Chapter 53: JOKER
âThe New World, âDesire Island.â
Once again, the Beasts Pirates returned to their island territory, laden with a mountain of plundered goods and treasure.Their strength and brutality had become notorious, both among the islandâs residents and throughout the world.
âHey, did you hear? Those two countries at warâtheyâre under the Beasts Piratesâ control nowâŠ!!â
âNo way⊠Thatâs insane. Just how much destruction will satisfy themâŠ?â
âI heard those two escaped from the Navy againâeven after torture and a death sentenceâŠâ
As they watched the Beasts Pirates unload their haul and carry it toward their base, the townspeople whispered among themselves. Lately, the news had been nothing but trouble.
The upper ranks of the Beasts Pirates were especially infamous for their power. Even among the newer officers and Devil Fruit users getting attention recently, the true monsters were still ones like Queen the Plague and King the Conflagrationâpeople who could wipe out entire islands. Their appearances alone struck fear into the hearts of residents, even as they offered a strange sense of protection.
And among them, one of the top two of the Beasts Piratesâa girlâsat perched on a wooden crate at the port, holding a small treasure chest and lost in thought. A rare sight, seeing her so pensive.
To that girlâNue, the âMythical Beastââapproached a hulking man: Queen, accompanied by several underlings.
âNue, thereâs a woman who says she wants in. Sheâs here to greet you. Want me to let her through?â
âA woman, huh?â
âYeah. Word is sheâs from this island. Says she looks up to you. Sheâs a Devil Fruit user tooâlooks like sheâs got potential!â
âHm~. Well, fine by me. But not right now. Iâve got something to take care of.â
âSomething to take care of?â
Queen wanted to introduce the newcomer, but Nue declined for now. Curious, he asked about her errand, clearly unaware of the details.
Nue smirked wickedly, eyes still on the small chest in her hand.
âIâve got someone in mind, too. Someone promising⊠someone who might just join our little family.âĄâ
With that, chest in hand, Nue stood and headed offâtoward the person she suspected would be waiting at their hideout.
In a room within a grand mansion, a woman sat stewing over her thoughts.
The cause of her stress was a recent incident caused by a pirate crew she was working withâand the scolding sheâd received from her superiors in the organization she belonged to.
âThat idiot⊠Has no idea what Iâve had to deal with. Iâve been handling things just fine, havenât IâŠ!? UnbelievableâŠâ
Her name was Stussy. In this elegant, feminine room, she sighed heavily. She was the overseer of Desire Islandâknown in the underworld as the âQueen of the Pleasure District,â one of its reigning monarchs.
But she also had another face: that of a CP0 agent. A member of the World Noblesâ direct intelligence agency.
For years, sheâd maintained a cover identity and built ties with the Beasts Pirates, who had claimed this island as their territory. From the shadows, sheâd worked to shape outcomes that favored the government, offering up results and intelligence alike to the World Government.
This time too, Stussy had secured a massive sum through backdoor deals and handed it over to the World Government.
And yet⊠rather than praise, she received nothing but harsh rebukes.
âWhy didnât you stop them? If you knew what they were capable of, you shouldâve acted sooner.â
âThis is your responsibility, Stussy. The fall of a member nation is on you.â
âI donât want to say it, but⊠youâve been slacking lately. Maybe itâs time you got serious again?â
And that was the mild version of the criticism. The Celestial Dragons had been far more vulgar and insulting.
Stussy listened in silence, nodding, offering apologies and expressions of remorseâbut inside, she was boiling. Donât mess with me.
How was she supposed to stop them? The Beasts Pirates were unpredictable. Especially the captain and vice-captainâthey were insane. She should be commended just for turning a negative into a positive. What more did they want? They ran their mouths, but never offered real solutions. Theyâre the slackers. Thanks to her dealings with this pirate crew, sheâd become far stronger than before. If she had to go one-on-one, sheâd come out on topâeven against her reckless colleagues or her superiors.
And yet, they looked down on her. Thatâs what pisses me off.
