The sudden rasp of Saint Saturn's voice made Stussy's heart skip a beat.

Her body stiffened, but she quickly composed herself and turned around slowly.

"What are your orders, Saint Saturn-sama?"

Stussy kept her head lowered. In an organization as rigidly hierarchical as the World Government, looking directly at its highest authority was always seen as a challenge—an act of defiance.

Even though she was now ranked among CP0's senior agents, she still had no right to meet the eyes of these five old men who ruled the seas.

Yet even with her gaze downcast, she could feel an invisible pressure seeping through the air of the chamber.

Those five ancient pairs of eyes, having witnessed countless ages, were all fixed on her.

Her scalp tingled, her head itched with tension.

What she didn't see—

Behind the five elders, whether standing or seated, twisted, shadowy monsters loomed. Their forms warped like smoke, their gazes filled with a savage hunger as they stared her down.

"We want to know—has Rogers Daren been to the Pleasure District recently?"

Saint Warcury's cold voice cut through the air as he stared at her.

Stussy's heart jolted.

Daren... had he visited the Pleasure District?

What did they mean by that?

Had they found something?

No—if they had proof, she wouldn't still be standing here.

So it was just suspicion?

She paused briefly, forcing herself to maintain composure, and responded respectfully,

"Reporting to you, my lords—according to what I know, Rogers Daren has not been to the Pleasure District recently."

Yes. At least, not recently.

Silence.

A dead, suffocating silence.

As soon as she finished speaking, the council hall fell eerily quiet again.

The Five Elders said nothing. They simply stared at her.

Stussy felt like she was walking on the thinnest ice imaginable.

Time passed.

Five seconds later...

"Good. You're not lying."

Saint Warcury finally spoke again.

He picked up a cup of tea and took a slow sip, his hoarse voice echoing faintly,

"You heard the report just now. That brat Rogers Daren is growing more and more reckless."

"He seems to have gained control of some unknown power—one strong enough to kill Saint Michael."

"We want you to tap into the underground intelligence network and find out exactly what kind of power that brat has awakened."

Stussy froze.

Before she could say anything, Saint Saturn added in a flat tone,

"What we mean is—at all costs. Even if it means your life. Do you understand?"

Stussy immediately lowered her head and replied in a firm voice,

"Yes, I understand."

Without another word, she turned and quickly left, not daring to linger a second longer.

As she hurried down the worn, ancient Celestial Stairway, her steps came to an unconscious halt.

She took a deep breath and turned her gaze back toward the towering staircase that seemed to pierce the sky itself.

Lining either side of the majestic stairway stood ten massive statues, each carved with deep, powerful lines—chiseled and imposing, exuding an overwhelming sense of dread.

But Stussy's eyes were drawn to the one at the very front.

A handsome and graceful face. A slender figure. A Western sword at the waist.

Saint Jaygarcia Michael—the commander of the God's Knights.

Stussy's eyes turned distant once again.

In that moment, she felt as if she were watching the statue that had stood in defense of the World Government for so many years... crumble to dust.

"So maybe... the World Government isn't so invincible after all?"

The sudden thought startled Stussy, making her heart skip a beat.

She quickly shook her head, forcing the wild thoughts from her mind and sank into contemplation.

It was too quiet.

The Five Elders had been... far too calm.

Yes, they were furious, but they regained their composure almost instantly.

They had tasked her with investigating the mysterious power Daren had recently acquired, yet their words showed no fear or caution. On the contrary, there was still that same arrogant confidence—that everything remained under their control.

Why?

Stussy couldn't understand it.

Even the commander of the God's Knights—the one hailed as the "strongest"—had fallen at Daren's hands. What gave the Five Elders the right to keep holding their heads so high?

Even if their bodies made them seemingly immortal, against that perverted bastard who only kept growing stronger by the day, weren't they just old turtles hiding in Mary Geoise with nowhere left to run?

Stussy couldn't imagine what cards they still held that gave them such unwavering confidence.

Unless... those "800 years of foundation" weren't just empty words?

Regardless, one thing had become clear to Stussy during this mission.

The Five Elders... might have started to suspect her connection to Daren.

If she failed to provide valuable intelligence this time, then the next time she was summoned to Mary Geoise, it might not be the Five Elders she'd be facing—but CP0's internal enforcers.

At that thought, a flicker of conflicting emotion crossed her eyes.

On one hand, she could maintain the Five Elders' trust, continue rising through the ranks of the World Government's top intelligence agency, and use that position to secretly protect Dr. Vegapunk.

On the other...

She could go on being blackmailed by that shameless, lecherous bastard, risking her life doing things that defied the World Government, saying one thing to the Five Elders while doing another behind their backs...

It wasn't a hard choice.

Right now, a defiant, untamed face surfaced in her mind.

"Don't blame me."

She gritted her teeth. With a flicker, her figure vanished from sight.

...

Pangaea Castle council hall.

"Do you still think she's trustworthy?"

Saint Mars, who rarely voiced opinions, suddenly spoke up.

Warcury cast him a cold glance.

"Mars, are you questioning my authority?"

As the "Warrior God of Justice" of the World Government, Warcury held command over all judicial branches, including the entire CP organization and Enies Lobby. Questioning Stussy's loyalty was, in some sense, a challenge to Warcury's leadership.

Mars replied calmly,

"Of course not. It's just that the CP organization is vast. It's only natural some may slip through the cracks... With the current situation so volatile, we should tread carefully."

"...Enough. Even we can't guarantee every subordinate's absolute loyalty."

Saint Saturn gently tapped his cane, cutting off what was about to become a heated exchange.

"The most urgent matter now is uncovering what kind of power that brat Daren has come to possess."

"Based on our judgment, even if his Devil Fruit has awakened, he shouldn't have been able to kill Michael."

"Now then... as for the next commander of the God's Knights—"

He looked up toward the darkened corner of the council hall.

"You've been waiting long enough, haven't you, Figarland Garling?"

...

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