One dance ended.
Holding Stella close, Tesoro walked into the luxurious room. At that moment, the big-headed Tanaka-san emerged from the underground passage, trailing behind Tesoro.
Tesoro glanced back at him, then gently patted Stella on the shoulder, offering her a soft smile.
"You should head back and rest. I have something to deal with."
Stella, being perceptive, understood who Tesoro was now working for — his benefactor as well. She didn't ask further questions.
After hugging Tesoro once, she quietly made her way back to her quarters.
"Alright, tell me. What's going on?"
During the early construction phase of Gran Tesoro, there were still plenty of matters that required the "Golden Boy" himself to handle. Though nominally the owner of Gran Tesoro, in reality, Tesoro was more like a glorified high-level employee — just that Orin wasn't the type to casually strip them of their wealth.
"It's some Celestial Dragons," Tanaka-san explained helplessly. "They lost money at the casino and tried to shoot their opponents. We stopped them, but then they threatened to summon a Marine Admiral."
Tesoro listened without much reaction. Instead, he crossed one leg over the other and casually summoned a golden tendril, which brought him a glass of wine.
Taking it slowly, he sipped and then downed it in one go.
"Celestial Dragons?"
"Marine Admirals?"
"Hmph…"
With a mocking smile curling on his lips, Tesoro pushed his golden sunglasses up onto his head, his expression utterly relaxed.
"Then let them come!!!"
"From today onward, let's settle this problem at the root — so our business won't be constantly disrupted by those damn Celestial Dragons."
He extended his hand, golden rings glinting under the light, as blue sparks flickered across his fingertips. A golden tendril delivered an ornate Den Den Mushi into his hand, but he didn't make the call.
"Go tell those Celestial Dragons — if they want trouble, let them make trouble!!!"
"Do they even know whose turf this is?!" Tesoro's voice thundered. "This is Gran Tesoro — Orin-sama's favorite playground, the place he sometimes personally resides in!!!"
His expression darkened, cold glints flashing in his eyes as he spread his arms wide, arrogance radiating from his entire being.
"Send a Marine Admiral to destroy this place? If they've got the guts, let them try!!!"
"If they're prepared to face Orin-sama's wrath, then by all means…"
Beside him, a tall, voluptuous red-haired beauty chuckled softly.
"Please, as if the Marines would dare challenge Orin-sama's authority."
Baccarat brushed a lock of red hair behind her ear, her tone dripping with confidence.
Tanaka-san, hearing the two speak, nodded as well, his earlier tension fading away. After all, he also believed their reasoning made sense.
Celestial Dragons?
As long as they spent money properly, it was fine.
But if they dared to cause trouble here, even the Celestial Dragons wouldn't be able to stir up a storm in Gran Tesoro.
Clearly, Tesoro's ever-smooth operations had made his heart swell with unrestrained confidence.
Inside Gran Tesoro, aside from Orin, Tesoro was king — second to none, ruling over everyone.
And when Orin wasn't around, the sheer wealth flowing through Gran Tesoro gave Tesoro an intoxicating sense of supremacy — as if money itself entitled him to possess everything.
Even who laughed first, and what jokes were acceptable within Gran Tesoro — all of it was decided by Tesoro.
Orin's ideology — money is everything — had been etched deep into Tesoro's very bones.
Perhaps only his beloved Stella could draw out the rare gentleness buried within him.
"Forget those damn Celestial Dragons," Tesoro said, waving his hand dismissively. "Focus on arranging what I instructed earlier… At Gran Tesoro's entrance, spread microscopic gold dust fine enough to infiltrate the human body — then combine it with Baccarat's Devil Fruit powers!!!"
Tesoro burst into laughter, his eyes gleaming as though he could already see a brilliant future unfolding before him.
"With this, I'll become the richest man in the world!!!"
...
Not just Doflamingo and Tesoro — nearly all of Orin's subordinates believed the same at this moment:
Orin-sama now possessed the world's strongest military power.
From now on, the sky was limitless, and they would officially step onto the grand stage of the world.
This battle wasn't merely about the division of Fish-Man Island — it signified a drastic shift in the balance of world power itself.
Across the seas, countless developments erupted simultaneously, forcing even the Elders to hold emergency deliberations.
In the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, within the chambers of authority —
The Elders discussed heatedly, responding to the chaos sweeping the oceans, as well as the explosive rise of young powerhouses led by Orin.
Driven by dreams, an unprecedented number of pirates were setting sail, chasing the One Piece, idolizing Orin, and seeking to carve their names into history.
"It seems we'll have to accelerate some of our plans."
"Indeed. Orin's public identity as a sea overlord with an astronomical bounty has sparked a frenzied surge of piracy."
"Then let's leverage Orin's influence as well — use his name to cool this boiling ocean. These reckless fools… "
The five Elders, the ultimate authority in the world, displayed their swift decisiveness in managing global affairs.
"Establish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system — let this be the sedative for our restless allied nations and the panicked powers at sea!!!"
...
The next day,
The formation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was officially announced, harnessing the intimidating presence of the great pirates while symbolizing the authority of the World Government.
The lineup included:
[Hawk Eyes] Dracule Mihawk
[Desert King] Crocodile
[Heavenly Demon] Donquixote Doflamingo
[King of Lizards] Hanafuda
[Gekko} Moria
[Tyrant] Kuma
[Thunder God] Enel
Yes, the last name confirmed it — the World Government had finally abandoned the fantasy of recruiting Orin, instead selecting someone else whose power was worthy of the title: Enel.
With Orin's tacit approval, Enel filled the vacant position — at least temporarily.
Since Enel himself expressed disinterest, the World Government clarified that a more suitable candidate could replace him in the future.
Thus, the Seven Warlords of the Sea — one of the three great forces alongside the Four Emperors and the Marines — stepped onto the world stage ahead of schedule!!!
And as the news spread, the entire ocean erupted in commotion.
In truth, the World Government's strategy had worked perfectly.
When people discovered that more than half of the Warlords were under the command of the [Black Emperor] Orin, speculation spread like wildfire.
Many suspected that Orin had secret ties with the World Government, perhaps even planting his own subordinates within their system to serve his influence.
Thus, centered around Orin, the turbulent seas…
Miraculously regained balance once again.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo