"Lady Stussy!"
The maid couldn't help but cry out. She had served under Stussy for years and already sensed what was about to happen.
Stussy, like Kizaru, had turned this CP double-agent over to his side. Her power couldn't be compared to Kong, but she was by no means the sort of CP operative ordinary agents could contend with.
She gave the maid no chance to run. In the blink of an eye Stussy had the woman under control, then bit into the maid's neck.
As the sweet iron-tasting blood flowed into her mouth, Stussy's beautiful face twisted.
Being an artificial Zoan — the Mythical-type "Human-Human Fruit: Vampire" — Stussy could draw memories from those whose blood she drank.
It turned out that she and Kizaru had underestimated the Gorosei. Though publicly the elders were busy mobilizing forces, behind the scenes they had already started investigating possible moles.
And their investigation had quickly pointed to Stussy, the Queen of Pleasure Street. If the Gorosei decided to move against her, her deeds could not be kept hidden; an assassination team to deal with her would already be on its way. In three days' time at most, the once high-and-mighty Queen of Pleasure Street could be dead at the hands of assassins dispatched by the elders.
"That was nearly dangerous — almost got taken out by that little bitch… But why would the Gorosei want to know the whereabouts of the Red-Hair Pirates?" Stussy tossed the blood-drained, sleeping maid into the sea, took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from her lips, wearing a pensive expression.
Before the maid was sent to probe Stussy, she had been ordered by the Gorosei to locate the Red-Hair Pirates. After reporting what little she'd learned, and without knowing the Gorosei's true motive, the maid had seized the chance to use that intelligence as an excuse to approach Stussy. She hadn't expected to be cut off mid-probe — Stussy, suspicious, had struck first.
On any other day Stussy might not have been so jumpy, but right now she was at the height of her paranoia. After thinking things over and finding no clear explanation, she dared not linger. Unlike Kizaru, she didn't have overwhelming force to fall back on. If an assassin sent by the Gorosei found her, even the Queen of Pleasure Street would have little chance to resist.
To be safe, Stussy didn't even go back to gather her things. She flapped the bat wings that had sprouted from her back and flew into the night.
---
Meanwhile, in some region of the New World, an enormous pirate fleet was steaming toward Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The fleet's manpower was so abundant — even excessive — that it could travel day and night. Hundreds of excellent navigators worked in three shifts, continually recalculating optimal routes.
Whether merchant ships, passenger vessels, pirate crews or Navy ships, any vessel that sighted this blanket-darkening armada fled at once. Of course, some particularly brazen pirates surrendered and joined the fleet, swelling the ranks of this super pirate armada.
"The numbers check out. Go back and tell Doflamingo: if there are extra weapons and ammo, send them over. Whatever you have, we'll take it — five times the going rate… no! We'll pay ten times!" Katakuri, a top fighter in the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates, was aboard his flagship receiving Donquixote family men who had just escorted a batch of weapons.
Though he was one of the major figures in this super fleet, Katakuri personally inspected this shipment of arms. He humbly received even men who, in combat strength, were far below Doflamingo. The reason was simple: before the war erupted he wanted to stockpile as much weaponry as possible. Even a fractional increase in their odds might keep one of his siblings alive.
"Apologies, Lord Katakuri. The Dresse Rosa factories are already running at full tilt. Even so, the earliest a second batch can leave would be in about half a month…" the Donquixote man reported.
Katakuri listened, expression unreadable. The war was coming fast, and he was buying time and supplies however he could.
The one leading the Donquixote Family was Diamante, the top executive whose status was second only to Doflamingo himself. At this moment, even though Katakuri's attitude was calm and gentle, Diamante's expression was tense.
Not long ago, this very man had wreaked havoc in Dressrosa, single-handedly suppressing the entire Donquixote Family, including Doflamingo.
In Diamante's eyes, Katakuri's image was no different from that of a great demon king.
If he weren't worried that other cadres might make mistakes while delivering goods, and with Trebol and Pica both occupied with their own tasks and unable to go to sea, Diamante would never have agreed to come meet Katakuri in person.
"Half a month later, huh… Do your best to speed things up. Go back and tell Doflamingo this: if the Donquixote Family can deliver another batch of weapons within seven days, I can ask Mama to step in and hold Kaido back. He won't have to worry about Kaido causing him trouble again."
