Night fell over the seas of the New World. On the dark ocean, a massive vessel, something that could hardly be described with common sense, was slowly sailing forward.
It wasn't just a ship.
It was a city.
A mobile metropolis made entirely of pure gold, reflecting dazzling light beneath the moon,
Gran Tesoro.
This was a "neutral nation" officially recognized by the World Government, the greatest entertainment city in the world.
A gigantic golden fountain erupted into the sky at the center of the city, spraying seawater that fell back down like shimmering golden rain.
Magnificent casinos operated twenty-four hours a day, swallowing and spitting out enormous amounts of Beli.
On elevated railways above the city, well-dressed nobles and tycoons rode in luxurious cars, laughing cheerfully.
This place was heaven for gamblers.
A paradise for ambitious schemers.
An empire of money.
At the entrance of the city, two figures blended into the bustling crowd, completely inconspicuous.
"WAAAAAH…"
Nami, the genius navigator of the Straw Hat crew, was currently in an extremely excited state, so excited it was nearly suffocating.
Her beautiful orange eyes had already turned into two rapidly spinning Beli symbols (¥_¥) glowing with golden light.
Her entire body trembled, not from fear, but from pure excitement.
"Re… Rehn…"
Her voice trembled as she instinctively grabbed the round, chubby man beside her, her nails almost digging into his flesh.
"Y-you… hurry… pinch me! I'm not dreaming, right?!"
She stuck out her tongue and quickly licked a nearby golden railing.
"Ugh!!"
A cold, hard taste with a faint salty smell spread across her tongue.
"It's… it's real!!"
Nami cried out in bliss.
"Th-this place… it's all made of gold!!!"
She had gone crazy.
From the very first second she stepped onto this ship, she had completely lost her mind.
The floors were paved with gold, the street lamps were made of gold, and even the trash cans had golden trim.
This wasn't heaven.
This was the divine kingdom of Beli.
She had already begun calculating in her head how much money she could get if the whole city were dismantled and sold.
"Miss Nami, please calm down."
In sharp contrast to Nami's frenzy was Rehn's impatient, round face.
Rehn, chief steward of Lord Renzo, the "Gray Sheep", was wearing a custom noble suit that clearly looked extremely expensive. His round body paired with a top hat made him look somewhat ridiculous.
"Please watch your manners. We are here to collect a debt."
"Collect a debt, my foot!"
Nami grabbed his tie excitedly.
"How am I supposed to stay calm?! Rehn! We've hit the jackpot! If we rob this place, no, if we 'take it over', Lord Renzo will definitely be happy!"
"No. Lord Renzo would not be happy."
Rehn's reply fell like a bucket of cold water.
He pushed up the monocle he wore for disguise. His narrow eyes glimmered with intense disgust.
"It's too noisy."
Rehn's voice was soft.
"Listen," he said, tilting his head.
"The clattering of slot machines, the roaring of musical fountains, and those nobles and pirates…"
"…their disgusting laughter filled with greed and desire."
Rehn's powerful Observation Haki swept across the entire city like the most precise radar.
What he "heard" was not prosperity.
Not happiness.
But, trouble.
"Countless, dense, writhing masses of trouble, tangled together like maggots!"
"This kind of place," Rehn's voice turned cold, "is the complete opposite of Lord Renzo's philosophy of laziness! It is a collection of noise! A breeding ground for trouble!"
"Huh?" Nami regained a bit of clarity from her Beli-symbol eyes. "W-what do you mean?"
Rehn didn't answer.
He looked up toward the top of the city, the golden tower that resembled a divine temple.
That was the residence of the ship's owner, Gild Tesoro, the Golden Emperor.
"Gild Tesoro."
Rehn slowly spoke the name as classified intelligence from G-5 Base surfaced in his mind.
"User of the Gold-Gold Fruit. Controls twenty percent of the world's Beli flow. Secretly cooperates with CP0, even blackmailing Celestial Dragons with Heavenly Tribute to gain protection from the World Government."
"A man attempting to use money to pry open the world's order… creating even greater trouble."
"…a super garbage source."
Rehn's face darkened completely.
He stopped walking in front of the grand entrance of the central casino.
"Miss Nami."
Rehn's voice carried no emotion.
"Step back."
"Huh? Why?"
"I'm about to begin… a major cleanup."
Rehn slowly stretched his round wrists and ankles, producing cracking sounds.
"Y-you're crazy?!"
Nami turned pale.
"You're going to start a fight here?!"
"Of course!"
Rehn's face revealed his signature efficiency-obsessed fanatic smile.
"Just look at this place!"
He spread his arms as if embracing the golden splendor.
"Such a massive garbage dump! Such dense noise sources!"
"If Lord Renzo personally discovered this place, what kind of failure would that be for me!"
"As Lord Renzo's most loyal subordinate, I must eliminate this trouble in the most efficient way possible before he even notices it!"
Rehn's chubby body began radiating terrifying power.
Jet-black Armament Haki gathered around his massive fists like ink.
"I will physically purify this place and take back our gold!!"
Crackle!!
Golden lightning arcs burst around him.
He didn't even bother hiding his power.
He was about to activate Thunder God Mode.
"I'll drag that bastard Tesoro down from his golden toilet!"
