Chapter 10: A High Note

Mealtimes were chaotic at Arlong Park. Aria nearly got ran over twice just trying to take in the canteen. It was almost like her welcoming party all over again, with the noise and bustle, and Aria had to employ the same tactics to keep herself from being noticed.

Aria had to wonder if it was worth the effort as she watched a fight break out between two tables. She winced as a table split in two and the fight became more agitated. Food definitely wasn't worth getting wrapped up in that.

Just as Aria reached the staircase, however, Arlong and Chew intercepted her. Arlong grinned at her as he approached, while Chew was much more hesitant. "Aria-chan! Going back to work already?"

"Yeah. Not really hungry. Bye." Aria tried to brush past Arlong, but he caught her by the arm with ease. Arlong didn't look too happy with her answer.

"You should eat with us." Arlong ordered, pulling her along. Aria grimaced at the mess hall, but let Arlong tug her back into the chaos. Chew looked as off-put as her, at the very least. Arlong's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the fighting pirates. "Save that energy for Mata Nui, boys, unless you want Kuroobi to give you some extra training."

The men at least had the decency to look sheepish at getting reprimanded.

After having a plate of food forced on her, Aria sat next to Chew, grateful that he could be a barrier between her and Arlong. With luck, she could just eat and disappear back into the workshop.

Honestly, Aria had even less of an idea of how to deal with Chew than she did with Arlong, Hachi, or even Kuroobi. He seemed to be fond of fashionable clothes, even effeminate ones, and there was a certain delicacy to him, even though he was constantly pursing his lips. Perhaps he had been a noble of some sort, before becoming a pirate? He had a haughty air about him that Aria could relate to.

"So, Aria-san, you're from the New World originally?" Chew asked. Aria tried not to let her disappointment show. She'd hoped to avoid small talk. It was bad enough that all the other crew members were staring at her. She'd tried so hard to look as unappealing to talk to as possible, too...

She took a bite of food to give herself time to think of how she wanted to deal with his questioning. If she remembered right, Chew was one of Arlong's officers. Even if Arlong wasn't sitting next to him, he'd report anything she said back to him. What a pain. "Yeah, I am."

"You must be pretty strong, chuu."

Aria raised a brow. "I'm not really sure how those two things correlate."

Chew gave her an incredulous look. "You know that the first half of the Grand Line is called 'Paradise' because it's such a cakewalk compared to the second half, right?"

"Yeah. But that's only if you go around picking fights. I didn't get into any trouble before I left."

Chew dropped the sandwich he'd been eating. "So you didn't get into any fights or anything, chuu?"

Aria had gotten into a few fights before in her life. Petty school squabbles, mostly. But the Grand Line wasn't a place one could sail through peacefully, and she'd been forced to defend herself more than once. She wasn't going to tell Chew that, though. "I don't really count schoolyard brawls as actual fights."

Chew glowered at Aria, and she wondered if she'd answered that question wrong. He turned to Arlong irritably. "Are you fucking serious? Not only did she kick our asses with her shitty fruit power, but she's got shit combat experience, chuu. I think I hate her, Arlong-san."

"Don't remind me about that." Arlong grumbled back, angrily shoving his food in his face as he remembered their first meeting. Aria would have been impressed as she watched the two fishmen go to town on their food, but...

Ah. That's right. Chew had been there when Arlong had first come to her island. No wonder he seemed to dislike her before they had held a conversation. Saying that she had no combat experience had probably just rubbed salt in the wound.

"I asked Kuroobi to train you before we went to Mata Nui, Aria-chan." Arlong said.

Aria frowned. That sounded like it would be unpleasant. Still, she should at least try to be more considerate of their feelings, if she wanted to be accepted. "Thank you…?"

"He said no."

"Oh." Aria breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good…" she murmured under her breath, causing Chew to snicker.

"So starting tomorrow, I'm going to."

Aria dropped her chopsticks. "What?" She must have misheard. Chew's snickers turned into outright cackling, probably due to the horrified expression on her face.

"You may have your devil fruit power, but aside from that you're still a flimsy, pathetic human." Arlong sneered. "I'd rather you have some training, especially since Mata Nui is home to a marine base."

