Super Card System

Robin and Reiju returned to the vault and informed Ian and the others of the news.

Ian wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already guessed that the World Government’s operation to capture Dragon would provoke a counterattack. What he hadn’t anticipated was the sheer intensity of Dragon’s retaliation. Dragon had not only led the Revolutionary Army members who had been secretly lurking in the Golden City to confront the World Government directly, but they had also gone so far as to damage the massive ship itself.

This leader of the Revolutionary Army was indeed exceptionally decisive. Who knows how long those Revolutionary Army members had been hiding in the city? Now, under Dragon’s command, they had all revealed themselves at once. This sudden exposure was undoubtedly not part of their original plan, but Dragon hadn’t hesitated for a moment.

Of course, Ian speculated that this situation might also have something to do with his group diverting Tesoro’s attention. Otherwise, those Revolutionary Army members, likely infused with gold dust, would have been under Tesoro’s control. But now, Tesoro no longer had the capacity to capture those members.

With a loud crash, Tesoro was sent flying backward. The explosion had left him visibly unsettled, and after hearing Robin and Reiju report that the Revolutionary Army was engaged in fierce combat within his city, he immediately attempted to rush out.

Strictly speaking, the vast sums of money stored in the Golden City and the abundant gold scattered everywhere weren’t the core of Tesoro’s power. What he truly relied on was this massive casino ship that he had invested tremendous effort in building. If he lost money, he could always earn more, and if the gold was gone, he could acquire more. But if this casino ship were to be sunk, he would truly lose everything.

Without the ship, no wealthy or powerful individuals would come to his city to gamble and have fun. Without a source of income, he would no longer be able to pay tribute to the Celestial Dragons to maintain the special status of the Golden City. In short, losing the casino ship would mean losing everything for him.

However, his attempt to rush out was not going to be that easy. After being freed from the gold that had bound them—thanks to Ian’s flames—Katakuri and Perospero were itching to get their revenge.

It was Katakuri who had just struck. After sending Tesoro flying with a punch, Katakuri clasped his hands together, making his knuckles crack as he said, “Tesoro, you’ve got some nerve. Do you even realize what the consequences are for attacking members of the Big Mom Pirates?”

“Or maybe I should turn him into a candy figure!” Perospero sneered, his tongue curling. He was still furious about being trapped in gold earlier and added, “Let’s see which is tougher—your gold or my syrup!”

“Get lost!” Tesoro snarled as he got up from the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were bloodshot as he shouted at Katakuri and Perospero.

At this moment, Tesoro was feeling incredibly frustrated. Damn it, they were the ones who came to rob my vault, and now they’re blaming me for attacking the Big Mom Pirates?

But in this world, logic doesn’t always prevail, especially when it comes to pirates. If something can be solved with fists, reasoning often takes a back seat.

So, Tesoro had no choice but to charge forward and engage in a fierce battle with Katakuri.

Meanwhile, Ian and Fujitora weren’t particularly interested in kicking Tesoro while he was down. Under Ian’s direction, the Dragon Hunter Pirates were busy hauling away the cash.

“Move faster!” Ian urged his crew. “We don’t know if the battle between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government will cause this ship to sink, so we need to get out of here as quickly as possible!”

Ian was right. The chain reaction caused by the fighting between the Revolutionary Army and the World Government’s intelligence agents had already begun. Not to mention the civilians living in the lower levels of the Golden City, who had lost everything and were being controlled by Tesoro to serve the wealthy. There were also many pirates who had come to the Golden City, greedily eyeing the wealth of this city for a long time. Seeing the chaos, they immediately started causing trouble, looting the city.

As a result, the bloated, wealthy aristocrats and nobles were terrified and began scrambling to escape this now-dangerous place by boat.

However, getting out wasn’t easy. Their ships were all docked at the port, and with so many vessels trying to set sail at once, chaos ensued, turning the harbor into a massive traffic jam.

The more anxious they were, the harder it was to leave. These high-and-mighty elites, now frantic with worry, started blaming everything on Tesoro, cursing him for his failure to keep order and for allowing things to spiral out of control.

It was clear that even if Tesoro managed to save his casino ship this time, no one would ever want to return to his Golden City.

These elites had come to the Golden City not only because it provided everything they desired but also because of its special status—a territory recognized by the World Government where, supposedly, no one would dare cause trouble. Their personal safety had always been assured in this so-called demilitarized zone.

But now, someone had finally dared to stir up chaos here, and Tesoro had been powerless to stop it. As a result, the prestige of the Golden City in the eyes of these elites had plummeted.

