The next morning.
The first ray of sunlight pierced the clouds, coating the ruins of Grand Tesoro with a layer of broken gold.
Tesoro stood at the highest point of the ruins all night.
The sea breeze blew his tattered suit and blew away the last trace of confusion in his eyes.
For some reason, after Akira said something to him, he found that his heart became calmer than ever before, and the hatred in his heart also faded away unconsciously, as if he was affected by some invisible and intangible thought.
Before this, his world was dim, but now, he saw the dazzling sun and felt the long-lost warmth. For the first time after he obtained the gold Devil Fruit ability, he felt that the world seemed to be more than just darkness!
"What do we do next?"
Baccarat's voice came from behind. She put on clean clothes, but the fatigue on her face could not be concealed, "Should we continue to run Grand Tesoro, or..."
"Grand Tesoro?" Tesoro put down his hand and did not look back. His voice was so calm that no waves could be heard, "If it appears again in this sea, Akira Marshal's knife will definitely fall on all of us."
Baccarat's heart moved, a glimmer of light flashed in his beautiful eyes, and he asked tentatively, "Have you made a choice? Are you ready to... bow to that Lord Marshal?"
"No." Tesoro shook his head, turned around, and glanced at Mr. Tanaka and several other subordinates not far away who had also stayed up all night and looked frightened. "Over the years, I have been blinded by hatred. Before making a choice, I want to see the world again as an ordinary person."
He looked at the few remaining confidants and continued, "As for you...Lord Marshal did not ask you to do anything. If there is a better place to go, just disperse on your own."
After he finished speaking, he took out a heavy money bag from his arms and threw it on the ground.
Mr. Tanaka and several other cadres looked at each other with complicated expressions. They had followed Tai Zuozuo for many years, witnessed him build the Gild Tesoro country from nothing, and were used to being domineering under his protection.
But now, the empire has collapsed.
The once arrogant Gild Tesoro seems to have changed.
After a brief silence, Mr. Tanaka, who could shuttle through any object, was the first to move. He skated on his skates and cautiously approached the bag of gold coins. He hesitated, and finally bent down to pick it up.
He didn't dare to look into Tesoro's eyes. He just lowered his head and said vaguely, "Master Tesoro, take care of yourself."
After saying that, he slid towards the port without looking back, and his figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the ruins.
With the first, there is the second.
The remaining cadres exchanged glances and mustered up their courage. They quickly stepped forward and grabbed a few gold coins from the purse, and then scattered away as if running for their lives.
Soon, only Tesoro and Baccarat were left on the huge ruins.
Tesoro looked at Baccarat, a little surprised. "Why don't you leave?"
Baccarat lifted her red hair that was blown by the wind and showed a charming smile, "My luck tells me that by following you, I may be able to see a more interesting future."
She paused and added, "Moreover, I also want to see with my own eyes whether today's Grand Line, under the rule of Akira, the iron-blooded Marshal, has really ushered in a new era."
"Let's go!" Tesoro said no more, turned around and walked down the ruins.
Baccarat smiled and followed quickly.
In the evening.
The two took an ordinary merchant ship and arrived at an island they had never set foot on.
The country on the island is called Kingdom of Fray, which was once a non-World Government Member States under the protection of Yonko Shanks. Half a year ago, Kingdom of Fray announced its separation from Red Hair Pirates and officially joined World Government.
With the full implementation of World Government's policy of "turning it into a national city", Frederic became the first country to respond. Today, this place is no longer called a kingdom, but Fray City.
Tesoro bought a newspaper from a roadside newsstand. The photo and introduction of the new mayor were printed on the front page.
The first mayor, T·Penn, formerly Marine Headquarters Colonel, was elected by Akira due to his outstanding performance and bright personality over the years. Marshal was promoted to the headquarters Rear Admiral. After Reverie was over, he took office and became the first mayor of Fray City.
"Marine Headquarters transferred an officer to become the mayor?" Tesoro looked at the newspaper with a hint of ridicule on his lips, "They have been catching pirates at sea for a long time, do they know how to manage a country?"
"Judging from the information we have so far, they have done a pretty good job." Bacara took over, "Especially in Wano City, the first mayor was the former Shichibukai Crocodile. The policies he implemented in Wano Country have now been imitated by many joining countries. Even the underground world emperors in the New World who once controlled the world have now become his right-hand men and have made "tremendous contributions" to changing the world."
"Ha." Tesoro sneered, "Crocodile doesn't have that much charisma. The one who really made those guys willing to sacrifice their lives was Akira Marshal."
"But there is one thing we must admit," Tesoro crumpled the newspaper into a ball and threw it into the trash can on the roadside. "Crocodile made the wisest choice in his life and has been unswervingly loyal to Marshal from the beginning."
Just then.
"Help! Let me go! Help!"
A shrill cry for help suddenly came from the alleyway behind them.
The two of them looked around and saw two men with fierce expressions dragging a struggling girl in the dark alley.
The girl struggled so hard that one of the men was so impatient that he took out a rough rope, put it around the girl's neck, and tightened it hard!
The moment he saw the rope, Tesoro's pupils suddenly contracted.
The scene in front of him also quietly changed. What appeared in front of him was no longer the girl being dragged by two men, but the scene of Stella being forcibly dragged away by Celestial Dragons on that desperate afternoon many years ago.
A cold and biting murderous intention spread silently from the bottom of his heart.
Tesoro's facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably, slowly twisting into a ferocious shape. His fists were clenched tightly, and his joints made a slight crunching sound.
Then, he slowly opened his mouth, revealing a bloodthirsty and crazy smile.
"It seems that even if an officer from Marine Headquarters serves as the mayor, he cannot prevent this kind of thing from happening!"
Before he finished speaking, a golden light flashed under his feet.
He was unable to protect Stella back then.
Now, he will not allow similar tragedies to happen again before his eyes!
--