As infuriating as it was, sometimes she found herself enjoying the freedom she had on this island. Tricking the fools here was satisfyingâbut the constant restrictions were building up stress. The pressure was relentless.
Wasnât there some way to let off steam? At times like this, she couldnât help but envy the Beasts Pirates. If only she could cut loose and go wild like they didâŠ
â! âCome in. The doorâs open.â
It was just then that she heard a knock. As always, despite being the one who called the shots, she never failed to appear out of nowhere and startle her. The person who entered was:
âYoohoo~ StussyâȘ Iâm here~!!â
"...Hello, Nue."
As expected, it was NueâFĆ«jĆ« Nue, the vice-captain of the Beasts Pirates. Also my âfriend.â A false one.
She looks no older than a girl, but in reality, she's at least an adult, and her strength is far beyond mine. If we were ever to fight, I wouldn't come out unscathed. Even if I managed to escape, I'd have to be ready to lose at least an arm.
But for better or worse, Nue has a kind of purity about her thatâs childlike. Just now, she dove straight onto the bed the moment she entered the room, and the face she turns toward me looks just like the friendly smile one might show a same-gender companion.
Even so, if I let my guard down, she could tear me apart. Sheâs that kind of monsterâand Stussy never forgets it. Whatâs terrifying is how easy it is to forget, even when you know. With that in mind, Stussy asked her the reason for the visit.
âWhat brings you here today?â
âAhh, just a little report and something I wanted to talk about~â
âA report and something to talk about? What sort of thing?â
It could be business related to the Beasts Pirates, or it could be something personal. Either was possible. But considering the treasure chest in her hands, and the fact that the Beasts Pirates had just raided the island, it was likely business. Stussy kept her posture natural, but stayed mentally prepared.
Then Nue smiled brightly.
âWeâre thinking itâs about time to move our base to another island. Thatâs the first bit I came to report.â
â! Thatâs... going to be lonely.â
âYeah, I guess so. But itâs not like weâre giving up the territory. Weâll still see each other, right?â
âI supposeâŠâ
Stussy nodded, but she was already thinking. The Beasts Pirates moving their base to another islandâquiet news on the surface, but a significant development.
The only reason sheâs been able to gather information on them this well is because she dragged them into this island, which is practically her backyard. If they relocate, it wonât go nearly as smoothly. Even just meeting them will be more of a hassle. Espionage will become more difficult.
That made her consider following themâbut no, that wasnât realistic. She had other jobs too. Not that it was completely impossible, but leaving the island would be inconvenient. Still, there were some potential benefits to staying close to the Beasts Pirates⊠it wasnât a simple decision, and one she couldnât make on the spot.
While pondering, Stussy shifted focus. If that was the report, then there must be a second matter. And if that was the case, she had a feeling she knew what it would be.
ââŠUnderstood. Then, whatâs the second thing?â
âThe second thing? I thought Iâd ask for your answer to my earlier invitation~âĄâ
âAhâŠâ
âOf course. It was the recruitment.
She was trying to bring me into the Beasts Pirates. Nue had been inviting me for a while now, trying to get me to join her crew.
But Iâve been dodging her over and over again. She promised me something in return, but up until now, Iâve never known what that âsomethingâ actually was.
However, now she had a treasure chest in hand. âŠThat must be it. The reward. Stussy realizedâthis was the price for joining the Beasts Pirates.
ââŠCould it be that?â
âYep! I managed to get my hands on it, lucky me~!! I really must be blessed, donât you think?â
âYes, I suppose⊠So, that Devil Fruitâwhat kind is it?â
âFufufu⥠This isââ
Nue opened the treasure chest and showed it to Stussy. The Devil Fruit, purple and patterned with swirling vines, shaped like a tomato. Its name wasâ
âA Zoan-type Mythical BeastâBat-Bat Fruit⊠Model: Vampire.â
â!! Whaââ
âAhaha, surprised!? Love that look on your face, Stussy!! Even you didnât see this one coming, huh!?â
âYes⊠That fruit isâŠâ
Stussy involuntarily held her breath. A Zoan-type Mythical Beast. The same rare class of Devil Fruit that Kaido and Nue likely possessedârarer even than the Logia types.
