"Enri, put that down," Aria glanced over to see her son holding a pistol. A faint taste of gunpower reached her. The stall owner was giving her a nervous look.

He grimaced but put it down. "But dad said I should learn to shoot." He whined. A bitter taste, almost reminding her of Shanks strangely, emitted and she shook her head. He stuck his lip out and eyed it longingly

"When you're older," Aria said, adjusting the almost two-year-old on her hip. She winced as the little girl pulled on a braid. "Ashlyn, no pulling." She would've normally grabbed her hand to stop her daughter's grabby hands, but her other hand was preoccupied with a basket currently.

She set it down briefly, grabbed a roll of thread and a wrapped package, and handed the tall owner a handful of berries. Maybe she'd make apple muffins later.

Ashlyn pouted, the taste of almonds thick for a moment, then looked at something behind Aria.

Giving a little huff of relief, Aria turned but stopped as she spotted someone down the street.

Black hair, a familiar scar under his cheek, a straw hat.

She had always hoped to see him again, but never expected to, at least not like this. Half remembered memories floated through her head; a thick forest, a little kid climbing over her and Shanks like a demented monkey, the boy yelling how he would be King of the Pirates.

Aria grinned. "Enri, would you want to meet someone your dad knew when they were little?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "I guess, but why?" She tasted a sharp, citrus flavor for a heartbeat, but she knew he his interest when it faded.

"He's a pirate." Those were the magic words, though she almost hated the excitement that lit up her son's face. He still didn't always understand how dangerous it could get on the sea, despite even Benn agreeing he was a little young yet. The bright, lemon-like taste made her smile, however.

Despite her unease about him wanting to be a pirate now, she was glad he could meet someone she knew aside from Shanks' crew. And from what she had read about Luffy and his crew, they were good pirates.

As Luffy approached, Aria stepped out from under the awning. "Luffy, I haven't seen you since Foosha Village!"

The now 20-year-old stopped and looked at her, a wide grin spreading across his face. Behind him, a girl with orange hair and a fluffy creature with antlers stood watching. "Aria? I never thought I'd see you again!"

Aria smiled but dodged him as he lunged forward, clearly intending on hugging her. "You're not jumping on me again." He giggled and wound his arm around her several times.

Ashlyn looked a little scared, though interested, and Enri's grin was as wide as Luffy's. The bright taste of excitement was thick, though she could detect an undercurrent of mint and ice.

The girl and the creature were joined by a few others; a green-haired swordsman with one eye, a blond man smoking a cigarette, a tall woman with black hair, a…skeleton with an afro? and a blue-haired man who looked strangely familiar. Behind them trailed a tall man with a thick coat and a black-dotted white hat.

She recognized most of them as his crew after a few seconds, though she didn't remember Trafalgar Law being one of them.

Luffy stopped and let go, taking a step back. "Wait, if you're here, that means…" He looked around almost wildly, his expression excited yet…almost nervous.

Aria shook her head, stopping him. "Shanks isn't here, Luffy." Usopp, almost the spitting image of Yasopp, stared at her. Brook and Law were the only ones to not react like the others, though Law looked interested. There was a warm taste now, almost sweet, coming from the crew.

Aria almost wished he was, but she remembered Luffy and Shanks' promise.

Luffy frowned. "Why'd you leave if you were with him in Foosha?"

"Because I couldn't put my kids in danger," she replied, glancing at Ashlyn, who watched the creature quietly, and Enri, who stared at the scar on Luffy's chest.

Luffy glanced at the kids and chuckled. "That makes sense. Shanks wouldn't let me join, so I get why he didn't want them onboard." Enri darted his eyes over the rest of the pirates.

The orange-haired woman stepped forward. "Who is this, Luffy?"

"Oh, sorry," he said, turning to his crew. "This is Aria. She was Shanks' partner."

Aria swallowed a laugh at the shocked expressions on the other's faces. "No, I just hung around him a lot, Luffy." There was a chance for that at one point, but she went into different arms.

