Austin's words rang like a great bell, deeply shaking Tesoro's heart.
Everything... was because I was poor?
Yes!
If he had had money, his family would not have fallen apart when he was little, and he would not have been forced to sneak away at such a young age to make a living.
If he had had money, he could have bought Stella sooner and stayed with her forever.
If he had had money, he could have saved the girl he loved three years later.
If he had had money...
"I understand!!!"
Tesoro seemed to have made up his mind. He looked firmly at the World's Richest Man before him.
"One day, I will become the World's Richest Man and save Stella!!!"
The young man roared, proclaiming his dream to the world. Sadly, there was no burst of Conqueror's Haki to lend weight to his declaration.
And that was precisely the answer Austin wanted to hear.
The smile on his lips grew brighter as he looked at this promising prospect and affirmed his dream.
The World's Richest Man?
"Then... consider this your sponsorship and startup capital."
Austin pulled another thick stack of Beli from his clothes and tossed it directly in front of Tesoro. It was probably worth a few million Beli.
In the end, Tesoro left.
After agreeing to meet Stella again, he kept looking back every few steps before running off with Austin's Den Den Mushi.
"You think highly of that guy?"
When Tesoro had charged over from afar, Little Sand had wanted to make a move, but Austin had secretly stopped her.
"No matter how you look at him, he's just some insignificant punk. He's as weak as an ordinary civilian."
"In this world, as long as you have enough determination and luck, even small fry can