If sold, it would easily fetch tens of billions. But this particular fruitâits value exceeded even that.
Zoan Devil Fruits allow the user to transform into the animal the fruit represents. Meaning, with just one bite, a person could become what it representsâan immortal vampire.
A true forbidden fruit. Even Stussyâs palms began to sweat. Her desires nearly took over. With that fruit, she could gain immense power⊠and more importantly, eternal youth.
ââŠSo when you said you had a way to preserve your beauty⊠this is what you meantâŠâ
âThatâs right! Eat this, and youâll have eternal youth!! Okay, sure, âimmortalityâ might be pushing it, but itâs still a totally busted ability, right!? Classic Mythical Zoan!! âSo? What do you think? You wanna eat it and join the Beasts Pirates?â
"...Yeah, I suppose so..."
Her throat felt dry. She hesitated without meaning to. If it had been just any Devil Fruit, she might've refusedâor if she accepted, she'd have thought about how to steal it and hand it over to the World Government.
But now, between Stussy's growing discontent with the Government and the overwhelming allure of that Devil Fruit, her resolve was shaken. In other wordsâshe was actually considering taking it for herself.
Maybe it wouldnât be so bad to join the Beasts Pirates undercover... But how would she explain that to the Government? Would she even get permission? Noâif she reported it to get approval, the Government would inevitably find out about the Devil Fruit.
And thereâs no way theyâd let something like that slip through their fingers. Someone from the Government would definitely eat it. Which means her chances of getting it would drop to zero.
Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears. So did the ticking of the clock.
But thenâNue stepped closer to Stussy, looked up at her face, and said with a mischievous glint in her eyes:
"Haha, Stussy. You're hesitating, aren't you?"
"...Yes..."
"Aww, you donât have to hesitate. Becauseâ"
Her mouth curled into a wide, devilishly charming grin as she said:
"Iâve known you were with CP0 all along.âĄ"
"ââââ"
In that moment, it felt like something icy had clutched her heart.
Stussy couldnât move. If sheâd been exposed, she should have acted immediately, made a run for it. But she was frozen.
She couldnât even come up with a lie to deflect. Her mind had gone completely blank. After a pause, she finally forced the words out.
"...How long have you known? About meânot just my cover, but who I really am?"
"Hmm, probably since the beginning? I wonât tell you how I figured it out, though. Iâll leave that up to your imagination~âȘ"
Nue laughed, her voice carefree and playful. To anyone watching, it wouldâve just looked like a mischievous girl basking in a successful prank.
But to Stussy now, that smile was something far more dangerous. She understood it clearly. This girlâNueâwas a monster she couldnât read. A pirate.
Stussy couldnât understand how sheâd been found out. She hadnât slipped up. No one should have been able to know she was with CP0.
Which meantâsomeone must have leaked the information. Only a handful of people within the Government knew her true identity.
The Celestial Dragons were unlikelyâalmost impossible.
So it mustâve been a colleague. Thinking back, some of her coworkersâ behavior had felt... off. She hadnât been sure before. But now, it all seemed suspicious.
Had she been sold out? She couldnât say for sureâbut thatâs what it felt like. When information leaks, itâs usually someone on the inside.
ââAnd as if to push her imagination even further, Nueâs words slid into her ear and sank into her mind.
"Hey, come on, just let it go already. The Governmentâs full of idiots who only think about their own gain, y'know? Selfish, short-sighted morons. Would it really be so bad to betray them? Weâd totally welcome you."
...Itâs true. The Government is a group that might sell out their own.
So maybe itâs fine for her to betray them too. Itâd just be payback. They betrayed her first.
"You want to live freely and do whatever you like too, donât you, Stussy? If you join us, you can have it allâanything and everything. Youâll get the power of the Devil Fruit, keep working as a spy, and live the good life as one of us. Whatever you wantâit's yours. This is what we call a sweet deal."
