"What?! He really defeated Big Mom?!"
In the depths of the Forest of Temptation, Stussy stood silently, phone transponder snail in hand. She was mid-conversation with the Five Elders.
"I can't explain everything clearly," Stussy reported, her voice tinged with disbelief. "But I was there. I saw it happen with my own eyes. The power he displayed... it was like watching a god descend."
Though half a day had passed, the horror of the battle remained vivid in her mory. It had shaken her to the core—sothing she knew she would never forget.
Her gaze drifted toward the sea, where a ship floated just over a hundred ters from the ruined shore of Cake Island. Katakuri and his crew had departed monts ago. Now, only Rhett Vane remained within the forest's shadows.
"He's leaving Cake Island now?" ca the voice of one of the Five Elders.
Another short-haired elder spoke firmly, "Don't let him go. We cannot allow soone this dangerous to continue living."
"Agreed," the others said in unison.
They were clear—Rhett Vane was the "light" that Im-sama had ordered extinguished. This was the mont. His battle with Big Mom had left him weakened. It was the perfect ti to strike.
They trusted Stussy—not to face Vane head-on, but to carry out a swift, effective assassination.
The New World was already a volatile sea of monsters, and the balance was delicate. If a new figure like Vane rose to beco a fifth Emperor, the whole equilibrium would collapse. The World Governnt wouldn't allow it.
"Assassinate him," One of the elders declared. "No one is better suited for this than you, Stussy. You can kill from over a kiloter away. And even if you fail, he won't know it was you. We trust you'll escape cleanly."
"But," another added, "we require success."
"Exactly. He's just finished an intense battle, and his guard is likely down. This is the mont you must act."
Their tone left no room for debate. The order was absolute.
Stussy, still listening, felt a cold weight settle in her chest. She had once believed herself capable of such a task—but that was before she witnessed the clash between Vane and Big Mom. What she saw terrified her.
Still, this was a direct order. She couldn't disobey. Not unless she wanted to end up a fugitive herself.
"I understand," she replied quietly, ending the call.
The line went dead, but the pressure remained.
Assassinating a pirate of Emperor level was no small task. Many had tried. Few had lived to tell the tale. But if she wanted to stay in the good graces of the Celestial Dragons, she had to try.
"Rhett Vane must die," she murmured to herself.
Stussy put the transponder snail away, her expression now calm and focused. She looked toward the ship again. The mont had co.
Her figure lifted into the air using Geppo—Moonwalk. She had spent decades mastering the Rokushiki martial arts, refining her body to perfection. If you gave even an average person enough ti, they could reach mastery. She was no average person.
Floating silently, she closed the distance to the ship. Two hundred ters. That was nothing for soone like her.
She hovered, a phantom in the night sky.
On the deck below, Vane lay resting with his head in a woman's lap—Esdeath's. He appeared relaxed, his body stretched across the planks.
"As expected... young, careless," she muttered.
"Your journey ends here."
She raised her right hand and extended her index finger, forming the classic shape of a gun. The technique was unmistakable—Shigan: Flying Finger Gun.
She didn't aim for the chest. That area was too heavily reinforced by Vane's physical defense. Even the heart might be protected.
No—she targeted the forehead. The skull.
Her finger locked onto the spot.
Vane wasn't moving.
He was vulnerable.
Her accuracy was undeniable. Two hundred ters was nothing compared to her usual range. She had once killed from over a kiloter away. Now, with the target perfectly still, there was almost no chance she'd miss.
The concentrated power gathered at her fingertip. With this one strike, she could end the threat before it fully erged.
Her expression remained cold.
This was what she did.
And yet—she had no idea what was about to happen next.
Even with her composure, even with all her training, what ca next would shatter her expectations completely.
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