The sea of black overtook her senses, and Naia lost all sense of being, having only the sound of the ocean and Hypnos' to keep her company. She sank deeper and deeper into the darkness as her body relaxed inch by inch as she went. The stillness of the area around Naia had her giving in to the subconscious need to go deeper, providing an overwhelming heaviness to fall over her limbs. She couldn't move. She couldn't swim. Gravity forced her under, and the stillness that had surrounded her was gone as wild currents, rapids, and waves crashed on her. The distinct feeling of being dragged down had her wanting to open her mouth to scream, but no sound escaped her as water filled her mouth.
Naia gasped as she sat up. She panted as she tried to fill her lungs with some semblance of normalcy and remind her body she was above water. No one was drowning, and she couldn't drown. It was impossible for her, even in this state, so why was she so scared of it. The deep dark depths that sucked her down had been anything, but the familiar loving water of her home. Her eyes darted around, drinking in her surroundings and opening her ears to the sounds of birds along with various animals chirping. Something wasn't right. The birds were chirping, but they sounded off, frantic even. The trees shifted restlessly, and even the typically quiet waters of the Calm Belt seemed agitated. Someone was here.
"You sense them too?" Shanks' voice from behind her made her jump.
"I sense something is off." Her eyes scanned the area but found nothing amiss.
"Well, well, well, what have we here?" A shrill voice laughed. "What are the odds of meeting you out here on your own, Red Hair Shanks"
Shanks pushed Naia behind him as a stout man lumbered his way out of the jungle, a group of men following behind him closely. From the looks of their clothes, Naia could determine that these men were pirates and most likely from a crew Shanks had either defeated or humiliated in some way. Naia sighed. So much for a fun little day trip.
"Imagine our luck!" The man, presumably the captain, grinned. "Last I heard, you were in the outer Blues."
"Decided to make a little trip within a trip," Shanks said steadily. The pirate crew took a step forward, and Naia curled her hands into the back of Shanks' shirt as she pressed herself closer to him.
"And who is that lovely lady hiding behind you?" The captain leered, "A pretty little thing. I didn't take you as the type to settle down."
"She's none of your concern." Naia glanced over to where Shanks' sword and hat resided. It was just a hair's breadth too far for her to sneak over to it.
"Oh, I think she will be," The captain sneered. "Any weakness you show should be used."
"Agh!" Naia grunted as she was pulled from behind, a beefy arm coming across her neck to keep her in a chokehold.
"Naia!" Shanks whirled around to face a smaller group of pirates. "Let her go!"
"Shanks," Naia said breathlessly, her nails clawing at the arm wrapped around her. "Don't worry about me."
"She's right. You really should be focusing on yourself at the moment," The captain said, an air of arrogance rolling off him. "I bet you don't even remember me."
"Can't say I do." Shanks glared. "I don't tend to remember ugly small fries."
"You should remember your position, or I guess I should say the position of your little wench." The captain snapped his fingers, and the man holding Naia tightened his grip. Naia squirmed as she tried to free herself, but the man's hold was too strong. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Holden and we are the Wine Pirates."
"Wine Pirates? Never heard of them." Shanks waved them off.
"How dare you!" Holden screeched, "You stole our whole supply of wine right as we were going to enter the Grandline!"
Shanks stared at the man for a second, seemingly trying to remember.
"Oh, right!" Shanks snapped his fingers. "We were low on supplies when we saw your ship. Man, your selection was something else."
"All of this over wine?" Naia deadpanned.
"He humiliated us! That wine was our pride! How we got our namesake!" Holden cried. "And you took it all the while laughing at us!"
The men went back and forth arguing about the importance of wine. Each expressed their views on what actually happened in the "battle." However, Naia was sure there really wasn't any battle or even a fight of real importance. The Wine Pirates hollered and egged their captain on as the two circled each other. "Enough! We have what we came for! A little damsel in distress should keep you in line for the time being."
"A damsel in distress?" Naia hissed, her eyebrow twitching. "I let the wench comment slide, but I am no damsel!" Naia slammed her foot down on the man holding her. The man howled in pain, arching forward letting Naia jab her elbow into the pirate's stomach.
"Johnny!" Naia dropped as Johnny tried to reach for her again, her foot sweeping out to take out the pirate's knees. He landed in a heavy heap, and Naia cocked a gun to his face when he tried to get back up.
"Where did you-"
"My gun! It's gone!" Johnny exclaimed, his hand twitching above his waistband. Naia smirked as she made her way over to Shanks' sword, gun cocked and ready should the other pirates try to attack her.
"You bitch!" Holden growled, "Get her men!"
Naia tossed Shanks his sword just as the other pirates lunged toward her, wincing at the use of her injured hand. While the healing was mostly done, the new skin pulled easily. She kept his hat in her hand as two pirates burst between them. The two danced around the battlefield, taking out enemies left and right. Their backs collided as the other pirates formed a circle around them.
"I believe this is yours." Naia shoved the straws hat onto the captain's head.
"Dahahahaha, you saved it!" Shanks grinned down at her before placing it on her head. "It looks good on you, though."
Naia flushed, but before she could respond, a pirate lunged at her, knocking her further away. She responded with a quick side kick into his stomach while grabbing the back of his neck. The pirate's body bent forward sharply as her knee cracked a few of his ribs, aimed right at his sternum.
"You're not a bad fighter! You said you worked with merchants?" Shanks said, breathless.
"Do you think no one attacks merchant ships?" Naia retorted, "I had to learn how to defend myself!"
She swung the overly large gun like a club before stealing a sword from another unsuspecting pirate. For a small crew, they certainly knew how to make a nuisance of themselves. Naia twirled the sword in her hand as she met another sword halfway. Her eyes blinked as Shanks came into focus. His eyes were wide with shock as she held up against his blow, and from the black glint of the blade, Naia could see he was using haki. Most likely to tear through their weapons and protect his own. No use chipping his sword over such lowly opponents. Looking around, there were very few pirates still standing and those that did had a look of hesitation on them.
"How dare you!" Holden shouted, "I will get revenge for this! I swear to it!"
"So much for a relaxing day on an unknown island," Naia muttered, sticking the sword into the ground.
"Dahahahaha! That was invigorating!" Shanks exclaimed happily, "What excitement! I told you you would have fun if you came with me!"
"I think you forget that this wasn't a planned trip." Naia rolled her eyes as Shanks continued to celebrate.
"We make a pretty good team." Shanks grinned at her before hauling her up into his arms. "That hat really does look good on you."
He spun her around laughing as his energy from the fight still tingled through his body. Laughter bubbled in Naia's throat and her arms instinctively came to wrap around his neck. Her eyes found his sparkling grey ones. So unlike the last ones he had looked at her with. There was no sorrow. There was no anger. No pain. Naia huffed, trying to catch her breath. The world seemed to stand still as Shanks inched closer to her, and Naia felt her feet hit the ground while her hands came to cup his cheeks. His eyes were glistening with power, excitement, and most of all, lust.
"Shanks," Naia whispered, her cheeks flushed at the intense look in his eyes.