The more she said this, the more cautious Crocodile became.
Stussy's ability to secure a lasting place in the underworld spoke volumes about her methods and intelligence—something the Warlord understood very well.
This woman suddenly appearing to propose open cooperation, even offering to join the Hunter Guild herself... this choice seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.
Even if she was optimistic about the Hunter Guild, there was no need to be this eager.
After all, the World Government's official stance remained unclear, especially since they had recently clashed directly with Cyrus again in Dressrosa.
Noticing Crocodile's skeptical expression, Stussy chuckled lightly.
"Rest assured, I'm genuinely sincere about joining. If you can't make the decision, you can help me contact your Guild Master."
'So this was her real goal?' Crocodile speculated internally upon hearing Stussy's words.
But this might be for the best.
Thinking this, Crocodile nodded slightly.
"Alright, I'll contact the Guild Master. As for whether your membership will be approved, you can discuss that directly with him."
With that, Crocodile stood up and left to fetch a secure line. Stussy watched the departing Warlord, gently touching the small bag beside her.
After a short while, Crocodile returned and handed the Den Den Mushi to Stussy.
"The Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, wants to join the Hunter Guild?" Cyrus's voice came through.
Stussy's expression turned serious, her smile fading as she respectfully accepted the snail with both hands.
"Yes, Lord Cyrus. Dr. Vegapunk asked me to convey his greetings to you."
Stussy's words made Crocodile's expression change dramatically.
'Vegapunk? Stussy has connections with Vegapunk?'
"Oh, you said it directly!" Cyrus's voice showed no fluctuation.
It seemed this classified information didn't surprise him at all.
"About joining the Hunter Guild?" Stussy spoke calmly.
"Approved!" Cyrus's voice responded. "Joining the Hunter Guild is fine, but what I want to know is—has Vegapunk completed the Mother Flame yet?"
'Mother Flame?' Crocodile felt puzzled, this was the first time he'd heard this term.
But if Cyrus was asking about it directly, it must be something incredibly important.
Stussy clearly hadn't expected Cyrus to ask this, her face suddenly losing color.
"How did you... Not yet. But according to him, it might be completed within the next few years." Stussy took a deep breath before answering.
The Mother Flame was a top-secret project of the World Government, known to very few people globally.
If she hadn't been in long-term contact with Vegapunk, she wouldn't know about its existence either.
How did Cyrus know about it?
"Oh, still the same timeline? That should be sufficient," Cyrus's voice came through before the call ended.
Looking at the Den Den Mushi that had closed its eyes, Stussy wore a highly serious expression.
"Since the Guild Master has approved, I'll be handling subsequent cooperation matters with you," Crocodile noted.
Though he was very interested in what Cyrus had mentioned, now clearly wasn't the time to ask—there would be plenty of opportunities later.
"Very well!" Stussy quickly composed herself and briefly discussed the upcoming cooperation with the Warlord.
Essentially, it was about providing back-channel information and illicit funds.
Stussy clearly had something heavy on her mind, and after a quick discussion, she stood up and left without even mentioning joining the guild again.
'It seems what the president said has really gotten to this woman.' Crocodile naturally noticed that Stussy's reaction was highly unusual.
..
After leaving, Stussy took out a personal Den Den Mushi from her small bag.
"You heard it. He knows what you're doing now," Stussy spoke to the snail in her hand.
"What a strange person. Someone like this is truly hard to figure out," Vegapunk's tone clearly carried deep surprise as well.
"As long as we've established secure contact, that's what matters. As for how Cyrus found out, we'll have opportunities to ask later. Meanwhile, you should report this to the World Government."
Stussy gave a slight nod. "Should I reveal this identity to the Hunter Guild as well?"
"He's probably already guessed. Find an opportunity to tell them during your next contact with the Hunter Guild," Vegapunk hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Stussy, was a double agent—or rather, a triple agent now.
After ending the communication with Vegapunk, Stussy watched as the snail in her hand returned to its ordinary appearance, then continued using it to make another call.
Buru buru!
The Den Den Mushi rang briefly before being answered.
"Stussy, how's the progress?"
"Success. I've now established cooperation with the Hunter Guild."
"Excellent. Continue gathering intelligence, especially regarding that person."
The voice on the other end clearly gritted their teeth when mentioning Cyrus.
"Spandine, if you want revenge for your son, you could always go confront that person directly."
Hearing his tone, Stussy spoke with a sweet, mocking smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"Hmph!" The Den Den Mushi was abruptly hung up.
"Cowardly fool!" Stussy looked at the disconnected snail, stuffed it into her small bag, and couldn't help muttering under her breath.
...
Back in Dressrosa.
'The timeline remains unchanged, but while Stussy appears to be the Queen of the Pleasure District in the underworld and a CP0 agent, she's actually working directly for that fellow Vegapunk.'
A contemplative expression flashed across Cyrus's face.
Stussy is a clone of Miss Bakkin, who was once Vegapunk's colleague in MADS—they researched many illicit technologies together.
Cyrus even suspected that Bakkin's foolish son, Weevil, was actually cloned using something like Whitebeard's cells.
After all... well....
A strange look crossed Cyrus's face as his thoughts drifted further astray into the weird science of this world.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled from outside.
Cyrus turned to see Enel walking in, looking thoroughly exhilarated.
This time he'd had his fill.
Since coming down from Sky Island, he'd rarely had such ample opportunities to fight freely. He'd definitely enjoyed himself this time.
But upon seeing Cyrus, Enel immediately composed himself.
"What should we do with those guys?" Noticing Cyrus's gaze, Enel quickly asked.
"You actually showed restraint this time? I thought you'd kill them all," Cyrus noted, surprised.
"No, no! That guy Crocodile said true mastery means having perfect control over your power. I have complete control over mine," Enel immediately shook his head.
'You believe him?' Cyrus twitched his mouth and waved dismissively.
"Capture them. Have King Riku deliver them to the Naval Base to collect the bounties."
This statement made Enel's expression turn peculiar.
He was no longer the naive guy who'd just descended from Sky Island, he knew perfectly well what Cyrus's current relationship with the World Government and the Marines was like.
And you want to send these pirates to the Naval Base to claim bounties?
Wasn't this just another form of disrespect?
"The bounty money will fund the daily operations of the local Hunter Guild," Cyrus explained.
"No problem, Boss! Leave it to me! The Marines will have to pay this bounty," Young Enel immediately thumped his chest in assurance.