Newbie Gift Pack

North Blue · Abandoned Smelting Plant

The scent of scorching metal hung in the air as Tesoro swallowed the last bite of the Gold-Gold Fruit. Its bitter taste made him frown.

Suddenly, he felt a strange power surge through him, as though he had formed a mysterious resonance with some precious metal.

He slowly extended his right hand and lightly ran his fingertips over the iron frame beside him.

To his surprise, tiny golden specks suddenly appeared on its surface, like dormant gold awakened by some force.

The specks swiftly gathered, forming a thin layer of gold leaf over the rusted sheet iron.

"This is..." Tesoro's voice trembled with disbelief.

He spread his fingers slightly, and the gold leaf immediately peeled away from the frame. It flowed and reshaped itself in the air, finally condensing into an exquisite gold coin that landed firmly in his palm.

Sunlight streamed through the dilapidated roof, casting a dazzling glow across the coin's surface.

Tesoro gazed at the pure gold coin, a complicated light flickering in his eyes.

"So that's how it works..." he murmured. "I'm not creating gold out of thin air. I'm awakening and controlling the Gold Element dormant in metal."

He clenched his fist, feeling the power flowing through him.

Although this ability couldn't create gold from nothing, there were almost no metal ore veins in this world that contained no traces of gold whatsoever.

That meant...

"Wherever there's metal, there's gold for me."

A fervent smile curved Tesoro's lips.

But he quickly suppressed that surge of euphoria.

Tesoro took a deep breath and forced his churning thoughts under control, like a financial engine swiftly resuming its cool-headed operation.

He looked up at Roy, his gaze calm and sharp.

"I need some startup capital and a ship."

Roy raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his face. "Not going to ask for a little more? An island, a chamber of commerce, or... a country's treasury, perhaps?"

But Tesoro shook his head, his tone firm. "Bite off more than you can chew, and you'll choke. As I am now... I'm not qualified to ask for too much."

Roy's lips curved slightly, a trace of concealed appreciation in his eyes.

This kid's even more levelheaded than I thought.

He had just gained his power, yet he could immediately assess his resources and risks with a clear head. He wasn't greedy or reckless, and he could see that he didn't yet have the capital to contend with the bigger picture.

"Very good."

Roy spoke softly, his gaze growing more serious. "Since I've brought you to the table, I'll make sure you can afford to play the first round."

He paused, then slowly turned to look outside the rundown factory. "Startup capital... a ship..."

He repeated the words under his breath, the thoughtful look on his face quickly giving way to a contemptuous smile.

Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh. "Looks like there's some ready for the taking."

"...?"

Tesoro froze and instinctively took half a step back.

He keenly sensed a very, very bad premonition in the inexplicably delighted yet chilling smile on Roy's lips.

"What... are you plotting?"

Roy waved a hand as though casually brushing away dust, his tone lazy but full of mischievous malice. "There's a flamingo in the North Blue... seems he left some businesses around here."

"Casinos, cargo ships, underground money flows... tsk, it's a mess, like a pile of opium. Any one of them would be right up your alley, wouldn't it?"

"You mean..." Tesoro's gaze suddenly sharpened, a face full of arrogance and obnoxious swagger already appearing in his mind.

"Doflamingo?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

Roy grinned, his tone casual. "What, scared?"

Tesoro fell silent for a moment, then a chilling smile slowly spread across his face.

"But I... love that kind of crazy."

Roy held out his hand, his tone relaxed but carrying an unmistakable command:

"Come on. I'll take you to claim your newbie gift pack."

North Blue · Kremia Transit Port · Late night

The night was black as ink, yet the port was ablaze with lights. The sound of seawater lapping against the docks seemed especially quiet in the darkness.

A massive merchant ship painted bright pink was moored at the edge of the port. Its sails bore a flamingo with outstretched wings—the emblem of the Donquixote Family.

On deck, a group of well-dressed but coarse-looking pirates were patrolling.

"Damn it, we've been waiting all day. Is this 'big customer' ever going to show up?" one pirate complained.

"Shut up!" another said in a lowered voice. "Do you know who's aboard this time? Lord Diamante! A senior officer of the Donquixote Family, and you dare complain?"

"W-what?!" The first pirate's face instantly went deathly pale, and he immediately fell silent.

Just then, the cabin door clicked open.

A tall man in a cloak stepped out of the cabin, blond hair falling to his shoulders and his usual flamboyant smile on his lips, though a trace of unease clouded his brow.

