After Rika Minami left, Esdeath walked over to Kaos and settled directly into his arms.
"Your Highness Kaos, why did you step in just now?"
Esdeath traced lazy circles on Kaos's chest and pouted. She never liked it when others interfered in her fights. Anyone daring to join in usually spoiled her fun.
Had it been someone else, she might have sliced them down in one stroke and sent them straight to the underworld.
But since it was Kaos who got involved, she couldn't be angry. Instead, she snuggled up to him flirtatiously.
Kaos gazed at the sulking Esdeath with amusement. A gentle smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he stroked her cheek. "I was bored and wanted to test out a new ability. And I have to say—it's quite something."
"A new ability?!"
Esdeath's eyes widened, and her ears practically twitched with excitement. She hadn't expected Kaos to have developed a new power.
Driven by curiosity, she pressed further, "Your Highness Kaos, what kind of ability did you gain?"
She was extremely eager to know. During the fight earlier, she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.
So what was it that Kaos had hidden?
Kaos responded only with a faint smile. He glanced at Stussy and shook his head slightly—clearly not planning to reveal anything.
Esdeath knew him well enough to understand his silence. She reached out a slender finger, gently traced his chin, and smiled seductively. "You're so bad... but I like that."
Then she slid down contentedly.
Two hours later.
On the battleship beside the cruise ship, Sengoku stood on the deck in a fresh set of clothes.
He was waiting for a call from Kaos.
Back aboard the cruise ship, Stussy was reclining on a sunbed, leisurely applying nail polish from Set No. 1.
As she focused on her nails, a figure approached from the distance and crouched beside her.
Sengoku recognized him—he was from the CP division and went by the name Rob Lucci.
The newcomer had recently made a name for himself. It was said he'd completed several missions with incredible speed, catching the attention of many senior officials.
What are those two talking about?
Sengoku frowned. He wanted badly to know the content of their discussion.
But with no sound and no way to read their lips, all he could do was guess.
And guesses wouldn't help much.
Lucci leaned toward Stussy and spoke in a low voice: "The Dyna Stones have been recovered from Wanokuni. They've been delivered to the World Government and are now back under secure production and management."
Stussy showed little reaction. She simply waved her hand, signaling for him to leave.
Lucci obeyed and retreated quietly.
Just then, Kaos's Den Den Mushi buzzed—he was calling.
Stussy quickly got dressed and entered the ship.
She reached Kaos's room, knocked softly, and stepped inside.
Esdeath lay collapsed on the bed, unconscious.
Kaos, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine—energetic and composed.
Stussy walked over and sat on Kaos's lap. "All of the Dyna Stones from Wanokuni have been recovered."
Kaos didn't seem particularly impressed. After all, Queen had already handled most of the cleanup. His team had taken on the heavy lifting, ensuring his position as one of the Four Emperors was solidified.
If he couldn't even do that, he wouldn't be worthy of the title.
"Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to mention," Stussy added.
Kaos raised an eyebrow.
"There's still no public information about the new emperor," she continued. "We don't know how to assign Queen a proper identity yet."
"In this way, our weapons can be transported there, and the other party has also given us a list of people he wants to execute in the CP department, including tobi roppo."
She pulled out a folded note. Written on it were the names of the Beasts Pirates members currently resisting them.
The tobi roppo. were included.
At this point, they were still young and hadn't consumed any Devil Fruit.
Kaos glanced at the list with a disinterested expression. "Do we even need to discuss this? Anyone who dares oppose me dies. Handle them according to the list."
"Oh, and also took the Yamata no Orochi Devil Fruit."
Kaos was visibly excited about this one. He believed the Devil Fruit had been wasted on its previous owner and now had real potential in his hands.
Hearing that, Stussy understood clearly what needed to be done. She nodded and left the room.
After receiving Kaos's orders, Stussy quickly passed them on.
Before long, the CP department dispatched Zero. Initially, Zero was meant to stay close to Kaos and ensure his safety. But now that Kaos was surrounded by top-tier experts, he no longer needed Zero's support.
So, Zero was reassigned back to the CP department.
His squad was scheduled to arrive in Wanokuni in the evening.
Stussy was also preparing to head to Wanokuni.
She ordered a fighter jet from their end, and it was soon en route.
Kaos planned to stay on the cruise ship for one more day to rest before moving forward with his next plans.
Using the evening wisely, Stussy began studying Wanokuni's situation. This would help her make detailed preparations according to Kaos's earlier instructions.
Kaos no longer needed to handle everything himself. Sometimes it was best to let his subordinates take care of the details.
And Stussy understood Kaos's intentions perfectly. Handling such logistical matters was easy for her. While she was at it, she might even scout Wanokuni to see if there were any beauties worth bringing back for Kaos's enjoyment.