At dusk, the golden sunlight lazily filtered in through the window, casting several long shadows across the room.
Inside a quiet room at the headquarters of the Goldglint Trading Company, Lady Emily sat silently in front of a desk. Upon the desk rested a box containing two Devil Fruits, while seated opposite her was a man dressed in a white suit, wearing a mask.
Evidently, this mysterious masked man was the World Government official here to conduct the Devil Fruit transaction with the Goldglint Trading Company.
(CP0? The strongest intelligence agency directly under the World Nobles?)
Emily murmured silently to herself. Though her countenance remained as calm as usual, her heart had already sunk into deep confusion.
Earlier, she had speculated about which department of the World Government her counterparty belonged to. She had considered the SSG (Special Science Group), CP agencies, and even the most secret CP9.
Yet the one thing she hadn't expected was that this major client would be CP0!
As everyone knew, CP0 served those Celestial Dragon lords residing in the Holy Land. In other words, Lady Emily's client for this transaction was very likely a Celestial Dragon!
Which raised a question: If a Celestial Dragon wanted a Devil Fruit, why would they need to buy it from her?
(Could it be that he has another objective?)
Emily's beautiful ocean-blue eyes narrowed slightly as a deep sense of foreboding rose within her.
"Are these two the Devil Fruits discovered by your company?"
The masked man opened the box, picked up one of the Devil Fruits, and examined its strange, swirling arabesque patterns closely. He praised, "As expected of the treasures of the sea. They truly have something special about them."
"I accept the price you quoted earlier. Now then, let's discuss another matter."
Saying so, he placed the Devil Fruit back into the box, closed the lid, and raised his head to look at the beautiful noblewoman across the desk.
"Another matter?" The anxiety in Emily's heart grew even stronger.
"Yes. An 'adult' greatly admires your capabilities and wishes to invite you to become her subordinate, President Emily."
Staring intently from behind his mask at Lady Emily, whose complexion bore a sickly pallor, the CP0 agent shook his head and corrected himself: "No, I shouldn't address you by that title. I should call you..."
"...the former ace sniper of the 'Black Hand' organization—the 'Black Widow'!"
The very instant the masked man uttered those words, a pistol was leveled steadily at his head. The intense threat radiating from that dark, hollow muzzle caused even this top agent of the World Government to dramatically change expression!
(What incredible quick-draw speed!)
The masked man's muscles instantly tensed. Even though he hadn't so much as blinked just now, he still failed to catch how this seemingly delicate noblewoman had drawn her gun.
"How do you know that?" Emily asked in a cold voice.
At this moment, Lady Emily was a completely different person from her usual self. Her face, which usually wore a soft smile, had turned as cold and striking as an ancient iceberg, and those enchanting ocean-blue eyes had transformed into a crimson red brimming with icy murder intent!
Indeed—it was the very crimson red she feared the most in her daily life!
"Never underestimate our intelligence gathering abilities."
Looking at those ominous blood-red eyes, the masked man felt as though a venomous, furry spider was perched on his shoulder, rubbing its deadly fangs against his skin.
"In truth, there aren't many things on this ocean that we don't know."
Adjusting his composure, the masked man continued, "Furthermore, I suggest you put the gun down quickly. Your body can no longer sustain itself for much longer."
"..." The Black Widow hesitated for a brief moment before lowering her pistol and slowly closing her eyes.
When she reopened them, her eyes had returned to ocean blue. At the same time, fine beads of sweat instantly broke out across her forehead, making her already sickly pale complexion look even worse.
"The blood of your former leader, 'Crimson', contains her Devil Fruit ability. Although it can vastly enhance a person's physical stats and various capabilities, if it isn't replenished on time, the curse within her blood will torment a person in a fate worse than death."
Gazing at Lady Emily, who leaned over the desk gasping heavily as though she were drowning, the masked man remained completely unmoved, continuing in an unhurried manner:
"Ever since your organization's North Blue headquarters was destroyed ten years ago by the joint forces of the World Government and the Vinsmoke Family, both the leader of the Black Hand, 'Crimson', and the second-in-command, 'Nightmare', have gone missing. That you have been able to endure this state of living death until now is truly astonishing!"
