In front of the slave shop, Tesoro's pupils constricted violently, and his ears buzzed as if the entire world was distorting.
"Kill... kill a Celestial Dragon... and then join the Marine?" His throat was dry, and he could barely make a sound.
What kind of choice was this? Shouldn't it be to kill a Celestial Dragon, then flee for his life, becoming a criminal wanted by the World Government and arrested by an Admiral?
But the Marine? Wasn't the Marine on the side of the Celestial Dragons?! Was this logical?
His thoughts stopped, and Tesoro suddenly looked up, finally seeing the face of the man in front of him.
A black uniform, a stern face, and a Black Blade wrapped in white cloth at his waist...
"Heaven Quake... Gern?!" Tesoro's heart almost stopped.
The Marine's monster! The "Heaven Quake" Gern who single-handedly defeated "Samurai" Kozuki Oden and stirred up a bloody storm in the New World!
He... he actually attacked a Celestial Dragon?!
Gern looked at the stunned Tesoro, frowned slightly, and his tone remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable sense of pressure:
"Of course, you have other choices."
"What are the other choices?!"
"That is..." Gern leaned down slightly, a nearly gentle smile on his lips, but his eyes were as cold as ice.
"I will kill all of you."
Tesoro's breath hitched, and his blood seemed to freeze.
This man... spoke the cruelest words in the most understated tone.
After hearing this, Tesoro silently cast his gaze upon the Devil Fruit in his palm.
And at his feet, Charloss was powerlessly slumped on the ground, his glass headpiece shattered, snot and tears smearing his face, as he hysterically cursed:
"You commoner! How dare you touch me?! The World Government will tear you to pieces!
Your family, friends, everyone connected to you will die!!"
Tesoro's hands trembled uncontrollably.
Kill a Celestial Dragon?
This was no ordinary crime; this was a provocation to the highest authority in this world!
It was a taboo that could enrage the entire sea!
Even if he became the "Golden Emperor" in the future, he would never dare to draw his blade against a Celestial Dragon.
But now...
On the other side, Stella, as a bystander, watched her beloved man, now trembling all over, unable to make a decision from beginning to end.
Then she turned her gaze to Gern's back. Every word, every glance this man had given in front of the cage that morning, was a meticulously woven trap.
That wasn't a warning; it was a knife handed to Tesoro.
"Tesoro must make a choice... he has no choice left." Stella, as a bystander, saw it very clearly.
So she looked at Tesoro with determination.
"Gild..." Stella called softly, with a slight tremor.
Hearing Stella's voice, Tesoro abruptly turned his head and saw her neck reddened by the collar, and the suppressed fear and a hint of... hope in her eyes.
【Thank you... during this time, I felt happy from the bottom of my heart】
This call reminded him of the scene just now, his beloved woman being dragged away like a dog, while he could only roar in powerlessness...
In an instant, Tesoro's heart clenched fiercely.
Especially at this moment, Charloss was still shouting: "I'll turn both of you into slaves..."
"Ah ah ah!!!" Tesoro suddenly let out a roar and bit down on the Devil Fruit!
A nauseatingly bad taste exploded in his mouth, but he no longer cared about that.
"Ste... Stella..." Tesoro's ears were filled only with the roaring of blood rushing, and the lullaby Stella sang to him on that rainy night.
【Even if the night is long... dawn will come...】
"Commoner, I will make this woman mate with my other slaves, I will make you watch her with your own eyes..."
"Shut up!! How dare you insult her! Now it is I, Tesoro, who dictates your life!"
In an instant, the golden ring on Charloss's finger suddenly liquefied, coiling around Tesoro's wrist like a living thing.
The Celestial Dragon's curses abruptly ceased, replaced by screams of unbelievable terror.
"You, what are you doing?! You commoner! Do you know wha—"
The liquid gold instantly solidified into a three-edged spike, reflecting a cold gleam in the light.
"How dare you!!!" Tesoro's roar tore through the silence of dawn.
In an instant, the golden spike shot out like a venomous snake.
The first thrust pierced through his fleshy lips, and the third directly gouged out an eyeball.
"You... you high and mighty trash... how dare you... how dare you take everything from others!!!"
The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...
Each dull thud was accompanied by splashing blood and shattered bones.
Tesoro's movements became faster and more brutal, as gold transformed into various deadly weapons in his hands.
Spikes, saw teeth, and hooks frantically tore at the obese body.
"You dared to snatch her! You dared to drag her with chains! You dared to..."
Tesoro's actions grew more frantic, as if he wanted to unleash all the humiliation, anger, and despair accumulated over the years.
Charloss's voice had long disappeared, leaving only the dull thud of flesh being torn.
But Tesoro couldn't stop. He straddled the twitching body, and the gold transformed into a heavy hammer, smashing down on the deformed head again and again.
Brain matter mixed with gold dust splattered on his face, warm and sticky.
"Gild! That's enough!" A pair of soft hands suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
Stella pressed her face against his sweat-soaked back, her tears soaking his tattered shirt.
Tesoro's fist hung in mid-air, and gold slowly dripped.
Only then did he realize he was crying, hot tears washing away the bloodstains on his face, forming a red stream on his chin.
Gern's leather shoes stepped into the pool of blood, and he squatted down to meet his gaze.
"How does it feel?" black blade eight desolations lifted Tesoro's chin, "Do you understand now? The so-called Celestial Dragons..."
Then he abruptly poked and stirred Charloss's mangled head.
"Are nothing but lumps of flesh that bleed."
With that, Gern used molecular-level control of vibrating particles to shatter everything of Charloss into a blood mist, making it dissipate (a physical erasure).
The sea breeze, carrying the scent of blood, drifted across the dock, slowly fading away.
And Tesoro looked at his hands, then suddenly laughed nervously, laughing louder and louder, finally turning into a hysterical howl.
At the same time, gold flowed over his entire body like a living thing, shimmering brightly in the sunlight.
Having killed a Celestial Dragon, Tesoro had no way out; this was Gern's plan...
"So..." Gern smiled, "Welcome to the real world."