Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 66.
Taro had rushed back overnight. Stussy's appearance on Fish-Man Island was truly concerning, and he had to keep moving without rest.
"George, is the ship ready?"
"Yes, Vice Admiral, the coating is complete!" George gave a sharp military salute.
Taro nodded and walked toward the shipyard, then remembered something and asked, "What has Vice Admiral Garp been busy with lately?"
"Vice Admiral Garp has gone to Fish-Man Island!" George replied.
Taro's footsteps paused, and he suddenly turned his head, his voice much louder. "What did you say?"
George was startled and repeated himself before asking in a low voice, "Vice Admiral, are you feeling uneasy about something?"
Taro's expression flickered. After a long moment, he shook his head. "It's nothing. Notify the shipyard to set sail immediately. I'll be waiting on the offshore surface!"
After saying that, he soared into the air and swept toward the sea.
Something's not right!
Taro originally thought Garp had agreed to let him leave because he wanted to sneak off to the Sakura Kingdom to visit Ace once he was gone.
After all, Garp had to save Face! How could he lower himself to run off without getting Taro out of the way first?
But now, it seemed Garp believed there was something more urgent on Fish-Man Island than seeing Ace!
Taro was filled with doubt.
Fish-Man Island.
Stussy was also puzzled when she received her latest orders.
She had only been on Fish-Man Island for three days. Since Fish-Man Island was nominally a member of the World Government and had been under Whitebeard's protection for a long time, it was relatively stable.
With no infiltration by the Revolutionary Army, CP0, as an intelligence agency, naturally hadn't paid much attention to Fish-Man Island.
However, this time, after arriving on Fish-Man Island with the mission to investigate the guardian of Alabasta, Stussy noticed that something was off about this nation.
Not only did the island's residents show little resistance to Marine activities, but they also showed no obvious malice toward her, despite her entering as an ordinary human, though they were somewhat wary.
On the surface, Taro's actions on Fish-Man Island had indeed expanded the influence of the Marines and the World Government.
But Stussy still felt a faint sense of abnormality in her heart.
Something's not right!
After a few days of observation, Stussy became even more convinced of this, but she couldn't figure out the key to it for the moment.
The World Government's orders had to be strictly executed, so she was currently at the entrance of Fish-Man Island, waiting for the merchant ship to finish preparations for the voyage to the New World.
Her disguised identity this time was the secretary of a certain chamber of commerce.
As a warship slowly approached, Stussy's gaze suddenly tightened, then quickly relaxed.
The black dragon figurehead on the bow revealed the identity of the newcomer.
As the flagship entered the port, Taro was the first to leap off the bow. He then noticed Stussy on the civilian waterway pier not far away. His eyes immediately turned cold, and he walked toward her.
The two squads of Marine Soldiers who followed Taro off the ship tried to keep up, but they were met with a barrage of curses from the Sergeant Major. The two Marine Soldiers leading the squads even received a heavy blow to the head.
"Are you blind? Can't you see what the Vice Admiral is doing? You dare to butt in?"
The two leading Marine Soldiers clutched their heads, feeling quite aggrieved, but they quickly realized the meaning behind the Sergeant Major's words.
The woman wearing a white top hat, a short capelet, and a gorgeous, short orange-red dress was truly charming and moving.
Thinking of the previous "Vice Admiral's wife" and their Vice Admiral's act of "forcibly taking a commoner woman" a few days ago.
The Marine Soldiers all showed expressions of sudden realization and stayed put obediently, watching their Vice Admiral go to exercise his "girl-chasing" skills.
Taro's "girl-chasing" prowess was now his second greatest ability, second only to his strength. This had already spread through the Sabaody Garrison and was now spreading toward Marineford.
Stussy watched Taro approach her, feeling very wary.
She elegantly held a handbag, her Face wearing an inviting and pitiable expression.
Taro frowned as he looked at Stussy's act.
At the thought of Stussy calling Big Mom "Linlin," he felt a wave of disgust wash over him.
Big Mom was so old; looking at it this way, this seemingly beautiful and sexy Stussy was also an old hag!
Moreover, she was the "queen of pleasure street." Thinking about her being a brothel madam, how young could she possibly be?
"What are you doing on Fish-Man Island?"
Taro was very repulsed by Stussy, both for her CP0 identity and her dressing up to look young despite her age, so his tone was very impolite.
Stussy naturally heard the displeasure in Taro's tone and gave him a proper bow.
"Lord Vice Admiral, I am the executive secretary of the Rockefeller Chamber of Commerce. I am only resting on Fish-Man Island temporarily to restock some goods..."
Stussy's tone was very calm, as if it were truly as she said.
Taro became even more impatient, his gaze incredibly sharp. "I know exactly who you are, and you naturally know who I am. There's no need for that rhetoric of yours!"
Stussy was slightly taken aback by Taro's interruption, and her expression became serious.
"Vice Admiral Taro, it seems you know quite a bit about me. I'm curious, how do you know?"
Taro frowned and pondered for a long time, sighing inwardly. Now was not the time to have an open fallout.
Finally, his eyes flickered, and he gave a mocking laugh.
"How could I not know of the famous 'queen of pleasure street'?"
Stussy had thought Taro knew about her CP0 identity, but she didn't expect it to be the "queen of pleasure street." She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and her expression became seductive.
"Oh? Is Vice Admiral Taro perhaps interested in paying a visit to my 'Flower Ship'?"
The Flower Ship was Stussy's personal vessel, essentially a floating brothel. She often used such carnal business as a cover for gathering intelligence.
Taro was full of disdain. He looked at the flower stuck in Stussy's top hat.
"I do like beautiful women, but I haven't reached the point of being desperate. I have absolutely no interest in damaged goods."
"You..."
Stussy's Face changed, and her anger was about to flare up, but she remembered her identity and that it was inconvenient to reveal her strength.
Forcing down the rage in her chest, Stussy raised her hand to cover her mouth and gave two bell-like laughs.
"Vice Admiral Taro, the girls on my ship all possess extraordinary skills. If you would grace us with your presence, it will definitely be worth your while!"
Taro sighed inwardly. Even with such provocation, Stussy didn't take the bait. This was going to be difficult!
"Extraordinary skills? Now that you mention it, I'm still not interested in those girls, but I'd like to see how many 'extraordinary skills' you, the 'Queen' who trained them, possess!"
Taro thought about it and decided to try once more. Then, he said in a frivolous tone:
"How about it? Name a price! How much for one round? And what's the rate for an overnight stay?"
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.