Benn lowered the muzzle of his rifle and looked at Shanks over his shoulder. "Captain, you need to decide soon what we're doing." There was a warning note in his voice.
Aria flicked her gaze from the ship steadily approaching from behind to the two ahead. A distant boom sounded and she grimaced as salt water splashed up a foot away. "They're in range now."
Damn. They were really going to chase a bounty-less pirate this hard? Her glaive sat heavy in her hands, her fingers aching from holding it for the last hour. Maybe they shouldn't have attacked that base the day before…
Without warning, Shanks leaped onto the fantail's railing, his sword arched back. He crouched for a second, then unleashed a powerful slash that split the waves. The ship behind them groaned and split in half, the faint screams of marines barely audible as Shanks stepped back onto the deck. "Snake, get us in between the other two. We won't be able to outrun them."
"So what's the plan?" Benn asked, sitting the end of his rifle on his shoulder. Aria watched him flex a hand around the smooth wooden stock, then looked towards the two Navy ships that were now quickening their speed.
Casting out her haki, she encountered nothing of major concern. All marines, all wanting to attack, but nothing specific. She pulled it back and watched Shanks.
He didn't answer for a moment, gazing at the two Navy ships approaching on either side. When they were almost touching the Scarlet Storm, he motioned for Yasopp, who ran over. As the sniper reached them, Shanks turned to his first mate. "Benn, take a group to one ship. Yasopp, take the other."
Benn's hand was nearly white around his rifle now.
Yasopp glanced at the smaller of the two ships. "Sinking or just damage?"
Aria almost shivered when Shanks responded coldly, "Sink."
Yeah, they really shouldn't have attacked the base. Killing the man keeping the food from the nearby town would've been enough. Taking out the entire base just pissed off the Navy.
The two men split, calling out names.
Yasopp, Limejuice, Roux, Snake, and Hongo went right. Speed and range.
Shanks took Snake's spot at the helm.
Benn, Aria, Gab, and Bonk and Monster went left. Muscle and heavy hitters.
Aria leaped over the rails, Gab on her heels, and immediately ducked. An air blade, a new ability Gab had practiced over the past year, shot forward. Dashing up the stairs to her left, Aria swung out with practiced movements, sending marines flying.
"Aria, watch out!" Benn's voice was almost lost in the din, but she moved left as a large marine came rushing towards her with a glaive larger than her own. The blade sunk into the deck where her feet had been a second before.
Whirling the wooden knob out, she didn't flinch at the splay of blood as it connected with his face. He backed off, but raised his glaive and struck out. His nose was broken, and she guessed he was missing a few teeth now, considering the blood running down his chin.
Blocking a blow, she twitched her blade forward, forcing him to back away. Another twitch, a duck. Another swipe, a dodge. Steadily, she drove him to the opposite side of the deck. Screams sounded from around her; all from marines.
Gab's laugh sounded just before another air blade rushed out over her head. Benn's rifle went off nearby. Monster's screeches rose and faded as he chased someone.
Aria hissed as the marines glaive caught her cheek and swung low. His legs were knocked out from under him and he hit the deck hard. Aria sunk her blade into his chest and glanced to the side.
She hadn't taken one step when she tasted something half-familiar.
The surrounding tastes were mostly blood, gunpowder, sweat, and all manners of fear and anger. But under that… She stiffened as a marine in a black suit ran at Bonk from behind. Growling, she leaped over the quarterdecks railing. The marine stumbled back as she landed in front of him.
Bonk glanced back but immediately left her to go after someone else, yelling a challenge as Monster joined him.
This close to the black-suited marine, she felt a wave of rage build up and slashed out. The acrid taste of sterile metal, cleaned-too-much sheets, and the unique fear-taste of children radiated from him.
He wasn't a marine; he was a scientist!
A gun flashed out, but she knocked it away without hesitation. A second gun was sent flying across the deck. He grabbed a sword, but then his eyes went wide.
Aria swung forward, but missed as he calmly stepped back. The taste of citrus exploded around her. Confused, she followed his gaze and immediately her hand flew to her neck. The marine that cut her cheek hadn't just hit there.
Her choker was missing.
And he recognized her tattoo!
She froze for half a heartbeat, her eyes on his. The metallic taste of her own fear blotted out everything else. She took a step back, panic swelling in her chest. He knew where she was from.
And that she wasn't meant to be here.
The scientist's eyes narrowed as a grin stretched across his face. Swinging out, she attempted to block, but he backhanded the glaive away with an armament covered fist. She stumbled, unbalanced as the glaives movement sent the wooden knob into her side, and a blinding pain shot across the back of her head a second later.
Her knees hit the deck before she blinked away the stars. A dark chuckle sounded to her right. "No idea how you escaped, but you're done-"
Footsteps, a heavy thud, the taste of ash and iron.
"Aria, back to the ship!" Benn barked as he raised his rifle at an advancing marine. The scientist was a bloody mess to the side. The taste of tobacco and smoke temporarily filled the air before gunpowder rose above it.
