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More than an hour later, Chenos walked out of a narrow alley, dusting off his hands.
After counting the extra tens of thousands of Berries now in his pocket, he cast a disdainful glance back into the alley.
"These bottom-tier pirates really are dirt poor."
After finishing his information gathering, Chenos headed toward the place he and Tesoro had agreed to meet—Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
He arrived quickly and found Tesoro already waiting inside.
After greeting Shakky, Chenos sat down across from Tesoro.
"So?" Chenos asked. "What did you find out?"
Tesoro's expression was grim.
"The situation on Sabaody is complicated," he said slowly. "There are forces under Doflamingo, forces tied to one of the Four Emperors—Kaido—and countless smaller pirate crews. But the worst part is that many of those smaller crews are backed by nobles… or directly by the Celestial Dragons."
He clenched his fists.
"A lot of people were captured by these groups and sold to the Celestial Dragons. That's how they ended up as slaves."
Tesoro continued, frustration evident in his voice.
"The problem is geography. Islands 1 through 29 are all lawless zones. The Jack Pirates could dock at any of them. There's no way to predict where they'll land."
"And every island hosts multiple auction houses. Even if they come to Sabaody, we can't know which auction they'll choose."
He looked up, clearly discouraged.
"That means just finding them is hard enough. And if they sell the Devil Fruit to a major power first… we'll never be able to take it back."
Tesoro lowered his head.
"Our strength is still too weak."
But Chenos laughed.
"Hahaha. Who said we have to look for them ourselves?"
Tesoro froze.
"Have… someone else look for them?"
At first, Tesoro thought Chenos meant buying intelligence from Shakky. His eyes lit up—then dimmed again.
"It won't work," he said. "By the time we hear where they landed, they'll already be gone. The fruit could be sold before we even arrive."
Chenos smiled faintly.
"Then we make sure they can't sell it."
Tesoro stared at him.
"You already have a plan?"
Chenos nodded slowly.
"I asked around. The Devil Fruit is in the hands of the Jack Pirates. Their strength is mediocre at best."
"Their captain, Scimitar Jack, has a bounty of only fifty million Berries. The entire crew combined barely breaks a hundred million."
He shrugged.
"Crews like that are everywhere on Sabaody."
Chenos leaned forward, eyes sharp.
"So what if we exaggerate the Devil Fruit's power a little?"
"For example—what if people believe the Gold-Gold Fruit can turn stone into gold?"
Tesoro's eyes widened.
"You mean—"
"Think about it," Chenos continued. "Wouldn't that attract countless pirates?"
Tesoro suddenly understood.
The Jack Pirates weren't strong enough to protect such a treasure. Once the rumor spread, pirates would swarm them nonstop.
As long as fighting broke out, the Jack Pirates would never get a chance to sell the fruit.
And once the fighting started, locating them would be easy.
One stone, two birds.
But Tesoro hesitated.
"There's still a problem," he said. "Strength. Can we really beat all the pirates competing for it?"
"If we can't… then all we're doing is paving the road for someone else."
Chenos was silent for a moment.
In truth, he had confidence.
Right now, his combat strength was roughly on par with Luffy before the two-year training—around the level of a hundred-million-Berry pirate or a Marine Vice Admiral.
Back in Sabaody, even the Supernovas had dominated the battlefield.
That alone proved how mediocre most pirates here truly were.
Chenos had even asked around specifically.
"Any pirates with bounties over one hundred million on the islands?"
The answer had been no.
To these mid- and low-tier pirates, a hundred million was already the mark of a monster—someone who could make waves even in the New World.
That was why Luffy's generation later came to be known as the Worst Generation.
As long as no Marine Vice Admiral intervened, Chenos would be among the strongest on Sabaody.
Finally, Chenos spoke.
"It's risky," he admitted. "But it's the only chance we have."
"Doing nothing guarantees failure. Betting everything at least gives us a chance."
Tesoro lowered his head.
"…I'm sorry."
Chenos blinked, surprised.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Tesoro grabbed his glass and drained it in one gulp, as if borrowing courage from the alcohol.
"I'm useless," he said hoarsely. "I have no strength, no power. You're the one taking all the risk—for me."
"If you wanted, you could find stronger partners."
"But instead, you're gambling your life just to help me get that Devil Fruit."
Chenos laughed.
"What are you talking about?"
He reached out and clapped Tesoro on the shoulder.
"We're partners, aren't we?"
Tesoro looked up.
The man in front of him was smiling—no blame, no hesitation.
Only trust.
Tears welled up in Tesoro's eyes.
In the past, people called him a friend only when he had money.
Once he lost everything, they vanished without a glance.
But now—when he had nothing—someone was willing to risk everything for him.
Warmth spread through Tesoro's chest.
"Thank you, Chenos," he said softly. "With a partner like you… even dying would be worth it."
In his heart, Tesoro made a silent vow.
He would do only two things in his life:
First—become richer than the Celestial Dragons, and crush them beneath gold.
Second—if Chenos ever needed it, he would stake his life without hesitation.
Chenos laughed again.
"Enough with the emotional nonsense."
He raised his glass.
"Come on. Let's plan this properly."
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