Totto Land, Cake Island.
Deep inside Cake Castle, the heart of the island, was where Big Mom lived.
The grand Tea Party was about to start, but suddenly, Big Mom's earth-shattering roar echoed throughout the castle.
"Are you kidding me?! Absolutely not!"
Big Mom clutched the Den Den Mushi tightly, her face twisted with fury as she bellowed into it. "The whole Underworld knows I want Black Hair's head! If I can't bring it back, how will I ever show my face again?!"
"Wororororo, Linlin, listen up! Black Hair is the guy my daughter has her eyes on. That makes him part of the Beasts Pirates! He's mine!" Kaido's booming voice roared from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
"You little brat, you've got some nerve!" Big Mom snarled, her voice dripping with menace. "Kaido, if you dare step foot in Totto Land, I'll kill you! Don't think our old friendship means a thing!"
"Linlin, nobody can kill me!" Kaido roared back, taking a swig of sake from his ever-present jug, his eyes blazing with fierce intent. "And listen, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you! Let's try to get along, like the old days!"
" Click!"
The Den Den Mushi went silent.
Their explosive conversation hadn't been encrypted, and the Marines listening in immediately picked it up.
"Two of the Four Emperors are about to clash!" one Marine exclaimed urgently. "The only ones who can stop them are the Admirals and the Warlords of the Sea! Alert the higher-ups immediately!"
The Marines were on edge. The meeting of two Emperors was bad enough, but the fact that they were fighting over Black Hair made it even worse.
Black Hair was about to marry Palace Shalria. If something happened to him, how would the Marines ever explain it to the Celestial Dragons?
" Bang!"
Sengoku slammed his fist on his desk. Sengoku's Desk HP: dangerously low.
His face was a mask of pure rage. "That kid is always causing trouble!"
Running off to the territory of a Four Emperor, getting targeted by two of them... it was like he was trying to cause as much chaos as possible!
Does he even realize how important he is right now?
Even if he had a personal vendetta against Big Mom, he shouldn't have provoked her. Now that everyone knew Roya was marrying a Celestial Dragon, Big Mom would stop at nothing to get her revenge.
If Roya had just behaved himself, they could have swept things under the rug. Instead, he swaggered off to the Tea Party.
Sengoku's head throbbed with frustration.
"Contact Roya immediately and tell him to return!"
"Marshal Sengoku," a messenger said hesitantly, "We already contacted Vice Admiral Black Hair. He said he doesn't need any support. He can handle a mere Four Emperor on his own."
"A mere Four Emperor???" Sengoku's face twitched uncontrollably.
----
Cake Island, city area.
The Tea Party was about to start, and the Underworld Emperors who'd received invitations were arriving one after another, gathering in the castle's reception lobby.
" Creak …"
A Chess Piece Soldier opened the door.
The Underworld Emperors, deep in conversation, immediately turned towards the entrance, curious to see who had arrived. When they saw Roya, looking sharp in a white suit, their eyes lit up with interest.
The most sought-after man of the year!
And soon to be a Celestial Dragon!
"Yo, look at all the big shots!" Roya said, casually strolling into the lobby.
He scanned the room, taking in the sight of all the famous Underworld Emperors, influential figures from both the light and dark worlds.
There was Morgans, the president of the World Economy News, always eager for a story.
The Loan Shark King, Lu Feld, with his reputation for ruthlessness.
And the powerful Shipping King, whose ships sailed every sea.
Morgans was the first to approach, his face all smiles. "Roya-san, it's a pleasure to see you."
"Long time no see, Morgans." Roya nodded with a smile.
He and Morgans were practically old acquaintances. As a man obsessed with news, Morgans had interviewed him more than once.
They exchanged a few pleasantries.
Stussy approached Roya, a glass of red wine in her hand, and asked with a smile, "Vice Admiral Roya, we meet again."
"Stussy."
Roya took a glass of red wine from a passing servant and raised it towards Stussy, their glasses clinking softly together.
He took a sip of the wine.
Roya glanced subtly at the other Underworld Emperors.
Besides Morgans and Stussy, the others were pointedly keeping their distance. He was, after all, a Marine, and didn't exactly fit in with the Underworld crowd.
The center of the lobby was a dance floor.
Besides the Underworld Emperors, there were also numerous accompanying executives, many of whom were dancing with singing girls provided by Totto Land.
Roya put down his wine glass, smiled, and extended a hand in invitation. "Stussy, would you do me the honor of a dance?"
"Of course." Stussy placed her hand in Roya's.
Roya took Stussy's hand, wrapped his other arm around her waist, and moved slowly onto the dance floor, swaying gently with the music.
Roya lowered his head and whispered in Stussy's ear, "To be honest, I preferred you in the research lab."
"Why?"
"Because that was your most authentic self."
"How eloquent."
"And besides, dolls don't have a delicate soul like yours."
"Thank you." Stussy's eyes crinkled with pleasure.
Roya's intentions weren't romantic. He could hardly dance with a bird.
The other Underworld Emperors were watching him, and their hostility was palpable. If they met him outside, they'd probably start a fight.
Besides, not a single guest in the lobby was truly clean, including Stussy in his arms.
He'd heard about Hawaii Island, with its thriving Red Light District, and that the Boss behind the scenes was Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure Quarter.
In reality, she was the New World's biggest madam.
Thinking of this, Roya tightened his arm around Stussy, pulling her closer.
"Ah~" Stussy let out a soft sound, but didn't resist. She asked in a low voice, "Roya-san, is your marriage with Shalria really happening?"
"Yes." The corners of Roya's mouth lifted. "I'm going to become a Celestial Dragon. What do you think? Would you like to work under me when I do?"
Once he became a Celestial Dragon, he'd have more influence and access to CP0 resources. He wanted to establish his own dedicated CP0 guard. Stussy was an excellent choice.
She understood the Underworld, was close to Vegapunk, almost like a daughter, and was strong in her own right.
Plus, she was beautiful!
Stussy realized that Roya somehow knew about her CP0 agent status, but it didn't matter much.
CP0 agents ultimately reported directly to the Celestial Dragons.
Even though Roya wasn't a Celestial Dragon yet, no one would dare question him even if he used their privileges. In the eyes of outsiders, he already had the Celestial Dragon label.
"Roya-san, I don't have the authority to decide that."
"Well, that's true." Roya laughed.
The number of CP0 agents was limited. It was impossible to assign them exclusively to one Celestial Dragon, or there simply wouldn't be enough.
In the Holy Land, Celestial Dragons rarely faced danger. Regular guards were usually enough.
CP0 was for emergencies.
So, getting a CP0 agent to serve him exclusively would be tricky. He had to find a way to get this woman into his hands.
He needed a subordinate who could do the dirty work.
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[T/N:
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]