Battle and Wager

"Strange, what am I thinking? How could I do something so strange?"

Tesoro clutched his head, racking his brains, but he couldn't remember why he had let Baccarat had taken 10 billion Beli, go and even let her live in the most luxurious palace in the Gran Tesoro.

But it doesn't matter if I can't remember! I can just take action now! As long as I'm in this Gran Tesoro, no one can be my match.

The gold dust in the Gran Tesoro will silently seep into the bodies of all travelers. With Tazoro's abilities, he can completely manipulate this gold dust into expanding liquid gold, thus completely controlling those travelers.

With this trump card, unless the opponent has the corresponding Devil Fruit ability or is Haki enough to directly reject Devil Fruit abilities, they will be instantly killed.

Tesoro was thinking to himself and was preparing to take action when there was a knock at the door.

With a thud, it seemed the person knocking was getting impatient, and the door was kicked open. Tesoro was furious and reached out his hand. All the gold ornaments in the room began to change, transforming into a huge golden serpent that lunged at the person who had kicked open the door.

"He's really quite irritable!"

A faint voice came, and Tesoro's golden serpent was instantly pinned in mid-air. Looking at the Blond Boy in front of him and Baccarat standing behind him with a respectful expression, Tesoro's expression immediately turned ugly.

"You're the one standing behind Baccarat, the one who's really after the Gran Tesoro, aren't you!"

"Gran Tesoro has intelligence on the Navy, pirates, and various major powers, but it has never seen anyone like you... Could it be that you ate some powerful Devil Fruit and then became an arrogant brat who doesn't know the immensity of the world?!"

Vegapunk sneered and exposed Tesoro's true colors without hesitation:

"Stop testing me there, and stop using your clumsy Gold-Gold Fruit ability! That gold dust has absolutely no effect on me! I've already expelled the gold dust from Baccarat's body!"

Taking advantage of the moment, Tesoro, who had been activating the Gold-Gold Fruit's power, clenched his fist and looked at Vegapunk:

"It seems... you came prepared! You even know so much about my Devil Fruit abilities... Could it be that bastard Tanaka betrayed me!"

"There's no need for any betrayal! It's simply because your Devil Fruit ability is my natural counter!"

Vegapunk stretched out his hand, his fingers crackling with electricity. Dealing with Tesoro was nothing; if he needed to investigate him, he would be giving him too much credit.

In the original work, even though Enel was on Skypiea and was arguably the most ignorant Logia Devil Fruit User, he still managed to develop the Rumble-Rumble Fruit into Lightning Metallurgy. Not to mention the incredibly knowledgeable Vegapunk.

It can be said that all Devil Fruit with abilities related to metal are naturally countered by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, Tesoro is no exception.

Seeing the electricity in Vegapunk's hand, Tesoro's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Devil Fruit User the Rumble-Rumble Fruit?! Damn it! Die!"

With Tesoro's roar, his jet-black fist, wreathed in Armament Haki, slammed towards Vegapunk!

He had only taken two steps when Tesoro felt his body sink, as if he were being entangled by something.

The gold ornaments that Tesoro was originally meant to be his weapons in case of emergencies, but this time they became his opponent's accomplices, binding him completely.

Given Tesoro's strength, the interference from these Gold Saints would only last for less than a second, but that was enough for Vegapunk to instantly kill him.

Electromagnetic Pulse Wave!

A blinding beam of light, the size of an egg, struck Tesoro on the forehead. The intense electromagnetic waves nearly made his brain boil, instantly knocking Tesoro unconscious.

"So you're focusing all your energy on developing your Devil Fruit powers? While your Haki isn't exactly weak, it's clearly much weaker than his Devil Fruit abilities. You got knocked out so easily."

Although Vegapunk refers to Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit ability as clumsy, Tesoro's Devil Fruit ability is actually quite well developed. The Gold-Gold Fruit has great added value, but its actual combat power is not top-tier among Paramecia.

Tesoro's ability to utilize the Gold-Gold Fruit to its fullest potential among the Shichibukai is considered among the top two or three (the strongest, Hawk Eyes, is far inferior to the other Shichibukai), because he has developed the fruit to an extremely high level.

However, because Tesoro focused all his energy on developing his Devil Fruit abilities, he was obviously lacking in Haki, and had almost no power to fight back when his Devil Fruit ability was naturally countered.

"What should we do next, Lord Vegapunk?"

Looking at the unconscious Tesoro, Baccarat was also in a dilemma. It was not so easy to swallow up the Gran Tesoro. After all, it was a legitimate city recognized by the World Government, and its greatest value lay in its entertainment and tourism industries. It would be meaningless to take it over like pirates seizing territory.

Unless Baccarat rightfully wins the entire Gran Tesoro, force will only destroy the city. Of course, if Baccarat does win the Gran Tesoro, then force will be her backup.

But now that Tesoro has been attacked and is unconscious, should he force Tesoro to pretend to gamble with him?

Vegapunk shook his head:

"It's actually very simple... It's just a Tesoro, can't we just impersonate him?"

As he spoke, Vegapunk Hand Seals, and after a puff of smoke, he transformed into Tesoro's appearance using Transformation Technique.

This ability certainly wouldn't escape the notice of a master of Observation Haki, but a master of that level wouldn't normally be idly observing Tesoro.

If he could just keep this up for a few days, Vegapunk could easily create a clone of Tesoro and have him lose the Gran Tesoro to Baccarat.

Tesoro's Devil Fruit has been developed to the Awakening, and clones could not possibly possess his level of strength. Long-term substitution would definitely cause problems, but by simply writing a script where he loses to Baccarat and then gets angry, flips the table, gets beaten to death, and exits the stage, he can basically take over the Gran Tesoro.

Thanks to his Transformation Technique and the partial memory he directly read from Tesoro's brain, Vegapunk's imitation of Tesoro didn't encounter any major problems.

Some of Tesoro's subordinates might have had some doubts, but after Vegapunk used his Electromagnetic Ability to mimic the power of the Gold-Gold Fruit a few times, Tesoro immediately dispelled their doubts.

During this period, Baccarat continued to raid the Gran Tesoro, and the money she earned kept multiplying. In just three to five days, the entire Gran Tesoro experienced a shortage of working capital.

Under these circumstances, Tesoro could no longer sit idly by. In fact, Tesoro's men had already used various assassination methods against Baccarat from the very beginning. As a result, apart from suffering heavy losses themselves, Baccarat didn't lose a single hair.

Now that warnings and assassinations have both failed, the only option left is for "Tesoro," the boss, to take matters into his own hands.

Also in the glittering casino, Baccarat's reappearance this time has garnered even more fervent worship from countless gamblers. She is no longer just a Red Hair Goddess of Luck, but the god of gambling in the hearts of all gamblers!

Conversely, "Tesoro," who emerged from the other direction, appeared with bloodshot eyes and an aura of savagery. As he moved, a chilling presence swept over them, quickly silencing most of the gamblers.

Although the gamblers who can afford to go to such high-end casinos are generally rich and powerful, there are very few who can compare with Tesoro in terms of status. Most gamblers wouldn't dare to risk their lives for something like this.

"Mr. Tesoro, you seem to have become much more irritable these past few days!"

Baccarat covered her mouth and chuckled as she spoke, while "Tesoro" looked at Baccarat coldly and said:

"Laugh all you want! You can only laugh until now!"

"How could that be? I think I'll keep laughing!"

After a few feigned exchanges, Baccarat crossed her arms and continued speaking:

"Lord Gild Tesoro, how much liquid capital do you have on hand right now? Is it enough for our next betting round?"

"You've already lost over 300 billion Beli to us in the past week or so. Can you still continue betting with me now?"

Tesoro snorted coldly, his expression grim, his teeth clenched:

"You just want to escalate the stakes? Then let's wager the entire Gran Tesoro plus myself in a big bet!"

