Arrangements for Everyone

Hadebein Island, conference hall.

Sunlight filled the room. Dawn sat at the head of the table, assigning tasks to the newly joined companions. He was still completely unaware that the major powers of the West Blue underworld had jointly placed a bounty on him, and that an assassin's scythe had already silently swung in his direction.

He swept his gaze across everyone present, lingering briefly on those he had brought out of the CP training base.

He first looked at the boy who was only nine years old, yet whose eyes were exceptionally cold.

"Lucci, I'm leaving the establishment of an intelligence network to you. I'll provide the greatest possible financial support. Your primary task is to quickly uncover detailed intelligence on the five underworld families of the West Blue, including the distribution of their businesses, their key personnel, transportation routes, and partners. The more detailed, the better. Your secondary task is to watch for and gather information on talented young people throughout the West Blue."

The treasures plundered from the CP base could conveniently serve as the initial capital for building the intelligence network. At the moment, he was not short on money.

Dawn believed that with his current strength, he could easily eliminate the leaders of those five families.

But what he wanted was not merely the heads of those few men. He wanted the industries and talents beneath them that could continuously generate profit—those "geese that laid golden eggs."

Killing the leaders rashly would only cause their forces to collapse, allowing other small and mid-sized powers in the West Blue to rise amid the chaos and divide the benefits among themselves.

Only after thoroughly understanding their industrial networks and core personnel could he take everything over with the smallest cost and greatest precision.

Lucci maintained his eternally indifferent expression. Upon hearing this, he merely nodded slightly, indicating that he had accepted the task.

He believed in the supremacy of strength. Dawn had not only crushed him in actual combat, but had also displayed a level of mastery in the use and development of Rokushiki that he could not hope to match.

Submitting to such a strong person was not difficult for him to accept. It was simply his proud nature that kept him from showing such feelings.

Dawn then looked at the long-nosed boy standing beside Lucci.

"Kaku, your task is to continue improving your own strength while studying and refining your shipwright skills in depth. I'll do my best to gather and provide the necessary resources, tools, and blueprints."

Kaku possessed outstanding talent in shipbuilding, something that had already been demonstrated in the original timeline.

Although Dawn's preferred shipwright was still Franky, it was too early to approach that guy at this point. At the very least, Dawn would not contact him before he became a cyborg, and that day was still at least ten years away.

Over those ten years, Dawn planned to have Kaku fill the role first.

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

"Thank you for your support. I'll work hard and never let you down!"

Kaku responded loudly with an excited expression. His attitude was far more proactive than Lucci's, completely unaware that, in his superior's eyes, he was merely a temporary replacement.

After assigning those two tasks, Dawn gestured for them to leave. Lucci and Kaku tactfully turned and departed.

At that point, aside from Dawn, only several women remained in the conference hall.

"Robin, Kalifa. Your primary task from now on is to follow Stussy and systematically learn how to become outstanding, efficient, and reliable secretaries. Document processing, information filing, schedule management, reception etiquette, and so on—these are all important."

Dawn had already learned that Stussy ranked overwhelmingly first in the female agent training at the CP training base.

Female agents needed to master various cover identities in order to carry out infiltration and investigation missions, such as secretaries, nurses, and teachers. She had perfected all such skills. There was no one more suitable to guide the still-young Robin and Kalifa.

"Yes."

Robin nodded obediently, her eyes behind her lenses gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

"I understand. I'll study hard."

Kalifa also seriously pushed up her small round glasses.

Standing behind the two girls, Stussy watched Dawn with great interest. Her expressive eyes narrowed slightly, flowing with a seductive radiance.

She suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a trace of laziness and deliberate teasing:

"I don't mind teaching these two little ones~ But are you sure this is all you're assigning me to do?"

She leaned forward slightly, fully displaying her alluring curves.

"I thought... you might have me do something more 'special'? Like... attending to you personally at night?"

Her words were bold and direct, and paired with that enchanting posture, they were enough to make any normal man's heart race.

"Hmph! Shameless woman!"

Before Dawn could respond, Stella, standing at his side, immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her delicate brows rose as she sharply rebuked Stussy. She absolutely would not allow this "seductress" to openly tempt Dawn like this.

Stussy was not offended in the slightest. Instead, she let out a coquettish laugh, turned her gaze toward Stella, and spoke in an even more suggestive tone:

"My~ Is Stella jealous, big sister? It's fine, little sister here is very generous. If you don't mind... I wouldn't object to the three of us being together~"

The moment those words came out, Stella's entire face instantly flushed red. She stammered in anger, unable to say anything. Meanwhile, the young Robin and Kalifa turned as red as ripe apples, lowering their heads shyly as their fingers unconsciously twisted the hems of their clothes.

Looking at Stussy's all-talk-no-action act, Dawn grumbled inwardly:

This woman talks big enough for two, but when it's time to get serious, she runs faster than anyone. She's said things like this more than ten times lately, and every time she teases me, then flees.

However, his expression remained calm. Instead, he played along, revealing a teasing smile.

"Oh? Since you're asking so insistently, then I'll satisfy you tonight. Remember to wash up and come to my room. We can have a proper discussion about the duties of a 'personal secretary.'"

The moment Dawn finished speaking, the seductive smile on Stussy's face stiffened.

She clearly had not expected Dawn to take the bait so directly this time.

She hurriedly straightened up. A trace of barely noticeable panic flashed across her face as she gave a light cough.

"Cough, well... a secretary's duties are actually very complicated and demanding! There's a lot to learn. Tonight... yes, tonight I still need to stay up late and explain the relevant knowledge to Robin and Kalifa, so I'm afraid... I won't have time."

After saying that, she did not wait for Dawn to speak again. She grabbed the still-shy Robin with one hand and Kalifa, whose cheeks were equally flushed, with the other, then hurried out of the conference hall as though fleeing, leaving only a waft of fragrance behind.

Watching Stussy's bedraggled retreating figure, Dawn's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

Stella turned around at that moment, placed her hands on her hips, and fixed Dawn with her large eyes as she loudly demanded:

"Tell me honestly! Did you bring that... that woman back because you had improper intentions from the very beginning?!"

Dawn looked down at Stella's adorably puffed-up expression and nodded frankly.

"Yes."

Such a blunt admission left Stella speechless with anger. Every follow-up question she had prepared was stuck in her throat. She had assumed Dawn would at least make up an excuse to brush her off, perhaps claiming that he valued Stussy's abilities, but she had never expected him to admit it so readily!

Dawn watched her chest heave violently once again with anger. The turbulent sight was indeed eye-catching. He chuckled, reached out once more, and pulled Stella into his broad embrace. Ignoring her token struggle, he gently reassured her:

"Don't worry, Stella. No matter how many women I have by my side in the future, I'll treat them all equally. I'll never favor one over another, and I certainly won't slight you in the least. That's my promise."

Held tightly in his arms and listening to his "shameless" words, Stella did not know whether to be angry or amused. She irritably punched his sturdy arm and mocked him aloud:

"Hmph! What a... 'touching' statement! I never expected you to be such a 'responsible' man!"

As if he could not hear the sarcasm in her words, Dawn nodded as a matter of course, his tone even carrying a hint of pride.

"Of course. I'm not the kind of scumbag who denies everything after pulling up his pants. I'm devoted to every one of my women."

"..."

Stella was completely speechless. All she could do was give him an incomparably disdainful glare.

Outside the conference hall, the three girls who were supposedly "long gone" were quietly pressed against the door, eavesdropping. When they heard Dawn's astonishing declaration that he was "devoted to every woman," all three girls, regardless of age, simultaneously wore expressions of extreme disgust.

TO BE CONTINUED