Aria shoved a glob of rice in her mouth, hoping that she'd come up with a proper response by the time she'd finished it. But it was impossible. She'd gone from the frying pan right into the oven. Kuroobi at least seemed to have the patience required to be a teacher. Arlong couldn't even be a good student. "I could just avoid the marines?"

"No, you're coming with us to take it over."

Chew, who had finally stopped snickering, grinned as he offered his opinion. "I don't think you can weasel your way out of this one, Aria-san."

"All I want to do is play with welding tools…" Aria sighed, pushing her hair back behind her ear. The idea of training or fighting didn't appeal to her in the slightest.

Arlong gave her an amused smirk. "That's fine. But after I make sure you won't drag us down at Mata Nui."

"By the way, Aria-san," Chew said between bites, "you're pretty brave for a weak human, chuu."

Aria gave him a flat look. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"When we came to your island you didn't even flinch at us. Most humans freak out and cower, chuu."

Aria scoffed, and waved her hand at him flippantly. "It's not like you're the first fishmen I've ever seen."

Arlong and Chew shared a look at that, and they both turned to her in surprise. "Really, now?" Arlong mused aloud. It certainly explained a lot.

Aria scoffed again. "Honestly, just because I'm a hermit in this backwater ocean doesn't mean I'm completely sheltered…"

"That's not what we were surprised about at all, chuu! We were just wondering about...well, a lot."

"Just tell us about them." Arlong urged, moving his chair so that he could properly face Aria as she spoke. Aria tried not to sigh around her rice. She hadn't done a very good job of sticking to nonsense small talk, had she? Now they were both curious about her.

"Mm, about two decades or so there was a group that kept stopping by Fiora Marsh. They'd stay for a while and then leave, only to return a year or so later." She wondered if she should mention the men who had stayed, and made families.

"So they were restocking on supplies, or traders, or something?"

"There are a lot more accessible places to restock and trade than Aqua Atlus. But they did some trade." Aria informed, resting her chin in her head as she spoke. "From what I gathered, they were mercenaries or pirates, but they had made some sort of deal with the information brokers. They'd bring back books and such, bounties for future Abroaders to study, minerals and hard to obtain items. For a while they even acted as guards for a few Abroaders."

She took a drink, considering her next words with a smirk. If she was sharing information, she might as well go all-out. "Honestly, they were no more unusual than human men coming to our island, considering the population was about 95 percent female." That took both pirates by surprise, much to Aria's glee. "My island has something akin to Amazon Syndrome, though we're much more tolerant to outsiders than our Lily counterpart. Provided they kept our island a secret to other outsiders, of course."

Arlong hummed thoughtfully. "So this is your way of showing your trust, hmm?"

Aria nodded. "Something of the sort. I'd rather you two not go around telling everyone, however."

Arlong readily agreed to her terms, a pleased smile on his face. Chew, on the other hand, had his own terms that he relayed with a devious grin. "I can keep my lips sealed if you'll play something for us. Hachi is ever the loudmouth, chuu, and he mentioned that you're good at playing the violin."

"Huh?" Aria said, giving Chew another flat look. "Are you blackmailing me into this?"

"I mean, I could accidentally wind up telling Hachi what you just told me, and then everyone would know."

"Arlong." Aria growled, looking to him for help.

Arlong flashed her a completely unapologetic fangy grin. "Shahahaha! I think I'd like to hear you play, too."

"I'm never telling any of you anything ever again." Aria grumbled into her drink, finishing it off and standing with a huff. "Stay right here and I'll grab my violin and I'll play you a shitty song."

"No, not a shitty one, Aria-san. A really good one!" Chew called out to her as she stomped away. After she was out of sight, he turned to Arlong. "That'd be a good icebreaker, right?"

Arlong snickered and leaned his back against the table. "If she doesn't kill you afterwards, sure."

Chew shrugged. "She could stand to socialize a bit more, chuu. I think she'd rather spend all of her time in the smithy with Gajeel and Dresden."

"Why do you think I forced her to eat with us?" Arlong's voice turned dry. "She looked like she was ready to dart back there."

