Ross smiled and didn't deliberately make things difficult for Stella.
In fact, it was exactly because Stella seemed like such an easy mark that he wanted to toy with her even more.
"Stella!!!"
The sudden shouts were extremely noticeable on the quiet street.
"Tesoro?"
Stella gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched the green-haired youth running towards her from afar.
Even though she knew Tesoro couldn't possibly buy her, the three years of companionship were genuine, and she was still very grateful to Tesoro.
"Tesoro...?"
[Gild Tesoro]
[Overall Rating: E]
Ross glanced at it and immediately lost interest.
Even though they were characters in the story, their ratings were surprisingly low before they had fully developed, even lower than Stella's.
Perhaps only characters closely related to the main storyline could receive higher evaluations before they rose to prominence.
"Stella, I'm here. I've raised enough money to buy you."
Tesoro waved his hand excitedly, completely unaware of what had just happened; he was only focused on buying Stella.
Today, he finally raised enough money to buy Stella.
"Stella, I'll go and get the paperwork done right now."
Tesoro spoke excitedly, his mind completely absorbed in buying Stella, paying no attention to Ross's presence or Stella's slightly unpleasant expression.
"No!"
Stella suddenly said.
"Huh? Stella, what's wrong?"
Tesoro only then noticed that Stella was acting strangely and quickly went over to ask her what was wrong.
"I've already been bought by this gentleman; you're too late."
Stella looked at Tesoro with utter indifference, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
"Why? Didn't we make a promise?"
Tesoro froze completely, unable to believe that Stella, who had always gently encouraged him, would say such a thing.
Damn it, am I too late?
For some reason, a surge of anger welled up inside Tesoro.
Looking at Stella's disdainful expression, he felt an urge to strangle her.
He already loved her so much.
Why are you making that face?
"Agreed upon? That's just wishful thinking on your part."
Stella turned her head away, feigning disgust, only to meet Ross's encouraging gaze—he watched with great interest, making her heart pound with unease.
She was a kind person.
Even after being abducted by human traffickers and being kept in a glass display case and watched like an animal for three years, she still wanted to believe in the true goodness and beauty of humanity.
She was genuinely happy that Tesoro had turned over a new leaf.
But that's enough. Staying away from her was the right and safest choice.
"Stella, are you saying that you've been lying to me about all of this?"
"So, you've always used me as a tool to set yourself free?"
Answer me!
Tesoro was oblivious to Stella's feelings and kept asking her questions.
Stella's personality would change drastically, in his view, only if he had lost his usefulness after regaining his freedom.
He was as excited as he was before, and now he was just as disappointed.
He hadn't expected Stella to be such a cunning person.
"That's right."
Stella's eyes showed reluctance, but she still took all the blame upon herself.
In that case, the Celestial Dragon next to him wouldn't blame Tesoro, right?
No, that's not it.
Ross suddenly interrupted Stella, saying slowly:
"She only said that to save you. Otherwise, you would have been carried out dead today."
As he spoke, he reached out his hand toward the glass display window where Stella was.
Zane, who was standing nearby, understood and smashed the outer wall of the glass display case with a punch, pulling Stella out of it.
Zane was chosen from a young age and received the best training; her abilities were on a completely different level from Guernika's. Breaking the glass display window without harming Stella was far too easy for her.
Before Stella could even stand up straight, Ross reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Suddenly finding herself in a warm embrace, Stella's face flushed red.
"You're talking nonsense!"
A hint of ferocity flashed in Tesoro's eyes as he glared fiercely at the shy Stella.
Seeing Stella being held in someone's arms with such an intimate expression, his heart was completely dead.
Furthermore, the beautiful image Stella had once held in his heart was also completely shattered.
"Tsk, you're already angry?"
Ross clicked his tongue in disapproval, but he didn't have high expectations for Tesoro.
He was a gambler and thief before, so what could he expect before undergoing a transformation?
Not to mention...
Ross glanced silently at Zane standing next to him.
Model: Succubus didn't only unleash its charm after transformation; if Zane wanted to, she could instantly turn Tesoro into a simp.
Zane didn't even need to do anything; simply standing next to Stella was enough to shatter Tesoro's illusions about her and awaken his negative emotions.
"Tesoro, he didn't lie to you. You should leave. From now on, we'll be strangers when we meet again."
Stella pursed her lips, but dared not disobey Ross.
She didn't know why Ross was speaking up for her, but Tesoro's current angry expression did indeed frighten her.
Wouldn't it be better if we could part ways amicably?
"Stranger? Good, good! Stella, my Stella, is dead!!!"
Tesoro roared and suddenly pulled out a short knife from behind his back, aiming it at Stella's neck.
The sudden attack completely terrified Stella.
She nestled in Ross's arms, her mind blank, completely unable to comprehend what was happening.
Smack!
Zane stepped in front of Stella, grabbed Tesoro's attacking hand, and twisted it hard.
"Aaaaaah!!!"
With a piercing scream, Tesoro's dagger fell to the ground, and his right hand was twisted into a pretzel shape by Zane.
"To ambush a Celestial Dragon is a capital offense!"
Zane spoke coldly, about to kill Tesoro.
"Stop."
Ross's last-minute shout made Zane stop what she was doing, but she still kicked Tesoro in the stomach, sending him flying. He landed heavily on the ground and couldn't get up at all.
"Fine, for Stella's sake, let's let him go since he didn't intend to kill me."
Ross glanced at Stella, who was almost paralyzed with fear, and reached out to pinch her pale face, which brought her back to her senses.
Even after regaining her senses, Stella remained silent, nestled in Ross's arms, and didn't even glance at Tesoro again.
"Let's go, we've got a lot of time—let's head back to the Holy Land."
Ross wasn't even thinking of killing Tesoro; this is nothing compared to what's to come.
Tesoro never posed a threat to the Celestial Dragons until his death, let alone did anything to them.
Killing him would only yield an E-level reward, so it's better to raise it until it's tamed and then kill it; that way, it'll at least be an A-level reward.
Ross was really looking forward to Tesoro's growth, and it would be even better if he could grow even faster.
Ignoring Tesoro, who was like a dead dog, Ross, with Stella as docile as a kitten in his arms, walked step by step towards the exit of the market.
Others pretended not to see him leave.
This is a noble Celestial Dragon; it's already a miracle he didn't kill people indiscriminately, so no one dared to stop him.
After Ross left, the person in charge of the slave shop came out to clean up the scene. Tesoro was also dragged away to avoid affecting the slave shop's business.
Inside the slave shop, Trebol stood by the window, watching Ross's departing figure, holding a Den Den Mushi that resembled Doflamingo in his hand.
"Young Master, our best goods have been taken away by the Celestial Dragons."
"Fufufufu, it's a good thing they've been taken by the Celestial Dragons. Spread the word that our slaves are so prized even Celestial Dragons want them."
"Young Master, there is one more thing. The Marine has shut down the slave auction house, and this matter is also related to the Celestial Dragons."
"Fufufufu, it was bound to happen sooner or later. A bunch of good-for-nothings, without any Celestial Dragons backing, yet they still dare to make money off the Celestial Dragons. Once the slave shop situation settles down, you can go back to the North Blue first."
"Don't worry about the slave auction house. Let them fight and scramble. When we have the strength to go to Sabaody Archipelago, the slave auction house will belong to Don Quixote!"
"Young Master, you will surely become the King of the Sea!"