"I...lost..." Tesoro murmured, his eyes fixed on the blue sky. He lay on the ground, a defeated figure, even though Law’s rapid treatment had fully healed his injuries, including the arm Rhodes had injured with his Haki fist.
Rhodes felt stronger, gaining a deeper understanding of Hegemony and Haki fist through the intense battle. He now believed he could use Haki fist multiple times without strain, making it a regular move.
Rhodes retrieved his damaged Huazhou and sheathed it, a memento of the hard-fought battle. He looked at Tesoro, still lying like a "salted fish," his eyes lifeless. Could he have become autistic from the beating, like Moonlight Moriah after his encounter with Kaido? Rhodes had intended for Tesoro to be his long-term source of income, and this mental state was problematic.
Tesoro, meanwhile, was lost in his thoughts. Even with immense wealth, he couldn’t control his destiny. His mind drifted to Stella, his eternal white moonlight and pain. If I die, will I see you in heaven, Stella? No, Stella should be in heaven. People like me will probably go to hell. But it’s okay, hell must contain those so-called "Gods" – the Celestial Dragons!
"Give up?" Rhodes’s voice cut through Tesoro’s despair. "Are you going to die with regrets? If that’s the case, even if you die, you won’t be able to face yourself." Rhodes’s words struck Tesoro like a knife, igniting a glimmer of light in his empty eyes.
"Regret?" Tesoro muttered, his expression gradually twisting into a ferocious snarl as buried memories resurfaced: the gentle Stella, dragged away by the Celestial Dragon, the slave trader who sold her, the indelible mark. "How can I not have regrets! I haven’t brought those guys down yet!"
Rhodes clapped his hands, a satisfied smile on his face. "Good! Very energetic! It seems that you don’t plan to commit suicide. Then, we can talk about our business next!"
The Business Proposition
Rhodes pulled out a beating heart, contained by Law’s unique power. He squeezed it slightly, observing the flicker of fear in Tesoro’s eyes, then released it. "As you can see, this is your heart! You don’t get to see your own heart very often."
The Ope-Ope Fruit! Tesoro immediately understood. "Tell me, what do you want from me?" Having been reawakened to his desire for survival and revenge, Tesoro calmly assessed the situation. He knew pirates weren’t benevolent. Since they hadn’t killed him, they wanted something else. And with his heart as leverage, they controlled his life. Is that why he tried to rekindle my will to live? A living me is indeed more useful than a dead one. The most appealing thing about me is...
"Of course it’s money!" Rhodes’s eyes gleamed. "I want 5 billion Baileys!"
"Five billion Baileys?" Tesoro was slightly stunned. He had expected Rhodes, with his absolute control, to demand something far greater. He had already decided to agree to any condition to achieve his goal.It should be less!
Rhodes immediately caught on to Tesoro’s reaction. So rich! He truly deserved the title of Golden Emperor! Even the Four Emperors’ bounties were less than 5 billion, yet this number didn’t faze him. He, Rhodes, still had much to learn.
"Each year!" Rhodes added. "5 billion Baileys a year!"
"Is that all?" Tesoro looked at Rhodes. If the other party controlled his heart, the demands couldn’t be a one-time deal. If it were him, he would squeeze every last drop of value. Compared to that, 5 billion Baileys a year was negligible. The money he spent on his operations alone was more.
Rhodes felt a pang of jealousy. So rich! You make me look stupid!
"Can I ask, what is your goal?" Tesoro suddenly asked, skipping over the money.
"Target?" Rhodes was still calculating.
It’s still less! Tesoro is truly loaded!
"Become the hegemon in this world."
"You’re not going to become the Pirate King? I’ve seen too many pirates like you who all dream of becoming the next Pirate King."
"Even if he was the Pirate King, he was still executed." Rhodes shook his head. "I want to be the greatest hegemon in this world!"
The greatest hegemony? Tesoro’s mind raced. In this ocean, it wasn’t the Marine Headquarters, the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, or even the kings of the underworld. It was the World Government, specifically the so-called "Gods" residing high above Mariejois—the Celestial Dragons!
Want to become the greatest hegemon? So, first of all, we must pull down the person who originally occupied this position!
A smile slowly spread across Tesoro’s face. The battle with Rhodes had truly awakened him. Even with all his wealth and influence over the World Government, it was all built on sand without corresponding power. But he couldn’t take on the World Government alone.
In that case. "To be the biggest."
"Let me help you achieve new hegemony in this world!"
|======|
After his resounding defeat, Tesoro falls into a state of despair, believing himself a failure. Rhodes, however, having recovered from his battle with Ba Quan and gained deeper insight into his abilities, uses carefully chosen words to reignite Tesoro’s buried desire for revenge against the Celestial Dragons and his will to survive. With Tesoro’s spirit rekindled, Rhodes reveals his true proposition: not just a one-time demand for money, but 5 billion Baileys annually, secured by Law holding Tesoro’s heart.
Tesoro, surprisingly unfazed by the amount, asks Rhodes about his ultimate goal. Rhodes reveals his ambition to become the "greatest hegemon in this world," implying a direct challenge to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Recognizing that his wealth is meaningless without true power to protect it, Tesoro, seeing a shared enemy and a path to vengeance, agrees to help Rhodes achieve his new hegemony.