Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

Aspis

Law, Penguin, Shachi, and Bepo walked through the main street of the bustling city. The noise was quite loud. For an island that was most known for it's array of artistic talent of all kinds, it definitely wasn't as peaceful as he had imagined. Lining the street were a multitude of shops and stores: clothing, art supplies, pet stores, antique shops, painting instruments, a camera store (Law assumed was for photography), and so many others he didn't quite recognize.

He looked down at the small map he'd procured from an unsuspecting tourist in a side alley, tracking where they were with a finger.

"Kat's mom mentioned her contact was here on Caelum. We just gotta find him and beat the information out of him, yeah?" Penguin asked, punching his fist into his palm. Shachi smacked him upside the head, shaking his in exasperation.

"Why can't you just wait for Captain to tell us what the plan is? You always jump the gun." Penguin straightened, flicking his friend on the face. "Ah! What the hell?"

"Do not!" Shachi went in for a punch, but Bepo spoke up.

"Why do you always hit each other?" They both swung to face him.

"Quiet!" Law cleared his throat, catching their attention.

"I believe we are trying not to make a scene. We still need to find Scarlet-ya's informant." They looked down ashamedly, digging the toes of their boots in the ground.

"Sorry, Captain." They said in unison. Law nodded, fully aware that the two were just that way.

"James-ya is most certainly an underground agent, so he wouldn't be obvious or out in the open. I would imagine he has set up his operation in an inconspicuous place."

"Well, we can't exactly go around asking where he is." Shachi said.

"That would be a rather questionable idea, yes." A female voice said behind them, and they all turned. Weapons were raised by instinct.

"You must be Trafalgar Law, the Shichibukai." The woman, barely taller than 5 feet, stood in a fancy, deep blue cocktail dress. Her face was plastered with thick makeup, almost too much to be considered beauty. Her blonde hair was down her back, but it was curled unlike Summer's. Her eyes were...black? A slit up the leg showed off her slim figure and she giggled when Penguin and Shachi openly gawked.

Law narrowed his eyes, immune to such wiles. "And if I was?"

She giggled again, bringing a hand up to her mouth. One glance showed her hands were well manicured and painted with blood red polish. There was black markings on the tops, but he couldn't see what they were.

"Why, I would ask you to come with me. I was sent to collect you, of course." Her laugh and grin were genuine, which perplexed Law extremely.

'This girl will be quite annoying, I presume.' Great, another blathering woman to deal with. He'd had enough of those for a lifetime.

"Who sent you?" Penguin asked finally, the lust in his eyes fading as the situation came to terms. The engineers both stood up and wiped the drool from their mouths. She laughed again.

"Master James! He knew you'd be arriving. Actually he's been expecting you for quite some time."

The whole thing seemed too suspicious, too easy. He wasn't used to being handed what it was he wanted. And when he was, it usually meant something much more sinister. This appeared to be no different.

"Why should I trust you?" He questioned with a step forward, and Bepo took his Captain's tone to be a threat. He flattened his ears and growled lowly at the woman, who seemed unaffected. She only laughed. Again.