Chenos snapped his head up and looked at the man who had spoken.
The moment their eyes met, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him—like he'd seen this person somewhere before.
"You are…?"
"My name is Gild Tesoro," the man said quietly. "I've been imprisoned here for three years. And I know how to leave this hell."
Gild Tesoro.
Chenos's pupils shrank slightly.
Of course he knew that name.
This was the man who would one day be known as the Golden Emperor—the future wealthiest man in the world, the owner of the Gold-Gold Fruit, the man who would control nearly twenty percent of all Beli in circulation, amassing a fortune of five hundred billion Beli.
That was the equivalent of one hundred Whitebeards.
Only now did Chenos fully recall it—Tesoro, too, had once been a slave of the Celestial Dragons, and he would later escape during Fisher Tiger's liberation of Mary Geoise.
If he could pull Tesoro in now, while the man was still at his lowest—
Then in the future, Tesoro wouldn't just be an inexhaustible source of funds.
He'd be a terrifyingly powerful subordinate.
After all, in the film, Tesoro had stood as a final-boss-level existence. If not for Luffy's absurd protagonist luck, even an awakened Tesoro would have been nearly impossible to defeat.
Chenos's eyes lit up.
He had already decided: Tesoro was not someone he would let slip away.
"If you know how to escape," Chenos asked calmly, "then why are you still here?"
Tesoro lowered his head.
"…Because I'm not strong enough. I know the method, but I don't have the strength to carry it out."
"I tried approaching the Fish-Men once. I wanted to escape with them. But before I even got close, I was beaten back…"
Chenos smiled faintly.
"So that's why you came to me—because I can approach them."
Tesoro didn't deny it. He nodded honestly.
But Chenos pressed on.
"You just said it yourself—you're weak. So tell me, why should I take you with us?"
Tesoro answered without hesitation, his voice steady.
"Because the escape method is my bargaining chip. If you want to leave Mary Geoise, you must know what I know. I'm the only one here who's discovered it."
Chenos raised an eyebrow, amused.
"And you're not afraid I'll just torture the answer out of you?"
Tesoro slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were filled with hatred—and regret.
"My heart is already dead. You can torture me until I die, and I wouldn't care."
"If not for the hatred keeping me alive, I would've killed myself long ago."
"So please… I have a reason I must leave this place."
Chenos studied him for a moment.
"You want revenge on the Celestial Dragons?"
"Yes," Tesoro said without hesitation. "I want to become the richest man in the world. I want to use money to trample the Celestial Dragons under my feet."
Chenos burst out laughing.
Then, with a chilling calm, he said,
"Our goals are similar. I plan to kill the Celestial Dragons."
"Our methods differ, but the destination is the same."
"How about this—you become my crew member. Fight the Celestial Dragons with me."
"I'll take you out of this hell."
"Deal."
Tesoro agreed instantly.
He knew better than anyone that escaping on his own was impossible.
Chenos was strong.
Chenos could approach the Fish-Men.
Chenos represented hope—his only chance.
If escaping meant selling his soul, he'd do it without hesitation.
And even if he did make it out, he'd still need a powerful backer in the outside world.
Chenos was the perfect choice.
"Can you trust me?" Chenos asked.
Tesoro knew what that meant.
He hesitated briefly—then chose to gamble.
Without Chenos, he'd never reach the Fish-Men. Without them, he'd never escape. He had no other path.
"There's a massive sewer outlet connected to the bathhouse," Tesoro said in a low voice. "It leads directly outside Mary Geoise."
"I verified it from the cliff-side discharge point. I released objects into the water and confirmed they flowed out from there."
"I've also entered the sewer itself. It's over three meters wide—wide enough for a Fish-Man to pass through easily."
"But the water flow is violent. A straight vertical plunge."
"With my strength… no. With the strength of anyone in Mary Geoise—only Fish-Men who can breathe underwater and possess overwhelming physical power could survive it."
"Among them, only one qualifies."
"…That Fish-Man named Fisher."
Chenos fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"We bathe once every three days. Yesterday was bath day—so we'll have to wait two more."
"When the time comes, wait for us at the bathhouse entrance. We'll take Fisher to inspect the sewer."
"If there's even a chance of escape, he won't refuse."
"Understood."
"Where are you held?" Chenos asked. "If we escape, how do I find you?"
"Sector E. Cell 125."
Chenos finished his meal and stood up.
"Come on. Let's talk to Fisher."
The two returned to Fisher Tiger and explained the escape route. After a brief discussion, they agreed to meet again in two days to verify the plan.
Then they parted ways, each returning to prepare.
Everything was proceeding more smoothly than Chenos had dared to hope.
He hummed softly as he walked back toward the cages.
But his good mood didn't last long.
The Celestial Dragons had summoned the slaves again.
Another "game."
Chenos narrowed his eyes.
This time, that Celestial Dragon whose slave he'd defeated might come looking for trouble again.
Still—he wasn't particularly afraid.
With Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and his Devil Fruit ability, he was confident he could survive any slave battle.
The only thing that concerned him was this—
The Celestial Dragons were absurdly rich.
They might feed slaves new Devil Fruits just for entertainment.
And Devil Fruit abilities were unpredictable.
If he ran into a situation like Luffy hard-countering Enel…
Then things could get troublesome.
Caution was still necessary.
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