That alone would have been one thing.
What truly left Usopp feeling powerless was the fact that no matter where he ran, no matter how well he hid, around dusk the next day, guards would always appear right on time.
And without fail, they would forcibly escort him back beneath the Golden Hotel.
After several failed attempts and the realization that escape was impossible, Usopp had temporarily given up on running away.
Instead, he had gradually become familiar with Buggy, who likewise went to the top floor of the Golden Hotel every day.
"Who knows? Since the captain told us to do it, then naturally there's a reason for it."
Hearing Usopp's question, Buggy merely spread his hands and answered casually, clearly unconcerned.
Usopp nodded, somewhat disappointed.
"Alright…"
He hadn't expected even Buggy to be in the dark.
The Magic Eye Pirates had brought him all the way here just to make him touch a golden pillar every single day.
It was just too strange.
Usopp couldn't shake the feeling that that golden pillar had to be something extremely important.
Ding!
The elevator chimed.
An excited grin immediately spread across Buggy's face.
His red nose twitched as he strode out in his polished blue clown dress shoes.
Usopp followed closely behind, instinctively straightening his back.
"Lord Buggy!"
"Lord Usopp!"
The moment the two stepped out of the elevator, the two guards stationed on the first floor immediately bowed respectfully.
Their voices instantly drew the attention of many people in the Golden Hotel's grand lobby.
The guards bent at a full ninety degrees, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
There was no need to mention Lord Buggy—he was not only a member of the Magic Eye Pirates, but currently the one managing the entire entertainment district.
As for Usopp, they didn't know much.
But word had spread that he had been personally brought aboard by Lady Marianne.
More importantly, he had the qualification to ascend to the top floor and enter the room of the true master of the Gran Tesoro.
To guards like them, neither Lord Buggy nor Lord Usopp was someone they could afford to offend.
Faced with the reverent gazes filling the hotel lobby—
Usopp straightened his back even further and walked out beside Buggy with his head held high.
This kind of admiration and awe from others…
He had never experienced anything like it before.
Every single time, it left him feeling almost lightheaded.
A little too good.
What a shame.
That important figure called Yuuki seemed to have said he wouldn't need to come here anymore after today.
If that was the case…
Would he no longer get to feel those awed looks from others?
At that thought, a trace of disappointment suddenly rose in Usopp's heart.
No!
I need to find a way out of here.
Luffy and the others must still be waiting for me.
Usopp hurriedly shook his head, clenching his fists as he steeled his resolve.
At this moment, evening was already approaching.
The sky over the New World had long since darkened.
Yet the entire Gran Tesoro shone as bright as day.
Every lamp throughout the Golden Hotel and the streets below had lit up.
The lights bloomed across the luxurious nightscape, reflecting against the gold embedded throughout the ground and creating a dreamlike, dazzling brilliance.
Beautiful women in revealing dresses, wealthy men in tailored suits, nobles, and even pirates strolled through the streets laughing and chatting.
The entire Gran Tesoro exuded an atmosphere of indulgence and extravagance.
A temptation no one could resist.
Smack!
Buggy threw an arm around Usopp's shoulders and laughed.
"What are you spacing out for?"
"Is this… real?"
The moment he stepped out of the Golden Hotel and saw the scene before him, Usopp asked in a dazed voice.
Even though this wasn't the first time he had seen it, the entire sight still felt strangely unreal.
Compared to the life he had before—
This place was practically heaven.
The white skull motif painted on Buggy's forehead twitched slightly.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course it's real!"
"This is the world's greatest entertainment city—the Gran Tesoro, the kingdom upon the sea!"
"And it's our turf!"
Buggy laughed so hard tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Then he waved a hand.
"Come on, stop daydreaming. Where do you want to go tonight?"
"The amusement park? Aquarium? Pool? Shopping district?"
"Or my casino?"
As he spoke, Buggy led him toward the roadside, where two luxurious white vintage cars were already waiting.
At the front and around the engine were more than ten peculiar turtles.
These were the Gran Tesoro's signature turtle cars.
Buggy got into the front one first, comfortably stretching his legs onto the passenger seat.
Two stunning women who had already been waiting inside carefully began massaging his legs.
Naturally, the driver's seat was occupied by a professional chauffeur.
Usopp got into the turtle car behind him.
Likewise, two beautiful women immediately leaned in.
One began massaging his shoulders.
The other presented him with an exquisitely crafted lunch box.
"Lord Usopp, your favorite simmered mackerel miso."
"These ingredients are top-grade delicacies imported from Wano."
The woman holding the box smiled sweetly as she subtly puffed out her chest.
"I was just getting hungry."
Usopp's eyes lit up.
He took the box, opened it, and immediately caught the rich aroma wafting from within.
Without the slightest hesitation, he began wolfing it down.
Seeing that Usopp didn't even spare her a glance, the voluptuous woman's eye twitched.
This long-nosed guy…!
Recalling the mission entrusted to them by Lady Carina, the diva, she exchanged a glance with the woman massaging Usopp's shoulders.
Suppressing the irritation in her heart, she once again forced a bright smile onto her face.
Meanwhile, in the turtle car ahead—
While enjoying his massage, Buggy pulled a microphone from the armrest and spoke into it.
"So, Usopp!"
"Have you decided where you want to go tonight?"
Buggy's voice immediately came through the rear turtle car's speaker.
"Well… for the race cars, I can assemble one myself, right?"
"And those materials I asked Boss Buggy to help me find the other day…"
After swallowing the food in his mouth, a bright spark lit up in Usopp's eyes as he spoke softly.
"'Racing' is an anything-goes competition to begin with."
"As long as you're the first to complete a full lap, you win."
"So that's what those materials were for."
Buggy laughed casually, but then a curious glint flashed in his eyes.
"And the Seastone too?"
"Haha, of course. I heard Seastone's supposed to be really durable."
Usopp nearly choked, then quickly forced an awkward laugh.
After waiting for a moment—
And seeing that Buggy didn't continue asking—
Usopp quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Vroooom—
The two turtle cars started moving, quickly pulling away from the Golden Hotel.
As the vehicles departed—
On the street diagonally across from the hotel, leaning casually against a lamppost, was a seemingly drunken, utterly inconspicuous figure.
He lifted his head and watched the two turtle cars disappear into the distance.
Then he turned and walked off in the opposite direction.
This person was none other than a member of the Revolutionary Army—
The legendary gambler, Raise Max.
"Usopp, huh…"
"This one needs looking into."
"Maybe he's someone worth making contact with."
Raise Max ran a hand through his messy blue bristle-like hair.
Though his body still swayed as if drunk, his eyes were perfectly clear.
Some time ago—
After the Magic Eye Pirates had taken over the Gran Tesoro, all outsiders who had remained aboard had been forced into reconstruction work.
That included him.
Not just him, either.
Even Marines and nobles from various kingdoms had all been put to work.
Now that the Gran Tesoro had reopened, those nobles and merchants had naturally left aboard their own ships at the first opportunity.
The Revolutionary Army had already ordered him to withdraw.
However—
Raise Max had refused.
Remaining on the Gran Tesoro, in his view, gave him the best chance to observe the Magic Eye Pirates' movements firsthand.
Click.
He took out a cigarette, lit it, and hung it from the corner of his mouth.
The top floor of the Golden Hotel was not a place just anyone could enter.
According to the intelligence he had gathered, that man called Usopp had been personally brought aboard by Marianne.
And for several consecutive days, he had repeatedly ascended to the very top floor alongside Buggy the Clown.
The rest remained unclear for now.
But one thing was certain.
That man, Usopp, was someone Captain Yuuki of the Magic Eye Pirates clearly valued greatly.
"Not one of the crew, yet held in such high regard…"
"This might be a good opening."
"Though it could be dangerous."
Raise Max exhaled a stream of smoke and thought quietly to himself.
Then suddenly—
He let out a faint chuckle.
First, the Magic Eye Cross, capable of reviving the dead.
Then the occupation of the Gran Tesoro, a vessel with astonishing wealth-generation capabilities.
He was hardly the only one curious about what the Magic Eye Pirates intended to do next.
After several days of observation, he had already realized—
He wasn't the only one aboard this ship who had set his sights on Usopp.
Having withstood the double assault of New World pirates and a Marine Buster Call—
The Magic Eye Pirates had now truly established themselves in the New World.
