"Never been in a place like this before?" Shanks moseyed after you, smiling happily as he watching you take in every room he led you to.

Your fascination with the mansion outweighed any previous apprehension about meeting up with the man and you soon found yourself acting like an excited child. The whole time he kept up with small talk, asking about your job and life outside of what Kid did with you. It wasn't really a lot to go on about but you did your best to give him any details that seemed like they may be at least slightly interesting. It was hard judging what a man like him would deem intriguing.

"No, this is a first. My ex was pretty well off and has a nice place but nothing like this." You spun around to face Shanks as you fiddled with your shirt sleeves, now remembering who exactly you were alone with.

"What about Kid?" He asked as he led you down the way you'd come, this time with purpose instead of just wandering around. "Was he an upgrade?"

"Well, no. Not really." You scrunched up your nose distastefully. "He's a real let down in more ways than one."

The man laughed merrily as you made the face and opened a door for you to go through. "Something tells me you aren't just talking about his home."

"No..." The room you walked into was a luxurious sitting space, decorated very differently from the rest of the mansion.

The right wall was covered in a dark stained shiplap with an inviting fireplace taking up a large space on it and the rest of the walls were painted a deep red. On the left wall there was a set of thick white curtains covering what was probably a large window. The floors almost matched the the wood on the wall with a large cream rug taking up the center. The furniture was all thickly padded dark brown leather with a couple cozy throws laying across the backs of the couches.

"This is different." You liked it though. It was a nice mix of mature and masculine without being covered in stereotypical "male" things like tools or Playboy posters.

"It's usually more of a meeting space but I thought it'd be a good spot for us to talk." He waited for you to sink into the single wingback armchair before sitting casually in the couch across from you.

"So," Shanks began. "I think first we need to discuss what our relationship is."

"Right." You nibbled at your lip as you thought. "I called you because I was angry and frankly I still am, but I want to try and talk to him about this as soon as she's gone. The issue is I don't know how long she'll be in town or if he'll even listen to me. I'd like to...decide about us after that. If you're okay with that?"

"I can wait for a while. Until then you're welcome to come by for company whenever you like."

"Thanks, I really appreciate that." You smiled, relieved that he wasn't going to demand a more physical relationship.

"I won't be patient forever though and if you're worried about Kid's threats, don't be. He can't do anything if you're under my protection."

"I'm not sure what has me uncertain about what to do with him. Kid's a complete ass. He's selfish and hotheaded but I don't think I could leave him without first trying to work something out."

"You don't owe him anything."

"Well he did save me from an assault and there's a good chance the guy who attacked me could've killed me so there's that." You decided that if Shanks was as relaxed as he was in the furniture it'd be okay for you to lose the stiff posture as well and pull a leg up into the cushion so you could rest your chin on your knee.

"That doesn't mean you owe him. A rescue shouldn't be done in hopes of a reward."

Shanks watched you carefully, his eyes flitting around your form like he may never get to see you again after this meeting. Who knew, depending on how long it took for Kids girlfriend to leave, among other circumstances, that may be the case. Anything could happen.

"Well around here I think everything done probably comes at a price."

"What else has you feeling tied to him?"

You didn't think he'd be so interested in your current partner but apparently he was. Shanks had his head resting in his single hand, elbow propped up on his thigh. It was strange, after the initial shock of noticing his missing limb, it didn't bother you anymore. If anything it had you curious as to what the remnants of the arm looked like and how he lost it.

"I don't know. His crew is nice, at least the couple guys I've met. They treat me well enough but his word is law for them so I can't say they're the reason I stay. Maybe I feel obligated to see this through, even if it's something I never had control of."

You were careful not to give names or volunteer up any information that could bring harm to Kid. While you were spending time with Shanks, you weren't planning on spilling what you did know of someone else to him. Kid did live in another Yonko's territory after all and you didn't want to be the reason someone got into a fight.

"You're quite the caring woman." He gave you a look that suggested it was a trait he held in high regard. "I hope he doesn't come to his senses and realize that."

Shanks suddenly got to his feet, smiling brightly.

"I'm sure you didn't come to talk about Eustass Kid all day, come check out this view." He swept past you, fingers tapping against your shoulder for a second as he beckoned you to the window.

He pulled the curtains back with ease, one at a time and then led you to stand right in front of the window. It was a great sight. The land surrounding the mansion gave way to handsome homes and small offices. Past that, were high-rise buildings and large apartment complexes, everything framed by the setting sun and basking the sky in a warm orange glow.

Shanks stepped behind you, leaning over your shoulder as he spoke. "We're currently in the Eastern part of the city, all that is in the North. That's ran by Charlotte Linlin, quite the business oriented woman but there isn't any better place to go if you're craving something sweet."

