Enel actually loved gold because it was an excellent conductor, allowing him to transform freely into electricity and move through the gold.

That feeling was like swimming in it. For a Devil Fruit user, it was an incredible experience.

However, liking it was one thing. Enel knew he had to bid farewell to this gold. After all, Ian was his boss now. No matter how much he loved the sensation of swimming in gold, if he dared to claim it as his own, Ian would surely drag him out and beat him.

“Name your price,” Ian said to Tesoro. “How much will you pay for all this gold?”

Tesoro thought for a moment, then raised a finger adorned with a gold ring and said, “One billion Beli!”

“Too low!” Ian shook his head immediately. “The estimated value exceeds 10 billion, and you’re giving me the lowest figure?”

Tesoro chuckled and walked back to the sofa, sitting down again. He said, “But don’t forget, I’m the only one who can buy all this gold at once. So, I say how much.”

“That confident?” Ian set his wine glass on the table with a clink, then looked at Tesoro with a half-smile. “Are you sure that’s your final offer?”

“Uh…” Tesoro hesitated when he saw Ian’s expression.

Indeed, with Tesoro’s current status and the fact that it was his buyer’s market, he could name his price. He could offer even one billion Beli without any issue.

But the problem was, the target of such bargaining mattered…

Tesoro’s background was quite interesting. Born into poverty, his father was an avid gambler who lost everything and couldn’t afford treatment for his illness, ultimately dying from it. After leaving home, Tesoro turned to thievery and gambling but followed in his father’s footsteps, losing all his money and ending up sold into slavery.

In the traffickers’ den, he met a girl named Stella and fell in love with her. To buy her freedom, he worked hard, hoping to save enough money. However, fate played a cruel joke on him. Before he could save enough, Stella was bought by the Celestial Dragons and soon died from their torture.

Enraged, Tesoro rebelled against the Celestial Dragons but was subdued and enslaved again, taken to Mary Geoise to live a miserable life.

During his enslavement, his hatred for the Celestial Dragons grew daily, but he had no way to escape.

If things had continued like this, Tesoro might have died from the Celestial Dragons’ constant torment like other slaves. However, he was fortunate enough to encounter adventurer Fisher Tiger’s slave liberation event. Like Boa Hancock and her sisters, he escaped during the great fire.

After escaping, Tesoro’s mindset underwent a significant change. Witnessing the Celestial Dragons’ immense power and lavish lifestyle in Mary Geoise, Tesoro concluded that it was the power of money that elevated the Celestial Dragons above everyone else.

From that point on, Tesoro became obsessed with money. He wanted to become the richest person in the world to gain supreme power.

Looking at his current achievements, it’s clear he succeeded. Known as the “Golden Emperor,” he amassed immense wealth, which brought him enormous power. Everyone had to bow to his whims, and even his casino ship became an “absolute domain” that the Navy couldn’t interfere with.

The power of capital is indeed formidable, something no one can deny. But who knows how much Tesoro sacrificed in the process of accumulating his wealth?

For the sake of money, he completely forgot his own experiences as a slave, repeatedly trampling on others’ dignity and respect. Behind the glitz and glamour of the Golden City are countless individuals who, having lost their livelihoods, were forced to sell themselves into servitude, working for Tesoro. For money, he compromised again and again. Even the Celestial Dragons, whom he once despised, have now become honored guests in his casino, freely coming and going as they please.

Tesoro’s obsession with money has caused him to lose his original backbone. He knows very well that his Golden City stands unchallenged because he avoids provoking those who shouldn’t be provoked.

The Navy cannot be offended, so his casino often sees many high-ranking naval officers coming and going. Since these officers rarely lose money and have a great time, they love to visit.

The Celestial Dragons cannot be offended, so every year Tesoro offers a large sum of “Heavenly Tribute” to them to gain the recognition of the World Nobles and the World Government.

The Four Emperors cannot be offended either. Not just the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, but even the Red-Haired Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates receive annual tributes from Tesoro, ensuring that none of the Four Emperors would make a move against him.

The Shichibukai cannot be offended either, which is why Tesoro has always maintained a cooperative relationship with Doflamingo…

Upon closely examining Tesoro’s background, one can see that he is actually quite pitiable. Despite possessing considerable strength, being a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with an awakened ability, and having a home-field advantage, he only dares to target those he can afford to provoke.

