"Aria, you coming?"

Aria looked to see Shanks waiting on the beach and suppressed a sigh. Since Teal Town, he had been sticking around her more often. He was lucky she liked him, she reflected, or she would've said something by now.

Footsteps bounded up the gangplank and he walked over to where she sat in front of the mast. "You haven't explored the islands yet. Come with us." His eyes were bright, the lemony taste of his excitement thick. She'd quickly learned which taste belonged to certain people, and Shanks was usually the strongest when it came to excitement.

She eyed the jungle across the beach. "Shouldn't we worry about getting lost?"

Shanks laughed, a hand on his hat as he grinned at her. "Benn has a map, and Snake has a piece of my vivre card. I can follow either of them back." That was no surprise. Benn seemed to be a keeper of sorts when they were off-ship, and sometimes even on-ship.

Resisting rolling her eyes, she stood. "Alright, I'll come this time." Perhaps she could find a good place to clean her hair at last. She had combed it a month ago, but never got a chance to clean it properly. It was currently stuffed in her hat, like usual, her braid hanging to her knees.

And Shanks' enthusiasm was a little infectious this time.

The last island had been uninhabited, as had the one before that. And she stayed on the ship both times, preferring to practice her glaive with whoever stayed to watch the ship with her. But she had to admit, she was curious to see one finally. She'd have to leave the ship eventually, why not start getting used to that now?

Grinning widely, Shanks grabbed her arm and almost dragged her off the ship. She pulled herself free as they reached the beach, her face burning, and fell into the group heading into the jungle.

Yasopp fell into step with her as they walked. "I see he got you to come with us." His eyes flashed with amusement and there was a taste of sorrel around him. Definitely amused.

Aria snorted. "More like forced." She rubbed her arm where Shanks had grabbed her, thankful she had long sleeves on today. Her glaive hung across her back and her dagger at her waist. She watched as some of the crew hacked at the vines and undergrowth in their way when it got thick.

Yasopp laughed, his shoulders shaking. "He was like that with the rest of us too, at first. You'll get used to it, and he'll eventually stop dragging you off."

Aria gave a theatric groan but looked around as they entered the trees. "I didn't expect a jungle to be so much thicker than a forest." She knew jungles only existed on summer islands, something Yasopp had explained the day after they left Teal Town, but this was the first one she had seen.

"They usually are," Yasopp said. "Hopefully we find something to hunt today."

Aria hummed in agreement. The meat stores were a little low, and Roux was getting a little concerned they would have to ration it if they didn't get to a market or find something to hunt soon. Some of the crew fished daily, but they didn't always catch anything.

The sound of rushing water greeted them after an hour, and before long, they saw the source. A gigantic waterfall, taller than the ship, fell from the cliff above into a dark, clear pool below. The air here tasted almost sweet, with an almond aftertaste.

The sun, midway to its highest point already, cast thin rays of light over the area. The water sparkled where the falls met the pool. Water-speckled rocks lined the edges of the pool, while there was a shadow behind the falls where there may have been a ledge. Lichen coated some rocks in a thin, green sheen.

"Fresh water. We should refill our stores while we're here." Yasopp kneeled and peered below the surface. "Looks clean."

The others needed no more encouragement to top off their flasks or waterskins. Aria filled her own, then took a drink. The water was chilly despite the humid air, but it felt good. Movement caught her eye and she watched as Shanks scaled a ledge to the side of the falls and sit on the edge.

He seemed at ease up there, his hat tipped back. Benn yelled up at him to come back down and Aria stifled a laugh at the annoyed look on Shanks' face.

"Aria, you doing okay?" Limejuice's voice sounded behind her. Turning, she saw him and Bonk walking up to her. As usual, Monster was perched on Bonk's shoulders. She'd been hanging with them for a few days, trying to get to know the rest of the crew better.

Despite looking for somewhere safe to live, she didn't want to leave without making at least a few friends of her own. She knew they wouldn't have left her alone anyway, but it was fun getting to know some of them. She knew these two were more of skill and muscle, alternating between the more physical duties aboard the ship and fighters, rather than handle things like Shanks, Benn, Roux, and Yasopp did.

