Gild Tezzolo was born into a poor family. He didn't know why his parents got married, but from the time Tezzolo could remember, his father was a compulsive gambler.
Saying things like "gambling a little is harmless" is nonsense. Once you get addicted to this stuff, it will inevitably lead to the destruction of your family and the loss of your home.
While her father was a compulsive gambler, Tezzolo's mother also had an alcoholic addiction.
It's normal for families to be poor like this. It would be abnormal if they weren't poor. Even if you have a fortune, you can't keep it if you can't control yourself from gambling.
Tezzolo, who lives in this family, also has dreams; he loves to sing.
During his impoverished childhood, which was filled with little joy, Tezzolo was fortunate enough to encounter a mobile opera house. Although he couldn't afford a ticket, he braved the cold night wind to listen to the entire performance.
Tezzolo's goal became to be able to buy tickets and go to a performance openly and honestly. He didn't just want to listen; he wanted to perform on stage.
He would rather live the life of a celebrity than be ostracized because of poverty.
Stand on the stage and enjoy the cheers of the entire audience.
Fate did not favor Tezzolo; when he was twelve years old, his father died.
This made things even harder for his family. Although his father was a gambler, he would bring back some things every now and then, which prevented the family from falling apart completely.
Tezzolo's father's death did not sadden his mother; she remained unchanged.
But after that, his mother began to hate Tesoro's singing and forbade him to sing. In the end, Tesoro chose to run away and leave his home.
However, at only twelve years old, he had no ability to support himself; he was not skilled in technical work and could not do physical labor as well as others.
He eventually turned to theft, and through the money he stole, he met many people, and after that, he thought he had made friends.
He naturally couldn't learn anything good from a group of swindlers and cheats, and like his father, he also picked up the bad habit of gambling.
Everyone who goes to gamble thinks they can make a quick buck and then stop, but the truth is, casinos are swamps of greed, and by the time you realize you're trapped, there's no way out.
Four years later, Tezzolo lost everything at the casino.
In this kind of place, there is no law, and if you don't have money, then your body is your money. The casino staff arrested Tezzolo and planned to sell him to slave traders.
Tesoro's good brothers and friends didn't even glance at him, let alone save him; they all abandoned him.
Many gacha players believe that luck is conserved; no one can be unlucky forever. When someone is extremely unlucky, they may be reborn as a lucky person.
Tezzolo's bad luck may have finally run its course, and his good fortune has finally arrived.
After resisting, he not only escaped successfully, but also met his ideal woman – Stella.
Stella's situation was even worse than Tesoro's. Their first meeting was in a human trafficking facility, where Stella was already locked in a cage and treated as a commodity, but she still had hope for the future.
Penniless, Tesoro sang a song to Stella to comfort her and received his first affirmation in life. From then on, Tesoro began his struggle.
He wanted to give Stella her freedom and buy her out of here.
He made a pact with Stella to never do anything bad again, so he became busy, working non-stop from morning till night.
For the first time, Tezzolo felt that sweating was a happy thing.
Stella is a high-priced "commodity" in the human shop, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for Tesoro.
The high price meant he wasn't worried about Stella being easily bought, but conversely, saving up that amount of money was extremely difficult.
Finally, after three years, he had saved enough money to buy Stella.
But fate seemed to have dealt Tezzolo another fatal blow, and his good luck seemed to have run out.
"What did you say?! You reserved it?!"
"Yes, the world's nobles have reserved her. Why don't you look at others? We have many excellent slaves here. This money is enough for you to buy a few better ones."
"What a joke! I want her! I've already given you the money, and I'm taking her away today!"
"Kid, you better not push your luck."
Seeing that Tesoro was about to cause trouble, the person in charge waved his hand, and several armored guards immediately surrounded him.
"Wait, this kid is trying to snatch someone from a world noble. That's a serious offense of disrespect. Arrest him too."
At that moment, a man in a suit walked in and gestured to the people behind him to arrest Tesoro.
He is the Celestial Dragon's butler. Although he is an ordinary human, he has long defined himself as the Celestial Dragon's loyal dog.
The Celestial Dragons were originally supposed to come here themselves, but the area around Sabaody Archipelago has been unstable lately, with pirates causing unrest. This has led the Celestial Dragons to postpone their trip and send only their subordinates.
