An attendant from the "Furnace" led the way. His uniform was perfectly ironed, and his steps were so steady and measured it was as if he were using a ruler. Gild Tesoro followed behind him, his flamboyant pink suit standing out in the dim corridor.
To any outside observer, it would seem he had just effortlessly crushed two powerful pirates with bounties over 100 million Berries. But only he knew the truth: behind those two dazzling victories was a dangerous gamble. When he faced "Bone Crusher" Barrow, he had to pretend to be weak, luring him in close before activating his Devil Fruit ability at the last possible second. If his timing had been off by even half a second, he would have been the one crushed into a bloody paste.
The fight against "Landslide" Gray was an even bigger risk. When that giant axe, coated in pitch-black Armament Haki, came swinging down, Tesoro had a clear vision of the golden wall being torn apart and his own body being split in two. He had poured every ounce of his strength into that golden wall, betting everything that his opponent's Haki wasn't strong enough to break through his all-in defense.
He won the bet.
He remembered all the times he had faced death before. He remembered being on a rickety merchant ship with dozens of pirates pointing knives at his face, while he was calmly trying to figure out how to steal the captain's gold tooth. He remembered being in a dark dock after a rival gang stole goods worth tens of millions of Berries, and he had simply lit a cigarette and calculated how to make them pay it all back, with interest. Even when a bullet grazed his scalp, with the smell of gunpowder still in the air, his only thought was that his opponent needed to practice his aim.
He had never been nervous.
But now, standing outside the door of this simple private room, Tesoro could feel a fine layer of sweat on his palms. He took a deep breath, adjusted the collar of his suit, and raised a hand to knock three times on the heavy door.
"Please come in." A cool female voice answered from inside.
Tesoro pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was not what he had imagined. There were no monsters with three heads and six arms, nor were there any evil villains radiating killing intent. A black-haired man was leaning lazily on a sofa with his back to the door, his posture completely relaxed. Beside the sofa, a black-haired woman in a dark dress stood quietly.
Tesoro's eyes widened. He recognized that woman instantly.
Nico Robin, the Devil Child. The sole survivor of the Ohara Buster Call. The World Government had been hunting her for over a decade, and countless organizations had tried to capture her to gain forbidden knowledge, but all of them had failed. And yet, this woman who was wanted by the entire world was standing here unharmed, like an ordinary secretary.
That realization was more shocking than killing two powerful pirates himself. Any last shred of doubt in Tesoro's heart vanished. He composed himself, walked to the center of the room, and bowed respectfully to the figure on the sofa.
"Aaron Kyle, sir."
Kyle didn't turn around. He simply stood up and walked slowly to the large one-way glass overlooking the arena. "Come here." His voice was calm, showing no emotion.
Tesoro obeyed, walking forward until he was standing one step behind him. The arena below had already been cleaned, and a new deathmatch was underway. Two pirates were fighting like wild animals, their blades flashing as blood and flesh flew. The shouts from the crowd rose and fell in waves.
"You're very clever," Kyle said quietly, watching the bloody scene below. "You knew the most direct way to get my attention."
Tesoro's heart clenched. He couldn't tell if that was a compliment or a criticism.
"I also appreciate your decisiveness," Kyle continued. "Especially in the second match. That golden wall must have used up a lot of your power, didn't it?"
"Yes," Tesoro admitted honestly. "I put everything I had into that single defense."
"A good gamble," Kyle's tone finally held a hint of approval. "You have ambition, and you have the courage to back it up. Doffy sent me a good gift."
Hearing Kyle's praise, Tesoro felt a wave of joy, but he quickly suppressed it and lowered his head even more respectfully.
"However…" Kyle's tone shifted.
Just then, the fight in the arena below reached its conclusion. One pirate cut off his opponent's arm. The wounded man stared at his bloody stump, then at the grinning enemy walking toward him, and his will to fight completely shattered. He let out a desperate scream and turned to run toward the exit.
This was a major taboo in the Furnace. Once you stepped onto the deathmatch stage, only one person could walk out alive. Running away was the most serious violation of the rules.
"Everything must have rules," Kyle's voice sounded in Tesoro's ear.
Before he finished speaking, Kyle raised his right hand and casually flicked a finger at the thick glass. There was no sound, no flash of light. Tesoro only saw an invisible ripple spread out from Kyle's fingertip. A tiny, pinhole-sized hole appeared on the specially made glass, which was strong enough to withstand cannon fire.
Several hundred meters away, the pirate who was running for his life suddenly froze. The next second, his entire body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, as if an invisible hand had crushed him from the inside out. The whole thing was incredibly fast and unbelievably strange. One moment he was a living person, and the next he was a red mist settling evenly on the sand.
The roar of the arena paused for a split second.
Kyle slowly turned his head. His golden eyes reflected the chaotic scene below, and a gentle smile played on his lips. "I like capable people, and I also like people who understand the rules."
Tesoro's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He looked at the smile on Kyle's face and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. This was the true power of the "Wave Guiding King" Aaron Kyle.
"Tesoro, if you want to work for me, ambition and courage aren't enough," Kyle said as he turned around and sat back on the sofa. "You also need to prove you can create value for me."
"I understand," Tesoro took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock in his heart. "Please give me a command, Mr. Kyle. I'll complete any task you give me." He knew this was his only chance, and he had to take it.
"Very good," Kyle said, taking a cup of tea from Robin and gently blowing on the steam. "Your gold… you can't create it out of thin air, can you?"
Tesoro's heart stopped. That was the biggest weakness of the Gold-Gold Fruit. He could manipulate gold and even turn other things into gold, but he couldn't create it from nothing. The amount of gold he could control depended entirely on how much gold he already had. He had never told anyone this secret. How did this man know?
Seeing the shock on Tesoro's face, Kyle chuckled softly. "Don't be nervous. I'm not interested in your secrets. I'm only interested in the value you can create." He put down his teacup and leaned back lazily. "I'm going to send you to a place where gold is everywhere. There, you'll be able to build a true golden empire."
Gold everywhere? Tesoro's breathing quickened.
"That place is also the location of your first mission," Kyle's lips curved into a playful smile. "On that island, there's a man who calls himself a 'god'."
"Your mission is simple: use your Devil Fruit ability to bring me back as much gold as you possibly can."
"Of course," Kyle added, "if you can also package that 'god' and bring him back to me, and maybe teach him who the true ruler of this sea is, I would be even happier."
Kyle paused, a hint of expectation in his golden eyes. "Remember the name of that place."
"Sky Island."
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