"Those idiots who gambled their lives trying to obtain gold only to realize in the end that they were deceived! This is... the most wonderful show!!!"
"Thank you all for tonight's magnificent performance dedicated to Mr. Leno. It was truly fantastic!"
Amid the cheers of the audience, Tesoro placed a hand over his chest and bowed toward the VIP section.
He then turned back to face the members of the Gray Bear Pirates, the corners of his mouth stretching into an exaggerated grin.
"As a reward, I will prepare the most luxurious funeral for you!"
The moment his words fell, a massive golden tree suddenly burst up from the center of the theater. Countless golden tendrils shot out rapidly, wrapping around the pirates.
In just a few moments, the giant tree was covered with golden "fruits" hanging from its branches.
Feeling countless gazes suddenly directed toward him, Leno—seated in the VIP area—narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
"...Interesting."
"Leno, he's—"
"It's fine." Leno raised a hand to interrupt Robin, speaking in a meaningful tone. "Every gift from fate already has its price secretly marked."
"I'll allow him to be bold this once..."
Watching Tesoro revel freely in the arena, Leno rested his chin on one hand as waves of light flickered in his eyes.
This guy was rather interesting. His strength after awakening his Devil Fruit was also decent. Perhaps he might be useful someday.
However, Leno couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled.
Logically speaking, with Tesoro's strength—and while fighting in his own territory—everything should have been in his favor. Every arrangement benefited him, and gold was everywhere.
So how exactly had Straw Hat Luffy defeated him?
Could the protagonist's plot armor really be that unreasonable?
Various assumptions flashed through his mind, but in the end he simply gave up thinking about it.
As long as he knew that none of them, whoever they were, could defeat him, that was enough.
Seeing the show nearing its end, Leno gave Hancock's shapely rear a light pat before standing up.
"There's nothing left worth watching. Let's go."
"Ah—wait for us!"
Seeing that Leno and the others had already walked away, Yamato and Carrot quickly packed up the remaining food on the table before hurrying after the group.
Only after their figures disappeared did waves of heated discussion erupt among the audience.
"That was the Adventurer's Thunder God just now, right?"
"I never expected such a big figure to be present today!"
"Tesoro has never prepared a special show just for someone before..."
"Did he just pledge allegiance to the Thunder God?"
"With such a massive fortune, it makes sense for him to find a powerful backer."
"That bastard is unbelievably lucky to latch onto someone so influential!"
"..."
Whether intentional or not, Tesoro's actions caused countless rumors to spread rapidly among the crowd.
Leno, who had already left, knew nothing of what was happening behind him.
Of course, even if he did know, he wouldn't care.
As he always said, as long as it didn't affect him or the people around him, everything else was irrelevant.
For Leno, such trivial matters weren't worth a single thought.
The scene shifted, and soon the next day arrived.
At the harbor, after Tesoro's subordinates finished loading supplies onto the ship, the Adventurer crew prepared to depart.
Watching the vessel slowly rise, Tesoro—surrounded by his men—waved and shouted loudly.
"Mr. Leno, have a safe journey! Come visit again sometime!"
"...I will."
Standing at the bow, Leno nodded lightly and replied with a gentle smile.
He would definitely return.
Without a doubt.
As that thought crossed his mind, the Gale shot straight into the sky, and the massive Gran Tesoro ship quickly shrank in the distance until it disappeared completely.
On the deck, several people led by Nami were inspecting the supplies inside the boxes to organize and store them properly.
As the crates were opened one after another, shocked exclamations quickly erupted.
"Oh my god—so much money!"
"T-These boxes are all filled with it!!!"
"..."
Leno flashed over instantly. When he saw what was inside the crates, the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
The entire row of boxes was filled neatly with stacks of Berries.
After a moment of silence, he smacked his lips and sighed.
"These are... truly simple and unpretentious local specialties."
"We're rich! We're rich!"
Nami's eyes sparkled with excitement as she hugged Leno and shouted endlessly.
"Hey Baka! We're rich! We're rich!"
"Alright, alright. It's just some Berries. Look at how little composure you have."
Leno pressed a hand onto Nami's small head, unable to help laughing at her flushed cheeks.
Although he was somewhat surprised by Tesoro's generosity, it was only momentary.
Ever since the Adventurer crew set sail, they had never worried about money.
Now that they had a bit more Berries, it was simply icing on the cake.
Of course, for someone who was utterly obsessed with money, the more the better.
While they were still marveling at the mountain of Berries, Chopper and Vivi—who had gone ahead into the cabin—suddenly ran out in excitement.
"Everyone, come take a look! Our ship has completely changed!"
With excited expressions, they grabbed the others without another word and pulled them inside.
Not long after everyone reentered the cabin, earth-shaking cries of amazement echoed again.
The reason was simple: the interior decoration had been completely renovated, using extremely high-end materials.
Even the equipment in Chopper's medical room had been replaced with the most advanced devices.
As they continued exploring the cabin, exclamations of surprise kept erupting.
Bedrooms, the living room, the dining area—almost everything inside and out had been replaced.
Now the Gale, aside from its unchanged exterior, looked nothing like its former self inside.
Anyone who saw the ship's interior now would only have one reaction:
Pure extravagance.
After a long while, everyone finally calmed down and began enjoying the newly installed facilities.
Chopper sank into the soft sofa with a blissful expression.
"That guy Tesoro... he's really a good person."
"Yeah, a really, really good person."
Yamato and Carmen nodded repeatedly. After all, the gifts were so generous that it was impossible to complain about anything.
The others didn't voice their opinions, but the satisfied smiles on their faces clearly showed how pleased they were with the gifts.
Watching everyone completely dazzled by the sugar-coated bombardment, Leno felt speechless.
Sure enough—
Things obtained for free always taste the sweetest.
...
...
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