Exposed? The Golden Emperor's Crisis!

Ever since that day, Mr. Tanaka had been secretly dealt with by Tesoro. The public was told that he had unfortunately perished in an encounter with pirates. Afterward... the golden tower where Tesoro lived had also been remodeled.

The two remained silent as they rode the elevator upward.

With his back to Garp, Tesoro could only see from the reflection in the smooth golden wall that Garp was staring fixedly at him. As for his exact expression, it was impossible to make out.

As he waited for the elevator to reach the top floor, Tesoro's thoughts raced.

Could the poisoning incident have been exposed?

No, impossible... For something that serious, even with the Azure Dragon backing me, Garp should have acted directly.

Perhaps... they only found a few clues. Wary of the Azure Dragon and the resources I control, they did not dare act rashly, so the government sent Garp to sound me out first?

Or did I do something recently that drew Garp here to investigate?

Tesoro pondered silently.

Ding!

Before long, the elevator chimed softly and opened before them.

As the host, Tesoro spread his hands with a falsely warm smile. "Mr. Garp, please!"

"Much obliged!"

Garp nodded gravely and stepped out.

Noticing Garp's movements, Tesoro also let out a breath of relief.

The top floor of this building was made entirely of pure gold, allowing him to maximize the power of his Gold-Gold Fruit. As long as he could buy even the slightest fraction of time, he would have a chance to activate Devil Fruit Awakening.

Not to repel an enemy, but to escape.

The advantage of fighting on home ground was something only Devil Fruit Users possessed.

Arriving at the center of the spacious living room, Tesoro gestured for Garp to sit wherever he liked. He