Pluton, having left Whole Cake Island, sails quietly under the starlight. The Heart of the Ark beats steadily, Whispers of All Spirits whisper tales of the past. However, an extremely lavish, mandatory broadcast, covering almost all common communication frequencies, shatters this tranquility.
A dazzling display of images pops up on the virtual screen: gold coins cascade like a waterfall, and revelers indulge in debauchery in an ultra-luxurious city. A seductive voice rings out. "Forget the wounds of war and the desolation of the universe! Embrace ultimate enjoyment and the miracle of overnight riches! Welcome to ' Golden Heart' —a mobile, dreamlike casino city! A neutral paradise, absolutely safe, with endless possibilities! Distinguished guests, Lady Luck is smiling upon you!"
In the corner of the advertisement, a tiny World Government logo is faintly visible.
" The Golden Heart? The territory of ' Gild Tesoro ' Gild Tesoro?" Sabo frowned, his Omniscient Domain rapidly searching for information. "Incredibly wealthy, capable of influencing the World Government with money. And yet, so high-profile..."
"Absolutely safe?" Ace scoffed. "That sounds like the biggest flaw."
Luffy stared at the feast scene flashing across the screen. "Meat! It looks so delicious! That glittering golden place looks like fun!"
Allen's Time Perception extended, and he immediately frowned. "The flow of time there... is boiling with twisted desire. Beneath the pleasure lies a bottomless vortex of greed. There are traces of it being meticulously woven and manipulated."
" Imu's order craves control over everything, and greed is the easiest desire to sway," Robin mused. "This ' Golden Heart ' is likely bait, intended to use extravagance to undermine our will, or even... capture us."
At this moment, an encrypted message from a Revolutionary Army intelligence agent arrived. "Confirmed that ' Golden Heart ' has been in secret contact with Imu's 'treasurer.' Tesoro has received a huge 'sponsorship' to build an 'irresistible trap.' His Gold-Gold Fruit ability may be maximized under certain circumstances; be extremely careful."
"As expected." Sabo looked at the group. "Detour?"
"Go around him?" Luffy puffed out his cheeks. "That guy uses delicious food and toys as traps, he's too cunning! I'm going to beat him to a pulp!"
Allen spoke up, " Imu seeks to exploit greed, but extreme greed is itself an unstable force. If Tesoro believes he can control everything, this may become his weakness. We might use this opportunity to shatter the illusion of money and let the universe see the other side of Imu's 'order'."
Pluton trembled slightly, and the ark's whispers seemed to contain an ancient warning about "wealth".
"It's decided," Sabo declared. "Let's venture into this den of thieves. Everyone must be on high alert. Our objective is to uncover the truth and thwart Imu's plot, not to indulge in pleasure."
Pluton sailed toward the star field shrouded in golden light.
The " Golden Heart " is like a man-made golden planet, its luxury Transcendence imagination. Its gravitational field pulls in countless luxury ships, and its invisible force field tries to arouse the greed in the hearts of the guests. Luffy's desire for the banquet, Ace's pursuit of power, Sabo's thoughts of knowledge, Allen's yearning for the power of time are all amplified. Only the Pluton Mark flickers Echo, helping everyone guard their hearts.
After Docking, Tesoro's subordinates—the "Golden Receptionists," whose professional smiles masked their cold eyes—guided participants into a gamble, implying that paying a "small price" (information, blood samples, or even soul fragments) could be exchanged for "unparalleled luck." Luffy charged straight for the food area, Ace and Sabo kept watch, and Eren sensed that the entire city was filled with faint gold dust, forming a vast domain; Tesoro's abilities were omnipresent.
Tesoro finally appeared on the enormous golden stage, looking down like a god, arms outstretched and laughing wildly, "Welcome to my kingdom! Here, money is power, money is everything! It can even buy the favor of 'gods'! Come, wager everything and exchange it for endless wealth!" With a wave of his hand, a golden wave surged up, threatening to engulf the allied forces.
" Gum-Gum-- " Luffy was about to strike when Sabo stopped him. "He wants to make us addicted to gambling and lose our greed. We cannot follow his rules."
Allen's silver eyes locked onto Tesoro: "You weave illusions with money, enslaving others. Have you ever considered that you yourself are nothing more than a pawn bound by money, used as bait under the Imu order? Can your 'infinite wealth' truly buy freedom?"
Tesoro suddenly turned ferocious, these words piercing his deepest scar—his past as a slave. "Shut up! Money is freedom! Imu Im granted me power, and with it I conquer all things! Including you!" He roared, and the golden city trembled with his rage, as even more golden pythons rose from the ground!
Battle erupts! Tesoro's abilities are nearly limitless here:
Luffy's rubber body is covered in gold, making him heavy and stiff;
• Ace's flames were absorbed by the gold reflection, making them difficult to burn effectively;
Sabo's tactics were disrupted by the changing golden terrain;
Allen's Power of Time was disrupted by the golden realm, which symbolized "eternal desire".
"In vain! Here, I am God!" Tesoro laughed wildly.
However, the allied forces were prepared. " Pluton! The Heart of the Ark resonates!" Sabo issued the order.
Outside the Pluton ship, all the natural patterns of civilizations shone brightly! This was not offensive energy, but " the Radiance of the Clear Mind "—a spiritual fluctuation containing the rise and fall of countless civilizations and a warning against the harm of greed!
