Chapter 359: The Industries Involved are Diverse
"Here it comes!"
Facing the massive punch descending upon her, Esdeath raised her arm to meet it.
Boom—!
The solid ice shattered, the surface caved in, and the hard glacier beneath Esdeath's feet sunk several meters.
But that was all. The massive golden fist stopped half a meter away from Esdeath, and with one hand, she held back the unstoppable golden punch!
"What?!"
"Tesoro's attack is completely useless!"
Tesoro's subordinates screamed in disbelief.
Inside the golden giant, Tesoro's pupils contracted sharply, his breath caught, and his voice trembled, "Esdeath's strength is truly unfathomable!"
"Is your only advantage your size?!" Esdeath shouted, using all her strength to push the golden giant's fist back. The golden giant staggered and took two steps back.
"This freakishly strong woman." Kurumi sneered, "She's so strong."
"Mm-hmm." Shirohime seized the chance to criticize Esdeath, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
Scáthach said calmly, "Even so, Esdeath's strength cannot compare to mine."
Everyone: "..."
"She stopped the golden giant's attack with one hand!"
"How strong are the officers of the Four Emperors' pirate crews?!"
Tesoro's subordinates on their ship were wailing in despair.
"Esdeath-sama, I will attack with everything I have next!" Tesoro decided to go all out. Today was his opportunity to showcase his strength.
"Can you satisfy me?" Esdeath slowly unsheathed her sword, the blade rasping against the scabbard.
Eric shouted from the sidelines, "Esdeath, don't kill him!"
"I know."
Under Tesoro's control, the golden giant, which appeared sluggish, suddenly exploded with a terrifying punch speed. All the golden fists left long afterimages as they swung through the air.
The heartbeat seemed to pause for a moment, and the blade clashed with the golden fists. The air exploded with shockwaves where they met.
The first attack failed, and the golden giant immediately pulled back its fist, launching the second punch in rapid succession. Within a few moments, dozens of punches followed, creating a dense barrage of fists.
Clang, clang, clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed continuously, creating a dense rhythm of impacts.
"Although the giant's body is made of gold, it's not as soft as regular gold," Da Vinci remarked, intrigued. "Its hardness and strength are surprisingly impressive. Eric , remember to get me some of that assimilated gold once the fight is over."
"You haven't used all your moves, right?" Esdeath urged, "Don't make me wait too long!"
"Okay!" The golden giant retracted its fist dramatically. The original fist swelled, losing its muscle shape and turning into armor.
"Golden Inferno!"
Esdeath could feel the intense heat coming from the gold and stabbed her sword straight into the armored fist.
Clang!
The tip of the sword struck the gold, sending brilliant sparks flying, and the metallic ringing sound resonated again.
The sharp sword had already pierced into the golden iron fist, and the giant fist shone even brighter.
Boom!
Like a second sun under the sky, the light emitted bathed the world in golden hues. The explosion created a strong gust of wind that shook the wooden sailboat.
As the blinding light dissipated, thick black smoke began to drift away.
Tesoro's subordinates pointed at the sky, shouting, "Look over there!"
Esdeath stood unharmed high above, with an ice pillar connecting her to the ice surface.
"Nice power," Esdeath pulled the sword from the golden fist. "I'm almost tempted to turn into a giant myself."
As she finished Speaking, the ice pillar beneath Esdeath began to expand. The thin pillar grew thicker, eventually enveloping Esdeath in a thick layer of ice. A giant made of ice, about the same size as the golden giant, appeared before everyone.
"Another giant!"
Tesoro: "..."
"Any more tricks? Use them all!"
"Golden Divine Fire!" The golden giant's right eye opened wide, using its domineering aura as energy. This energy heated up through the giant's mechanical transmission system, generating high-temperature, high-density energy. The laser shot out of the giant's eyes.
The laser instantly closed the gap between the two and the ice giant swung a heavy punch, sending a cold gust of wind.
Ssss!
The ice melted under the intense heat of the laser, creating holes, and the water started to boil in the scorching beam. The laser continued down the path along the ice arm.
Esdeath's freezing aura kept producing new ice, and the two forces clashed in the giant's arm. Finally, with a loud "boom," the ice giant's arm was shattered.
But under Esdeath's control, the ice giant grew a perfectly identical arm again. Tesoro's subordinates' cheers immediately died in their throats.
"Not only does it have close combat moves, but it also has ranged attacks," Esdeath's excitement grew. "The power's impressive, you're not bad!"
Before Tesoro could respond, under Esdeath's control, the ice giant threw a thunderous punch straight toward the golden giant's head.
