Chapter 313: Prisoner's Dilemma

{The Prisoner's Dilemma is a famous game theory concept that illustrates a situation where two individuals acting in their own best interest do not produce the optimal outcome for the group.}

Hiss—

Is there a woman in this city who has not been tainted?

Under Stussy's professional veteran seductress' verbal and behavioral assault, Adrian almost couldn't help but grit his teeth.

While some cars may look new on the outside, their mileage might be shockingly high.

Did this alluring, scheming woman really think she could seduce me?

Who knows how many nutrients have been buried beneath this wildflower?

There's a saying: "The path you yearn for is covered with dew every night and morning"—

Seems inappropriate.

"Some land looks fertile, but it is the result of many people fertilizing it together."

That fits better.

Moreover, why would anyone forgo the pure and beautiful mermaids on Fish-Man Island to taste the unique flavor of the Queen of Pleasure Street's secret honey cheese?

What kind of perverted and lustful man would do such a stupid thing?

Adrian cast a cold glance at Stussy, a look as chilling as the icy expanse of the northernmost ice fields. This gaze successfully curbed the queen's licentious behavior.

Then, Adrian calmly stated his real demands.

"I need to know the exact organizational structure of CP0, the hidden military reserves of the World Government, and the security arrangements of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, both Stussy and Mr. Fox instinctively widened their eyes in shock.

This White Ghost really is targeting the World Government and the Celestial Dragons!

This thought simultaneously flashed through the minds of the two CP0 members.

It's often said that under low eaves, one has to bow.

Mr. Fox, recalling the White Ghost's ruthless criticism just moments ago, gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, "I know some details!"

As the words left his mouth, Mr. Fox felt a heavy burden lift from his shoulders and let out a small sigh of relief.

The moment before making a decision is always the hardest.

"Is that so?" Adrian smiled slightly and then looked at the other person who had fallen silent.

"And what about you, Ms. Stussy? Are you completely in the dark?"

"I don't know much either~" Stussy raised her head, forcing a smile.

If thoughts could kill, she'd have skewered Mr. Fox dozens of times for his betrayal.

"Then I look forward to your sincere cooperation." Adrian said softly.

He then extended his index finger, from which a semi-transparent white ghost slowly emerged, silently floating towards Mr. Fox's face.

Mr. Fox, covered in fur, was so terrified that his black fur stood on end, and even his mask fell off, revealing a plain, panicked middle-aged face.

If not for the spirit pressure whip still binding him, he would have likely bolted a great distance away by now!

"Sir White Ghost! I'll tell you everything I know!"

Mr. Fox screamed nervously, cold sweat constantly dripping from his forehead.

An expectant look briefly flashed in Stussy's eyes.

If Mr. Fox were killed directly by the White Ghost, she would be the only one left holding the crucial intelligence the White Ghost needed.

At that point, she could say whatever she wanted, true or false, with her silver tongue.

"Relax, it's just a painless eternal sleep."

Adrian lightly flicked his finger, and the White Ghost covered Mr. Fox's face, silently merging into him.

Mr. Fox's eyelids closed, and he fell backward, landing on the floor with a thud.

But to Stussy's disappointment, her keen senses still detected Mr. Fox's breathing and heartbeat.

Clearly, the White Ghost had no intention of killing him!

"Alright, Miss Stussy, please share all the information you know."

Adrian turned to look at the Queen of Pleasure Street, leaving his sentence unfinished.

"If what you say doesn't match up with what Mr. Mr. Fox tells us later, then..."

Before his official debut, Adrian had been a reserve agent trained by the World Government, but his low rank prevented him from accessing any classified information.

In the original story, there was very little written about the World Government and the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

In other words, Adrian didn't know the correct answers to the questions he had just asked. He lacked the ability to discern the truthfulness of Stussy and Mr. Fox, both CP0 members.

Even the Ghost Fruit couldn't extract memories to check if someone was lying.

Of course, if Adrian were willing to spend his skill points, he could unlock a feature of full-level Observation Haki—seeing through people's hearts to judge truth from lies.

But considering the precious and scarce nature of skill points, Adrian couldn't bear to use them, even though he had accumulated a lot by this time.

After a moment of thought, Adrian decided to create a simple "prisoner's dilemma."

Both CP0 members possessed a wealth of World Government intelligence.

If they cooperated seamlessly and hid everything from Adrian, it wouldn't be difficult.

However, in this situation, Adrian chose to knock out one of them on the spot.

The remaining person would then have to decide whether to spill everything or risk trusting their colleague's cooperation, choosing to hide or lie.

Given Mr. Fox's cooperative attitude, Adrian chose to knock him out first, leaving Stussy.

Now, it was up to the Queen of Pleasure Street, who had been navigating the dark underworld for years, to decide whether to risk trusting her colleague, especially one who had already shown signs of surrender.

Stussy's thoughts were in chaos, tangled and conflicted.

She could have trusted Mr. Fox!

If he hadn't already raised the white flag!

After a moment of silence, Stussy finally chose to reveal most of the information she knew.

"CP0's organizational structure, besides the basic members, includes five captains who each protect one of the Five Elders;"

"Above the captains, there's a chief and a deputy chief who oversee all CP members, but their whereabouts and strength are unknown;"

"The World Government doesn't have much hidden power, most of its strength is in the navy, with a small elite force forming the CP unit. There's also rumored to be a complex scientific team, but details are unknown;"

"Above the naval admiral there is Fleet Admiral, and above that there's the commander-in-chief of the three military branches, but only the navy is visible. The air force is never seen. It's said that the army commander is as strong as a naval admiral, but that's unverified;"

"The security layout of Mary Geoise is..."