Chew couldn't help but agree. The pure look of discomfort on her face had pissed him off. Sure, she wasn't scared of them in the slightest, but she wasn't one of them, either. Just having Arlong's mark didn't make her nakama. She'd have to work hard to earn that title. Playing in front of everyone might help that matter, Chew hoped.

A while later, Aria reappeared with her violin in hand, though she looked slightly more embarrassed than when she left. "I haven't played in front of such a large group." She admittedly sheepishly. But she played, and quickly found herself joined by a few fishmen that had their own instruments.

Hachi, who had shown up while Aria fetched her instrument, broke out into a song, singing horribly off-key. The crew joined him readily, and a loud chorus broke out.

Without realizing it, she had started having fun trying to match their sea shanties.

After his late lunchtime, Arlong went to the war room to go over their plans of attack once more. They had a reasonably solid initial plan of attack, and there was no doubt in his mind that they would be able to conquer the weak, pitiful humans that resided on Mata Nui, but going over their plans time and again had become an enjoyable habit. Arlong felt it was similar to when Aria spoke of all the weapons she could create, and Arlong's entire being would get excited with the knowledge that he could conquer.

After Borsalino, after Impel Down, after his spat with Jinbe...All Arlong wanted to do was prove that fishmen were superior to humans. He still couldn't believe that after Brother Tai's death that Jinbe would just go become a government dog…!

So it was with a great deal of pettiness that the second island they were going to conquer was home to a Marine Base. He intended to crush them callously, to return the favor that shitty marines had done to his life. They had killed his beloved brother, and stolen another from him. He would show them his rage.

That wasn't the only reason Mata Nui was in his sights. Arlong needed a way to counteract his bounty, and to control the information that the marines would send to the Grand Line. There was no way Jinbe wasn't keeping an ear to the ground for information on the Arlong Pirates. As a Warlord, he could come to the East Blue if he pleased. Perhaps in time, after all Arlong intended to do to humans in the future, Jinbe wouldn't be so weak as to not kill Arlong to stop his empire's growth.

"Arlong-san, I hope you don't intend to collect more humans at Mata Nui."

Kuroobi's voice broke Arlong out of his thoughts. He stood fully, tearing his gaze away from the map of Mata Nui he'd been glaring at since he arrived. Kuroobi stood not far away, arms crossed and brows furrowed like he'd been thinking about something for far too long, as he usually did.

"Why would I get any more?" Arlong grumbled. "Aria-chan and Nami-chan are only with us because they serve a purpose, Kuroobi-nii. I wouldn't bother with their lesser species, otherwise."

Kuroobi raised a brow. "You and Chew were encouraging Aria-san to get along with the crew, earlier. You asked me to train Aria-san. It's not like she is Nami, a traitorous child who you've given an impossible task to complete."

"So you don't have a problem with me bringing in more humans, but instead with Aria?"

Kuroobi shook his head. "No, Aria-san is the beginning of a problem. We're here to conquer, not to make friends."

"Don't tell me what we're here for, Kuroobi." Arlong sneered, swinging his fist and hitting the table with a heavy thud. The wood under his fist cracked a bit, and Kuroobi gave an internal sigh at his childhood friend's antics. Arlong was temperamental at the best of times, and Kuroobi had known he was bringing this topic up at a bad time based on Arlong's expression when he walked in. But someone needed to remind Arlong not to let down his guard, or to lose sight of their goal. Arlong continued, "we're taking over Mata Nui with an ally we've never fought with before. There needs to be some trust between Aria and the rest of the crew, no matter how small it is."

"Why are you concerned with her trust, though? She's just a human."

Arlong scoffed. "If she were just a human, I'd agree. But she's got that damn devil fruit power. You weren't there, the first time we went. You don't know how powerful a logia is, just yet." Kuroobi couldn't help but give a nod, despite the grimace on his face. He'd heard from Chew and Hachi how unpleasant the whole experience had been, and how undefeatable she had seemed before Arlong had won. "Aria-chan is useful. But only if we control her. If she thinks of us as friends, it's better for all of us. She needs to be one of us."

Kuroobi nodded again, finally understanding. "I see your point. But...I can't readily say I'll be her friend any time soon, if ever."

