Redfield, standing beside Brook, caught onto Stussy's hesitation, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Captain Brook really knows how to play this game.
Fisher Tiger was just as amusing. What he said nearly shattered the composure of the beautiful blonde spy in front of them.
"Is this enough? Have you learned it? Curse them a few more times. Once you pass Captain Brook's test, you'll be one of us. The Hell Pirates take pleasure in taking down any Celestial Dragon we come across!"
Tiger spoke to Stussy with a mix of encouragement and mischief, like an older veteran welcoming a rookie. Even though he was younger than her, he had been part of the crew much longer.
"I..."
Stussy was still reeling, caught off guard. Meanwhile, Shakky found the test to be quite simple. She trusted that Brook had his reasons and looked at Stussy with an expectant gaze.
They never trained me for this. As a spy, she never imagined she'd have to stand here and curse her supposed masters—the Celestial Dragons—ten times in a row. Stussy, who had always thought of herself as experienced and composed, suddenly found her mind shutting down like an amateur recruit.
But she knew that if she refused now, she would be exposed. The Hell Pirates would surround her, leaving her no way to escape. Today could be the day she died.
I have no choice but to go along with this.
She would curse the Celestial Dragons now, pass their so-called test, and then—she'd eliminate every single one of these pirates. That way, no one would be left alive to expose what she had done. If the World Government ever found out she had uttered even a single insult against the Celestial Dragons, her life would be forfeit.
A cold glint flashed in Redfield's eyes. This little CP agent actually thinks she can kill all of us? He sneered internally. How naive.
"Captain Brook, I have no personal grudge against the Celestial Dragons... but they are idiots, pig-brained scum, cruel dogs, born with mental deficiencies, and utterly inhuman! I will stab them, poison them, trample them, hack them to pieces..."
As Stussy let loose her tirade, she found herself getting carried away. The words flowed more easily than she expected. A strange sense of exhilaration bubbled within her—an unfamiliar, almost intoxicating feeling.
Since childhood, she had been indoctrinated by the CP organization to believe that the Celestial Dragons were gods, beings above all others. She had been trained to obey without question, to execute their orders no matter the cost, to protect their power at all costs, and to uphold the "dark justice" that the World Government wielded from the shadows.
"Yohohoho~! Feels good, doesn't it?" Brook chuckled, watching her with amusement. "Would you like to be able to curse them whenever you want?"
With a press of a switch, Brook activated a sound shell—playing back her curses over and over.
Stussy's face darkened.
Brook was still grinning. "I bet it feels great to finally say all that out loud, huh?"
For a brief moment, Stussy almost let slip how satisfying it was. But she caught herself at the last second.
"If it feels that good, why don't you take this back as a keepsake?" Brook smirked. "I'll even get it published for you. Maybe put out an ad cursing the Celestial Dragons—help you vent that frustration properly."
Stussy's expression twitched. He recorded it?!
That recording was dangerous. If it ever fell into the hands of the Marines, the World Government, or—worse—the Celestial Dragons, she'd be executed without question.
"Captain Brook, thank you for your kindness. I'll take good care of it," she said, masking her panic with a grateful smile as she stepped forward, reaching for the sound shell.
But Brook wasn't fooled.
"Stussy, let's be real here. If you want the freedom to curse the Celestial Dragons, you'll need to become a real pirate."
The real trap was finally revealed. Stussy realized that Brook had known her identity all along. He had just been toying with her.
What kind of bullshit test is this?!
As an elite agent, she had been outplayed by a damn pirate! Even the most patient person would snap.
Stussy's eyes narrowed. She launched herself at Antonio, the weakest member of the crew, hoping to take him hostage for leverage.
But before she could reach him—
Crackle!
A surge of lightning erupted, and Redfield intercepted her in an instant. The rest of the crew was already on high alert, surrounding her before she could make another move. Even Shakky, who had been feeling sympathetic toward her earlier, now looked at her warily.
Cold sweat formed on Shakky's brow. Stussy's speed and strength… she's stronger than me. She had been completely fooled.
"How did you figure it out?" Stussy asked, her voice calm despite the situation. She knew she was done for. If a mission failed, death was an expected outcome. She had made peace with that long ago.
Still, she was curious. If she could learn how they saw through her, she could pass that knowledge on to future agents—if she somehow made it out alive.
Brook chuckled. "Oh, we have our ways. But what do you say? An exposed spy is worthless. Why not make it real? Ditch the World Government and join us. You seemed to enjoy cursing the Celestial Dragons a little too much."
Brook didn't have high hopes that she would actually accept, but if she did, it'd be a hell of an outcome. The problem was that spies like her were conditioned from childhood. If he used the Memory Seahorse to erase her loyalty to the World Government, it might take years to rebuild her skills.
To his surprise, Stussy didn't hesitate.
"Alright," she said nonchalantly, as if it didn't matter. "I'm sick of those Celestial Dragon bastards anyway. But, Captain, don't doubt me every day in the future~"
The crew was stunned.
Brook narrowed his eyes. "A liar swallows a thousand needles, Stussy. Do you have any 'family' being taken care of by the World Government?"
Redfield was watching her closely, ensuring she couldn't pull any tricks. If she was lying, they could always use the Memory Seahorse on her later.
For the first time, Stussy hesitated.
Family?
She had none. She had been raised by the CP organization, trained like a machine. According to her instructors, her parents had probably been killed by pirates. But she never verified that—never even thought to.
It didn't matter, though.
She would never betray the World Government. Never abandon the CP organization. Even if she died, dark justice would continue moving forward.
-----
Redfield shook his head at Brook. There was no way this spy agent would just surrender to the Hell Pirates like that.
"Poor girl, were you an orphan taken in by the World Government? They must've completely brainwashed you. There's nothing I can do about that... but I promise you, from now on, we'll be your family!"
