Ever since Bellamy had set foot on the Boin Archipelago and gone into seclusion, the seas had entered a rare period of calm. It had been a long time since any world-shaking news had broken, and the major powers of the world had grown strangely quiet. Beneath the tranquil surface of the sea, it seemed countless undercurrents were surging.
Not far from the Boin Archipelago, a massive warship was rapidly approaching.
"To think they'd dump such a trivial matter on me... Those Celestial Dragons are really something else..."
Inside the lavishly decorated bridge, a young woman with a full head of blonde hair muttered to herself. Whenever the Celestial Dragons were mentioned, her expression would become a little strained.
"Lady Stussy, we're approaching the Boin Archipelago," a soldier stepped forward to report.
"What did you just call me?" The blonde woman looked at the messenger, her face devoid of expression, her tone filled with displeasure.
"Huh? L-Lady Stussy."
The messenger was baffled. He had just come to deliver a message; how had he suddenly offended his superior? He was a low-level employee of the World Government, dispatched by his superiors to carry out a secret mission. He knew nothing about the ship's supreme commander, the woman standing before him. In fact, from what he had observed, many of the people on this warship had been temporarily recruited. Other than a few of the top officers, probably no one knew who this woman really was.
Just then, Stussy suddenly extended her flawless white index finger and pointed lightly at the messenger.
Flying Finger Pistol.
An invisible finger bullet cut silently through the air, piercing a large hole in the messenger's throat. Even as he died, the soldier had no idea what he had done wrong.
Stussy waved her hand casually, signaling her subordinates to throw the body overboard to feed the fish.
"'Lady'? Do I look old to you?"
Unbelievably, the woman had killed the soldier for such a ridiculous reason.
"Someone, prepare a small boat. I'm going to the island myself."
The Boin Archipelago certainly had no harbor; a large ship couldn't possibly dock. To be cautious, Stussy decided to go personally to complete this, in her eyes, meaningless task.
So what if she was the Queen of the Pleasure District, a famous figure in the underworld, and a member of CP0? She didn't dare to defy the will of the Celestial Dragons.
Stussy had lived for a very long time. She was actually a figure from the previous era, the era of the pirate overlord Rocks. Though her appearance remained youthful, her true age was several rounds older than even Garp and Sengoku. As the saying goes, the older you get, the more cowardly you become. Stussy also served in CP0, giving her access to a vast amount of the World Government's secrets. After living for so many years, she had come to deeply understand one truth: you can offend anyone, but you must not offend the Celestial Dragons.
Anyone who provoked the Celestial Dragons would meet only one end: being completely erased from this world. No matter how glorious you were now, the Celestial Dragons were the absolute power in this world. A man as strong as Rocks was ultimately betrayed by his own and beaten to death by a mob. And what was the fate of Roger, who had obtained the ONE PIECE? He still had to die. What was the use of the Four Emperors of the New World making such a fuss? With the passage of time, they too would grow old.
But the Celestial Dragons held the secret to extending life.
At this thought, Stussy couldn't help but sigh. If not for that secret, why would she ever submit to them?
If one knew Queen Otohime, they would be utterly astonished upon seeing Stussy's face. The two of them were seventy percent similar in appearance, suggesting some kind of unknowable relationship between them.
A small boat was quickly lowered. Stussy boarded it alone and prepared to set off. Before leaving, she didn't seem to have considered any potential trouble on this mission. After all, the Boin Archipelago was a special island far from any shipping routes and unmarked on any sea chart. An ordinary person could live their entire life without ever knowing such an island existed.
But an accident is called an accident because it is sufficiently unexpected.
Just as Stussy paddled her small boat to the shore, she saw the figure of a young man on the coast.
"There's someone on the island?"
This was actually her first time visiting this island. Although she knew of its existence, she had never been here in person. According to the intelligence department, the island should have been uninhabited. The sudden appearance of a stranger meant he must have arrived recently.
Such boring collection tasks were not usually assigned to CP0 agents. In the past, it was always idle personnel from other CP departments who led a team to complete them. But this time, an urgent mission had been suddenly issued, diverting a large amount of manpower to the New World. The Celestial Dragons, on the other hand, were pressing hard, which was why Stussy, who had been on vacation at home, was called in.
Stussy sized up the young man for a few moments but didn't recognize him. But the instant she laid eyes on Bellamy, he looked back in her direction. At the same time, an incredibly powerful wave of Observation Haki swept over along with his gaze.
The moment their eyes met, a huge wave crashed in Stussy's heart.
"Such powerful Observation Haki! Who is he?!"
She had never seen this face before. No, wait. She remembered. The intelligence department had recently updated an important file, and it contained information about this young man.
"Hiss!" Stussy sucked in a sharp breath as she finally remembered who he was.
It was "Mad Dog" Bellamy!
After issuing his challenge, this madman had disappeared from the seas for over half a year. Everyone thought he had probably been killed by Doflamingo, but who would have thought he'd show up on the Boin Archipelago? CP0 had received multiple missions related to Bellamy, ordering them to secretly cooperate with the Marines to hunt him down. Every time the Five Elders mentioned this mad dog, they were practically spitting with rage.
Stussy never imagined she would run into Bellamy here. She had come alone this time, without any trustworthy companions. Although CP0 claimed all its members were top-tier fighters, Bellamy had a record of single-handedly killing a Marine Vice Admiral. He was not someone to be underestimated.
Despite the monumental variable she had just discovered, and the turmoil in her heart, Stussy's expression did not change in the slightest. This was the most basic skill of a CP0 agent.
After a flurry of thoughts, Stussy finally made a decision and took the initiative to greet Bellamy.
"Hey there, young man. What are you doing here all alone?"
"Who are you?"
Bellamy stared coldly at the woman who had suddenly appeared. Just a moment ago, he had felt a faint, fleeting sense of malice from her.