Lilith sat at her desk staring at the book before her as her hand balled itself into her bangs. A small lamp beside her made the book visible in the pitch black room. She bit her lip as she continued to fill the empty page with random symbols and letters. Her eyes narrowed down at the page as her ink stained hand finally made it to the bottom of the page. A small smile spread on her lips as she reread the page.
"Lust!" Lilith's door burst open pouring light into the dark room causing the woman to cringe at the brightness.
"What do you want now?" Lilith turned in her chair to stare at the figure in the door frame. Though she couldn't make out the features due to the contrast of light and dark she knew the voice and what was coming.
"You have a job. You are to meet the employer on Augustine Isle. They are looking for information on Shanks."
Lilith groaned at the news. "Information on one of the four emperors is expensive. As well as I don't collect the information on them that's Envy's job."
"I can't find Envy that's why I'm here."
"Unless you want to tell me where her Library is than I can't help you."
The figure leaned against the door frame and sighed. "You know I can't do that unless you provide me with equal value information. Look, just go there see what they want to know than do what you can."
Lilith groaned and ran her hand through her hair. "Fine. I'll go but you owe me Wrath."
The man laughed and turned to leave. "Who doesn't owe you?"
"Pride."
"Seriously? How does he not owe you? He asks you for favors every week."
"He always pays me back quickly. Now leave I need to get ready. I don't have the Augustine eternal pose here so I will have to go find one." Lilith spoke the last part to herself and started to mumble as she began to clean up her desk.
"Have fun." With that Wrath left shutting the door and letting darkness engulf the room.
She stood from her desk and dropped her pen beside her book. Lifting her arms above her head she stretched. With a satisfying pop from her back she dropped her arms. Lilith picked up her book and blew on the damp ink willing it to dry faster. Once the ink had dried she closed the book and put into the black satchel resting on her hip. She turned off the lamp and sighed as her hand rested on the door handle.
Lilith closed her eyes and pushed the door open letting the sunlight fall onto her. She winced as even with her eyes closed the brightness was getting to her. She could hear a chuckle coming from her left and she sent a scowl in the direction of the sound.
"Why do you live on such a bright island?" Lilith found herself asking for the hundredth time.
"It's only bright when you hide in a dark room for multiple hours of the day."
"I wasn't hiding. I was working there is a difference."
A chuckle sounded again and Lilith let out a sigh. She opened her eyes and found her gaze landing on Wrath.
He was a large man in built. Scars covered his arms, chest, and even a few decorated his face and scalp, telling his story. He was bald by choice and kept it cleanly shaven and what hair he did have rested above his eyes and on his chin. Like the hair he did have though his eyes matched, both being coal black.
Lilith sighed and squinted around looking at the lush forest that surrounded the small cabin she exited. She could hear birds singing high in the trees and the sounds of other animals sometimes seeped in between songs.
"I guess I could see the appeal." Lilith mumbled to herself. Wrath walked over and slapped her back laughing.
"Get going it's not polite to keep people waiting."
With a snort she turned to look at the tall man. "You're one to talk. How many days did you leave that one guy waiting?"
"That was once and I got lost. There is no excuse for you."
"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off and took a few steps away from him. Finding relief once she stopped feeling his hand on her skin. Rolling her shoulders and sighed as she felt a dull pain start in her shoulder blades that spread out from her back. She felt a familiar weight to her back and smiled. She looked over her shoulder to see a black leathery appendage flexing behind her.
"One day you have to tell me what fruit you ate." Wrath spoke watching the black wings spread to their full length before folding up against her back.
"Maybe." Lilith sang and took a few more steps. "You said Augustine right? Do you know what crew?" She turned and looked up at Wrath.
"See! What fruit gives you wings and turns your eyes red?"
Lilith found herself sighing. "Augustine. Crew."
"Yes it's Augustine. As for crew not sure they wouldn't give me a name though I'm sure you will be able to find them. You always do."
