Caron quietly excused himself, leaving the vast office to his lord. Kyle leaned back in his chair, his unfocused gaze drifting past the window toward the iconic, giant bubbles of the Sabaody Archipelago. In the sunlight, the bubbles shimmered with colorful halos as they floated lazily into the sky. Each one was its own small, self-contained world, yet they were all fragile and easily popped.
They reminded him of certain self-proclaimed "Gods."
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit… Eneru. A pathetic man who called himself a god, only to be completely countered by the simple properties of rubber. Sky Island would make a decent backup base, but that specific Devil Fruit wasn't worth a personal trip. Kyle was confident that once Eneru saw the true vastness of the universe, he would willingly become a pawn in his plan to explore the moon.
As for Lucci of CP0, he was nothing more than a tool sharpened by the World Government until only the instinct to kill remained. A future of scrubbing toilets awaited him.
It was the last name Morgans had mentioned that brought a genuine sense of amusement to him.
Buggy.
Kyle could picture it perfectly. A ferocious pirate charges at Buggy with a raised sword. Buggy shrieks in terror, his foot slips, and his body conveniently splits into pieces, allowing him to dodge the fatal blow. The pirate, unable to stop his own momentum, crashes headfirst into a barrel of gunpowder just as it's about to explode. Boom!
When the smoke cleared, an unscathed Buggy would be standing there. Amid the fervent cheers of his crew shouting, "As expected of Captain Buggy!" he would strike a victory pose that even he knew he didn't deserve, all while receiving the tearful gratitude of the common people he'd accidentally saved.
"Pfft…" Kyle couldn't help but let out a low laugh. He could easily imagine the comical scene of Buggy hiding behind his crew, defeating one enemy after another through a series of coincidences and misunderstandings, only to be praised as a hero by the unknowing masses. This world, he thought, was truly absurd sometimes.
As he was lost in these trivial thoughts, the office door was gently pushed open. A tall, slender figure walked in, carrying a thick stack of documents. Her steps were light and steady. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, accentuating her fair, delicate face. A perfectly tailored dark dress outlined her stunning curves, and she carried herself with an air of intelligence and composure.
It was Robin.
Kyle's gaze lingered on her for a moment. He sighed inwardly; money and stability truly did wonders for a person. The Robin standing before him was a completely different woman from the archaeologist in his memory, who had dark skin and eyes constantly filled with weariness from a life spent on the run.
Here in Shambles, she hadn't had to worry about being pursued by the World Government or fearing an uncertain future. Her daily work consisted of organizing the underworld intelligence that Caron gathered, or simply immersing herself in the villa's library, which contained a collection of books that rivaled even the Tree of Knowledge on Ohara. A stable life and access to endless knowledge had polished this raw gem until she shone brightly, allowing her to reclaim the elegance and confidence an academic of her caliber was always meant to have.
"Kyle, these are the encrypted documents Doflamingo sent from the North Blue," Robin said as she placed the stack on his table. Her voice was cool and pleasant, yet held a relaxed tone that only came from feeling completely safe.
Kyle sat up straight and casually picked up the top document. The header bore the Donquixote Family's iconic flamingo emblem. Doflamingo's handwriting was just as flamboyant and unrestrained as the man himself, and the letter was filled with a level of reverence for Kyle that was almost nauseating. Kyle scanned it quickly, his eyes flying over ten lines at a time as he filtered out the useless flattery and searched for the key points.
Soon, a familiar name caught his attention.
Gild Tesoro.
Doflamingo mentioned in the letter that his family had recently held an underworld auction in the North Blue. The main item up for sale was the Devil Fruit he had acquired—the Gold-Gold Fruit. A young man named Tesoro had shown astonishing courage at the auction, spending his entire fortune to win the fruit. Doflamingo admitted he hadn't actually intended to sell a fruit with such incredible potential, but after speaking with Tesoro, he saw the ambition and desire burning in the young man's eyes, hot as molten gold.
"Fufufufufufu, I saw in him the same eyes I used to have," Doffy wrote. "So, I gave him a start-up fund. I wanted to see how high a bird with broken wings could fly."
As it turned out, Tesoro did not disappoint. In just a few months, he used the power of the Gold-Gold Fruit and his terrifying business sense to multiply that fund dozens of times over, quickly making a name for himself in the North Blue's underworld.
"…But such a prize is too tempting, and it has already attracted too many jackals. Before he can truly grow into a lion, his wealth will only end up in someone else's hands," the letter continued. "I suggest he comes to Shambles to meet the man who truly stands at the apex of the world. Only your prestige can protect this golden ship. And, of course, all the wealth he creates will ultimately be yours."
Kyle put the document down, his fingers tapping a light rhythm on the table. That Doffy. He certainly knew how to create work for Kyle while also making it seem like a favor. Still, he had sent him someone interesting.
Gild Tesoro… the man who once dared to punch a Celestial Dragon in Mary Geoise for the woman he loved. Kyle's lips curved into an amused smile. He had already set a plan in motion for this exact moment, having Moriah save Stella and send her to Rouge in the East Blue. He just hadn't expected Doflamingo to accidentally complete the most crucial step for him by delivering the Gold-Gold Fruit. This little drama, it seemed, would be even more interesting than he had imagined.
Just as Kyle was planning how to build his future entertainment empire, the office door was suddenly thrown open with a loud bang.
"Lord!"
An executive in charge of managing the "Furnace" rushed in, his face a strange mix of alarm and excitement. Kyle frowned, annoyed that his thoughts had been interrupted. Robin stepped forward, blocking the executive. "What's the meaning of this? Calm yourself."
"Miss Robin! I can't!" the executive panted, pointing frantically back outside. "The Furnace! Something's happened at the Furnace!"
The "Furnace" was a giant gladiatorial arena Caron had built. It was a legitimate dueling ground meant to give the rowdy and over-energetic pirates of Shambles a place to blow off steam. It was a chaotic place where the bloodiest and most primal battles took place daily. For the man in charge to be this panicked, something truly extraordinary must have happened.
"Get to the point," Kyle's voice cut through the room, carrying an undeniable authority.
The executive flinched, immediately straightened up, and reported as quickly as he could. "A newcomer, my lord! A newcomer entered the deathmatch zone today! He only used one move! With a single move, he instantly killed the Furnace's ten-time champion, 'Bone Crusher' Barrow!"
"Bone Crusher" Barrow, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with a bounty of 120,000,000, was known for his thick skin and immense strength. He was one of the recognized monsters of the Furnace.
"Oh?" A hint of interest finally appeared on Kyle's face. "What's this newcomer's name?"
"…Gild Tesoro!"
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