Aria tried to rise, but saw stars again. The blow, probably from the heavy sword's hilt, had stunned her. She wasn't hurt badly, but enough to realize that Benn had saved her from being severely injured.
Maybe worse.
A snarl, then someone hauled her roughly up by the arm. Benn's gun went off again and her ears rang. "Shanks!" She felt more than heard his shout.
"I've got her!" Red hair flashed in her sparking vision as Shanks grabbed her and led her swiftly back to their ship. Stumbling, she barely managed to leap over the rails, landing painfully on her knees again. White dots danced across her vision, she stumbled a few more steps with Shanks half supporting her, then sank against the wall.
Shanks knelt in front of her, his eyes flicking over her. "You alright?" His eyes narrowed as he noticed her bare neck, but he said nothing about that. An overpowering taste of cloves blossomed out, mingled with something sour.
Aria nodded. "Just stunned. Give me a minute." She noted the lack of marines on the ship and let out a long breath. A pulse of pain shot through her head but she ignored it.
Shanks paused, then stood in front of her as the battles continued. Cloves again, but occasional burst of citrus, gunpowder, spice from the marines, and a few touches of what she could only describe as joy; it had no nameable taste.
When she could see without dots shooting in front of her eyes, she stood but leaned against the wall. Shanks turned his head towards her. "Can you make it inside okay?" Could she get to her bag and get a new choker?
Aria nodded and stepped inside the hallway, though she kept her hand on the wall for safety. Walking across the crew's quarters was nerve-racking, but she made it without falling and went back above deck once her tattoo was covered.
Yasopp's group was back, the ship on the right sinking. Aria joined them as the rest of Benn's group leaped back over. Strangely, their ship wasn't sinking yet. She watched as Benn whispered something to Shanks, then watched as the captain shouted, "Snake, get us away from the ships." Benn stepped back, but she didn't miss the look he shot her.
The crew waited wordlessly as the distance between their ship and the remaining Navy one. When it was a fair distance away, Shanks let loose another wave-splitting blow. The ship exploded in the water as he stepped back down.
"Where to, Captain?" Snake called down from the helm.
Shanks looked at the crew, then grinned. "Head for Ebi Island! We deserve to celebrate after taking down three ships!"
The crew, aside from Aria and Benn, cheered. Aria just sighed and sank against the wall again. She loved being here, but the parties were growing a little frequent. Not that she wanted to complain, but did they have to celebrate every time they took out a Navy ship?
She let out a soft groan as pain pulsed through her head.
Benn sat down beside her. "You alright?"
Aria gave him a small smile. "Yeah. He just stunned me for a minute." She reached behind her head to where the scientist had struck and her hand came back bloody. "Well, that might explain why it's still hurting."
Hongo was making his way through the crew, sending a couple of people to the surgery but treating most on the deck. When he walked by, she noticed him pause. After a second, he exchanged a look with Benn.
Benn nodded and stood, holding his hand out to Aria. "He'll have to look at that."
Biting back a groan, Aria took his hand with her unbloodied one.
Shanks appeared in that second. "Get hurt again?" he asked her, his gaze flicking from her bloodied hand to the one in Benn's, then back to her face. A subtle taste of burnt pepper floated around for a couple of heartbeats before being lost under the taste of metal and salt.
"Head wound," Hongo said immediately. "Would be alright if we use your cabin again?"
Shanks nodded. "Of course. What are the other injuries?"
Hongo paused, looking around the deck. "Bonk has a nasty cut; I sent him to the surgery. I think Yasopp broke his fingers, don't ask me how, and sent him there as well." He paused, his gaze flicking to Shanks and Benn. "But aside from those two, she's the only other one that needs immediate treatment. Everyone else is just minor cuts or bruises. Those can wait."
Shanks nodded. "Glad it wasn't worse. After you've dealt with those, get some rest."
Hongo waited until Benn had led Aria to Shanks' cabin, then set his kit down on the table as she sat in the chair. "What happened?"
"A scientist was aboard the ship," she started and Benn let out a hiss. Hongo shot him a confused look, then nodded for her to continue. "And he hit me on the back of the head with a sword hilt, I think."
Hongo gave her a sympathetic look. "Just hold still while I look at it." His words were more of a formality; they knew she wouldn't move until he was done. And Benn was there in case she did, though he hadn't needed to hold her still for a few months now.
Being hurt often had one advantage: she now no longer panicked when Hongo was around, but only when Benn was there too. She couldn't understand it. But no one complained, except the one time Shanks was there instead and she had gotten so nervous that he gave up and fetched Benn.
She knew that still stung him, but she had no answer as to why Benn made the difference.
Aria closed her eyes, feeling his gaze on her, and gripped the tip of her braid. The leather pouch, for that's more what this was now, was stuffed with cotton currently and she could barely taste anything with her hand covering it.
Shanks once asked about it, but she never gave an answer.
She winced as he touched where the hilt hit her. "Aria, you'll have to undo your braid."
