On the other side, Tesoro had blended into the crowd early and hadn't been discovered. He was now anxiously waiting outside Shakky's Bar, both curious and a little fearful of the mysterious person who had sent him a telepathic message, and worried about Stella. He paced back and forth at the bar's entrance.
Hera spotted Tesoro pacing at a glance and patted his shoulder: "Why are you standing here? Come in."
Tesoro only then realized someone had arrived. He looked up but saw no one, then heard Hera's exasperated voice: "You fellow, look down!"
Tesoro lowered his head and saw a cute girl glaring at him, seemingly displeased by his earlier behavior. He then noticed the military rank on Hera's shoulder.
Tesoro quickly said: "This Marine, I just wanted to get a drink here. Do you need something from me?"
Hera became annoyed hearing this, and said through gritted teeth: "I'm the one who sent you the message. Do you still want to see Stella or not?"
Tesoro was shocked to hear this. He hadn't expected the mastermind behind this to be a Marine, and a little girl at that. Still, he eagerly asked: "Where's Stella? Is she alright?"
Hera waved her hand: "Don't worry, she's fine now. But if you keep talking to me like this in front of the bar, things might not be so good. Do you think this is a place to talk?"
Tesoro then noticed that people around them were starting to get curious, so he quickly followed Hera into the bar.
Issho and Rayleigh, who had returned earlier, were drinking in the bar. Seeing Hera, Rayleigh raised his glass to her: "Yo, isn't this the core of our plan, Miss Hera? How does it feel to kill a Celestial Dragon?"
Rayleigh looked at Tesoro, who had entered with her, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.
Tesoro's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. Was this a topic he should be hearing? Could he still go back?
Hera said: "Don't worry, he'll be one of us." As she spoke, she released the unconscious Stella.
Tesoro quickly supported Stella, who appeared from the shadows, and carefully laid her on a nearby table.
"Don't worry, she's just fainted. The rest depends on your sincerity," Hera said to Tesoro.
Tesoro knew he had no choice. Knowing the true culprit behind the Celestial Dragon's death, he had only one option: to join Hera. Furthermore, Tesoro was very grateful to Hera.
If she hadn't killed the Celestial Dragon and taken Stella, then given the Celestial Dragons' cruelty, Stella would have only become a woman tortured to death in their hands. Moreover, Hera had gone to such great lengths, she surely had her own intentions for him, and at least wouldn't want to kill him. Thinking this, Tesoro relaxed.
He said to Hera: "You saved my beloved from the Celestial Dragons. I will become your most loyal servant. Besides, I have no choice, do I?"
Hera nodded: "What a smart person. I like dealing with smart people."
With that, she took out a shiny golden devil fruit from the City of Devouring Time and handed it to Tesoro: "Eat it."
Tesoro didn't hesitate. Having worked in the black market, he naturally recognized it as a priceless Devil Fruit. He ate the entire fruit in one go, not even showing any expression at the Devil Fruit's terrible taste, just silently finishing it.
Hera nodded, then threw out a stack of gold, saying to Tesoro: "The devil fruit I gave you is the Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit, which allows you to freely manipulate gold. I value your business acumen, and I'll give you a startup fund. I hope you make good money."
After speaking, Hera took out her transponder snail and handed it to Tesoro, who was getting familiar with his Devil Fruit and manipulating gold.
"Take it. I'll contact you if needed. Later, give me a corner of your and Stella's Vivre Cards, and you can take her away," Hera said calmly to Tesoro after handing him the transponder snail.
Tesoro hastily took Hera's transponder snail and said to her: "Do I just need to make money?" He was a bit flustered at the moment; he was a nobody, and this person was giving him a devil fruit and funds, making him feel at a loss.
Hera nodded: "I believe in you, you have that potential. But remember, only earn money from nobles. If I find out you're making money by oppressing commoners, then I won't be so gentle when I come looking for you again."
Hera thought of her gains from Sky Island, and took out some Sky Island Shells from the City of Devouring Time: "These are specialties of Sky Island. I have exclusive distribution rights there. You can use this to earn your first pot of gold. Look into my eyes."
Tesoro looked up. A blue light flashed in Hera's eyes, and the outline of the ability was imprinted in Tesoro's eyes. Tesoro muttered to himself: "Yes, she helped me redeem Stella and gave me a Devil Fruit. I must work hard to earn money for my benefactor."
Hera nodded in satisfaction. She had only recently discovered that the ability could make others fall in love with her, or with a little less power, could engrave her kindness into others' minds, making them subconsciously respect her more.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!