In a room overlooking the isnd, Cudius stood by the window, a cigar ched between his teeth. He wore a bade of fmingo feathers, his expression calm yet slightly amused. Unlike his usual fmboyant style, there was no paint or makeup on his face today, his real appearance was on full dispy.

  He wasn't worried about being reized. Both d the ultra-secretive CP-X had goo great lengths to keep Cudius's image a closely guarded secret. As long as he didn't want to reveal himself, no photograph of him existed in circution.

  As such, he didn't feel threatened by being on Cake Isnd. Unless he ran into someone who already knew him, there was no ce of being exposed. And since he'd never had any dealings with Charlotte Linlin, the likelihood of running into such a person was slim. He was, after all, a figure who operated from the shadows.

  "What are you staring at?" asked Gioed not far away. Dressed in a maid's outfit, she sipped juice from a gss and looked at him inquisitively.

  Without turning to her, Cudius chuckled and said, "I'm looking at Cake Isnd's sery. After today, it's likely this pce wo anymore. Might as well take it all in while I ."

  "What's there to see in a pirate's ir?" Gion said dismissively, her tone ced with disdain. "No matter how dreamy it looks, it's still a cesspool of filth and corruption."

  "Oh, five me," Cudius replied, feigni.

  Gion froze for a moment before asking, "What's with the regret? Don't tell me you've growimental about Charlotte Linlin. That's not like you."

  Cudius smirked and said, "Seal about that old hag? Not a ce. What I regret is that the mission is about to officially begin."

  "Didn't it already begin when we infiltrated Cake Isnd?" Gion asked, fused.

  Cudius shook his head, still smirking. "I mean the part where we actually take a. This peaceful lull will be over soon. Who knows when I'll have a ce to sleep soundly with you by my side? That's what I regret."

  Hearing this, Gion's cheeks flushed, and she stammered, "Stop spouting nonsehis is just part of the mission. It's not like I had a choice…"

  Cudius turned and gave her an amused look. "And that's why I regret it. If I'd known, I would've e here a month or two earlier. We could've spent some quality time together before all this."

  "Rogue!" Gion muttered, her voice low but filled with indignation.

  "Now hold on," Cudius teased, "you're the one who insisted on cuddling up every night. And now I'm the rogue? Don't you think that's a bit harsh? You seemed pretty fortable sleeping in my arms."

  Gion huffed, choosing to ignore him. Just as Cudius opened his mouth to tease her further, there was a light knock at the door. Stussy ehe room, her expression calm but slightly amused.

  The moment she stepped in, her eyes caught the faint blush lingering on Gion's face. Smiling knowingly, she said, "Yhness, you're in remarkably good spirits."

  Without a hint of for de, Cudius tapped the ash from his cigar a fall outside the window. "What's the situation?" he asked, his tone casual.

  "Tesoro has already met Charlotte Linlin," Stussy replied with a smirk. "Everything's going acc to pn. He accepted her invitation. Should we gratute him on being the pirate queen's son-in-w?"

  Cudius burst into ughter. "Ahahaha! I hope I'm not ruining his big day. Who's the lucky bride? Whie of the old hag's daughters did she pair him with?"

  "It's Charlotte Galette," Stussy said, her smile widening. "I hear she's quite the beauty."

  "That's a shame," Cudius said with mret. "Maybe Tesoro is m the timing too. If only we could've deyed things a couple of days, let him enjoy his wedding night first."

  "Tesoro's been grumbling non-stop," Stussy tinued with a chuckle. "He says there's only one woman in his heart—Stel. If it weren't for you, he'd have never agreed to e here, much less attend this tea party. Besides, this is just an e. The actual marriage would take some time te."

  The three of them ughed briefly, exging a few more jokes about Tesoro's predit. Then Cudius got back to business.

  "The tea party is this afternoht?" he asked.

  "Yes, it'll st three days," Stussy firmed with a nod.

  "Good. Let Enel know it's time to send the signal to Sakazuki and the others," Cudius instructed, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

  Cake Isnd was crawling with surveilnce. Charlotte Linlin's Homies were everywhere, ag as her eyes and ears. Add to that the tless hidden Den Den Mushi, monit bugs and even audio surveilnce equipment and the pce ractically a fortress.

  Cudius sometimes wondered if the old hag suffered from paranoia. He'd never seen another pirate captain go to such lengths to monitor their territory. Even Marineford wasn't this obsessive, and that was the Navy's headquarters.

  Fortunately, Cudius had brought Enel along. With his ability to manipute eleagic waves, he erfect for handling unication in such a heavily monitored enviro. Without him, getting a signal out to Sakazuki and the others would've been a nightmare.

  "Uood, Yhness," Stussy said with a nod.

  At this point, Gion chimed in. "When do we act?"

  "No rush," Cudius replied with a sly grin. "We'll hit Charlotte Linlin when she least expects it. The key is timing. Once Sakazuki and the others strike from above and take her by surprise, we'll move from the iick to the pn. We don't want to expose ourselves too early."

  Stussy smiled. "By the way, Yhness, Umit is dead."

  "Oh?" Cudius raised an eyebrow. "That was quick."

  "inally, Spandine po wait until after Tezolo pleted his task. But he got word that Umit was on his way to the tea party. Worried that Umit might reize you and jeopardize the missioed ahead of schedule. Umit was intercepted mid-journey and executed i," Stussy expined with a smirk.

  Cudius nodded, satisfied. "Effit. But how did you get the news so quickly? Aren't you also on Cake Isnd?"

  Stussy gave a proud smile. "Yhness, don't uimate me. No matter where I am, I always get the information I need."

  "Impressive," Cudius said, though his tone carried a hint of pyful sarcasm.

  At that moment, another knock came at the door. Dofmingo walked in, his grin as wide and uling as ever. "Corazon," he said, "get ready. The tea party is about to begin."

  Cudius flicked his cigar out the window, adjusted his bck feathered coat, and gave a devilish smile. "Is it time already? Let's go."

  Stussy left first to gather Mihawk, Enel, and Crocodile for the event. Gion stood from the sofa and approached Cudius, who promptly grabbed her wrist and led her out with Dofmingo.

  Gioated, her instinct tellio pull away, but ultimately, she didn't resist. Cudius couldn't help but feel a pang of amusement—and perhaps a touch ret. Over the past few days, Gion had been sleeping soundly at night, her head resting against his shoulder. It roof enough that, despite her protests, she found fort in his presence.

  "Yhness," Gion suddenly said, her voice soft.

  Cudius stopped and turo her, curiosity in his eyes. "What is it?"

  "After this mission…" she hesitated, a slight blush c her cheeks. "I have three months of vacation saved up. Never mind, it's nothing," she said, shaking her head quickly.

  Cudius ughed, his grin widening. "Oh? Would I have the honor of inviting you to my home? Or maybe we could meet somewhere else, how about Little Garden? I hear it's a fasating pce."

  Though she didn't look up, Gion's response was barely audible. "Alright."

  ***

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