"Stussy, eat my arrow!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ethan Sugawa pulled his blazing bowstring taut. A white flaming arrow shot from his fingertips, hurtling straight toward Stussy.
"Damn it!"
Stussy cursed under her breath, danger alarms screaming in her mind. She hastily tried to summon her wings, but the arrow struck her abdomen before they could fully form.
In an instant, the Asura Holy Flame erupted inside her, burning violently. No matter what technique she used, she couldn't extinguish the flames.
"I have to get out of here! I need to find the World Government they must have a way to handle this."
Stussy's thoughts immediately turned to Saint Jaygarcia Saturn and the Defense Science Division.
She had heard they were developing clone technology. With scientific prowess at that level, surely they could deal with these flames.
But when she saw the tightly sealed walls of fire surrounding her, a wave of despair crashed over her.
If she dared to charge through, the white flames would burn her to ash in seconds.
Hesitating for only a moment, the Asura Holy Flame surged through her meridians, spreading to her internal organs and scorching them from within.
The searing pain shattered her focus. Stussy lost control of her flight and plummeted to the ground.
She thought this was where she would meet her end, but a commanding voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
"How does it feel? Enjoying the taste of my Asura Holy Flame?"
Stussy looked up to see Ethan standing tall before her, four arms extended from his back, a vertical eye on his forehead glowing faintly, gripping his bone sword, his entire body bathed in white flames.
Seeing his overwhelming power firsthand, Stussy ground her teeth in frustration.
"Turns out I've been blinded by arrogance. I never imagined you had such a trump card hidden."
She thought she had him under control, but in the end, she was the one who fell.
"I've always imagined dying at the hands of the Navy, or another pirate, but I never thought I'd die at the hands of a rookie."
As the flames threatened to burn through her internal organs, Stussy was filled with bitter regret.
Just as she resigned herself to death, the flames within her suddenly receded and went dormant.
Confused, she saw Ethan approach and look down on her with a calm, indifferent gaze.
"Submit, or die."
Those words made her understand that her life had just been spared.
Without hesitation, Stussy said, "I submit. I will serve you loyally for the rest of my life."
"Very good."
Ethan was quite satisfied with her quick decision.
He hadn't spared Stussy out of mercy he had a purpose.
Since she had already aligned herself with the World Government, becoming one of their agents, Ethan could now use her as his gateway into their ranks.
The World Government and the Navy controlled incredible scientific technologies, and Ethan coveted them.
With Stussy acting as his inside contact, he would have a chance to seize those secrets.
"Gene cloning, artificial Devil Fruits, cyborg soldiers…"
Just thinking about it made Ethan's blood burn with excitement.
He suddenly heard a commotion outside people must have been drawn by the noise from their battle.
He couldn't afford to reveal that he was still alive just yet.
Lifting the weakened Stussy in his arms, Ethan disappeared from the scene in a flash.
After leaving, Ethan booked another room at a nearby inn.
Once he confirmed they were safe, he heard a soft voice behind him.
"Um… can you give me some clothes?"
Turning, Ethan was greeted by an incredibly provocative sight.
Stussy's tattered outfit barely covered her body, exposing large patches of her fair skin. Her deliberate air of vulnerability only stoked the fire inside him.
Her clothes had been nearly destroyed in their earlier battle, and she could only use her arms to cover herself.
Ethan's breath quickened, his eyes turning red as the heat in his chest surged beyond control. He finally lost his restraint and pounced on her.
Moments later, the bed began to creak rhythmically, and the heavy breathing of man and woman filled the room.
[You have delivered 100 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +10 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Paper Art.]
[You have delivered 500 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +10 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Shave.]
[You have delivered 1,000 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +10 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Finger Gun.]
[You have delivered 2,000 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +10 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Tempest Kick.]
[You have delivered 5,000 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +10 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Moonwalk.]
[You have delivered 10,000 critical hits to Stussy. Gained +100 experience in the Navy's Six Styles: Iron Body.]
[...]
When the storm finally calmed, Ethan sat at the edge of the bed, fully satisfied as he watched his mastery of the Navy's Six Styles rapidly soar.
It confirmed what he suspected Stussy had been with the World Government all along.
Ordinary pirates might know a few scattered Navy techniques, but only government agents and CP0 members would have systematically mastered all Six Styles.
The fact that Ethan advanced to Level 3 proficiency within just an hour proved how deep Stussy's mastery ran.
"I wonder what rank Stussy holds within the World Government now, and what technologies they've developed…"
Ethan pondered these questions.
When Stussy slowly regained her senses, he got straight to the point.
"When did you join the World Government?"
Stussy paused, realizing that using the Navy's Six Styles during their fight had already exposed her identity.
After a moment's hesitation, she admitted, "Before I even joined the Rocks Pirates, I was already a covert agent for the World Government."
"So the betrayal at God Valley and Rocks' death were connected to you?" Ethan frowned.
"I only reported that Rocks planned to attack God Valley. I never expected him to actually die there."
She wasn't lying. The battle at God Valley was filled with twists no one had foreseen. They didn't expect Garp and Roger to join forces, nor had they anticipated Rocks' strength being overestimated.
That's how the battle spiraled into disaster.
Ethan nodded, then stared at her with a serious expression.
"What kind of technology does the World Government have now? And where is Vegapunk?"
"Vegapunk?" Stussy's eyes widened in shock.
"How do you know about Vegapunk?!"
Vegapunk was the World Government's most closely guarded secret, under constant surveillance by the Navy and CP0. Outsiders had no way of accessing that information.
How did Ethan know about him?
Stussy stared at Ethan, her eyes full of suspicion.