Speaking of Tesoro, one cannot help but mention that Sig saved his life back in Mary Geoise, preventing him from being captured and killed by the Celestial Dragons' lackeys, and later indirectly helped him rise to power!
If Sig hadn't killed Doflamingo with his healing, Tesoro wouldn't have been able to seize control of Doflamingo's assets in the North Blue as a "collaborator"...
You could say that Tesoro had at least saved himself three to five years of struggle!
However, even now that Tesoro has been granted the title of Shichibukai, Sig still suspects that he bribed the World Government!
If he is indeed the "Gild Tesoro" from eleven years later in the original work, given his status as a mafia tycoon, he would be qualified to be Shichibukai.
However, the current "Little Joker Tesoro" is only growing rapidly on the "corpse" of the Donquixote Family, and has shrunk considerably compared to when Doflamingo was alive. His top-tier combat strength is even weaker than that of the Donquixote Family.
Furthermore, Doflamingo was able to become Shichibukai not only because of his strength, but also because of a reason behind it—that guy was once Celestial Dragons and knew a certain secret about the Celestial Dragons!
It was precisely because of this relationship that, since they couldn't kill Doflamingo, they appointed him as Shichibukai.
Even in the original work, when Doflamingo was about to kill Moria questioned him about whether it was Sengoku's order. Doflamingo replied that the order came from "above," showing that unlike the other Shichibukai, Doflamingo had access to people "above" the Navy.
Moreover, for those "higher up," he is even more useful than the navy.
Tesoro didn't have as many "conditions" Doflamingo, yet he still became Shichibukai, so Sig probably... gave him way too much!
This guy's ability is to mass-produce gold. Although this ability should be limited given that the gold standard hasn't collapsed, it undoubtedly greatly increases Tesoro's ability to make money.
They were a perfect match for the Celestial Dragons, who craved gold.
And although it can't compare to Doflamingo's situation,... if we lower our expectations to the level of "Moria," Sig feels that Tesoro isn't much worse.
According to the news, after becoming Shichibukai, Tesoro is now in the New World, and within the World Government's sphere of influence...
It seems they want to lend money to various countries!
Sig had a premonition that this trip to Dressrosa might be the time to meet this "old friend".
Although he knew that Tesoro had likely bribed the Celestial Dragons, he was undoubtedly one of the few "Celestial Dragons' lackeys" that Sig was willing to associate with.
After all...
Sig knew his secrets!
Not only was he once a slave of the Celestial Dragons, but recalling the name "Tesoro" also reminded Sig of his experiences in the original work.
In his youth, Tesoro's beloved was also a slave. When he had saved enough money to redeem her, Celestial Dragons took her away by the collar first.
Because he rebelled against the Celestial Dragons, he was captured and enslaved, and soon after, he heard the news of his beloved's death in Mary Geoise.
No matter how submissive Tesoro may be now, Sig knows that deep down he must harbor a deep-seated hatred for the Celestial Dragons!
This is the foundation for becoming friends with Sig.
As a major power in the New World, the Eternal Pose in Dressrosa is easily obtainable for Sig...
On February 11, 1511, with no news of Shanks yet, Sig arrived at the port of Dressrosa, carrying his blessings for them in his heart.
It must be said that Dressrosa at this time did not have the prosperity depicted in the original work, eleven years later, under Doflamingo's rule.
After all, Doflamingo turned the rebels and some of the people who knew the truth into "toys" for endlessly exploiting their labor. He used their labor to run an underground arms trade and acted as a middleman between Kaido and the World Government. Naturally, he built his base into Paradise on the sea, calling it the "Land of Love, Passion and Toys".
Until the endless darkness and bloodshed hidden beneath its glamorous exterior are revealed...
In contrast, Dressrosa today doesn't have as much "surplus value" to make itself look glamorous.
What's famous here by the sea now isn't "love and passion," but "gladiators," making "Land of Gladiators" a more fitting name.
King Riku Dold III, though not exactly wise and powerful, lacked the foresight to see the situation clearly. Faced with the impending crisis, he neither possessed sufficient military prowess nor sought timely external assistance. However, he did at least know to implement benevolent policies domestically.
On the high seas today, this kind of king... has a feeling of "failing but already ranked high".
Of all the "kings" Sig had ever seen, the only one who could be considered a capable and powerful ruler was... Charlotte Linlin!
At least Big Mom has the power to protect the country, but she doesn't exert too much pressure internally.
Although she was undoubtedly a "tyrannical" queen who would Deprivation a citizen of their entire life for the slightest offense, even if it was just for ruining a cake, she was, in the eyes of the world today, more capable than any so-called benevolent ruler.
After all, this is not a time of peace and unity across the land. Simply relying on "benevolent governance" will not even be enough to protect one's own people.
Just like King Riku now, if there were no external crises, he could at least ensure peace and prosperity within his country. However, with the slightest turmoil or a change in the World Government's policies, Dressrosa is already showing signs of collapse...
This is not a "metaphor," but rather what Sig "saw."
Sig could "see" people's emotions, and when the people of a country were generally disheartened, Sig could naturally sense this collective emotion as well.
Faced with the World Government's "increased burden," King Riku immediately set an example by cutting royal expenses as much as possible and announcing the auction of a batch of royal treasures. However, there was still a large shortfall, so he had no choice but to raise taxes on the public as well.
Although this situation is much better than in most countries, it is far from the point of widespread starvation and misery, and the people do not have much dissatisfaction.
After all, the "Royal Collection Auction House" was about to begin, and everyone knew that King Riku's life wasn't easy either. But his already less-than-prosperous life had become even more miserable.
This is why, in the original work, even though the memories of their family and friends being turned into toys had disappeared, the people of Dressrosa, who were still "human," quickly came to recognize and worship Doflamingo.
"A royal collection Auction House?" Sig muttered with a hint of interest.
"Huh? Isn't this what you came for?" The Scribe who greeted Sig at the port said with some disappointment.
As everyone knows, there are two types of ship owners on the high seas that are not to be trifled with: one is a very large, very imposing, and very luxurious ship, and the other is a very, very, very simple... single-person ship!
The former goes without saying, while the latter often signifies formidable strength. Therefore, upon seeing Sig arrive at the shore in a small boat and his imposing physique, the Scribe instinctively gave him a second look.
Dressrosa is bustling with activity right now. King Riku is holding Auction House subsidize the national budget, and while the people are grateful to King Riku, they also hope that the Auction House go smoothly.
Naturally, they hope that as many "Haihao" guests as possible will come...
"No, at least I'm very interested now, thank you." Sig took a flyer and walked past the vacant Scribe.
Sig indeed very interested—after all, Dressrosa was a country ruled by the "Donquixote Family" of the Celestial Dragons eight hundred years ago. Could there be something in the Riku Royal Family's collection that was related to eight hundred years ago and the Celestial Dragons?