Chapter 49: Newbie Starter Pack
North Blue - Abandoned Smelter
Tesoro swallowed the last bite of the Gold-Gold Fruit, the bitter taste making him wince.
Suddenly, he felt a strange power surge within him, a mysterious resonance with the precious metal. He slowly held out his right hand, his fingers brushing against a nearby iron girder.
To his astonishment, tiny golden flecks began to appear on the rusted surface, as if the dormant gold elements within the iron had been awakened. The flecks quickly gathered, forming a thin layer of gold foil.
"This is..." Tesoro's voice trembled with disbelief.
He opened his hand, and the gold foil peeled away from the iron, flowing into the air, reforming, and finally condensing into an exquisite gold coin that landed solidly in his palm.
Light from the broken roof hit the coin, making it blaze.
Tesoro stared at it, his eyes shining.
"I see..." he whispered. "It doesn't create gold from nothing. It... awakens and controls the gold that is already sleeping in all other metals."
He clenched his fist, feeling the power flow.
This meant...
"Anywhere there is metal... there is my gold."
A fanatical smile spread across Tesoro's face. But he quickly suppressed the euphoria, his mind already calculating. He looked up at Roy, his gaze now cold and sharp.
"I need startup capital. And a ship."
Roy raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips. "That's all? Why not ask for an island? A trade company? Or... a national treasury?"
Tesoro shook his head. "I can't chew more than I can swallow. Right now... I don't have the power to ask for more."
Roy's smile widened, a hint of genuine appreciation in his eyes.
"He's even more composed than I thought."
Even after gaining this power, he was instantly, calmly assessing his resources and risks.
"Good," Roy said, his voice serious. "Since I'm the one bringing you to the table, I'll make sure you can afford the first hand."
He turned, looking out at the ruined factory. "Startup capital... a ship..."
He repeated the words, then let out a cold, dark laugh. "I think I know where to get some."
"...?"
Tesoro instinctively took a step back. He saw the cold, cruel amusement in Roy's smile and had a very, very bad feeling.
"What... are you planning?"
Roy waved his hand, his voice lazy but filled with malicious intent. "There's a certain 'flamingo' in the North Blue... seems he has quite a few assets here."
"Casinos, cargo ships, underground money flows... tsk, tsk, such a mess. Any one of them would be a good fit for you, don't you think?"
Tesoro's eyes narrowed. He knew exactly who he meant.
"Doflamingo?!"
"Are you insane?!"
Roy just grinned. "What? Scared?"
Tesoro was silent for a moment, then a slow, cold smile of his own spread across his face.
"It's insane... but I like it."
Roy held out his hand, his voice casual, but it was an order.
"Let's go. Time to pick up your newbie starter pack."
North Blue - Cremia Transit Port - Night
The port was brightly lit against the dark sea.
A massive, garishly-painted pink cargo ship was docked at the far end, the Donquixote Family's flamingo insignia on its sails. On deck, a group of pirates was on patrol.
"Damn it, we've been waiting all day! Is this 'big client' coming or not?" one griped.
"Shut up!" another hissed. "Do you know who's on board? Lord Diamante! One of the family's top executives! You got a death wish, complaining like that?"
The first pirate went pale and shut his mouth.
Just then, the cabin door opened. A tall, lanky man in a cape stepped out, his long blond hair flowing, a goofy smile on his face that couldn't hide the unease in his eyes.
It was Diamante, the "Diamond" of the Donquixote Family, user of the Hira Hira no Mi (Ripple-Ripple Fruit).
He stood on the deck, peering into the night. "Something feels wrong... My Observation Haki... it feels... suppressed. Like the reaper is getting closer..."
"Lord Diamante?" a nearby pirate asked.
Diamante didn't answer. His eye twitched.
The next second—
"BOOM!!!"
The entire ship lurched as if it had been struck by a cannonball!
The pirates on deck were thrown to the ground.
And standing silently on the ship's railing was a tall, dark-haired figure in a suit, his coat snapping in the night wind. He had a casual, almost bored smile on his face, as if this ship were just an after-dinner amusement.
"Good evening, little 'Diamond'~"
"R-R-ROY!!!" Diamante's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his legs trembling so hard he could barely stand.
He never imagined that instead of a client, this monster would show up! The Marine who had crushed Doflamingo and personally executed Vergo!
"Wh-what... what do you want?" Diamante stammered, instinctively backing away.
"Just picking something up," Roy said flatly. He flicked his hand.
THWACK!
The pirates who had been drawing their swords were sent flying overboard, knocked out cold.
"I... I understand!"
Diamante shrieked and dropped to his knees. "The ship! The money! The cargo! It's all yours! Just don't kill me!"
He frantically kicked a large, locked chest toward Roy, his face a mask of terror and humiliation.
Roy looked down at him. "Give Doflamingo a message for me..."
"He should forget about Dressrosa. Or I'll come back... and pluck every single one of his pink feathers, one by one."
Diamante's blood ran cold. How... how does he know about Dressrosa?!
Seeing that Roy wasn't moving to kill him, he scrambled onto a lifeboat and rowed away as fast as he could, not daring to look back.
Ten minutes later, on the deck of the flamingo's ship.
Tesoro emerged from the cargo hold, carrying two heavy chests. The glint of gold peeked through the cracks.
"Three hundred million Beri," he said, setting the chests down. "And one... luxuriously appointed cargo ship."
His voice was calm, but his knuckles were white. "...It's done."
Roy was leaning against the mast, enjoying the breeze. "So, you satisfied with your newbie starter pack?"
Tesoro didn't answer. He was staring at the small lifeboat disappearing into the darkness.
"That man, Diamante... he's one of Doflamingo's top officers, isn't he?" he asked, as if to himself.
"And he... he didn't even try to fight. He just... gave you everything and ran."
He had seen how cruel and arrogant Doflamingo's crew was. But Diamante had run like he'd seen a ghost.
He turned to Roy, his eyes sharp. "...Are you really a Marine?"
Roy just laughed. "Of course. I'm just... working on something more important."
He pointed to the gold at Tesoro's feet. "And you, my friend, are my new business partner."
"Good luck, future 'Gold Emperor.'"
"One day... you'll make them all kneel. You'll make them hand over their thrones to you."
Tesoro looked at Roy's easy, confident smile, and a strange, cold shiver of anticipation ran down his spine.
He looked down at the gold coin in his hand, the one he had made himself. In the moonlight, it seemed to whisper to him—
"Let gold... take back everything you've lost."
The wind filled the sails, and the pink flamingo ship slowly pulled out of the harbor, heading for an unknown future.
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