Arlong shrugged. "I don't care either way. Just don't get in the way."

"As long as you keep your guard up, I won't." Kuroobi promised. "The only controlling factor we have on Aria-san is your ring. Don't forget that. She's not as easy to control as Nami if she decides to betray us."

Arlong gave a mirthless smile. "Why do you think I'm trying so hard to play friends with a human?"

"I don't know, Arlong-san." Kuroobi admitted. "That's why I've been worried. I don't want the crew to become weak to humans like they were with Koala." Kuroobi closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I don't want the Arlong Pirates to break up over a stupid mistake like trusting a human. It ended so badly before…"

Arlong grimaced. "I won't let it end like that. Never. We're going to conquer the humans, and make our own damn place under the sun." Arlong's conviction soothed Kuroobi's wounds, but it would take a lot more work to heal them. Nevermind the fact that Arlong's wounds festered at his words, angry and poisonous.

When Arlong walked into the room, Aria was sitting on the couch, tuning her violin. Arlong hadn't expected her to be here, thinking she would be in the metal shop until late into the evening. Still, the company would be welcome, after such an unpleasant conversation with Kuroobi about the humans.

"Hachi told me you could sing." Arlong said, sitting down next to her and spreading himself over the couch. Aria looked up at him for only a split second before refocusing. She had gotten use to his presence in these last two days, no longer bristling at his slight touches unless startled. Arlong preferred her indifference to her narrow-eyed discomfort.

"I can, yes." Aria replied, her voice distant. Arlong watched her lithe fingers strum the strings, and she clucked her tongue after all the pitches rang. She adjusted the knobs minutely.

"Why don't you sing for us, hmm? After we're done with this new island." Aria's lip quirked like he had told a joke.

"I don't sing for people." Aria informed, with the faintest hint of amusement in her voice. Arlong raised a brow questioningly.

"You sung for Hachi." Arlong whined ever so slightly, and Aria's lip quirked again. Arlong had noticed she was amused by his whining, and he intended to use it to his advantage whenever possible.

"No." She countered, instantly. "I was singing for the plants." She strummed the chords again, and hummed pleasantly at the noise. "Music helps them grow better." Aria stood and reached for her bow, plucking it off the ground in a fluid movement. She tested her violin more thoroughly. Arlong waited patiently until she was done, watching her fingers move nimbly. Aria was plenty dexterous.

"You'd sing for plants over your own captain, Aria-chan? How cruel." Arlong said, resting his head against his fist. Aria scoffed and tossed a look of disbelief over her shoulder.

"You should be happy I played for this merry little band of pirates at all. Not many people have gotten that sort of special treatment from me." Aria said smoothly, a haughty smirk slipping onto her face.

"I didn't know our little hermit was in such high demand." Arlong crooned back.

"Of course I am. Why do you think I came out to this tiny archipelago?" Aria walked over to her case, and unclasped the latches. She was going to put her violin away. Arlong didn't want that yet.

"Did you ever do duets?" Arlong asked sharply, and Aria hesitated. Arlong cursed himself. There were a thousand better ways to tell her not to pack it up just yet.

Her eyes were knitted together like she was worried, but she had a smirk on her lips. "Why? Do you play anything? Or was that just a set-up for a lewd joke?"

Arlong definitely hadn't intended for her to take it that way. "It wasn't. Get your mind out the gutter." Aria laughed, sharply. "There's a piano on the fourth floor. We could play together, if you want." Arlong crossed his legs. This was definitely not what he had expected to do tonight.

Aria turned back to Arlong and grinned. "Piano? I didn't know you knew how to do anything so cultured, Arlong." Arlong scowled. "Why do you want to?"

Arlong shrugged. "Something entertaining after sinking ships."

Aria stiffened. "Oh. I'd forgotten about that." She frowned deeply, and ran her fingers along her textured case anxiously.

Curious, Arlong stood up and closed the distance between them. "Does that bother you? That we sunk them, Aria-chan?" Arlong watched her face intensely, searching for expressions that would betray her words. Arlong didn't know what to expect when it came to showing Aria acts of piracy. She said she was selfish, and that she only did things that would benefit her. Aria supposedly didn't care about what happened to the Conomi islands, or what would happen to the villagers if they didn't pay. She didn't mind getting tattooed, didn't mind joining the Arlong Pirates, didn't even mind sleeping in his bed so long as he wasn't drunk. But Aria had to have some boundaries, some lines she didn't want to cross. Arlong just had to figure out where those lines were. This could be one.

