Ihe Holy Land of Mariejois, within the grand halls of Cudius's pace, little Ace was crawling around at his feet. Nia was trying to capture Ace's attention with a soft toy, waving it in front of him. But the young child seemed entirely ued, determio explore on his own.

  Cudius watched this se with amusement while holding a phone in his hand. He chuckled and called out, "Nia, maybe if you tried a toy musket, he'd be more ied."

  Nia looked up at him, slightly disapproving. "Yhness, that's hardly an appropriate toy for the young master."

  Cudius ughed, but before he could reply, the Den Den Mushi in his hand crackled to life. His attention shifted as the familiar voi the other end spoke up.

  "Cousin? Don't tell me there's another mission already? Furfurfur…" Dofmingo ughed over the phone.

  "What? Busy already?" Cudius teased, a smile tugging at his lips.

  "Busy? Absolutely," Dofmingo replied, his tone ced with satisfa. "Sihe rumor spread that I defeated Redfield, I've got a flood of new recruits begging to join the Donquixote Pirates. We've grown a lot retly." He paused, and his voice turned pyful. "But you know, no matter how busy I am, if there's a task from you, I'll make time."

  "You're ag like big-name pirates grow on trees," Cudius joked.

  Dofmingo ughed again. "True enough, cousin. So, what's the big his time?"

  "It's that thing you've been waiting for," Cudius replied in a quieter tone.

  Dofmingo went silent for a moment before asking, "La?"

  "That's right. The Five Elders gave me a little heads-up to show how much they value me," Cudius said, his voice carrying a faint edge. "Ohird day of month, La will be traveling to Dressrosa."

  "Hah… so they're really giving you the green light on this?" Dofmingo sounded impressed. "I knew you'd take him out eventually, but I hought the Five Elders would practically serve him up on a silver ptter for you."

  Cudius smirked. "I'll send you the travel dots for La's trip. Make sure to ha ly. When the news breaks, it should look like La's ship entered an unfortunate act in the New World… with no survivors."

  Dofmingo's ughter crackled over the line. "Furfurfur… No problem. The sea doesn't care who you are—eveial Dragons aren't exempt from its dangers. Isn't that right, cousin?"

  Cudius chuckled. "Are you poking fun at me now, Doffy?"

  "Why would you think that?" Dofmingo replied, his voice feigning innoce.

  Cudius let out a hearty ugh. "I'll be sure to keep my guard up when I'm in the New World ime."

  With that, they shared a few more lighthearted exges before saying their farewells and ending the call.

  As Cudius set the Den Den Mushi down, he gnced over at the Nia who was still trying to eain Aearby. His thoughts drifted.

  The fact that the Five Elders would give him such a clear green light was telling. They were practically inviting him to take out La. But as Cudius thought about it more, he realized this "gift" from the Five Elders likely came with strings attached. If he did gh with it, no matter how perfectly he covered his tracks, he'd still be holding a dirty secret, something the Five Elders could leverage if they ever o.

  "But so what?" Cudius muttered to himself. "I'm not oo be squeamish about a little dirt."

  Whatever the Five Elders' true iions, the bes were clear. With La out of the picture, Cudius could solidify his position as the head of the Donquixote family, removing any lingering threat from within his own . It would grant him greater freedom and influence, without a meddling patriarch trying to keep him in check.

  Satisfied with the decision, Cudius set aside his s and turned his focus back to the present. A feassed, and he found himself restless, thinking of his ship iy of Seven Waters. It had been almost five months since he'd pced the order, and he was eager to see if it was finally pleted.

  Just as he was making pns to leave, the phone worm buzzed again. This time, it was Stussy calling.

  At that moment, Cudius was in the middle of "experieng fatherhood," attempting to ge Ace's diaper with a kind of fumbling clumsiness. Nia and two professional nannies hovered nearby, watg with wary eyes as if they expected some grand disaster.

  Ace wriggled and squirmed, while Cudius struggled to keep the little boy still. With a mischievous grin, Cudius reached out, lightly poking Ace's belly. Just as he was about to tihe den den mushi's ringing snapped him out of it.

  Nia quickly handed over the Den Den Mushi. "It's Stussy," she informed him.

  Cudius bahe snail and the diaper in one hand. "Stussy! What's going on?"

  "Hello, Yhness," Stussy replied, her voice calm and smooth. "I've ed up business here in Water 7. Also, our ship has been pleted. Tom was asking if you had a name in mind for it?"

  "A name, huh…" Cudius murmured, pausing his diaper-ging efforts as he pohe question.

  Taking the hint, Nia signaled for the nao step in. They swiftly took over the diaper duty, gently ushering Cudius aside. He picked up the den den mushi with both hands, turning his full attention to Stussy's question.

  After a moment's thought, he asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"

  Stussy's voice turned pyful. "How about 'The Most Handsome Celestial Dragon in History'?"

  Cudius ughed. "Oh, yeah, that wouldn't loant at all sailing into port."

  "Personally, I think it's fitting," Stussy replied with a chuckle.

  Cudius smirked. "I'll take that as a pliment."

  Thinking for another moment, he finally said, "How about 'Prometheus'?"

  "Prometheus?" Stussy echoed thoughtfully. "The prophet whs light to the world… I think it suits you perfectly, Yhness."

  "Then it's settled. The ship will be called Prometheus, the prophet guiding the world's light," Cudius said, a trace of pride in his voice as he envisiohe vessel.

  ****

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