With delayed reflexes, Tesoro could only command the giant to tilt its head back, trying to minimize the powerful impact of the punch.
Boom!
The ice punch exploded against the golden giant's face, instantly caving in the giant's smooth cheek. The freezing cold aura seeped through the gold, spreading along the golden body and even reaching Tesoro's arms. In an instant, a layer of frost covered his arms.
"So cold!"
Tesoro barely had time to shout before the violent impact interrupted his words. The golden giant stumbled back.
The powerful shockwave made Tesoro see stars, and the biting cold pierced his skin, but there was no time for him to speak again. The ice giant didn't give him a break.
Unlike the typical scenes in anime where the protagonist recovers their strength, the ice giant's left fist was raised and mercilessly slammed down!
Boom!
The golden giant raised its arms to block, but the ice fist collided heavily with the junction of the golden giant's arms.
Under Esdeath's attack, the giant's enormous body sank further into the ice layer.
The ice giant took a few steps back, and Esdeath's cold voice rang out, "Hey, get up quickly."
"Even the girls on our ship know to get up immediately after falling in battle!"
Tesoro froze for a moment, then hurriedly commanded the golden giant to stand, shaking off the remaining ice.
"You can't just rely on this massive body in battle, can you?" Esdeath's cold voice rang out, "At least show me your fighting spirit, show me the hatred buried deep within you! What kind of sight is it to stay on the ground like that?!"
Esdeath's voice drilled deep into Tesoro's ears, shattering the tough shell in his heart. With hatred as fuel and revenge as motivation, his emotions surged wildly.
The vision slowly turned red, and the rhythmic pumping of blood in his skull was clearer than ever. Tesoro's emotions had never been this high.
The golden giant's fists swelled up again, storing intense heat within the armored gold, waiting to release it fully.
The ice giant also swung its fists and charged, sending an icy blast toward the opponent.
The two giants began exchanging devastating punches, the heat radiating from the golden giant and the cold blast from the ice giant creating massive whirlwinds around them.
The intense temperature difference melted the thick ice and created more freezing winds, with large amounts of white steam swirling around. The two giants could barely be seen in the constant battle.
All that could be heard were the continuous clashes and the howling winds, reminding everyone that the battle was far from over.
...
Tesoro lay exhausted on the spider-webbed ice, unable to move even a finger.
"So, how is it?" Eric asked. "Is his strength impressive?"
"Average." Esdeath stretched her shoulders. "Barely a warm-up."
"…" Barbara silently helped the exhausted Tesoro.
"But you can't just judge by reputation." Esdeath rested her hand on her chin. "I never expected Tesoro, who's not well-known, to be just as strong as a Warlord of the Sea."
At this, Barbara couldn't hold back, "Tesoro-sama is very famous in the New World!"
"Is he?" Esdeath wasn't bothered by Barbara's retort. "I've never heard of him."
Barbara held back her anger: "…"
Tesoro could only breathe heavily, his mouth trembling but unable to say anything.
"Rest for a bit, there's plenty of time for revenge," Eric turned to Wendy. "Please take care of him."
"Yes!" Wendy, the ship's doctor, ran over and placed a healing light over Tesoro.
Once Tesoro regained enough strength to walk, he followed Eric back to the meeting room.
"Let's get back to the topic we were interrupted from earlier," Eric scratched his head. "Where were we?"
"We were talking about giving Tesoro the position of Warlord of the Sea," Kurumi pulled out a small notebook for the meeting. "After hearing he had the strength, Esdeath took him out for a fight."
"Esdeath's strength is truly formidable," Tesoro was already completely captivated by Esdeath's power and presence.
Akame curiously asked, "Is this guy asking for a beating?"
"Huh?" Tesoro was stunned.
"Ahem," Eric cleared his throat, redirecting everyone's attention to himself. "Although the Warlord of the Sea position requires obeying the Navy's compulsory summons, you don't need to worry about ordinary summons."
Eric turned to Tesoro and asked, "Does going to the Navy Headquarters remind you of those painful memories?"
"…" Tesoro shook his head, "As long as I can take revenge on the Celestial Dragons, I can endure any hardship!"
"Good." Eric sighed. What a good man, tortured by the Celestial Dragons.
With such pig teammates around, if the World Government doesn't fall, that would truly be unfair!
"By the way," Eric asked, "Besides running the entertainment city and being a top artist, do you have any other businesses?"
Tesoro nodded in agreement, "Because it's the Great Pirate Era, the valuable loot from pirate raids can't be sold openly, so as the owner of a casino, I buy these goods and collaborate with the 'storage mogul' Gibo Sen on selling them."
