Okay, so I had a whole thing I wrote here about what I've been up to in my absence, and that I hope your humans are all alright during these crazy times...

And about how I love everyone who faved & followed the story and myself while I was AFK.

Buuuuuuuut screwed all that up into some crazy random code lost to the universe so you get this.

(Sorry in advance for any grammatical errors... it's been a while and I'm soops tires rn)

Love you, missed you, cue the opening credits!

CHAPTER 23: What Lies Beneath

As the pirates reached the enormous church, there wasn't a soul around it.

"How do we get in?" Penguin asked

Sachi shrugged, "Front door?"

While sticking to the shadows the group quietly made their way to the large door, crafted from wood and cast iron. After an affirmative nod from his captain, Bepo grasped the handle in his paw and pulled….. Nothing. He jiggled it slightly, still nothing. Enyo quirked a smile.

"Huh, I guess the house of god isn't always open."

All of a sudden, a metal lock clacked, and the pirates became invisible in the shadows of the building, silent as the grave.

"I must say, the turnout for the daily mass is getting weaker and weaker."

"I couldn't agree more sister. I worry for the wayward souls of this accursed island."

A pair of nuns left the building from a side door and conversed as they walked off down the road.

"Did they lock it?" Enyo asked. ( -.- )

"I don't think so." Penguin said, sneaking up to the door, he tested the handle.

"It's open."

"Be on your guard, this could be a trap." Law cautioned, electing to go first should that be the case.

Enyo entered after Penguin and Sachi, letting loose a small snicker, "morons." She muttered as she crossed the threshold, followed by Bepo.

"They fell for it." A voice whispered among the bushes.

"I couldn't agree more sister."

[snickers] "Morons"

…

Despite their best efforts, the pirate's footsteps echoed as they scoured the massive structure, they searched high and low but the place was deserted. Enyo slowly wandered the transept, analysing the effigies and visuals that adorned its walls, when something caught her eye. She approached an angelic figure nestled high within an alcove, just out of reach. A veil hid most of her features, but her slender arms opened for embrace. She wore a gold diadem atop her shrouded head and with one foot gently forward, like she was about to step right off of her base. The steely haired woman scrutinised the heavenly sculpture, then her eye wandered lower, to the white marble wainscotting beneath it.

"I've found something!"

The rest of the group converged on Enyo's position.

"What is it?" Law said.

"This panel, its not like the others."

Penguin looked around at the rest of the plain, white rock. "How? It all looks exactly the same?"

"I know, that's what's weird." The woman said, approaching the small gilt fence that guarded the area.

"This one." The woman wrapped her knuckles on the wall as she stepped over the railing, earning a light tapping sound from the stone. "Is marble."

"But this…"

She knocked on the suspicious wall piece, and a deep, hollow tone came from the material.

"Isn't"

A self-pleased smiled made its way to Enyo's face as her captain stepped over the railing to inspect the false panel. He knocked again, striking the same sound that suggested emptiness lay behind. he placed his tanned palm onto the wall and felt around. With a moderate push, the panel swung inwards, revealing a passageway that led into pitch black. The pirates exchanged looks before they switched on their torches, and headed into the gloom.

The corridor was dry, but the smell of dust and mildew wafted from beyond. The darkness had surrounded them after they closed the secret door, and everywhere the torchlight didn't reach seemed like a quiet void. No further then 30 feet into the tunnel they came across a tight, steep staircase that spiralled deeper into the abyss.

"Be careful."

Law warned, as he cautiously descended each narrow step, lighting the pale stone with his torch. The others followed silently before Penguin whispered to the woman walking in front of him.

"Great job finding that door Enyo-chan~"

"Thanks. The craftsman did an excellent job, whoever made that door didn't want it easily found. But, a trained eye can tell the difference between painted wood, and true marble."

The captain cleared his throat in a wordless order and the group fell silent once more. Within moments, Law reached a small landing where a wrought iron gate blocked his path, the aged metal groaned as he pushed, echoing into the darkness beyond.

The pirates entered a massive chamber, the roof was dark and solid, and its walls hewn from the very rock itself. Systematically carved recesses littered the stone from floor to ceiling, but almost all were empty.

"This is…"

"The crypt." Law finished Enyo's forgotten statement.

"Let's take a look around, but stay within earshot."

The group affirmed their captains order and began exploring the large space. The steely haired woman walked alongside her superior, casting torchlight across the gloom.

"I don't understand, this place is so… empty."

Law silently listened to his crew member as they searched the catacomb.

"I mean for a church as old as this, surely there would be more remains?"

