In the Holy Land of Mariejois, Cudius sat leisurely by the ke. Mero and Lenny, haviurned from Fish-Man Isnd, were joyfully spshing around ier after a long absence.

  Watg the two mermaids py, Cudius felt his mohten. A gss of jui hand, he sipped through a straw as a Den Den Mushi sat oable before him. Its voice buzzed faintly as Cudius engaged in a casual versation.

  "I already said it's useless to you. Make a copy if you like, but sehe inal," Cudius said with a smirk.

  "And what do I get iurn for this favor?" came the voionkey D. Dragon from the Den Den Mushi.

  "What more do you want? The i in Totto Land worked out for you, didn't it? I don't know what kind of deal you struck with Kuma, but it's clearly more than just a Road Poneglyph or a scrap of history text. Plus, Big Mom's locked up in Impel Down now, and her empire is in shambles without leadership. You've got a golden opportunity to expand your influence over there, haven't you?" Cudius replied, his tone dripping with mockery.

  Dragon's reply was vague, skirting the question as if amused. He didn't eborate on the bes he'd gaihough Cudius suspected they were substantial. Not that he cared much to find out.

  "Still," Dragon asked, curious, "why do you want the Road Poneglyph? It's not like it's useful to you."

  "'t I collect it?" Cudius quipped, grinning.

  "Try again. Give me a reason I might actually believe," Dragon said, exasperated.

  "Fine. Holy, I've taken an i ihings. Not just the Road Poneglyphs, but the historical texts in general. You've seen the library on my ship, haven't you? I want to fill it up with these artifacts. Maybe even make it as signifit as the Tree of Knowledge. Enlightening the world, you know?" Cudius expined, his voice carrying an air of nonce.

  Dragon was silent for a moment before he responded, sounding incredulous. "Only someone like you could say that so casually. Anyone else would've lost their head already for colleg such 'dangerous' things."

  "Exactly. So, little fish in a big pond, sehe Poneglyph or risk losing your head," Cudius teased, ughing.

  "Alright, alright. I'll have someone deliver it," Dragon finally agreed, his tone half-amused, half-resigned.

  After exging a few more words, Cudius noticed Stussy approag. She carried a photo in her hand, her expression pyful.

  "Well, if that's all, I'm hanging up. I don't have time to listen to y about your spoils," Cudius said into the Den Den Mushi.

  "You're as cold as ever," Dragon joked before the call ended.

  Cudius turned his attention to Stussy, smiling. "What's this about?"

  "Yhness, someone mao take a very clear photo of you during the Totto Land operation. Don't worry; our CP-X agents intercepted it before it could spread. It's quite the striking picture," Stussy said, handing him the photo.

  Curious, Cudius took the photo and exami. He burst into ughter.

  The image was sharp and dynamic, capturing Cudius mid-battle against Charlotte Linlin. It showed him stepping on Big Mom's fallen form, delivering a devastating punch. Linlin appeared utterly defeated, her face torted in pain as she was clearly overpowered.

  As for Cudius, his upper body was bare, his muscur frame glistening with sweat. His expression was wild, his fists blurred as if from the sheer speed of his strikes. He looked untamed, powerful, and dangerous—pletely uhe refined demeanor he usually presented.

  "Hahahaha! This is me, sure, but it doesn't look like me at all," Cudius said, still ughing.

  Stussy nodded in agreement. "True. You look pletely different here. The muscles, the iy, it's not the Cudius I'm used to seeing. Holy, if I hadn't been there myself, I might not believe it."

  Stussy smiled and added, "By the way, Mans from the World Ey Neer offered 1.5 billion berries for this photo. He wants it for a front-page story about the events in Totto Land."

  "You turned him down?" Cudius asked, amused.

  "Of course, Yhness. I know how much you hate having your image out there. And besides, we doly he money," Stussy said matter-of-factly.

  Cudius g the two mermaids still pying ier, then rubbed his thoughtfully. "Tell him two billion."

  Stussy blinked, fused. "What?"

  "Two billion berries," Cudius repeated. "Tell that bird-brained Mans that if he wants this photo, that's the price. Then it's his to do with as he likes."

  For a moment, Stussy was too stuo respond. "Two billion berries for a photo? That's eous!"

  "Is it?" Cudius tered, leaning ba his chair. "Sure, it's an insane price. But think about it. Mans might lose money on the initial purchase, but this photo is worth its weight in gold when it es to selling information. This single picture will elevate the World Ey Neer's reputation. Everyone will want to know more about me. And when Mans sells that intelligence, he'll make his money bad then some. By the time he publishes the story, it'll already be old news, and he'll still have profited. Two billion is a bargain."

  Stussy still looked skeptical, but before she could protest further, Cudius reached over and flicked her forehead pyfully. "Stop w. Just tell him what I said."

  Stussy sighed, but a smile tugged at her lips. "Alright, if you say so, Yhness."

  Lenny swam over from the ke, her voice chiming in. "Yhness, if this photo gets out, we'll finally be able to hang one of you in our house on Fish-Man Isnd! We've wao for so long but were too scared to ask before."

  Mero ughed, swimming up beside her. "Exactly! It's about time. Your photo deserves to be dispyed."

  Stussy suddenly had an idea. "Why don't we take a group photo? I'll call Nia over, and we make it official!"

  Before Cudius could respond, Stussy was already rushing off to find the butler, leaving him scratg his head. "Why is everyone so excited about this?" he muttered.

  ---

  Meanwhile, at Marineford, Sengoku sat in his office, his face dark as he studied a dot in his hand.

  "This is a disgrace to the Marines," Sengoku growled, smming the paper onto his desk.

  Tsuru standing nearby, spoke calmly. "I uand yer, Sengoku, but we o focus. Ohe situation is resolved, we deal with him."

  Sengoku took a deep breath, reigning in his frustration. "Fine. Acc to this, Barrels has tacted Dofmingo to act as a middleman for the Ope-Ope Fruit. He's clearly wary of us."

  "What he doesn't realize," Tsuru added with a faint smile, "is that Dofmingo is on our side. As the Joker of the underground world, only the top figures know his true identity as a Warlord. Barrels clearly isn't in that circle."