November 29, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
The moment Stussy emerged from the shadows, Kalifa and Alpha lunged at her at full speed, ready to subdue the intruder and assist Orion.
"Tempest Kick!"
Kalifa spun through the air and unleashed two strikes with her legs, demonstrating her great mastery over one of Cipher Pol's special techniques. She had been training under Orion's guidance for years, so her current level was far higher than it had been in the original timeline.
Even so, her present strength still could not compare to that of CP9's greatest prodigy, Rob Lucci. Orion was confident that in the future Kalifa could surpass the young Cipher Pol genius, although it would take considerable time to overcome Rob Lucci's innate advantages.
On the other hand, Alpha did not possess much talent for Rokushiki, so Orion had made her focus more on her knife techniques, where she showed outstanding aptitude. Alpha still trained in Rokushiki as well, but only as a complement rather than her primary weapon.
As Kalifa launched her Tempest Kicks toward Stussy and prepared to follow up with a barrage of Shigan, Alpha drew half a dozen knives concealed within her clothes and hurled them violently at the intruder.
Unfortunately for the two girls, they were not at a level capable of contending with an elite CP0 agent like Stussy. Even though they had great talent, they were still just children, far from being able to fully exploit that potential.
Stussy showed a hint of interest upon seeing their attack, and with fluid movements she dodged the two Tempest Kicks, while catching all the knives thrown by Alpha with ease.
"It's dangerous to throw knives like that, you could take someone's eye out," Stussy said in a playful tone, before using Soru to appear beside Alpha and restraining her effortlessly with one hand.
Kalifa saw that her sister had been captured by the intruder and immediately rushed forward to help her, using Soru and attacking Stussy while coating her fist with Armament Haki in a very rudimentary manner.
Stussy, who was holding Alpha with one arm and restricting her movements, smiled even more upon seeing Kalifa's attack. Taking a step forward, she extended her free hand and stopped the girl's punch. Then, with a swift pivot on the heel of her high-heeled shoe, she delivered a spinning kick, trapping Kalifa between her thigh and calf before she could do anything to defend herself.
"How interesting, you two are very talented. I suppose nothing less can be expected from the Medici bloodline," Stussy said cheerfully, looking at the two girls as if they were treasures.
At that moment, Orion appeared in front of Stussy like a specter, and the beautiful CP0 agent leapt backward to create distance between them, releasing the two girls, who remained seated on the ground with frustrated expressions after being defeated so easily by the intruder.
Orion had made no move to stop the two sisters, since with his Observation Haki he had perceived that Stussy held no hostility. Even so, he could not allow her to act freely in his presence, as doing so would cause him to lose the trust of his companions.
As soon as Stussy saw that Orion had finally moved, she released the two girls, as she had no intention of entering into conflict with him, who, even to someone with the information she possessed, represented an incalculable variable.
"Orion…" Kalifa said with puffed cheeks as she rubbed her neck, where Stussy had restrained her with her thigh moments earlier.
"Don't worry, you did well. Keep training hard, and in the future you'll be much stronger than her," Orion said with a gentle smile as he patted Kalifa's head.
"And me?" Alpha asked with glistening eyes.
"Of course, you did well too, Alpha. Your knife-throwing technique has improved a lot these past months," Orion replied, stroking Alpha's hair with his other hand, making her smile happily at receiving praise just like her sister.
"I must admit, you have an innate talent for grooming. How many little girls have you deceived so far?" Stussy said with a teasing smile, completely lacking seriousness.
Orion's expression darkened momentarily, thinking that Stussy reminded him a bit of Shanks. Both had sharp tongues and enjoyed making irritating remarks.
"I want to speak with you in private," Orion said, looking seriously at Stussy, and with a wave of his hand he opened a door in the air in front of the beautiful CP0 agent.
Without any concern or hesitation, Stussy stepped into the Pocket Dimension without asking a single question, as if she fully trusted Orion's intentions, something that surprised everyone present, as they had no idea who she was.
