Karon withdrew without a sound, leaving the space to his god.
Kael leaned back in his chair, gaze drifting out the window toward the Sabaody Archipelago's signature giant bubbles, though his eyes weren't really focused on anything.
Under the sunlight, those bubbles refracted prismatic halos as they floated lazily into the sky. Each one carried a tiny world within it, yet all it took was the slightest touch to make it burst.
Just like certain self-proclaimed "gods."
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit… Enel.
A pitiful worm who called himself divine, only to get hard-countered by the rules.
Skypiea would make a decent backup base, but that fruit still wasn't worth making the trip personally.
If anything, an Enel who'd been forced to recognize how vast the universe truly was would probably be thrilled to serve as the front-runner for Kael's moon exploration plan.
As for CP0's Lucci, he was just a tool polished by the World Government until nothing remained but the instinct to kill.
In the future, there'd be a toilet waiting for him to scrub.
What really made Kael laugh was the last name Morgans had mentioned.
Buggy.
A ferocious pirate charged in with a raised blade. Buggy shrieked, slipped at the perfect moment, and his body just happened to split into pieces, cleanly dodging the lethal strike.
The attacker, unable to stop his momentum, slammed headfirst into a nearby barrel of gunpowder that was about to detonate…
Boom!
When the smoke cleared, Buggy was completely unscathed. As his crew roared in fanatic worship of "Captain Buggy, as expected," he struck a victory pose he didn't even believe in himself, basking in the tearful gratitude and reverence of clueless civilians.
"Pff…" Kael finally couldn't hold it back. A quiet laugh escaped him.
He could practically see it, Buggy hiding behind his subordinates, stumbling into victory through misunderstandings and coincidences, then getting hoisted into the air by crowds who had no idea what was really happening.
Sometimes the world was just that absurd.
He was still idly entertaining himself with these trivial thoughts when the office door opened softly.
A tall, slender figure entered, carrying a thick stack of documents. Her steps were light, steady.
Jet-black hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall, making her fair, delicate features look even more striking.
A fitted dark dress traced an astonishing silhouette, and she carried herself with an effortless, composed intellect.
Robin.
Kael's eyes lingered on her for a moment.
Money really does polish people.
He couldn't help the thought.
The Robin before him was nothing like the archaeologist in his memories, the woman who'd survived on the run, skin darkened by hardship, eyes always guarded, always wary.
These past few years in Sabaody, there'd been no World Government pursuit, no constant fear of tomorrow.
Her daily work was organizing underworld intel that Karon brought in, or simply burying herself in the villa's library, which rivaled Ohara's Tree of Knowledge in sheer volume.
A stable life and endless knowledge had refined raw jade into something dazzling, returning to her the elegance and confidence a true scholar was meant to have.
"Kael, this is an encrypted file Doflamingo sent from the North Blue." Robin placed the documents on the desk. Her voice was cool and pleasant, with a hint of ease that only existed in a place where she was truly safe.
Kael sat up straighter and casually took the top page.
The header bore the Donquixote Family's signature emblem, the flamingo crest.
Doflamingo's handwriting matched the man, flamboyant and unrestrained. The reverence dripping between the lines was enough to raise goosebumps.
Kael skimmed at a glance, filtering out the useless fluff, hunting straight for the point.
Soon, a familiar name caught his eye.
Gild Tesoro.
Doflamingo wrote that the family had recently hosted an underground auction in the North Blue. The final item had been a Devil Fruit he'd acquired, the Gold-Gold Fruit.
A young man named Tesoro had shown terrifying resolve. He sold everything he owned, betting his entire life on it, and in the end, he won the fruit.
Doflamingo hadn't originally intended to truly sell such a high-potential fruit, but after meeting Tesoro, he'd sharply recognized something in the young man's eyes, a kind of ambition and desire that burned like molten gold.
"Fuffuffuffuffuffu… I saw in him a gaze like mine. No, not mine. Like the gaze I used to have," Doflamingo wrote. "So I gave him a bit of starting capital. I wanted to see how high this bird with broken wings could fly."
Tesoro didn't disappoint him.
In only a few months, Tesoro used the Gold-Gold Fruit alongside an almost frightening business instinct to multiply that capital dozens of times over, rising rapidly through the North Blue's underworld.
"…But this piece of meat smells too sweet. It's already drawn in too many wolves," the letter continued. "Before he grows into a true lion, any wealth he gains will only become a wedding gown for someone else."
"I advised him to go to Sabaody, to meet someone who truly stands at the peak of the world. Only your name can shield this golden ship. And everything he creates in the end will belong to you."
Kael set the papers down. His fingers tapped the desk in a slow, steady rhythm.
That bastard Doflamingo really knew how to find Kael things to do, and still make it look like he was doing Kael a favor.
Still…
He really had delivered someone interesting.
Gild Tesoro.
The man who, in Mary Geoise, would one day dare to throw a punch at a Celestial Dragon for the woman he loved.
A faint, amused curve formed at Kael's lips.
He'd had Moria save Stella and send her to the East Blue, to Rouge, for this very moment.
He hadn't expected Doflamingo to blunder into helping him complete the most crucial step ahead of schedule.
Delivering the Gold-Gold Fruit.
This show was shaping up to be even more entertaining than he'd imagined.
Kael was still sketching out how to build his future "entertainment empire" when the office door suddenly slammed open.
"Lord Kael!"
A cadre responsible for managing "the Furnace" rushed in, face twisted with a chaotic mix of panic and excitement.
Kael's brows creased. He didn't like having his train of thought interrupted.
Robin stepped forward and blocked the man, her voice turning cold. "Running in here like that. Have you forgotten your manners?"
"Miss Robin, no! It's not that!" the cadre panted, pointing outside, words tumbling over each other. "The Furnace! Something happened in the Furnace!"
The Furnace was Karon's pride, a massive gladiator coliseum built to give Sabaody's over-energized pirates a legal place to vent.
It was a den of snakes and dragons, packed with monsters. Every day it hosted the bloodiest, most primal slaughter.
For its overseer to be this shaken, something truly significant must have happened.
"Get to the point," Kael said, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.
The cadre jolted upright immediately and reported at top speed. "A newcomer, Lord Kael! A newcomer showed up in the deathmatch zone today!"
"He used one move! One move and he instantly killed the Furnace's ten-win champion, 'Bonecrusher' Barro!"
Bonecrusher Barro had a bounty of 120 million berries, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with thick hide and monstrous strength. He was recognized as one of the Furnace's true beasts.
"Oh?" Kael finally showed a hint of interest. "What's the newcomer's name?"
"…Gild Tesoro!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
If you're itching to see what happens next, check out the advanced chapters on my Patron!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"