Luffy leads Áine though town, villagers stopping to state as they went and to a cute little bar. He enters in quickly calling out as he does so. Luffy was obviously comfortable with the location.

"Makino!!"

There is a pretty young womam behind the Bar. She was tall with a pretty green colored hair, something like Áine had never seen. She looked kind, and not much older than Áine herself. The woman looks up and lets out a deep sigh. She sets down the rag she had been wiping the counter top with down and quickly comes out from behind the bar.

"Luffy what in the world is going on?" She asks, obviously trying to hold back a smile, taking the sight of them in. She looks Áine up and down from a moment. After a moment she looks back to Luffy.

"Luffy watch the bar for a moment, tell the captain I will be right back." She ordered the boy, voice stern. Luffy nods his head and takes a seat at the bar. The woman, Makino, turns back to Áine.

"Come on then miss, let's get you all cleaned up and in some fresh clothes, mine look like they will fit you, you're only a little shorter than I am." Makino motions for her to follow and leads Áine through a door in the back, past the kitchen and to the living space behind it all.

It was tiny but cozy. Áine could see a cot that looked more like a nest in one corner, a seating area next to a fireplace and shelves filled with books and simple toys. It didn't take her long to realize that Luffy probably lived with her.

Makino leads her to the woman's own bedroom and the adjoined bathroom. She goes to a wardrobe and pulls out a few articles of clothing, sorting though them quickly.

"Here we are, any of those should fit. The shower works, the water won't be hot but it's not cold either. Use whatever is in there, I'm going back to the Bar. When you are done you can leave your clothes in the bathroom, I can get them washed soon. So just come back to the bar when you're ready." Makino says with a kind smile.

Áine is blushing, astounded at the woman's kindness. She stuttered out a thank you and quickly obeyed.

She enters the bathroom and begins stripping her layers off. Grimacing at the feeling. She carefully examined the silk coat for damage and was relieved to see it was fine. She set that to the side separately, it needed unique washing and she would handle that. The rest get placed where directed and Áine frees her hair.

Her auburn hair fell past her hips with the natural curls, when wet or straight it fell just past her rear. It was a hassle to deal with in any way. Typically her hair was only washed once a month and it would be her and all her other female family members all at once.

But she really didn't have a choice right now. With a deep sigh she begins to wash her hair. She only wets it at first, turning the water off after it is soaked. She ends up using far too much of Makino's shampoo. But eventually it was time to rinse. She forgoes any other treatment to her hair, takeing pity on Makino's pretty smelling conditioner.

She washed the rest of her body quickly with no issues and was soon done. After dying her skin she wraps the towel around her hair and sets about getting dressed.

Somehow, the angel had a pair of brand-new underwear set out for her she didn't notice before. On the Island underwear wasn't a thing really, but once Áine discovered the invention she hated every second without it.

Thankfully Makino's style wasn't too complicated, though much more skin was shown. It wasn't revealing at all really, but Áine's people exposed nothing of their skin typically due to climate and social norms.

She pulled on the soft flannel button up shirt after the panties, then the long flowing skirt. With the socks and flats on her feet all that was left was her hair. She hesitates a moment before deciding what to do. She couldn't leave it down, but she didn't have time to dry it fully. After a while she decides to just braid it and pin it down. While that wasn't an option back home, it was borderline hot here. So she guessed it would be fine.

Thanks to practice, the process goes quickly and smoothly. Áine checks the clock next to the bed and sees it took her around an hour to finish getting clean and presentable. Then after double checking her appearance in a mirror she takes a breath and heads back to the bar.

She sees Makino behind the bar where Luffy and Shank were sitting. The bar was packed, people, almost entirely men, were gathered and drinking and laughing. Áine pushes her anxieties away and enters the bar with a deep breath. Soon attention was on her when Luffy screamed her name and rushed over to her.

She blinks, surprised at the affectionate action and gladly returns the hug she got when Luffy crashed into her, the boy clinging to her tightly. She giggles and smiles down at him.

"Hey there sunshine." She says and he smiles up at her. The boy released his grip only to drag her to the bar and set her down on an empty stool. She allows this, finding his genuine excitement terribly endearing. She looks at Makino and gives her a grateful smile.

"Thank you Miss Makino, I'm sorry it took so long." She says, inclining her head in a small bow. The woman just returns the smile and waves her hand dismissively.

"It's not an issue Áine, once I saw your hair I knew it would be a while! Don't worry." She replies, while talking she sets out a plate of food before her and not long after a glass of water.

Áine quickly begins to eat, delighted by the food. The teen momentarily absorbed in her task. Eventually while eating she noticed Luffy watching her like a hawk. More specifically her food. Given that she was already growing full, she was not used to eating a large portion at once, she slid her plate to him. Luffy looks at her in awe. When she just nods her head encouraging him, he leaps at the food with no more hesitation. With the boy occupied she looks up at Shanks who had been watching them.

They make eye contact again and once more Áine was very sure of the feelings from earlier on the road, though now the sense of her safety was even more confident.

"You recognized my hand shake as a merchant, and you seem to have a fine crew. What is it you do, Sir?" Áine finally gets the guts to ask. She knew that to him, she would be just a child. She found she didn't mind all that much, with how young adulthood began with her people it was always nice to act the age she was. If there was one thing she never got to be at home, that was curious.

Shanks smirks at her, leaning back and taking a drink from his cup. After it returns the cup to the table.

"What do you think little miss?" He asks, flipping her question back at her. While Áine didn't quite understand the strange feeling to their conversation, she felt invigorated. She smirks at him and asks.

"May I be frank?"