"No." Aria's fist clenched, and she avoided looking at Arlong's face. "But it was faster than I thought it would be. Quieter. I wouldn't even have known it happened if I was on my island."

"Probably not." Arlong agreed quietly. Aria was usually piss-poor in covering her expressions, and it was clear it bothered her in some manner. But it was a line she was willing to cross. Interesting.

"How...how many have you sunk since taking over Conomi?" Aria bit her lip as she looked up at him. She slid her hand up her arm and squeezed her bicep nervously. She didn't want to know, but she was asking anyway. Arlong could respect that.

"Today was the eighth. Damn humans don't know when to stop coming." Arlong shoved a hand in his pocket, the other scratching his face in irritation. Honestly, he hadn't expected them to keep coming after he destroyed the first five all those weeks ago.

Aria considered that in silence. Then she picked up her violin.

"...Okay. Sure."

Arlong blinked dumbly for a second, before realizing what Aria was agreeing to. He grinned widely. "Will you sing, too?" The tension in the air dissolved as quickly as it appeared.

"Hell no." Aria dead-panned.

"You'll sing for me one day, won't you, Aria-chan?" Arlong crooned, leaning down to grin in her face.

Aria scoffed. "Don't push your luck." Arlong laughed loudly and stood up.

"You're too fun to tease. C'mon." Arlong caught her sticking her tongue out at his back in the mirror, and laughed louder. Aria followed, a pout on her lips.

It didn't take long to reach the fourth floor, and Aria couldn't help but feel nervous. It had been such a long time since she had played with people. Would Arlong find her skills lacking? No, most likely not, as he didn't seem like the type to be particularly skilled in music-making.

The fourth floor was wide and spacious, with high ceilings and white tiles and teak paneling, and separated into several different rooms. The piano was in the music room, and according to Arlong it was only used sparingly by a few of the crew. The music room itself was used pretty frequently, as the boys loved playing during parties and would frequently get drunk and have playoffs, but no one seemed to care for the piano. The room itself was littered with so many instruments that Aria had a hard time not staring lovingly at them all. If she didn't have her own collection at home, she would have just holed up in this room.

The piano stood near the windows, looking out over the ocean. It was somewhat dusty, but there were lots of playbooks stacked nearby, and they were all well-worn. Several were dog-eared and had notes taped to the side. Aria found it strange that the books were in such a condition if no one used the instrument.

"What do you want to play?" Aria asked quietly, watching as Arlong took a seat on the bench. It was a baby grand piano, but Arlong still seemed so large next to it. What a massive man, Aria couldn't help but note. It was no wonder that he could destroy entire fleets with such ease, given his reach and strength.

"I don't care. You'll have to forgive me, it'll take awhile to get back into the swing of things. I'm a bit rusty." Arlong said, before playing a few simple chords, trying to refamiliarize himself with the beast before him.

Aria couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, the mighty Arlong can be humble." She teased, and Arlong snorted, returning her playful smirk. She flipped open a book of sheet music until she found an easy song to help Arlong. "How about this one?"

"I'm not that out of practice." Arlong said dryly, causing Aria to raise a brow.

"Oh? Well, play with me and prove it." She taunted, and raised her bow to the bridge. Arlong gave her an incredulous look, scoffing, but placed his hands over the keys with an eager grin. Aria hummed the beginning of the song, tapping her foot to keep time, and they began together. It was a slow song, easy to keep tempo to, but jovial. Aria was surprised at how easily Arlong slipped into a trance, playing like he was in a memory, and he became more comfortable the further he fell into the music. His shoulders relaxed and he'd close his eyes every so often.

The song ended far too soon, and Arlong sent Aria a self-satisfied smirk. "Not that rusty."

Aria smiled coyly. "Then it's time to ramp up the difficulty." She flipped to a much faster song.

