Chapter 258: Shadows and Schemes Beneath the Cake Island Banquet

With both pairs of eyes on him, Katakuri followed the fishman to a small house near the lab. These homes had been built by enslaved people purchased from elsewhere, as well as some by the fishmen themselves.

Houses like these dotted the island, giving it a lively air.

Katakuri sniffed the air, catching the faint scent of iron. His brows drew together. “Rats in the sewers… they deserve to die.”

“Still, I’m a step too late.”

His long legs strode toward the door while the fishman guide quietly backed into the shadows, trying to avoid getting caught up in trouble—and staying close enough to call for backup if Katakuri ran into serious trouble.

Creak!

As Katakuri stepped inside, the light from outside revealed a middle-aged man lying on his back on the carpet. The blood at his chest had long since clotted; he had been dead for quite some time.

Buzz!

Observation Haki, activate!

Katakuri’s gaze locked onto a small room upstairs. The corner of his mouth lifted. “Found you, rat.”

“Say your prayers!”

He bent his knees and stabbed his trident straight through the floorboards between the first and second stories.

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

The trident was blocked by the pitch-black hands of a CP0 agent—one of the World Government’s dogs. This batch of CP0 had all been transferred straight from other factions.

Each member was highly skilled, adept in the Six Powers and Armament Haki.

“Finger Gun!”

The CP0 agent pivoted around the trident and jabbed two fingers right for Katakuri’s eyes. The ferocity took Katakuri off guard; he’d never seen someone fight like this before.

Caught by surprise himself, the CP0 agent had no chance to relocate. He could only rely on his own strength and hope Katakuri wasn’t as strong as he looked.

“Brave, but you picked the wrong opponent.”

“Sticky Prison!”

Hundreds of sticky pillars shot up from the floor and walls in the blink of an eye. In such a cramped space, the CP0 agent had nowhere to run. He was pinned in midair.

This was a situation the CP0 agent had clearly never faced. He twisted and struggled, doing everything to break free, but the prison only tightened around him—soon Katakuri covered it with Armament Haki, and in moments the cage had compressed into a solid ball, trapping him inside with only his head sticking out.

Realizing there was no escape, the agent clenched his teeth hard, trying to shatter the toxin capsule hidden in his molars.

Whoosh!

Crack!

But Katakuri had never taken his eyes off him. Sensing something was wrong, he flashed forward and dislocated the agent’s jaw, leaving him powerless to bite down on his poison tooth.

He shaped glutinous rice over his hand into pincers, reinforced them with Armament Haki, and pulled out both of the agent’s back molars.

Squish, squish!

He hadn’t been so careful before, which meant he failed to capture his last target alive. One mistake was enough—he wouldn’t make it again.

He brandished the poisoned teeth and called to someone behind him. “Take him. Check if he has any more accomplices.”

“And hand this over for analysis.”

A handful of fishmen came in from outside, taking the World Government’s CP0 agent and those two poisonous teeth away.

As they left, the fishmen flashed fierce grins.

Karl had taught them all sorts of interrogation techniques—even how to craft and use specialized tools for the job, passing down the knowledge through manuals.

But with only familiar faces on Cake Island, they’d never really needed to use those skills. The tools had just gathered dust, and the fishmen tasked with interrogations had nearly gone stir crazy from boredom.

Now, finally, a perfect subject had landed in their hands—a World Government intelligence officer, of all people. Surely his lips wouldn’t be easily loosened.

Maybe, just maybe, they’d get to try all ten infamous tortures, just this once.

They’d better fetch a few doctors too, before things got out of hand.

…

Meanwhile, over the next two days, waves of guests who’d received invitations to the tea party arrived one after another on Cake Island. There were more and more ‘rats in the shadows’ showing up as well.

By noon, the banquet guests followed their instructions to the venue, where dozens of round tables had been set up outside. Long side tables were piled high with all sorts of delicacies, free for anyone to take.

“Oh? Never thought I’d see a fishman maid here,” someone remarked.

“Fishmen are a rare breed these days, you know!”

“Ever thought about working for me?” Stussy winked and teased the maid.

Fishwomen went for sky-high prices on the black market. If Stussy could get just a few fishman maids as her signature employees, she’d be over the moon.

The maid’s face turned anxious. She’d never dealt with guests like this before.

For a moment, she had no idea how to respond, so she just hugged her tray to her chest, looking pitiful.

Krell, directing the fishmen setting up the banquet, kept a careful eye on his surroundings. When he heard Stussy’s words, he immediately brushed aside his task and came over.

He positioned himself between Stussy and the maid, his manner imposing. “Stussy, please show some respect.”

“If you don’t want to be hunted by the Rocks Family, you’d best take that back.”

“The Rocks Family now has both the strength and the will to protect each and every one of our own.”

His tone grew sharper, an implicit threat in his words. “The last person who tried this, I scattered his ashes into the sea myself. I doubt you want that, Stussy.”

Meeting his fierce gaze, Stussy lifted a fan to her lips and murmured, “No need to get angry, Butler Krell. I’m just joking.”

“Who doesn’t know the Rocks Family is backing the fishmen now?” she added.

She glanced at the frightened maid behind Krell. “Hope I didn’t scare the little one. Of course, if you ever feel like talking, you know where to find me.”

She held out a card, but Krell tore it in half without a word. Stussy didn’t react, only swaying her hips as she strolled off into the banquet, as if nothing had happened.

But as she walked away, Stussy used the tiny mirror on her fan to check behind her. A glint of menace flashed in her eyes.

As a member of the World Government’s CP0, she’d already received orders to sow discord between the Rocks Family and other factions.

The quickest way to pull this off would be to target the fishmen. The Rocks Family couldn’t possibly guard every single one around the clock—there would always be lapses.

She knew her taunts had been overheard. She didn’t believe none of the guests would be tempted. If even one of them tried to kidnap a fishman, then her little scheme would be a success—and if it didn’t work, she already had a backup plan ready.

Meanwhile, Krell had just finished reassuring the fishmaid and sent her back to work. But when he looked around, he saw plenty of guests eyeing the fishman maids hungrily, pointing and whispering among themselves.