"Would you prefer more bodies?"

A shiver went down the woman's spine. "Absolutely not. I've seen enough death."

"Are you accustomed to tragedy?"

"I've had my fair share."

The pair fell silent as they approached a finely made wooden box, coated in a layer of dust. Law motioned for Enyo to hold his torch and approached the casket.

"You don't think?"

"I've seen gold hoarders pick worse hiding spots."

Enyo didn't want to imagine what "worse" could entail and held both lights to the coffin.

"The dust is undisturbed, no one's been here recently."

Law said as he examined the box, he then braced his hands on the lid and the wood creaked.

"Wait."

"What?"

"You said no ones been here, why are you opening it."

"We have to be sure."

The woman only cringed as her captain shoved off the lid of the coffin, kicking up a flurry of dust and god knows what else. Enyo nearly gagged on the smell and covered her face with her arm, attempting to block the awful scent while Law waved a hand in-front of his face and leaned in for a closer look. He held his hand out for the torch and Enyo obliged, taking a few extra steps back, she watched as her captain donned a latex glove and inspected the body. The surgeon carefully opened the decomposing man's mouth, and a swollen, black tongue flopped out between the blue lips, Law covered his mouth with his other arm while keeping the light on the corpse.

"Are you satisfied?" Enyo asked from a safe distance.

The captain retreated from the deceased and pulled off his glove, throwing it into the darkness.

"Male, late 40s. He was poisoned. Hard to say when though, conditions like these," he gestured around the room. "Can slow decomposition by nearly half."

"So you think someone bumped him off and hid him down here?"

"No, he was properly interred, and quite wealthy by the looks of it."

Enyo huffed. "This whole place just gets weirder."

"I have a theory as to why that is."

"Everyone!" Bepo shouted from the dark beyond, Law's theory would have to wait.

"Ive found something!"

The pirates converged on the navigator's voice, to a stone archway, the entrance to another mysterious corridor.

"Look."

The bear said as he pointed down to the ground. The flagstones were heavily scuffed and worn, indicating a decent amount of foot traffic, perhaps even heavy objects being dragged through. Law lifted his light and shone it down the deep passageway, trying to discern what awaited them. He turned to Penguin and Sachi.

"Did you two find anything?"

The pair shook their heads,

"Just a few sketchy looking burials."

"Very well, let's keep going."

Law and his group wandered down the hallway for about five minutes until they came upon a small circular room, where the path split in two. The pirates looked to their captain for instruction.

"We'll cover more ground quicker if we split up."

Both Penguin and Sachi volunteered in unison the go with Enyo, and Law had to resist rolling his eyes. The woman didn't look too keen on the idea but kept any reservations to herself. The captain ordered they separate for only 30 minutes and meet back at this same place no later. Should anything happen they had their mini den den mushis, the captain only hoped they would still work this deep underground. With the formalities worked out each group went their separate way, with Law and Bepo taking the left tunnel, and Penguin, Sachi and Enyo taking the right.

Right Tunnel:

"This is a bad idea." Enyo said flatly.

"Why?" (S)

"Because in all the books I've read where the gang splits up, someone always ends up in some kind of mortal danger."

"Oh come on, those are just stories." (S)

"He's right, and we have something they don't." (P)

"And what's that?" (E)

"ME! Ha haha. Don't worry Enyo-chan~ I'll protect you." (P)

It was fortunate Penguin couldn't see the woman's face, lest her amused expression nip at his ego.

Left Tunnel:

"Hey captain?"

"What is it Bepo?"

"How did Enyo know the door was there? It looked just like the rest of the wall…"

"Apparently that's her vocation."

"Secret doors?"

The captain shook his head.

"She was able to discern that the door was just wood painted to look like rest of the building."

"Haki?"

"No, I believe you were napping when the conversation took place."

The bear hung his head. "I'm sorry."

Law continued.

"Miss Enyo is from Ralia."

"Ralia?"

He would have explained further but the pair stopped, and their eyes trailed up as they took in the long staircase that suddenly ascended before them.

Right tunnel:

After what seemed like ages of nothing, nothing and more nothing, the three pirates rounded a corner to be met with an old, wooden door. Penguin went for the handle.

"Locked."

"Stand back." Sachi said,

And once out of the way the ginger haired man slammed his boot hard into the door, wood groaned and cracked, but it did not open. He readied himself, and again laid a precise, trained kick to the door. This time the lock snapped out of its place, the handle clunking to the ground as the ruined blockade swung open. After the dust settled, the pirates cautiously entered the room. It was nothing fancy, simply carved from the rock around them, and a few wooden tables lined the walls, but that was not the interesting part. Around 40 jars, same height and shape littered the room, all coated in a thick layer of dust, seemingly untouched for decades. Enyo's eye widened.