She smiled. "Yeah. I didn't expect to come, but Shanks wouldn't let me stay behind."

Monkey chattered loudly and leaped onto her shoulders. His tail curled around her neck and she felt him pick at her hat.

Bonk laughed at them. "Next time stay out of sight."

Limejuice chuckled. "That won't work. He'll just find her with his observation haki."

Aria scratched Monster's ear and shook her head with a smile. He was probably right, but maybe if she was fast enough, she could tell Benn she was staying behind before Shanks could get to her. Despite Shanks being the captain, Benn usually ran things like who was on the watch and chore rotations.

Walking with them, she looked back at the waterfall. If she got the chance, she should come back and wash her hair here. Listening to the crew's chatter absentmindedly, her gaze flicked from each flower, tree, the lianas, colorful birds, and whatever else she saw. She would've never guessed a place like this could be more than just brown and green.

The crew stopped in a large clearing around midday, near the waterfall. They had backtracked a bit when the jungle proved too dense to continue forward. Shanks decided they would stop for lunch, then they could head back to the beach. The crew scattered, setting up stones in a circle or clearing spots to sit.

Offering to gather wood, Aria and Limejuice headed for the edge close to the path that led back to the beach. Before she had an armload, however, Aria paused. Her hand automatically snaked to her dagger. Something was watching them, her haki buzzing in her ears. She stretched it out but couldn't recognize whatever it was.

"Aria?" She barely heard Limejuice as she stepped into the trees.

Something snuffled quietly and she tensed, a hand braced on a thick sapling. Something ahead of her snapped a twig.

There was a loud squeal and she leaped to the side before something big came charging through the undergrowth. Whatever it was, it was huge! She got a glimpse of small eyes, dark fur, and gleaming teeth. Landing in a thick bush, she jerked herself free quickly and grabbed her fallen glaive.

Shouts rose behind her, and she scrambled to her feet, feeling her sleeve rip. Jumping over a fallen tree, she jerked herself to a stop as she watched Shanks calmly pull his sword and cut down the creature in a single move. She gave an involuntary shudder; she had never seen him look calm about something like this before. And it was almost terrifying. Most of the crew had scattered towards the edges of the clearing.

The boar fell with a resounding thud, its nose barely an inch from his legs. A cloud of dust rose briefly, and she saw a shadow sheath their sword before the dust settled and she saw Shanks gazing down at the boar almost curiously.

The silence that followed was deafening, and she walked forward on trembling legs.

"Are you okay?" Shanks gazed at her briefly, then looked around. The rest of the crew made a ragged circle around the creature, muttering amongst themselves. The creature had attacked so quickly that hardly anyone had time to react aside from getting out of the way. After a moment, she realized that she and Shanks were the only ones to react, though Benn seemed completely unaffected.

Aria nodded. "I sensed it just before it charged." Her heart slowed and she forced her breath to slow down. It had startled her unexpectantly, but she was a little glad she hadn't faced it. Practicing amongst the crew was one thing, but she didn't think she could've faced that thing as calmly or cleanly as he did.

Limejuice nodded. "I noticed her stop, but I've never seen a boar move that fast before. There was no warning."

A boar? She'd heard of them before, but thought they were small, fanged creatures. This thing was longer than her, and despite being dead, its shoulders reached Bonk's head even with it splayed out. Two tusks on each side of its snout curved outwards. Its pelt was thick, a dark brown color that blended easily into the trees. Its feet were cloven hooves, each one the size of her hand.

"Well, we have meat now," someone said.

After a pause, the crew broke out in laughter. Aria leaned back, her shoulders almost slumped, hand still around her dagger. She turned as someone nudged her, though.

"You're bleeding." Limejuice nodded at her arm and she glanced down.

A slice through her sleeve, no longer than her palm, was leaking red into her pale blue shirt. The spot was already the size of her palm.

"Want me to get Hongo?" he asked, tilting his head.