"Shahaha! You can't trip me up with that one, Aria-chan." Arlong said. He grinned widely, eagerly accepting her challenge. Aria set the song up again, and they played just as smoothly as they had before. Again and again, Arlong would go through the song with ease, and taunt Aria for picking songs he was good at. Aria would respond by finding more and more difficult songs, going through each book and folder nearby that held sheet music.

Aria decided she liked playing with Arlong. The way he went about it reminded her of when he was tattooing her, except it was a different type of concentration. If he played with his hair up and his glasses, Aria didn't doubt that he could be very popular, just on looks alone. Arlong was good, too, and with more consistent practice, Aria knew he could make a lot of money with his skill. It was such a shame he had turned to piracy and violence.

"You're a lot better than I expected. Who taught you how to play?"

The question seemed to catch Arlong off guard, but he quickly covered it with a haughty grin. "No one. I had to learn by myself. " Aria didn't even bother trying to hide the fact that she was impressed.

"Usually self-taught practitioners aren't nearly so...eloquent." Arlong nodded, glancing away. He hummed, remembering something.

"It was the only thing that would calm down my sister. She'd wake me up in the middle of the night, bawling, and wouldn't settle down otherwise." He frowned, trying to ignore whatever he was thinking, and turned back to Aria with a forced smirk. "And you?"

"Some scientist somewhere had a theory that having your children learn music instruments makes them more academically inclined, so everyone learned an instrument." Aria replied flippantly, shrugging. At Arlong's disappointed expression, she continued much more genuinely, "though I did like playing instruments and figuring out how to make sounds with the different reverberations, and so they kept throwing new ones at me. That's part of the reason they gave me the Kssh-Kssh fruit, so it worked out well."

Arlong looked like he was about to ask another question, mouth open even, when there was a clattering noise near the door. The two turned their gazes towards the door, where a sheepish Nami stood, having ran into an instrument and thankfully not knocking it over.

"Nami-chan, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Arlong asked stiffly. Aria raised a brow at his sudden standoff-ish-ness. He had been acting plenty amicable before.

Nami pursed her lips but didn't back down. "I heard pretty music. It must have been Aria-chan's."

"Yes, she had been playing." Arlong answered.

"Was she playing the piano, too? It sounded so nice for such an old instrument." Nami asked, bounding over to inspect the piano. She wrinkled her nose at the visible dust on it.

"No, that was Arlong." Aria replied quietly, wondering how to handle the girl. Arlong shot Aria a glare, and Aria grimaced. What was his problem?

Nami's eyes grew wide, and she looked impressed for a split second before forcibly hiding it under a frown. "Well, maybe it wasn't that nice…" She muttered dejectedly.

Aria glanced between Arlong and Nami. They both seemed eager to snap at the other. They didn't really get along that well when Nami visited for her problem, come to think of it, but Arlong had at least tried to care for her. Nami seemed to have no patience for Arlong, despite that. "Well, have you ever played, Nami?"

"Nope. They were too expensive for us to even consider breaking." Nami replied, and Aria hummed thoughtfully before a wondrously mischievous idea took hold.

"How about you learn, then? Arlong is pretty good." Aria cooed, grinning coyly.

Nami glanced at Arlong before making a disgusted face. Arlong pursed his lips unhappily at the suggestion, but looked like he was actually taking it into consideration. "That might not be a bad idea. But not for long, Nami-chan."

"I'd rather learn from Aria-chan." Nami replied, crossing her arms. Arlong look put-off by her brattiness.

"Sorry, Nami, I don't know how. You have to learn from Arlong or not at all." Aria lied smoothly, and leaned against the piano with a cheshire grin on her face. Nami's face fell, and she considered it.

"...Fine, I guess." Nami relented. She grinned before continuing, "but you should stay and play your violin while we do." Aria nodded, intending to do that either way, and flipped through the nearby sheet music until she found some easy songs for Nami to try.

Nami sat next to Arlong on the bench, and Aria was once again taken aback by just how large he was. Nami would probably never reach his shoulders. Nami was so thin and narrow compared to Arlong's wide torso and muscle-corded arms.