"Oh."
Tesoro continued, "I also do business with the 'Loan Shark King' Felder. Sometimes he's short on cash, so he borrows from me for short-term loans."
Kurumi frowned, "The Loan Shark King is short on cash?"
"After all, it's 'usury.' Felder is well-known in the dark world, but far less famous than the Four Emperors, so there are plenty of people who try to default on his loans. He sometimes happens to meet clients borrowing usury," Tesoro shrugged. "As a casino owner, I usually have more cash on hand."
"Heh..." Kurumi scoffed. "Those who try to default on their debts are going to have a bad end."
"Yeah." Tesoro affirmed, "But those defaulters deserve it. Most of them are notorious big pirates who want to default on a billion Berries to eat and drink for free."
"Oh?" Akame asked, "Is this really the case?"
"Can you only hear about eating and drinking for free?" Eric flicked Akame's forehead and turned to Tesoro. "Go on."
"Anyone who thrives in the blood-soaked underworld is not easy to deal with," Tesoro spread his hands. "Felder doesn't collect his loan money in the New World because he has a good relationship with Big Mom. He attends her tea parties almost every time."
Akame's eyes sparkled, "Tea parties?"
Eric covered his face.
Tesoro explained, "The tea party is actually a gathering order from the Big Mom Pirates. Anyone who receives an invitation must attend."
"Heh..." Esdeath sneered, "What can they do if we don't go?"
"The Big Mom Pirates are nowhere near as powerful as the Dawn Pirates," Tesoro waved his hand, "But for those outside the Four Emperors, it's a summons they must obey."
"Since I'm in the entertainment industry, I have a relatively wide information network, so I know some inside details."
"I heard about a man who couldn't attend the tea party because his wife was seriously ill. A few days later, his wife's head was sent to him in a beautiful gift box."
"That's outrageous!"
Tesoro paused, calming down his anger, then continued, "If it's a very powerful pirate, Felder sends his subordinates to deal with it. If it's something he can't handle, he'll ask the Big Mom Pirates for help."
Esdeath scoffed, "The Big Mom Pirates really are cheap."
"The Big Mom Pirates are considered local warlords," Eric shook his head. "They can't plunder their own people, and since they don't collect taxes, they have to get enough funds from other places."
Kurumi was taken aback, "Big Mom doesn't collect taxes? Is she really that kind?"
"I think it's better to collect taxes," Tesoro knew the serious consequences of freebies. "All citizens in Totland must pay one month of their life every six months as protection money for Big Mom. Otherwise, they have to leave Totland."
"But Big Mom won't allow anyone to leave Totland. Anyone who tries will be executed."
Akame was shocked, "That's too much!"
Kurumi laughed, "Dare you eat a free lunch now?"
"I see." Esdeath recalled, "The many chess pieces we encountered before were made using the life force of Big Mom's subjects."
"That..." Eric raised his hand, signaling. "The conversation has gone off track again."
Tesoro continued, "Felder isn't afraid of pirates defaulting. The principal and interest he loans to pirates are usually much less than what's listed on their bounties."
"No money? Then he uses the pirates' heads as collateral." Esdeath nodded, "Good idea."
"Additionally, I also have business dealings with 'Queen of Pleasure Street' Stussy."
"That title sounds unpleasant," Kurumi said.
Eric stretched his neck without realizing it, "What kind of business dealings do you have with her?"
"It's all in the entertainment industry," Tesoro scratched his head. "New casinos and entertainment venues sometimes lack young, beautiful female waitresses, so I hire a few from her..."
Tesoro trailed off, thinking of the right word.
"It expands the business and brings in extra income." Eric clapped, "Great idea."
Tesoro said excitedly, "I didn't expect Eric -sama to be so skilled in business!"
'I'm skilled in what?'
Tesoro invited everyone, "If you have time, feel free to visit my amusement park anytime."
"Really..." Eric was about to agree when he noticed the sharp gazes from the women around him. He immediately and sternly refused, "No, I still need to work on increasing my strength!"
Tesoro admired, "As expected of Eric -sama, truly diligent. I'll learn from your excellent character!"
"By the way," Eric asked, "You also do business with the 'King of Maritime Transport' Umit?"
"You're involved in too many industries..." Eric groaned, his head aching from keeping track of all this.
...
After the meeting ended, Eric and Tesoro exchanged life cards and phone numbers.
Eric assigned Tesoro the task of becoming a Warlord of the Sea and earning enough funds, while Eric decided to continue pushing forward toward his own goal.
(END CHAPTER)
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