Aria's heart raced, and she clenched her fists in her pocket where he couldn't see. "No, it's okay. It's not that deep." She couldn't even feel it. "But I'll go wash it in the pool for now." Shanks was the only one who knew she avoided Hongo, but she didn't want anyone else to find out. She still felt guilty, but despite trying, she had yet to talk to him.

Listening to Shanks give orders to some of them to cut up the boar, she made her way to the pool and sat down on a smooth rock at the edge. Gritting her teeth, for now the cut stung, she dipped one hand into the water and poured a few handfuls of water over it, holding her arm out so she wouldn't drip any blood over her pants.

Dirt crunched behind her just before Shanks sat on her other side, just out of the corner of her eye. "Limejuice said you got hurt. Need some help?"

Aria shook her head, pressing down on the cut. "I've got it. It's not much more than a graze."

He chuckled. "But you need it wrapped, or you'll have no choice about Hongo looking at it." He pulled out a roll of bandages from the pouch around his waist. After she rolled her sleeve up, he quickly wrapped her arm, then replaced the bandages. "You sensed it before it charged?"

She nodded. "I could feel something watching us when I was getting the wood. I thought it missed me, but I didn't expect the tusk. I should've been paying better attention so I would've sensed it sooner."

Shanks cocked his head. "Even I didn't know it was close, and your observation is almost as good as mine. It's alright."

Rolling down her sleeve, she grimaced when she noticed the blood around the rip. "That's never going to come out…"

Shanks leaned back, laughing. "It will. Just wash it immediately. Do you want to stay here and do that while we get the fire going?"

"Not here. I'll move to the other side of the pool to do that." It would give her a little more privacy. She didn't want to go topless around the crew; she might know much about the world yet, but a girl, even one with no chest, walking topless around a bunch of men? Not a good idea.

Shanks stood, giving her a small smile. "I'll tell the crew to keep away for a while, okay?"

Aria waited until he was nearly back to the crew, then made her way to the narrow ledge she saw leading under the falls. She was surprised to find a secluded cave, where a small pool had formed. It was deep enough she could submerge herself and wash her hair even.

Stepping inside, she cast her haki out. Sensing no animals close by and the crew were all in the clearing. Shanks' fire and salt spark was brighter than everyone else's, though she recognized each of the others easily.

She undressed completely and, setting her pants to the side along with her glaive and dagger, stepped into the chilly water with her underclothes and shirt. Working quickly, her teeth almost chattering from the water and cave's darkness, she scrubbed all three garments then laid them out to dry. They may not dry completely here in the dark cave, where the light shined only enough to cast hazy ripple reflections on the wall, but it would be enough to wear until she got back to the ship.

Removing her hat, she groaned. Her hair was tangled again. She may have to ditch the hat and just work out something different with her hair. It's not that she didn't want the crew seeing it, but it tended to be unruly and was a pain to deal with. It tangled every chance she got but she hated the idea of tying it up dirty.

Painfully, she combed through it with her fingers slowly. Avoiding her braid, or where it started, she painstakingly worked through it until her hair was smooth. She knew it had least been an hour, but paused when she moved to her braid, sending out her haki.

No one had moved from the clearing.

Quickly, she undid the hair, automatically checking the skin of the strange tether attached to her skull. The synthetic skin, hardly noticeable compared to the skin on the rest of her body, felt smooth and the bruise had healed finally where she had worried it for days. The end of the tether was sore, but it had been since they removed the needle from the tip. Carefully washing it, she quickly braided hair back around it. Without the leather thong wrapped around the end, the taste of stone and water was strong, while the almond-sweetness from outside drifted through the entrance.

A brisk wind blew into the cave, making her shiver, but she didn't move until the braid was back in place. Giving her hair a final comb-through, she perched on the edge of the pool and stretched out. The wind might be cold, but it felt good after the stuffy air of the forest. Goosebumps rose over her arms, but she rubbing them until her skin was almost pink.

Keeping an eye on the crew, she lounged next to the pool until her clothes were merely damp. Several times, someone reached out with their own haki but Aria nudged back, letting them know she was okay. It was Shanks mostly, but sometimes another person, and while she didn't have conquerors like him, she was aware enough of how to make her observation tangible like it for a second.

