Chapter Text
The sea train journey felt like a grueling one. Scarlett’s sky blue eyes scanned across the ocean. Just a dark void far as the horizon could stretch since it was night. Travelling from the West Blue by ship until she reached Water 7, at least the next stretch of her journey would not take as long on the sea train as it would have if she had been on a ship.
She sighed, propping her head on her hand, elbow leaning against the crook of the window. One last stop and then she would be at her new home. If a judicial island could even be called a home.
Scarlett was the daughter of a high ranking marine. A vice admiral at that. Through his position and power, he was able to get her a career within the World Government and Cipher Pol that intrigued and terrified her at the same time.
Since she was small, Scarlett had always had a deep interest in transponder snails. How they worked, what they needed to function, how to care for them. This interest turned into a career for her. She was the expert back on her home land and people far and wide came to her for help and reassurance about their snails and in turn, she would teach them how to care for these little creatures that have helped others to communicate seas over.
The island she was travelling to had many, many marine and government officials working and living there, but with no one to help regulate the transponder snails there, they often would have cracked or broken shells, not being fed regularly or becoming lost thus more and more would be ordered. This had been causing the head official there a headache. Luckily he had connections and now Scarlett was travelling there.
She watched as the sea turned from a shade of black to blue. She sat up straight and admired how the sun’s rays reflected off the water, making it glisten. She knew the place she was heading to was always light, the sun would never set. That would be the last time she saw the darkness for a while.
Looking out the window and passing a sign that read ‘Enies Lobby’. Her long journey was finally at an end. The work could now begin but first, she had to report to the chief in command like her father had told her to do.
Stepping off the sea train, the perpetual light of Enies Lobby finally greeted her, making her eyes squint slightly from its intense light. She was met by the bustling activity of the town. Agents and marines coming and going about their business.
Glancing around, she was unsure where to go and looking around, the place looked like a maze to her. Suddenly, a tall man clad in a black suit and black matching fedora approached her with a clipboard.
“You must be Miss Scarlett,” he began. His tone gruff, but polite. “I’ve been assigned to escort you to chief Spandam’s office. Follow me.”
Scarlett gripped on to her suitcase and followed close behind, not wanting to get lost. As they walked through the corridors, she couldn’t help but take in how huge the place actually was. Large walls designed to keep enemies in and out. It was intimidating as if she was trapped.
Finally, they arrived at a large set of double doors. The agent knocked twice, then pushed the doors open and gestured Scarlett to enter. The office was not what she had imagined. It was large, very large but it felt empty as if there was no personality to it. The walls and flooring were a marbled stone, and in front of her was a desk and a handful of plush chairs. A countertop that held photo frames that she could not make out from how far away they were. At the centre of it all sat Spandam, the chief of CP9, behind an oversized desk cluttered with papers, files and a large transponder snail that seemed to be asleep.
Spandam himself was… unexpected. His messy lavender hair and dark circled eyes gave him a disheveled appearance. To round it up, he wore a brown leather mask that hid the scars he had gotten long ago. He glanced up, his dark gaze looking over her.
“You’re the snail expert?” he asked, leaning back in his chair with a skeptical look on his features.
“Yes sir,” Scarlett replied, standing straight. “Scarlett Westfyre. I’m here to oversee and maintain the transponder snails on the island, as per Vice Admiral Westfyre’s arrangement.”
Spandam shifted in his seat slightly at the mention of her father and gave her a smirk. “Right. I’ve heard all about you. Snail whisperer or something. Let’s hope you live up to the hype.”
Scarlett bit back a retort, choosing to nod politely. Causing a scene now would no doubt get back to her father. “I assure you, sir, I am fully capable of handling the task.”
Spandam waved a hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. I’ve got enough problems without adding snail drama to the list. Just don’t bother me unless it’s urgent. You report to me but I won’t micromanage.” His tone made it clear to her he had little interest in her role and herself.
Scarlett bowed her head. “Understood sir.”
Before she could turn to leave, Spandam gestured to a stack of papers on the edge of his desk. “Oh, and here is a list of all the snails currently in use on the island. Some of them are acting weird. So… fix that.”
Scarlett stepped forward to take the papers, looking at the detailed map beneath them. As she glanced, her eyes caught something curious, a mark on the other side of the judicial tower labeled ‘Restricted Access’. Quickly averting her gaze, she held the papers to her chest.
“Thank you sir, I’ll get started immediately.”
Spandam grunted in response, already turning attention to his ringing transponder snail. Scarlett took this as her cue to leave, retreating from his office with a sense of relief.