Lilith nodded and opened her wings and let them lift her into the sky. It took her a minute to rise above the tree line. Once there she smiled feeling the wind rushing around her. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a nameless eternal pose. Gripping it she stared at the needle till it settled into position. Placing the pose back into the satchel Lilith began her flight in the direction that the needle pointed in.
It only took five minutes before the only thing below her was the ocean. Lilith kept her eyes forward watching out for seagulls that tried to fly with her.
It was a few more hours before she saw anything else other than the oceans and the birds around her. She flew a little lower to get a better view of the ship.
Lilith groaned as she noticed the blue seagull on the sail and rose back in the sky. Shaking her head she pulled out the eternal pose and studied the needle. Altering her course slightly till the needle pointed directly in front of her. Lilith then carefully put the pose away and yawned covering her mouth with her hand.
Night had fallen and now dawn was peaking over the water's edge when a smile came across her lips as her sight landed on an island. In the middle of the island was what looked like a giant mushroom made of stone. Below the large stone rested a forest filled with vicious beasts that even miles out from the island she could hear the beasts cry. On the top of the mushroom was a blanket of snow. The top soaked up all the sunlight leaving the island floor dark and only the edges of the island ever getting the Sun's light.
Flying just under the 'head' of the shroom mountain Lilith landed in a small hole right below where the arch was starting. She landed onto the hard stone floor and felt her knees buckle from her long flight. Bracing herself against the wall she groaned waiting for the feeling to come back to her legs.
Lilith retracted her wings and felt the weight disappear from her shoulders. Standing straight she walked down the dark tunnel listening to her footsteps echo down the stone walls. She placed a hand on the wall to her left and closed her eyes as she walked feeling the cold smooth stone beneath her fingertips. It wasn't long before her fingers got caught in a small groove in the wall. Sliding her other hand against the grooves slipping the fingers in, Lilith pulled open the groove and opened her eyes smiling.
Inside of the hidden door glowing blue mushrooms grew sporadically around the floors and ceiling filling the room with their blue glow. Bookshelves lined all four walls only leaving space enough from the door to open. All the bookshelves filled with many books some larger than others and some more worn. Though the shelves only five colors stood out: black, red, green, blue, and yellow. On one bookshelf held something other than books.
Walking towards this shelf Lilith hummed to herself as she pulled out three named eternal poses and added them to her collection. Shuffling around the poses so they wouldn't fall off but also to see if she currently owned the Augustine island pose. Her smile grew as she found the pose she slide into her bag.
When Lilith took her hand out of her bag she pulled out four books and started to walk around the book shelves placing the books on them and pulling out one red book and one black book. Placing the red book in her bag she placed the other on a table in the middle of the room. The table had some of the same blue mushrooms growing up the legs and a large one in the center of the table.
Pulling out a chair she sat down and opened the book. Lilith's hand found its way into her bangs as she began to study the sketch in front of her.
It was a sketch of an island. The sketch showed a town surrounded by beaches and a castle as well. An arrow pointed to the page's margins where notes were written. 'Marine base.'
Lilith found herself sighing again. She was about to reach in her bag and call Wrath to let him know that he would have to pass the job off to someone else, but the snail in her bag started to ring making her pause to look at her bag.
Lilith reached into her satchel and pulled out the Den-Den Mushi. The snail looked up at her as she placed it down and reached behind it picking up the shell.
"Lust speaking."
The snail's features became distorted in pain, exhaustion, and happiness as a male voice came through the phone. "Lust look I don't have long but something's not right. Shit!" Shouts and gunfire were coming from the background. Lilith felt a coil of concern start to form in her stomach but kept her voice even.
"What's wrong Sloth?"
"The marines they knew where I was. Like they were waiting for me. I think they got one of the others. I can get away just watch yourself." there was a large crash in the background and Sloth throwing curses out. There was another crash and the line went dead. The coil of concern started to grow.
