"Is that so?"
Ian's furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.
It is widely known that Stussy, the Queen of Pleasure Street, was once a member of the Rocks Pirates.
After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, she went into hiding for a while before starting her own business.
By today, she has become a major underground world boss in the New World. Not only does she have a large influence, but she also shares a close relationship with BIG MOM, often attending Charlotte Linlin's tea parties.
However, Ian knew that this Stussy was definitely not the same as the one from the Rocks Pirates.
The real Stussy, now known as Miss. Buckin, was likely somewhere on the seas, taking care of her children.
This Stussy was the top-level android created by Vegapunk using Miss. Buckin's body as a template. She later infiltrated the World Government as an undercover agent under his orders.
No one knew what kind of deal Vegapunk had struck to make Miss. Buckin give up her identity.
Could it be that Whitebeard Jr. really was the second android created by Vegapunk?
Miss. Buckin, failing to win Whitebeard's affection, might have decided to go for a "fatherless, son-keeping" approach by using Whitebeard's genetic factors?
It was clear that Stussy's actions were most likely being guided by the World Government.
But...
This is good!
Ian's lips curled up.
He had been worried about how to monitor Luffy and Who's-Who.
Now, the pillow was delivered right to his door.
Maybe he could use this opportunity to get in touch with Vegapunk.
"Let her move."
Ian said concisely.
"Yes, sir!"
Not long after, Hive Island.
At the docks, brightly decorated ships were anchored here.
A beautiful woman with golden hair, dressed like a noble lady, stood on the ship. She opened a folding fan in her hand, covering the lower half of her face.
"Lady Stussy!"
Below, the pirates at the port went wild.
"Is that the Queen of Pleasure Street, Lady Stussy? She's even more beautiful than I imagined! A peerless beauty!"
"She was once part of the Rocks Pirates! She was a partner of Captain Kaido—no, she was a comrade of Captain Kaido himself!"
"Hehe, the headquarters of Pleasure Street is coming here! The good times are about to begin!"
"Is that the flower ship from Pleasure Street? I hear the ship is full of beautiful girls!"
The pirates chatted excitedly.
The golden-haired woman, Stussy, simply watched everything in silence.
She sighed quietly in her heart.
If possible, she really wouldn't want to be here.
That guy Queen is also a member of the MADS organization. Did he tell Ian about the artificial human experiments from back then?
Although Queen didn't know about the deal between Vegapunk and Stussy, nor did he know that she replaced the original Stussy, who could say for sure?
If it gets exposed—
Stussy's body shivered slightly. If it were exposed, it wouldn't just affect her; even Vegapunk would be implicated.
But no matter what, this was a direct order from the Five Elder Stars, and she had no right to refuse.
The migration of Pleasure Street to Hive Island caused an uproar, even more so than the news of Ian killing Golden Lion Shiki.
After all, Pleasure Street... those who understand, understand.
Stussy had purchased a large building on the island, intending to renovate it into the headquarters of "Pleasure Street" once the renovations were complete.
The renovations had only just begun, and it was far from the time for the official opening, but every day, a crowd of pirates gathered outside, eagerly waiting, almost desperate to rush in and start spending.
It was under these circumstances that the Golden Dragon returned.
The Beast Pirates stationed on Hive Island didn't inform anyone on the island of the arrival of the Golden Dragon—after all, no one there was worthy of such news.
But when the Beast Pirates gathered at the docks, even a fool could tell what was happening.
"Boss Ian is coming back!"
"The Pirate Emperor is returning to his domain!"
A large number of pirates rushed to the port.
The number of pirates on Hive Island had increased significantly.
Especially after the title of "Four Emperors" emerged, even more pirates came to Hive Island.
This was the only place ruled by an emperor where they didn't need to pledge their loyalty.
The new pirates were eager to witness the Pirate Emperor's grandeur firsthand.
When the Golden Dragon appeared before their eyes, the entire port erupted with excitement.
However, what truly caused the pirates to go wild wasn't the Golden Dragon, but the even larger ships that followed it.
"What is that?! A ship bigger than the Golden Dragon?"
"No, that's not just any ship! Look! The ship's full of giants!!"
"That's a ship from the Giant Tribe!! Boss Ian... Boss Ian has gained the power of the giants!!"
The crowd went wild.
Everyone knew that the Giant Kingdom was the strongest country in the world, and the giants possessed the exaggerated power to destroy everything!
Stussy also stood on the harbor, watching as the Golden Dragon approached with the ten massive ships. Her pupils slightly contracted.
Ten whole ships, crowded with giants. This wasn't something that could be described by just a few or dozens.
There were hundreds of giants!
This guy, Ian, had gotten himself a giant army!
How close was his relationship with the Giant Kingdom to obtain such a force so easily?
With the Golden Dragon and the giant army, there was no doubt that this power could rival that of any Emperor!
The title of Four Emperors truly suits Ian.
No wonder the Five Elders were so wary of the Beast Pirates. This pirate crew was essentially a fusion of two Four Emperors.
The massive ships gradually approached and finally docked at the harbor.
"Hehehehe! Is this going to be our workplace from now on?"
Solem couldn't wait to jump off the ship and onto the harbor, causing the entire port to tremble slightly. The pirates gathered here instinctively took a step back.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Himir's laughter sounded like coughing as he stood on the deck of the large ship. "It looks pretty good!"
If you ignored the pirates on the island, this place almost resembled a tropical resort island.
"So many giants!"
On the shore, the pirates turned pale with fear. The decks of the ten ships were almost completely filled with giants, a sight they had never witnessed in their lives.
"Boss Ian!"
Then, they cheered.
"Even the giants are bowing to you! Boss Ian is invincible!!"
The reverence for strength was deeply ingrained in the bones of these lowly pirates.
Stussy opened her folding fan to cover the lower half of her face, hiding any expressions that shouldn't be revealed.
Then, she saw the young emperor stepping down from the staircase that had been lowered from the Golden Dragon.
Wow, what a handsome young man.
Stussy couldn't help but admire Ian when she saw him.
He looked more like a noble young master from some country than a pirate.
Without the slightest hesitation, Stussy immediately stepped forward. Her mission was to build a good relationship with Ian and then stir up conflict between him and Kaido.
"Ian-sama!"
Stussy flashed her brightest smile. "I've heard so much about you! I'm Stussy, and I just moved to Hive Island. I was wondering if we could talk sometime?"
Just lose yourself in the older sister's charming smile.
But the next moment, Stussy's pupils contracted.
She saw a strange smile on Ian's face.
The handsome young man stepped forward, drawing close, and whispered in her ear.
The pirates around them gasped in surprise.
The handsome young man and the beautiful older sister—what a captivating scene.
However, Stussy's face had already gone pale.
Because she heard Ian say, "We should indeed talk, let's discuss something about Vegapunk."
The worst-case scenario had arrived!
**********
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