She was just putting on her damp shirt when footsteps sounded outside the cave. A taste of currant filtered through the opening. Quickly, she grabbed her glaive and backed up against the wall, but relaxed when Shanks peered around the corner. Sticking the glaive into the holster she had around her shoulders, she glared at him. "I was just about to head back."

Shanks leaned on the side of the entrance as she approached, giving her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. You were taking a while and I didn't sense your haki respond again." The currant disappeared, being replaced with a subtle salty taste she recognized as his embarrassment.

Crap, she hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry." She stuffed the hat over her head, but didn't bother stuffing her hair up this time. Unruly was one thing, a tangled mess was another.

Shanks said nothing as they walked back to the fire the crew had built, but most of them were gone. Bonk was chasing Monster around the edge of the jungle in some sort of game, Yasopp was cleaning his pistol, and Benn was reclining against a log someone had dragged over, his rifle across his lap.

Aria sat down close to the fire as Shanks handed her a small bento box. "Thanks. I hadn't noticed how late it got." Rice and fish, simple but she preferred that.

"I'm surprised to see you with your hair down," Shanks remarked as she ate. "I was starting to think maybe you cut it off or something."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "My hairs just difficult to deal with. I was waiting until I could wash it before trying something." Eating the last bite, she set down the box and looked around. "Everyone exploring?"

"Most of the crew went back to the ship, and the rest are on the beach," Benn called over, his head tipped back. "Shanks didn't want to leave before you got back, and I didn't want him here alone."

"Hey!" Yasopp shot him a glare. "You forget I'm here?"

"And us!" Bonk called from where he was trying to get Monster down from a tree.

Aria grinned but bit back a laugh.

Shanks gave Benn a feigned hurt expression. "I could've gotten back on my own just fine."

Benn snorted but didn't comment.

Bonk joined them at the fire, Monster at his heels. "I didn't know you had more hair than the braid, Aria, or that it was so red."

Aria shrugged as Monster came over and chittered as he pawed through the drying strands. "I've been trying to decide what to do with it, but had to wait until I could wash it." Now that it was clean, it was almost twice as dark as Shanks', though she knew it would lighten up as it dried.

"Explains why you took so long," Yasopp grumbled, though he didn't seem annoyed.

Monster lifted her braid, chattering curiously, but dropped it when Aria flinched. He ran back to Bonk, his eyes wide.

"Sorry Monster, you just pulled my hair a little," Aria called to him. Actually, his sharp nails nicked under her braid, but she wouldn't tell him that. The monkey relaxed across Bonk's shoulder, looking relieved. A hint of cloves mixed with a much stronger leafy taste floated around the fire briefly.

"Do you want to head back to the ship?" Shanks asked after a few minutes.

Aria moved her gaze from the fire to him. "Do we have to?"

He shrugged. "Eventually, but we can stay here for a while if you want."

Yasopp gave a strange snort, earning a glare from Shanks, but kept cleaning his pistol; he had a second one pulled out now.

Aria reclined back on her hands, watching the stars appear. She had been learning the constellations from Snake lately and was proud to recognize a few of them; the Ships Compass, Mermaid's Fin, Island Whale, and Fallow Falls. She thought she recognized a few more, but wasn't sure. Slowly, a half moon rose above the trees.

She didn't think she'd ever tired of this, seeing the sky, but jerked when something touched her hair, looking to the side with wild eyes.

Shanks held his hands up, his eyes wide. "Sorry! I just…I have an idea. Can I try something?" His cheeks were pink and a faint red was creeping up his neck.

Aria watched him for a moment. "Why?"

He shrugged, his cheeks getting darker. "You said you weren't sure what to do with it, and I thought maybe braiding it would help. You've already got one, why not have more?"

Aria felt Yasopp staring at them, though he had moved over by Benn and the fire blocked her view of him, and a slow burn spread across her cheeks. "Um, I guess." She sat up and pulled out the thin thongs she had been keeping in her pocket. "Use these."

