Chapter 32: Lift Off

"We're getting close." Farren said from her position beside the helm. "I can almost smell the algae."

Aria sighed in relief. The trip to Farren's island sounded tolerable in the early afternoon, but Aria hadn't expected it to last so far into the night. It had been dark for hours, with only the waning moon and the stars to guide their ship.

The dark sea spread out to the horizon, but Aria could just barely see something on the edge. A glimmering expanse lurking from below the water. The bioluminescent sea.

The caves on Farren's island were full of a particular mixture of minerals and bacteria that bioluminescent algae feasted on. They turned the sea itself into a glowing darkness that matched the starry night sky. It was a unique phenomenon not found elsewhere in the East. Were the island itself not so hazardous, there surely would have been people studying the algae.

Arlong gave the order and the sails were furled back to slow their approach. It wasn't just algae that lurked in the sea ahead. Farren knew of at least two Sea Kings that ate the numerous fish that were attracted by the algae.

It was nearing morning's twilight when they reached the island itself.

"Should we find a place near the shore or dock here?" Gajeel asked.

"You will not find a shore. This is as close as we come to the island." Farren said, looking over the railing. She pointed towards one of the caves, nearly twenty feet up from sea-level. "See those? That is where the graniteworms come out from. Get too close and all of us will have to swim home."

Aria made a face. Chew snickered.

"Aye, I've heard those bastards will eat through a hull like a parrotfish eats algae." Kaneshiro concurred. "We ought to be dropping anchor here. No reason to ruin a nice ship like this by being careless."

"Fair enough." Arlong said, before barking out the orders to prepare for anchoring. After the ship came to a complete halt, the small crew gathered at the port bow.

"The next priority is to get inside of the caves." Farren told Arlong. "We need a couple to make sure the ship stays whole while we delve into the tunnels."

"Gajeel-san and I can take care of the ship." Kaneshiro suggested. "I'm sure you'd like Rinka-san for any, uh, cave battles."

Rinka glowered at Kaneshiro. She still wasn't sure how she had ended up on this expedition.

At first she had been thrilled to go out to sea again, especially with Arlong's new ally Farren joining them. But Chew had let it slip that Farren was dangerous and had even tried to hurt Hachi in an attempt to blackmail Arlong. After Rinka had investigated a bit more, she had no interest in helping Farren and was loath to be around her. Yet somehow Rinka had still come along.

The majority of the trip had been her seething at Farren from afar while Chew watched the human like a hawk.

By joining the expedition Rinka could keep an eye on Farren, but Rinka would much rather guard the ship.

Rinka grimaced as Farren sent her a smile that she probably thought was seductive. Rinka kicked herself for previously finding this human attractive. The only humans Rinka could trust were Nami-chan and Aria.

"So you're going to swim to the island, then?" Aria asked Farren as she eyed the distance from the boat to the island.

Rinka perked up at Aria's voice. At least this human was fully aligned to the crew's safety. Cinnabar had proven that. Rinka remembered that Aria wouldn't throw a punch at her fellow crewmates, even while they were brainwashed. Instead she had trusted in their captain to deal with their nakama safely.

She hadn't known Aria for long, but Rinka was grateful the human woman was now part of their crew. Rinka heard from various crewmates that the officers and Aria had proven their strength and intelligence against Grenouille. Kuroobi and Aria in particular had ensured they reaped the benefits of even the poorer districts. Not a single life was lost carelessly. While Rinka would always choose Arlong over Jinbe, she wasn't keen on slaughtering humans mindlessly. She wanted a peaceful life, after all. Aria seemed to share that sentiment.

"You have that correct. We will need to swim to the island and then scale the walls to one of the tunnels." Farren replied, her smile turning sharp. "Ah, but you lack the ability to swim, don't you? What a shame. You will have to stay on the ship."

Aria pursed her lips and appeared to accept her fate.

"I could carry Aria to the island." Rinka offered. It would be an easy task, and Arlong had told Rinka to keep an eye on Aria since she was still injured. Farren looked momentarily surprised, but there wasn't any of the annoyance Rinka expected. From what little interaction she'd seen between Aria and Farren, the two seemed content to snipe at each other.

"It wouldn't do to leave Aria-chan behind." Arlong agreed, grinning. Chew raised a brow.

Aria really wanted to take Rinka up on her offer, but she knew better. Her clothes weren't made out of the same fabric as the fishmen's, and therefore had none of their quick drying properties. She would be stuck in waterlogged clothes, weakened by the saltwater, until it dried hours later. All the while dealing with her period.

