"Mm? Is that little Nami? And the other voice… is it a new little sister?"
From the other end came a slightly lazy yet irresistibly seductive voice. Even without seeing her in person, it made one feel hot all over, and for a moment it was as if a graceful, stunningly beautiful woman was laughing softly right in front of you.
Kizaru coughed dryly, warning Stussy not to push things too far. If she really enraged Nami and Reiju, he'd be the one to suffer.
"Vixen!"
Sitting on the sofa in the distance, Nami and Reiju cursed in unison, perfectly in sync again. But they didn't get up and leave—rather, they pricked up their ears, wanting to hear what this vixen had to say.
"Ahem, what do you want with me, Stussy?"
Kizaru coughed again to keep her from further provoking Nami and Reiju.
No matter what excuses could be made, his behavior made him a certified scumbag. But his personality made it impossible for him to be rotten through and through.
Maybe it was precisely for this reason that, even knowing he was a hopeless womanizer, there were still girls who fell for him like moths to a flame.
"I'm calling to warn you—Saint Warcury has already dispatched CP0 to Marineford. They seem prepared to forcibly take over. You'd better be careful…"
Stussy's tone grew serious. She and Kizaru were grasshoppers tied to the same rope now—if he failed to topple the World Government, the Five Elders would eventually come for her too.
After all, to provide cover for Kizaru, the Queen of the Pleasure District had made no shortage of moves.
As the saying goes, "wherever you go, traces remain." Even though she had directly or indirectly seized control of most CP agents in the New World with Kizaru's help, that wouldn't stop the Five Elders if they really decided to investigate.
Just as Kong was the one who most wanted to see the World Government collapse, Stussy was now also one of those who most wanted the Five Elders dead.
"Taking over Marineford? What's that bearded old man thinking? Did his brain fill with water? Has his IQ fallen back to the level of a normal Celestial Dragon?"
Kizaru was a little surprised. If he didn't know that Topman Vochuli, as the God of Law and Martial Might, was almost certainly a Devil Fruit user with great strength, he would have thought the old man had gone senile.
Even when the Five Elders had banded together to push Kong into the position of Fleet Admiral, the World Government had never attempted such a direct takeover of Marineford.
No matter how many Marines still viewed the World Government and the Five Elders as supreme, once it came to Marineford itself, there wasn't a single admiral who would support the Government.
This involves not only the issue of Navy independence, but more importantly that while the World Government takes over Mariejois it also effectively seizes the power of the Navy high command, trampling on the interests of Headquarters officers.
Even someone as loyal to the World Government and the Gorosei as Steel-Bone Kong still fell to the temptation of the pure gold. The officers at Headquarters won't openly rebel simply because their authority is being encroached on, but the possibility of lip-service, subterfuge, or covert sabotage certainly exists.
"If CP0 gets Fleet Admiral Sengoku's backing, even if they can't directly take over Marineford, it'll cause a lot of trouble for our plans…" Stussy warned.
After all, Sengoku served as Fleet Admiral for over twenty years; with his prestige at Headquarters, plus CP0 representing the World Government and the Gorosei, the newly promoted admiral Kizaru might not be able to outmatch his predecessor.
Kizaru froze for a moment when he heard that, briefly suspecting Sengoku might be about to defect — but he quickly realized Stussy simply didn't yet know Sengoku was on their side.
"Don't worry. Fleet Admiral Sengoku is one of ours — like Old Man Kong… um, for now Kong is more reliable, but Sengoku's trustworthy too," Kizaru said offhand.
Hearing that over the Den Den Mushi, Stussy felt as if thunder had struck; she was shell-shocked.
That was former Fleet Admiral Sengoku! When Kizaru had told her earlier that Grand Fleet Commander Steel-Bone Kong was a double agent, Stussy had been shocked enough. Now to learn Sengoku was on their side as well — even if Kizaru later claimed the Gorosei were also theirs, Stussy would find it hard to swallow.
Steel-Bone Kong, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Stussy herself — a high-ranking figure in CP0 nicknamed the "Queen of the Pleasure District."