"A sweet deal..."
It was a tempting offer. So tempting, it felt almost devilish in its appeal.
And yet, Stussy still hesitated. Her voice trembled.
"...But even if you're okay with it... would Kaido really allow it?"
"Kaidoâs not that petty, you know? If you become one of us, heâll let the past go. Youâre CP0âyouâre strong, and youâve got access to intel. That kind of resource is valuable for us, especially since weâre aiming to expand. Itâs a win-win. No way heâd turn that down."
...She was right. It really was a win for the Beasts Pirates too.
If she fully defected, theyâd gain intel from inside the Government, and her strength boosted by the Devil Fruit.
It aligned perfectly with Kaidoâs goal of building the strongest pirate crew. From his perspective, it would be foolish not to accept her.
And sheâd gain the powers of a vampire, rise through the ranks of the Beasts Pirates as an executive... all while keeping her Government role and fooling those idiots.
"...Haaah..."
"So? Have you made up your mind?"
At that moment, Stussy abruptly calmed herself.
She took a deep breath. Looking at Nueâs beaming, toothy grin, she said:
"...Youâve been reading me like a book from the start, havenât you? Youâve been enjoying this... Youâve got awful taste."
"Aww, sorry, sorry, Stussy. But itâs just funny, yâknow? Watching someone pretend when you already know everything. I mean, you get it, right? That feeling?"
"Yes... I suppose I do. Fooling idiots is... surprisingly entertaining, Iâll admit."
Stussy thought to herself... She couldnât win against Nue.
She couldnât beat Kaido either. Or the Beasts Pirates. There was no way to win.
...Maybe not even the mighty World Government could truly stand against themâ
"...I never imagined I'd even consider becoming a pirate."
"Itâs super fun!! Every dayâs like Sunday!! Just doing whatever you love and being happy!! Forget about other peopleâs problems or rulesâthey donât matter!! You can live totally free!!"
"...Hehe. Well... yeah. If it means things will get better than they are nowâthen there's really no need to hesitate."
Stussy made up her mind. Thinking back, sheâd only been working for the government like a dog just to entertain herself.
The only thing that was changing was who she served. That alone was enough. That alone made it fun for her.
Nue seemed to sense her resolve. She held out a piece of fruit in front of Stussy and said:
"Then just for you, say âaahâ⥠Here, aahâĄ"
"All right. Thenâ"
And with that, Stussy finally took a bite of the offered fruit.
"UghâŠ!!"
"Yeah, it's super disgusting, right? So gross I still remember the taste. Blegh."
Just like Nue said, it really did taste awful. The moment it touched her tongue, she nearly gagged. It was that revolting.
But she forced herself to swallow it down. And just from that, she could feel something... off in her body.
She looked at her hands, then down at herselfâvisibly, nothing had changed.
But something inside definitely had. And she knew it. In that momentâshe had become a Devil Fruit user.
"Congratulations!!! Stussy is now officially a Devil Fruit user!! And also a new executive of the Beasts Pirates~~~!!!"
"âYes. I must say... it feels absolutely wonderful. Makes everything I worried about seem so ridiculousâĄ"
Power surged through her body. Stussy, already a master of the Six Powers and a superhuman in her own right, now felt even more almighty after gaining the power of a Mythical Zoan.
And yetâeven soâshe still didnât feel like she could beat the girl standing before her. That was the frightening part. Just who was this girl?
Now that she was part of the Beasts Pirates, she felt like it was okay to ask directly. Even knowing she wouldnât get a straight answer.
"...Hey, Nue? What are you, really?"
"Me? My true identity isss~~~ a seeecret⥠I'm not telling anyone~âȘ Because⊠no one actually knows!!"
"...I see."
As expected, she got nothing. That used to terrify her. Honestly, it still kind of did... but if this girl was on her side, she couldnât imagine a more reliable ally.