They had seen through Tesoro’s facade of strength, realizing that the Golden City wasn’t untouchable; it was just that no one had dared to challenge it—until now.

As soon as the dozens of golden boxes, newly crafted by Enel using his lightning metallurgy, were fully packed with money, Fujitora used his gravity manipulation to make them weightless, allowing the sailors of the Dragon Hunter Pirates to easily lift them.

At this point, Tesoro didn’t dare risk causing these golden boxes to collapse again. In fact, he was hoping that Ian would take the money and leave quickly, giving him a chance to escape with his life.

“Let’s go!”

Seeing that the vault had been emptied, Ian gave the order, and Urouge nodded in response. He raised the Seastone club in his hand and, with all his strength, struck the ground with a heavy blow. Ŕ

The impact created a large hole in the floor, and the sailors of the Dragon Hunter Pirates began jumping one by one, carrying the boxes down through the opening.

Below the vault was the long spiral staircase they had used earlier, but it was too much of a hassle to climb down it again. So Ian and his crew opted for a more direct approach—jumping straight down.

With Fujitora’s ability at work, every sailor carrying a box floated down gently like a feather, slowly descending to the base of the tower, with no need to worry about safety.

Ian thought to himself that they must have become so accustomed to skydiving because they often jumped down from their sky island, effectively turning them into habitual paratroopers…

Fujitora extended his hand toward Aokiji, making a “please” gesture, which left Aokiji shaking his head. With no other choice, he followed suit and jumped down as well.

As for Katakuri and Perospero, Ian felt no obligation to warn them. If they wanted to kill Tesoro, they were free to do so.

However, when Perospero saw that the Dragon Hunter Pirates were retreating, he began to panic, worried about his and Katakuri’s share of the loot. After exchanging a glance with Katakuri, they decided to stop fighting and followed Ian and his crew, jumping down through the hole.

As for Tesoro, he was completely ignored by everyone.

Ian had no interest in dealing with him, knowing Tesoro’s past and feeling a deep disdain for him. Tesoro, who had once been treated as a slave by the Celestial Dragons and harbored a deep hatred for them, had chosen to collaborate with them once he gained power, providing them with Heavenly Tribute in exchange for their support of his Golden City. To Ian, this was the ultimate act of cowardice, a betrayal of his own principles.

That’s why Ian couldn’t bring himself to respect Tesoro, and it was also the reason why he had been so indifferent toward him from the very beginning.

Of course, just because Ian looked down on him didn’t mean he wanted to kill him. In fact, Ian felt a bit sorry for Tesoro, because he knew that after this incident, Tesoro would likely be abandoned by the Celestial Dragons.

Tesoro probably never realized that the special status granted to him and his Golden City by the Celestial Dragons and the World Government wasn’t because they feared him, but simply because… the Celestial Dragons and the World Government needed a source of funds.

Neither the Celestial Dragons nor the World Government could openly run a casino, but such businesses generated money too quickly for them to ignore. That’s why they allowed Tesoro to operate.

It was presented as giving him special treatment, but in reality, he was nothing more than a puppet used by the Celestial Dragons and the World Government to make money.

The Celestial Dragons and the World Government could elevate one Tesoro, so they could easily elevate two, three, or more! To them, Tesoro was not indispensable.

This time, Tesoro managed to anger the Dragon Hunter Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, and even attracted the attention of the Revolutionary Army and Dragon himself. The impact was too significant, and the Celestial Dragons and the World Government would not dare continue using him.

Without their backing, Tesoro was as good as finished. Even if Ian didn’t kill him, his future was bleak at best…

Katakuri and Perospero felt the same way. However, they still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that if they spared Tesoro, they might be able to return later and squeeze more money out of him.

After everyone left, Tesoro looked around at the now-empty vault and collapsed to his knees in despair.

The 500 billion Berries that once filled this vault had always been Tesoro’s pride. He had spent years building up his Golden City through various means, accumulating that dazzling sum.

But in just a short span of time today, all of his pride had been shattered…

Boom! Another earth-shaking explosion rocked the area, snapping Tesoro out of his daze. Remembering his ship, he quickly ran out of the vault and jumped from the tower.

He knew there was no way to reclaim the 500 billion Berries from Ian and his crew, but he was determined to at least save his Golden City casino ship…

—

Author’s note:

Hmm, I’ve never liked Tesoro as a character. Those so-called flashbacks in the movie just made him even more annoying. Anyone else feel the same way?

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