It was normal for Gild Tesoro to feel panicked.
As the world's richest man, there were few people in this world he feared.
With the Celestial Dragons and the World Government as his backers, even when facing Marine Admirals and the Fleet Admiral, he could, just like Lucci talking to Akainu in the original story, show them no respect at all.
Because he knew clearly that the Marines were just the World Government's enforcers.
He might even have a stake in the Marines' annual military budget.
If Gild Tesoro wished, he could even mobilize an ordinary-level Buster Call, temporarily using the Marines as his enforcers.
Therefore, Gild Tesoro didn't need to build up his own military force, and Gran Tesoro became a very famous demilitarized zone in the New World.
In the New World, this sea of the strongest, as long as Gild Tesoro didn't offend the Four Emperor crews, he could likewise do as he pleased.
Even the affiliated crews flying the flags of the Four Emperors didn't dare to casually provoke Gild Tesoro, including the Whitebeard Pirates.
Because everyone knew, if you attacked a Marine warship, the Marines might not necessarily send troops to hunt you down. After all, starting a war with an Emperor's crew required high-level permission, or it would disrupt the balance of the seas.
But if you touched Gild Tesoro, the Marines would definitely come to hunt you down.
Because you would be touching the World Government's cash cow.
After all, the annual protection money Gran Tesoro paid was the sum of the Heavenly Tributes of several, or even a dozen, member nations.
So, on the surface, Gild Tesoro was much more well-connected than Doflamingo.
However, there were always exceptions in this world.
Gild Tesoro also had people he feared, and Yami was one of them.
Not only did the other party possess the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi ability—he only needed to seize control of Gran Tesoro, and he could take the Golden City to an altitude of 10,000 meters, where the World Government and the Marines could do nothing to him.
But that wasn't the key!
The key was that Yami possessed the ability to steal Devil Fruits, a fact known to the world.
What was Gild Tesoro's foundation?
It was the Paramecia-type Goru Goru no Mi he obtained from Doflamingo.
Without the Goru Goru no Mi, there would be no "Golden Emperor" today.
Once Yami stole his Goru Goru no Mi, if he tried to continue cooperating with the World Government, he would truly die in vain.
Thinking of this, Gild Tesoro made a call for help while deciding to lower his stance and go out to surrender.
But before he could go out with a white flag to surrender, a voice, transmitted from an amplifying Den Den Mushi, resounded throughout Gran Tesoro.
"I am 'Black Hole' Yami. I now formally declare war on Gran Tesoro. Anyone who does not wish to be caught in the battle, please leave the Golden City immediately!"
"I repeat! I am 'Black Hole' Yami, captain of the Yami Pirates. I now formally declare war on Gran Tesoro. Anyone who does not wish to be caught in the battle, please leave the Golden City immediately!"
Rumble...
As the voice from the amplifying Den Den Mushi faded, the sound of thunder immediately rang out.
In an instant, the already chaotic crowd immediately scrambled towards the Golden Port.
These rich people from all over the world, or the poor people who wanted to get rich overnight, or the thieves who wanted to steal Tesoro's treasure, bounty hunters, and pirates—all of them wished they had more legs or could grow a pair of wings to flee this place immediately.
When they reached the Golden Port, they didn't bother looking for their own ships. They scrambled onto any ship, weighed anchor, and set sail.
They were terrified that if they were one second late, a bolt of lightning might strike from the sky, or that floating island above might fall, burying them here.
"God's Judgment!"
Carina and Nami didn't wait for everyone to leave before starting the attack.
Having mastered two types of Haki, their willpower had undergone a transformation.
Their hearts remained kind, but they weren't the type of saints who would sacrifice their lives for strangers.
Between strangers and Master's path of conquest, Carina and Nami naturally chose the latter.
Giving these strangers some time to escape was the greatest mercy.
So, when most of the presences inside the Golden Hotel had fled, and the remaining ones were presumably Gild Tesoro's subordinates, Nami raised her hand and sent a giant pillar of lightning—using gold's conductivity—as a greeting to Gild Tesoro inside the Golden Hotel.
"Ahhhhhh..."
The Golden City truly deserved its title as the world's largest entertainment city, and the Golden Hotel deserved its title as the world's best hotel.
Nami's lightning pillar, capable of destroying a small mountain, struck the Golden Hotel but failed to destroy it, merely causing the golden building to flicker with a dazzling blue-white electric light.
At the same time, extremely miserable screams could be faintly heard from within the hotel.
All the people inside the hotel who didn't have Armament Haki were electrocuted, their eyes rolling back as they fainted directly.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh...
As Nami blew the horn for battle, the Kuja warriors, even more decisive than her, drew the serpent bows in their hands, shooting arrows infused with Haki. Like a torrential downpour, they rained down, overwhelming the guards who were converging on the Golden Hotel from all directions.
Boom boom boom...
They were clearly just wooden arrows, but when they landed on the ground or hit people, they produced thunderous explosions like cannonballs.
The terrifying airwaves instantly killed all those guards, leaving none alive or only maimed.
"ROOM—"
Just as the Kuja warriors were about to annihilate all the guards, a transparent, spherical dome of light suddenly expanded from Amazon Lily, enveloping both Amazon Lily and the Golden City in the blink of an eye.
"Shambles!"
The next second, a red-haired woman—who, due to extremely good luck, was not in the Golden Hotel and was also not leading the vanguard of guards rushing towards it—suddenly vanished into thin air.
When she reappeared, she had been moved from a corner of the Golden City to a grass-covered deck.
In front of her was an extremely familiar, yet never-before-seen face.
"Baccarat, user of the Paramecia-type Luck-Luck Fruit."
Looking at the red-haired woman in front of him, Yami stated her name and ability, smiling: "You should know who I am, and you also know my abilities. So... what is your choice?"
"...I surrender!"
Baccarat, favored by the goddess of luck, very decisively raised her hands in surrender.
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