Half an hour later.
The lavish top-floor suite was a wreck.
Scraps of a white CP0 dress lay tangled with torn fishnets. A pair of black stilettos with red soles had been kicked beneath the edge of the enormous bed.
Darren, skin caked with blood, pushed himself upright, shuffled to the leather sofa, and dropped into it. He poured a heavy glass of whiskey, tipped it back, and drank it dry. Only then did he exhale and lift his gaze toward the pale figure curled on the bed. Amusement flickered in his eyes; a predatory smile tugged at his mouth.
"You were supposed to be quite the intimidator. Why fold so fast, 'Senior Agent of the World Government's supreme intelligence arm,' 'Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy-sama'?"
Damn this bastard.
Panting, Stussy raised her head from the pillow, cheeks flushed as she glared at him. "You're the world's most wanted criminal now, with a bounty higher than the legends. What are you doing here?"
Her eyes skimmed the ruin of his body—burns, frostbite, skin split and sloughing—and a fresh wave of awe cut through her fury. Wounds that would have killed CP0's so-called "strongest shields" a dozen times over had left him alive and talking. Lecherous bastard or not, his physique defied anatomy.
But aura doesn't lie.
The life feeding that frame was flickering, the pain etched deep.
After a beat, she said flatly, "You fought the Gorosei and then the Headquarters monsters. Even your 'Indestructible Body' has limits. In this state you should be with your fleet, under guard and on a table. Instead you walk into a suite I control? Aren't you afraid I'll break our agreement and hand you over?"
"I'm sitting here, aren't I? And if you planned to report me, you'd have done it while you were on the Den Den Mushi."
Darren bit down on a bloodstained cigar and struck a light.
Coughs racked him at the first drag, smoke clawing his torn throat and lungs until his face flushed and he had to gasp for air. "In this condition," he rasped at last, "there's no slipping into your penthouse without your Observation noticing."
"I wasn't sure how bad you were at the time," she said with a thin smile.
She slid into a black silk robe, rose, and crossed her arms, looking down at him with practiced disdain. "When the man who can brawl with the World Government's highest authority comes calling, I get careful. One wrong move and you might have snapped my neck without a second thought."
He leaned back and blew a lazy plume of smoke. "So. Are you sure now?"
Her lashes trembled; her chest rose and fell with a quick, swallowed anger. Seeing that smug calm on his face, she forced herself to stillness, then let a velvety laugh curl from her throat.
"Mm. I'm absolutely sure," she purred. "Any other time, I probably wouldn't have the strength to stand right now, would I?"
His smile stalled. He opened his mouth, found nothing to refute, and shut it again.
Maybe being unstoppable wasn't always an advantage.
"…I'm just out of it," he muttered, turning away to exhale.
The tiny crack in his swagger soothed something mean and satisfied in her chest. "So, 'world's greatest criminal,' you're certain I won't betray you?"
"It isn't trust," he said, shrugging. "You're too smart to go for mutual destruction. The war just started. Taking a side this early would be stupid for someone like you."
Her eyes narrowed. "You're saying… you don't think you've already lost?"
Darren blinked, as if she'd told a joke, then burst into laughter so hard he clutched his ribs.
"When have I ever lost?" he said, wiping a smear of blood from his mouth. "Or is that what you really think—that I'm destined to kneel to five old men?"
His shoulders shook. Stussy arched a brow, a cool smile playing on her lips.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said softly. "Your fleet tore up half of Mary Geoise, but you didn't touch the core. Now the Gorosei are home, you won't get that chance again. You've cut yourself off from the Marines and become the most dangerous man on the sea. Without their umbrella? Against a World Government that's had time to reset? You have no chance."
"You of all people know your past wins came from hidden cards and their underestimation. That's over. With a global bounty on your head, they'll come with everything, as ruthlessly as it takes."
He chuckled. "That almost sounds like concern."
"Don't flatter yourself," she said. "If you didn't have leverage on me, do you think you'd still be breathing?"
"Since I walked in here, you've had three clean chances to kill me," he said mildly. "And yet."
"If you weren't sure before, you are now—about my injuries." He set the cigar aside, spread his arms, and grinned. "Go on, then. Make your move."
To be continued...