"I'll make him understand what kind of unforgivable crime it is to steal Lord Renzo's property!"
"STOP!!!"
Just one second before Rehn unleashed two hundred million volts to obliterate the casino,
BAM!!!
A crisp, furious punch filled with Beli-driven rage smashed into the back of Rehn's head.
"Wah!"
Rehn's eyes spun with stars as he stumbled forward, nearly falling.
The lightning and Haki around him vanished instantly.
"M-Miss Nami?!"
Rehn clutched his head and turned back in disbelief.
"Why did you stop my cleanup operation?!"
"Clean up my foot, you idiot!!"
Nami's face was bright red with anger and fear.
Like a lioness protecting her food, she grabbed Rehn's collar and shook him violently.
"Do you even know what you were about to do?!"
The ¥_¥ symbols returned to her eyes, this time mixed with tears.
"You were going to destroy this place?!"
"This! And this! And this!!"
She pointed at the golden walls, floors, and chandeliers.
"Do you know what these are?!"
"Money!!!"
"You destroy them, and you're committing a crime! You're murdering my, no, Lord Renzo's Beli!!"
"But… this place is trouble!"
Rehn protested weakly, dizzy from being shaken.
"Trouble my ass!"
Nami snapped back instantly.
"Use that brain of yours stuffed with fat and muscles and think!"
She stared straight into his eyes, her orange pupils shining with intelligence.
"What does Lord Renzo love the most?!"
"Sleeping… and quiet…" Rehn answered reflexively.
"And what does he love second most?!"
"Sanji's desserts… and comfortable environments…"
"Exactly!!!"
Nami clapped loudly with a proud smile.
"Look around you!"
She pointed at the luxurious facilities.
"A twenty-four-hour constant-temperature golden hot spring!"
"A seven-star buffet with the world's best chefs!"
"An aerial opera house more luxurious than Ryugu Palace!"
"And!"
She pointed at the most extravagant VVIP area in the casino.
"The softest, most luxurious velvet sofas and beds!"
Her voice turned tempting.
"Do you think…"
"…Lord Renzo would prefer a burned-to-ashes ruin…"
"…or a place where he can sleep comfortably, eat whatever he wants, and enjoy the world's most luxurious mobile vacation palace?"
"…."
Rehn froze.
His narrow eyes suddenly widened.
The moment his rapidly spinning brain heard the words, "mobile vacation palace."
BOOM!!!
It was like divine lightning had struck him from the heavens.
"R-right…"
He muttered in shock.
A storm erupted inside Rehn's mind.
"What the hell was I thinking?!"
"I was going to destroy it?!"
"Fish-Man Island is nice, but it's too humid! Princess Shirahoshi is noisy! G-5 base is too small, and full of smelly, rough soldiers!"
"But this place…"
"There's gold! Food! Top-tier service!"
"And most importantly… it moves!!"
The storm ended.
Rehn snapped back to reality.
All anger and killing intent vanished from his face, replaced by unprecedented excitement.
He grabbed Nami's hands, trembling with excitement.
"Miss Nami!!!"
His voice nearly choked with emotion.
"You… you're a genius! A goddess of wisdom sent by Lord Renzo himself to guide me!"
"Huh??" Nami blinked, confused by his 180-degree change.
"You're absolutely right!!!"
Rehn's eyes filled with visions of a perfect future.
"Lord Renzo lying at the top of this golden city!"
"Grapes fed by Miss Monet in his left hand! Desserts from Sanji in his right!"
"Ten mermaid ambassadors singing beneath his feet!"
"And me, Rehn, standing behind him, driving away every trace of noise!"
"This! This! This is what a vacation should look like! This is true prestige!!"
"Destroy this place? No, no, no!"
"That would be blasphemy! The ultimate crime against Lord Renzo!"
"We must-"
Rehn spread his arms, embracing the Golden City.
"-receive it intact!"
"We'll drag out that worm Tesoro who dared occupy God's bedroom!"
"And then present this city, complete, shining with gold-"
Rehn declared in an almost operatic tone, "As a tribute to the supreme Lord Renzo!!!"
"That's true efficiency!!"
"Wahahaha!"
Rehn laughed proudly, lost in his perfect "efficient" plan.
…...
Nami stared at him blankly.
After a moment, she began giggling too.
Her eyes once again turned into spinning ¥_¥ symbols.
Inside Nami's Mind
"Take over… the Golden City?"
"Then… all the money here… all the gold… all the casino profits…"
"Wouldn't that… all become mine?!"
"Wahahahahaha! Long live Lord Renzo!!!"
Two monsters, each with their own ulterior motives, one for his lord, the other for Beli, reached an agreement.
"Alright, Miss Nami."
Rehn quickly regained his calm and pushed up his ridiculous monocle, returning to his role as chief steward.
"Since the plan has changed from total purification to perfect acquisition…"
"We now require a map of the ship's internal structure and the layout of its security systems."
He looked at Nami with a friendly smile.
"I assume this won't be too difficult for a genius navigator and master thief like you?"
"Heh heh…"
Nami placed her hands on her hips confidently.
Her Clima-Tact was already in her hand.
"Leave it to me, fat man."
"But the labor fee for infiltration and theft…"
"…we'll calculate that separately."
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu