Off the coast of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Stussy slowly set down the Military Den Den Mushi, let out a long breath, and laughed under her breath.
Even through the receiver, she could almost feel the resentment pouring off Marine Headquarters' Admiral Sengoku.
One defection after another—core personnel, no less—had planted deep distrust in the World Government. It wasn't just a mood. It showed up in brutal cuts to the Marines' budget.
In the eyes of the Gorosei, the reasoning was simple.
We spent fortunes on the Marines. We built you fleets, armed you to the teeth, poured manpower and resources into you… and you dared to turn those same resources against us.
Raising your own enemies—no one tolerates that.
And with the world already in chaos, the North Blue's secession from the Member State system had torn a hole in the Heavenly Tribute revenue. Of course the Marines were the first to feel the knife.
Sengoku must be tearing his hair out.
A flicker of schadenfreude tugged at Stussy's mouth, but it faded as another thought surfaced.
Where has that bastard Darren been hiding these past few days?
Doflamingo's sudden appearance in the Authority Hall of Pangaea Castle had left a chill under her skin.
Vice Commander of the Knights of God—Doflamingo had wanted that position his entire life.
A "holy" status, power, authority, the right to live in the Holy Land again… everything he'd ever reached for.
Could he really resist a temptation like that?
Stussy couldn't be sure.
The wind off the frigid sea scraped along the colossal cliffs of the Red Line, seeping into her bones and raising gooseflesh along her arms.
She shook herself free of the spiral and glanced up. The merchant ship had already cleared Mary Geoise's waters and entered the New World.
Stussy turned and headed for the cabin.
The moment she stepped inside, the shift in light and shadow made her eyes flicker.
Something was wrong.
Her expression tightened. She fired without hesitation—
Rokushiki: Flying Shigan!
Clang!
Sparks erupted in the dim cabin, and for a split instant, their crisscrossing light carved out an arrogant face.
"Heh heh heh… You don't hesitate, do you?"
Doflamingo sat with one leg crossed over the other. Click—his lighter snapped, and a cigarette flared to life between his lips. Behind his sunglasses, his grin turned sharp. "Trying to kill his godson?"
The cabin door eased shut behind her.
Stussy narrowed her eyes at the blond Celestial Dragon.
"Here's the real question," she said softly. "Can Donquixote Doflamingo—the esteemed Vice Commander of the Knights of God—still stomach being someone's godson?"
Her vampire fangs slid out, gleaming briefly in the lamplight. She bent her knees a fraction, relaxed on the surface, coiled underneath. "Or did climbing that Stairway to Heaven swell your ambition?"
"Hehahahaha!!"
Doflamingo burst into manic laughter.
"I could ask you the same thing, Fox—CP0's high-ranking senior agent," he said, voice syrupy with malice.
"You handed every last detail of someone's secret abilities to the Gorosei. Aren't you afraid of what he'll do to you?"
As he spoke, his fingers twitched and curled, never quite still. His pink feathered coat rippled as if something unseen breathed through the air.
If someone had looked closely—close enough—they would have felt their blood run cold.
Countless razor-thin threads already filled the cramped cabin, weaving a dense, invisible net that sealed every angle, every path forward, every route out.
A chill glinted across the lenses of his sunglasses.
"I'm curious, Stussy," he said. "Did you break with him and choose those five immortal old bastards instead?"
The moment the words landed, their eyes locked.
It was as if sparks snapped in the air between them.
Their restrained, savage killing intent surged, stirring a violent whirl in the narrow space. The deck and bulkheads groaned.
In an instant, the cabin became a taut wire about to snap.
One second.
Two.
Three—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A knock came from outside.
"Excellency," a guard called carefully, "we heard something. Is everything all right in there?"
Stussy glanced at the man in front of her, then smiled—sweet, practiced, and empty. "It's fine. I was just practicing."
The footsteps retreated.
When the sound faded, Stussy and Doflamingo met each other's gaze again.
At the same time, both drew their killing intent back.
Her fangs slid away. The threads vanished as if they'd never been there.
"Heh heh heh…" Doflamingo's laughter dropped into something colder. "So the intelligence he had you leak to the Gorosei was deliberate?"
Stussy moved to the side, pushed open a window, and lit a slim woman's cigarette.
"It was his plan," she said. "But…"
"But what?"
Stussy tipped him a look—half amusement, half knowing.
"The information isn't fake."
Doflamingo froze.
Real?
How is that possible?
Has that lunatic finally lost his mind?
A beat later, something clicked. His pupils tightened.
"He means to use it to intimidate the Gorosei?"
Stussy exhaled smoke in a slow ribbon, voice cool and detached.
"Maybe. We're just ordinary allies, nothing more. How would I know what he truly wants?"
She smiled, red lips curving like a blade.
"And if leaking it raises my status and influence inside the organization…"
"Why would I refuse a mutually beneficial arrangement?"
To be continued...