"Hmm?"
Stussy's physical movements suddenly froze in place.
She clearly had not expected this supposed Marine hero, a man who held the highest secret orders of the Government and had spent so much effort setting this dramatic stage, to be primarily concerned about financial reports at the end of it all.
After a brief, visible moment of genuine bewilderment, she gracefully covered her lips with a manicured hand and let out a soft, melodic chuckle. With a subtle flicker of light in her eyes, she quickly regained her polished composure as the legendary Queen of Pleasure Town, a woman who was highly skilled in the art of social maneuvering and playing powerful men like fine fiddles.
"Rear Admiral Kane is quite the dedicated joker. To ask about such deep trade secrets..."
"I do not want to hear any more of your nonsense."
Kane's eyes remained as calm and flat as a pool of stagnant, dark water.
"Give me the specific numbers."
The practiced, charming smile on Stussy's face faded just a little bit.
Out of the sharp instinct of a top-tier CP0 agent, she rapidly assessed the massive difference in combat power and political status between the two of them in that single instant, ultimately choosing a middle-ground solution—telling him the plain truth.
After all, the rebellious man sitting in front of her currently held the Gorosei's personal Token of authority.
"The profits fluctuate greatly depending on which channel we are looking at."
Stussy walked slowly over to the ornate wine cabinet, seemingly casually tidying the glass bottles, but in reality, every single muscle in her body was tensed and ready to deal with the worst-case scenario at any given moment.
"Besides the overt entertainment industry that everyone sees, there are also underground arms brokerages, the peddling of high-level intelligence, and the circulation of certain rare, special materials..."
She paused for a second and then stated a staggering figure.
"Altogether, the annual net turnover for our operations is roughly around 350 billion Berries."
350 billion!
Even though Kane was mentally prepared for a high number, his hand holding the expensive cigar still paused slightly in mid-air when he heard this specific amount.
He lamented silently in his heart; he had worked so incredibly hard to swindle Fleet Admiral Kong for a budget, and even with a powerhouse like the Red Earl "soliciting donations" for him day and night, their combined total wealth didn't even equal her single annual turnover.
Doing adult business... no, the entertainment industry is clearly the meta answer for making money in this world.
Kane forced down the sudden urge to smirk, maintaining a mask of enigmatic indifference as he lightly flicked the gray ash from his cigar.
"And how is all of this money divided up?"
Stussy's movement of pouring the dark wine stopped for half a second. She turned around slowly, leaning her back against the wine cabinet, and looked at Kane with sharp, searching eyes.
"This is considered a top-secret of the World Government... but since you hold the Mobilization Order, I suppose there is no real harm in telling you."
She held up six long, slender white fingers.
"Sixty percent is handed over directly to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise."
"The remaining forty percent is used to maintain the daily operations of the Pleasure Town branch, bribe various local officials and greedy pirates, and maintain the massive intelligence network we rely on."
"Sixty percent, huh..."
Kane rubbed his chin with his free hand, nodding thoughtfully, and then he quickly began calculating the math in his head.
Sixty percent of that total is 210 billion.
Those Celestial Dragons living atop the Red Line like lazy, gluttonous pigs really have quite the massive appetite for gold.
Suddenly.
Kane looked up, and a predatory smile that made Stussy's heart skip a beat for some unknown reason appeared on his handsome face.
"If... and I am only saying if."
"Starting today, what if we simply handed over twenty percent less of that sixty percent?"
"For example, if this specific money encountered a tragic shipwreck during transport, or perhaps just disappeared as an unavoidable operational loss."
"Do you really think those old guys up there in the Holy Land would even notice?"
Stussy was completely and utterly stunned.
Her hand holding the delicate wine glass froze in mid-air, and she looked at Kane in pure disbelief as if she were looking at a total madman.
"Rear Admiral Kane."
Her voice suddenly dropped to a freezing point. The warm charm of a high-class courtesan vanished instantly, replaced by the characteristic coldness and sharp killing intent of a government agent.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Are you actually instigating me to embezzle the World Government's private funds? Do you realize that is a capital offense punishable by death?"
Facing Stussy's almost murderous, focused gaze, Kane put on a shocked expression of "how could you possibly slander someone's innocence out of thin air."
"What do you mean by embezzlement?"
Kane slapped the wooden table with a look of righteous indignation, appearing deeply pained by the accusation.
"This is called the rational redistribution of limited resources!"
"My G-5 Marine Branch is also an important institution of the World Government. Spending money on building a stronger fortress is to better suppress pirates and maintain the justice of the sea! How can this possibly be called embezzlement?"
"In my book, this is called—strategic interception!"
Stussy: "..."
In all her years of deep-cover work, she had seen many shameless people, but she had never met one so righteously and loudly shameless as this Marine.
"I am afraid I simply cannot comply with such a request."
Stussy refused him coldly, slamming the wine glass down onto the table with a sharp click.
"Every single account in Pleasure Town is strictly audited by the CP0 Financial Officers. Twenty percent less? That is 70 billion Berries! No one can balance the books for a deficit of that massive scale. Unless you simply want me dead."
"An audit? That is far too simple a problem." Kane shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Just keep two sets of books, right? If that doesn't work, what is the name of that specific Financial Officer in charge of the auditing? I can easily have him die in the line of duty and replace him with someone much more sensible."
"Enough!"
Stussy stood up abruptly from her seat, her tone becoming bone-chillingly cold.
"Rear Admiral Kane, if you are only here to amuse yourself at my expense, please leave now. No matter how much power this Token supposedly has, it does not extend to the realm of finances. Unless you have a specific Handwritten Order from the Gorosei themselves, you won't get a single coin from me!"
After speaking, she made a sharp "please" gesture toward the door, her eyes looking like cold blades.
The soft approach didn't work, so now he's going for the hard way?
Kane looked at the prickly beauty standing in front of him, the amused smile in his eyes only deepening.
He stubbed out the half-smoked cigar in the tray, ignored her obvious alertness, and slowly stood up from his chair.
One step.
Two steps.
He did not walk toward the exit door but instead circled slowly around the heavy desk, approaching Stussy step by step.
That mountain-like physical pressure made Stussy instinctively want to retreat, but her pride as a strong combatant kept her rooted firmly to the spot.
Until Kane finally walked directly behind her.
His warm breath brushed against Stussy's sensitive earlobe, causing a slight, involuntary tremor to run through her.
Kane's voice, now laced with a hint of dark playfulness and magnetism, sounded like a demon's whisper right in her ear.
"Don't be so nervous."
"Miss Stussy..."
Kane paused for a dramatic effect, lowering his voice even further, making it as soft as a lover's intimate murmur.
"Or should I say... Buckingham Stussy."
Buzz!
Stussy's mind went completely blank, her pupils dilating to the extreme in an instant of pure shock.
Kane's voice continued to whisper relentlessly.
"You don't want the secret that you are a mere Clone to be made public, do you?"
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