It was a horrifying thought.

"I do appreciate the offer, Rinka, but I think I can manage the distance with my sound form." Aria said. Farren cursed.

"When did you figure that out?" Farren asked, glowering like Aria had kept a secret from her.

Aria was unfazed. "Before we even left Aqua Atlus."

"Excuse me?! That could have helped with so many of my conquests!" Farren whined.

Aria grimaced. "I'm a bit disturbed that you're calling them conquests. But honestly? That's the entire reason I didn't tell you."

Farren huffed. "Well, you may carry me with you, at least."

"No." Aria shot down, unflinching.

Arlong laughed at the offended look Farren gave Aria, before shoving Farren overboard.

There was a splash as Farren hit the water and moments later she could be heard cursing Arlong's entire lineage.

Arlong, Rinka, and Chew dove overboard, landing in the sea with practiced ease. Chew had the hindsight to tug Farren along as they sped to the island, though she did not appreciate the breakneck speed.

Aria waited until they reached the rock wall before flying over. By the time she landed in the opening, Arlong and Rinka had scaled the walls and were waiting for Chew to toss Farren up. Farren didn't appreciate being tossed upward like a sack of potatoes, either, but she managed an attempt at making doe eyes at Rinka before the fishwoman set her down.

As Chew climbed the rock wall, Aria strained for any movement from deeper down the tunnel. The cave wasn't lit and the sunlight only stretched so far before hitting a wall of darkness. She didn't sense any vibrations under her feet nor hear anything but wind whistling. That wasn't enough for Aria to let down her guard.

These sort of places were a death trap.

Aria had to respect Farren for managing to live on this island for so long. Aria didn't think she could stand living in these tunnels.

"Alright, I'm here. Let's go get lost in some caves, chuu." Chew said as he pulled himself up.

It surprised Aria that Arlong led the way, not even waiting for Farren. Then again, Arlong always had better vision in the dark than she did. Perhaps that extended to caves?

That only lasted so long, however. They eventually reached a stretch where vision couldn't lead them further. Farren wasn't bothered in the slightest, and made them all hold hands as they ventured further into the cave.

"I have this place all mapped out." Farren bragged. "We will be back into a lighter area before long."

The only good thing about the graniteworms, Aria realized, was that they cleared the cave of normal underground terrain as they carved out tunnels. She grimaced as she thought about having to traverse through tight gaps between walls without letting go of Arlong's hand. She felt claustrophobic just considering it.

True to Farren's word, the cave shifted from pure darkness to having just the slightest amount of light. The light grew and grew as they followed Farren, enough to where Chew took his hands back from Rinka and Arlong and shoved them in his pockets.

Arlong still left his hand around Aria's, and neither of them dared to mention it.

After what felt like ages they arrived at a mouth to the tunnel and the wide sky above them. The opening wasn't much, just a small crossroads of criss-crossing tunnels and worn paths, but Farren led them to a rope ladder.

They climbed up after Farren, all the way to the roof of the cave they had just been in. There, a rough path went upward and led to yet another rope ladder. This continued until they reached the very top. Halfway through, Aria began following in her sound form as her hip began to protest the repetitive motion.

It was dizzying, being so high up that Aria could see the ocean. Hell, she could almost make out their boat.

"Shit." Farren swore, bringing Aria out of her thoughts. "They caved in my lab!"

Aria watched as Farren came over to a giant hole right before a structure made out of what looked like hardened clay. The graniteworms had clearly come by, digging as they usually did, and covered the structure with piles of dirt and rock before digging straight back down.

Aria grimaced, waiting for one of Farren's famous freak-outs at the loss of her precious lab. They had been the stuff of legend during school. Already, Aria could spot the trembling shoulders and the tensing of her body. She didn't need to see Farren's face to know she was gritting her teeth and her eyes were wide with rage.

Thankfully, Farren managed to pull it together, but only by clenching her fists and exhaling deeply through her nose. Huh. Aria recognized that from when Arlong was close to losing his temper.

"We will need to take an alternate route." Farren huffed, "At least they waited until I decided to leave this island before doing this."

With that, they were following Farren again. Aria was curious about Farren's tentative grip on her temper, but kept that to herself. So long as nothing happened to the other entrance, everything should be fine.

