"Stop him!"
In the middle of that enormous plaza, nobody recognized the suddenly appearing, utterly ordinary-looking young man.
Nobody, except one person.
Hawkins Coco, the owner of the Dumbo Circus.
At his order, one of the two guards stepped forward and threw a punch, dropping Tesoro to the ground.
Hawkins Coco's face twisted with rage. He flapped his tiny wings and hurried over, planting a foot on Tesoro as he roared.
"You crazy bastard! Are you trying to get me killed?!"
In a standoff this obviously dangerous, Hawkins Coco, a businessman through and through, wanted no trouble on his hands.
"What are you still standing around for? Hurry up and deliver her!"
All he wanted now was to hand Stella over to the Celestial Dragons and get as far away from here as possible.
"Hey!"
The two guards moved to drag Stella away, but the moment they did, the battered Tesoro forced himself back up. He wrapped both arms around Hawkins Coco's birdlike legs and begged through gritted teeth.
"Wait, Boss Hawkins! You said that if I scraped together five million Berry, you'd give Stella her freedom!"
As he spoke, he yanked off the pouch at his waist.
"I've got it. I've got all of it. Please… let Stella go."
The instant Hawkins Coco heard the word "money," his eyes lit up. He snatched the pouch straight from Tesoro's hands.
"Oh? That's not a small amount."
Tesoro thought he still had a chance. Blood streaked his face as he pleaded.
"I worked day and night for three years to save that. Please… give Stella her freedom."
He lifted his eyes to the girl in front of him, love and desperation spilling out at once.
"Stella, wait for me. I'll save you. No matter what, I'll get you out of here."
For a heartbeat, Stella's face bloomed with the happiest smile in the world.
Then Hawkins Coco's expression abruptly sank.
"Sorry, Tesoro. I did promise you. But that was the price from three years ago."
He tilted his head, voice turning cold.
"Now the Celestial Dragons are offering five hundred million Berry to buy Stella."
"!!!"
In an instant, all the color drained from Tesoro's face. Despair hit him so hard it was like he'd stopped breathing.
"F… five hundred million…"
"Yeah. You can't come up with that kind of money. And even if you could, do you really think I'd offend the Celestial Dragons for your sake?"
After saying that, Hawkins Coco snapped at the two guards, who were still frozen in place.
"What are you standing there for?!"
Only then did the two of them come to their senses. They grabbed Stella and started dragging her toward the Celestial Dragons.
"N-no… don't…"
Tesoro tried to rush after them, to stop her from being taken away, but Hawkins Coco kicked him hard. Tesoro spat blood and collapsed again.
"I'm not letting you ruin this for me."
He struggled to push himself up, but Hawkins Coco had already transformed into his White Elephant form. A massive elephant foot came down on Tesoro's back, pinning him so tightly he couldn't move at all.
All he could do was watch as the person he loved was carried farther and farther away.
"Stella!!!"
And then, Stella spoke.
Tears streamed down her face, but she wore a smile that looked almost peaceful.
"It's okay, Tesoro!"
"Thank you… just knowing you cared that much makes me happy."
"I'm… really happy!!!"
In that silent plaza, Stella's voice and Tesoro's hoarse screams echoed back and forth.
No one here truly knew their story, but the pain in their eyes was unmistakable. Some people couldn't bear it, turning their heads away, unable to watch the despair unfolding.
Hawkins Coco, on the other hand, looked thrilled. He ground his foot down on Tesoro and laughed.
"Ehehehehe, this is the truth of the world, Tesoro. With money, you can buy anything. Without it, you get nothing."
"If you'd had five million Berry three years ago, none of this would've happened."
"So blame your own uselessness, ehehehehe…"
But he was getting carried away.
Time seemed to freeze.
A towering figure wreathed in blazing red appeared right beside Hawkins Coco.
Hawkins Coco didn't even have time to react. In the reflection of his widening pupils, he saw only one thing—a flame-covered foot rapidly growing larger.
"Wha—?!"
"Boom!!!"
Hawkins Coco's face twisted grotesquely as his elephant-like, bloated body was kicked away in an instant. He smashed through wall after wall, tearing straight through the entire shopping street.
Everyone was frozen in shock, staring in disbelief at the man who had appeared before them.
Kizaru stood perfectly still, absentmindedly rubbing his chin.
Tesoro, meanwhile, stared in awe at the towering figure before him. Bathed in dazzling light, that broad, imposing silhouette looked like the sun itself.
Then he heard a deep, steady voice come from that massive frame.
"Tesoro, right? You want to save the woman you love?"
Tesoro's eyes lit up instantly. His bloodstained, tear-soaked face turned toward the man who now looked like a god descending to grant him hope.
"Please… please save Stella! No matter the cost, I'll pay it!"
The man shook his head.
"Your beloved should be protected by your own hands. But I can lend you the power to do it."
"Power?!"
"Hah!"
Under everyone's stunned gazes, they saw the man take out a fruit covered in strange, intricate patterns.
In that moment, all eyes were drawn to the peculiar fruit.
"Eat it, and you'll gain the power to protect the one you love and keep her safe. But remember, this power is something I'm lending you. You'll have to pay me back someday."
Tesoro stared at the strange fruit, shock filling his eyes. Yet there was not a hint of hesitation. He took it from Yemu's hand and devoured it ravenously.
Not far away, witnessing this scene, the Corrupt King stared in disbelief.
"Meow, meow, meow… am I seeing things? That looks like a Devil Fruit! A Devil Fruit worth at least a hundred million, just handed over like that? That's way too extravagant, meow!"
Doflamingo, on the other hand, burst into wild laughter.
"Fufufufufu! That's it! That's exactly it! This guy is going to turn the entire world upside down! Some successor to Roger's will? This man is more terrifying than Roger! Those Five Elders who underestimated him will pay for it!"
In a shadowy corner, amid drifting sand, Crocodile watched the scene unfold, his eyes filled with shock.
"So this is the gap between us…?!"
As for Tesoro, the moment he finished eating the Devil Fruit, a surge of power flooded his body. A thick chain burst forth from his palm.
"This feeling… thank you!!!"
Tesoro dropped to his knees, tears of joy streaming down his face as he slammed his head against the ground.
"Please wait for me. I'll come back and thank you properly after I save Stella!"
"Stella, I'm coming to save you!!!"