"This...! Is it really for me? This is..."
"Stop talking nonsense! Just take it. This Devil Fruit won't be of much help to us, but it should be important to you."
The Lucky-Lucky Fruit is indeed very important to Tesoro, just as the Mirror-Mirror Fruit is to Katakuri. Tesoro needs such a Devil Fruit to maintain the operation of his casino, maximize its profits, and squeeze as much money as possible from the pirates and nobles.
Although Tesoro had been full of anticipation for the Devil Fruit at the auction, he gave up on it after the mysterious man entered the treasure vault. He was somewhat frustrated and helpless. Now that it was back in his hands, and without spending any money, wasn't that even better than getting it for free? The satisfaction of regaining what was lost was even greater than the joy of obtaining it directly.
"I have something very important to discuss with you today, something that concerns the future of the world! We must be extremely careful!"
Vic's somewhat serious words came from under his hood. What he said was indeed true. Perhaps the forces that would overthrow the World Government and the Celestial Dragons would begin to rise after this meeting!
But Tesoro felt that it was impossible for an event concerning the world's future to happen in such a setting. The occasion was far too unserious, lacking any atmosphere conducive to discussing important matters. He thought Vic was exaggerating, but he didn't dare to refute him, only nodding slightly to signal the mysterious man to continue.
" Tesoro! I know your past. Your beloved girlfriend was captured and enslaved, and you tried everything to raise money to ransom her."
Her beauty attracted the attention of a Celestial Dragons, who bought her right in front of you for an even higher price. You should have known perfectly well what that Celestial Dragons Celestial Dragons thinking!
You should still vividly remember that feeling of powerlessness. You tried to resist, but you were too weak to do anything. After being beaten up, you and your girlfriend were taken to Mary Geoise by the Celestial Dragons and made their slaves!
Your beloved is merely their plaything, and you can only grovel like a dog beside them, collared and chained, watching helplessly as they toy with her in various ways until she dies!
After I've told you all this, is the mark left by the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon on your back still throbbing?
Vic was like a devil, tearing open the scars buried deep in Tesoro's heart, giving him no room to recover!
The past he least wanted to recall instantly flooded Tesoro's mind, and his expression became incredibly ferocious, his eyes bloodshot as if he wanted to devour someone, just like the expression that appeared on his face when he first arrived in Mary Geoise!
The Celestial Dragons spared his life because they thought it would be more exciting and motivating for him to watch from the sidelines. That day, he was indeed forced to lie prostrate on the ground, and his eyelids were controlled, preventing him from even closing his eyes. That was his expression and look at that time.
It was just more intense then; his body was trembling and struggling. Stella stared at him with a pained smile, but he couldn't hear her intermittent words of comfort. He only wanted to destroy the Celestial Dragons, destroy Mary Geoise, and destroy the whole world!
But being weak, he could only be pinned to the ground, his gums bitten until they bled, but it was no use. Fantasy is just fantasy, and he could only helplessly watch his girlfriend being played with and humiliated time and time again!
Dragon, standing nearby, felt sorry for Tesoro. What a human tragedy! Based on his understanding of the Celestial Dragons, Vic was being very tactful; the Celestial Dragons could only be more perverted and cruel than this!
They don't see others as equals at all, and they don't feel any guilt or sympathy. Would you feel any extra emotion if you stepped on an ant? You'd just feel indifferent, right?
The Celestial Dragons treat their fellow human beings with this mentality: they only think about playing with and having fun with them, discarding or killing them when they get tired of them, and then replacing them with another interesting toy. This is also the original intention of him to form the Revolutionary Army to overthrow the Celestial Dragons, because the Celestial Dragons despise life, act recklessly, and exploit the whole world!
Even if you cover up the hoof prints on your back with scars, that humiliating memory will still accompany you for the rest of your life, until you become completely numb or become one of the Celestial Dragons!
Tell this memory to your enemies as a joke, or perhaps bury it in your grave for fear of being discovered! I know you still hate the Celestial Dragons, but not as intensely as you did at the beginning.
Because you realize that revenge is hopeless. Even with your current strength and wealth, you still can't do anything. As time goes by and the Celestial Dragons' power grows stronger, the hatred in your heart will gradually weaken, and you might even forget your beloved Stella. Am I right?"
Before Tesoro could speak, Vic continued, saying this on purpose to incite Tesoro's deep-seated hatred for the Celestial Dragons.
In the original work, when Tesoro confronted the Straw Hat Pirates, how much hatred did he still harbor towards the Celestial Dragons? Vic felt a sense of déjà vu, as if the dragon slayer had become the Arlong himself. At that time, Tesoro, except for not having the identity of Celestial Dragons, was no different from Celestial Dragons.
Money and lust for power completely corrupted his heart, allowing him to enjoy the same treatment as the Celestial Dragons. At that point, could he still fully recall Stella?
So time is truly a terrifying thing; it can heal all wounds and make you forget all the unforgettable people and events! That's why Vic wants Tesoro to recall everything from the past, to bring him back to his original state of mind, so that he can become a staunch anti-dragon faction. Of course, the dragons here are not Dragon, but the Celestial Dragons, all the Celestial Dragons!
"No! I won't! I haven't forgotten Stella! I haven't forgotten what happened to her and the hatred I felt! I will never forget!"
Tesoro was very excited and retorted loudly because he found that what Vic said was true. The deep-seated hatred he once had had faded a lot. Back then, he wished he could tear those Celestial Dragons to pieces and swallow their flesh and blood whole!
But now he no longer thinks that way. He even feels that using money to intimidate the Celestial Dragons is a good way to get revenge. Does he feel that kind of revenge is a pipe dream? Is he so overwhelmed by the immense power of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government that he can't muster the will to resist?
Tesoro was filled with fear and panic. He was afraid that he would really forget the humiliation and hatred Stella suffered, just as the mysterious man had said, and forget the insults and torture he had endured as a prop in Mary Geoise. That was something he couldn't accept right now. He even put aside how Vic knew about his past and vehemently refuted it, his emotions completely stirred up.