Sabaody Archipelago, inside Kael Grylls's private villa.
Afternoon sunlight poured through the massive floor to ceiling windows, splashing bright patches across the polished floor. The air carried a faint scent of wine, mingled with the fragrance of the black tea Robin had just brewed.
Yet in the living room, the atmosphere had a strangely delicate tension, as if the air itself had thickened.
"Alright, get to know each other. Crocodile, Tesoro." Kael Grylls lounged lazily on the main sofa, flicking a finger toward the two seated men. "From today on, you're partners!"
It was said as lightly as a yawn, but Crocodile's back tightened instantly.
His gaze swept across everyone present.
At Kael's lower seat, the world's greatest swordsman, "Hawk Eyes" Dracule Mihawk, was calmly wiping his Supreme Grade blade, Yoru, with a white cloth.
It was as if nothing around him mattered, yet his mere existence felt like a peerless sword sheathed in human form, impossible to ignore.
Across from Mihawk, the "Nightmare" of the underworld, Gecko Moria, let out that signature shishishishi laugh as he appraised the two newcomers.
Standing at Kael's side was a man named Caron, dressed like a butler. His presence was steady and restrained. He looked like he wasn't much in a fight, but Crocodile didn't dare underestimate this "old retainer" for even a second.
Even the bandaged, glittering young man who had joined alongside him, Tesoro, carried a flow of power that was anything but trivial.
The cigar Crocodile usually kept between his lips had been tucked away into his pocket without him even noticing when.
The density of monsters in this room was insane.
Any one of them could stir a monstrous storm across the seas.
And now, they had all gathered here because of that "lazy fish" sprawled on the sofa.
Add in the shadow beneath the surface, the "Heavenly Yaksha," Donquixote Doflamingo…
Crocodile felt his throat go dry.
The Baroque Works he had built looked like a joke in front of this lineup.
Tesoro was observing too.
He adapted faster than Crocodile, because he had come prepared.
His gaze paused on Mihawk for a heartbeat, pure, absolute strength.
On Moria, he saw darkness and the uncanny.
On Caron, he saw order and management.
And the one binding all of it together was Kael Grylls.
This organization had the potential to overturn the world.
The fire of ambition inside Tesoro burned hotter than ever.
"Welcome, both of you." Caron spoke first. His steel jaw shifted faintly as he gave them a small nod, neither humble nor arrogant.
Moria bared his teeth. "Shishishishi, two more interesting freaks."
Mihawk simply lifted his eyes once, acknowledged them with a slight nod, and returned to polishing his black blade.
Robin came with a tray and poured black tea for Crocodile and Tesoro, offering a gentle smile as her welcome.
That eerie harmony only made Crocodile more uncomfortable.
He had expected a show of dominance, or at least an interrogation heavy with pressure.
Instead, it felt like two new coworkers had joined the office and everyone was just calmly saying hello.
Kael seemed to notice Crocodile's stiffness and sat up slightly.
"Little Sand, you look like someone just fished you out of Impel Down." He spoke casually. "You're not healed yet, are you? Caron, take him to rest. Put him in the villa on the west side."
Caron nodded. "Yes, Lord Kael."
Crocodile opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end it became a complicated sigh. He followed Caron out.
Seeing the independent residence not far from the main villa, just as luxurious, the last trace of pride he carried as a ruler of his own territory quietly evaporated.
Here, he really was just… a new employee who needed medical leave.
Back in the living room, the others dispersed as well.
Mihawk carried his sword toward the backyard dojo. Moria vanished into the shadows with a weird laugh. Robin sat down quietly with a book.
Soon, the huge living room held only Kael Grylls, Robin, and Tesoro, who remained to report.
"Tell me about Skypiea." Kael reclined again, shifting into an even more comfortable pose.
"Yes, Lord Kael."
Tesoro's body was wrapped in bandages in several places, but his spine was straight.
He began to report in detail, the entire mission from start to finish.
Their arrival in Skypiea. Contact with Gan Fall. How he exploited the information gap and secretly "helped" Enel accelerate his conquest of the Upper Yard, forcing Gan Fall to hand over control of Shandora.
"Enel's Rumble Rumble Fruit ability is powerful," Tesoro said evenly, his narration clean and structured, "but he is too arrogant, and his development of the fruit is still in a rising phase."
"I used gold's high conductivity to weaken his lightning to the greatest extent. During the battle, I scattered gold as fine particles into the air, letting him inhale it without realizing. Then, when he activated his strongest technique, Raigo, I controlled him from the inside."
He made it sound simple, but Kael understood exactly how much danger and calculation that took.
"Shishishishi… the brat really got played like a fiddle." A voice drifted from a nearby shadow. Half of Moria's body emerged. He clearly hadn't gone far and had been eavesdropping.
"I brought that so called 'god' here," Moria said. His shadow writhed, spitting out a bound figure wrapped tightly in Seastone chains.
It was Enel.
His mouth was stuffed with a rag. He was a wreck, humiliation and unwilling fury written all over his face. Those long earlobes drooped as he glared at Kael with murderous eyes.
"And this too." Tesoro snapped his fingers.
Outside the villa, an enormous shadow fell across the sky.
A massive ark, gleaming with golden radiance, floated silently in midair. Enel's ark.
So this was the prototype of Ark Maxim, Kael thought. If he counted the timing right, Doflamingo should be bringing the person soon. This crude looking ark would shine brilliantly in the future.
"The amount of gold in Shandora far exceeded expectations. With the ark's carrying capacity, we only brought back about one tenth. The rest, I've asked Gan Fall to have people guard it. We can transport it in a second run at any time," Tesoro added.
Kael looked at the ark in the courtyard, then at Enel struggling on the floor, and finally at Tesoro.
"You did very well, Tesoro."
He didn't hide his satisfaction, and Tesoro's spirit lifted at once.
"Better than I expected. You completed the mission and maximized the profits. Getting Gan Fall to hand over the gold willingly, that kind of leverage is far more valuable than brute strength."
"It was only possible because you guided me, Lord Kael." Tesoro bowed modestly.
"Alright, stop that." Kael waved him off. "Merit gets rewarded, mistakes get punished. That's my rule. Tell me, what do you want as your reward? Gold? That's your rightful loot. Power? Territory?"
Silence settled.
Robin's eyes lifted from her book to Tesoro. Moria, after dragging Enel away, popped his head out of the shadows again, watching with interest.
This was a test, and an opening.
Tesoro was silent for a moment. His wounds still ached faintly, the remnants of a death fight with Enel.
He raised his head. In his golden eyes there was no greed, only a burning light.
"Lord Kael," he said, voice steady and clear, "what I seek isn't a short term prize."
"I want to stand behind you and witness the birth of a new era. To take part in it, to add even a single brick to your empire… that itself is my greatest honor, and my greatest reward."
When the words fell, the living room went quiet.
Moria's grin faded. He stared at Tesoro for a long moment. In Robin's eyes, a hint of approval appeared.
This young man had potential.
He understood clearly that compared to the future Kael was plotting, any material reward was insignificant.
"Heh." Kael chuckled softly. He stood, walked up to Tesoro, and personally helped him straighten.
"Very good answer."
He patted Tesoro's shoulder. It wasn't heavy, but Tesoro felt warmth flood through his body.
"Then watch closely, Tesoro."
Kael turned, his gaze drifting out the window.
The sunlight was perfect. Giant bubbles above Sabaody refracted dazzling colors, and the world looked peaceful, almost serene.