Holy Land, Mariejois.
The Room of Authority.
A faint but heavy pressure lingered in the air. Even this place, the symbol of the sea's highest power, had been made difficult to deal with by someone.
Outside the Room of Authority, two figures in white stood tense, yet still stepped forward into a chamber ordinary people could never reach.
The two of them did not interact often, but they shared one thing in common.
They were both CP0.
As the pinnacle of the CP organization, they answered, most of the time, only to the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons. They were never intimidated by even Marine Headquarters' top brass.
But in front of Celestial Dragons, especially those sitting at the very top, they could only behave like dogs.
They had been summoned separately, only running into each other by coincidence.
Strictly speaking, it was still for the same matter.
Once inside, neither of them dared to look around. Heads lowered, they walked forward, then dropped to one knee with perfect obedience.
"Five Elders."
The five old men who represented the world's supreme authority, ruling in Imu's stead, watched them with bottomless eyes, some standing, some seated.
Backlit by shadow, their faces could not be seen. Only depth. Only dread.
Their long reign had forged an aura that commanded fear without anger. They did not need to speak. A simple gaze was enough to crush the mind.
Stussy felt it.
So did Guernica, the one called the strongest of CP0.
Fortunately, the Five Elders had not summoned them merely to intimidate. The pressure slowly withdrew.
"Stussy," the tall, gaunt Maz Saint with the long white beard spoke at last, "you know why we called you here, don't you?"
He did not even glance at Guernica. He questioned Stussy first.
The moment those words fell, the Five Elders' eyes narrowed, watching her reaction.
As the Queen of the Pleasure District, one of the underworld's great emperors, Stussy was usually a lofty figure who looked down on others.
Yet now, with her head bowed, shock flashed in her eyes.
Her pupils tightened as her mind raced.
She was a clone loyal only to Vegapunk.
And as one of the underworld powers who supported and concealed the Nika project, she understood exactly what those experiments meant.
Because if Ozz, or rather the thing being created, was discovered by the World Government, it would mean the mask was ripped off for good.
To protect Vegapunk, she had no choice but to stand fully on Ozz's side.
After a long silence, as if enduring crushing pressure beneath those staring eyes, she finally answered with a single line.
"This subordinate does not know."
The Room of Authority fell into a brief silence.
The Five Elders' eyes turned dark. Nasujuro Saint, the one holding a long blade, let killing intent flicker out. The sword in his arms even slid forward slightly, exposing a hint of edge.
Yet in the end, they did not explode.
Warcury Saint's expression was ugly. Fingers interlocked, he leaned forward on the sofa.
"Is that so? One of the kings of the underworld, and you do not know…"
He paused, then spoke the true point without any patience.
"The news that Saint Ozz has appeared on the sea?"
In other words, they were dissatisfied with her answer.
Back then, they had allowed Stussy to become a major underworld figure, and let Ozz take her in as his trusted underworld hand, not without intention.
They had wanted a nail they could use.
But now?
Ozz had vanished for years, and then suddenly returned to the seas.
From their delayed intelligence, it was obvious many of Ozz's people already knew he had come back.
That naturally included Stussy and the other underworld emperors.
Yet she had chosen not to report it.
Had she been turned?!!!
Stussy's beautiful eyes blinked softly. In the end she decided to play dumb.
"A Celestial Dragon's movements are not something I dare speak of. Especially not the movements of a terrifying figure like Saint Ozz…"
Using "internal Celestial Dragon affairs" as an excuse, she showed impressive adaptability.
But that excuse was not enough to fool five old monsters like them.
Silence.
Then, just as sweat began to form on Stussy's brow, Warcury's voice drifted out.
"Withdraw. Manage the Pleasure District well in the future. Do not disappoint Saint Ozz's cultivation."
As Stussy slowly retreated, Saturn Saint looked toward Warcury, confusion in his eyes.
Just moments ago, Saturn's eyes had already begun to glow red. Conqueror's Haki churned inside him, ready to explode and crush her skull on the spot.
A CP0 agent who ate from the inside and betrayed from the outside usually meant only one thing.
Death.
But at the last moment, Warcury raised a hand and stopped him.
Now the room held only Guernica, motionless as a statue, and the Five Elders whose expressions shifted between storm and shadow.
Warcury finally let out a sigh. Even the beard on his face trembled slightly.
"There is no meaning in doing that."
"Even if we kill Stussy, her Pleasure District will only be swallowed immediately by Sami's red-light territory in the underworld."
"It won't deter anyone. And it will only be remembered by Ozz."
Killing Stussy was easy.
But what would that accomplish?
Aside from showing off, nothing.
At its core, this was about the World Government and Ozz.
Their unspoken balance, the mutual face-saving that maintained stability, now had cracks. Now there was distance.
And as Ozz repeatedly refused to give the World Government face, and as he grew more mysterious and unpredictable, their unease only deepened.
"Don't forget," Warcury said slowly, "Ozz in his twenties was already enough to give us headaches."
"And now he's nearly forty."
That single sentence froze Saturn Saint's face.
The other Five Elders, already grim, also changed expression instantly.
A man whose true strength was unknown, whose ceiling was unknown, who disappeared for years, and whose style was bizarre and shamelessly fond of stirring trouble…
Just thinking about him made the skin crawl.
Because you never knew.
With that kind of temperament, would he suddenly decide to give you a 'surprise' one day?
Especially after lying low for so many years.
Who knew what he might be holding back.
The thought alone gave them a headache, yet they could not ignore it.
They had to prepare.
Peter Saint lifted his gaze, finally turning to the person they trusted and praised most, the strongest CP0.
Guernica.
"Speak."
"Regarding the secret operations between Vegapunk and Ozz…"
"What progress has CP0 made in its investigation?"
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