"The problem is, they'll take us down one by one." Queen of Pleasure Island Stussy sighed lightly. "Have you not seen what happened to Umit yet?"
"And what do you suggest?" Du Feld narrowed his eyes.
Stussy didn't answer directly. Instead, she slowly scanned the room. "Some among us have already begun wavering."
"Who?!" Pica's eyes sharpened.
"Storage King Giberson, and... certain 'partners' in the loan shark business." Stussy's meaningful gaze settled on Du Feld.
Du Feld's expression changed dramatically as he shot to his feet. "Stussy! Stop sowing discord here!"
"Whether it's discord or not, you know the truth." Stussy smirked coldly. "My people have discovered several of your key clients frequently visiting Crimson Dawn's operations recently—and you've allowed it."
"You—!" Du Feld was furious, but swallowed his words.
Because he knew Stussy was right.
The meeting ended in discord.
Three days later...
On an unremarkable trade island in the New World, a man in a black cloak moved swiftly through the shadows before stopping before an unflagged merchant ship.
"Password," a guard on deck whispered.
"Crimson Dawn, eternal night without light," came the hoarse reply from beneath the hood.
Bro, since when did we have such a cool slogan?
The guard nodded and stepped aside.
The man boarded, his gold-rimmed glasses glinting coldly beneath his hood—this was "Abacus" Azo, Giberson's trusted financial officer.
Inside the cabin, Tesoro lounged on a throne of solid gold, idly flipping a World Government-emblazoned coin between his fingers.
Baccarat leaned nearby, red lips curling. "Seems our guest has arrived~"
Azo took a deep breath and knelt on one knee, presenting an encrypted ledger with both hands. "Lord Tesoro, these are the coordinates and access codes to all of Giberson's—no, all warehouses under Giberson's shadow network."
The Golden Emperor flipped through the ledger, smiling faintly. "Oh? I recall your boss was conspiring with other 'Kings' against us just three days ago."
Even without the Shipping King's intelligence network, Rhett remains the undisputed king of the underworld.
Azo stood frozen, sweat soaking his back. Tesoro's words were like invisible blades piercing through his carefully constructed facade.
He forced a smile, voice trembling slightly. "Lord Tesoro, what do you mean? Our boss is sincerely—"
"Sincerely?" Tesoro paused mid-step, golden eyes glinting dangerously in the shadows. "Then why are three key arms warehouses missing from this list?"
Azo's pupils contracted violently.
—How could he know?!
Only Giberson and his three most trusted lieutenants knew those locations—even Azo only had one set of coordinates.
"You seem surprised." Tesoro turned slowly as the golden floor liquefied, forming chains that bound Azo's legs. "Did you think Crimson Dawn's intelligence network would miss such a petty trick? Money... has power beyond your imagination. It can buy anything you desire."
Azo's face paled completely.
With a sudden motion, he tore open his suit to reveal a hidden den den mushi, roaring: "Plan exposed! Execute B-Plan!"
"BOOM—!"
From the port's shadows, dozens of hidden snipers opened fire simultaneously—seastone bullets raining down like a storm!
Yet every bullet froze midair a meter from Tesoro—a flowing golden barrier materializing to block all attacks.
"How... uninspired." Tesoro sighed, lifting a finger.
"Golden Control: Gallows."
The ground liquefied instantly as dozens of golden spikes erupted, impaling every hidden sniper! Screams echoed as blood streamed down the gold.
Azo's face turned ashen as he staggered back. "N-no... impossible... our plan was flawless—"
"Flawless?" Baccarat chuckled, stepping forward with a golden coin between her fingers. "Pity... someone among you had already 'defected.'"
The spinning coin reflected Azo's pallid face.
"Did you really think Giberson sent you here to surrender?" Her red lips parted, delivering the cruel truth. "No—he'd already struck a deal with Stussy. Your life was meant to test our limits."
"You must wonder how we knew. But that's a secret~"
Azo collapsed to his knees as if struck by lightning.
Tesoro turned away as golden chains coiled around Azo's neck.
A snap of his fingers—the chains constricted violently, cutting off Azo's scream mid-breath.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away on another island...
Giberson stood before an arms warehouse, laughing triumphantly. "Foolish Tesoro! Did he really think I'd surrender? By now they're surely searching those decoy warehouses while the real arms are already—"
"Giberson, crawl out before this god."
Enel's voice echoed from the sky as lightning illuminated—
Giberson's laughter died instantly.
He turned stiffly, pupils shrinking violently—
The warehouse roof exploded under violent thunder as Enel hovered midair, surrounded by drums, looking down imperiously.
"You..." Giberson's voice shook. "How did you find this place?!"
Enel picked his ear impatiently. "Too much talk."
A flick of his finger—lightning struck, reducing Giberson's bodyguards to charred husks.
"Three seconds."
Giberson's legs gave out as he collapsed to the ground.
He stood no chance against Enel—resistance never crossed his mind.
"One."
"Wait! I can explain!" Giberson waved frantically. "It was Stussy! She forced me!"
"Two."
"I-I can help you! I know Stussy's plans! She intends to—"
"Three."
Lightning speared through Giberson's chest—his expression froze in terror before he toppled over.
Enel scoffed. "Who wants to hear your nonsense?"
"Mission complete." Enel lazily pulled out a den den mushi. "Hey, Gild Tesoro, wrapped up here."
Tesoro's chuckle came through. "Good work. Did he mention Stussy just now? Bring him back for questioning."
Enel glanced at the fallen Giberson—who seemed slightly dead, but no big deal. Do some sit-ups for me.