Gild Tesoro's Regret
Gild Tesoro smiled at the two of them.
He showed none of his previous confrontational attitude; instead, he seemed like a kind and gentle old man.
This is only natural.
After what happened yesterday, Gild Tesoro had almost come to regard Lin Yan, who was standing in front of him, as his idol.
For him, who also deeply hated the Celestial Dragons but was powerless to resist out of fear.
One can only imagine the shock that Lin Yan's actions yesterday would bring.
For Gild Tesoro
That could practically be called salvation.
This man before me dared to attack the World Government without hesitation, all to protect the women around him. If only I had had that courage and power back then...
As he thought about it, Gild Tesoro's expression became somewhat complicated.
Lin Yan's gaze towards Gild Tesoro was also somewhat complicated.
Of course.
It wasn't because of Gild Tesoro himself.
Rather, it's because...
Wow! So dazzling!
Seeing the dazzling golden light behind Gild Tesoro, even Lin Yan couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly.
It's so damn bright!
As mentioned before, Gild Tesoro is taking stock of its inventory.
So what kind of inventory is it...? Without a doubt, it's all gold!
This is only natural.
After all, as a user of the Gold-Gold Fruit, Gild Tesoro's ability is to control gold in battle. In other words, the amount of gold he possesses directly affects his combat power.
As the man who is probably the richest in the world, Gild Tesoro naturally needs to check his gold reserves in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Wow, is this what the happiness of the rich is like...?
Lin Yan expressed mixed feelings.
What an enormous dog-owning tycoon!
To be fair, if we calculate solely based on gold reserves, Gild Tesoro's current wealth even surpasses the Celestial Dragons' treasury that I raided more than a decade ago!
One-fifth of the world's Beli is no exaggeration.
Of course.
It's only gold that surpassed it.
As for other valuable items, such as Devil Fruit, Gild Tesoro is still far inferior to the Celestial Dragons.
"Lin Yan, what's wrong?"
Noticing that Lin Yan's expression seemed a little strange, Gild Tesoro pondered for a moment and then asked Lin Yan with some curiosity.
"Nothing..."
Lin Yan quickly recovered, smiling and shaking her head.
Then he started plotting how to get rid of the huge pile of gold in front of him.
Even with his own strength, Gild Tesoro wouldn't be able to put up any resistance if he attacked directly.
However, as mentioned before...
Although Lin Yan didn't consider himself a good person, he couldn't bring himself to do such despicable things; he wasn't one of those shameless pirates.
Then things became very simple.
I need to offer a price that Gild Tesoro absolutely cannot refuse!
Then you can get the other party to willingly hand over all their wealth.
So here's the question.
What price could Gild Tesoro not refuse?
To be honest, it really does exist!
As if she had just thought of something, Lin Yan smiled and then suddenly pointed to Gild Tesoro's hands, pretending that she had just noticed them.
"Speaking of which, I've been wanting to ask this before: you're wearing gold rings on both hands, so why isn't your ring finger covered in them?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it..."
On the other side, Ain, who was somewhat confused, looked over in the direction Lin Yan pointed and couldn't help but let out a surprised "Eh!"
Just as Lin Yan said.
Gild Tesoro had no rings on his ring fingers, except for his ring fingers.
And if I remember correctly, it should be...
Where is the wedding ring placed?
Thinking about it, Ain's gaze towards Gild Tesoro became somewhat strange. After all, the other party was the renowned Gild Tesoro, yet he didn't even have a woman by his side?
"..."
Gild Tesoro suddenly fell silent.
After a long pause, he let out a soft sigh.
That spot is reserved for someone who will never come back; she was also my dearest love.
Gild Tesoro said in a low voice.
Even though she had made the decision to follow the man before her, Gild Tesoro was still somewhat unwilling to face her tragic past.
"I see, so it's a love story after all... Would you mind telling me? Anyway, there's still some time before the battle, and maybe I have a solution?"
Lin Yan, as if she already knew about this, smiled and nodded to Gild Tesoro.
"It's alright..."
Gild Tesoro couldn't help but give a wry smile.
To be honest, if anyone else had said that to him, Gild Tesoro would probably have turned on him long ago, since it was the past he least wanted to face.
But if it's the man in front of me...
It's okay to talk about it.
Moreover, Lin Yan's mention of a solution was also touching a nerve with Gild Tesoro.
Even though I knew perfectly well that it was impossible.
But that's the nature of humans; even when they're in despair, they can't help but let hope ignite within them, even if they know it.
I hope that what follows will be an even deeper despair.
Isn't it precisely this instinct to constantly pursue hope that makes humans human...?
Thinking about it.
Gild Tesoro's gaze hardened.
The man touched his chin, seemingly carefully considering his words, and Lin Yan and Ain did not interrupt him.
After a long while, Gild Tesoro finally spoke slowly.
"Actually, you two probably don't know that I was born into a very poor family. Back then, I was practically useless. If there was anything I could be proud of, it was probably just my singing voice."
Gild Tesoro wore a wry smile.
"When I was very young, my dream was to become a singer, but even my mother hated my singing."
"Soon, I was kicked out of my home."
Gild Tesoro paused slightly at this point.
Then, to the surprise of the two men, a nostalgic and sorrowful smile appeared on the man's face.
Like this kind of expression.
Appearing in the Gild Tesoro, who is known for his cruelty and extravagance, seems somewhat out of place.
Neither Ain nor Lin Yan intended to interrupt.
So Gild Tesoro continued.
"And then, at that moment, feeling lost and helpless in the face of life, I met a young girl in the Birdcage of the theater."
"Her name is Stella."
"... is the love of my life."