Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Inside the Hall of Power.
A faintly heavy atmosphere lingered in the air. Even this place, symbolizing the highest power of the entire sea, had now been thrown into turmoil by a certain someone.
Outside the Hall of Power, two figures in white attire stood tensely, yet still stepped resolutely into the room that ordinary people could never dream of approaching.
The two didn't interact much with each other, but they had one thing in common—
They both belonged to CP0.
As the apex of the Cipher Pol organizations, they usually answered only to the Elders and the Celestial Dragons. Even the highest-ranking Marine officers didn't intimidate them in the slightest.
But before the Celestial Dragons—especially those of the highest rank among them—they could only behave.
They had been summoned separately, only to run into each other by coincidence. Strictly speaking, though, they had been called here for the same matter.
Entering the chamber, neither dared to glance around. They simply lowered their heads and stepped forward before kneeling respectfully on one knee.
"Elders-sama."
The five old men, symbolizing the world's supreme power and ruling on behalf of Imu, all stood or sat in silence, their gazes deep and inscrutable.
Backlit by the glow of the chamber, their faces were hidden in shadow—indistinct, yet exuding an aura of terrifying authority.
Years in power had honed an innate majesty in them; even saying nothing at all, just the weight of their gaze created an overwhelming psychological pressure.
Both Stussy and the man known as CP0's strongest—Guernica—could feel it clearly.
Fortunately, however, the Elders hadn't summoned them merely to intimidate. That oppressive pressure slowly faded.
"Stussy,"
The one with a tall, thin frame and a long white beard—Saint Marcus Mars—spoke first, his tone calm yet weighty.
"You should know why we called you here, yes?"
The moment he spoke, the Elders' eyes narrowed in unison, as if to study Stussy's every reaction.
Once known as the Queen of the Pleasure District and one of the underground world's major figures, Stussy now kept her head lowered, though her eyes betrayed deep shock.
Her pupils shrank slightly, thoughts racing in her mind.
She was an artificial human created by Vegapunk—utterly loyal to him—and one of the underground leaders who had long concealed and supported the Nika Project. She understood better than anyone what those experiments represented.
After all, if Orin—or rather, the subject of that experiment—were to be discovered by the World Government, it would mean complete exposure and open hostility.
To protect Vegapunk, she had to stand firmly on Orin's side.
After a brief silence, under the heavy weight of five piercing gazes, she finally spoke through gritted teeth:
"I do not know."
Her words plunged the Hall of Power into silence.
The Elders' expressions darkened. Among them, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the one holding a long blade, let killing intent flicker in his eyes.
The sword in his arms tilted ever so slightly forward, its edge glinting coldly.
But in the end, none of them made any drastic move. Saint Topman Warcury, his expression sour, leaned forward slightly from his seat, fingers interlocked.
"Is that so? One of the kings of the underworld... and you claim ignorance?"
"You mean to tell us you didn't know that Orin-sama has reappeared on the sea?"
There was no more room for evasion—the Elders cut straight to the point.
Their tone made it clear—they were very dissatisfied with Stussy's answer.
When they had tacitly allowed her to rise among the underworld's elite and later serve under Orin as his trusted subordinate, they had fully intended to plant a spy by his side.
But now? Orin had vanished for years and suddenly returned to the sea.
According to their delayed intelligence, it was evident that many of Orin's followers already knew of his return—including the other underworld kings like Stussy.
And yet she had chosen silence.
Had she already defected?
Stussy blinked, her long lashes trembling. Finally, she played dumb.
"The movements of the Celestial Dragons are far beyond my authority to question... especially someone as terrifying as Saint Orin."
Using internal Celestial Dragon affairs as a shield—clever. It showed her adaptability in crisis.
But such excuses couldn't deceive the five old monsters sitting before her.
"..."
Silence stretched again. Beads of sweat rolled down Stussy's forehead.
At last, Saint Topman Warcury's calm yet deep voice broke the stillness.
"You may leave. Continue managing the Pleasure District well. Do not disappoint the faith Orin placed in you."
As Stussy quietly withdrew, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn turned to Warcury, his eyes filled with doubt.
Just moments ago, his eyes had already begun to glow faintly red, the aura of Conqueror's Haki Infusion surging within him—he had been seconds away from blowing her head apart.
For traitorous CP0 agents like her, the usual policy was simple: one appears, one dies.
Yet at the last moment, Warcury had raised his hand to stop him.
Now only Guernica remained standing motionless like a statue, while the Elders' expressions shifted between shadow and light.
Warcury sighed softly, his thick beard trembling slightly.
"Killing her serves no purpose. If we eliminate Stussy, her Pleasure District will just be swallowed by Sammi's Red Light District from the underworld in no time. It won't serve as a deterrent—it'll only make Orin remember this slight."
Killing Stussy would be easy. But to what end? It would be nothing more than empty posturing.
At its core, this was a matter between the World Government and Orin himself.
For years, both sides had maintained a delicate balance out of mutual respect—but that balance was now cracking.
And with Orin's repeated defiance of the Government, his growing mystery, and increasingly unpredictable behavior, the Elders' unease only deepened.
"Don't forget—when Orin was barely in his twenties, he already had us running in circles."
"Now he's nearing forty."
That statement alone made Saturn's face freeze for a moment.
The other Elders' expressions grew grim as well.
An opponent of unknown strength and limitless potential, who had vanished for years and thrived on chaos—just the thought of him sent chills down their spines.
Because with someone like Orin...
You never knew when he might decide to bring you a little "surprise."
And after lying low for so many years, who could say what he was preparing now?
The mere thought gave them all headaches, yet ignoring it was impossible.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter finally raised his head, looking toward the man they trusted most—the strongest CP0 agent, Guernica.
"Speak. What progress has CP0 made in investigating the secret operations between Vegapunk and Orin?"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo