"Don't worry! You won't be taken very far. Today I'll reap two slaves!"
"Take him too."
Thud! Thud!
Tesoro felt the strength pressing on him loosen. The two people holding him lost their grip, their bodies slumping onto him.
It was just the weight of flesh—something he could struggle against and stand up from.
But right now his eyes were wide open. The sounds of people collapsing kept coming from around him. All the subordinates brought by Saint Garlos, and the slave shop owner, had all fallen to the ground without any warning.
"You bastards, what are you doing, falling asleep at a time like this!"
Saint Garlos felt something was off, but he didn't realize what it was.
"I'm talking to you—get up, now!"
He kicked one of the fallen men hard, but the eerie atmosphere kept spreading.
"Hello there!"
Saint Garlos spun around sharply—and met a pair of glowing eyes.
His gaze instantly lost focus, and the chain in his hand that was holding Stella also slipped free.
"He's under control. Easy."
Selibe's Hypnosis-Hypnosis Fruit had taken control of Saint Garlos. Her ability could disrupt other people's memories; next, she only needed to apply some psychological suggestion.
"What an ugly face. A pity—we still need to keep you for now."
Monet dispelled her invisibility, and their figures appeared.
Just now, Vane used Conqueror's Haki to knock out all living beings within two hundred meters, except the Celestial Dragon and the doomed couple.
They left the doomed couple conscious so they would know who saved them, and left the Celestial Dragon conscious so Selibe could brainwash him more easily.
"Plant in him the memory that Tesoro and Stella escaped, and that in his rage he beat the shop owner to death."
As Vane spoke, he pulled the flintlock from the Celestial Dragon's waist and fired directly at the fallen shop owner.
Bang!
The shot blew his head apart—he was dead on the spot.
"Can you give him a suggestion for a precise time? Make him come back here in four days, and not bring too many people."
Selibe: "You're asking a bit much… I can't be that precise. I can only strengthen his desire to come here in the near term. I can guarantee he'll come here multiple times within seven days."
"That'll do."
Selibe continued the deep suggestion. Vane put the flintlock back into the Celestial Dragon's belt and turned to look at the doomed couple.
"Y-you… who are you?"
Tesoro, who worked himself to the bone, saved all his money and never even bought newspapers, so he didn't know who Vane was.
"The Navy and the World Government call me Nation-Slayer Vane, a pirate with a bounty of 400 million Belly."
Four hundred million! That was an astronomically huge number—money he couldn't earn even if he worked his whole life.
"When you were being abused by the Celestial Dragon, and when you watched the one you love get bought away, it must have hurt terribly, right?"
"This shop owner was playing you from the start. No matter when you brought the money, it would've been useless. Do you think it was just a coincidence that the Celestial Dragon showed up?"
Tesoro was smart; he understood the key in an instant. So that's how it was! How ridiculous—they were just maggots for these big shots to toy with.
"Not willing to accept it, are you? I can give you power. Come work for me, Tesoro. Go with your lover to the New World."
As Vane spoke, he used Armament Haki to destroy the shackles on Stella.
He'd developed this move slowly based on his impression of Rayleigh using Haki to destroy explosive collars. Vane strongly suspected that this kind of internal-destruction power had something to do with advanced Haki.
Clang!
Freed from her restraints, Stella immediately threw herself into Tesoro's arms. These two people who loved each other embraced for the first time without a cold iron cage between them.
Tesoro looked up at Vane. Above Vane's head was a full moon; tonight's moonlight seemed especially bright, making Vane look like a god.
"I'm willing! Please let Stella and me join your crew!"
Here at Sabaody, they'd only be hunted by the Celestial Dragons. Only by leaving together with Vane could he and Stella be safely together!
"A very smart choice! Tesoro, you'll gain great power—power so others won't be able to bully you so easily."
So the destination of the Gold-Gold Fruit was decided!
Vane had two Devil Fruits on hand that no one had eaten yet.
The Gold-Gold Fruit and an artificial Azure Dragon Fruit.
The one most suited to eat the Gold-Gold Fruit was definitely the Golden Emperor. This man absolutely had talent for developing the Gold-Gold Fruit.
Even though he started late, after developing it for a few years he made that "sufferer" Doflamingo not dare to come looking for trouble. And who is Doflamingo? Someone who would never hold back if he could stab you. If he didn't dare touch Tesoro, it could only mean Tesoro's strength made him helpless.
Doflamingo's strength is that of a Yonko's top officer. Tesoro's future achievements, at worst, should still be a Pillar within Vane's crew.
"The suggestion is complete."
"Then let's leave."
When Saint Garlos came to, he only felt like he'd spaced out for a moment. Some memories appeared in his mind: that green-haired man broke free, snatched Stella away.
His subordinates had been knocked out like clay statues, and in his anger he had shot the slave shop owner dead himself.
"Damn it! You useless trash! You can't even handle a single slave."
The Celestial Dragon's brutal nature made him pull the trigger and fire two more shots at the guards on the ground.
If he didn't need to keep a few to accompany him back, he'd have shot them all dead.
"Get up, you idiots! When we get back, I'll turn every last one of you into slaves!"
...
District 13. The coating work on the Thunder Fortress had already begun, and all the crew went ashore to watch the coater at work.
They didn't actually have to get off the ship, but everyone was really curious about what the coating process looked like.
"Captain's back!"
"Captain, look—this is how coating works."
Vane felt there was nothing interesting about watching coating; what was really worth paying attention to was the person doing it.
"Today we have new companions again. Fish Giant Big Pan, host Hakuza. Martha, you host the music team."
"This is Stella and Tesoro. They'll be excellent musicians… and also excellent financial staff."
Stella was definitely good at music. Tesoro's dream was to become a great singer—but his talent with money was also quite outstanding.
"New people again! We can throw a party!"
"That's right, we're throwing a party."
The Rocket Team's friendly atmosphere made the newcomers breathe easier—especially the music team. They'd gone from respectable musicians to outlaws, becoming pirates. If this bunch of pirates were vicious brutes, they'd really be doomed.
There were quite a few kids among the Rocket Team's members, which made the crew look much friendlier.
The banquet began.
"Vane is really a good person."
"It's all in the drink."
"Bastard, you just want to drink, don't you?"
Letting them vent their emotions, Vane took a big mug and said to the coater who was working,
"Mr. Coater, we're having a banquet. Put the work aside for now—come have a drink."
The Dark King Rayleigh couldn't refuse a drink.