Besides the largest entertainment district, the Gran Tesoro also possessed an enormous commercial district.
At the very center of that district stood a rectangular golden commercial tower.
At this moment, atop the tower—
Marianne sat on the edge of the rooftop.
Her slender legs dangled in the air, swaying lightly.
In her hands was a sketchpad as she painted the scene below.
Every so often, she would casually take a sip from the green tea placed beside her.
Hummm—
Suddenly, a dark violet glow spread across the rooftop floor.
Then—
A black figure rose directly out of the ground and appeared behind Marianne.
"Lady Marianne, today's revenue and financial records for the entertainment district."
Mr. Tanaka stood there respectfully, holding a stack of documents.
Marianne's brush paused.
A troubled expression appeared on her faintly flushed face.
"You really do know how to ruin the mood, Mr. Tanaka."
She pouted, clearly displeased.
"My apologies, Lady Marianne."
Mr. Tanaka's round head shrank back slightly, fear plain on his face.
On the surface, the entertainment district was managed by Buggy.
But in secret, all revenue flow and accounting records were handled by Marianne.
That had been personally ordered by Lord Yuuki.
Still—
Even if that was what he thought, Mr. Tanaka would never say it aloud.
After all, he was not truly a member of the Magic Eye Pirates.
At best, he was merely an outer affiliate.
He had no standing to complain in front of an actual core member.
"Just leave it there. I'll look at it later."
Marianne waved a hand without even turning around.
Mr. Tanaka set the documents down, but did not immediately leave.
"What is it? Something else?"
Marianne frowned and turned to look at him.
"Lady Marianne, Lord Conrad lifted the giant sea whirlpools surrounding the Gran Tesoro today."
"The news that the world's greatest entertainment city has reopened…"
"It likely won't take long before it spreads again."
He paused slightly before continuing carefully.
"Once it reopens fully, both the daily revenue and the accounting workload will increase severalfold."
He did not need to say the rest.
The implication was obvious.
He knew full well that Marianne disliked handling such tedious affairs.
Marianne's brows knitted tightly.
Even the current workload was already eating into a significant portion of her training time.
If it increased further…
Cabaji and Mohji had made remarkable progress in their training lately.
Meanwhile, she had been stuck wasting time on this.
Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
"I understand. I'll speak to the captain about it."
Marianne cast him a deep look.
Though she disliked overthinking complicated matters, her time in Baroque Works—especially alongside the self-proclaimed master strategist Mr. 3—meant she was far from naive.
She had already guessed that Mr. Tanaka was looking for a chance to climb higher.
"There's one more small matter."
Mr. Tanaka spoke again.
"Say it all at once."
Marianne's tone turned noticeably impatient.
"I've noticed that someone seems to have taken an interest in the man you brought aboard… the one called Usopp."
"Oh?"
Marianne raised a brow, looking mildly interested.
But she did not ask for details.
Instead, she turned back around and lightly twirled the brush in her fingers.
"As long as Usopp doesn't leave the Gran Tesoro, just keep a casual watch on everything else."
Mr. Tanaka froze for a moment, then straightened.
"Understood."
As soon as he spoke, a faint violet glow spread across his body.
He quickly sank into the rooftop and vanished.
The next day—
News of the Gran Tesoro's reopening began to spread through the merchants and nobles who had left the ship.
Of course—
What spread even faster were their complaints.
After all, they had been forced to do work fit for slaves for over a week.
Still, very few people sympathized with them.
What truly drew attention was the message implied by the Magic Eye Pirates reopening the Gran Tesoro.
For the Marines, this information was especially significant.
It meant the Magic Eye Pirates intended to settle down—at least for the time being.
And while every major power kept a close eye on this development—
The captain of the Magic Eye Pirates, the new ruler of the kingdom upon the sea—
Yuuki—
Had already quietly left the Gran Tesoro without anyone noticing.
The New World.
On a desolate island filled with ruins and broken walls, as though it had survived some enormous catastrophe—
Yuuki walked slowly along a street overgrown with weeds, cracked stone tiles still scattered across the ground.
His gaze swept across the surroundings with quiet curiosity.
"So, this is the former Island of Music?"
(End of Chapter)
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