The moonlight pierced through the golden barrier, enveloping the allied forces.
The illusion of roasted meat vanished in Luffy's eyes, leaving only his determination to defeat the villains;
Ace's power yearned for peace, and his flames returned to purity;
Sabo returns to clarity;
Allen's Time Perception has become even clearer.
The moonlight also reveals the numb and painful true inner world of those enslaved by gold, creating a cruel contrast with their outward luxury.
"How could this be?!" Tesoro felt his power being countered, and his golden domain trembled.
"Your money can't buy people's hearts, much less true power!" Luffy roared, his Armament Haki swirling around him, and his Gold Shattering Binding Technique unleashed!
" The Flame of World Purification will burn away all falsehood!" Ace's fire broke through the golden seal and rushed straight at Tesoro!
Sabo's Omniscient Domain allows him to see through the patterns of gold flow and direct the attack. Allen's Time Acceleration makes his teammates' attacks even faster and more deadly!
Tesoro suffered repeated defeats, and his strongest weapon—manipulating people's hearts with greed—became much less effective under Pluton.
The allied forces did not intend to kill. Sabo's Omniscient Domain, combined with the knowledge of Totto Land absorbed by Pluton, the memories of Emerald Star and numerous civilizations, in the instant Tesoro's mind was shaken by the backlash from his domain, sent carefully selected fragments of emotional memories directly into his mind through the gaps in the golden domain:
1. The "Imperfect" Warmth of the Totto Land: After Linlin recovers, her children surround her. Their love and acceptance, though noisy, are so similar to Stella's last smile in Tesoro's memory, yet even more perfect.
2. The Protection and Sacrifice of the Emerald Star: The Guardian Spirit Tribe of the Mother Tree and the Spark of civilization, are willing to sacrifice everything, even turning into energy to merge into the Ark. That spiritual power that Transcendence the material world strongly impacts Tesoro's monetary values.
3. The lament of civilizations trampled by Imu's "order": In Pluton' whispers, countless civilizations destroyed and formatted by Imu accuse each other of blood and tears, emphasizing that they did not die because of "lack of money," but because they refused to be "unified" and "perfected." This forms a distorted contrast with Tesoro's traumatic memory of losing everything because of "lack of money."
4. Allen's Whisper of Time: Allen focused his mind and transmitted a glimmer of understanding through the ripples of time, "You yearn to buy back the past with money, to buy back Stella. But true redemption is not possession, but protecting the 'beauty' and 'freedom' she represents, preventing her tragedy from repeating itself. Imu's 'power' that you've been given will ultimately make you an accomplice in the killing of more ' Stella '."
"Ughhhhhh--!" Tesoro screamed, clutching his head, not from physical pain, but from the violent collapse of his strong inner barrier of money worship. Those repressed warm memories of Stella, the humiliation of being enslaved, the excruciating pain of losing his lover, and the empathy he felt from witnessing the tragedies of other civilizations, all crashed down on him like a flood.
" Stella... she never wanted me to become like this... the happiness she spoke of... is not something built with money..." he murmured, the madness fading from his eyes, revealing a deep-seated vulnerability and pain. " Imu... he promised me unparalleled power... promised me to be above everyone else... even to humiliate the Celestial Dragons... but what he wanted... was to erase all color... to turn everything into cold 'numbers' and 'resources'... including me and my Gold City..."
He saw that, in Imu's blueprint, his Gild Tesoro would ultimately be nothing more than a "rich mine" that could be recycled at any time.
Tesoro's golden armor slowly faded, revealing a renewed clarity and resolve in his eyes. He looked at the allied forces, his voice hoarse yet firm. "You... have proven how terribly wrong I was. Money cannot buy back what's lost, nor can it buy true respect and freedom."
He suddenly raised his hand, not to attack, but to control the entire golden city! The enormous golden structure began to deform and combine, eventually coalescing in the city center into a colossal golden statue of Stella, not for combat, with a gentle face and hopeful eyes.
"This city is a prison I built with blood, tears, and twisted desires. Now..." Tesoro took a deep breath, "I, Gild Tesoro, swear in the name of 'Gold' to join your alliance! My wealth, my power, my heart that once worshipped only money, will be used to fight against Imu's 'Absolute Order,' to protect this world's damned, chaotic diversity! This is not a deal, this is... atonement, and this is what Stella would expect me to do."
He waved to release all the guests from his control and then revealed some of the evidence of Imu's collusion with him.
The Allied Forces accepted Tesoro's joining. The hull of the Pluton shimmered, and a new pattern, interwoven with golden veins, emerald branches, and coral patterns, slowly emerged, symbolizing the conversion and transformation of the power of "gold".
Leaving the " Golden Heart," which had begun its self-reconstruction, Pluton carries new power and responsibility. Tesoro stands on the bridge, looking back at the receding golden city, and whispers, "From today onward, my performance will no longer be called 'Gold Stella Show,' but... 'Free Stella Show.'"
Luffy patted his leg (too tall to reach his shoulder): "I don't quite understand, but you look much better now! Let's have a party!"
Sabo smiled, "Welcome, Tesoro. Your power will be a shield of protection, not enslavement."
Allen nodded. "Time will tell."
As Pluton sailed into the deep galaxy, the whispers of the Heart of the Ark grew richer, adding a tale of redemption and transformation. Their next target was the very core of the Imu Order—the source that sought to bring all things under absolute control.