Stephen Loud, operating as Stephen Gevanni, is a key investigator in Near's Special Provision for Kira (SPK), recruited for his exceptional skills vital to capturing Kira. He appears as a young man with black hair, bangs often covering his light blue eyes, consistently dressed in a formal black suit while maintaining a professional demeanor and frequently carrying a firearm. He stands 1.82 meters tall, weighs 61 kilograms, holds American nationality, and has a documented birthday of September 1. Gevanni possesses expertise in communications systems, computer operations, lockpicking, surveillance, and meticulous handwriting forgery. His initial duties involved managing SPK communications infrastructure, facilitating Near's online interactions posing as L, and transporting personnel like Shuichi Aizawa. After the SPK relocated to Japan, Near assigned Gevanni to conduct full-time surveillance of prosecutor Teru Mikami, suspected of being Kira's proxy ("X-Kira"). Gevanni's detailed observations of Mikami's rigid routine initially suggested innocence. However, he witnessed Mikami using a Death Note on a subway, confirming his connection to Kira. Demonstrating significant personal risk, Gevanni voluntarily touched the Death Note in Mikami's gym locker—an act potentially fatal if a Shinigami intervened—to photograph its contents and verify the Shinigami's presence. His analysis later detected an anomaly when Mikami deviated from routine to visit a bank, leading to the discovery of a second, genuine Death Note hidden in a safety deposit box. In the investigation's decisive phase, Gevanni executed a critical high-stakes operation central to Near's strategy. Within a single night, he replicated Mikami's Death Note with perfect handwriting accuracy, creating an indistinguishable forgery. This replica replaced the real notebook in the bank vault, while he simultaneously swapped Mikami's daily notebook with another forgery containing modified pages. During the warehouse confrontation between Near and Light Yagami, Gevanni intervened to prevent Task Force members from attacking Mikami prematurely, ensuring Near's plan proceeded. He subsequently assisted in apprehending Mikami after the fake Death Note failed. Personality assessments describe Gevanni as reserved yet highly capable, maintaining loyalty to Near despite significant SPK casualties. He exhibits concern for colleagues' safety, confronting Mello over SPK member deaths and defending Near during Mello's intrusion. Creator notes characterize him as a "good-looking hotshot" recruited solely for his exceptional abilities, acknowledging solving the Kira case required his contributions. Personal preferences include an interest in ships in bottles and a stated dislike for "unreasonable superiors," though his specific views on Near remain unexplored. Following Kira's defeat, Gevanni continued working with Near, now operating as the new L. He appeared alongside SPK colleagues Anthony Rester and Halle Lidner during Near's global broadcast three years post-incident. A cultural note links his alias "Gevanni" to Japanese slang describing individuals accomplishing extraordinary feats rapidly, referencing his overnight forgery of the Death Note.