No exaggeration: Kizaru had already dented a significant corner of the World Government's foundation. Stussy could not imagine how he'd pulled it off.
"...Are you sure? If Fleet Admiral Sengoku is on our side, can we try to mobilize the Navy to turn against them directly?" Stussy's voice grew excited. Facing the World Government that had ruled for eight centuries, not everyone could remain as calm as Kizaru.
If it weren't for how tightly Stussy was entangled with Kizaru, she might never have wanted to get mixed up in this mess at all.
"There's no need. What I want isn't just to overthrow the World Government — more importantly, after the government falls, I want to be able to clean up the mess properly…"
Kizaru didn't even think much before rejecting Stussy's proposal. With most of the Navy's higher-ups having been transferred elsewhere under various pretexts, between Kizaru and Sengoku's control over the Marines, mobilizing them to attack Mary Geoise was hardly a difficult task.
The problem, however, was that doing so would effectively place the Marines in direct opposition to the World Government and its many affiliated nations. Their standing would shift from that of "saviors of the world" to rebels rising against the Government.
The member nations of the World Government might seem harmless on the surface, but those 170-plus countries collectively controlled more than half of the world's territory and population.
Rather than overthrow the Government only to crush those nations one by one—bringing endless war and suffering to countless civilians—Kizaru leaned toward seizing the Government's legacy and rebuilding a new world order upon it.
As a transmigrator, he carried an obsession with unification in his very DNA. But given the unique circumstances of the pirate world, a crude, forceful centralization was not the best option.
Of course, it was still far too early to decide such matters. Leaving aside the yet-unknown strength of Im, even the Five Elders—each bearing the title of Martial God—were the first enemies Kizaru needed to eliminate.
"Alright, I understand. If there are any new developments, I'll notify you immediately…"
With that, Stussy hung up the Den Den Mushi. Leisurely, she changed into a brightly colored, elaborate kimono and stepped out onto the prow of a massive pleasure ship.
Behind her, dazzling lights stretched endlessly, laughter and music filling the night sky.
The massive ship, hundreds of meters long, was surrounded by dozens more of equal size. Countless iron chains bound them together, forming a floating "landmass" on the sea.
This was the fabled "Pleasure District", the dream of countless seafaring men, and the territory of one of the Seven Titans of the Underworld—Stussy, Queen of the Pleasure District.
What few knew, however, was that this place—seemingly beyond the reach of World Government law—was in fact CP's largest secret base in the New World.
"Lady Stussy, we've just received intelligence: the Red-Hair Pirates were sighted in the Bertoland Sea."
A maid in a pale kimono, exquisitely dressed, hurried forward in small steps. She lowered her head and whispered her report.
Pleasure Street was not only paradise for men and a den of vice—it was also the largest intelligence hub in the New World. Even Morgans, with his vast news network, could not compete with Stussy here.
After all, the newsbirds still had to tirelessly scour the seas for information. By contrast, Stussy's intel sources practically delivered themselves.
"Bertoland Sea? Has the intelligence been verified? Was Red-Hair Shanks himself seen aboard?"
Stussy arched a delicate brow. Normally, she wouldn't bother with run-of-the-mill reports, but anything concerning a Yonko was immediately placed on her desk.
Strictly speaking, given the Red-Hair Pirates' unpredictable movements and adventurous nature, their presence anywhere shouldn't be surprising.
The issue was that Bertoland lay less than three days' sail from Mary Geoise. It was hard to imagine a Yonko appearing there at such a critical time purely by coincidence.
"Yes! A preliminary verification has been done. The informant is Wilson, vice-captain of the Giant Axe Pirates. We've worked with him several times before—his credibility is quite high."
The maid answered cautiously. Though unaware of her superior's involvement in actions against the World Government, she knew that intel concerning a Yonko would always be verified immediately by CP agents.
"Red-Hair Shanks…"
Stussy's crimson lips curved as she licked them softly. When she turned her gaze back to her subordinate, sharp fangs like a vampire's gleamed in the lamplight.
°°°
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