Shanks barks out a laugh, startling Luffy, but the boy doesn't stop from his act of licking the plate clean. Áine can peripherally observe that Shanks' crew was all watching the conversation despite nothing outwardly changing about the boisterous party.

"Go ahead kid." The redhead shoots back, resting an elbow on the bar and leaning back. His molten golden brown eyes never leave her.

"You're a pirate." Shanks smiled at her words, but was surprised when she continued. "But you're a real one. Definitely kind that the marines hate the most."

The room had grown quiet as everyone watched the two. Áine remained calm, never breaking away from Shanks' gaze. Her white eyes locked to his. Shanks was much harder to read than Luffy, though that did not surprise her at all. But, she could still see it, just under the surface. Their eye contact almost made it trivial to her.

"Why do you say that?"

Why his tone was the same, as was his body language, Áine could see it in his eyes. The man was wound tight, ready to act. His action would be swift and decisive. She would never have a chance. But, she could see below that, see he was curious. She could see him reading her just like she was him. She intended absolutely no harm. No ill intent. Just pure curiosity and contentment.

"Eyes are an important thing for my people. Most times, it's all we can see of each other. Rarely, very rarely, someone in the village will be able to see someone's souls through their eyes. Though that it's a myth. From my understanding those with that blessing are actually just very skilled with a rare skill, even for outside the island." She explains plesently. Recognition flashes through the captain's face.

"Haki." He says and she nods her head and smiles brightly.

"Indeed! The people from our island who have it find it quite easy to master observation. Given we live our whole lives needing to convey a lot of information with as little as possible. Only the eyes to convey the emotions beyond words, those of us with the ability get quite skilled at it." Áine continues. To her surprise Luffy was genuinely trying to keep up with their conversation. His head going back and forth from Shakes to Áine. She reaches out to run her fingers through his hair, trying to tame it somewhat while she did.

"The mystery power lets you read minds?" The boy summarizes, not that inaccurately. Áine makes a 'so-so' motion with her hand.

"Close! I can't actually tell what your thinking, more closely, I can see what you are feeling." She clarified for him. She taps his forehead when she says mind, and the center of his chest, over his heart, when she says feeling. Luffy nodded his head, able to process the difference.

"Interesting, does anyone else know of your power?" Shanks asks, looking thoughtful. Áine shakes her head, and takes a moment to pull her thoughts to something cohesive.

"I haven't. For my people, if they had known, I would only be able to serve as a priestess. It would have dictated my entire life. As soon as I noticed my ability I did all I could to ensure no one knew. I wanted to be a merchant like my father." She explains. After a few moments Shanks speaks.

"You're from the North blue, correct?"

Áine nods her head, letting out a sigh.

"I am, I will need a den-den to call my father, I have no idea how I could get back…" She says, begining to mumble as she realizes everything that needed to be done.

Shanks says quiet for a long moment, deep in thought. When he speaks, his voice is low and serious.

"Áine, I have an offer if you wish to take it. I will promise to do what I can for you, but I want you to answer one question. Look me in the eyes and tell the truth, got it?"

Áine looks at him, curious and slightly confused. She nods her head anyway, freely agreeing to his terms.

"If you didn't have to, would you even want to go back?" He asks.

It feels like all the air left Áine's lungs. Her eyes wide as she stares at him. Soon her mind was racing. His words had shattered a wall in her mind she never realized was there. After that, the facts filled in. It was possible, they would think she died in the wreck. She had literally no reason to go back.

She meets Shanks' eyes, a bright smile filling her face. She answers loudly, confidently, proudly, never had she been so sure of anything.

"No."

Shanks' own grin fills his face, the man mirroring her energy. He reaches out and pats her shoulder and grabs his cup, raising it to the air.

"BOYS! A toast for our friend! To freedom!" He cries, his men raising their own glasses, cheering wildly as the toast. It took a good five minutes for the cheering and drinking to pause enough for Shanks to speak to Áine again.

"All right little Red, I'll keep up my end. We will help you find out where you wanna be and help ya settle some. Along with that, we'll see if we can do something to help make sure that you're dead to everyone else. So that way you won't need to worry about getting dragged back. Sounds good?" He holds out his hand to her, and Áine can feel tears forming in her eyes.

She launches off her stool and hugs the man tightly around the waist, sobbing into his shirt. The man lets out a huff, and wraps one arm around her and uses the other to gently pat her head.

Luffy looks on curiously. The boy understood that his new friend wasn't sad, but he didn't quite get why she would be crying. He looks over to Makino, his only guide for stuff like this, head tilted questioningly.

"Sometimes Lu, people can be so happy they can't contain it. Tears aren't always bad, but they do mean that the person is feeling a whole lot." She explains, looking at him fondly. Reaching out to ruffle his hair. A bit later Luffy seems to process the rest of the conversation and leaps up on his stool, practically shouting with glee.

"Awen!!" Luffy looks at her excitedly, completely buttering her name, but she just giggles and looks at him fondly.

"Awen! You should live here!! Please!? Pretty Please!!" He begs her and Áine could only stare at him wide eyed, surprised at just how much the boy ment his words. She struggles to respond but stops when she feels Shanks' hand on her shoulder.

"Ya know, that might be a good idea. It shouldn't be too hard at all." He says, smiling down at her. She looks up at him in surprise.

"Really? If it's not too much trouble, I think I would like that very much."

Luffy squeals and hugs her tightly around the waist. Holding on to her tightly. She hugs him back. Feeling hopeful and excited. She had just made a lot of very big choices. In a matter of moments she had utterly changed her life. And she couldn't be happier.