Orion gestured to his companions and entered the Pocket Dimension alone, intending to have a private conversation with Stussy.
"So, handsome, what is it that you want from me? If your plan is to confess your love, I'm afraid I can't accept your proposal, or my little sister would get angry at me for stealing her boyfriend," Stussy said as she sat down on a chair within the parallel dimension and crossed her legs sensually, almost revealing the most hidden part of her body, which her outfit barely managed to cover.
Orion observed Stussy's shapely legs and could not help but swallow involuntarily, thinking that she was without a doubt one of the most seductive women he had ever encountered, perhaps even rivaling his wife Olive—who was known as the Succubus Pirate.
Even so, Orion quickly regained his composure, as Stussy's words had partially revealed her identity. With the information available, Orion was able to infer who she was, recalling that Gloriosa had spoken to him about her in the past.
The beautiful woman before him was Stussy, the first successful clone created by MADS, and Gloriosa's older sister.
"Gloriosa wouldn't mind something like that. After all, I already have several wives, and she knows it," Orion said with a provocative smile.
"Ha! You really are as libidinous as the reports say. Unfortunately for you, you don't fully understand my little sister yet. She wouldn't get angry over other women, but if I were to sleep with her boyfriend… she would definitely explode with rage."
Stussy finished her words and laughed cheerfully, recalling the expression of her sister, whom she had not seen in a long time. Then she fixed her gaze on Orion once more, and, licking her lips in a sensual manner, added,
"Although I have to say, you're exactly my type of man… Perhaps I could make an exception and have a romance with you? It would be our little secret."
Stussy leaned forward, and with a finger lowered her dress slightly, making the line of her cleavage even more pronounced and revealing her striking feminine attributes, which were enough to drive any normal man mad with desire.
Orion watched Stussy's actions with a smile, but he did not pay much attention to her provocative words, since Stussy's favorability toward him on the system screen stood at 30 points, which indicated that it was a lie that she felt attracted to him, or at least not enough to share a night of passion.
Clearly, Stussy was testing him, or trying to manipulate the flow of the conversation, but Orion had no intention of playing along, as he was currently too busy with many matters to add more to his list. All he wanted was to know the reason for Stussy's presence here and her approach to him.
"Enough games, Stussy. Tell me, why have you come here? If you've come looking for Gloriosa, I regret to inform you that I will not allow you to take her back to the World Government."
Orion's voice retained its usual calm, though there was a hint of threat in his words. Even though Orion had a good opinion of Stussy after everything Gloriosa had told him about her, she was still an agent of his greatest enemy, the World Government.
"Bah! I see you're not as smart as you are handsome!" Stussy said, scrunching her nose in an adorable manner, before adding,
"I have no intention whatsoever of allowing Gloriosa to return to the clutches of the World Government. After all, I was the one who helped her evade them over the past few years, although that silly girl probably didn't even realize it."
Just as Stussy said, the main reason the World Government had been unable to find any trace of Gloriosa's whereabouts in recent years was because she had actively covered her tracks and eliminated reports related to her younger sister.
Stussy had taken great risks to protect her carefree younger sister, although Gloriosa knew nothing about it and continued living happily, unaware of Stussy's sacrifices.
Before the pink-haired Kuja left Amazon Lily to search for Orion, it had been Stussy who ensured that the World Government failed to recapture her, though she had done so from the shadows, as always.
Stussy wanted no credit, nor did she care whether Gloriosa felt gratitude or not. All she wanted was for her little sister not to suffer the same fate as her—someone trapped between the World Government and Vegapunk, forced to play a dangerous role as a double agent for the scientist.
Orion could clearly sense that Stussy was telling the truth through his Observation Haki, so any hostility he had toward the beautiful CP0 agent vanished completely, and with a smile he said,
"I see, that's a relief to hear. Then, for what purpose have you come to see me? If you fell in love with me at first sight and couldn't resist throwing yourself into my arms, I can accept you as my girlfriend. Gloriosa won't get angry if I pamper her a little before giving her the news."
Orion stepped closer to Stussy, extending an arm and wrapping it around the beautiful woman's slender waist, while she once again licked her lips sensually and, placing a finger against Orion's firm pectoral muscles, said in an almost sighing tone,
"In your dreams, charmer. I'm not that kind of woman."
Then, with a very natural movement, she slipped out of Orion's grasp, putting distance between them once more.
"This time, I came for two reasons," Stussy said, raising two fingers.
"The first is because I wanted to see what kind of man my adorable little sister's partner was, and the second is to retrieve the Dyna Stones you owe to Dr. Vegapunk."
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing the second reason for Stussy's visit, as he had been unaware that she was working for Vegapunk.
According to the information Gloriosa had given him about her sister, Stussy had been handed over to the World Government, which had trained her as an elite agent, and she now belonged to CP0.
On the other hand, the deal Orion had made with Vegapunk regarding the Dyna Stones was a secret between the two of them, as the scientist had deceived the World Government by claiming that it was a highly unstable mineral that could not be handled, and was therefore useless.
Vegapunk had done this because he wanted to monopolize the Dyna Stones without having to develop weapons for the World Government with them—he intended to use them for his primary research, the creation of a new energy source—and to achieve that, he had made a deal with Orion, who had been responsible for stealing the Dyna Stones from Jewel Island, promising the scientist that he would later give him half of the haul.
Now, the fact that Stussy had been the person Vegapunk sent to collect the Dyna Stones meant that the loyalty of the beautiful CP0 agent lay with her creator, Vegapunk, and not with the World Government.
Obviously, Stussy was conveying this information indirectly and voluntarily, which could also be considered a show of goodwill on her part.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Orion said curtly, feigning ignorance.
Even though Stussy had said she had been sent by Vegapunk, Orion could not be entirely sure whether that was true or not, even if he could clearly sense through his Observation Haki that she was telling the truth.
Still, for a matter of such importance, it was best to be completely certain in order to avoid unnecessary problems.
Stussy clearly understood Orion's thoughts and showed an approving smile, while her favorability toward him increased slightly. She liked that Orion was cautious, because it meant her sister Gloriosa would be safe with him in the future.
"If you don't believe me, you can watch this recording that Dr. Vegapunk prepared for you," Stussy said, pulling a small Den Den Mushi projector from her clothes and handing it to Orion.
Orion played the recording sent by Vegapunk, finally confirming that Stussy had indeed been sent by him. Then, with a movement of his mind, he took several containers out of the system inventory and placed them in front of the beautiful spy.
"These are the Dyna Stones I promised Vegapunk. It's not the full amount, but it's what I can offer for now. As we extract more, I'll set them aside for when he sends someone to collect them," Orion said, resting his hand on one of the metal containers.
Stussy opened her mouth in an adorable expression upon seeing the containers appear out of nowhere before her, but quickly suppressed her surprise, thinking that, just as she had read in the reports about Orion, he possessed many strange abilities.
"Could you take them to my ship? You wouldn't let a weak and beautiful girl like me carry them on her own, would you?"
Stussy approached Orion and pressed her sensual body against him, causing her soft breasts to deform slightly under the pressure between them. Orion felt her soft touch and could not help but feel a strong desire to take her right there, though he ultimately limited himself to wrapping his hand around her waist once more and, with a quick motion, gave her a slap on her shapely butt.
"Ah!" Stussy let out a soft, sensual gasp as Orion slapped her, as she had not expected him to actually give in to her provocations, since she had merely been trying to make him nervous with the sudden intimacy—a technique she often used during her espionage missions.
"Of course I can't ignore the request of such a beautiful woman," Orion said, bringing his face closer to hers, which caused the beautiful CP0 agent known as the Succubus of Cipher Pol to take a step back, slightly flushed.