Thud! Thud!
Just as he finished speaking, several gunshots rang out from outside, and shouts of battle gradually drew closer.
"What happened?"
"Oh no! Pirates have invaded!!"
This job placement agency had already been destroyed once before, and Leliana did this not long after she had reaped the benefits.
However, this is only a temporary solution. The greatest demand for slaves is in Mary Geoise, where the World Government is a persistent problem. No matter how many slave traders are eliminated, the problem cannot be eradicated, and new ones will eventually emerge.
Not long after, the place was rebuilt, and even its defenses were strengthened. Unexpectedly, it was breached again.
Who is it?
"It's Iron Mask - Bavi, with a bounty of 270 million Berries!"
Iron Mask - Barvi, this year's Supernova, has a bounty that surpasses the second-place player by 150 million Berries, leaving other pirates far behind.
This wasn't because of his exceptional strength, but rather because this group of pirates had a unique style of doing things.
They specifically target ships belonging to human trafficking organizations, which displeases some within the World Government and explains the exorbitant bounties they place on them.
After all, bounties are not only based on strength, but also on the harm caused.
In the eyes of the World Government, the damage caused by such people is even more serious than that of the pirates who slaughtered islands.
This group of pirates is quite distinctive; each of them wears a different style of demon mask to cover their face.
At first glance, there seems to be no problem; it's just that different pirates have different styles. But only the pirates themselves know why they did it this way.
These people were born in the Valley of the Gods.
Oran and his few companions weren't the only ones who survived. Most people chose to continue living under assumed names, not believing they had the ability to resist, and considering it an immense stroke of luck to be alive.
But some people are still unwilling to accept this. They train their bodies, wanting to do something with revenge in mind.
After Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, this crew saw something else and ultimately decided to set sail and do their best to make a difference.
Those demon masks are their way of paying tribute to the person who saved their life. Although they don't know the person's name, they want to emulate that person's actions and help others.
Apart from the captain and a few officers, even their crew members didn't know what these demon masks meant, let alone their opponents; they simply regarded them as their distinctive feature.
However, because of what happened back then, Barvy and others deeply resented the World Government and frequently attacked its ships and slave ships.
The Celestial Dragons postponed their travel plans because of this group; they felt these pirates were too troublesome and didn't want to add any unpleasantness to their journey to the lower realms.
"The same rules as always! Rescue all the slaves! Ordinary employees who don't resist will be released, but all those in charge, the World Government officials, and those who trafficked in slaves must die!"
"You guys go grab the keys! You guys guard the retreat route. The ship's coating is finished. After the operation, we'll head to the New World immediately!"
"You lot, come with me!"
It wasn't mindless looting, but an organized operation. With a clear division of labor, they quickly took over the entire auction house.
"I am a powerful ally of the Celestial Dragons! If you harm me, the Celestial Dragons will not let you get away with it!"
The person who ordered Tesoro's arrest was trying to threaten Bartholomew and his crew by using the Celestial Dragons' name, but this was actually a provocation to them.
"You said you're an assistant to a Celestial Dragon?"
"That's right, scared now? Beg for mercy if you dare."
Bang!
Bavi raised his hand and smashed the knife handle onto the man's head, knocking him unconscious. He then said, "Don't kill him yet. It's too easy for him to just kill him like this. When we burn this place down, burn him with us!"
In the raging fire, the human auction house was destroyed once again. Bavi took some pirate slaves under his command to strengthen his power, and gave them some travel expenses so that they could find their own way home.
To escape the Navy's pursuit, heading to the New World was their best option. To prevent these people from being captured and brought back quickly, Bavi even took some slaves who didn't know where to go on board and then placed them on Fishman Island.
This also includes Tezzolo and Stella.
"Alright, we're pirates, not babysitters. The rest is up to you. This is 10,000 meters deep in the ocean. The slave traders won't come this far. Figure out where you're headed."
After leaving behind these words, Bavi embarked on his journey to the New World.
Many people didn't know what to do, and at this time, Shak, who had finished the first round of mining and had now returned to Fishman Island, heard about the situation here.
After confirming that these people were all freed slaves, Shaq approached them.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. If you don't know where to go, I have a good place to recommend."
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Thank you so much for your support!!!