He frowned and cocked his head, crossing his arms. "Oh, sorry."

"Why don't you all come to my house? You can rest while you're in port," Aria offered, gesturing for them to follow.

The Straw Hat Pirates brightened at the suggestion. Mentally, she went through the posters she had been collecting and remembered each of their names.

It didn't take long for them to reach Aria's house. Modest, something that had clearly been added onto over the years, Aria noticed Nami eyeing the apple orchard behind it with interest. Once inside, Enri sat at the table, and Aria set Ashlyn in the playroom.

Chopper joined her, and Aria sent him a grateful smile. After a few seconds, the subtle taste of warm, almost smooth taste flowed from the playroom.

The room's quiet was broken by Luffy's voice, tinged with curiosity and a hint of anger, drawing everyone's attention. "Why do you have this?" Spice flowed out strongly from the young captain and Aria blinked in surprise.

Zoro fixed Aria with a serious gaze, clearly sensing his captain's unease. Aria met his eyes calmly, reminded briefly of Benn's protective instincts.

It must be a trait of first mates, she mused.

Luffy carefully took Benn's old rifle down from the shelf and glared at her. Sanji's jaw clenched and Aria noticed Zoro's hand tightened around a sword.

Enri's voice took on a defensive edge, his brow lowered. "That's my dad's rifle. He left it here when he last visited." Aria mentally sighed; he looked so much like Benn in that moment.

The Straw Hats looked at him, but Luffy kept his gaze on Aria. After a few heartbeats, he spoke, "'His dads'? So these are Benn's kids?" When Aria gave a nod, his grin went wider than ever. "That's awesome!" The spice dissipated, only to be replaced by a tart, icy-sweet taste.

He set the rifle back on the shelf, with great care Aria noticed, and she saw the others watching her with renewed interest. She almost felt overwhelmed by the near-constant changing taste, but ignored it.

She couldn't blame them for being interested. If she had met someone who had once belonged to a Yonko's crew, especially if they had kids with one of their most prominent members, she'd be curious too.

Nami sat down at the table, staff on her shoulder. "So you were a member of the Red-Haired Pirates?"

"Yes, though I left them five years ago," Aria told her, moving to put the groceries up. "Not exactly my choice, but it was safer." She thanked Sanji quietly when he offered to help.

Frank suddenly smiled. "I remember you now! They stopped at Water Seven years ago and I returned a weapon they had left behind. Do you still have it?" Aria nodded and made a mental note to bring it out later when she saw the excitement on his face.

"Then how is she Benn's?" Luffy asked, looking at Ashlyn, who was happily playing with Chopper.

Aria paused, choosing her words carefully. "They visited after Marineford."

The crew fell silent. Sour, bitter, sharp; most of it came from Luffy.

"They asked me to help with what happened," Aria added quietly. "But I couldn't leave Enri, nor could I bring him along."

"You had to protect your son. And I don't think there was anything you could have done," Robin said, not unkindly.

Aria shook her head. "Maybe not, but I still wish I could've helped." She internally winced as she recalled the Red-Haired pirates arriving, all with healing injuries and carrying the news of Whitebeard and Ace's deaths. They'd stayed only a few days. Pushing the memories away, she asked, "But what brings you to Ceto Island?"

Luffy grinned broadly. "I just took down DoFlamingo!" A burst of lemon touched the air.

Enri's eyes lit up with excitement. Lovely; he was probably going to beg for the story later.

Aria paused in her task, momentarily taken aback by Luffy's announcement. She knew the name well—a notorious Warlord whose shadow had loomed over the New World. She'd heard he had been dethroned, but had dismissed it. "You took down DoFlamingo?" she asked, her voice a mix of surprise and admiration.

She remembered hearing about Luffy taking down Crocodile, then the Enies Lobby incident, and of course there was Marineford. Luffy was definitely strong, but she had to admit she didn't expect him to take down DoFlamingo.

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed, his enthusiasm contagious. "It was tough, but we did it!" He gestured to his crew behind him, who nodded in agreement. "After that, we needed a break, so we figured we'd rest up here for a day or two."

She could taste Enri's excitement, so powerful it overrode everything else in the house, and Aria mentally groaned. He was going to be so excited until they left, and the next time Benn called, his father probably wouldn't get in two words until Enri was done retelling him about it.

Not that the Red-Haired pirates would complain, but still.

Nami chimed in, her tone business-like yet relieved. "Dressrosa was pretty intense. We could all use a breather." Law looked a little gloomy at that.

Aria nodded understandingly. "Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you need. It's good to see you again, Luffy, and meet your crew."

Luffy beamed, the thrill of victory still evident on his face. "Thanks, Aria! This place looks awesome!"

She chatted with the crew for a while as they settled themselves around the spacious front room. Enri talked with Franky, Robin and Nami were perusing her book collection, and Zoro was asleep against the wall. Sanji just watched her curiously.

Luffy asked her about her time with Shanks, and Usopp joined in when she mentioned Yasopp, and told them about a few things that had happened before she left until Law interrupted her.

"Did you just say Kaden?" He stepped forward, his eyes hard. She was surprised at the bitter-spice taste from him. His fist tightened around his sword, and she saw his shoulders shaking.

The room went quiet. Zoro's eye opened and watched them curiously; Aria was reminded of Mihawk, a previous Warlord she had met many years ago before Shanks lost his arm. Zoro had the same cold look in his eyes.

Aria frowned. "Yes. He's a scientist from the World Government. He's the reason I left the crew, actually." Her heart thudded dully. She hadn't thought about Kaden in a while, too busy with her kids and the orchard.

Law's barely concealed agitation was evident in his expression. "I know of him. I used to work with Caeser on Punk Hazard. He mentioned a scientist by that name who used to run the experiments there. He used to work with him before he left."

Aria leaned against the counter with a sigh. "Yes, that's the same Kaden." Memories threatened to crowd her head, but she shoved them away.

Law met her gaze. "His ship is in the harbor." Aria bolted upright at his words. Metallic fear almost made her choke, but she stopped herself in time with a deep breath.

Enri glanced at Aria and she resisted grabbing him as he unconsciously grabbed the scar on his arm. "Mom?" Chopped touched his arm and led her son over to Ashlyn, then sat with them.

Franky and Sanji had identical angry expressions. Usopp looked concerned. Nami and Zoro just appeared calm, though Aria could sense the first mates' anger was carefully controlled. Luffy's brow was lowered, a snarl curling the edge of his lips.

Metallic, sharp, bitter, spice; the tastes were overwhelming and it took several heartbeats for Aria to focus.

She pinned Law with her glare, one fist clenched against her side. "How do you know?"

"I saw him once, just before the World Government denounced him and recognized him on the dock," Law explained. "I was a Warlord for a while. I heard about him running experiments on children, but then he disappeared after one went missing."

Aria closed her eyes and stretched out her haki.

And Kaden was in the town.

"Aria, is he a threat?" Luffy asked quietly. The other Straw Hats watched him, their expressions tense.

She saw the same fierce determination in Luffy's eyes that she had once seen in Shanks'. "Yes."

He had clearly taken on that trait of protecting his friends.

"Do you need our help with him?" Nami asked, his fist around her staff. Zoro's hand rested idly on his swords, but Aria knew he would draw them in an instant if he thought he needed to.

Aria looked at Luffy. "If he finds out I'm here, he'll attack the house. But I don't want you fighting my battles for me." Not defensive, not angry, but making it clear she would not accept his help.

She caught Enri's face. He was holding Ashlyn in his lap, watching Aria.

"If he's as dangerous as you say though, surely you'd need some help," Franky said.

"She was a member of Shanks' crew though," Luffy pointed out with a grin, relaxing. "She was a member for years before they came to Foosha Village; she can handle him if he becomes a problem."

So much like Shanks. He always had the same confidence in his crew.

"But what if he doesn't find out you're here?" Usopp asked.

