After surveying Mary Geoise's charred landscape for a few moments, Finn caught sight of a striking woman approaching from the distance. Her figure was graceful, her features stunning, and a charming smile played across her lips.
She wore a crisp white women's suit with a small hat perched atop her head, a blood-red rose adorning its brim. A mink vest draped elegantly over her shoulders, and she carried a fashionable handbag in one hand. The aggressive click of white high heels announced her arrival as she walked toward him with practiced poise.
There was no mistaking her. This was Stussy, Supreme Commander of CP-0, the so-called "Queen" of the intelligence world.
As she drew closer, Finn's lips curved into an appreciative smile. "Power is a woman's best nourishment."
Stussy's eyes rolled coquettishly, though her smile never wavered. "What do you mean by that?"
"You, Grand Commander, look even more beautiful than before." Finn's tone carried just enough respect to be proper, layered with enough familiarity to suggest something more.
Stussy covered her mouth as she laughed, her shoulders trembling in a way that drew the eye. "Admiral, such flattery. Do you like what you see?"
"I do," Finn said frankly.
She closed the remaining distance between them, slipping her hand onto his arm and leaning her body against his. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If you like it so much, I'll give you a surprise tonight."
"Then I'm truly looking forward to it." Finn kept his smile easy, though he lowered his voice as well. "Still, as the Grand Commander of CP-0 and an Admiral of the Marines, is it really acceptable for us to be so openly intimate in Mary Geoise?"
"It's fine." Stussy's eyes glittered with amusement. "The higher-ups have changed their attitude toward your Marines this time. They want to win you over. Before sending me to pick you up, the Five Elders specifically instructed me not to create any conflict with you, and to give you excellent hospitality." She blinked slowly. "So I'm simply carrying out my mission."
"Good grief." Finn raised an eyebrow. "Don't they know we already have a very good relationship?"
"Do you think they care about such things?" Stussy's response came without hesitation.
"Fair point." Finn considered it for a moment, then nodded.
The World Government juggled countless matters every day. How could the Five Elders possibly spare the time to investigate whether an Admiral and a CP-0 Commander were having an affair? Or rather, it would never even occur to them to look. Before Finn, no one from the CP agencies had ever gotten along well with the Marines. The two organizations stood together only to despise each other from close range.
As the highest authority in the World Government, the Elders simply didn't have the bandwidth to observe the peculiar closeness between Finn and Stussy.
Since they both had the noble justification of being "intimate by imperial order," Finn saw no reason to play coy. He took Stussy's arm properly, and the two of them walked toward the World Government headquarters, chatting and laughing along the way.
Mary Geoise lay in ruins around them, currently being demolished and rebuilt. However, the World Government headquarters building had escaped the arson unscathed, still standing tall at the heart of the Holy Land.
Finn and Stussy entered the building together and stepped into the elevator.
"I've been an Admiral for years now," Finn said as the elevator began its ascent, "but this is the first time I've come alone to meet the Five Elders. What are their plans? Could you give me a heads-up?"
Stussy was quiet for a moment, her expression thoughtful. Then she spoke. "At least for the next few years, the World Government intends to ease relations with your Marines. The Five Elders see your earlier application for 'Operation Anti-Corruption' as a gesture of goodwill and submission on your part."
"What?" Finn blinked, genuinely stunned.
That was absurd. He'd never intended to submit to the Five Elders. His entire strategy had always been to avoid them when possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so calm when the Elders ignored him for years. In Finn's view, being ignored was ideal. It meant he could farm resources and develop quietly. Once he'd accumulated enough strength, they wouldn't be qualified to meddle in his affairs anymore.
He'd never tried to please the Five Elders or the World Government. His fundamental policy had always been simple: strike the iron while it's hot. Build the Marines strong. That was his cornerstone, his foundation.
The favor of the Five Elders was worthless. Today they might grant you everything, tomorrow they'd hate you and you'd be finished.
Finn understood this truth perfectly.
That's why the application he'd submitted had been entirely to deflect responsibility from the Marines and avoid getting dragged into Mary Geoise's affairs. After all, I submitted the request, and you personally approved it. You can't possibly use this to settle scores later, can you? Wouldn't that be a bit too shameless?
Who could have known the Five Elders would interpret it as his surrender and goodwill gesture?
But after a moment's thought, Finn nearly laughed. This was actually good. No need to clear up the misunderstanding.
Although he didn't care about the Five Elders' attitude, now that they were reaching out to him, Finn wouldn't be arrogant enough to declare his fate was in his own hands.
At this stage, giving the Five Elders an illusion, making them feel he'd "submitted," was excellent strategy.
It would make them lower their guard.
