughter fills the entirety of the Thousand Sunny with Keiji soon joining in.