You rolled your head back far enough to look into an onyx eye. "So she's a Yonko who makes her money....with sweets?"

He chuckled and his chest bumped into your back. "Kind of. She has a voracious appetite for them but she's made her connections through arranged marriages between her kids and anyone she thinks could be of use."

Now this had you thinking. How did the other three make their money? It wasn't hard for Shanks to see that thought cross your mind.

"To the West is Kaido, his big money maker is drugs. That's probably the worst part of the city to live in. The South, where you live, is considered to be the second worst part. Whitebeard is a respectable enough man but there's a lot of fighting rings there."

"What about you?"

Shanks wandered back into his seat, tossing his arm over the back of the couch, but you lingered by the window, still enjoying the view of the sunset.

"I dabble in fights like Whitebeard, but I'm more in the business of pleasure."

Pleasure. Holy hell he had prostitutes.

"S-so, you mean...." You felt heat rise to your cheeks as you focused your eyes out the window.

"Sex is a large part of it. I know it's an odd topic for most people and it's a job not many appreciate, but all my employees are well taken care of. Besides that, I also have breweries that make drinks you won't find anywhere else."

You looked back and he gave you a cheerful wink, thinking nothing of his income source. A more bold question came to mind, bold for you at least.

"Aren't you afraid that your line of business could skew your expectations for personal relationships?" You sat back down, deciding your armchair at home couldn't compare to this one.

"I've been doing this for half my life and it hasn't yet. I know what I'm looking for in potential partners."

"You make it sound like it's just another business deal."

"Do I?" He looked at you, bemused. "I'm just trying my best to be honest with you and be a gentleman at the same time."

You giggled. "Alright, that's fair."

He smiled brightly after getting you to laugh. "I could go for a bite right about now, how does takeout sound to you? There's this place not far from here that has the best fried rice."

"That sounds good actually."

The evening became more and more laid back as you went. The topics became normal for you, much closer to how you thought things were going to go from the start but you understood the necessity of discussing things like where you stood with him and Kid along with what Shanks really did for work. He didn't want to surprise you with it later down the road so while it was a bit of a shock, it was good information to know right off the bat.

After dinner that really did include some of the best fried rice you'd ever had, you and Shanks chatted for a while longer, going back and forth about anything and everything that came to mind until he noticed the time. You didn't realize you'd spent so much time with him and he was a little embarrassed at having kept you so long but it was a Friday night and you weren't worried about it.

He still insisted on getting you home since it was a bit of a drive and he wouldn't be able to do it himself, crossing into another Yonko's territory could lead it issues. Instead he had Benn take you back, which you were fine with. The older male was just as good of company as Shanks or Kid's crew. The cigarette smoke wasn't your favorite but it was something you could tolerate through a car ride.

"Thanks for taking me around Benn, I really appreciate it." You hopped out of the car when he arrived back at your apartment.

"It's no problem." He gave you a polite nod. "Take it easy now, I'll see you around."

"You too." You closed the car door and scampered inside to get out of the cold. Fat snowflakes were beginning to fall, reminding you that winter was here and you didn't want to linger in the weather this late at night.

Running into Killer didn't cross your mind but it was just your luck that you did. You reached the second story right as he was heading downstairs. You glanced at the weird mask he held in his hands. It had vertical blue and white stripes going along it with an array of holes poking through it for ventilation.

"Staying out late?" He questioned.

"No classes tomorrow so why not? And I could be asking you the same." You were still annoyed at him and the others for not telling you about the girlfriend so of course you were a bit snappy.

"There's more than just cars to work on." He tapped the mask to his thigh.

"Yeah, I get it. Gotta get to your real job." You brushed past him.

"Didn't know you were picking up smoking."

"Sorry?" You weren't sure what he meant.

"You smell like cigarette smoke." He pulled the mask over his head, not even bothering to move his bangs out of the way first.

"Oh, no it's not me, a friend." Cracking the car windows wasn't enough to keep the scent off of you.

"I'm not saying Kid makes good choices, but you can make better ones than him. Be sure it's just a friend and nothing more."

"I'm not like Kid." Now you were angry. Sure you were talking with Shanks, but you made it clear you didn't want anything intimate with him until you decided what to do about your current partner, if you could call him that. "I don't find another person to fuck just because my boyfriend's not in town enough for my liking."

"Bonney knows about you. She agreed to letting him have someone like you around because it keeps him from losing his temper so much."

"That doesn't make it any better." You grit your teeth. "I don't understand why you guys feel the need to keep me in the dark about everything but it's really begining to get on my nerves."

"It's for your safety." He sounded just as emotionless as he looked with the mask on.

"Go get bent Killer." You stormed up the next flight of stairs.

If you couldn't get any straight answers out of him or anyone else, maybe asking Shanks wouldn't be such a bad idea.