They went down a different rope ladder, and Farren led them to the entrance of a tunnel before making a noise of disbelief. Make that a former entrance to a tunnel. A graniteworm must have smacked rocks along its path as it dug, leaving the tunnel entrance blocked.

Farren was teetering on the edge of a rampage.

"At least this looks better than the previous way in, chuu." Chew sighed. "It might take a while, but we can at least make headway with these rocks."

That seemed to make Farren relax, her shoulders becoming less tense.

"That's probably our best option." Arlong agreed, before glancing at Farren. "Unless there's a third entrance?"

Farren shook her head. "Just the two."

"We better get to work, then." Arlong said. "This is becoming so troublesome…"

Farren watched as they worked on the tunnel, and Aria assumed she would be fine for now. Good. Aria didn't have the patience to spare for the fallout. It turned out Farren did have some backup supplies, and she wanted to grab those before they left the island.

With Rinka and Arlong working together, it didn't take more than an hour before the tunnel was cleared. In the meantime, Farren went with Chew to grab some supplies from a stash she had elsewhere. Aria watched Rinka and Arlong, keeping herself out of the way. She wasn't in good enough shape to go chasing Farren up and down countless ladders, nor did she trust herself to not make a bigger mess by using her sound against the rocks.

The entrance to the tunnel was wide, but it wasn't tall enough for most of the fishmen to fit through without ducking. Even after they had cleared the entrance, Arlong and Rinka had to remain hunched over. To make matters worse, the tunnel wasn't lit, and none of them had thought to bring a torch or a flashlight.

While they waited for Farren to come back, Aria decided not to waste any time. Echolocation wasn't something she excelled in yet, but she had practiced the technique enough that she wouldn't harm herself by walking into a wall or falling down a hole (or down an ice ravine, which had happened to several of her classmates who had gone exploring after dark and hadn't been found until they had severe frostbite and hypothermia). Walking with her hand outstretched, she sent out ultrasound waves every half-second, and used their reverberations to determine her path.

Arlong had elected to join her, for some reason.

"I'm surprised you haven't run into a wall yet." Aria mused. Arlong snorted.

"Please. After swimming through lightless patches of the sea as a kid, it's hard to find this rough to navigate."

"Huh. I'd be concerned that some blind fish would have eaten me."

"That only happened to the dumb kids." Aria had to stop herself from retorting to that. Arlong always got more high and mighty on trips, and she didn't want to test his temper. "Your devil fruit powers make you almost on par with a fishman, sometimes. Sonar and the echolocation you're doing now are usually above a human's capacity." He was perfectly fine with testing hers, however.

"Well, on my island, the dumb kids would fall into ice caves and slowly freeze to death." Aria said dryly. "Being able to point out where those were or escape from them increased my survivability by a lot."

Eventually they came to the end of the tunnel, with a ladder that went up to a stone trapdoor. Even if it was locked from the other side, Arlong's strength would allow them to get inside.

"Finally!" Arlong was relieved. "Aria-chan, move out of the way so I can open this."

"Sure."

Aria heard Arlong pushing up on the stone and there was no resistance besides the stone being fit tightly. Aria was amused by Farren's lax security. Then again, very few were likely to get through the tunnels and find Farren's home without help.

Her amusement was cut short when Arlong swore something vile, backing away so quick he knocked into her as he retched. A foul smell filled the air, triggering Aria's gag reflex as well and turning her stomach. She clamped her hand over her nose and breathed through her mouth, trying not to focus on the fact she could taste whatever that awful smell was.

Aria checked on Arlong, her hand finding his back as he finished retching. Tentatively, she rubbed his back as he tried to stomach the stench. Arlong whined, "that smell is worse than the shitty old man!"

"They did work together." Aria reminded Arlong. "Perhaps Farren set up scent-based traps to deter intruders."

"What a bitch." Arlong grumbled. "I think I'm gonna have to go sit outside."

Aria raised a brow and gave him a skeptical look. "Really? You're going to leave your healing, cramping crewmate in the dark? Where there could be more traps?"

"...You're a bitch, too." Arlong groused. Aria's hand on his back vibrated threateningly. "Fine, fine."

Arlong didn't really climb up the ladder so much as he stood at his full height and pulled himself up into the room, using the ladder for assistance. Aria went up the ladder slow and steady, wary of her hip, until Arlong got tired of watching her grimace and hauled her up by the armpits.

