An Outlier at the Agent School

Five days later.

Grand Line, Yoshiwara Island.

The blood-red setting sun stained the clouds at the horizon a flushed crimson before lazily sinking beneath the distant dark-blue sea.

Its lingering rays generously spilled across every inch of the small island, gilding the clustered buildings with wavering golden edges.

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

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

At the podium, a curvaceous and stunningly beautiful female instructor used her magnetic voice to teach the trainees below certain "professional knowledge" that would have made ordinary people blush and quicken their heartbeats.

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 timelines.

Every one of them was a carefully selected beauty, and all remained virgins. This was their "capital" for carrying 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 concentration, afraid of missing even the smallest detail. This concerned their future performance and survival.

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

Even among this group of carefully selected female agents, her exceptional beauty stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Yet at that moment, the sapphire-like eyes on her delicate face had lost their focus as she watched the sunset outside gradually get swallowed by darkness.

Unlike her companions, whose sense of shame had long been erased by cruel brainwashing and who regarded their missions as their highest creed, Stussy still retained the emotions and awareness of an ordinary person.

She relied entirely on her formidable self-control to barely maintain a calm exterior, revealing no abnormality despite the explicit content of the lesson.

A fierce struggle raged in her heart—should she continue down this path of infiltration that had long been laid out for her?

More than anyone, she knew what fate awaited her after graduating from this institution. Becoming the mistress of some important figure, or slipping into the bed of a key member of an enemy power, trading her body for intelligence and using false affection to complete her mission...

The thought alone filled her with resistance and disgust from the depths of her soul. Yet whenever that feeling arose, another figure appeared in her mind—the genius scientist Dr. Vegapunk, living under the World Government's strict "protection."

For the doctor...

Stussy sighed soundlessly in her heart, her slender fingers unconsciously curling.

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 situation.

She repeatedly used that 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 across the room and precisely caught her lapse in attention.

"Answer this. When dealing with a scholarly target who is withdrawn, poor at socializing, but exceptionally talented, what strategy is most effective during the initial contact?"

The sudden call made Stussy's heart tighten, but she quickly composed herself and stood up.

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

Her answer was practically a model response. Even the demanding instructor could find no fault in it and ultimately nodded in satisfaction. However, when gesturing for her to sit, she did not forget to remind her:

"Very good answer. But stay focused in class. This knowledge will help you complete missions in the future."

"Yes, Instructor. I understand." Stussy bowed slightly, sincerely admitting her mistake. She sat back down and refocused her gaze on the podium as though her distraction had never happened.

Fifteen minutes later, the bell signaling the end of class finally rang. Like wind-up dolls, the trainees quietly and orderly filed out of the classroom. Stussy followed the crowd into the corridor.

On both sides of the corridor, classroom doors stood open, and the sounds of different lessons drifted out.

Some were training secretarial skills, the typing sharp and rapid.

Some simulated nursing work, their voices gentle and caring; others went even further, directly teaching techniques for pleasing men, with breathy moans and soft cries endlessly audible.

This place was like a meticulously constructed special factory, grinding vibrant lives into tools suited 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 strangled most potential friendships among her peers in the cradle.

After leaving the teaching building, the evening breeze carrying the salty scent of seawater and the freshness of the island's vegetation washed over her, slightly dispersing the suffocatingly suggestive atmosphere indoors.

Stussy headed straight toward the trainee dormitories.

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

The newcomer was expressionless, and her voice was as hard as her physique as she got straight to the point.

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

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

"I understand."

She changed direction and headed toward the most solemn and imposing 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, luxuriously decorated, yet carried an Ice-cold official air.

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

He was tall, dressed in an immaculate white suit, and wore a white mask with 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 Tribe member. And Stussy's heart suddenly sank. She recognized what that attire represented—CP0, the World Government's highest secret intelligence agency, the Celestial Dragons' strongest shield.

Joseph of CP0 studied Stussy through the holes in his mask. His gaze was not that of someone looking at a person, but rather evaluating the value of an object—Ice-cold, precise, and utterly devoid of emotion.

"Stussy,"

the principal hurriedly said, her tone carrying a trace of barely perceptible flattery.

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

Joseph spoke, his words extremely rapid, yet every syllable as clear as Ice beads striking 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 their ranks. At present, only the Red-Light District, an industry rich in profit and gathered information, has yet to be effectively infiltrated by our people."

His gaze swept over Stussy's beautiful face and graceful figure once more.

"A female agent is best suited for this mission."

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

"The principal here recommended you to me. She believes your overall capabilities are sufficient to take on this mission."

TO BE CONTINUED