"Ares, your beer!"
"Lucy, your juice."
Inside the ever noisy guild hall, the usual commotion filled the air. Laughter, shouting, and the occasional crash blended into one familiar atmosphere.
Ares sat casually on a bar stool, his tall frame relaxed. Behind the counter, Mira, dressed in a burgundy outfit with an apron tied neatly over her chest, placed a mug of beer in front of him and a glass of juice before Lucy.
"Thanks, Mira."
Lucy had her entire upper body slumped over the bar, her cheek pressed flat against the surface. She looked completely drained.
Ares gave a slight nod to Mira before lifting his beer and taking a long gulp.
"Was the commission that bad? Lucy looks completely worn out."
Mira wiped a glass slowly, her eyes drifting toward Lucy, who looked like she had just lost the will to live.
"We actually earned 100,000 J," Lucy muttered weakly, her voice muffled against the counter. "But because Natsu destroyed a bunch of public property, not only did we lose all of it, we had to pay extra compensation. I can't even afford rent this month..."
She turned her head slightly, tears slipping down quietly.
Despair had completely taken over her.
"Don't look at me," Ares said lazily. "I was only gone for a few minutes. When I came back, everything was already wrecked."
Mira glanced at him, her eyes filled with curiosity, but she said nothing.
Suddenly, Lucy lifted her head and grabbed Ares's hand with both of hers, her expression pitiful.
"Ares, lend me 50,000 J. Please. Just 50,000 J is enough!"
Everyone in Fiore knew who Ares was. Fairy Tail's strongest mage, the Golden Emperor. Rich, powerful, and ridiculously handsome.
And unfortunately for Lucy, also stingy when it came to her.
"You already owe me 500,000 J," Ares replied flatly, raising his empty mug toward Mira for a refill. "I haven't even charged you interest out of respect for being guildmates."
"No! I'll be thrown out by my landlord!" Lucy cried, clinging tighter to his arm. "I'll definitely pay you back after my next job!"
Her long eyelashes fluttered as she tried her best to look convincing.
Ares glanced at her briefly, then stretched his shoulders.
"My shoulders feel a bit stiff."
Lucy froze for half a second before immediately jumping to her feet.
"I can fix that! I learned massage techniques!"
Without waiting for permission, she moved behind him and started kneading his shoulders.
Ares narrowed his eyes slightly.
"When did you learn massage? I don't remember that."
"Details don't matter!" Lucy replied quickly. "Is the pressure okay?"
"It's fine."
"Then about the money..."
"Your debt is now 550,000 J."
Ares calmly pulled out 50,000 J and placed it in her hand.
Lucy's face lit up instantly.
"Don't worry! I'll work hard and pay you back at least 300,000 J this month!"
She pressed the money to her chest, her energy completely restored.
Ares took another slow sip of beer.
"What if you can't?"
Lucy stiffened.
Mira covered her mouth as she giggled softly.
"In that case, Lucy might have to repay you with her body."
"Tch."
Ares clicked his tongue and spat to the side, his expression full of disdain.
Lucy froze, then exploded.
"What was that supposed to mean?! I'm one of Fairy Tail's top beauties! Are you seriously looking down on me?!"
Her pride had taken a devastating hit.
"You heard wrong," Ares replied dismissively, waving his hand. "Go bother someone else."
"Damn it! I'll challenge you to a duel!"
Lucy flailed her arms, ranting loudly while trying to show off her figure and charm.
Ares completely ignored her, continuing to drink as if she didn't exist.
His thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
His real name was Whitney.
Before all of this, he had been nothing more than an ordinary man from another world.
Then, everything changed.
His first reincarnation had thrown him into the world of pirates, where he became Gild Tesoro, the user of the Gold-Gold Fruit.
At that time, he had already consumed the fruit and was being relentlessly hunted by Donquixote Doflamingo.
That pursuit lasted for years.
Those years were hell.
He hid like a rat, starving, stealing, killing when necessary. Survival demanded brutality, and he embraced it fully. Blood, pain, and desperation shaped him into something far darker than he once was.
During that time, he mastered his abilities. He awakened Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki. He pushed the Gold-Gold Fruit to its limits, eventually awakening it.
Most of the scars on his body came from those days.
Eventually, he rose high enough to stand among the Shichibukai, using both strength and overwhelming wealth to secure his position. He even manipulated the World Government from the shadows through sheer financial influence.
Doflamingo later tried to befriend him.
Whitney never forgot the years of being hunted.
He never forgave him either.
Then came the battle that changed everything.
A clash involving Doflamingo and Kaido spiraled out of control, and in the middle of that chaos, Whitney was thrown into another world.
When he woke up, he was saved by Natsu and Lucy.
It had been six months since then.
He joined Fairy Tail, took the name Ares, and blended into the guild.
Despite everything he had gone through, he found himself drawn to this place.
The chaos, the noise, the reckless bonds.
It was strangely comfortable.
Whitney had no desire to dominate anything anymore. Power, status, control, he had already experienced it all.
Now, he preferred something simpler.
Even if he was still a ruthless bastard at his core.
He also had something else.
A strange ability he called the traffic signal.
A red warning meant deadly danger.
Yellow meant potential injury.
Green meant safety.
Simple, but invaluable.
It had saved his life more times than he could count.
Meanwhile, the guild suddenly erupted into chaos.
Natsu and Gray had started arguing again.
No one knew how it began, but fists were already flying.
"You idiots!"
"My eyes!"
"My food!"
What started as a fight quickly spread into a full brawl, dragging everyone nearby into it.
Lucy groaned, pressing her hand against her forehead.
"Not again..."
The situation escalated rapidly, and even the bar wasn't safe anymore.
"Lucy, you used me as a shield again! I'm breaking up with you!"
Happy shouted angrily, a clear slipper mark stamped across his face.
"Break up then! Who cares?!"
Lucy grabbed him again without hesitation and held him out in front of her.
Another slipper came flying.
Happy screamed.
Lucy let out a relieved breath.