Aria arched an eyebrow at him. "Oh, he'll know. I stand out nearly as much as Shanks and Luffy." She gestured to her hair. Her braid alone was distinct, but the dark red color, a shade or two lighter from all her years outside, stood out. And the beads lacing through all the braids were not something people tended to miss.

Law took a step forward. "Would he still be looking for after all this time though? I heard you tell Luffy it's been five years since he last found you."

Aria nodded. "Yes. He made it very clear he wanted to drag me back to Punk Hazard."

The others stiffened, and Sanji in particular looked angry.

Law's eyes widened. "So you…"

"Don't," Aria said sharply, darting her eyes at her kids. Law nodded and said nothing more. He clearly recognized the significance.

Luffy watched her, a hard grin stretching across his face. "Aria, you should kick his ass before he finds you."

Nami made a face. "If she can just lie low until he leaves though, she wouldn't have to risk herself in the first place." Usopp nodded vigorously in agreement.

Aria snorted. "He'll figure out I'm here pretty quickly." Stretching out her observation again, she could sense him getting closer. "He's already headed this way." He was probably asking people about her, if they had seen someone with her description. She didn't think he used haki, but still.

Law crossed his arms. "It sounds like you plan on facing him."

"Mom, do you have to?" Enri asked, his voice quiet. Sour, sharp, metallic; his fear was strong.

Aria nodded. "He hurt you once Enri, and he's the reason your dad isn't here. I'm not risking you again." Before anyone could ask what she meant, she ducked into her room.

She barely glanced at the wide bed against the wall. Benn flashed in her mind and she didn't want to get distracted. Later she would try to call, and hoped he would answer this time, but now was not the time. And she wanted to get this over quickly, maybe give them some good news.

When she came out with her bow and quiver, Franky stopped her. "Wait, can I see your bow?" A sweet, citrus taste exploded out.

She eyed him warily but handed over her bow.

"Don't worry, I just want to make an adjustment. I've worked with Adam's Wood and I have an idea." He was outside before she could say anything.

"He's just going to strengthen it," Zoro said, grinning. "If you can fight with that, but you're facing someone dangerous, you should use every advantage you can get."

She couldn't argue with that.

Law shook his head. "Won't do any good if Kaden arrives before he's done."

Aria's observation hummed suddenly. "He knows where I am." She could feel his spark brighten. "I don't know your crew Luffy, but can you guys watch Enri and Ashlyn and make sure they don't get hurt?"

"Of course," Brook said, bowing. Chopper narrowed his eyes and Robin joined Enri and Ashlyn, speaking softly to them. Nami tightened her grip and stood next to the playrooms doorway.

Franky came back in after another second and handed her the shortbow. "I couldn't do much, since it was made a long time ago, but now it'll have more power behind it."

She looked at the bow and smiled. It was longer now, not much of a shortbow anymore, but it was reinforced. The string had been replaced with a thicker one, and while there was a dip in the middle of the wood for her hand, the edges were thicker and tapered to a thin tip on both ends of the bow. A second string connected the new ends of the bow, meaning she could use it as a longbow as well.

She could put more power behind her shots with this. "Thanks Franky, this will work perfectly. I've never been able to kill him for some reason, but maybe this will help."

"You couldn't kill him because he's a cyborg," Law said darkly, making everyone turn. "Not like Franky is, but I've heard he's made modifications to himself over the years."

"Aria, are you sure you don't want help?" Usopp asked.

Aria took a deep breath. Gripping the bow, half-remembered lessons came back to her. "Usopp, Yasopp trained me in marksmanship and my observation haki could rival Shanks' when I was with them." There was an intake from a few people and his eyes widened. "If I can't beat him today, I'll have to keep running. And while I'm sure Shanks would gladly come pick up, I have two kids to worry about."

Law growled, "You can't expect to fight him alone though."

"I do, and I am," Aria shot back.

Before anyone could object, she was out the back door. Smiling as she left, she heard Luffy tell them, "She'll be fine."