"Amphora?"

The two men didn't move, as If the jars were filled with fragile explosives.

"What's amphora?" Penguin asked.

"Those. This type of jar is called an amphora." Enyo walked up to one as she spoke.

"In ancient times, they were used to store things like grain and oil, but over time they became obsolete. Nowadays, for their aesthetically pleasing shape they're used to store-"

The woman grasped the flower bud handle and lifted the lid, revealing a brilliant blue powder.

"Pigment." She smiled.

The men didn't look convinced.

"It's for painting… its harmless."

The pair seemed to breath a sigh of relief and approached the vibrant talc. Sachi took a pinch and rubbed it between his fingers, the chalky substance turning them a lovely blue.

"How does it work?"

"You mix the pigment." She gestured to the jar. "With resin, either sap from a tree or another source and voila, you have paint. This one here is called Azula Blue."

"How do you know?" Penguin asked smugly.

"Because I'm an expert." Enyo replied with equal confidence.

She knelt down and brushed the dust off the front of the stoneware vessel to reveal a label, 'Azula Blue'. A smug cheshire cat's grin stretched across Enyo's mouth.

"Oh yeah. Well, what about…"

Penguin scrutinised the amphora and picked one at random and lifting the lid.

"This one!"

Enyo directed her torch to the powder, an attractive green caught the light.

"That would be Terrasen Green, named after the region from which it originates."

Sure enough, when Penguin crouched and rubbed the dust away, the label indeed said 'Terrasen Green'.

"Ooo! My turn!"

Sachi excitedly yanked off a lid and nearly sent it across the room like a frisbee.

"Another Azula Blue."

"Awww." ( U_U )

The woman giggled and for the next minute or so the trio played their little game, with the boys revealing a colour and Enyo guessing its name, she didn't miss one. Meanwhile, Sachi found another door at the back of the room, this one wasn't locked though. He entered only to be met with more amphora, although these pots were a slightly different shape, and their storage room much smaller. He lifted one of the lids to see a beautiful white pigment, it practically glowed under his torchlight. He shook his head out if its trance and a cheeky grin pulled on his lips.

"I mean I know pigment lasts for a long time but these are still so lustrous-"

"Enyo-chaaaannn~. What about this one?"

She laughed and looked at Penguin.

"Alright, but this is the last one. We should be heading back by now."

The woman smiled and turned on her heel, scanning the room with her torch.

"Where are you?"

"I'll be outside." (P)

"IIIn heeeeeere." (S)

Enyo spotted the open door and made her way over. She reached the entrance and saw her friend standing over a much older looking amphora, but when she saw what was inside her breath hitched.

The teal of her eye swelled around the constricting pupil and Enyo ran over to her crew mate.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

She yelled as she grabbed Sachi by the scruff of his uniform. Before he could speak he got a face full of silver hair, it covered his mouth, and his nose. The woman, while careful not to damage the jar, yanked the fellow pirate out of the small room, past the other stoneware vessels and out the door.

They ran past Penguin.

"H-hey, what's going on?!"

But there was no answer so he ran after them. A fair distance away Enyo stopped and released her hostage, sitting him on the ground as he gasped for breath.

"What the hell happened?!" Penguin cried as he saw his friend gasping for air.

"GO GET THE CAPTAIN!"

"Wh-"

"NOW!"

Penguin didn't argue and bolted down the hall for the captain. Enyo knelt down as the red haired man caught his breath.

"Sachi. Sachi listen to me! Did you touch that powder?!"

"Wh? No…" He shook his head, still dazed from their swift and violent exit.

"Did you breath any of it in?!"

"I don't think so-"

"I need you to be sure!"

"I don't know! what's going on?! I thought you said that stuff was safe?"

Enyo looked on the verge of tears.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I… I didn't know that was in there. I'm so sorry."

She shook her head as she looked to the ground. Sachi's voice became gentle, and he grasped the girls shoulder.

"Enyo, what's going on?"

She was about to speak when fast paced feet echoed down the tunnel, within seconds Penguin had returned, with Law and Bepo in tow.

"What happened?" Law demanded.

"Captain." Enyo stood straight.

"You need to give Sachi a full examination right now."

"What?" (L)

"What?" (S)

"Yes, blood, bones, everything you can. I believe he may have ingested a highly toxic poison."

Law's expression hardened and he looked to his subordinate, Sachi's hands flew up defensively but Enyo interrupted.