Seeing Emily on the verge of fainting from agony, the masked man finally pulled a small vial containing a pale blue potion from his pocket and tossed it over.
"Drink it. You'll feel better."
At this point, Emily had no time for suspicion. She hurriedly unstoppered the vial and drank it all down. Immediately, she felt the pain across her body ease considerably, and her pale face regained a slight tinge of color.
"This... This is?" Emily held the medicine vial, a glint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
"This is a diluted version of 'Crimson Blood' recently developed by the Falcone Family."
Leaning back and crossing his legs, the masked man explained further, "Although its effects cannot match the Blood Origin Bullets crafted by Nightmare, it can temporarily boost an ordinary person's physical attributes, and correspondingly, it can alleviate the toxins in your blood."
Emily stared quietly at the vial in her hand as a thought suddenly flashed through her mind—a question that had plagued her for many years finally revealed a clue.
"Could it be that ten years ago, the reason the Black Hand was destroyed was that the World Government and the Vinsmoke Family coveted Crimson's blood?"
"Smart! As expected of the president of the Goldglint Trading Company—sharp thinking."
The masked man clapped his hands in approval: "By the way, several members of your former organization have already joined the World Government. For example, Dr. Ziegler is now a pillar of the Falcone Family. If you join that adult's organization, you might even be able to catch up with her."
"Are you so sure I'll agree?" A dangerous light gleamed in Emily's eyes.
"I am truly sorry, but that kind of life—slow heartbeat, freezing cold all over, without emotion or love, incapable of grief or tears, with nothing but endless slaughter—I have had more than enough of it!"
Although that diluted Crimson Blood was indeed enticing enough, current Lady Emily was no longer the Black Widow of back then, who felt reborn only in the instant of taking a life.
"After meeting my husband, I swore to myself that I would never kill again." Mentioning her late husband, Lady Emily's face instantly overflowed with tenderness gentle as water.
"Because I... have already been redeemed by him!"
"Redeemed? Heh heh, what a joke!"
The masked man let out a soft chuckle and mocked, "I thought you were a smart person, President Emily. Ten years ago, your hands were stained with blood; you even assassinated seven kings in the North Blue! Do you really think someone like you can still achieve redemption?"
"Besides, according to our investigation, your husband didn't know your true identity until the day he died. How do you think he would view you if he knew? Would he continue to see you as the gentle, virtuous Emily? Or as the cold-blooded, bloodthirsty Black Widow?"
Hearing this, Emily fell into silence, her eyes turning flustered and panicked.
This was a question she had deliberately avoided all along. She never dared to think about—nor wanted to imagine—how her kind-hearted husband would react if he knew she had once been an assassin with blood-drenched hands.
Seeing Lady Emily remain silent, the masked man lowered his voice and dealt a finishing blow:
"By the way, don't you also have a very adorable son?"
(Napo!)
Lady Emily abruptly stood up, her pupils shrinking instantly, while driven by extreme fury, her eyes were once again covered in a layer of blood-red.
"If you dare..."
She was about to loudly warn him not to target her son, but realizing she had no power to stand against the World Government, she could only bite her lip and sit back down in defeat.
With her precious son threatened, this poor single mother had no other choice.
"Tell me, who is that adult, and what does she want me to do?" Lady Emily asked in a hoarse voice.
"I cannot reveal that adult's true identity to you just yet—you will know when you see her in person. As for your mission..." The masked man drew a photograph from his pocket as he spoke, passing it over.
"This person is the target we wish to capture alive, but she has a very powerful individual protecting her. So your mission is to secretly eliminate that bodyguard."
Emily silently took the photograph and saw a beautiful woman with long, pale golden hair.
She wore silver-rimmed glasses, possessing an elegant and noble aura, clearly someone who held a high position. Furthermore, notably, hanging around her swan-like slender neck was a pendant.
A golden, iris flower pendant.
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