Saint Saturn's sudden, rasping voice made Stussy's heart jolt.
She froze for an instant, then forcibly steadied herself and turned back slowly.
"May I ask, Excellency Saint Saturn, what are your orders?"
She didn't dare lift her head. Within the rigid hierarchy of the World Government, looking directly upon its highest rulers was a grave act of disrespect—tantamount to silent rebellion.
Even as a Senior Agent of CP0, she had no right to meet the eyes of these five ancient elders who held the world in their hands.
Yet even with her gaze fixed on the floor, she could feel the invisible pressure filling the Chamber of Deliberation.
She could feel them.
Five pairs of eyes, old and cold and heavy with centuries, all fixed on her alone.
Her scalp prickled. A numb chill crept along her skin.
What she did not see was that behind the five elders—some seated, some standing—shadowy, twisted shapes loomed up from the darkness, as if monsters had risen in their wake, staring at her like hungry beasts.
"We wish to know," Saint Warcury said, his voice as frigid as his gaze, "whether Rogers Darren has been to the Pleasure District recently."
Stussy's heart lurched.
Darren… had he been to the Pleasure District?
What did they mean by this?
Had they discovered something?
No. If they knew the truth, I'd already be dead.
So they only suspect.
She paused, forcing her breathing to slow, and answered with deliberate calm:
"Excellencies, to my knowledge, Rogers Darren has not appeared in the Pleasure District recently."
At least… not in the "recent past" you mean.
Silence.
A suffocating silence.
Once she finished speaking, the Chamber of Deliberation went still again.
The Gorosei simply stared at her, their expressions unreadable.
Stussy felt as if she were walking across a thin sheet of ice over a bottomless abyss.
Time crawled by.
Five seconds later—
"Very well. You are not lying," Saint Warcury said at last.
He lifted a cup of clear tea, took a small sip, and rasped:
"You heard the report. That brat Rogers Darren is growing increasingly brazen."
"He appears to have mastered some kind of mysterious power—power strong enough to kill even Saint Michael."
"We require you to use your Underworld intelligence web to uncover exactly what kind of power this boy has obtained."
Stussy froze for a heartbeat, startled.
Before she could respond, Saint Saturn cut in flatly, "Our meaning is this: spare no cost… even your life. Do you understand?"
Stussy lowered her head even further, her tone grave. "Yes, Excellency. I understand."
She didn't dare remain another second.
Turning on her heel, she withdrew from the Chamber of Deliberation, her steps swift and controlled.
Descending the ancient, weather-worn Stairway to Heaven, Stussy's footsteps faltered despite herself.
She drew a deep breath and glanced back at the towering staircase behind her, its summit lost in the clouds.
On either side of the magnificent stairway stood ten colossal statues, their features chiseled deep, radiating an oppressive, awe-inspiring majesty.
But her gaze settled on the one at the very front.
A handsome, refined face. A slender figure. A rapier at his hip.
—Commander of the Knights of God, Jaygarcia Michael, Excellency.
Stussy's eyes went out of focus.
For a fleeting moment, she seemed to see this statue—which had guarded the World Government for centuries—crumble into dust before her eyes.
So maybe… the World Government isn't as invincible as it seems.
The thought flashed through her mind, startling her.
She shook her head sharply, chasing away the chaotic swirl in her chest, and sank into deep contemplation.
Too calm.
The Gorosei's reaction had been far too calm.
They'd erupted with fury at first, but quickly recovered their composure.
Although they'd ordered her to investigate Darren's "mysterious new power," there had been not the slightest hint of fear in their words—only an unshaken arrogance, the complacent certainty of men who believed themselves still wholly in control.
Why?
Stussy couldn't understand it.
Even the Commander of the Knights of God—celebrated as the "strongest"—had died at Darren's hands. On what basis did the Gorosei maintain such unshakable pride?
Even if their so-called "Undying Bodies" truly granted them invincibility, in front of that lecherous bastard who grew stronger by the day, they were nothing more than five old turtles, sealed inside the Holy Land of Mary Geoise with nowhere left to run.
She simply couldn't imagine what hidden card they still held that allowed them to be so unafraid.
Could it be that their "eight hundred years of accumulated power" isn't just empty bravado?
Whatever the truth, Stussy had drawn at least one clear conclusion from this summons:
The Gorosei… likely already suspected her connection to Darren.
If she failed to deliver valuable intel this time, then the next time she set foot in Mary Geoise, the ones awaiting her might not be the Gorosei, but CP0's internal executioners.
At that thought, a complex light flickered in her eyes.
On one hand, she could cling to the Gorosei's trust, rise even higher within the World Government's supreme intelligence apparatus, and, from that vantage point, better shield Dr. Vegapunk in secret.
On the other, she could continue to be blackmailed by that degenerate pervert who held her secrets in his hand—let herself be dragged deeper into covert opposition against the World Government, mouthing allegiance to the Gorosei while betraying them behind their backs…
On paper, the choice shouldn't have been difficult.
Yet in that moment, the image that surfaced in her mind was that infuriatingly arrogant, untamed face.
"Don't blame me," she murmured through clenched teeth.
Her figure flickered and vanished from the stairway.
---
Pangaea Castle, Chamber of Deliberation.
"Do you still believe she's trustworthy?" Saint Mars, who rarely spoke, suddenly asked.
Saint Warcury glanced at him, his eyes turning cold. "Mars, are you questioning my leadership?"
As the Warrior God of Justice, Warcury held sway over the entire judicial system—CP organizations, Enies Lobby, all of it. Casting doubt on Stussy's loyalty was, in a sense, casting doubt on Warcury's oversight.
Saint Mars replied evenly, "Not at all. The CP system is vast. It's only natural that some elements slip through. Given the current situation, we should err on the side of caution."
"Enough," Saint Saturn interjected, tapping his cane lightly on the floor.
The sharp sound cut through the air, halting the brewing argument.
"Even we cannot guarantee absolute loyalty from every subordinate," he said coolly. "The pressing issue now is uncovering what kind of power that brat Darren has acquired."
"Even if his Devil Fruit has awakened, that alone shouldn't be enough to kill Michael."
"Furthermore, regarding the next Commander of the Knights of God…"
He raised his head, his gaze sliding into the shadowed corner of the Chamber.
"You've been waiting long enough, haven't you, Figarland Garling?"
To be continued...