Ding—
The elevator doors slid open, and Baccarat, dressed in a vivid crimson evening gown, stepped out.
This was the Top Hall, the place where major decisions and important meetings were held.
In the corridor, Tanaka, dressed like an oversized doll, happened to be walking back. His expression was… strange—almost as if he were questioning his entire existence.
"What's wrong, Tanaka? Why that look?"Baccarat greeted him familiarly, striding forward on her long legs, her mood noticeably upbeat.
"It's nothing, just that something happened…"Tanaka hesitated, seemingly unsure how to describe it.
"Forget it," Baccarat waved her hand dismissively. "Probably some guest causing trouble again. Handle that nonsense yourself."
Then she leaned in eagerly and asked,"By the way, where are those two idiots? How does Lord Tesoro plan to deal with them? Can you give me some time to properly play with them?"
"…"
Tanaka paused for a moment. After a brief silence, he pointed toward the door behind him.
"You can just go in yourself."
After saying that, he activated his ability and sank straight into the floor, disappearing without a trace.
How rude. He used to be so polite.
Baccarat felt a flicker of confusion, but didn't think much of it as she pushed open the doors.
The familiar gold-laden décor greeted her—crescent-shaped leather sofas arranged around a massive round table.
She knew this place well, but—
Baccarat rubbed her eyes, convinced she was hallucinating.
Ren was there.
Vivi was there.
Tesoro was also there.
But why… why was Ren sitting in the most luxurious seat, while that woman called Vivi was sitting off to the side, keeping watch over Dice?
And why was her boss—her captain, her king—wearing shackles, yet sitting calmly across from Ren?
A scene that completely violated common sense caused Baccarat's thoughts to seize up.
Something was very wrong.
"She's here," Ren said casually.
"I know what to do," Tesoro replied. He rolled a cigar between his fingers and lit it himself."Baccarat, from now on, you are Ren's spoils of war."
"Wait—what does that mean?! Weren't we the ones who—"
Baccarat stared at the scene before her, unable to force the word 'won' out of her mouth.
"I'm sorry," Tesoro said flatly, "but I think you should be able to accept this."
"Y-you lost? That's impossible!"Baccarat clutched her wine-red hair in disbelief.
Her beautiful eyes locked onto Tesoro, who couldn't even be bothered to look at her.
"Where's your Golden Giant?! You used the entire hotel for that—it can't just be gone! Why didn't you kill them like before?! What do you mean by me being Ren's spoils?!"
"Baccarat."
Tesoro bit down on his cigar, shifted into a relaxed, leg-crossed posture, and looked at her coldly.
"Are you questioning me?"
The oppressive gaze made Baccarat lower her head instinctively.
"N-no. I wouldn't dare."
"If not for your Devil Fruit ability, Baccarat, you'd never have escaped the slave auction in the first place. I built my fortune through business—and I happened to need a bit of unreasonable luck.
But I understand your power very well. What truly established everything was me.
Don't think this is betrayal or selling you out. A ruler never needs companions.
And you—are nothing more than an accessory."
Even in defeat, even as the loser, Tesoro remained arrogantly self-centered.
And what he said… was the truth.
Baccarat clenched her fists in fury.
She had known this day might come. She'd always known.
But saying it so bluntly—wasn't that too cruel?!
"Don't look at me like that," Tesoro said indifferently, pointing toward Ren. "You should be looking at him.
Right now, here—the only person who can decide whether you live or die… is him."
What a joke!
Before coming here, she'd been planning how to torture that bastard, pry the secrets of luck from his mouth!
How had things turned out like this?!
Baccarat wanted to scream, but when she turned and met those blood-red eyes, the curses died in her throat.
In front of this man, even her absurdly powerful luck might not save her.
That was instinctive danger.
She forced out a seductive, almost pleading smile.
"That smile's too fake. Go back to how you were before," Ren said calmly.
Baccarat froze, anger boiling—but she didn't dare speak.
"As you can see, your life and death are mine to decide."
Ren straightened slightly. His sheathed demonic blade rested at his side.
"My decision won't be based on your looks or figure. I have only one question."
He raised a single finger, his crimson eyes fixed on Baccarat as her complexion changed.
"What… is it?"She swallowed, her entire body on edge.
