Big Mom paused mid-conversation with Kaido, her enormous frame settling into the plush seat of her tea parlor. The sweet scent of chocolate and butter cream hung thick in the air.
"Let her in," she ordered calmly.
"Yes, Mama."
Cracker bowed respectfully and backed out of the room, shutting the heavy door behind him.
Kaido leaned against a chair that creaked under his weight, raising a brow. "You actually called that troublesome woman here too?"
Big Mom chuckled in that unnerving, sing-song voice of hers. "Ma~ma~ma~ma~! She attends my Tea Party every single year, Kaido. You know that."
"Oh?" Kaido swirled the liquor in his gourd, eyeing her with amusement. "Then it seems you've finally recruited her into your pirate crew?"
Big Mom's smile vanished. "Kaido, don't make such dull jokes. That woman… she's come every year, but she's never once said she'd join my crew."
Kaido threw his head back and laughed, the room echoing with his booming voice. "Oro-ro-ro-ro! After all these years, Big Mom, and you still haven't managed to tame her!"
Just then, a teasing, honey-smooth voice drifted from the doorway.
"Ah~ Kaido, my dear, who's trying to tame whom this time?"
Both Kaido and Big Mom froze, turning their gazes toward the entrance.
There she was stepping gracefully into the room, her every movement deliberate and elegant.
The woman wore a white and pink dress that hugged her figure perfectly, a white shawl draped lightly over her shoulders. A flowered white hat rested on her golden curls, and her blue high heels clicked rhythmically across the polished floor. In her right hand, she held a dainty purse that swayed with her steps.
Her beautiful face bore a faint, knowing smile. Twin sapphire eyes flicked between the two Emperors of the Sea with measured curiosity.
Big Mom cleared her throat. "Cough, Stussy you're here?"
Stussy smiled sweetly, gliding to Big Mom's side and sitting with effortless grace. "Lilin, it's been such a long time, hasn't it? Another Tea Party already? My, how the years fly by~"
Big Mom resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Fly by? This woman hadn't aged a day in decades. Time meant nothing to her.
Looking at Stussy's flawless face, eternally youthful and elegant, Big Mom couldn't help but feel conflicted. She had tried countless times to recruit her, but deep down, she knew forcing this woman was impossible.
Because Stussy wasn't just beautiful she was dangerous.
The woman before her was none other than Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, the shadowy ruler of the New World's underworld.
But her visit today wasn't purely for pleasantries.
"Speaking of which, Lilin," Stussy began softly, her tone curious, "I heard a certain Marine has managed to get under your skin recently?"
The moment she mentioned it, Big Mom's face twisted with fury. She slammed a massive hand against the table, sending a plate of tarts flying. Then, with a growl, she recounted everything that Ezra D. Vale had done.
As Big Mom's words spilled out, Stussy's eyes flashed briefly with realization.
So that's how it is...
What Big Mom didn't know was that Stussy's real identity was far more complicated. Behind the charming smiles and elegant laughter hid a deadly secret she was an intelligence operative of CP0, the World Government's most elite espionage unit.
Just a few days ago, Stussy had received a direct order from the Five Elders themselves:
Protect Ezra D. Vale in secret.
The order shocked her to her core. A CP0 agent protecting a Marine? That had never happened before.
But before she could even begin her mission, the order was abruptly withdrawn right after Ezra had killed the Golden Lion himself.
Even after the mission's cancellation, her curiosity only grew stronger. What kind of man was this Ezra D. Vale, that the highest authority in the world had once wanted him safeguarded?
When her inquiries to the Five Elders yielded nothing but silence, she turned to the one place where his name was still being whispered in rage Big Mom's territory.
And so, Stussy came to this Tea Party not merely as a guest, but as a hunter of secrets.
Now, as Big Mom finished ranting, Stussy placed a delicate hand beneath her chin, her blue eyes glinting with thought.
"Now, now, Lilin, don't get so worked up. He's just a Marine, isn't he?"
Big Mom glared at her. "You say that like it's nothing! He killed two of my sons, and crippled Katakuri!"
"Mm, I know, I know," Stussy said lightly, though her tone carried hidden calculation. "But maybe there's another way to handle this."
Big Mom's gaze hardened. "What are you getting at, Stussy?"
"Relax," Stussy said, waving her hand with a playful grin. "Hear me out."
"Maybe the way you invited him was the problem."
Big Mom blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, think about it. He's a Marine. You're a pirate. When you send your top lieutenants to 'invite' him, of course his first instinct will be to fight. That's what Marines do. It's not exactly the best first impression, wouldn't you say?"
Big Mom frowned, silent for a few moments before reluctantly nodding. "Hmm... maybe you have a point."
"So, what do you suggest?"
Stussy's lips curved into a slow, charming smile. "Simple. He doesn't know who I really am, does he?"
Kaido nearly spat out his drink. "Cough! Wait Stussy, are you saying you'll go yourself?!"
Both he and Big Mom stared at her in disbelief.
Was this woman seriously planning to go personally just to meet one Marine?
But Stussy only tilted her head and smiled, eyes glinting with mischief and intrigue.
"Well," she said softly, "let's just say... I'm curious about him."
_______________________
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