One of the Donquixote Family's top officers: codenamed "Diamonds," commander of the Donquixote Family's Combat Group, and wielder of the Flag-Flag Fruit—Diamante.

He stood in the middle of the deck, gazing into the night, and muttered, "Something just doesn't feel right. Why is my Observation Haki picking up this oppressive feeling... like the grim reaper is getting closer..."

"Lord Diamante?" a pirate beside him asked cautiously.

Diamante didn't answer. The corner of his eye twitched sharply.

The next second—

"Boom!!!"

As if the air itself had been torn apart in an instant, the entire merchant ship lurched violently downward!

Several pirates lost their footing and fell onto the deck.

Against the night sky, a tall, slender figure stood silently on the ship's railing, his black hair lifted by the night breeze and his suit flapping in the moonlight.

A carefree smile played on the man's lips, as though the whole ship were merely his after-dinner amusement.

"Good evening, little natives~"

"R-Roy!!!" Diamante's pupils contracted violently, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and his face turned deathly pale.

He had never imagined that before the ship's "guest" arrived, this monster would show up instead!

The monster of a Marine who had easily crushed Doflamingo on Minion Island and even killed Vergo with his own hands!

"Y-you... what are you here for?" Diamante's voice shook as he backed away almost instinctively.

"To take a few things," Roy said calmly, raising one hand slightly.

"Bang!"

Several pirates on deck who had just reached for their swords were sent flying by the slap, without even time to grunt.

"I... I understand!"

With a miserable cry, Diamante dropped straight to his knees. "The ship, the money, the cargo—you can have it all! Don't kill me!"

As he spoke, he shakily kicked out the heavy gold chest behind him, his face full of fear and humiliation.

Roy stood in the middle of the deck, looking down at him from above, his tone lazy. "Tell Doflamingo for me..."

"He'd better give up on Dressrosa, or I'll pluck every last feather off him, one by one."

Diamante was shocked. How could he know about that?!

Realizing Roy wasn't making another move, he stumbled onto the spare boat and fled in panic, not even daring to look back.

Ten minutes later · Aboard the Flamingo Merchant Ship

Inside the cabin, a hefty gold coin rolled slowly between Tesoro's fingers. The crisp clink of metal echoed through the silent night, as though playing the prelude to a brand-new era.

The cabin door was pushed open, and Tesoro emerged carrying a heavy chest in each hand.

Golden light spilled through the cracks onto the deck, making him look as though he were bathed in gold.

"Three hundred million Beli in total." He set the chests down steadily. "And a shipping merchant vessel with nearly luxurious fittings."

His tone was calm, but the knuckles gripping the handles had turned slightly white.

"...All taken care of."

Roy leaned against the mast, enjoying the night breeze, his expression relaxed.

"So, satisfied with your newbie gift pack?" He blinked, teasing in a tone that was half serious and half joking.

Tesoro glanced at him without answering. His gaze passed over the deck toward the spare boat that had already sailed away, and his brow furrowed.

After a moment of silence, he asked quietly, "That Diamante is a senior officer of the Donquixote Family, right?"

"And yet... he didn't even dare resist. He just handed everything over?"

He seemed to be talking to himself, yet also trying to find an answer in Roy.

He had seen those people's cruelty and arrogance in the North Blue, yet that Diamante had fled as though he'd seen a ghost.

He slowly turned to Roy, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. "...Are you really a Marine?"

It was a pointed question, but Roy wasn't angry. Instead, he chuckled.

"Of course I am." He stretched, apparently having no intention of explaining. "It's just that what I'm doing is more important."

"And you," he said, pointing to the gold chests at his feet, "are the partner I picked out specially."

"Do your best, future 'Gild Tesoro.'"

"One day, you'll have them willingly kneeling before you, even offering up their thrones of their own accord."

Tesoro looked at Roy's carefree smile, a complicated mix of inexplicable chill and anticipation stirring in his heart.

He lowered his head and looked at the gold coin he had personally shaped with his power.

In the moonlight, the coin seemed to whisper—

"Let money take everything back for you."

The night wind filled the sails, and the Flamingo Merchant Ship became a silhouette as it slowly entered the sea lane beneath the night, bound for an unknown distance.

Tesoro stood tall and straight at the bow, his gray-green hair lifting slightly in the night, his expression calm and resolute.