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One Piece Breaking the Gene Lock
Genshin Impact: I am King Arthur
Naruto: Reviving the Fourth Hokage from the Start
As the man who controlled 20% of the world's belly, Tesoro couldn't care less about the few hundred million in ticket sales tied to Creed's name. What he craved was the thrill of control—and the pleasure of pulling the strings. Ever since losing his beloved Stella, only this sort of domination could make him feel alive.
What pushed him from interest to murderous intent toward Creed, though, wasn't only today's Rayleigh fiasco. Doflamingo was part of it too. Tesoro's Goru Goru no Mi (Gold-Gold Fruit) had ultimately come to him through Doflamingo. There were twists in the middle, but lately they'd become close business partners. Creed had smashed Doflamingo's operations—so naturally, he landed on Tesoro's kill list.
"Boss, Saint Charlos is almost here," said a misshapen man whose head was larger than his body, stepping through the solid door as if it were mist.
This was Tesoro's subordinate and Gran Tesoro's chief of security: Mr. Tanaka. He possessed the Nuke Nuke no Mi (Through-Through Fruit), which let his body pass through any inanimate matter.
"Hm. Is the Heavenly Tribute gold ready?" Tesoro asked.
With a Celestial Dragon arriving, he had to prioritize—and Creed would have to wait. Still, he'd already sent people after Creed's two companions. Even if Creed tried to run, he wouldn't get far… unless he abandoned his crew.
In the New World, a pirate who discarded his companions was despised. Tesoro wasn't worried about Creed fleeing alone. After all, this was a man with a six-billion bounty—the Fifth Emperor. Would he be that shameless?
After helping Rayleigh win back his losses, Creed had Baccarat arrange a quiet room. He settled in to cultivate and to wait for Redfield and Robin to return. When the appointed time came and went with no sign of them, he frowned. Both Robin and Redfield were disciplined and punctual. The anomaly set him on edge.
He stepped out, ready to look for them—only for Baccarat to arrive at his door.
"What? Impossible!"
Baccarat's report stunned him: Redfield and Robin had racked up a combined debt of twenty billion belly.
"Where are they? Take me to them first," Creed said, calm as ever.
To him, their worth far exceeded twenty billion. Double or triple that, and he'd still pay. His personal storage held fifty to sixty billion at least. Money was the least of his problems.
In a premium VIP suite, Creed found Redfield and Robin waiting, both faces flushed with shame. He quickly pieced together what had happened: out of nowhere the urge to gamble had flared in them, irresistibly. They kept betting—yet their luck was abysmal. Loss after loss piled up. Pride wouldn't let them stop. Only after borrowing twenty billion from the casino did they wake as if from a dream and slam on the brakes.
Creed's eyes cooled. They'd been hit—obviously. Baccarat's Raki Raki no Mi (Luck-Luck Fruit) was one angle, but there had to be another Devil Fruit user who could kindle compulsive gambling. Combined, the effects were a perfect reaping machine. Even the best gamblers would be stripped bare—and then shackled by debt.
Inside Gran Tesoro, nine out of ten singers, dealers, shop clerks, and attendants were unlucky souls who owed Tesoro, lost their freedom, and were forced to work here for life.
"No wonder that bastard can hoover up the world's gold and claim twenty percent of the world's belly," Creed mused.
"Here's twenty billion. I'm taking them back," he said, tossing out a few heavy cases. He redeemed Redfield and Robin on the spot.
"Captain…" Redfield could barely lift his head. He knew he'd been played—but the spiral had felt supernatural. Even with his skill, how could he lose so brutally unless his luck had been crushed flat? It was like a devil had been whispering at his shoulder.
Robin's cheeks burned even deeper. She'd always prided herself on her scholarly calm—yet she had gambled like a madwoman, brain fogged, reason gone.
"Y-yes… twenty billion belly," Baccarat stammered, surprised at how easily Creed threw the sum down. The number had tied her tongue in knots.
"Good. The debt is cleared." Creed turned and looked straight into a den-den mushi tucked into the upper corner of the room, its shell shaped like a surveillance snail. "Tesoro, I know you want me to headline your little drama. I'm not patient, and I hate pointless foreplay. How about we skip to the main act?"
A burst of laughter rolled from the speaker as the snail morphed into Tesoro's face. "Interesting! Then please, come to the stage."
Tesoro's ultimate stage was set atop the King of Gold hotel—the Sky Theater. From there one could overlook all of Gran Tesoro. It seated hundreds of thousands; the dueling platform was vast, with geysers of golden "water" for spectacle and showers of glitter to whip the crowd into frenzy. Up there, Tesoro had "golden-ized" more than a few of the world's strongest—turning their defeat into rapture for him and his paying audience.
Creed sent Redfield and Robin back to the ship first—he was still worried about his new vessel. Then he followed Baccarat into the lift and rode up to the Sky Theater.
The doors opened onto a towering golden gate. Baccarat keyed it, swung it wide, and gestured him through.
Creed stepped out onto a high dais. Below, a river of molten gold surged, and in its heart lay a round arena hundreds of meters across. Beyond the gold, terraced stands rose like a football stadium, crammed with a roaring multitude.
On the platform stood a tall, powerfully built man with green, slicked-back hair, violet eyes, and a pink suit. Arms folded, he turned to look at Creed.
"Honored Creed, welcome to my stage," Gild Tesoro said, bowing with polished grace. "Become the lead in tonight's masterpiece."
The crowd went wild.
"Tesoro, kill him!"
"That's a six-billion bounty pirate! Turn him into a golden statue and mount him at the hotel entrance—forever!"
"Start already! I can't wait!"
"Don't underestimate Creed—this will be worth every belly!"
"Won't matter. In Gran Tesoro, Tesoro is a god!"
"Of course! Here, the Golden Emperor is the highest sovereign—the highest deity!"
(End of Chapter)
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