On a street lined with taverns in the Sabaody Archipelago, Tesoro emerged from the back door of a tavern, carrying a bucket of trash, and laboriously dumped it into a trash can.
Then, he quickly returned the trash can, which was almost as tall as a person.
A moment later, the guy squatted down next to the trash can, counting a wad of tattered old banknotes, with a big smile on his face.
"I've saved over two thousand Beli today. Almost there, almost enough money... Stella..." Tesoro counted the money in his hand, his eyes filled with longing for a better future.
However, Tesoro's face soon showed some worry. He was currently renting a small, old house in the Lawless Zone. There was only room for a bed, and nothing else. There wasn't even a separate bathroom.
He lives alone, which is actually just right, because he works seven jobs a day and is so busy that he's constantly on the go. He's content as long as he can sleep when he gets home.
But if he were to live with Stella, that would definitely not be enough. Tesoro felt a little heartbroken. He felt that he should at least give Stella her own bathroom!
The pursuit of the poor struggling in poverty is sometimes so simple; even a private toilet can bring them happiness.
"Besides, I'm a man. I don't care what hardships I endure, but I absolutely can't let Stella suffer with me!" Tesoro took a deep breath, a determined look in his eyes. "Four hours of sleep a day is too long. If I take another job and sleep for two hours, that should be enough. With the extra money, we can rent a house with a bathroom, preferably away from the Lawless Zone; that place is too dangerous..."
Just as Tesoro was contemplating what kind of fight he should find, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang.
Tesoro carefully took out his most valuable possession, and when he saw the Den Den Mushi, his expression lit up with joy. It was Shakky!
In Tesoro's memory, Shakky was a very powerful person. The guys in the Lawless Zone all respected this big sister. The key was that Big Sister Shakky also took good care of him. She would arrange for him to do any kind of work, such as transporting alcohol, and she paid him a lot of money.
Therefore, Tesoro quickly Den Den Mushi and asked in a cheerful tone, "Big Sister Shakky, is there anything I can help you with?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Shakky said calmly, "If you're not busy, come over here. A very important client wants to see you."
"A big client? To see me?" Tesoro, somewhat puzzled and confused.
"That's right, they specifically asked for you. I don't know what kind of luck you've had, but if this big shot takes a liking to you, you're going to rise to the top. Come on over!" Shakky Qi teased Yu with a smile.
Although she was still very confused and puzzled, Tesoro agreed immediately because of her trust in Sister Shakky.
He put away the Den Den Mushi, then took off his shoes, stuffed the old banknotes into his socks, stepped on them, and put his shoes back on. Only then did Tesoro feel at ease.
After checking his reflection in the stinking ditch next to the garbage dump and tidying up his somewhat messy hair, Tesoro didn't dare to delay and immediately set off for the Thirteen Islands.
Meanwhile, in the tavern, Ortolan was chatting with Rayleigh.
"How did you find my way here? You seemed to see me, but you weren't surprised at all..." Rayleigh asked curiously.
As a veteran, Rayleigh deduced from the moment Ortolan appeared that Ortolan seemed to have known about his seclusion for a long time, because Ortolan never showed any doubt or surprise about his existence.
As Ortolan sipped his tea, he said casually, "I have my own sources of information, so I know a lot. It's not just you; isn't that ship's doctor named Crocus also living in seclusion at Twin Cape as some kind of lamplighter?"
"Huh?" Rayleigh was somewhat surprised. "I didn't know that either..."
"And Tom, the guy who built your ship, is also in our G-5 now. Come to think of it, I saved his life. If I hadn't intervened, that guy would have been killed by the CP Agency." Ortolan said with an expression that said, "You should thank me right now."
Rayleigh's face twitched; he didn't want to engage with Ortolan's nonsense.
Ortolan didn't let Rayleigh off the hook, continuing, "And then there's the Red Hair Pirates in the East Blue, that brat with the Straw Hat, he used to be with you guys, I beat him up twice..."
The Red Hair Pirates did indeed originate in the East Blue. After Shanks and Buggy parted ways in Loguetown, Shanks didn't immediately become a pirate again. Instead, he spent a long time in the East Blue. In 1500, he found Usopp's father, Yasopp, in Syrup Village, and the two officially joined forces to form the Red Hair Pirates.
"Alright, alright, stop talking, I know you're amazing..." Rayleigh helplessly, quickly stopping Ortolan from revealing more.
He was genuinely worried that Ortolan would list out the names of every single member of Roger Pirates. Was this guy's intelligence network really that terrifying?
After a brief pause, Rayleigh couldn't help but ask, "So, does that mean Roger was really found and forcibly arrested by you?"
"No, that's not it. Although we found him on Batyra Island, we didn't arrest him directly. Our Marines is very kind, okay? Seeing how well he was living with his wife, and that he was terminally ill and about to die, we naturally gave him some time to arrange his affairs. Garp was quite heartbroken at the time. It's just that he never expected Roger to trick him in Loguetown, and now the seas are in such a mess. Tsk tsk, if I could go back in time and choose again, I think Garp would smash Roger's head in the first place." Ortolan complained.
Rayleigh ignored all the unnecessary words and focused on one key point, asking seriously, "What about Roger's wife?"
Ortolan took a sip of tea and calmly said, "Now she's my wife, Portgas D. Rouge... Legally, our marriage is protected."
Rayleigh???
No? What happened? Roger, you died a terrible death, no, you were cuckolded a terrible death!
"How could you do such a despicable thing?! You brat!" Rayleigh glared angrily at Ortolan, as if he was about to attack at the slightest provocation.
According to Rayleigh, Ortolan is a bit of a pervert. Does he think that Roger used his life to start the Great Pirate Era, which is equivalent to playing him and Garp for fools? So after Roger died, he forcibly took Rouge into his possession, humiliated her for fun, and used it to get revenge on Roger?
Shakky, standing to the side, also looked at Ortolan with surprise, seemingly thinking that this guy was truly a freak.
However, Ortolan calmly took a sip of tea, looked at Rayleigh and said with a smile, "She not only became my wife, but also gave me a big, fat son named Bane Portgas Ace. Hey, don't you think that's a nice name?"
As soon as Ortolan finished speaking, Rayleigh's angry expression turned to astonishment, and he murmured, "Ace?"
After a moment, the guy seemed to have figured things out. He sat back down on the sofa, looking at Ortolan with a very complicated expression. After a long while, he sighed softly and said, "Well... thank you..."
"No need to thank me. After all, I'm not some kind of demon who needs to kill an entire family to feel satisfied. Besides..." Ortolan looked at Rayleigh and said seriously, "I am a staunch opponent of the theory that bloodlines are guilty... A person's nobility or baseness is never determined by birth. Roger was a pirate, but his child is innocent..."
Rayleigh didn't argue with Ortolan about these things. He leaned back on the sofa, his expression shifting between joy and worry, a very complex mix.
Ortolan ignored the guy and leisurely drank his tea, listening to the melodious music playing in the tavern.
A few minutes later, Rayleigh seemed to have finally calmed down and looked at Ortolan, saying, "If you ever need my help in the future, you can come find me here..."
"Ask you for help? You should be grateful if you don't ask me for help!" Ortolan said with utter disdain.
Rayleigh glared at Ortolan, too lazy to say anything more; words and sentiments were enough.
Just then, there was a polite knock on the tavern door, and Tesoro's somewhat cautious voice came from outside. "Big Sister Shakky, may I come in?"
"Oh, you're here? Come in quickly!" Shakky greeted.
Then, the door opened, and Ortolan saw Tesoro, wearing a cheap, faded suit and sporting green hair, walking in cautiously from outside.