20demayo Chapter 86: Buckingham Stussy
Chapter 86: Buckingham Stussy
Chapter 87: Buckingham Stussy
The nights in the Sabaody Archipelago are as noisy and decadent as ever.
Bubbles drifted lazily in the night sky, reflecting neon lights and casting a dreamlike illusion over the chaos of the lawless zone and the sins of the auction house.
A slender, agile figure moved like a ghost through the shadows of the thick mangrove roots and the alleyways.
The figure was dressed in a dark, tight-fitting outfit that allowed for easy movement, perfectly outlining her beautiful figure. However, her every move lacked any allure, displaying only the precision and alertness of a cheetah.
Buckingham Stussy, barely in his early twenties, had already made a name for himself in the underworld through his intelligence and shrewdness.
But she was not satisfied; her goal was the Grand President of the Kingdom of Jaya, the ruler of the Golden Grand Fleet, known as the "Golden Emperor," Orikum Oro.
This maritime emperor, who rose to power in just a few years, has become a legend among the lower and middle classes.
Over the years, countless people have tried to curry favor with him, and countless forces have tried to infiltrate his kingdom, but very few have succeeded.
To come directly to him, offering loyalty or beauty? Stussy scoffed.
Would someone like the Golden Emperor lack these two things?
If you approach them rashly, you'll only be treated like a delicate vase, and after paying some price, you'll be arbitrarily placed in some insignificant position.
This was not what Stussy had expected.
She needs to prove her worth, to prove that she will become an indispensable person in that man's life, rather than a dispensable appendage.
The opportunity arose a week ago. Her informant in Water Seven reported that a commercial transport ship belonging to the Skysea Trading Company of the Kingdom of Gaya was somewhat suspicious.
The cargo declared on the ship was a special type of timber from Gaya Island. This timber is often used in high-end furniture or ship interiors due to its toughness and lightness, and is quite valuable.
However, the ship carrying balsa wood had an unusually deep draft, and the crew acted overly cautiously, even somewhat furtively.
Stussy sensed something unusual in this intelligence report, and she immediately set off, following the transport ship named "Skylark" all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago.
At this moment, the Skylark is slowly entering Area 42, a heavily guarded commercial port wholly owned by the Kingdom of Gaya.
Unlike other ports, this place is not noisy; instead, it exudes a cold sense of order.
The Gaya Guard, dressed in uniform black clothing and wearing gold sun armbands, patrols the port continuously.
Even the lighting system here is meticulously designed, with virtually no blind spots.
Stussy climbed onto the roof of a building on the outskirts of the port and carefully observed the interior of the port through binoculars.
She noticed that the Lark did not dock at a public berth like other cargo ships, but instead sailed directly into a semi-enclosed dock.
The heavy metal gates slowly descended after the ship entered, blocking all sight of both inside and outside.
"The timber doesn't need to be kept so secret, does it?"
Stussy muttered to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips. Things were indeed not simple.
She did not act rashly, but patiently began to wait.
It wasn't until late at night, when the flow of people in the port had decreased to a minimum, that she quietly slid off the roof during the brief interval between guard shifts. Using her camouflage and the blind spots of the guards' patrols, she quickly approached the semi-enclosed dock.
The port's defenses were actually quite good, but unfortunately, they were no match for Stuttgart. The most classic breach in this semi-enclosed structure was the ventilation ducts.
Stussy's supple body moved nimbly through the narrow ventilation ducts, dodging the occasional passersby and the spinning fans beneath, and easily entered the interior of the dock.
Looking down from above, the scene inside the dock surprised her.
The Lark sat quietly at its berth, its cabin doors already open.
The ship wasn't carrying timber after all; what was being unloaded were wooden crates bearing skull and crossbones symbols.
Under the supervision of several squads of guards, the porters carefully carried the boxes deep into the dock, where a heavy cargo elevator led underground.
"That symbol—is it explosives? And there are so many of them?"
Stussy felt a chill run down his spine. The Kingdom of Gaya, a power known for its prosperous trade and relative order, was actually secretly transporting so much explosives to the Sabaody Archipelago. What was it trying to do?
After a moment's thought, Stussy felt it necessary to go down and take a look; perhaps this was the perfect stage for his debut?
Seizing an opportunity when the elevator was not running, Stusi slid down the steel frame and landed silently on the top platform of the elevator.
The elevator slowly descended, taking nearly seven or eight minutes to stop.
After the door opened, the workers pushed out flatbed carts full of explosives. Stusi took the opportunity to slide out along the wall of the elevator shaft and then quickly hid behind a pile of metal shelves.
She peeked out cautiously, and the view before her suddenly opened up before her—
This is an underground space far larger than the shipyard above ground. It is brightly lit, and the air is filled with the salty smell of metal oil and seawater.
The most striking feature is the enormous cylinder that stretches as far as the eye can see in the diving harbor.
These cylinders are matte dark gray with a metallic texture. They are about four meters wide and about twelve meters long, and they all lie quietly on specially made supports.
Stussy had never seen anything like it before. She held her breath, minimized her presence, and quietly moved around, carefully listening to the sounds within the base.
Under the guidance of technicians, workers unpacked the explosives that had been transported down and then carefully used small lifting equipment to stuff the long, thin explosives into the cavities reserved at the front of the cylinders.
Next, technicians will come forward, use tools to tighten the sealing cap at the front end, and perform a series of complex circuit tests.
"--- Charge quantity verified, core detonation circuit normal."
"—The pressure test of the thirteenth mine body has passed, and the shell is well sealed."
"————The propulsion unit is 80% fueled and is expected to be fully ready within two days."
Fragments of technical jargon drifted into Stussy's ears, and her brain raced, piecing together these pieces of information.
Cylindrical — Body — Deep Sea Pressure Test — Shell Tightness
A term that Stussy had only seen in a very few scientific documents suddenly popped into her mind—torpedo!
However, ordinary torpedoes would never be this large, and judging from their emphasis on "deep-sea pressure" and "shell sealing," this is definitely not a conventional weapon used for shallow-sea operations.
This is a deep-sea torpedo!
A super weapon that, in theory, can withstand the terrifying water pressure of the ocean at a depth of 10,000 meters and carry out precise strikes!
Has the technological prowess of the Kingdom of Jaya really developed to this level in secret?
Stussy felt a chill run down his spine; this was far from the technological reserves that a country that outwardly focused on trade and construction should possess.
If these are indeed deep-sea torpedoes, then why would the United Kingdom go to such lengths to secretly assemble these powerful deep-sea torpedoes in the sensitive Sabaody Archipelago? What is their objective?
The waters adjacent to the Sabaody Archipelago—fishman island below?
Impossible. Fishman Island now has close ties with the Kingdom of Jaya, and can almost be considered its vassal state. The Golden Emperor has no reason to attack it.
If it's not Fishman Island, then where could it be?
On the other side of the Sabaody Archipelago, not far from here, is—
A terrifying thought struck Stussy in an instant, almost making her lose her breath!
Marine Headquarters, Marineford!