An Outsider at the Agent School

Five days later.

Grand Line, Yoshiwara Island.

The setting sun bled red, staining the clouds at the horizon a flushed crimson before lazily sinking beneath the dark blue sea in the distance.

Its lingering rays spilled generously over every inch of the small island, coating the clustered buildings in a swaying golden rim.

As the lights came on, scattered points of illumination lit up one after another in the deepening dusk, reflecting the fading glow on the horizon.

Deep within the island, inside a heavily guarded building, a spacious, brightly lit classroom presented an entirely different scene.

On the podium, a voluptuous and stunning female instructor used her magnetic voice to impart certain "professional knowledge" that would have made ordinary people blush and sent their hearts racing.

This knowledge concerned the weaknesses of human nature—especially those of men—and how to turn one's own advantages into lethal weapons.

The students seated below all wore calm expressions and indifferent gazes, as though they were listening to nothing more unusual than mathematical formulas or historical chronologies.

Every one of them was a carefully selected beauty, and all remained virgins. This was the "capital" they would need to carry out certain special missions in the future.

This was one of the World Government's secret institutions dedicated to training female agents. When beauty was combined with espionage skills, the purpose of what they were learning was self-evident.

Most of the trainees listened with complete focus, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. Their future performance and survival depended on it.

Only Stussy, seated by the window in the back row, seemed somewhat distracted.

Even among this group of carefully selected female agents, her outstanding beauty made her stand apart from the rest.

Yet at this moment, the sapphire-like eyes in her exquisite face had lost their focus as she watched the last sliver of sunset being swallowed by darkness outside the window.

Unlike her companions, whose sense of shame had long been erased by brutal brainwashing and who regarded missions as their highest creed, Stussy still retained the emotions and understanding of a normal person.

Only through sheer self-control did she barely maintain a calm exterior, revealing no unusual reaction to the explicit lesson.

A fierce struggle raged within her—should she continue down this long-planned path of infiltration?

More clearly than anyone, she knew what fate awaited her after graduating from this institution. She would become the mistress of some powerful figure, or slip into the bed of a key figure within an enemy force, trading her body for intelligence and using false affection to complete her mission...

The mere thought made her recoil in disgust from the depths of her soul. Yet whenever that resistance surfaced, another figure appeared in her mind—Doctor Vegapunk, the genius scientist kept under the World Government's tight "protection."

For the doctor...

Stussy sighed silently to herself, her slender fingers curling unconsciously.

I have to keep going. Only by paying any price to climb high enough and seize enough power can I truly help the doctor and change his circumstances.

She repeatedly used this conviction to persuade herself, like a drowning person clutching at the only piece of driftwood, forcing that humiliation and unwillingness back into the depths of her heart.

"Stussy."

From the podium, the beautiful instructor's hawk-like gaze swept over the room and precisely caught her lapse in attention.

"Answer this: when first approaching a scholarly target who is withdrawn, poor at socializing, yet exceptionally talented, what strategy is most effective?"

The sudden call made Stussy's heart tighten, but she quickly gathered herself and rose to her feet.

The brief surprise did not affect her response. Drawing on her exceptional talent and accumulated studies, she clearly and methodically explained how to use academic exchange as an entry point, display her intellectual side, gradually build resonance and trust, and then supplement it with subtle displays of feminine charm...

Her answer was practically a model response. Even the demanding instructor could find no fault with it and finally nodded in satisfaction. Still, as she motioned for Stussy to sit, she did not forget to remind her:

"Very good answer. But focus during class. This knowledge will help you complete your missions in the future."

"Yes, Instructor. I understand." Stussy gave a slight bow, sincerely acknowledging her mistake. She returned to her seat and refocused on the podium as though her distraction had never happened.

A quarter of an hour later, the bell signaling the end of class finally rang. Like wound-up dolls, the trainees quietly and orderly filed out of the classroom. Stussy followed the crowd into the corridor.

Classroom doors stood open on both sides of the hallway, and the sounds of different lessons drifted out faintly.

Some were training secretarial skills, with crisp, hurried typing filling the air;

Some were simulating nursing work, their voices gentle and solicitous; others went even further, directly teaching techniques for pleasing men, with coquettish moans and soft gasps ringing without end.

This place was like a carefully constructed special factory, grinding living people into tools tailored to specific needs.

Stussy walked past without looking aside, her steps steady. Along the way, not a single trainee took the initiative to greet her.

The aloof image she deliberately maintained had long since smothered most potential camaraderie in its cradle.

After leaving the teaching building, the evening breeze hit her face, carrying the salty tang of seawater and the fresh scent of the island's plants. It slightly dispelled the suffocatingly suggestive atmosphere indoors.

Stussy headed straight toward the trainee dormitories.

She had not gone far when, with a swish, a tall, powerfully built female figure with bulging muscles appeared like a ghost and blocked her path.

The newcomer wore no expression, and her voice was as hard as her body. She got straight to the point.

"Stussy, the principal wants you in her office immediately."

Stussy's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, but her expression remained calm as she simply nodded.

"I understand."

She changed direction and headed toward the most solemn building at the center of the island.

A few minutes later, she pushed open the heavy wooden door to the principal's office. The room was brightly lit, lavishly decorated, yet it carried a cold official air.

The principal, an elderly woman past fifty with every strand of hair meticulously combed, stood at one side with a flattering smile. Clearly, someone else was the true focus of the room.

He was tall and wore an immaculate white suit. A white mask covered his face, marked by dark stripes on its right side. Most striking of all were his unusual arms—each had one more joint than an ordinary person's.

A Longarm Tribesman. And Stussy's heart abruptly sank. She recognized what that attire represented—CP0, the World Government's highest secret intelligence agency and the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield.

Joseph of CP0 examined Stussy through the eyeholes of his mask. His gaze did not seem to regard her as a person, but rather as an object whose value was being assessed—cold, precise, and entirely devoid of emotion.

"Stussy,"

the principal hurriedly said, her tone carrying a faint, barely perceptible fawning note.

"This is Lord Joseph of CP0. Lord Joseph has come to select a suitable candidate for an important mission."

Joseph spoke, his pace extremely fast, yet every word was as clear as icy beads falling onto a plate.

"In recent years, those so-called emperors of the Underworld have become increasingly restless. Their hands have reached too far.

"The higher-ups need to drive new nails into it. At present, only the red-light district, a highly profitable industry where information gathers, has yet to be effectively infiltrated by our people."

His gaze swept once more over Stussy's lovely face and alluring figure.

"A female agent is most suited to this mission."

He paused, as though he had no need for Stussy's understanding or response and was merely stating the facts.

"The principal here recommended you to me. She believes your overall qualities are sufficient to undertake this mission."

To be continued