Shanks took them, but Aria had to almost fight to keep still when he moved behind her, and the urge to flee grew worse when he started moving her hair. The scientists had insisted she keep it short growing up, but she started throwing fits about it when she turned thirteen. Since then, she hadn't allowed anyone to touch it.

Partially because her braid was sensitive, but mostly because people touching her usually led to some test being performed, being dragged to a new room, thrown in her room, or anything that ended up hurting. When Shanks had grabbed her earlier that had been fine, because she had seen it coming and he was right in front of her. But sitting behind her, his presence was unnerving.

Her mind flashed back to the labs, the doctors who would grab her arms from behind, but she fought the memories back. It was difficult, but the taste of cedar from behind helped.

She trusted Shanks and knew he wouldn't hurt her. Focusing on her braid to keep her mind from wandering, she pulled the end into her lap. She wrapped the thick leather thong she had in her other pocket around it while Shanks worked with the rest of her hair. It muffled the surrounding taste, but that just meant she was less likely to be overwhelmed.

Immediately the familiar woodsy, ash, smoke, and cedar taste were smothered and she let out a quiet breath. While she was getting used to it, sometimes it was still too much.

The sun had set completely when he was finished. He moved to her side, smiling. "Does that feel better?"

Aria ran her hands over the thick braids, each one smooth and almost flat against her head. Four braids on either side of her head, all leading behind her ears instead of straight down. "I didn't think you'd be able to braid that well." Using a spare thong, she loosely tied them together in a large bundle.

Shanks shrugged. "I learned from someone on my old crew."

Aria smiled but stood up then. "We should head back down to the beach now."

"No, we're camping out here because you two took so long," Benn called over, his head still tipped back. "We're not walking through a jungle at night. The rest of the crew will be fine until morning." He sounded annoyed and Aria couldn't resist a grin. It took a lot for him to voice it.

Shanks pouted but Aria laughed and nudged him, sitting back down. "It won't hurt to sleep here for the night, will it?"

Yasopp joined them, long since done cleaning his guns. "Someone will have to stay up for a while, make sure the fire doesn't go out, but we should be fine." His eyes traveled over her braids, then flicked to Shanks. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips but he said nothing about that as he moved away and found a spot to stretch out on. "I suggest one of you two, since neither of you helped cut up the boar." Just beyond him, Bonk was already asleep with Monster draped across him.

"I drove away the leopard though!" Shanks retorted indignantly.

Benn snorted from his spot. "No, you just pissed it off and I had to scare it off."

Aria shook her head, smiling. "I don't mind staying up." When Shanks' brow lowered, she shook her head. "Get some rest. I'll sleep tomorrow."

"If you're sure…" He waited a moment, but then moved to a spot a little further away to lie down. He watched Aria for a moment, then leaned his hat forward and it wasn't long before the deep even movements of his chest said he was asleep.

Aria waited a few minutes to make sure, then moved to the far end of the log where Benn sat. She could see most of the clearing from here. Aside from her and Benn, the others were sleep and she tipped her head back to look at the stars again.

"I'm surprised you let him do that." Benn's voice was quiet and she turned to him. One eye was cracked as he looked at her from the other end of the log. "Never thought you'd let anyone touch you."

Aria rubbed her arm self-consciously. "I didn't have any idea what to do with my hair and I knew he wouldn't hurt me." She wasn't surprised he had noticed her avoidance to people touching her; he was probably the most perceptive of the crew next to Shanks.

Benn said nothing for a moment, then closed his eye. "If you get tired, wake me and I'll take over."

"Sure." She gazed around the clearing, stretching out her haki, but there was nothing. Sighing, she ran her hands over the braids again. They really were nicely done, but her cheeks burned as she thought about how long he had taken.

Shanks murmured in his sleep and she watched him. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed to be different around her since Teal Town. He wasn't any friendlier with her than the rest of the crew, but he was around her more often than any of them.

He rolled over in his sleep and she wondered if she should ask him about it. It was probably nothing, but she found it weird, especially after the look Yasopp gave them earlier.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes and cast out her observation haki to keep watch.