"If you win, the Gran Tesoro Ship and I, the Devil Fruit User, are all yours. Similarly, if you lose, all the money you've earned in the entire Gran Tesoro, plus yourself, will belong to me!"

"How about it? Dare to play this round?"

As he spoke, Tesoro threw out a slave Collar and placed it in the very center of the gambling table.

In theory, the slave trade is naturally prohibited in the Pirate World, but since there are Celestial Dragons, the laws and regulations of the Pirate World can be treated as mere toilet paper. The Gran Tesoro Ship itself naturally enjoys many privileges because it pays enough money to the World Government.

So if Baccarat agrees, the bet can naturally be placed on the person as well.

In fact, the former Gild Tesoro had done many similar things. Many of the servants, waiters, and dealers in the Gran Tesoro were once pitiful bastards who lost everything and even bet themselves on the losses.

This time, however, because Baccarat won so much and had such a large stake, the current "Gild Tesoro" has also staked everything on himself.

Well, at least that's how it appears to the other gamblers. They have no idea that the "Tesoro" in front of them is just a clone created by Vegapunk over three days with some modifications.

Because of the short creation time and the need to demonstrate sufficient strength, this clone of "Tesoro" is estimated to have a lifespan of only one or two months. Fortunately, Vegapunk's plan does not require him to have a long lifespan.

Despite his short lifespan, Clone Tesoro has combined the Artificial Gold-Gold Fruit and the Magnet Release Gold Dust, is not necessarily inferior to the original in terms of combat performance. However, his Haki level is weak and he has hardly developed his Devil Fruit, so his actual combat strength is definitely much weaker.

Baccarat wore a slightly arrogant and mocking smile, perfectly displaying her demeanor, and spoke calmly:

"Since you're willing to walk right into my trap, I naturally won't object. So, what's the bet?"

Tesoro certainly had his reasons for daring to go head-to-head with the gambling god Baccarat. One of the biggest reasons was that Baccarat himself agreed to all the betting rules being proposed by Tesoro.

Of course, in reality, this was a condition deliberately proposed to make the performance seem less stiff. Otherwise, Tesoro isn't some idiot who's been given a brain-lowering aura; if he really agreed, it would definitely arouse everyone's suspicion.

"Hmph! At this point, it's time to bet our fists!"

"Tesoro" waved his hand, and the huge casino suddenly began to shake. The ground in the center turned into gold, causing a group of gamblers to gasp and retreat in surprise. A moment later, a huge golden arena, the size of a football field, slowly rose from the gold.

Then, Tesoro leaped into the air and landed on the ring, coldly looking at Baccarat:

"Let's wager on this fight! I'm betting I'll win! Will you go first, or will you find someone else to replace you?!"

"Is the final wager a gladiatorial contest? What a rude man!"

Baccarat said it with a disdainful look and waved her hand dismissively.

However, none of the other onlookers felt surprised. After all, the Pirate World of One Piece is still a world where the strong prey on the weak and where might makes right. Tesoro's final wager was undoubtedly in line with the nature of this world.

To put it bluntly, if Baccarat had actually won the entire Gran Tesoro through gambling, under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have ended up rich and powerful; instead, she would have died without a burial place. Even the so-called "Lucky-Lucky Fruit" wouldn't have been of much use against an absolute difference in strength.

So this contest of strength is all for the purpose of silencing all those who covet the Gran Tesoro!

"Stop talking nonsense! This world is fundamentally based on force! You don't really think you can win the entire Gran Tesoro just by relying on your gambling skills, do you? If you were that naive, your corpse would already be sunk into the sea!"

"Tsk..."

Baccarat clicked her tongue in reluctance, but also looked as if she had to admit that Tesoro was right:

"Don't worry, since I dared to come, I've already made preparations!"

"Boss, this guy is all yours now!"

As soon as Baccarat finished speaking, a flash of lightning appeared, Vegapunk instantly appeared in the center of the arena.