With the invincible Kaido and the mysterious Nue as her comrades, there really didnât seem to be anything left to fear. Even though her own power now felt immense, this pirate crew was teeming with even greater monstersâand it was growing stronger by pulling in more beasts by the day.
"Okay, now that you're officially one of us, Stussy, I would love to throw a big welcome party for you~~~ buuuut there's just this one little thing I need you to do for me real quickâĄ"
"Oh? What might that be, Vice-Captain?"
Stussy listened to the voice of her friendâand now new superiorâwith a calm heart. Now that she was in this position, she didnât feel the same anxiety or burdens she once did. Honestly, if this was what it felt like, she wished she'd made this choice sooner.
Then Nue looked at her with playful eyes and asked sweetly:
"Remember before� You said⊠we could, you know, get closer with our bodies and all?"
"Yes, I remember saying that. Are you saying⊠that's what you want to do?"
"Mmmm, pretty much!! Sooo, would you mind if I ask you a little favor?"
Stussy had been bracing herself for some cruel or violent commandâyet this was the first thing Nue asked for?
So this was her kind of thing.
âŠSheâs got a cute side after all⥠Stussy couldnât help but feel amused.
She didnât mind. With a girl this cute, she actually welcomed the idea now. She was in a good mood, and if thatâs what Nue wanted, sheâd be more than happy to spoil her a little. Right now, nothing scared her. Whatever order she was given, sheâd follow throughâStussy smiled and nodded,
"Sure, I donât mind. Iâm your subordinate now. Iâll do whatever you ask⥠Fufufu⊠then, shall we move to the bedâ"
"Thanks⥠So you're willing to do anything, huh!! In that case, off you goâto the beeeed~!!"
"âŠâŠEh? Kyaah!?"
But the moment she turned toward the bed, the room suddenly transformedâfrom a girly space to a rough, masculine one in the blink of an eye.
And behind her appearedâ
"âWorororoâŠ!! Never thought you were one of the government's dogs, Stussy⊠but if youâre joining us, then Iâm happy to welcome you in!!"
"Ehâah⊠K-KaidoâŠ!! I mean⊠Lord Kaido⊠I suppose. I⊠look forward to working with you."
The deep voice from behindânone other than âHundred Beastsâ Kaidoâcaught her completely off guard. Still processing what had just happened, Stussy hurried to give her new captain a proper greeting. Kaido, apparently drunk and in great spirits, bellowed:
"Worororororo!! Donât worry about it, from now on youâre one of my crew!! This way, weâll finally have some intel on the governmentâitâs gonna make things real interesting!!"
"âŠYes. I promise Iâll be more than worth your expectations."
"Thatâs what I like to hearânow, letâs have a little quality time togetherâ"
"Yes, understood⊠huh?"
In that moment, Stussyâs thoughts came to a complete halt. Then, from the side, Nue grabbed her handâwith an incredibly cheerful smile.
"No worries, no worriesâȘ Iâll be watching right here in the same room, so youâll be fine!! So with thatâI'll leave Kaido in your hands, okay? As for me, you can take care of me next timeâĄ"
"Eh⊠R-right⊠wait, what?"
"UWOOOOOH!!! LETâS GOOOOOO!!!"
"!! H-Hold onâwaitâ!!"
"...All righty. While I watch, I guess Iâll get some work done. Iâve got that Eternal Pose from Wano that was sent over⊠oh right, I need to check in over the Den Den Mushiâ"
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!!?"
âAnd thatâs how Stussy was welcomed as an executive of the Beasts Pirates. A mysterious figure known only to the top brass⊠the elusive âJOKER.â
However, thinking this would be easy was a big mistake on Stussyâs part. The power she gained was incredible, and sure, she felt greatâbut that day also gave her a terrifying glimpse of just how intense things were going to get from now on.
And as she spent that day feeling like the sky itself had split in two, Stussy found Nue harder to understand than ever.
"Wasnât that so much fun!?"
"NOT EVEN A LITTLE!!!"
And in the end, Stussy decided it was better to just stop trying to figure out whoâor whatâNue really was.
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