After thinking for a moment, Katakuri gave a condition that made Diamante's heart stir. The partnership between the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates hadn't been something Doflamingo sought out at the start.
Even though Kaido later became Doflamingo's so-called backer, that didn't mean Kaido was a reliable business partner.
After all, weapons and Devil Fruits—both natural and artificial—were hard currency in the New World no matter where you went.
If it weren't absolutely necessary, as the supplier, Doflamingo could easily sell to the highest bidder rather than being forced to "tribute" on schedule to Kaido.
It wasn't hard to imagine how much Doflamingo had suffered under the volatile, violent Kaido, to the point where Katakuri's offer made Diamante feel an impulse to agree on the spot.
"Uh… I still have to consult with the Young Master first. But regardless of the outcome, the second shipment of weapons will definitely be delivered on time!"
With great effort, Diamante restrained himself from giving an immediate yes.
Although compared to Kaido, Katakuri seemed like a much better business partner, the decision to change such an important alliance could only be made by Doflamingo himself.
"Alright then, take the final payment and head back quickly."
Katakuri didn't waste more time with Diamante. He turned toward his sister, Brûlée.
Looking like an old witch, Brûlée immediately pulled Katakuri into the mirror, and before long they stepped out again from a mirror aboard the flagship of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates—the Dominion.
As the wielder of the Mira Mira no Mi, Brûlée could travel freely between mirrors, making her the perfect link for such a massive pirate fleet.
No matter how many times he laid eyes on this spacefaring warship that could soar through the skies, Katakuri couldn't help but sigh in awe. Each time, it strengthened his confidence in defeating the World Government.
"Lord Boros, I just finished tallying the fleet's weapons and supplies. We're still short of the target by about 12%, but at the current rate of resupply, we should be able to meet the quota before reaching Mary Geoise!"
Katakuri knelt on one knee before Boros, speaking with utmost respect.
It might sound a little ironic, but ever since Boros had absorbed Big Mom's crew, the Charlotte family had actually been living better lives.
At the very least, they no longer had to live in constant fear of Mama's hunger pangs. They no longer had to choose their words so carefully, worrying that a single slip might trigger her wrath and cost them their lifespan.
In fact, under Boros's absolute rule of violence, Charlotte Linlin hadn't had a single hunger fit for a long time. It was almost as though Boros had "cured" her completely.
"Leave such matters to yourself. There's no need to come to me for reports all the time."
Seated on the throne, Boros spoke coldly.
It wasn't that he had anything against Katakuri—it was simply his nature. He cared for nothing unrelated to battle.
If Katakuri had been reporting the arrival of a powerful enemy, Boros might have shown interest. And if that enemy were Kizaru, Boros would likely be thrilled.
"Yes, I understand, my lord!" Katakuri responded firmly.
Even though he had been granted considerable authority, Katakuri still maintained his calm and unshaken demeanor, which made Charlotte Linlin grit her teeth in fury as she sat below Boros.
Her once most-prized son had now become another man's lapdog. What infuriated her the most was that Katakuri actually accepted it willingly. How could Charlotte Linlin not be seething with rage?
Yet she wasn't Boros's match. Even when joining forces with Kaido to oppose him, their best record had been barely half an hour.
No matter how many times they tested him, they still couldn't gauge Boros's true strength.
The only thing they could confirm was that the armor Boros wore wasn't his weak point. She and Kaido had once found an opportunity to shatter it.
The result? They created their worst record yet—without his armor, Boros had taken just forty-seven seconds to beat both of them into the ground.
"Hum-hahahahaha!"
Seeing Charlotte Linlin's rolls of fat trembling in rage, Kaido couldn't help but laugh with schadenfreude.
Compared to Katakuri, that so-called "filial" son, Kaido suddenly felt that Yamato's rebellious actions weren't so intolerable after all. At least Yamato hadn't sided with that one-eyed freak to keep him under surveillance, nor tattled to him at every turn.
But before Kaido could enjoy his glee for long, King entered the temple carrying several chests. Even in his drunken state, Kaido instantly sensed that those chests seemed awfully familiar.
°°°
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