Tesoro's expression was a mix of shock, hesitation, struggle, and finally, resolve.
He took a deep breath and walked over to Stella, kneeling on one knee beside her. "Lord Rhett, this is her choice... and my request."
Rhett raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're not afraid something might happen to her?"
Tesoro clenched his fist, the golden ring on his hand growing slightly warm. "I am. But I'm even more afraid... of clipping her wings."
Stella gently grasped Tesoro's hand, and the two shared a smile.
Rhett stared at them for a few seconds, then suddenly grinned. "Alright then, both of you coming aboard, huh? From now on, the husband fights up front while the wife heals from the back!"
"How much dog food are we gonna have to eat in the days to come?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Perona floated over and curiously poked at the green light in Stella's palm. "Wow! Can it really heal wounds?"
Stella nodded gently, and the green light enveloped Perona's finger—a small cut from yesterday's training instantly healed.
"So cool!" Perona's eyes sparkled.
Enel snorted coldly. "A god doesn't get injured."
Rhett smacked the back of Enel's head ε=( o｀ω′)ノ. "Your mouth is the hardest part of you! Who was it that lay around for three days after fighting the Marines?"
Enel crouched in the corner, drawing circles while clutching his head.
Rhett turned to Stella. "But... you said 'soothing hearts' earlier?"
Stella nodded. "Yes. My ability can influence emotions—for example, calming someone who's angry or giving courage to someone who's afraid."
Rhett stroked his chin. "Interesting... Can you demonstrate?"
Stella smiled softly, and the green light in her palm suddenly deepened.
The next second—
"Mist God Style: Phantom Flash!"
Rhett's figure vanished abruptly, and his Black Tide greatsword came crashing down toward Stella's face!
Tesoro simply watched calmly. He knew Lord Rhett wouldn't harm her. Stella needed a chance to prove herself, and this was something she had earned.
However, the blade stopped just an inch from her forehead.
Rhett's pupils contracted slightly—his killing intent had actually diminished the moment the blade touched the green light.
"Heh..." He sheathed the greatsword and grinned. "Not bad! You can even dampen my fighting spirit?"
Rhett, whose strength was on par with an Emperor, had been affected. It was hard to imagine how powerful her ability would be against someone weaker.
Rhett seemed to suddenly picture something—
Stella patting an enemy's head, saying, "Don't worry, don't worry. The bad guys have been driven away."
Beads of sweat formed on Stella's forehead, but her smile remained gentle. "It's only temporary. Against truly powerful opponents, the effect is greatly reduced."
Rhett laughed heartily. "That's good enough! From now on, you can slap a 'Dumbass Aura' on the enemy before we fight!"
Tesoro sighed in relief, rubbing his forehead helplessly. "Lord Rhett..."
Rhett waved his hand. "Relax, relax! Speaking of which—"
He suddenly leaned in close to Tesoro's ear, lowering his voice with a sly grin. "You..."
Tesoro's face turned bright red. "Lord Rhett!!!!"
Everyone: "..."
Enel peeked out from the corner, mimicking Rhett's goofy expression. "Captain, you're so sleazy it's hopeless. You're not actually an old——."
Rhett: "Shut up! You wanna fly out and rub shoulders with the sun?!"
As the night deepened, the neon lights of the Golden City grew even more dazzling.
Rhett kicked open the door to the VIP lounge of the casino, striding in like a tycoon. "Listen up, everyone! Tonight's expenses—are on Boss Tesoro!!!"
The crowd cheered. "Oh—!!!"
Tesoro sighed with a wry smile. "Lord Rhett, are you trying to bankrupt me?"
Rhett slung an arm around his shoulder, grinning. "Cut the crap! Your casino makes enough in one night to buy ten warships!"
Stella covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "It's fine. Everyone, enjoy yourselves tonight."
Perona floated over to Stella, her eyes shining. "Stella! Let's go shopping! The clothes here are super pretty!"
Moriah sprawled on the couch, clutching a bucket of popcorn. "Shopping? I'd rather just lie here."
Moriah was still quite handsome, but for some reason, ever since joining Rhett's crew,
Except during fights when he was fierce, the rest of the time he exuded a faint lazy aura, gradually morphing into Moriah the couch potato.
Enel crossed his legs, his face full of disdain. "Mortal entertainment, but I suppose it's barely enough to amuse a god."
Rhett grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Enel's face. "Oh, screw you! Go meditate on the deck!"
Rhett plopped down at the gambling table, waving his hand. "Alright! Let's play something exciting!"
The dealer trembled. "Wh-what would you like to play?"
The dealer wasn't stupid. Seeing his boss standing respectfully behind Rhett, he knew this guy had to be some kind of big shot.
Rhett grinned. "Let's play 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'! I'll throw rock, and if you throw anything else, you lose!"
Dealer: "???"
Tesoro sighed and waved at the dealer. "Do as he says... Charge the losses to my account."
Moriah looked at Rhett with disdain. "Captain, if you can't handle losing, don't play. How about we have a go?"
Of course, Rhett wasn't one to back down. He casually picked up Laboon,
Rhett and Laboon sat down, facing each other with a pile of dried fish in front of them. (His opponent was Laboon, after all.)
Afraid he might lose against Moriah, Rhett decided to test himself first. If he was strong enough, he'd crush Moriah.
The dealer feared him, but Laboon didn't.
Before the match, Rhett even boasted shamelessly. "I'm known as the Pirate Gambling King. Laboon, watch my performance."
Ten minutes later—
Rhett clicked his tongue. "Heh, Laboon, you lose."
Rhett looked at the mountain of dried fish in front of him and the few pieces left in front of Laboon. If Laboon relied purely on luck, Rhett relied purely on shamelessness.
Don't get the wrong idea, though. Rhett didn't use any underhanded tricks.
Laboon was easy to predict—either paper or rock, since Laboon couldn't do scissors.
Laboon looked at Rhett, then at the dried fish in front of him, then back at Rhett. It seemed like he'd convinced himself, and he nodded.
"Ooh." (Here's your dried fish from last round.)
He handed over one of the dried fish he'd just lost.
Moriah couldn't take it anymore. Perhaps because he'd raised little Perona, he couldn't stand Rhett bullying a child.
"Captain, can you be any more shameless? Come on, let's play."
Rhett tossed the dried fish in his hand. "Ah, whatever. This is so boring."
Rhett had finally realized he had no talent for this.
Out of ten rounds, he could only beat Laboon once. The rest of the time, he threw the same thing as Laboon, even though he couldn't possibly lose.
What if he lost everything against Moriah?
He turned to Tesoro. "Got anything fun here? Something where I can throw punches!"
Everyone looked at Rhett with disdain, even our adorable Laboon. To avoid showing his contempt,
Laboon covered his eyes with his fins, thinking, "I'll just block my view to save the captain some face."