Led by Tesoro, Orion took Hancock onto the golden pathway leading to the top-floor VIP room.
The walls shimmered with dazzling colors, the carpet beneath their feet was soft and silent, and the opulent atmosphere in the air was enough to bewilder any newcomer.
Yet, Orion's steps were steady, his face adorned with a gentle smile as if he were merely strolling through his own backyard.
Hancock intimately held his arm, her proud chin slightly raised, her captivating eyes that overlooked all mortals filled with nothing but pure contempt for everything around them.
Tesoro walked at the forefront, his flamboyant pink suit standing out starkly under the golden light.
He enthusiastically introduced the 'scenery' along the way.
"Fleet Admiral, we've arrived."
Tesoro came to a halt and personally pushed open the heavy golden door, his smile beaming brilliantly.
Inside the private room, three corpses with lingering warmth lay twisted on the carpet, while at the gambling table, Saint Silos, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Saint Liana—the four of them—had their glass helmets fogged up by their rapid breathing.
They were surrounded by several black-suited bodyguards holding firearms, the dark muzzles of their guns aimed directly at their foreheads.
When the four caught sight of the figure standing at the doorway, the fear on their faces instantly froze, and their suspended hearts finally sank.
The person they least wanted to see had still come.
"Oh?" Orion's gaze swept over the corpses on the floor, then settled on the four ashen-faced Celestial Dragons.
He turned his head toward Tesoro, feigning surprise as he asked, "What is the meaning of this?"
Before Tesoro could respond, Silos suddenly mustered his courage, scrambling and stumbling over to Orion's feet, clutching his pant leg.
"Orion-sama! We were wrong! We were truly wrong!"
Tears and snot streamed down his face, devoid of any trace of Celestial Dragon dignity.
"We shouldn't have sneaked out to gamble! And we definitely shouldn't have racked up such high gambling debts here! Please spare us this once! We'll never dare do it again!"
The sudden turn of events froze the smile on Tesoro's face, stirring up a storm of shock in his heart.
What is going on?
According to the intelligence he had gathered, Orion was merely a formidable Fleet Admiral.
Even if he was highly regarded by the Holy Land, it shouldn't have made the self-proclaimed gods, the Celestial Dragons, fear him to such an extent!
Kneeling in public? Clinging to his leg and begging for mercy?
This was far beyond fear—it was like a mouse meeting a cat!
Even Tesoro was stunned, while Baccarat and the others behind him were utterly terrified, frozen in place, their gazes fixed on Orion filled with shock and bewilderment.
Liana made her final desperate struggle at this moment.
She tore off the glass helmet from her head, revealing a face that was somewhat delicate but now completely drained of color.
Quickly crawling to Orion's feet with tear-filled eyes, she pleaded.
"Orion-sama, if you spare me this once, I'm willing to reform completely and become a proper Celestial Dragon!"
"Massive gambling debts?"
Orion seemed to have finally caught the key point, blinking in confusion as he interrupted Liana.
He looked down at Saint Silos crying like a three-hundred-pound child at his feet, then glanced at the bewildered Tesoro beside them.
"Explain please?"
Tesoro took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart.
He put back on his signature wicked smile and approached Orion, vividly recounting how Saint Silos and the other three had lost billions of beri here, even shooting dead fellow gamblers at their table.
After finishing, he suddenly raised his voice, expression serious.
"Fleet Admiral, rest assured! Just say the word, and I'll have the IOUs burned immediately!"
"Of course, before that, I hope the Fleet Admiral would agree to one small condition."
"Marines performing missions in the New World must not approach or conduct surprise inspections of Grand Tesoro. If the Fleet Admiral agrees, twenty percent of Grand Tesoro's monthly revenue will be promptly transferred to the Marine's account!"
Hearing this, Orion smiled.
"Are you using their debts to negotiate terms with me?"
Before his words faded, Orion suddenly raised his hand.
A pistol from one of the bodyguards opposite seemed grabbed by an invisible large hand, flying from its owner's grip to land steadily in Orion's palm.
"Bang!"
Saint Silos' wailing abruptly ceased.
His hands clutching Orion's trousers went limp as a bloody hole appeared in the center of his forehead.
"Bang! Bang!"
Saint Ferarri and Saint Lamborghini didn't even have time to scream before following Saint Silos in death.
Liana stared in terror, just about to say something.
"Bang!"
As the gunshot faded, the private room fell into silence.
Orion casually tossed the gun back into the arms of the stunned bodyguard, then clapped his hands with a warm smile.
Tesoro froze once more.
He stared fixedly at the four Celestial Dragon corpses on the floor, his mind completely blank.
Killed!
Just like that?!
These "gods" who had once made him lose his beloved and ruined his life were actually executed so simply and decisively by Orion?
No trial, no justification, not even a moment's hesitation.
When he decided to kill, he killed.
An unprecedented fanaticism surged from the depths of Tesoro's heart, his face gradually twisting into something ferocious.
Wasn't this exactly the power he had been craving?
Just then, Orion walked directly to the gambling table.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze falling upon Baccarat, whose delicate frame trembled slightly from shock.
"I'll play a round too, shall I?"
"You be the dealer."
"If you win, I'll repay their gambling debts tenfold. Furthermore, I'll permit Grand Tesoro to continue operating in the New World under Marine protection."
Baccarat shuddered, wanting to speak but finding herself suddenly unable to form words.
Tesoro snapped back to reality at that moment, a trace of madness flashing across his face as he stepped forward.
"Fleet Admiral, do you truly mean that?"
"I always keep my word."
Orion paused, then his tone shifted abruptly, turning icy and piercing.
"But if you lose, Grand Tesoro must vanish from the seas. Before that, you'll have to do one thing for me."
Tesoro instinctively asked, "What is it?"
Orion smiled faintly. "Make every pirate currently in Grand Tesoro disappear forever."
"Not a single one left alive."
Before Tesoro could react, Orion's voice rang out again.
"If... during this time, even one pirate escapes Grand Tesoro, or if you miss a single person, I'll kill one of your subordinates."
"Miss more than ten, and you'll all die!"