While Arlong slowly went over the basics with Nami, Aria kept flipping through the sheet music until she ran into a song she hadn't heard in ages. The lyrics were included, even, and Aria found herself wanting to play it desperately. It would take a few attempts to get it perfect on the violin, having played it on another instrument initially, but she was eager. She stepped away from Arlong and Nami as to not disturb their lessons, and let the sheets sit in the moonlight.

The music sounded just as beautiful as Aria remembered, and her heart soared at the nostalgia. This had been one of her favorite songs as a child, even though it had a heavy mood. She found herself humming the lyrics without even realizing it as she played it over and over, and then lowly murmuring them, and finally singing them softly.

The song was just as cathartic as she remembered. Aria glanced over at Arlong and Nami and was glad to find them still engrossed in teaching Nami how to play. Aria didn't want them to hear her sing, too embarrassed at the thought. She tucked the sheet music into her shirt, to take back home with her, and then found something new to play.

They carried on like that for far longer than intended, Nami actually coming around to Arlong teaching her, and Aria playing in the corner. By the time they stopped, it was well into the night, and Nami was nodding off despite her interest. Arlong led Nami back to her room, Aria following lazily in her own sleepiness, and made sure she would stay there for the night. Aria went on ahead, intent on changing into her sleeping clothes before Arlong came to bed.

Aria had changed and was putting away her violin as Arlong entered. He covered his mouth as he yawned, and blinked away the sleepiness that followed. He didn't even bother going into the bathroom to remove his clothes, and just tossed his shirt and pants on the couch. Aria wondered if it was because he was a pirate that he had the courage to walk around in his boxers while she was there or if it was his own overconfident personality.

Aria climbed into the giant bed, putting herself as close to the window as possible, still not entirely comfortable with sleeping next to Arlong. Sure, he didn't have any bad intentions, but after so many years alone it was strange to share a bed with another person. She'd feel him move in the night or brush against her and it was unusual. All she had at home were her stuffed animals, and those didn't shake the entire mattress when they rolled over. They weren't even capable of rolling over.

Arlong seemed amused by her actions, but didn't say anything about them. Instead, he climbed under the covers and instantly rolled onto his stomach, trying to get comfortable. Silence filled the room, but it wasn't awkward.

Aria was on the brink of sleep, just a few moments from passing out. "Aria-chan?" Arlong murmured, voice full of tiredness and clearly desperate for sleep.

"Hnn?" Aria grunted back.

"I got you to sing for me." Arlong taunted.

Aria was quiet for a few moments, sleep making it hard to process what he meant. "No."

Arlong snorted. "No need to deny it. I liked it, depressing lyrics and all." Aria tried to ignore her flushing cheeks by puffing them out in irritation.

"Go to sleep." She grumbled. Arlong snickered beside her. She hadn't meant to sing at all, but it was one of her favorites.

"Night, Aria-chan."

"Night."

"Sing for me again someday."

"Don't even dream about that."

"You're so cruel…"

Next Chapter Preview:

"Are you going to lounge around all day, or are you going to get to work? I don't pay you to laze about."

"You don't pay me at all yet…" Aria murmured under her breath. Arlong glared at her harder, despite the fact that there was no way he could have heard her comment.

"If I come back here in twenty minutes and you're still here there's going to be hell to pay."

AN: The piano scene was something I'd desperately wanted to write since I read A.G. Moria's fic on ffdotnet about Arlong teaching Nami to play the piano. Considering I had always wanted to write Aria as a music-orientated OC, it was perfect for having a bonding moment between three ppl who don't really want to be friends. I'll probably make more references to fics that feature Arlong (like that reference to A Lesson in Blue a few chapters ago), especially since there aren't that many and I wanna give props to the people who inspired me to give this dumb shark some attention. Also, if you've read my Hellbent one-shots on Ao3, you'll notice that Arlong lied about teaching himself how to play the piano. He's still a bit too sore to mention who exactly taught him how to play...

The song that Aria is so fond of is Fire Emblem's "Lost in Thoughts All Alone," which I found very fitting for Arlong because of his desires of conquest and his belief that fishmen are superior to humans due to their "birthright" of being stronger and able to breath underwater. Not to mention it has a LOT of aquatic references. And on its own, it's just a really good song lol.