Orion had passive buffs from the system that made his presence be perceived favorably by members of the opposite sex, and when combined with his good looks and the somewhat roguish confidence he displayed when flirting, it was difficult for Stussy to maintain her composure.
"Ahem! Then I thank you in advance!" Stussy said after clearing her throat, returning to her usual composed demeanor.
Orion checked the system screen, seeing that Stussy's favorability had suddenly increased to 40 points, and nodded in satisfaction, thinking that he had managed to outplay the beautiful spy in their little game of flirting.
"Well then, I think it's best we get to work and take the cargo to my ship," Stussy said with a composed smile.
Orion looked at Stussy carefully, feeling a bit envious of Vegapunk, who was able to count on an agent of such talent among his ranks.
He had been training spies and agents tasked with gathering information as part of his forces, but so far he had not officially established an organization similar to Cipher Pol, as he did not have anyone capable of acting as its leader.
The best talent at his disposal was Kalifa, who undoubtedly had everything needed to become one of the best agents in the world, but the problem was that she was only ten years old, and it would take many years before she was truly ready to take on a leadership position.
Looking at the beautiful and capable Stussy, Orion thought it would be incredible if he could recruit her to his forces, but he knew that such a thing was practically impossible due to Stussy's role in this world.
She had been working as a double agent for Vegapunk, which meant she rarely let her guard down, and she would not allow anyone to enter her heart or form a genuine bond with someone outside her closest circle.
The 40 points of favorability that Stussy currently had toward him were probably close to the maximum possible for now, and the only way to increase that score would be through long years of contact and the gradual building of trust between them.
Sighing, Orion lamented once again how difficult it was to find great talents for certain specific areas, and prepared to transport the containers of Dyna Stones to Stussy's ship, just as she had requested.
However, just as he opened the system inventory to store the containers again—and thus transport them more easily—his eyes fell upon an object in one corner of the inventory that had been there for years: Favorability Coupon.
This had been a reward he had received many years ago from the system—after completing the mission to rescue Galette—but he had never found an opportunity to use it, so he had left it stored in his inventory and forgotten about its existence.
Now that he saw it there, Orion felt the urge to use it. This coupon could increase someone's favorability by 10 to 50 points, so if he was lucky, he might be able to form a closer relationship with Stussy, and perhaps even recruit her into his forces.
Without hesitating any further, Orion activated the favorability coupon, selecting Stussy as the target.
*Ding*
*You have used the Favorability Coupon on Named Character Stussy*
*Stussy's favorability has increased by 50 points*
Orion stared wide-eyed at the notification that appeared in the system, as he had not expected to obtain the best possible result right away. With an increase of 50 points, that meant Stussy's favorability had suddenly skyrocketed to… 90 points.
90 points was not a normal score, since for a member of the opposite sex, that entered the realm of love!
Stussy, who had been standing at a prudent distance from Orion to avoid becoming flustered again from too much closeness with him, felt a heat spread throughout her entire body, and began to tremble visibly.
Her cheeks flushed red, while a tingling sensation concentrated in her most private place. Raising her gaze, she locked her eyes onto Orion, who was watching her with curiosity, and felt her heart begin to pound intensely.
"Ah… why is my heart beating so fast when I look at him?... Is this love?" Stussy thought as she bit her lip sensually, her eyes becoming veiled with a thin layer of tears and desire.
Orion had been observing Stussy's movements, so he immediately noticed the changes in her, although he did not know how to respond, since he had not expected the effect of the favorability coupon to be so great.
Just as Orion was preparing to approach Stussy and speak with her to more closely confirm the changes that had occurred, the beautiful CP0 agent threw herself into his arms, kissing him passionately while wrapping her arms around his neck.
Orion, who was a man with a libido far greater than that of a normal man, could not withstand the advance of such a sensual woman, and without thinking too much about it, he embraced Stussy's alluring body and returned her passionate kiss.
In the solitude of the Pocket Dimension, they let their passion take control.