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Hancock's pink-hued sword aura flashed through the air, the intersecting slashes instantly petrifying everything they touched.
Seeing this, Kalifa immediately retreated to Shin's side. If Hancock's aim slipped and one of those slashes hit her, it would be fatal. It was better to keep a safe distance.
If even a bystander like Kalifa was terrified, you could only imagine what Tesoro—the actual target—was going through. If he hadn't managed to block Hancock's sword aura with his Gold at the last second, he'd already be a stone statue by now.
"Is his Observation Haki that strong?" Hancock mused.
Tesoro's Observation Haki had to be impressive to allow him to block every single one of her attacks so precisely.
Tesoro was furious. He wanted to negotiate with Shin, but Hancock's relentless assault gave him no chance. From this, he knew—Shin Uzumaki had no intention of making peace. He wanted him dead.
Tesoro gathered the gold around him, covering his body and forming an incredibly tall golden giant.
"Since you all insist on dying, then I'll kill you!" Tesoro's confidence surged once more.
But he had to finish off all his opponents fast, because in his current condition, he couldn't keep this up much longer. He needed to end the fight as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he'd collapse from exhaustion.
Devil Fruit abilities all drained stamina to activate. If his energy ran out, he wouldn't be able to use his powers at all..
"You think turning into a giant will save you?"
Hancock sheathed her sword, completely unfazed by the giant before her. She took a step forward, a powerful aura emanating from her body—the aura of Conqueror's Haki.
Countless arrows rained down like a storm. Anything struck by an arrow was instantly petrified.
The petrification could be reversed, but only if Hancock was incapacitated. And right now, it was Tesoro who was on the verge of collapse. His stamina was nearly depleted, while Hancock was still going strong.
If he hadn't used the Golden Giant, Tesoro might have lasted a bit longer. But by using it, he not only exhausted his stamina but also turned himself into a massive target.
The entire Golden Giant had now become a colossal stone statue.
Hancock gripped Ame no Habakiri and unleashed a cross-shaped slash, shattering the statue—and Tesoro along with it.
If the petrified form wasn't broken, he might have survived after Hancock released the effect. But once shattered, there was no coming back.
"Shin, how did I do?" Hancock came to Shin's side, looking at him expectantly.
"Excellent. Absolutely perfect. I'm very happy,"
Shin praised her. He knew that all Hancock really wanted was his approval, and he wasn't about to be stingy with it.
Hearing Shin's praise, a smile bloomed on Hancock's lips.
"We've taken over the Golden City, but what are you going to do with it? Dealing with this massive thing will be a lot of trouble," Robin said to Shin.
"Let's leave that to the professionals." Shin took out a Den Den Mushi and contacted Doflamingo.
"Shin-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Doflamingo's cautious voice came through. He was more respectful to Shin than he probably was to the Five Elders. The reason was simple—Doflamingo knew Shin would actually kill him. Against the Five Elders, he at least had a few trump cards to keep them at bay.
"Come to Tesoro's Golden City."
After Shin finished, he hung up. He didn't need to say more to Doflamingo. As long as Doflamingo followed his orders, that was enough.
"Let's stay here for a few days. Clear out all the unnecessary people."
Shin gave this task to Kalifa, confident she could handle it.
Hearing Shin's command, Kalifa wasn't upset in the slightest. In fact, she was thrilled. This was a good thing for her. If he was entrusting her with tasks, didn't that mean Shin Uzumaki was starting to trust her more?
Kalifa was genuinely happy, but she had no idea that her real test was just around the corner. Her choice would determine her future. One wrong step, and she would fall into an abyss.
About three days later, Doflamingo arrived. Looking at the empty Golden City, he roughly guessed what had happened.
Though he had some business dealings with Tesoro, they also had a history—a very bad one. If it weren't for Tesoro's formidable strength, Doflamingo would never have let him go, especially after he stole the Gold-Gold Fruit, a Devil Fruit of immense value.
"Fufufufu! That bastard Tesoro is probably dead."
Doflamingo laughed out loud. Good riddance.
Soon after, Doflamingo met with Shin.
To his relief, the news he received wasn't bad for him.
His task was to handle the Golden City and Tesoro's remaining assets, and also to purchase some materials.
Doflamingo, of course, wouldn't refuse. He wouldn't dare. He immediately began dismantling the Golden City.
As the dismantling began, a strange expression appeared on Shin's face.
"So it was a façade."
The Golden City wasn't entirely made of gold. Only the outer layer was gold—the inside was still concrete. It was all just for show. After thinking about it, Shin wasn't surprised. It made sense.
After all, Tesoro hadn't reached his future level of wealth yet—he wasn't nearly that rich. Obviously, he couldn't construct an entire city out of gold. If he had, the amount of gold needed would've been absolutely staggering, far beyond even Tesoro's means.
His Gold-Gold Fruit couldn't create gold out of thin air.
"Shin, is it really a good idea to let Doflamingo handle this?" Olvia asked Shin.
"Of course he's not reliable. But Doflamingo knows better than to cross me, so relax." Shin had never fully trusted Doflamingo either.
He wasn't using Doflamingo out of trust—but because he was confident he could keep him in check. As long as he could keep him in line, Doflamingo would behave.
He was certain Doflamingo wouldn't have the balls to steal his money—otherwise, he'd find out the hard way what it meant to lose everything.
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