"So what? What does your investigation have to do with you being here in the Pleasure District?" Stussy's voice was ice. Though he'd just taken advantage of her, she held herself with the stubborn poise of the Pleasure District's queen.
"This case is grave. We can't ignore any lead," Darren said, hands raised in mock surrender, a helpless look on his face. "Truth is, I'm following orders."
"Ever since the Government and Marine Headquarters ordered a full sweep, the hunting of Shichibukai candidates has stopped. Looks like the culprit caught wind and went to ground."
He paused. "There's another possibility."
"Maybe he's already eliminated most of the list. Now he's looking for fresh targets… if any remain."
His gaze lingered on her.
"The Gorosei… could they have drawn up another list?"
Stussy's hand froze mid-puff. Her pupils tightened, just a fraction.
He's figured it out.
A storm churned under her calm.
He isn't reading secrets—he's predicting the Gorosei.
"So there is a new list," Darren said lightly, reading the tremor she fought to hide. A satisfied smile touched his mouth. "Good. That puts me at ease."
He crushed out his cigar, rose from the leather sofa, and turned to go. Confirming the list existed was enough. And he doubted she had it. She'd leaked the first roster; the Gorosei were far too shrewd to trust the same hands twice. They would reassign the Shichibukai selection to a different cell of CP0.
"Wait!"
He stopped at the door.
"What is it?" he asked, puzzled.
Stussy studied him, expression shifting.
"I see," Darren murmured, as if enlightened. He strolled back, fingers already sliding open the buttons of his uniform jacket.
"What are you doing?!" Stussy snapped, startled, irritation sparking in her eyes.
"You stopped me. What else would you want?" His tone was oddly intense.
She glared, exasperated, then pulled a top-secret folder from the safe and tossed it onto the table.
"The Government's new list."
She looked away, but a faint gleam flickered deep in her eyes.
"Didn't you say you had an investigation to run?" she added, too casual. "The Gorosei instructed me to cooperate fully. You should know this list exists. With it, we might expedite the case—or at least target our measures."
To her surprise, Darren didn't lunge for it. He narrowed his eyes instead, a mocking curve on his lips.
"What's so funny?" Stussy's voice sharpened. She hated that look—like he'd already solved a game she hadn't realized she was playing.
"So this is the new list of Shichibukai candidates?" he asked, teasing.
"Exactly," she said.
"And the Gorosei just… handed a top-secret roster to you?"
"What's your point?" she snapped.
"No point." He smiled, all edge. "Just a word of advice: don't get any ideas about anyone on that list. And you'd better pray nothing happens to them, because if it does…"
"Or what?" she challenged.
"Or you're dead."
She went still, confusion washing over her. Under his gaze, the meaning clicked into place; the blood drained from her face.
"No…"
Darren stepped in, cupping her face. "They're already suspicious. More likely, this is a test. If I'm right, they gave this list to you alone."
Her knees hit the chair back as she sagged, voice gone rough. "Which means… if any candidate on this list is hit again, they'll know…"
"That you leaked the first," he finished softly.
He patted her shoulder and leaned close. "Be careful, Your Majesty. Don't die too easily." His head tilted; a wicked light danced in his eyes. "You're my favorite toy. I'd hate to see you break."
She shuddered and bared her teeth at him. "Impossible! The Gorosei would never suspect me! I pinned everything on Lone Wolf. He's the obvious culprit!"
"Care for another wager?" he asked, amused.
Another wager. The words made her skin prickle. But pride forced the question out: "What are you betting this time?"
Darren's grin turned feral as he produced a Den Den Mushi. Stussy's breath caught. Not an ordinary set—it was a Visual Den Den Mushi.
---
Three hours later, on a deserted New World island, a roar split the mountains. A slash of sword aura ripped the sky and scythed a distant peak in half; the collapse thundered, a tidal wave of dust rising in its wake.
High above, Stussy watched the pressure flare out of the range, face gone ashen. She barely registered Darren's arm around her waist.
A top-tier CP0 agent—that cold, anesthetized presence was unmistakable. In less than three seconds, he had torn apart a random pirate they'd seized to bait a response. And the quarry here was clearly a CP0 operative buried among the Shichibukai candidates.
A trap. If she'd moved rashly to prove Darren wrong by touching someone on the list, this "surprise" would have been waiting for her. The Gorosei did suspect her.
Panic surged.
"Relax," Darren murmured into her ear. "Our secret holds. You're safe." He felt her grip tighten, and a smile ghosted across his mouth. The Gorosei's play had nudged her closer than he'd planned.
It saved him no small amount of effort.
To be continued...