The Potential to Shake the World

The misty steam in the bathroom seemed to freeze for an instant. The playful frivolity vanished from Stussy's face.

She sat up slightly, droplets sliding down her shoulders. Her sapphire-like eyes sharpened like icy awls as they stabbed straight at Adams, her voice stripped of all humor:

"You may really have some talent. But place all hope of saving the doctor on you alone? Sorry, I can't take that gamble."

A few months ago, during one of their video calls, Adams had revealed his intention to rescue Vegapunk in the future.

But that was nowhere near enough. The World Government was a colossal beast entrenched across the entire world. Relying on nothing but passion and verbal promises was no different from a moth flying into a flame.

Adams stepped forward, casting an overwhelmingly oppressive shadow through the cramped bathroom. He looked down at Stussy in the bathtub, his eyes as deep as an abyss.

"What if I said I was taking you by force?"

The pressure came crashing down like a mountain. Stussy's breathing hitched slightly, but there was no panic in her eyes. She even relaxed again, leaning back against the edge of the tub. A lazy yet dangerous curve touched her lips as she scooped up a handful of water with her fingertips.

"Mm... If that's the case, big sister really can't resist. But, little pervert, don't blame me for not warning you. Even if you forcibly take my body... you'll never have my heart."

Adams let his gaze linger on her face for a moment before speaking helplessly.

"Fine. Name your terms. What will it take for you to come with me?"

He could clearly sense the wavering behind her words—not a complete refusal, but doubt and testing over his "value."

If he truly used force, this woman would probably obey in name only.

A gleam flashed deep within Stussy's eyes.

The fish had taken the bait.

She gently stirred the water in the bathtub, as if considering her words. At last, she spoke, her tone deliberately casual, yet every word distinct.

"It's simple. If you can defeat every instructor on the island, I'll go with you. But don't blame me for not warning you..."

She deliberately dragged out the last words, her tone carrying a hint of amused mockery.

"The ordinary instructors are one thing. But our head instructor... personally took down a pirate worth a hundred million Beli."

Stussy knew full well that her talent and aptitude were insufficient to shake a behemoth like the World Government. It was unlikely she could rescue the doctor by herself unless she found a powerful ally.

That was why she proposed this condition: to see whether this boy truly possessed the determination to challenge the World Government, and to test his talent.

Charlotte Linlin had been worth fifty million at age five, while Kaido had been worth seventy million at thirteen. If this nine-year-old boy before her could defeat someone like the head instructor, then at the very least, it would prove that his talent was no worse than theirs. Only talent of that caliber gave someone the capital to confront the World Government head-on.

Adams fell silent, his sharply defined face appearing somewhat blurred amid the hazy steam.

After a long moment, he spoke decisively.

"Deal. Just wait and see. I'll make my move tomorrow."

Before his words had even faded, his body seemed to sink into a swamp, instantly vanishing into the solid floor. Only a final, barely perceptible ripple remained before swiftly settling.

The steam spread through the room once more. Stussy was left alone in the bathroom, along with the lingering shock of his words.

Leaning against the edge of the tub, she kept her gaze fixed on the spot where Adams had disappeared, her eyes flickering faintly.

Fifteen minutes later.

Guanhao Island, ten thousand meters in the sky.

Dozens of enormous boulders stood like loyal, silent guards, surrounding the two-story building at the center and the small patch of land beneath it.

The tightly shut door opened without a sound. Adams filled the doorway, casually carrying two small figures as he stepped inside.

Two soft thuds rang out, like someone tossing aside two pieces of unimportant luggage. A long-nosed boy and a blond girl wearing shattered glasses were casually thrown onto the cold floor.

With a thought from Adams, the ground seemed to come alive. Like enormous serpents coiling around them, it tightly bound their small bodies, leaving them unable to move.

Kaku and Kalifa had both firmly refused his recruitment and instead launched attacks outright. Left with no choice, Adams knocked them unconscious and took them away. Fortunately, they were still young; there was plenty of time to train them properly.

After dealing with the two of them, Adams turned, pushed open the door, and flew downward. He was going to meet the final target of this journey.

Inside a single dorm room.

Sweat ran down Lucci's lean, powerful back, striking the floor and spreading into dark stains.

On the windowsill, his partner Hattori bathed in the cold moonlight, ruby-like eyes quietly watching his master.

A massive shadow abruptly cut off the moonlight.

"Coo!"

Hattori's terrified fluttering cry sharply tore through the silence in the room.

Lucci froze instantly. He abruptly looked up, his pupils contracting sharply from shock and instinctive killing intent.

Outside the window frame stood a tall figure, blocking most of the moonlight and enveloping him completely in cold oppression.

"Rob Lucci, come with me. I can satisfy your desire to kill as you please."

Adams did not beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

Every muscle in Lucci's body immediately tensed like a fully drawn bowstring, every cell screaming danger. He slowly straightened up, his body assuming a poised attacking stance as his cold gaze shot toward the unexpected intruder like poisoned nails.

"I refuse. I won't go with someone of unknown origins like you."

A trace of irritation flickered through Adams's heart.

Damn it! Why? Why was it that when other people in his line of work gave a rallying cry, talented individuals flocked to bow before them, but when it came to him, all he got were these stubborn fools who didn't know what was good for them?

Kaku was one. Kalifa was another. And this brat before him, hailed as a genius, was even worse!

That thin layer of feigned humility shattered like brittle ice.

Adams narrowed his eyes slightly. Deep within them, the last trace of patience was completely drained away, leaving behind nothing but a suffocating desire for control.

He leaned forward slightly, and his enormous shadow completely swallowed Lucci. After adjusting his emotions, he lowered his voice further, speaking each word slowly, as though a heavy hammer were striking the air.

"You've got one thing wrong. Weakness is the original sin. The weak have no right to set terms before the strong. I wasn't negotiating with you just now. I was informing you."

Since the gentle approach would not work, he could only use force.

Lucci curled his lips into a cold, violent smile.

"Weakness is the original sin. I agree with that. But only if you're truly stronger than me."

Before his words had even faded, his figure had already turned into a blurred afterimage.

"Rankyaku!"

A condensed pale-blue vacuum slash, almost tangible, tore through the air with the sharpness to cut stone and shot toward Adams's throat like lightning.

TO BE CONTINUED