Valthior was not worried that Stussy would say one thing and do another.
For example, borrowing the Valthior Pirates' prestige to build a new entertainment center in Onigashima, then secretly transferring large amounts of money to the World Government.
That was impossible.
Onigashima was right under Valthior's nose. As long as he paid even a little attention, such a thing would never happen.
So there was no need to care whether Stussy was loyal to him or to the World Government.
As long as he could see money flowing into Onigashima, that was enough.
As for Stussy, she truly hoped to use this chance to enter Valthior's eyes and gain his favor.
Right now, she was the Queen of the Pleasure District and a senior agent of CP. But to put it plainly, such a position had no real security.
The World Government could let her become the Queen of the Pleasure District, and it could also replace her at any time.
So if she wanted greater authority, if she wanted to ensure her own safety, and even if she wanted to protect Dr. Vegapunk—
She had to keep climbing upward and find a powerful backer.
From the moment she joined CP, she had been searching for such a target.
Then she saw CP9 Commander Spandine.
Last year's Ohara incident had caused Spandine's reputation within CP to rise sharply. Even the CP Chief, who used to order him around at will, now showed him some respect and no longer dared treat him like a disposable pawn.
Why? Because Spandine was someone Saint Valthior valued and recognized.
At Ohara, in front of everyone, he had called Saint Valthior "Young Master" and had firmly secured a place at Saint Valthior's side.
All of this had been seen clearly by those who paid attention.
Now, within the entire CP organization, who did not know that Spandine had a towering backer behind him?
Stussy was following his example.
She also planned to find Saint Valthior as her backer.
She had carefully calculated it in her mind.
There were not many top figures in the World Government. The Five Elders were undoubtedly the highest authority at the very top. Naturally, she had no way of knowing about Imu-sama's existence.
If she could attach herself to one of the Five Elders, that would of course be best.
But reality was cruel.
She had no channel through which she could enter the Five Elders' eyes and be entrusted with important duties.
Inside CP, there were far too many people who wanted to build ties with the Five Elders.
The competition was simply too fierce.
And once she was sent to the Pleasure District, it meant she had left Mary Geoise, CP's headquarters, further losing the chance to come into contact with those highest powers.
So Stussy immediately began searching for high-ranking World Government nobles who were only below the Five Elders.
Holy Knights were of course also suitable targets.
But again, she had already been sent away from Mary Geoise, so naturally, she would not have many opportunities to interact with Holy Knights either.
In the end, she fixed her target on Saint Valthior.
Saint Jaygarcia Valthior—the most favored descendant of Saint Saturn, the Warrior God of Science and Defense, who held the greatest authority among the Five Elders.
Even though Valthior had left Mary Geoise for many years, Stussy could still feel his influence and prestige in Mary Geoise.
The top Celestial Dragons all treated him with great respect.
That alone was enough to prove Saint Valthior's influence.
At the same time, like her, Saint Valthior had long resided in the New World and almost never returned to Mary Geoise. He was someone she could actually reach.
Lastly, Saint Valthior was exceptionally powerful. He was known as one of the Three Emperors of the New World and hailed as the "World's Strongest Creature."
With strength and background combined, with authority and power moving side by side, Stussy carefully weighed everything in her mind and reached one conclusion—
Saint Valthior could almost be regarded as the man just below the Five Elders, the highest authority within the World Government.
In Stussy's estimation, Valthior ranked sixth in the World Government's hierarchy of power.
And setting aside Lord Imu, the current reality was not far from that.
Back then, it was true that Saint Saturn protected Valthior.
But now, in the eyes of many in Mary Geoise, Saint Valthior and Saint Saturn supported each other.
It was no longer simply one side protecting the other.
The two of them were both borrowing strength from each other.
And this had been confirmed long ago, from the moment old Saint Saturn told Valthior that he was no longer a pawn, but a player.
Therefore, in Stussy's view, as long as she could gain Saint Valthior's recognition, it would be equal to reaching the sky in a single step.
She would no longer be the optional "Queen of the Pleasure District" within CP.
Instead, she would become an important member marked with the aura of the Jaygarcia family faction.
At that point, she should be able to protect Dr. Vegapunk as much as possible, right?
So at this moment, Stussy truly wanted to offer her loyalty to Valthior.
"I will arrange for Lincoln and Spencer to assist you with matters on Onigashima. As for how far you can take it, I look forward to seeing it. So show me your ability to your heart's content. I can tell that you want something from me—but that is fine. Everyone has the right to pursue what they want. The premise is that you can provide me with enough value," Valthior said, smiling at Stussy.
"Yes. This subordinate will not disappoint you, Saint Valthior!" Stussy immediately replied.
She knew that from this moment onward, she had obtained an opportunity.
An opportunity to display her ability under Saint Valthior's eyes.