"Do you have a face mask?"

The captain's attention returned to her.

"Of course."

"I need it."

"If this poison is as dangerous as you say you're not-"

"Please captain, I know what I'm doing."

Law would have debated it longer but with his crew member's life possibly in danger he couldn't afford the time. He pulled the mask from his pocket and handed it to the woman.

"Thank you."

"Be careful."

He knelt down to inspect the man, who exchanged a last look with Enyo before she took off back towards the pigment room.

Enyo donned the hospital mask before she rounded the corner near the room, doubtful it would really help but it was better than nothing. She approached the door and shone her light inside, good, she hadn't knocked over anything during their exit. She moved her beam to the open door of the second store room

'Please, please let me be wrong.'

Enyo slowly walked through the maze of jars, no sound but that of her footsteps to keep her company, not even the activity of the others back down the passageway. She reached the door and the light from her torch spilled over the contents of the room, the lid Sachi held was shattered on the floor, several outdated style jars stood quietly in the tiny closet and the woman turned, grabbing a lid from one of the harmless pigment pots and entered. The powder shone like starlight under the unnatural light of the torch, the most pure, undeniably flawless shade of white she had ever seen and would ever see, she covered it with the odd lid, and loosed a breath she didn't realise she was holding. As slow and careful as possible, Enyo crouched down, and gently wiped the dust from the label.

'Flevance White'

Her heart dropped.

'Shit. Shit shit.'

With her suspicions confirmed Enyo felt like bursting into tears, but she couldn't, she sill had six other jars to check.

…

Sachi was 100% ok, but Enyo? It had been 2 minutes since Law finished his thorough toxicology examination of his crew member and she still wasn't back yet.

"She has one more minute. Then I'm going to get her."

Not 10 long seconds later the woman appeared from the darkness, all emotion gone from her face, and her blood too with how pale she looked. The mask dangled in her free hand, and the torch was in the other, swaying with each step. She looked up and Law's brows furrowed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I didn't touch it."

"Are you sure?"

The girl nodded.

"Ok. What happened?"

She was sure Penguin would have already told him so she ignored him, instead casting her eye to the red haired pirate.

"How is he?"

"There's no trace of any poison or foreign chemical, he's fine."

"Thank god."

"Now, what happened?" Law asked a second time.

Enyo was not in the mood to be scolded, she spoke lazily, exhausted from her emotions.

"The three of us came across a storage room, it was filled with jars of pigment, presumably the ones used to paint all the works in the basilica. While we searched Sachi stumbled upon a very dangerous pigment powder."

Law was about to question why would such a thing even be used but her next two words sent him numb.

"Flevance White. When I saw what he had found I took it upon myself to get us away from the area and sent Penguin to get you. Just now I went back to see if I had made a mistake, unfortunately, I didn't. Not only was Flevance White present in that store room, but Borgia red and Phoenix orange as well."

Law's mind was shaken, but the white lead was coveted world wide after all.

"Are those substances poison as well?"

"No. But all of the forbidden colours bring death."

There was silence for a moment, then Law exhaled.

"Come on, lets head back to the church, I'll tell you what we found on the way.

Law explained that he and Bepo found a staircase that lead up to a mausoleum in a graveyard away from the church, so they had another exit (or entry) should the need arise. However Law wanted to know more about what Enyo knew of Flevance, his original home, where he lost everything.

"These, forbidden colours. Why are they forbidden? What makes them taboo?

The woman was still quiet, as was the rest of the group, but she answered.

"They're forbidden because they're dangerous, in one way or another, they cause death.

Borgia Red was a rich red pigment created by a noble woman called Borgia Bathory. It was very popular among artists painting the macabre or battle scenes because it was the closest anyone had gotten to real blood, how true they were,. Apparently Bathory enjoyed keeping slaves, but alas, they all kept disappearing. The more Borgia red was sought after, the more slaves seemed to enter Bathory's manor and never be seen again."

Bepo gulped as Enyo recited her history lesson.

"One day, one of her housekeepers went mad, and shot herself. In her house the authorities found a letter detailing how the slaves were being drained of their blood to make the paint. Sure enough, the marines raided the Borgia estate, and discovered what they described as a vampires den. Slaves, drained of blood, others hooked up to tubes on their way to the corpse pile. Needless to say the World Government put a stop to it and tried to cover it up, but it was already out there. So Borgia red is banned by the World Gov, and considered forbidden."

"That's sooo creepy." Bepo commented.

"Is that story even real?" (P)

"I used to doubt It too… until I saw powdered blood with my own eyes."