Brook let the Memory Seahorse devour her memories, but not before Redfield took one last look at what secrets were buried in her mind.
"Captain Brook, I hate the Celestial Dragons! They've experimented on my body time and time again. I have no family, and all I want is to live a free life! Please, take me with you. Let me be part of your family and escape their control!"
Stussy cried out, her hysterical plea even managing to move someone like Shakky. If Brook hadn't noticed Redfield still shaking his head, he might've actually fallen for her acting.
The CP organization spent over a decade molding their agents—did she really think Brook would switch her loyalty with just a few words? What was this, some fairytale where the MC talked his way into winning? Did she think he was Naruto, pulling a talk no-jutsu on Nagato and Obito like they hadn't been villains for decades?
Brook walked up to the tearful Stussy and gently stroked her head. She thought she'd succeeded in fooling him. The next second, she felt a sharp pain in her neck—then everything went dark.
"Captain Brook, you—!!"
Shakky and the others were shocked. Did he not want to recruit her? What happened to the whole "we'll be your family" speech?
"You really think you can turn the World Government's top-trained agent just like that? Don't be naive. I'll admit, though, her acting was damn good."
Brook tossed Stussy over to Redfield, signaling for the Memory Seahorse to do its job—first watching, then erasing her memories.
"So she was just acting... Damn, she really had me fooled."
Shakky wiped away her tears, while even the simple-minded Linlin had been moved enough to cry. The rest of the crew, a bunch of grown men, subtly turned their heads, pretending they hadn't been touched.
"Stussy is 17 this year. She was taken to Guanhao Island at six to train in the Six Powers (Rokushiki). By 14, she was already a CP9 candidate.
Later, her beauty and strength caught the eye of the Celestial Dragons, and she was taken to Mary Geoise to undergo further training as a CP0 candidate. She was naturally gifted. Within two years, she mastered Life Return (Seimei Kikan) and six advanced techniques. Her strongest move is the Flying Finger Gun (Tobu Shigan).
This mission was her final test. If she succeeded, she'd officially become CP0—the youngest female member in over 700 years!"
Redfield read out Stussy's memories, letting the crew understand exactly who they were dealing with.
No wonder she called Big Mom "Auntie." She was actually a year older than Linlin! Her race had an insane talent for maintaining youth.
At 13, Rob Lucci slaughtered 500 soldiers and an entire pirate crew to officially join CP9, becoming the youngest and strongest agent in 800 years. Comparing their stats, Stussy was just as terrifyingly talented as Lucci. The World Government sure knew how to pick 'em.
"Write down all the training methods for Life Return and the six advanced Rokushiki techniques. From now on, her skills are ours."
Brook sighed. Thankfully, Stussy was still young and hadn't learned Haki yet. Otherwise, even with the Hell Pirates surrounding her, she would've been a nightmare to take down.
But she relied too much on her acting and thought she could fool them. That mistake let Brook take her out easily. If she had completed this mission, returned to CP0, and learned Haki, her strength would've skyrocketed.
Brook had the Memory Seahorse erase the last three years of her life, reverting her to a 14-year-old CP9 reserve agent. She wouldn't remember becoming a CP9 candidate or being taken by the Celestial Dragons.
This way, he only needed to train her for a few years. If he erased everything and reverted her to six years old, even with her current physical abilities, it would take too long to retrain her.
Stussy woke up groggily. The moment she opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place, she jumped up, instantly alert. A quick scan of her surroundings told her all she needed to know—she was surrounded by pirates.
Wasn't she training in Rokushiki with her fellow CP9 candidates on Guanhao Island? She was the strongest among them and was about to officially become a CP9 agent!
Brook was prepared. He pulled out a Sound Dial and pressed play. Stussy's own voice echoed through the room—her cursing the Celestial Dragons. He watched her reaction closely. If she resisted, the Memory Seahorse would erase more.
Stussy stared in shock as she heard herself speaking. That was her voice… but she was cursing the Celestial Dragons?
Even as a CP9 reserve member, she had been taught absolute loyalty to the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
"Stussy, have you forgotten? This is your voice. The World Government, the Marines, and CP units are all after you because you insulted the Celestial Dragons. We saved you.
So tell me, are you gonna attack us? Or do you want to go back and die?"
Brook's words hit her like a hammer. That was her voice. That was her own voice cursing the Celestial Dragons.
"H-how is this possible?"
She felt like she had made some terrible mistake. Before she had even begun her mission as a CP9 agent, she had already pissed off the Celestial Dragons?
"You lost your memory, huh? You even begged us to be your family!"
Brook played another Sound Dial—this time, it was Stussy's own voice, crying and screaming about wanting to escape the Celestial Dragons and join them.
"I… lost my memory? I… cursed the Celestial Dragons? I… wanted these pirates to be my family?"
Stussy touched her face, feeling the dried tears on her cheeks. Had she really cried? Had she really joined them?
Otherwise, why was she in this strange place? These pirates couldn't have kidnapped her from CP9's secret training base, could they?
"Where am I? Who are you people?"
Even as a CP agent, her instincts kicked in. She needed to understand her situation immediately.
"This is Doraganzo Island in the New World. We're the Hell Pirates—your future family. You don't have to be afraid of being hunted by the Celestial Dragons anymore!"
Brook explained, watching Stussy closely.
It was a good thing Streusen hadn't come down from the golden ship, or else he'd realize how she lost her memory.
Not that it would change anything. Even if he knew, he wouldn't be able to resist. Hell, he'd probably be happier this way.
"This is... the New World?"
Stussy was starting to believe it. Guanhao Island, where she had been training, was a top-secret base in the Grand Line. Yet now, she was suddenly in the New World?
This was impossible… but here she was.
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