He Would Always Remember Her Beautiful Face
"A wish? If I want to see Stella, is that alright?" Tesoro's voice asked.
In an instant, a happy smile appeared on Stella's face, even though she was covered in wounds, her appearance was horribly distorted, and even her teeth had been pulled out.
"Hmm," Stella said with a smile, "My wish is to never let Tesoro see me."
She knew without a doubt that Tesoro would make this request.
Even if it could restore your beauty?
"Yes." Stella calmly affirmed her choice.
"Tell me your reasons, and perhaps they will sway me," Miming said coldly. "These two wishes are conflicting. If Tesoro can't see you, he might not be able to work hard. The consequence would be death. Or do you want to see him die?"
"No," Stella sobbed, "I can use my voice... to tell him I'm still alive. He'll still work hard. I just hope he'll always remember how beautiful I was."
"If he saw me like this, the perfect image he has of me would shatter. Would he still work so hard? He might lose all motivation to live. I already figured that out at Saint Charlos," Stella said with a happy expression. "I hope he can live."
"If that's the case, why not just choose to heal your face?" Miming asked, puzzled.
"I no longer need my looks," Stella said coldly, her voice hoarse.
Beauty only brings endless torment and shackles to Tesoro. What good can a beautiful woman gain from serving Celestial Dragons? More humiliation and torture, right in front of Tesoro? This new master probably can't imagine the many perverse pleasures of that Saint Charlos.
Tesoro might be disappointed in himself, or he might gradually lose patience, grow weary of himself, and give up on himself. That's fine, as long as he can survive.
"If I could, I would like to sneak a peek at him. I want to see him, but he can't see me. That way, he can live on and slowly forget me." Stella cried, yet her face was filled with happiness as she said, "Yes, I want him to live for himself. Is that not a wish? Or is there a better way to toy with us?"
She was prepared to be beaten by her new owner.
After all, he spent a fortune to survive, just to be Tesoro's shackle. If he died, Tesoro would lose his value and die anyway. The only way was to make Tesoro lose patience and gradually start living for himself. Being a slave is so powerless, a pathetic and useless struggle, and clinging to the future is meaningless.
Heavy breathing could be heard in the darkness.
Stella was terrified. Was there someone else in the house?
Suddenly, Tesoro's voice started playing again from the recording Den Den Mushi: "A wish? If I want to see Stella, is that alright? I don't need treatment for my eyes, haha, anyway, you just want me to sing, right? I promise I can sing sweeter than before."
Stella screamed, "What happened to Tesoro's eyes?"
Miming suddenly opened the door. "It's nothing, it's just that your wishes have come true."
A bright light shone into the room through the door. Stella adjusted to the light, and there stood Tesoro with his eyes wrapped in gauze.
Miming said, "This guy went blind for you. It makes me think that you two are both useful. Cherish the time you have now."
Tesoro said, "In my eyes, you will always be the most beautiful!"
Stella burst into tears and rushed over to hug Tesoro tightly.
The figure and footsteps of the Miming, disappearing in the light, were like deities to the two of them.
Half a month later, news arrived that the Drum Kingdom's medical ship had been attacked by pirates as soon as it entered the waters of the Jaya. The crew and "Doctors 20" were all killed, and the expensive medical equipment was stolen and sold for money.
King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom was furious and recalled the exiled doctors to form a medical team.
Because the Jaya had long been occupied by many pirate groups, no one knew which group of pirates was responsible, and the Jaya were in a state of panic. The Navy sent out an investigation team, but found nothing.
However, this was a minor matter for the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, so it didn't attract any attention. The Marine Headquarters was also overwhelmed by another sudden event, and the entire Mary Geoise was stunned by the unexpected incident.
The Saint Ni decided to use the Fish-Man Fisher Tiger to challenge Hancock, who was in the hands of the Saint Jalmack's Son.
Fisher Tiger practices Fish-Man Karate and is not Devil Fruit User. Only those who have witnessed his strength firsthand can truly know how powerful he is. Because Tiger wasn't a wanted criminal before, he didn't have a bounty. However, his ferocity allowed him to easily defeat Captain Dais, a fact witnessed by the Celestial Dragons.
The most ingenious part is that they can demand that Hancock not remove her Seastone helmet during the duel. Since Tiger isn't Devil Fruit User, he's not afraid of being hit by the Seastone helmet. This makes defeating Hancock, who is no longer petrified and whose strength is weakened, practically a certainty.
On this day, Saint Ni put on an act of upholding justice and teaching his unruly son a lesson, and Saint Jalmack's Son actually agreed to the duel.
There are many speculations among the Celestial Dragons. Many believe that this is an opportunity for Saint Sanming and admit her mistakes to the Saint Ni. But regardless, the Gorgon Sisters are doomed.
In preparation for this duel, the Saint Ni had already begun to treat Tiger well beforehand, even using deception. For example, they promised to let him go home after killing Gorgon Sisters, and even let the Fish-Man go with him. They used all sorts of tricks.
Tiger ate well and his energy was restored to its peak.
"Let's go--!" Saint Ni was full of vigor and prepared to head to the arena to meet up with Rosward and the others, but as soon as he stepped out the door, something happened.
Tiger suddenly grabbed the Saint Ni from his back and took them hostage, then ran wildly out of Mary Geoise.
"Blow him up! Detonate the slave collar!" The CP0 officer responsible for protecting the Saint Ni pressed the button in surprise, but it had no effect.
"Karakusagawara Seiken! Ten Thousand Tile Fist!" Tiger punched the unexpected CP0 away, then spat out Water Shot to blast open the gate, managing to escape into a lake. Once the Fish-Man entered the lake, he had no rivals, but eventually he had to get out.
Tiger hid in the lake until nightfall, when his whereabouts were finally discovered by the army. Tiger then used the Saint Ni as hostages, and amidst Saint Ni screams, he escaped unscathed. The army pursued him relentlessly, but they couldn't fathom how this Fish-Man could run so fast. Eventually, they cornered Tiger at the edge of the Red Line —below lay a vast ocean.
Amidst gasps of surprise, Tiger leaped into the air, taking the Saint Ni with him with him!