"Which one?" she asked. She knew it couldn't be the main one. This was too far to the side and too far down, but she wasn't sure which one he meant.
"The red bead," he stated.
Aria barely hesitated, but quickly undid the braid in question, as well as the surrounding three, and quickly covered the tip of her braid again. The four beads sat in her other hand; red, white and blue, carved bone, and a bright yellow stone with a hole in it. She started adding them a few months ago. Each one was from a different island.
Her shoulder ached after a while, but she didn't move until Hongo stepped back. He let out a sigh. "It looks worse than what it is. One of your beads must've been in-between the hilt and your head, as there's only a minor wound. It will hurt for a while though."
Aria figured as much.
"Also, don't put your braids back in for now. Wait until it's healed." Hongo glanced at Benn, then packed up his kit. Without another word, he left and a heartbeat later, the door to the surgery closed.
Aria let out a slow breath, then undid the rest of her braids.
Benn watched silently until she had the last of the beads in her pocket. "A scientist?"
Quick footsteps, then Shanks slid in the room and shut the door. "Benn, explain." Spice shot through the air, cutting through the sour taste filling the room.
Aria watched as Benn gave her a long look before turning to Shanks. "She recognized, on some level, the man who hit her. I don't know how, but he said something into a small transponder snail on his wrist before I killed him."
The spice grew stronger and she nearly gagged. Even with her braid muffled, it was almost unbearable.
"He was a scientist, but that's all I could tell," she said wearily. Both men snapped their eyes to her. "I can't explain how I know, but he saw my tattoo and recognized it."
An angry snort from Shanks made her wince. "You always know more than you let on though. And you've never explained how."
Ignoring the pang of guilt, she continued, "If Benn hadn't stopped him, I think he meant to kill me." That blow alone would have, if had hit it further to the left.
Shanks' shoulders dropped and he shot a look at Benn; again, there was a burnt pepper taste but it was almost lost under clove. "Aria, I think you should get the tattoo covered up with something else."
Benn raised an eyebrow, then looked at her. "That's probably a good idea. The next port is almost a city. You could get it there. That way, if you lose your choker, no one will notice it."
"After that, I'm fine with that idea," she said. Running her fingers through her hair, she took a thong and loosely tied it up.
Benn stood and looked at Shanks. "I'll make sure the rest of the crew is okay and set the next watch."
When the door closed, Shanks wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad you're okay."
Aria didn't protest when he planted a kiss on her forehead, but leaned back. "I didn't expect to see a scientist there."
Sitting on the bed, Shanks watched her. "How do you always recognize the most dangerous people, Aria? I'm serious." His gaze bore into her, dark and almost searching.
Knotting her fingers around her braid, she didn't meet his eyes.
After a few minutes, he groaned and fell back. "Eventually I'll need an answer, Aria. I'm serious! I use both observation and conqueror's haki, and I can't always tell who the worst opponent is. You barely use your observation in a fight, yet every time you always end up facing them."
Aria rested one foot on the chair and leaned her cheek on it, her gaze on him. "I just pay attention better without it." Not entirely true. Her observation was good for a distance, and she was a little better at using it to dodge, but it was the taste that always let her know more than anything else.
Shanks didn't respond, just stared at the ceiling. A light coffee taste, which she'd come to understand was unique to him, wafted over. That taste only appeared when he pouted about something.
She watched him for another heartbeat, then inwardly sighed. What could she say that could pacify him for the moment without delving into her past? Releasing the end of her braid, she undid the pouch and breathed in.
The coffee became stronger, clove, vinegar, and she covered her braids tip when she tasted ginger.
She stepped over to the bed and sat next to him. "It's not that I don't want to explain, Shanks."
He didn't look at her, but grabbed her hand after a second. "Is it related to your past?"
"Yeah." The word dropped through the air like a stone.
He sat up and looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I'll stop asking then, but next time tell me or Benn to handle them." When she arched an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitched up. "At least try to, okay?" The ginger faded and his usual cedar came back.
Biting back her response, she just nodded. She couldn't promise that, not in the middle of a fight at least, but she could try.
She stood when he leaned forward, dodging another attempt at a kiss.
"Oh, come on," he grinned. "At least once?"
Aria rolled her eyes. She regretted sleeping with him the night she got her brow scar, as he seemed to have taken that as a sign that maybe she liked him the same way, but she found it cute he kept trying to entice her back. Aria never teased him though; she didn't want to lead him on with something false.
He grabbed her and pulled her to him, but just kissed her forehead with an exaggerated groan. "Fine. Go get some rest. I want you on midnight watch tonight, alright? Since you refuse to use observation in a fight, at least keep an eye out for the island or more marines."
Shaking her head, she left his cabin and passed Benn on the stairs to the crew's quarters. As she passed, though, she paused for a moment. Looking back up the stairs, he had already disappeared. But she was surprised at the burnt taste he left in his wake.
She'd only tasted it from Shanks, but there was no one else around close enough for her to detect it and the captain was still in his cabin. Shrugging, she pushed it from her mind.