If we were to gauge by bounty levels, he would be roughly at Ian’s level—1 billion Beli. Below that, he could act high and mighty in front of others, but above that, he would have to back down.

Of course, the network of connections and interests he has built with money is indeed vast and cannot be entirely dismissed. However, before coming here, Ian had already analyzed Tesoro based on his own memories. From the start, Ian’s assertive attitude was because he was confident that Tesoro wouldn’t dare to provoke him easily.

Tesoro’s mercantile nature is too strong; his time as a slave long ago eroded his backbone…

Honestly, after analyzing Tesoro’s character, Ian did feel somewhat tempted. He thought about whether he should really rob Tesoro. If he could get his hands on the 500 billion Beli fortune in Tesoro’s treasury, he would be set for life!

However, after thinking it over, Ian decided to put this plan on hold for now. Tesoro’s Golden City has too many entanglements; many people have vested interests with him. If he were to make a move, he would need to choose the right time.

Most importantly, Tesoro has some rather valuable intelligence resources. Ian figured he might be able to make use of him.

Also, he didn’t want to gain a reputation for causing explosions wherever he went. Ian went to Mariejois, and Mariejois blew up! Ian went to Impel Down, and Impel Down blew up! If Golden City also blew up, he’d definitely earn the nickname “Ian the Bomber”…

Sure enough, under Ian’s enigmatic gaze, Tesoro compromised once again, offering a price of 12 billion Beli.

This price was roughly the true value of the gold, as the Dragon Hunter Pirates had estimated. Tesoro was being quite honest, quoting the normal market price.

But Ian wasn’t satisfied. Rarely did he get such a chance to extort a wealthy figure like Tesoro. How could he pass it up? Tesoro gives away more than this to the Celestial Dragons as Heavenly Tribute, not to mention Ian was giving him gold.

“20 billion!” Ian raised his hand, making a V sign and waving it.

Not only did Tesoro jump in surprise, but even Reiju and Robin were shocked. Where did Ian get the nerve to ask for such an exorbitant price?

“That’s impossible!” Tesoro gritted his teeth. “I’m not an idiot!”

However, Ian continued to wave his fingers in a V sign slowly and said, “20 billion it is! I can assure you that I will turn a blind eye to any Celestial Dragon in your Golden City.”

Tesoro was immediately cornered!

The fact that Celestial Dragons frequently visited his Golden Casino was no secret. But who was Ian? He was the leader of the Dragon Hunter Pirates! He first gained fame by taking out Celestial Dragons in Mariejois! And half of his pirate crew consisted of former slaves of the Celestial Dragons. Who could guarantee that they wouldn’t do something drastic if they encountered Celestial Dragons?

If any World Noble were to die in his Golden City, he would definitely be in deep trouble!

“Fine… it’s a deal!” Tesoro finally agreed through gritted teeth. “But you’d better keep your word!”

Ian laughed, clearly pleased. Of course, he could keep his word! Because even if they did encounter Celestial Dragons, it wouldn’t be Ian avoiding them; it would be them avoiding Ian!

When he became a Shichibukai and returned to Mariejois, he had already proven this point. Among the Celestial Dragons, Ian was known as the “Flame Demon”…

In other words, this condition wasn’t really a condition at all; it was basically a freebie…

Law and Urouge were shocked, staring dumbfoundedly at Ian. They never expected Ian to actually sell the gold for an inflated price of 20 billion.

Tesoro clapped his hands, and with a popping sound, a strange-looking guy with a large head appeared from the ground. This fellow had a sinister grin on his face and was one of Tesoro’s trusted subordinates, the guard and butler Mr. Tanaka, a user of the Through-Through Fruit.

“Prepare 20 billion,” Tesoro said upon seeing Tanaka.

Tanaka was also startled by the amount. He glanced at Ian, only to find Ian looking at him with great interest, which sent a shiver down his spine. Bowing to Tesoro, he then popped through the floor and disappeared.

Before long, several burly men in black suits came in, carrying large wooden crates.

The crates were opened, revealing neatly stacked high-denomination Beli notes. Tesoro said, “Each crate holds 1 billion Berries. There are twenty crates here in total. Do you want to verify them?”

Ian waved his hand grandly, saying, “No need. We’ll be here for a while anyway. If there’s a problem, we’ll find you.”

Upon hearing this, Tesoro cursed inwardly once again…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read