"Sloth?" She stared at the sleeping snail the receiver still in her hand.
She turned the snail so its side faced her and Lilith quickly dialed a number. Her snail began to ring and she tapped her free hand against the table top.
It rang for five minutes and her finger was starting to get sore from the tapping. She hung up the snail and sighed. Leaning back in her chair she looked around the room and frowned. She gripped her satchel and placed on the table. She took out the other book and some named eternal poses and the one without a name.
She then placed the satchel next to her stuff and stood up. Walking towards her collection of eternal poses, she moved the ones from the top shelf to the table. Once the shelf was cleared she placed both hands against the wood along the wall. The wood hissed then moved out of the way showing a hidden compartment where five eternal poses Sat in front of a black leather satchel. Grabbing the poses gently she placed them gently onto the table. She then grabbed the bag and closed the compartment.
"Sorry to use you so soon. I know we were not planning on moving just yet but things change." Lilith spoke staring at the bag. The bag started to move and a small furry head stuck out looking at her with black beady eyes.
"I need you to clean out your mess and help me move everything in. I don't know where we are going but we have one more job to do before we can find a place. And you know to keep those five separated." Lilith pointed towards the five she set apart from the other poses. Four of them were blue while the fifth pose was gold. The little furry head nodded and she placed the satchel in the center of the table a few inches from the blue mushroom in the middle.
A squeak came from the satchel and Lilith found herself smiling. She began to pile the rest of the eternal poses onto the table, emptying the shelves. As she continued to walk back and forth carrying only a few poses at a time. A long slender furry body was doing the same from the bag and throwing random items onto the floor. Once it emptied its paws it would walk over and grab a pose and bring it into the bag.
This pattern continued till all the eternal poses were put into the bag. Lilith had cleared most of the other shelves of their books and placed the books on the table. The ferret sat on top of a stack of red books squeaking at Lilith as she continued to pull books off.
"I know. I know. I'll put them in and when I take off you can take your time putting them in order. And don't say there is not enough room there is always space in that thing."
A squeak came from the creature as it ran back into the bag. Putting the last of the books onto the table. She began to grab a few at a time and shove them into the bag along with her arm. So each time she grabbed from the stack she would lean forward putting her arm in the bag till the clasp of the satchel brushed her ear. Lilith did this till all the books where in the bag.
"You going to be okay Dash. Just put them in the usual order." A faint squeak came from inside the bag and Lilith smiled. She picked up the leather satchel and put it on leaving the other one alone on the table. She picked up the Den-Den Mushi and sighed before slipping it into her bag.
"I'm going to need the Augustine log pose and keep Shank's book out I'm going to need that once we get there." another squeak answered her. After a minute a furry head stuck out of the satchel with its paws out holding the log pose. Lilith grabbed it and walked out of the now empty room and down the corridor towards the light at the end.
Once to the end the tips of her feet hung off the edge of the cliff as she leaned forward to look down. "You ready?" Another squeak though this one shaky. "Look I locked it so you won't fall out...again."
Lilith leaned forward gripping the log pose tightly as she began to fall from her ledge. Her eyes towards the trees that was quickly approaching. Her stomach was turning as gravity was working against her. With a smile she willed her wings out and snapped them open only inches from the trees. Pain surged through her back and she winced slightly but was lifted into the air. She sighed feeling the wind rush around her and found herself laughing at the flood of squeaks coming from the bag and the sound of books falling over. "It'll take a bit before we are level but you should be fine to move." She spoke to the bag. Looking at her hand she held it steady and watched as the needle settled into a direction. With a sigh she began her flight towards Augustine.
So I've had something like this on my mind for a while. A little scared to put it out but thanks to a road trip and nothing better to do I decided to start it.
This will take place post Time skip and after Dressrosa. I don't plan on there being any relationships between anyone but who knows where my mind will lead. Though I hope that those who do read, enjoy the story and thanks for reading.