The others (except law of course) shivered.

"What's the next story?" (S)

"Well, the next ones not so much a story… Phoenix Orange. It's made from a rare and beautiful flower called the Phoenix flower. They only grow on certain islands where the weather is warm, and in massive fields. The way these flowers reproduce is once most of the field reaches maturity, on a hot enough day, they combust."

"What? Exploding flowers?!" (B)

"Not explode, just… catch fire. The whole field goes up in flames, and the new flowers grow from the ashes, hence the name."

"Wow, what a sight that would be." (S)

Law spoke up.

"So let me guess, the paint made from this flower was also prone to combustion?"

"Yes, Phoenix orange was the primary cause of building fires and related deaths for at least 2 years before a botanist made the connection. If people were hanging paintings containing even a splash of it in hallways or sunrooms, then a bit of sunlight though a window or the flicker of a candle and fwoosh."

"And... Flevance White?"

He made an effort not to show emotion in his words. Though the mention of the name set Enyo's features into a grimace.

"There was a town in the North Blue called Flevance, known as the white city. It was said to look like something straight out of a fairytale, where everything, the trees, the grass, were all pure white. It's inhabitants discovered a rare ore, white as the city itself, so they mined it, and made products from it, including paint. It was the most beautiful shade imaginable, pure as fresh snow. Naturally it was insanely popular. Brides wanted it for their wedding portraits, kings wanted it to make their jewels shine off the canvas. All the prominent artists of the day used it, and used it, and used it. Little did they know, the ore was toxic, and made people very sick, eventually killing them. The city was destroyed, and the pigment forbidden."

Fortunately, Enyo was off in her own little world and didn't see the sideways glances the rest of the crew gave to their captain. The pirates reached the crypt once more and Enyo wondered over to a large chiseled stone [probably a sarcophagus or something ( *~* ) ] and took a seat. She looked drained and Law jerked his head in a silent order for the others to make themselves scarce, they did. He wasn't going to tell her about his past, not yet, he would wait like he did with the others.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah… just tired."

"Do you want to go back to the ship?"

She shook her head. "I'll only be a moment."

Law nodded and moved beside her, leaning comfortably on the rectangular stone with his arms folded and hat down.

"None of that stuff should be down there. Not in that quantity, not that fresh. That pigment is no more than 4 years old. This place is just so wrong, it's a huge church filled with art but I've never read about it, and there isn't an original piece in that building, its all reproduction. And you know what? I haven't seen a single effigy of this "Saint Avarice", not one."

"I haven't heard of a Saint Avarice at all."

The pirates made the laborious hike back up the stairs towards the secret door, Enyo whispered to her superior in front of her.

"Captain?"

"What is it?"

"You remember the thing we were talking about on the marine ship? About me, sensing people?"

Law stopped, as did the others, and Enyo went rigid. They were going to tell her she was crazy, yep, a real fruitcake.

"What can you feel?"

"Whuh-"

"Can you tell how many are out there?"

"H-hold on I-"

"Captain, what's-"

Penguin opened his mouth but he was shushed by his superior. Meanwhile Enyo went beet red with all the attention on her weirdness.

"It's ok Enyo-ya, just relax and breath. Focus on the energies up there. What can you feel?"

Despite the sudden fluster, she did as she was told.

[inhale]

[exhale]

'Relax… focus…'

[inhale]

[exhale]

"I- I can feel… the thieving nun."

Her teeth clenched.

"And the lying priest."

…

"There's more, but I cant tell how many."

Her teal orb burrowed into the stormy grey of her captain's.

"What is this? What's happening to me?"

"I'll explain once this is over, but for now, let's reclaim what's ours."

Enyo buried her anxiety and sucked in a breath. The woman nodded and within moments the party had reached the secret door. Law peaked through the slit and saw the priest standing next to a yellow eyed brunette, she wore a dark blue catsuit and had terrible dark circles around her eyes, worse than his, they were like a mask, behind her, a fluffy, striped tail swung back and forth, and a pair of animal ears twitched atop her head.

'A zoan user… this must be the woman who attacked Enyo.'

Casting his gaze to the rest of the vestibule, 8 others sat scattered among the pews, 3 women and 5 men, some sat quietly while others looked bored out of their mind, two of the woman were the nuns who left the door unlocked.

'So… an ambush it is then…'

It was suicide to emerge one at a time, which was all the hidden door would allow, so Law silently signalled everyone to go back to the crypt. He explained what awaited them within the church and, after formulating their plan, the crew exited via the mausoleum passageway the captain and Bepo had found.