"I really don't know what to say about them," Finn said, shaking his head. "Have they been in high positions for so long that they're too lazy to look down and check if the road beneath their feet is smooth?"
"It's normal, actually." Stussy's voice was calm, analytical. "For hundreds of years, the relationship between your Marines and the World Government has fluctuated, sometimes good, sometimes bad. So whether the relationship was poor before or your so-called 'surrender' now, it all fits within the Five Elders' established mindset. It's difficult to change how people think." She paused, then added, "If I hadn't been in contact with you so much, if I didn't know you so well, I wouldn't believe you were leading the Marines to do such audacious things, intending to completely break away from the World Government's constraints and control."
Thinking it over carefully, Stussy's words made sense. Finn didn't argue further.
"Now that you're back as Grand Commander, what about Pleasure Street? Are you going to let it go?" Finn asked.
"How is that possible?" Stussy's eyes rolled again, this time with genuine exasperation. "I still remember what you said back then."
"What did I say?" Finn was genuinely confused. What did I say? Why can't I remember?
"You said..." Stussy's voice softened. "Everything the CP organization has now is based on the trust of the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders. You have these powers and status because they trust you. When they don't trust you anymore, you're nothing but an abandoned stray dog."
"Did I say that?" Finn searched his memory but came up empty. Maybe he'd said it casually during one of their more... intimate conversations?
"So?" he prompted.
"So how could someone like me rely entirely on trust bestowed by others?" Stussy glanced at him, a knowing smile on her lips. "Even you couldn't do that."
She was right, of course. How could the Queen stake everything on someone else's trust? Even though she and Finn appeared incredibly close, brimming with affection, had she ever let him interfere in Pleasure Street's affairs?
Perhaps Stussy relied on and trusted Finn, but she would never pin everything on him.
The same was true for her relationship with the World Government. She came from the CP agency, so changing course was difficult. Fortunately, she happened to control Pleasure Street.
Finn had no doubt that although Pleasure Street was officially a peripheral organization of the CP agency, in reality, the entire operation was Stussy's iron fortress. If she truly lost power within CP-0, the Queen would probably betray the World Government entirely and become a genuine boss of the dark world.
That's why she would never abandon Pleasure Street, her true power base. The position of CP-0 Commander-in-Chief was just a stepping stone for gaining influence. Pleasure Street, with all its resources and reach, was her real foundation.
"How cruel," Finn said, rolling his eyes at her. "Aren't you afraid of damaging our relationship by saying such things?"
Stussy smiled, serene and confident. "Our relationship won't be damaged by something like this, Finn. I'm very smart. Between us... only betrayal can truly destroy what we have. That's why I never hide anything from you. Even thoughts like these, I'll tell you honestly."
"You really do have a gift for reading people's hearts," Finn said, unable to hide his admiration.
It was true. Despite Stussy's blunt honesty, Finn felt no disgust or alienation toward her. Instead, he appreciated her candor.
But of course, this was all carefully calculated by the Queen.
It didn't matter, though. Finn didn't mind. He and Stussy were fundamentally different. Although they were allies, Finn had always held the initiative in their relationship.
Perhaps it was because he came from the Marines and Stussy came from CP-0 that this dynamic was inevitable from the start.
Now that he thought about it, taking the Marines as his foundation was far more secure. After all, the Marines' military strength wasn't hollow. As long as he could master that power, Finn didn't need to rely on anyone else. He could rely on himself.
"Don't you like it?" Stussy asked again, her eyes sparkling like stars.
Finn looked into those beautiful eyes and finally nodded. "I like it."
"Isn't that right?" The Queen's smile widened. "Hehe..."
In truth, she did have fleeting moments of weakness. When she hadn't seen Finn for a long time, sometimes late at night, she would think that perhaps she didn't need to control Pleasure Street or wield the power of CP-0.
If she simply held onto Finn's heart, perhaps she would have everything.
But these weak thoughts never lasted long. She was smart. She understood Finn's mindset. She knew that to capture his heart, she had to be useful to him. The more help she could provide, the more important her position in his heart would become.
If she truly gave up everything and relied only on beauty...
She would likely not only fail to win Finn's heart but gradually lose his favor entirely.
Setting aside the Queen's complicated thoughts, Finn soon arrived at the top floor of the World Government headquarters. This was his first time here.
Stepping out of the elevator, he glanced around curiously. There was only one door on the entire floor.
"That's the office of the Five Elders," Stussy said, taking his arm again. "Let's go."
Finn smiled, walked calmly to the door, and knocked.
After hearing the response from inside, Stussy finally released his arm. Finn straightened his coat, composed his expression, and pushed the door open.
Then he walked in.