Amid Tesoro's maniacal laughter, Orion stood up and led Hancock out of the private room at a leisurely pace.
When the two stood on the third-floor circular corridor, looking down upon the entire golden city, what met their eyes was a quiet yet eerie vision of hell.
The once bustling casino hall, the brightly lit amusement park, and the open luxurious private rooms were now filled with golden humanoid statues in various forms.
They were frozen in their final moments of life.
Some were raising glasses high, faces etched with festive smiles; others were slumped over gambling tables, chips tightly clutched in their hands; yet others had mouths agape, expressions frozen in extreme fear and despair.
Among the countless golden statues, Hancock and Orion both spotted several familiar figures.
Nami was preserved in her money-grubbing pose—hands clasped, eyes turned into Berry symbols—with Nojiko and Koala standing beside her as if trying to pull her back.
Not far away, at a stall, Chopper still had a piece of gold in his mouth, his round eyes full of innocence.
Usopp had struck what he thought was a cool pose, pointing forward as if boasting about something.
They had all been turned into golden statues.
Orion scanned the area, his gaze finally settling on the city center, where a hundred-meter-tall golden giant formed from countless gold pieces stood.
He praised unreservedly, "A splendid performance."
As his words fell, Orion took a sudden step forward.
"Vwoom—"
A terrifying aura erupted abruptly with Orion at its center,
The ultimate Conqueror's Haki surged like a tsunami, instantly engulfing the entire Grand Tesoro!
As the Haki swept through, the golden statues of Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and the other apprentices trembled violently.
Fine cracks spread across the golden surfaces.
The next second, the golden shell shattered into pieces, peeling away.
Tiny golden particles were forcibly expelled by an invisible force, continuously pushed out from their pores, mouths, and noses, converging into a golden mist in the air before dissipating.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Nami was the first to recover, kneeling on the ground as she coughed violently, her face pale.
"What happened to us just now?" Chopper shook his head, looking utterly bewildered.
Witnessing this miraculous scene, Tesoro, transformed into a golden giant, stared in horror with his molten gold eyes.
"How is this possible?!"
His proud and unbeatable Gold-Gold Fruit ability had been so easily nullified by the opponent's Haki?!
Before Tesoro could recover from his shock, an enraged roar erupted from a corner of the city!
"Tesoro—"
Luffy clenched his fists, his arms and legs instantly coated in jet-black Busoshoku Haki, steam billowing from his body.
"How dare you lay a hand on my friends!"
"I'm going to knock you down—"
Luffy's figure shot forward like a black cannonball, moving at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, charging straight toward the golden giant!
But someone was faster than him!
The moment Luffy surged forward, a pillar of blazing flames erupted from another corner of the city!
"No matter who you are, I won't forgive you!"
Ace's entire body transformed into flames, the terrifying heat causing the surrounding golden structures to warp and melt.
Raising his hands high, a dazzling, sun-like fireball rapidly formed in his palms.
"Great Flame Command: Flame Emperor!"
The massive fireball, trailing a long tail of flames like a falling meteor, carried the terrifying power to incinerate everything.
It struck the golden giant's head a split second before Luffy's attack!
Immediately afterward, another figure shot out from a third-floor corridor!
"Dragon Claw!"
Sabo formed his fingers into a claw, wreathed in jet-black Busoshoku Haki, the sharp wind tearing through the air.
Using Geppo, he flickered through the sky, flanking the golden giant alongside Luffy from the left and right!
The three brothers' attacks launched simultaneously from three different directions!
"Diable Jambe: Cerberus Blaze Kick!"
A crimson figure followed closely behind.
Sanji's right leg ignited with scorching flames, tracing a brilliant arc through the air as he delivered a fierce kick to the golden giant's knee joint!
"Secret Sword Style: Great Dragon Twister!"
Zoro appeared behind the golden giant, his twin swords unleashing a terrifying force capable of cutting through anything, transforming into a massive tornado as he brought them down upon the giant's head!
"ROOM!"
Trafalgar Law expanded a massive spherical space, pressing his palm downward.
"Takt!"
He forcibly ripped a huge golden casino from the ground, suspending it in mid-air before hurling it directly at Tesoro!
"Super—Radical Beam!"
Franky combined his arms, firing a thick laser from his palms!
Not to be outdone, Brook moved with ghostly speed, a flash of icy sword light slicing through the air!
Hawkins drew a card, his expressionless face transforming into a giant straw doll as he swung a massive nail-studded arm toward the giant!
The Vinsmoke siblings simultaneously activated their Raid Suits.
For a moment, the sky above Grand Tesoro was illuminated by a dazzling array of spectacular attacks.
"Certain Kill: Green Star: Impact Wolf Grass!" Usopp mimicked the others, leaning out from a safe corner and firing a seed from his black slingshot.
The seed burst mid-air, transforming into a giant green wolf made of vines that roared as it charged toward the battlefield.
But just then, a fiery figure blocked his path—it was Baccarat.
Having just recovered from the shock of her crushing defeat at the card table, she ignored who the target was and decisively leaped into the chaos.
"Your luck belongs to me!" Baccarat flashed a triumphant smile and grabbed Usopp's arm.
"Ouch!" Usopp's foot slipped, just as he stepped on a gold coin that had rolled out of nowhere.
The coin flew into the air, tracing a perfect parabola before accurately bouncing into a nearby giant slot machine's coin slot.
"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding—"
The slot machine instantly erupted with a blinding light, its screen flashing crazily with three '7's.
Clatter-clatter-clatter—! A waterfall of golden chips cascaded down, instantly burying the bewildered Baccarat beneath them.
"Why... why does this keep happening to me?!" Baccarat's desperate cry echoed from beneath the pile of coins.
"They're certainly full of fighting spirit!"
On the third-floor corridor, Orion watched the interns unite, some charging toward Tesoro while others battled his subordinates, and smiled.
"This should be the best whetstone they've encountered since starting their internships!"
Boom—!
Before Orion finished speaking, a series of explosions suddenly rang out.
Immediately after, Luffy, Ace, and Sabo—the three brothers who had led the charge against Tesoro—were sent flying back one after another.
After knocking the trio away, Tesoro, transformed into a golden giant, raised his massive fist and slammed it down toward the Vinsmoke siblings, who were shooting toward him in their raid suits.
Before the fist even landed, the terrifying shockwave arrived first.
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