During the internal chaos on Dark Gold Island…
Whole Cake Island had already entered full-island alert mode. Countless Homies soldiers were scouring the area in search of the missing CP agents.
The moment the Dragon God, Azuma Ryūjin, and Big Mom Charlotte Linlin appeared, the panicked crowd instantly fell silent.
Even the underground powers led by Doragu Pekkoro didn't dare show the slightest displeasure.
"What terrible luck. Dying at my wedding banquet, of all places."
Ryūjin sighed with exaggerated pity as he glanced at the corpse of Du Feld, the king of loansharks, a flicker of mockery hiding deep in his eyes.
With Law and Bruno, two space-type ability users, lending support, Stussy had assassinated Du Feld with almost no effort.
In the original timeline, Stussy had killed him from hundreds of meters away with a single Finger Pistol, taking advantage of his distraction over the Dragon Palace treasure chest, the Tamatebako.
After the Whole Cake Island tea party in that timeline, Stussy had been thoroughly investigated by the underground world, her identity exposed. She lost her crown as the Queen of Pleasure Street, lost her businesses, and officially returned to Mary Geoise to resume her CP0 agent status, even openly participating in the World Conference security force.
"Katakuri, forget it if you can't find them. I can lead all of you to attack the G1 Marine Fortress and avenge Du Feld. What do you say?"
Ryūjin narrowed his eyes and smiled lazily, as if he intended to pull all these underground powers into a war against the World Government.
These so-called "neutral" groups only ever cared about business, drifting between the World Government and pirates to profit from both sides.
Dragging them into a war vortex was nearly impossible.
"…"
Hearing Ryūjin's suggestion, the gathered powers fell into dead silence.
They were nothing like the Ryūjin Pirates, who woke up every morning itching to fight the World Government. They just wanted to make money quietly, survive, and pass their influence down.
Besides, after the Marines retook the G1 base, they'd rebuilt it into the New World's only massive fortress, a shield protecting Mary Geoise on the Red Line.
The World Government had already turned it into a terrifying war citadel. They even built a dedicated sea train route connecting Red Port beneath the Red Line to the G1 Fortress for rapid reinforcement.
Two Marine Admirals and an Admiral Candidate were stationed there at all times.
If the Ryūjin Pirates really attacked G1, the Five Elders and Imu could easily appear on the battlefield within minutes.
To Ryūjin, they would all be convenient cannon fodder. None of these underground leaders wanted to be dragged into something that horrifying.
…
"In that case, forget it. Attacking G1 is too serious and needs careful planning.
Now that Du Feld has fallen, I'm worried the underground banking network will spiral into chaos and disrupt everyone's business. We need to return to stabilize the Dark Gold Family's financial operations."
Doragu Pekkoro tactfully rejected Ryūjin's proposal to attack the naval fortress for Du Feld's sake.
Staying here was useless. The priority was returning to their headquarters and stabilizing the underground banking system. After all, their own organizations also stored plenty of money with the Dark Gold Family's bank, using their black-gold network to trade with partners worldwide.
They definitely didn't want their own funds to mysteriously vanish.
Following Pekkoro's statement, Kibason and Umita echoed his concerns. Their storage and shipping industries relied even more heavily on the Dark Gold underground banks, having invested even larger sums.
Sensing the fear and hesitation among the underground emperors, Ryūjin simply chuckled. He hadn't intended to attack any of them today anyway. If he did, the New World truly would plunge into violent chaos, benefiting only the World Government.
"Linlin, lift the alert. Let everyone leave. I'll think of another way to avenge Du Feld."
Seeing the uneasy guests and the anxious underground emperors, Ryūjin addressed Big Mom, the host of the tea party.
Katakuri secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With Ryūjin stepping in, the underground forces had no reason to unite against Totto Land.
"Mamamamama! Very well, lift the alert. This super tea party is over.
I'll give everyone an explanation soon."
Big Mom's face was dark, but since Ryūjin had spoken, she had no choice but to follow his lead and defuse the tension. Still, her anger was boiling. A CP agent performing an assassination on her turf, damaging her reputation among the major powers? She wanted that agent skinned alive.
After Big Mom's announcement, the elites and leaders of the various factions hurried off Whole Cake Island to return to their strongholds.
The death of Du Feld, the King of Loansharks, would undoubtedly shake the underground financial system. Everyone rushed home to protect their wealth.
And of course, whatever they feared most immediately happened.
Just after they left Whole Cake Island, news broke: the Dark Gold Family had erupted into a massive internal conflict.
At the same time, the World Government and Marine Headquarters launched open attacks on underground banks and exchange houses in various member nations and prosperous islands.
Suddenly, the entire underground banking system was thrown into chaos. Countless factions rushed to forcibly withdraw their stored assets. Even if they had to halt global operations temporarily, retrieving their money came first.
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The Dark Gold Family's reputation suffered unprecedented damage.
The Golden Emperor, Tesoro, seized the opportunity to launch his own black-gold bank. Backed by the Ryūjin Pirates and his colossal personal wealth, he quickly gained the trust of many forces.
Tesoro was openly devouring the underground financial empire the Dark Gold Family had spent centuries building.
If the Dark Gold Family couldn't quickly suppress the internal rebellion and stabilize their banking network, their largest clients would inevitably flock to the Golden Emperor, a rising powerhouse with both money and influence.
Having just lost a major intermediary emperor, the underground world was now on the verge of another massive upheaval.
It finally dawned on the New World factions and the underground emperors: the World Government and the Ryūjin Pirates were quietly, and very cooperatively, carving up the Dark Gold Family's financial empire.
Many forces sucked in cold breaths at the realization.
The wealthy Dark Gold Family had become a feast divided by two global giants.
This terrified Pekkoro, Kibason, Umita, and the other underground emperors. They had no choice but to start choosing sides. At the very least, they needed to stop pretending neutrality.
Given their nature as criminals, they could never truly side with the World Government. That left only the Ryūjin Pirates and the Two Emperors faction.
Ryūjin hadn't expected such dramatic results. He had merely intended to bite off a chunk of the Dark Gold Family's assets while the World Government was distracted, but instead gained incredible leverage.
He now had to move the consolidation of the underground powers into his long-term plans.
But before all that, he still had more pressing matters: the wedding ceremony with the four Charlotte sisters, and arranging things for Yamato.