Moria's mouth twitched. He had long known that Rett's bottom line was flexible, but he didn't expect his captain to bully kids one moment and then flip the whole table when the "parents" showed up.
By this point, Moria had lost track of how many times he had silently despised his own captain.
Tesoro thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled with a hint of mischief. "How about we try… the Golden Colosseum?"
At the center of a massive circular arena, Rett hefted his greatsword onto his shoulder, grinning with excitement. "What are the rules?"
From the high platform, Tesoro's voice boomed. "Simple. Defeat all opponents! But there's a little 'catch'..."
With a snap of his fingers, countless golden cages rose from the ground, each holding a humanoid puppet forged from gold.
Rett's eyes lit up. "Oh? Made with your ability?"
Tesoro nodded. "Yes. Their combat data is based on Marine Headquarters' officers. Of course, their power is only about seventy percent of the originals."
Rett's grin widened into something feral. "That's more than enough!"
Tesoro quickly added, "Captain, please limit yourself to using no more than vice admiral-level strength. These constructs are expensive."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
The battle erupted instantly.
The golden puppets launched into Six Powers techniques, swordplay, and coordinated strikes.
Rett laughed wildly. "Mist God Style: Annihilation!"
Scarlet arcs of blade-light tore through the air like a storm, shredding puppet after puppet into glittering dust.
From the spectator stands, the crew watched, slack-jawed.
Enel sneered. "Tch, show-off…"
Moria munched on popcorn. "That kind of destructive flair really does suit our captain."
Perona covered her face, squealing, "Sugeee! Lord Rett!"
Meanwhile, Stella smiled softly as she observed, a faint green glow shimmering from her palm. "Rett's emotions… feel so free and unrestrained."
The next day, both Tesoro and Stella officially joined Rett's crew.
Rett jabbed Tesoro with his elbow, grinning. "Hey, hey. You're really just climbing aboard like this? What about all your businesses?"
Tesoro shook his head. "Correction, Captain. They're your businesses now. If your reputation isn't enough to suppress those sharks, there's nothing I can do. Either way, I'm on your ship."
Rett stared at him. "Bro, can I get yesterday's version of you back? The reliable one?"
Tesoro smirked faintly but didn't tease further. "All my lieutenants have gold dust inside their bodies. Their lives and deaths are at my fingertips. As for anyone bold enough to cause trouble, I've got Den Den Mushi. If they make a move at night, by morning we'll be knocking on their doorstep. Isn't that right, Captain Rett, bounty: 3.5 billion?"
Rett threw back his head and laughed, hands on his hips. "That's exactly right! Beautifully said!"
Tesoro added, "Besides, Captain, some officials in the World Government are already in my pocket. And this is the New World. Their reach doesn't extend this far. I've also spread word that this territory belongs to you. Tell me, how many pirates would dare to use killing the man who slaughtered a Celestial Dragon and sailed under the Pirate King as their stepping stone to fame?"
Tesoro was waiting for praise, but when he turned around, Rett's eyes were already brimming with tears.
"Captain…?"
In the next moment, Tesoro found himself crushed in a bone-crushing hug, Rett's snot and tears smearing all over him. His face darkened like thunder.
"C-Captain… let me go…" Tesoro tried to pry him off, but Rett clung like an octopus.
"Tesoro!!! You understand me better than anyone!!!" Rett wailed. "I finally have a reliable crewmate!!!"
Black lines practically etched across Tesoro's face as he tried to push Rett away, but his captain refused to let go.
After all, look at his crew lineup:
Deadweight Moria.
"Math prodigy" Perona.
Adorable iron-ball whale, Laboon.
Edgy teenager, Enel.
A bunch of has-beens from the old era.
Not a single reliable one. Rett, though old enough to be 45 in actual years, still looked like he was in his early twenties thanks to his Devil Fruit. Yet he had been carrying the responsibility of the whole crew like an overburdened parent.
Compared to them, Tesoro seemed like a gift from heaven reliable, resourceful, and even came with Stella, the gentle big-sister type.
Stella chuckled softly, placing a glowing palm on Rett's back. "Calm down, Lord Rett."
"Shhhhhh."
Rett didn't resist. His emotions instantly settled. He wiped his face, finally letting go of Tesoro. "Ahem. Alright, let's talk business."
Everyone: "..."
(Your mood swings are way too fast!)
Rett soon sat cross-legged before a mountain of Berries, folding a ten-thousand-Berry note into a paper airplane, playing with Perona to see whose could fly farther.
Honestly, money didn't mean much to him anymore. If he needed cash, he could raid Sky Island or just rob someone.
"Watch this! Blood Mist Bomber !" Rett launched his paper plane, which flew perfectly and stabbed right into Laboon's little top hat.
"Ah-choo!" Laboon sneezed, the gust destroying Enel's carefully built "Thunder God Gundam" model.
"YOU IDIOTS!!!" Enel roared.
Tesoro's temple throbbed. "…Do you realize how many warships this money could buy?"
Rett turned and flashed a dazzling smile. "Morning, Tesoro! Don't worry, we'll never run out. If it's gone, I'll just grab more!"
Perona held up three different paper planes. "Thousand-Berry notes are better for dives, ten-thousand for glides."
Tesoro inhaled sharply, then pulled out a golden abacus from his jacket.
Clack!
The crisp sound of beads sliding froze the entire ship.
"From now on, we're doing an audit."
Three hours later
"Captain spent forty million Berries on 'Sky Island octopus balloons.' Market value: three hundred thousand."
"Perona expensed ten million Berries for 'ghost training,' which turned out to be three hundred sets of gothic dresses."
"Enel claimed sixty million worth of gold was consumed 'developing new techniques.' In his room, however, there's a life-size figurine…"
The only exception was Laboon, who spent a thousand Berries on an entire room of dried fish. Tesoro nodded approvingly.
Laboon tipped his little hat proudly, puffing out his chest.
Rett tried to argue. "But seriously, that thing was hideous!"
Rett's spending habit: Either insanely beautiful… or so ugly it's "worth buying."
The crew, sensing danger, began quietly edging away.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Tesoro's golden rings gleamed. The entire treasure vault was coated in shimmering gold, even the doorknobs. "From today onward, I will manage all finances of the Crimson Dawn Pirates!"
"Law One: All expenses require my approval, with Stella's co-signature."
Stella added gently, "But don't worry, I'll give everyone pocket money~" That earned sparkly eyes from Perona and Laboon.
"Law Two: Anyone caught spending from public funds without approval will scrub the deck until the next island."
Enel exploded. "A god does not—"
"Violators will have their figurines confiscated," Tesoro interrupted.
Enel froze. "…I'll scrub."
"Special Law: Each crew member gets a weekly snack allowance of 100,000 Berries. Any excess must be earned through battle performance. Final interpretation rights rest with me."
Rett wailed, "This is tyranny!"
That night, Tesoro sat recording financial details of the Crimson Dawn Pirates while Stella handed him hot cocoa.
"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you? Like you're taking care of a bunch of problem children."
On the monitor screens an extension of Tesoro's golden ability:
Rett, trying to sneakily dissolve the golden locks with his mist.
Moria and Perona, teaching ghosts to forge signatures.
Laboon, happily munching fish.
Enel, cursing while reforging furniture with lightning he had broken earlier.
"…Tomorrow," Tesoro muttered, downing his cocoa, "I'll need to add one more rule: 'Anyone who damages public property will pay for it in full.'"
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