She used the map to navigate to where the snail room was kept. As she walked, she couldn’t help but feel there would be more to this role than just fixing up snails. Finally reaching the room, the snail care facility was tucked away in a quiet corner of the judicial building. She was on the same floor as Chief Spandam, but the walk took quite a bit of time. Stepping inside, she was met with rows of shelves housing snails of varying sizes and colours. The air was warm and smelled faintly of mud.
Scarlett’s heart swelled with a mixture of excitement and sadness as she looked at the snails. Most of them were resting, their antennae twitching occasionally. But it didn’t take long for her to notice the signs of neglect. Some of the shells were chipped, and others had faint colourations that hinted at poor diets. One snail in particular, a large green shelled one, let out a faint, pitiful gurgle when she approached.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Scarlett murmured, setting down her suitcase and crouching to inspect it. She gently ran her fingers along its cracked shell, her mind already racing with solutions.
She spent the rest of that afternoon cataloging the snails, inspecting and taking notes of each one. Writing down their conditions. Somewhere in dire need of repairs and others seemed sluggish due to their poor nutrition. It was clear whoever had been handling them before had little understanding or care for their well-being. By the time she finished her initial assessment and had fed each snail a fresh lettuce leaf, her stomach was growling. She had not realised how much time passed until a sharp knock at the door startled her.
“Come in.” She called, wiping her hands on a cloth.
The door swung open, and a tall, broad shouldered man strolled inside. He had an aura of confidence about him. His long black hair tied back, a scar ran down his right eye and his canine grin caught her attention. He leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking over her with a smirk.
“So you’re the big-shot snail expert.” he said, his voice rough but not unfriendly. “The chief sent me to check on you. Said something about making sure the newbie doesn’t get lost.”
Scarlett blinked, thrown off by his casual demeanor. “Oh… um…. Thank you. But I think I'm doing alright so far.”
Jabra raised an eyebrow, “You think so, huh? This place is a maze, sweetheart. Trust me, you don't want to end up in the wrong hallway. Especially not near Fukuro’s room. You’ll never get away once he starts unzipping his mouth.”
Scarlett couldn’t help but chuckle softly, though she felt nervousness creep up her throat. “”I’ll keep that in mind. But really, I've been managing fine.”
He glanced past her at the rows of snails, his smirk fading slightly as he took in their condition “Yeesh. No wonder Spandam has been yelling about these little guys. They look worse than Kumadori after one of his ‘fasting’ stunts.”
Scarlett nodded in agreement. “They’ve definitely been neglected, but not nothing that can't be fixed with time and proper care.”
Jabra’s dark eyes flickered back to her. “Good. Cause if these snails go belly-up. The Chief’s gonna make it everyone's problem. Trust me, you don't wanna see him when he’s panicking. It's not pretty.”
Jabra studied her for a moment, his grin softening. “You’re a little different than I expected. Thought you’d be some stuck-up government brat with your dad pulling the strings.”
Scarlett’s cheeks flushed slightly, her smile forming a frown. “I’m here because I’m good at what I do. Not because of my father.”
Jabra chuckled. “Relax, I wasn’t knocking you. Just saying it’s refreshing. Most people around here are either bootlickers or too scared to breathe wrong.”
Jabra straightened and gestured towards the door with his head. “Anyway, you’ve been cooped up here long enough. C’mon, I’ll show you the canteen. You’re gonna need the fuel if you’re planning to fix all these little guys.”
Scarlett hesitated, glancing at the snails. She had been so engrossed in her work that the idea of stopping had not crossed her mind. But Jabra was right. She would be no good to the snails if she ran herself into the ground. She closed her journal and followed him out.
As they walked through Enies Lobby, Jabra kept up a steady stream of chatter. Pointing out landmarks and offering his own special brand of commentary on the people they passed. His laid back attitude made Scarlett more at ease and found herself smiling and laughing at his antics.
By the time they reached the canteen, Scarlett felt a bit more grounded. Jabra led her to a table in the corner away from the noisier groups of marines and agents. Waving down a passing server, he put their orders in and relaxed.
He sat back on his chair, stretching his arms behind his head. “So what’s the deal with you and snails? Always been a fan, or did you just wake up one day and decide they were your thing?”
Scarlett shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips. “I’ve always been fascinated by them. How they communicate, their biology, how we integrated them with our technology. They’re more intelligent and sensitive than people give them credit for.”
Jabra tilted his head. “You talk about ‘em like they’re your kids or something.”
Scarlett laughed softly. “In a way they are. I’ve spent years studying and caring for them. I have a soft spot for them.”
“Well you’re in the right place, then. These snails definitely need someone like you.”
The server returned with their food and drinks. Scarlett thanked the server and dug into her food. She didn’t realise how hungry she really was and with Jabra’s company, many Enies Lobby was not as bad as she thought.