"Ikoku Sovereignty is Big Mom's signature technique. No one else should be able to master it."
"But this kid, Ethan, not only learned it, his power is nearly on par with Big Mom's own."
Stussy's eyes were filled with disbelief. She knew Ethan had only been with Big Mom for a few days.
Even if Big Mom had taught him everything without holding back, no ordinary genius could reach this level of mastery so quickly.
Yet somehow, Ethan had done it.
"And what's going on with his weapon? How can it change shape like that?"
With her acute senses, Stussy detected the presence of soul energy it was unmistakably that of a Homie.
Although she had her suspicions, she couldn't yet confirm them, so she temporarily pushed the thought aside.
"No matter what, I need to snatch him from Big Mom's grasp."
The more secrets Ethan carried, the more extraordinary he clearly was.
Now that she had fallen out with Whitebeard, Stussy's own strength on the seas was no longer enough to stand on its own. Compared to powerhouses like Big Mom and Kaido, she was far from their level.
She knew very well that strength was everything on the Grand Line. She urgently needed to find a powerful ally.
Originally, she had considered forming an alliance with Kaido or Big Mom, but after seeing Ethan, she immediately abandoned that plan.
"With his talent, Ethan's future potential might rival even Whitebeard's. If I can lock him down, make him willingly follow me, his power would effectively become mine."
She carefully began mapping out her next moves.
The problem was, Ethan was extremely wary of her. He was ready to fight her at the slightest provocation, which made things tricky.
"Stussy, are you going to fight or not?"
Seeing that Ethan was already prepared to strike, Stussy let out a helpless sigh.
"Don't be so hot-headed, kid. I'm not here to spar, I'm here to help you."
Since Ethan was always on guard, she decided to just lay her cards on the table.
"Help me?" Ethan narrowed his eyes, his voice thick with suspicion. "What are you up to now, Stussy? What's your real play?"
He knew better than anyone beautiful women were dangerous, and women like Stussy, masters of social manipulation, were especially troublesome.
Right now, all he wanted was to break free from Big Mom. He wasn't interested in getting involved with Stussy.
"Relax, kid. I have no ill intentions." Stussy gave a soft laugh, trying to ease his tension. She deliberately let him in on a little secret.
"You know Big Mom's planning to leave the Rocks Pirates soon to form her own crew, right?"
Ethan immediately grasped her angle and decided to play along.
"You mean Totto Land? Big Mom already invited me to join her. She even promised to make me king."
"King? Hah!" Stussy scoffed, a trace of coldness flashing across her lips.
"With Big Mom's reproductive speed, you won't last long. Once she's squeezed every ounce of value from you, she'll either lock you away or kill you."
Hearing this, Ethan instantly understood she was trying to turn him against Big Mom.
But outwardly, he played along, pretending to be shocked and furious.
"Big Mom… how could she…?"
Seeing his expression, Stussy's heart filled with smug satisfaction.
She leaned in closer and whispered, "Before she drains you dry, you'd better leave with me."
"Leave with you?"
Ethan feigned intrigue and asked deliberately, "Big Mom's got her eyes glued to me. I can't even be a hundred meters away from her without risking my life. What's your plan to help me escape?"
He hadn't expected to stumble into an opportunity like this.
Seeing that the bait had worked, Stussy didn't hold back.
"I'll arrange for the Navy to launch a strike against the remnants of the Rocks Pirates. Once Big Mom's tied down by them, she won't have time to watch you."
But before she could finish, Ethan interrupted.
"Your plan's full of holes. First, there's Kaido he's already in an alliance with Big Mom. If I try to run, he'll definitely try to stop me."
"Second, you have no guarantee the Navy will send anyone strong enough. If it's just a Vice Admiral, Big Mom will crush them. At least an Admiral has to show up to keep her busy."
Stussy paused, then nodded. "You're right. I'll make sure those problems are taken care of."
"In that case, I'll wait for your good news."
After finalizing the arrangement, Ethan parted ways with Stussy and returned to Big Mom's quarters.
"What's in it for her? Why is Stussy risking so much to help me?"
Ethan didn't believe for a second that Stussy was doing this out of the goodness of her heart.
There was no doubt she had her own agenda.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what she was after, but it was certainly no selfless act.
Aside from his bone sword and his Devil Fruit, he didn't have anything of material value.
The bone sword was unique, but not just anyone could wield it.
His Devil Fruit could only be stolen if he were killed but no one outside Big Mom and Kaido knew he had it.
"Some of my information must have leaked. Otherwise, Stussy wouldn't be this interested in me."
Ethan's body was packed with secrets his Three-Eyed Tribe bloodline, his top-tier Mythical Zoan Fruit, and his mastery of Conqueror's Haki.
Just one of these would be enough to draw Stussy's attention.
"Could Stussy already be working with the World Government? Did Saint Saturn hand my information over to her?"
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became.
"Stuck between a rock and a hard place Big Mom and Stussy, these so-called best friends are both damn troublesome!"
Frustrated, Ethan cast a cold glance at Big Mom sleeping soundly on the bed, then climbed onto it himself.
Soon, the creaking of the bed filled the room once again.
[Host has landed 100 consecutive critical hits on Charlotte Linlin. Conqueror's Haki EXP +100.]
[Host has landed 1,000 consecutive critical hits on Charlotte Linlin. Ikoku Sovereignty EXP +200.]
[Host has landed 5,000 consecutive critical hits on Charlotte Linlin. Soul Power EXP +500.]
Days passed without Ethan stepping foot outside. He relentlessly farmed experience from Big Mom, continuously growing stronger.
After thoroughly defeating Big Mom once again, he climbed off the bed and summoned his status panel.
[Host: Ethan Sugawa]
[Race: Three-Eyed Tribe, Giant Tribe]
[Secret Technique: Ikoku Sovereignty LV6 (880/900), Soul Power LV4 (265/300)]
[Devil Fruit: Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Asura]
[Haki: Observation Haki LV5 (289/500), Armament Haki LV5 (312/500), Conqueror's Haki LV5 (465/500)]
[Perks: Heroic Legacy (Gold), Appraisal Master (Purple), Unbreakable (Green), Swordsmanship Genius (Green)]
[Reputation: 102 (A treasure map will be awarded at 500 reputation points.)]