And that was already enough.
What she lacked was exactly this kind of chance.
Valthior did not chat idly with Stussy.
Although he planned to use her to secretly establish a communication channel with Dr. Vegapunk, now was clearly not the right time. He could first let this woman perform a little and wait for a suitable opportunity later before taking the next step.
Very soon, Stussy was led out of Valthior's study by Lincoln.
Just as Valthior was about to continue reading, alarms suddenly rang across all of Frost Island.
Valthior seemed to sense something. With a smile on his face, he rose and walked to the window of his study, pushed it open, and looked into the sky.
A flying ship with a mighty golden lion figurehead was emerging from the clouds above Frost Island.
Without a doubt, this ship was the flagship of the Flying Pirates—the Flying Lion.
Before Valthior could speak, Shiki's wild and arrogant laughter had already come from high above.
"Jihahahahaha! Fast response, Valthior. The moment I show myself, your whole island goes on alert. Am I not welcome!?" Shiki's figure flew alone from the ship as he laughed in the sky.
Seeing this, Valthior also laughed.
"Ahahahahaha! Welcome? You are more than welcome. I prepared fine wine many days ago and have been waiting for you, Shiki."
As Valthior's voice fell, Frost Island's alarms quickly stopped.
However, those who should remain on guard still remained on guard. They did not relax the island's internal defenses just because Valthior and Shiki's conversation seemed friendly.
By the shore of Frost Island, Shiki controlled the power of the Float-Float Fruit and steadily placed an island that perfectly matched Valthior's requirements beside the coast.
"The island you wanted—I brought it," Shiki said casually, biting a cigar.
"You have truly done me a great favor," Valthior said, looking at the island with satisfaction.
"Speaking of which, why did you suddenly need this island?" Shiki asked curiously.
Valthior did not hide it. After all, once the flagship was completed, it would appear before the world sooner or later. There was no need to conceal it, so he said openly, "I plan to use this island to build a flagship."
"Hahahahaha! Good eye!" Shiki said excitedly after hearing that. "My Flying Lion was also modified from a small island…"
While the two of them chatted here, Silver Axe also walked down from the Flying Lion at the harbor.
"It has been a long time, Silver Axe," Spencer greeted him with a smile.
"Did my brother not come?" Sunbell looked curiously toward the boarding stairs. Seeing that no one else came down, he asked with slight disappointment.
"There are still many matters on Merveille. Barbell is staying there to oversee things," Silver Axe explained with a smile.
Before long, everyone gathered and headed together to Heaven Capital.
That very evening, Valthior held a grand banquet to entertain Shiki and Silver Axe.
At the same time, Valthior did not break his word. He immediately gave Silver Axe another brooch no less precious than the Tear of the Mountain Goddess, calling it another "witness" to their friendship.
Silver Axe was so moved that he almost jumped ship to Valthior's side on the spot.
Seeing Silver Axe and Valthior getting along so well, practically like old friends conspiring together, Shiki became extremely worried.
Originally, he had planned to stay here for a few days, observe the Valthior Pirates' situation, and collect some intelligence.
But now, after just one night, he nearly lost his great officer Silver Axe.
Naturally, Shiki did not dare stay any longer.
The next day, before Valthior had even sobered up, Shiki directly took his people and ran.
Before leaving, he even packed up the unfinished wine from the previous night.
...
Aboard the Flying Lion.
Shiki leaned against the mast, biting a cigar, and chatted with Silver Axe about the Valthior Pirates.
"This visit basically confirmed that Valthior does not hold much hostility toward us. There is no personal grudge between us, only a conflict of positions…" Shiki said.
"That is right. The grudges from back when they were with the Roger Pirates are not something everyone keeps in their hearts. Sunbell still cares a lot about Barbell too… These bonds are worth maintaining," Silver Axe nodded.
Shiki believed that right now, his relationship with Valthior was quite good.
Silver Axe under his command also had a very good relationship with Valthior, and Sunbell was Barbell's brother. Because of this, Shiki had some thoughts of his own.
If the Valthior Pirates were defeated by him, or if they were crushed by Whitebeard, then with their relationship, the Flying Pirates would have a strong chance of quickly taking Valthior and the others under their banner.
"But Shiki," Silver Axe raised his brow. "This kind of relationship has always been mutual. In other words…"
"In other words, if I am the one who loses in the struggle for supremacy in the New World, then our Flying Pirates could also be quickly absorbed by Valthior, right?" Shiki had clearly realized this as well and said it calmly.
"That is right." Silver Axe nodded. "That is exactly what I wanted to remind you of. If you lose in the future, I really will jump ship and go to Valthior."
"Hmph, let it be. The victor takes the crown, and every man plays his hand. I possess more than enough sovereignty to accept those terms," Shiki said, exhaling a mouthful of smoke.
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