She noticed something unsettling—Ren's posture, the position of his weapon…It felt like a stance perfect for drawing a blade.
The moment she realized it, a wave of dread surged from her feet to her scalp, cold sweat breaking out.
Then the cold voice came.
"You're a Paramecia-type Luck-Luck Fruit user. You've had this ability for many years.
So tell me—how far are you from Devil Fruit awakening?
You can think carefully before answering. What I want is your attitude."
No raised voice.No killing intent.No visible threat.
Yet in that instant, Baccarat understood clearly:
Her answer would decide whether she lived or died.
The prey had become the hunter.
If I say it's impossible—death.If I say I'm certain to awaken—no…
Perhaps it was the last remnants of her luck.
Baccarat's mind flashed to Tesoro's earlier words.
Without hesitation, she dropped to one knee.
"I am already your possession. If you require it, I will do everything in my power to achieve awakening!"
Clang—
A sudden metallic sound rang out.
Baccarat trembled violently but did not move. She closed her eyes.
She waited.
But the pain never came.
She opened her eyes.
Ren's demonic blade was gone. His posture had shifted—now relaxed, one leg crossed over the other.
"Leave. You're an eyesore," Tesoro said suddenly, extinguishing his cigar. His tone brooked no argument."Don't make me repeat myself."
Baccarat hesitated, then glanced at Ren—and took a few steps toward him, completely ignoring Tesoro's frown and darkening gaze.
"Hmph."
Tesoro snorted, saying nothing more.
"That's enough, Baccarat. You've survived," Ren said, cutting off the tension.
Yes.
That was the only way she could have lived.
Tesoro had made it clear—she was an accessory, something that could be lost.
Her thoughts, her feelings, were irrelevant.
What mattered… was attitude.
Even if she'd claimed she was on the verge of awakening, Ren would have killed her.
Only that answer—made her usable.
The hall fell into silence.
Everything that needed to be discussed… had already been settled.
Then—
Tanaka reappeared. He glanced at Baccarat standing quietly beside Ren, shook his head almost imperceptibly, and respectfully reported to Tesoro.
"My lord, preparations are complete."
"Then begin," Tesoro replied.
"Understood."
Tanaka placed both hands on the floor.
"I am the Penetration-Penetration Fruit user—a man who can pass through inorganic matter.By touch, I can also temporarily erase inorganic objects within a certain range.
So please, do not be alarmed."
After the warning—
The gold-brick floor vanished.
"Penetration Magic · Abyss!"
A purple halo replaced the ground, revealing hollow darkness beneath.
Everyone fell.
Below was a vast network of circular pipes, and at the very bottom—a massive golden sea.
A platform at the edge of that sea became their footing.
Within the golden ocean, countless pirates wailed and struggled.
These were pirates deceived on Gran Tesoro.
Ninety-nine percent of pirates were scum.
So now, they had become materials in a transaction.
"Whatever you plan to do, they're yours now," Tesoro said, stepping forward and gesturing casually.
Ren nodded.
He drew out the Space-Time · Creator Card.
Temporal Fog Trait — Activate!
The black-gold card floated up, then shattered into stardust.
Those brilliant particles vanished instantly, replaced by black-gold mist that swallowed the golden sea.
Not covering it—
But dragging it into another dimension.
In essence, that was the true nature of the space-time domain.
Ren then took out the Spear of Thunder.
Static Mode activated, lightning spreading across hundreds of meters.
He hurled the spear into the temporal fog.
At the same time, Vivi's sandstorm surged in.
This was slaughter without mercy.
And to Ren, pirates deserved none.
He simply toyed with the coin in his hand.
Baccarat stood nearby, conflicted, wanting to speak yet afraid to.
She desperately wanted to know why her ability had failed.
Luck was her lifeline.
"Curious?" Ren suddenly asked, glancing at her.
She hesitated—then nodded hard.
"Not telling you."
"?!"
Baccarat's face darkened as she lowered her head in frustration.
"You'll find out later—once you're stable," Ren added calmly, a rare reassurance.
He knew very well—
Baccarat was nothing like the others.
She was no good person. No innocent.
In truth, she was no different from Monet.
She just happened to have… a point worth exploiting.
(End of Chapter)