"Such a gentleman." Aria teased dryly. Arlong huffed, but somehow Aria could tell he was grinning. She held onto Arlong's arm, not keen on falling down the trapdoor's opening and not able to focus on her echolocation with this godawful smell. "Anything interesting here?"

"It's certainly much more interesting than your lab." Arlong said. "More importantly, I found an oil lamp."

Aria sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't light that."

"Why not?"

"We don't know if whatever is making this smell is flammable or not. Exploding our faces is not something I want to deal with today."

Arlong swore. He set down the lamp audibly.

"What else is in here?"

"A couple of doors on the walls. Some cabinets with fluids and jars. Bunch of sciencey shit and tools laid across the table behind you."

Aria hummed. "I wonder how much of it is trapped."

They rummaged around the room, Aria keeping contact with Arlong. She managed to ignore the foul scent enough that she could use her echolocation again, and mapped the room enough that she no longer felt worried about tripping down the open hole.

Voices came from below them, in the tunnel. It sounded like Chew and Farren complaining. When they finally reached the trapdoor, Farren's voice was full of ire. "Bet you will wait for me next time. Impatient fools. How are you liking the perfume?"

"It made Arlong throw up. Watch your step." Aria called down. Arlong growled lowly. There was a muffled giggle from Chew.

Farren climbed up the ladder, pressing something along the way that made a click noise. "Where's the oil lamp? You haven't lit it yet?"

"Aria-chan wasn't keen on the idea. Something about exploding faces." Arlong drawled, hoping to get Aria back for her previous comment. It didn't work as planned, as Aria snickered and Farren groaned.

"That only happened one time! She was fine!" Farren said, exasperated. Soon enough she found the oil lamp and lit it, allowing the room to light up enough to see. "The perfume should dissipate within a few minutes, but I recommend steeling your stomachs until we leave."

"What all are we grabbing?" Chew asked as he looked around. "And are there any more of those disgusting traps around, chuu?"

"Everything that is not nailed down." Farren replied, quickly boxing up several things. "Take everything up top. When Twinny arrives, she will fly things to the ship and return." As an afterthought, Farren pointed to a door. "Do not go in that room. The smell will be overwhelming."

Rinka raised a brow. "More traps?"

Farren shook her head. "No, that is where the corpses are kept."

Rinka froze. Farren paid her no mind, continuing to pack. Everyone else began working, already clued in on the general idea of Farren's work. Rinka was the only one left out of the loop, and she felt disturbed. Rinka resolved to ask Arlong about their new ally later with a creeping suspicion she wasn't going to like what she heard.

Arlong decided to go up top first with the supplies, not wanting to spend more time in the nasty smelling room. When he came back, Farren sent him off with another load, and before long he reluctantly became the pack mule.

The group started working on the second room when Arlong came back and shoved his head up the trap door with a panicked look on his face. "Aria-chan, your shitty bird is here and it's trying to eat some of the supplies!"

Aria and Farren stop packing, and glance at each other.

"Aria, can you direct Twinny to the boat? This room has fragile materials that need to be packed delicately."

"What about the supplies she's eating?"

"You brought plenty of grain for her on the boat, correct? Direct her towards that."

Aria nodded in agreement, and followed Arlong down the tunnel. When they arrived in the sunlight, Aria blinked at the harsh morning sun. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the caves, lit by an oil lamp, and the sudden brightness was difficult.

For some reason, Arlong didn't seem the slightest bit affected. Aria followed him with her eyes wincing as they tried to adjust. When they finally managed, she realized Arlong had ditched his shirt while he was hauling cargo, and it hung out of the back of his sash.

It was really, really hard not to drool at the sight of him climbing up the rope ladders shirtless.

Aria would blame her hormones for that, too.

Aria followed behind him with her sound powers until the very last ladder, and then she demanded she go first. Twinny would recognize her, Aria reasoned, and wouldn't be as startled if she came up the ladder instead of using her logia form. Arlong agreed that would be best, but he looked like he had just bitten into a lemon as he watched Aria climb.

The giant bird was indeed trying to get into the supplies, and Aria found Twinny with her beak prying open a metal box.

"Twinny! Bad bird! Keep out of that!" Aria shooed the Fioran Tern away from the box. Twinny was affronted until she realized who Aria was, and then she tried to play innocent. Twinny cooed pitifully, using the sounds Aria recognized as hungry whines. "You'll get food in a few moments, if you behave." Aria told the bird firmly.

Arlong finished climbing the ladder and stared at the bird warily. Now that Aria was here, it seemed more like a mischievous pet than a danger. Arlong let himself breath a sigh of relief.

Then Twinny noticed him. The Fioran Tern and the fishman made contact, and suddenly the bird was puffing itself up to look more intimidating.

"Ah! No, no!" Aria's voice cracked as she noticed Twinny's sudden aggression. "Everything is fine, Twinny!"

Aria darted over to Arlong's side and put her hands up to Twinny, trying to placate the bird. "You remember Arlong, right Twinny? He's a friend. Not an enemy." She leaned over and hugged Arlong, who stiffened under her. "See? I trust him. Arlong is a friend, Twinny."

"Is this really necessary?" Arlong grumbled.

"Yes. Fioran Terns learn by watching. Now pat my head gently to show you're safe."

Arlong did as instructed, slow enough to not startle the bird that was still glaring at him menacingly.

Twinny watched the interaction between the two, and decided that Arlong was not going to make any sudden movements. Suddenly the bird was inspecting Arlong close enough that he could smell the bird's breath. Thankfully Arlong had already smelt the worst thing he could that day, and the stench was tolerable.

Then the bird turned around and was digging through the box again. "Twinny! No!"

Arlong heaved a great sigh of relief. If this damn bird wasn't so important to Aria, he'd have just killed it. Though he couldn't complain if Aria needed to hold on to him some more.

Aria managed to stop the bird from causing problems long enough to get the bird settled down. She made quick work of strapping the supply crates onto the bird's harness, with enough efficiency that had to come from practice.

When she deemed the load to be enough, Aria took a step back and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Moving sucks."

Arlong laughed at that. "Good thing you won't have to help anyone else. Now how do we get the bird to the ship?"

Aria chewed her lip in thought. "I'm going to have to ride her down there, then fly back up."

Surely he must have misheard, right? Arlong didn't hear Aria just suggest she was going to ride the bird, right? She had said something completely different, right?

"What was that?" Arlong asked. "I don't think I heard you."

"I'm going to have to ride Twinny the first few trips, before she picks up the general idea on her own." Aria said, her brows knit together as she considered something.

His jaw dropped and he stared at the tiny woman in disbelief. "You're joking."

"Afraid not. I don't think Twinny would let anyone else besides Farren ride her." Aria mused. "Since Farren is preoccupied, it's up to me, I guess…"

Arlong struggled for words. The Fioran Tern blinked at him with disinterest, oblivious. Even sitting next to Aria, it went well over her head. "How are you going to get on it?"

Aria sighed, clearly not happy with answering that. "I guess you'll have to pick me up and put me on her. I think my logia form would startle her."

"What if you fall off?" Arlong snapped, crossing his arms. "I can't very well let you get on this thing when you're injured and...cycling, especially if you can't save yourself."

"Oh, I'm sure I could change before I hit rock or water." Aria said with confidence. She had to bite back a laugh at Arlong, who clearly was trying hard to be a responsible captain despite the circumstances. And his own lack of understanding of human physiology.

Conflict was written all over Arlong's face. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair.

"Hey, Arlong?" Aria smiled at him when Arlong met her gaze. "You trust me, right?"

Arlong blinked at the question, before straightening. "Of course I do, dammit. That's not the issue here." There was a faint flush to his cheeks, but Aria couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or anger.

"I'll be fine, Captain. I promise."

"...If you're not, I'm locking you in the infirmary with Kakuzu-nii after telling him how stupid you are."

Arlong helped Aria get on Twinny. There wasn't a saddle for Aria to sit on, but she was confident in her grip on the harnesses. Arlong was much less convinced.

"This isn't my first rodeo. I'll be back before you know it." Aria said once she was settled.

"What the hell is a rodeo?" Arlong grumbled. "That doesn't make me doubt your sanity at all…"

Aria laughed. "Don't worry about it. Just bring more stuff up so that we can get a nice flow going."

Arlong nodded and waved her off. He watched with crossed arms as Twinny took off. Aria's grip didn't falter like Arlong worried it would. He forced himself to turn away and go down the ladder to get more supplies.

Not for the first time, Arlong realized that this woman was going to be the death of him.

AN:

This chapter was going to have more scenes, but there is no privacy in my house and I am so fed up with having to wait to write. My roommate thought his bedroom was haunted so he was only sleeping on the couch for a few weeks, and now he's staying up for like 20 hours so there's only a small time where I can write with no one around. Aaaaaa.

Next chapter: More Cave Island!