The owl-faced man bowed.
"Boss, they've arrived. They're waiting in the reception room."
Tesoro nodded and headed toward the reception room.
Someone had arranged to meet him today regarding that man.
So he had to go and see them.
As long as it was something that could deal with that bastard, he would support it unconditionally.
When Tesoro arrived at the reception room, two people were already waiting inside.
One was dressed entirely in a black robe from head to toe, with a black mask covering his face. Not a single part of him was exposed.
Tesoro's mouth curled into a cold smile.
"Well, well. You came to discuss cooperation with me, yet you can't even show your face?"
The black-robed figure said nothing.
Beside him, Du Feld frowned.
"Tesoro, mind your status."
Tesoro sneered and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the gold in the room seemed to come alive, flowing slowly across the floor. Before long, golden spikes rose one after another, all aimed at the two men.
"I know exactly what my status is. But what status do the two of you have?
"One of you is a notorious killer and organ trafficker.
"The other hides his head and covers his tail, not even daring to show his face. And you want to talk to me about status?"
Du Feld's face darkened. He stared at Tesoro with an unfriendly gaze, not even glancing at the golden spikes.
The black-robed figure set down his wine glass and slowly spoke.
"Please forgive me, Mr. Tesoro. It is not that I do not wish to show my face. I truly cannot reveal myself. If I did, the World Government would hunt me down."
"Tch."
Tesoro waved his hand, and the golden spikes aimed at the two men withdrew, returning to their original form as part of the golden floor.
"Boss, your wine."
Baccarat poured Tesoro's drink, then walked behind him. Wearing gloves, she slowly began massaging his shoulders.
Tesoro took a sip of red wine normally reserved for high-ranking World Government officials and said flatly, "Speak. Why did you come to me? Don't waste my time with trivial matters."
Tesoro knew perfectly well why they were here, but he still had no intention of giving these two any face.
Du Feld's face was dark as he glanced at Tesoro, then turned his head toward the scenery outside the window.
He had no desire to say anything to this nouveau riche.
The boy had merely gotten lucky.
Seeing that Du Feld was unreliable, the black-robed figure could only speak himself.
"I believe Mr. Tesoro should understand the purpose of our visit. Let us speak plainly. We need your help with something. A small favor."
As he spoke, the black-robed man took out a stack of documents and placed them on the table.
Mr. Tanaka, the owl-faced man, walked over, picked up the documents, and respectfully handed them to Tesoro.
Tesoro opened them with a bored expression, as if he had no interest at all.
But the moment he saw the contents, his pupils shrank.
Still, nothing showed on his face.
After struggling through the underworld for so long, he had learned how to control his expression.
The black-robed man continued, "Mr. Tesoro should not be unfamiliar with this man.
"In your early years, you had some conflict with his people. Or rather, he stole the woman you loved."
Tesoro's grip on the documents tightened, and his face turned gloomy.
"Shut up."
The black-robed man seemed not to hear him and continued calmly, "After offending him, you were forced to leave Sabaody Archipelago."
"Shut up!"
Tesoro grabbed the wine cup beside him.
The golden cup immediately turned liquid in his hand.
In an instant, a small golden knife appeared in Tesoro's grip. With a fierce swing, the golden knife shot toward the black-robed man.
Watching the golden knife fly toward him, disdain flashed through the black-robed man's exposed eyes.
Just as the blade was about to stab into him, he reached out and caught it in one hand, so fast that even Tesoro failed to see clearly.
Crack!
The black-robed man applied a little force, and the golden knife shattered, scattering to the floor with crisp ringing sounds.
"Mr. Tesoro, we have come with great sincerity. Think about it. If that man is eliminated, won't the woman you love return to your side?"
"Hmph!"
Tesoro sat back down on the sofa with a dark face and pointed at Du Feld.
"Didn't he already make a move last time? And didn't he fail?"
Du Feld's already dark face flushed faintly red with anger.
Last time, he had coveted White Ghost's medicine formula and that special alloy, so he had cooperated with these people and sent out his top fighters.
The result?
All of his high-end combatants died, and his capable subordinates died even more miserably. It could be said that he had been badly wounded.
The others in the underworld seized the chance and attacked Du Feld with all their strength.
If he hadn't still had some reserves, he would have already been forced off the great stage of the New World.
Seeing the atmosphere turn tense, the black-robed man hurriedly spoke before Du Feld could lose his temper.
"We underestimated that man last time.
"But this time, we have prepared a wonderful surprise for him. We do not need to act personally. We only need to push things along."
Tesoro looked at the black-robed man seriously.
"Explain in detail. If it's too risky, forget it. I know how strong I am."
The black-robed man picked up his wine glass and looked out the window.
"Doesn't he like freedom? Then we'll give him freedom.
"Hasn't Mr. Tesoro already applied to become a member nation of the World Government? When the time comes, you won't need to do much.
"You only need to follow the trend. Wouldn't it be better to watch them bite each other?"
Tesoro narrowed his eyes.
His application to join the World Government as an affiliated nation had only just been submitted. The outside world should not know about it yet, but this black-robed man did.
Seeing Tesoro's expression, the black-robed man chuckled.
"There is no need to be suspicious, Mr. Tesoro. Some things, as long as we wish to know them, we can know."
After saying that, the black-robed man stared fixedly at him.
In that instant, Tesoro felt a terrifying aura lock onto him, leaving him unable to move.
When Tesoro's three subordinates noticed their boss's expression was wrong and started to react, the black-robed man withdrew his aura.
"Well, Mr. Tesoro? Have you considered it? Once he is gone, the woman you love will return to your side."
Tesoro's face remained gloomy as he thought for a long time.
The moment he thought of the woman who haunted his dreams, he gritted his teeth and nodded.
"I won't take the lead. I'll only follow the others. Also, if this succeeds, I want a copy of his formula."
The black-robed man smiled.
"Of course. We have already contacted several kings. When the time comes, you only need to follow along.
"As for the cake, it tastes best when everyone shares it. Eating alone has no flavor."
Tesoro's expression relaxed. He picked up the wine and filled the man's glass.
"Then here's to a pleasant cooperation."
Clink!
The two glasses touched.
The black-robed man also smiled.
"To a pleasant cooperation, Mr. Tesoro."
As for Du Feld beside them, Tesoro did not even look at him.
Du Feld looked down on Tesoro as a nouveau riche.
Tesoro, in turn, looked down on Du Feld as someone who handled things in the filthiest way possible, a man with no bottom line at all.
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