In the New World's dark underworld, word began to spread.
Doflamingo, Keeper Sen, and the undertaker Pakuro were joining forces against Souta Kiryuu.
Even among those accustomed to betrayal, power plays, and bloodshed, this rumor left the underworld shaken.
Yet not everyone was eager to get involved. The so-called Loan Shark King, Du Feld, and the Shipping King, Umit, had no intention of stepping into the fray. They preferred to sit back and watch the spectacle unfold.
They were businessmen at heart, men who believed in peaceful profits. Why provoke a lunatic like Souta Kiryuu—the man bold enough to butcher Celestial Dragons—when it was safer to keep one's hands clean?
Especially when Souta had a crew that could vanish and reappear anywhere thanks to the Paw-Paw Fruit's power. Offending such monsters was suicide.
On a bustling neon street filled with laughter and music, inside a lavish, private chamber, a woman with short golden hair beneath a wide-brimmed hat lit a lady's cigarette. She exhaled a slow smoke ring into the dim air.
"So the doctor is working under a madman like him…?"
Her voice was soft, tinged with helpless amusement. She was Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, and a woman of many faces. Spy, CP0 agent, underworld broker—she wore her identities like masks.
Now she had been given yet another role: to shield Vegapunk while also fulfilling the World Government's demand to move against Souta Kiryuu.
Just days ago, the Five Elders themselves had ordered her to assist Doflamingo in organizing this new coalition of underworld rulers. Their goal was clear: cut off Souta's access to rare resources, strangle his supply lines, and indirectly slow Vegapunk's research.
"Balance…" Stussy murmured with a faint, knowing smile curving her lips. "The trick is to find the balance."
She would pursue this mission with Vegapunk's best interests in mind—for the man who had created her.
"Doctor, may you one day truly break free from the World Government's chains. When that day comes… I hope we meet again."
She let Souta Kiryuu's wanted poster slip from her fingertips, the paper fluttering to the floor. Somewhere deep within, even she—the clone of another woman—felt the stirrings of curiosity. Perhaps she wanted to see this so-called strongest experiment with her own eyes.
Far away, aboard the glittering vessel Gran Tesoro, the golden palace-ship of the seas…
In a heavily guarded chamber, a man swirled red wine lazily in his glass. One leg crossed over the other, he spoke into a Den Den Mushi, with a white anti-eavesdropping snail at his side.
"I was about to go looking for you. Imagine my surprise when you called me first."
Gild Tesoro, the Golden Emperor, grinned wide, intrigued. He had long admired the man bold enough to slaughter a Celestial Dragon.
But admiration was not enough to drag him into open war. Tesoro would never abandon the luxurious heights of wealth and power he now enjoyed. Confronting the World Government and the Celestial Dragons directly would bring only ruin.
Still, backing Souta Kiryuu from the shadows? Funding his chaos? That, he could enjoy.
"Tesorō, let's not waste words," Souta's voice came calmly through the Den Den Mushi. "I know what lies on your back… and I know about Stella. That truth binds you. You're fated to join me in bringing down the Celestial Dragons."
The words froze Tesoro. For a long moment, the man who owned the seas by gold alone said nothing. His hand tightened around the wine glass, fury flickering across his face.
How could this upstart know his deepest secret?
Murderous intent surged in him. No one alive was supposed to know.
"You can relax," Souta continued smoothly. "I'm not foolish enough to expose you. Consider this instead: we cooperate in secret. You provide funding and help gather rare materials. When my power is sufficient, then—and only then—you can decide whether to take revenge on the Dragons yourself."
Tesoro's knuckles whitened around his glass. He had once been a slave, branded like cattle. If the Celestial Dragons ever discovered the truth, they would strip away everything he'd built—his title, his wealth, his throne—leaving nothing.
"You… how do you know this?" he hissed, his tone ice-cold. Long ago, he had even murdered the comrade who burned the brand from his back.
By all rights, no one should know.
If he could, he would kill Souta Kiryuu here and now, just to silence him.
"I see fragments of the past," Souta chuckled lightly. "You have no secrets before me, Tesoro. So stop thinking about killing me—it won't work."
In truth, Souta had no reason to fear him. After his constant clashes with Bartholomew Kuma, he had gauged his own strength. He was no weaker than Doflamingo or Tesoro, awakened ability users though they were.
He had every right to speak as an equal.
"Fine," Tesoro growled, swallowing his rage. "What do you want from me?"
Souta laughed softly. "Money? I've plenty of gold myself. What I need from you is rarities. Materials. Devil Fruit users—captured alive. You execute them for sport. I'll put them to better use as experiments."
Animal-type users would have their Lineage Factors extracted to perfect artificial Zoans. Paramecia users would provide genetic material for the Seraphim's "Green Blood."
As for Logia users… there were few enough on these seas, but Souta would take them too.
"… Fine," Tesoro spat at last. "But don't contact me again unless it's necessary. And never threaten me."
His admiration for Souta had curdled into pure resentment. The man had discovered the one thing he wanted buried forever—that he had once been nothing more than a Celestial Dragon's slave.
But with Souta's whereabouts hidden even from the World Government, there was nothing he could do. For now, he would play along.
"Relax," Souta replied with a grin in his voice. "I see you as an ally, Tesoro. One day, you might even thank me—for giving you the chance, the courage, to strike down the Dragons yourself."
His words dug deep. Beneath Tesoro's wealth and power, the shame of his slavery still festered. The pain of Stella's death still lingered.
No amount of gold could erase those scars.
And Souta knew it.
More than that, Souta had already set his sights on Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit, and the Lucky-Lucky Fruit hidden within his domain. Powers too valuable for his Seraphim army to lack.
"Doflamingo is gathering allies against you," Tesoro warned at last, his tone sharp. "When you make your next move, be careful."
He couldn't afford exposure—neither his cooperation with Souta nor his past as a slave could ever come to light.
The World Government had branded Souta as one of the gravest threats alive. Being tied to him would be as damning as the brand he once bore on his back.
"I know," Souta said lightly. "I'll deal with Doflamingo soon. When I do, there'll be scraps for you—his turf, his businesses. Take whatever you like."
To Souta, Doflamingo was already a dead man walking.
For now, he would let him dance a little longer.
But when the time came, Souta would strike Dressrosa itself. He would carve his name into Doflamingo's ruin—and remind the world once more that he was no mere outlaw.
He was a mad dragon, unchained.
.....
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00