Stussy knew the Five Elders were weighing their options. She pressed her advantage while the heat of the moment was still on her side. "My conditions are already very generous," she said smoothly. "If Lord Ritter were negotiating personally..." She let the silence stretch just long enough for the threat to sink in. "...then I doubt the price would stop here." Her words struck home. For the first time, the Five Elders hesitated. Moments later, the voice of Saint Ethanbaron V. Nasujuro crackled through the transponder snail, low and heavy with restrained fury. "...We can temporarily halt our suppression of Blood Dawn." The response wasn't Stussy's. Ritter's lazy voice carried across the den den mushi, reaching her ears like a whisper laced with smoke. Stussy's heart skipped. A cold bead of sweat slid down her spine, but she kept her face calm, her eyes sharpening into ice. "Not 'temporarily,'" she said. "Permanently. And on top of that, you will compensate Blood Dawn's enterprises. The damages caused by your failure to protect Sabaody's Pleasure District must be repaid at three times their worth. By my estimate..." Her gaze flicked sideways to Ritter, but he paid her no mind, lounging as though this was all a casual performance. He didn't need to calculate profit margins. This was her battlefield, and she intended to wring every last coin she could from it. "Thirty billion in reparations." Ritter's brows rose at that. Even he had to admit Stussy's bite was sharper than he expected. After all, the last time the Five Elders had mobilized the Marines against him, their so-called "appeasement fund" was only twenty billion. This was no longer simple backroom scheming or superficial smiles. The unspoken rules of give-and-take had been shattered the moment Ritter barged into the game. Ritter sneered silently to himself. Who agreed to play by your rules? The den den mushi's face twisted with fury. "You've lost your mind! Do not push your luck!" "This isn't a negotiation," Stussy cut in, her voice sharp as a blade. "This is a notice. I know the Pleasure District's ledgers better than anyone. Every coin, every hidden stream of income. You cannot lie to me." The snail's heavy breathing filled the silence, the sound of men at the end of their patience. At last, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn spoke, his voice frigid. "...Very well. But Blood Dawn must cease its indiscriminate assaults on government outposts." Stussy glanced toward Ritter. He stretched lazily, then shrugged. That was consent enough. "Deal," she said crisply. "But if the World Government breaks this agreement..." Ritter's laugh rumbled through the line, light but edged with mockery. "Next time, it won't be the Pleasure District drowning in mist. It'll be Mary Geoise. And since your word isn't worth much, we'll need collateral. Hand me the entire auction house in Sabaody. Send me a Vice Admiral to guard it yes, a Marine, not one of your dogs. And if Stussy dies, I'll lay the blame at your feet. Understand?" The den den mushi's face froze in stony rage. Then, without another word, the connection cut. The tension in Stussy's body snapped all at once. She exhaled in a trembling rush, nearly collapsing. Her knees almost gave way, but she forced herself upright, regaining her poise with sheer willpower. She looked at Ritter cautiously. "Lord Ritter... how did I do?" He studied her for a long moment, unreadable. Then his lips curled into a smile. "Not bad. Smarter than I expected." Only then did Stussy allow herself a hint of relief. She knew this wasn't an end but a beginning. Tonight, her leash had changed hands. She was no longer the World Government's pawn. Now, she belonged to Blood Dawn. Strangely enough, it felt both more dangerous and, in some twisted way, safer. How long she would live from now on depended entirely on how useful she could remain. At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office was thick enough to choke on. Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed the latest intelligence onto the desk. His voice was low and seething, each word like iron ground between his teeth. "Blood Dawn has seized the Pleasure District. Stussy has defected. And the Five Elders... have yielded. They're even demanding we assign a Vice Admiral to guard the Sabaody Auction House!" "What the hell is the World Government doing?!" Akainu roared, magma-like rage boiling in his eyes. "First they let Ritter destroy Punk Hazard and cripple Kizaru, and now this? Do they mean for us to babysit a pirate empire right under our nose?" To him, the insult was unbearable. Sabaody was practically within sight of Marineford. Now they were supposed to watch Ritter plant his flag there and even provide his guards? Aokiji stifled a yawn. "Looks like the Elders are cornered. No more tricks left to play." "Cornered?" Akainu spat. "They're just afraid. Afraid of that pirate!" "Enough!" Sengoku barked, silencing the clash before it could erupt further. He steadied himself with a long breath, then turned to Vice Admiral Tsuru. "Tsuru, your opinion?" Adjusting her glasses, Tsuru spoke with her usual calm precision. "This is not as complicated as it seems. It's a political concession. The Elders know Ritter is nothing like Dragon. Ritter's personal power and his organization both eclipse the Revolutionaries. If they continue to escalate, the only winners will be Dragon and every opportunist lurking in the dark." Sengoku hurled a senbei at Garp, who was snoring loudly with a bubble inflating from his nose. "Wake up, Garp." "So they're using us as shields?" Akainu said coldly. "Sending the Marines to guard a pirate's house?" Sengoku closed his eyes briefly, then opened them with resignation. "Orders are orders. We carry them out." "Fleet Admiral!" Akainu surged to his feet, boots striking the floor. "This is not justice!" "Justice?" Sengoku's laugh was bitter. "Where do you think our funding comes from, Sakazuki? The Marines exist because the World Government pays our bills. Refuse them, and next year's budget vanishes. What then?" Akainu's fists trembled, but no rebuttal came. "Then who goes?" Aokiji asked lightly, breaking the silence. "Not me," Akainu snapped. "I won't be a pirate's guard dog. And I am a Fleet Admiral candidate, not a babysitter." Sengoku sighed. "Then it will be Vice Admiral Lumb." "Lumb?" Tsuru raised a brow. "Reasonable. He takes Blood Dawn seriously, doesn't underestimate them, and he's steady. Not the strongest, but at least he won't demolish the auction house in a fit of temper." Akainu grunted but offered no further protest. Three days later, on Sabaody Archipelago's Grove 1, rows of Marines stood at attention outside the largest auction house. Their faces were grim, their pride quietly bleeding away. At the front, Vice Admiral Lumb regarded the glittering building in silence, his expression unreadable. "Vice Admiral, are we really... protecting this place?" a nervous major whispered. His eyes flickered with poorly hidden curiosity. "Or... are we really here to spy on Blood Dawn?" Lumb shot him a single, cool glance. The man shut up immediately. Just then, the auction house doors swung open. Mr. Tanaka strutted out with several men in tow, his gold suit flashing in the sunlight. "Yo! The Marines are efficient. Reported for duty already?" "We are here under orders. Nothing more," Lumb replied flatly. "No need to be so stiff," Tanaka said cheerfully, spreading his arms. "We're respectable businessmen now. This place is entirely legitimate commerce." Lumb's jaw twitched. Respectable? Blood Dawn? The very thought was absurd. But he didn't argue. "The Marines handle external security only. Internal matters are none of our concern." "Of course, of course." Tanaka grinned, then added slyly, "But if anyone stirs up trouble here, I trust you'll handle it." "The Marines will act according to law," Lumb cut him off. His tone was iron. Tanaka's brow lifted, surprised by the man's firmness, then he chuckled and turned away. "Excellent. I'm relieved, then." As he disappeared back inside, the Marines remained standing in formation, weighed down by an oppressive silence. None of them cared whether Ritter was pleased or whether the World Government was content. What mattered was this simple, humiliating truth: The Marines were being used as guards for pirates. But Ritter? Ritter was laughing. For him, it was a perfect victory. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚•𝙣𝙚𝙩 A twisted kind of win-win. ————————————————————————————————————————————————— Hooked already? Let me know what grabbed you leave a review and fuel the journey forward! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops! Things are just heating up. 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