Diamante’s longsword twisted like a snake under the influence of his ability. Once a Devil Fruit is eaten, it could no longer be switched. Even if one kills the user, no one knows where the fruit will respawn.
However, killing the Devil Fruit user gives them a chance to find the fruit again, though Diamante had no idea who had eaten it.
Tesoro was the first to be ruled out. His Zoan-type transformation was too obvious; Tesoro couldn’t be the Devil Fruit user. Next was Baccarat; Diamante believed the user must have the Barrier Barrier Fruit.
Although there were still many people left, it did not affect his decision. He decided to eliminate everyone present. By killing everyone associated with him, the fruit would naturally respawn.
But, the real answer had been ruled out from the start. The one who had eaten the Gol-Gol Fruit was Tesoro; he had eaten it the moment he got it in his possession.
This was also the optimal approach for most Devil Fruit buyers unless the fruit was intended for someone else. Eating it immediately was the best defense against theft.
However, having just consumed the Gol-Gol Fruit, Tesoro doesn’t have the opportunity to demonstrate its abilities. While gold is a natural mineral, the Gol-Gol Fruit couldn’t create gold; it could only control it.
Gol-Gol Fruit is a rather unique Paramecia-type fruit. It allows the user’s body to transform into a special form of gold, but they cannot become gold element to dodge attacks.
At the same time, the Devil Fruit user can control gold that they have touched, manipulating it to stretch and deform. They can also use gold dust or gold to temporarily assimilate objects they touch into gold. However, they cannot create gold out of thin air.
Without enough gold, the Gol-Gol Fruit was completely useless, merely turning the user into an ordinary person who has eaten Human-Human Fruit Model: Ordinary and with the inability to swim.
The fruit’s development required wealth, which was no challenge for the current Tesoro. In the Beasts Fruits development plan, his entertainment ship would set sail in two years, becoming the largest known entertainment ship on the sea.
Unless absolutely necessary, Tesoro didn’t want to reveal his true identity in the Underworld, which is why he wore a mask when he came here.
Although the mask had fallen after the transformation, his Kamen Rider like face is unrecognizable to anyone except Stella and those familiar with his Ability Form.
“Tanaka, take care of Baccarat.”
Saying that, Tesoro crossed his arms, using the stingers on his arms to block the soft sword’s thrust from Diamante. He then leapt into the air and began to spin, using the momentum of his spin to wrap his stingers around Diamante’s soft sword.
Diamante tried to free himself, but he found that he could not pull his sword out. The moment Tesoro began to spin, the stingers on his arms had pierced Diamante’s soft sword.
“How is this possible?!”
Although his sword was as soft as a ribbon, it was the result of his Devil Fruit ability; the essence of the blade was still metal.
It wasn’t a Famous Sword nor it was a Black Sword imbued with Haki, but it was a rare sharp sword. Surprisingly, his Zoan-type body managed to pierce through his weapon.
“Don’t be so surprised. What happened to your courage from earlier? Do you know that I’m going to be scolded for ruining my clothes?”
This damage was from their battle just now. Diamante’s attacks, thanks to the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, had strong randomness. Despite his insect-like compound eyes giving him sharp dynamic vision, they had torn a big hole in his clothes.
Stella is easygoing, but she becomes very irritable if he carries out risky operations. Because she had experienced despair, she cherishes the hard-earned things even more. However, in order to make a better future for himself and Stella, he inevitably has to take some dangerous actions.
The two stingers were wielded by Tesoro like swords, and the force behind each swing grew stronger.
The initial spin was Swords Dance, and now the swings were Fury Cutter.
During the spin, incorporating Swords Dance not only boosted attack power but also allowed Tesoro to use the energy generated from Swords Dance for defense, while Fury Cutter was a special move that increases in power with each strike.
Diamante didn’t know that he couldn’t face Fury Cutter head-on; he needed to dodge. Avoiding it once would nullify Tesoro’s accumulated power, but he didn’t know this. Every defense of his turned into an opportunity for Tesoro to gather strength.
Under Tesoro’s relentless assault, Diamante’s cloak was torn open, revealing a gaping hole, while the stinger gleaming with black light was just centimeters away from his head.
The black light wasn’t venom but Haki. In fact, training in Armament Haki isn’t excessively difficult; it requires some talent and physical fitness. With someone willing to teach and after enduring a beating for a while, one can grasp it. [TN: It refers to the basic level of physical strength and endurance that is necessary to learn Armament Haki.]
Tesoro’s systematic education naturally included training in Haki. However, without a suitable teacher, one can only rely on figuring things out on their own during life-or-death battles.
At this moment, Diamante looked at the stinger with cold sweat dripping down his head. His cloak wasn’t ordinary fabric; it was a shield made of metal softened by his ability and draped behind him. He hadn’t expected it to be pierced like this.
Tesoro’s stinger hadn’t pierced Diamante’s head; it wasn’t because Tesoro had held back but because several threads had entangled around Tesoro’s stinger, halting his next move. Then, the ground beneath Diamante’s feet rippled as Pica’s ability manifested, and a giant rocky hand carried him away from the scene.
Other officers of the Donquixote Family had arrived, including Doflamingo, but Doflamingo did not show any signs of anger; instead, he wore a smile on his face.
“Fuffu… Mr. Tesoro, it’s just a small misunderstanding. There’s no need to be so upset.”
He didn’t recognize Tesoro, but he recognized Tanaka and Baccarat, who hadn’t concealed their faces. Ordinary people wouldn’t recognize them. However, those with information channels could recognize them, and Doflamingo was one of them.
He has access to channels unavailable to ordinary people, and after entering the New World, he memorized the faces of many individuals.
As the one leading Beasts Pirates’ front organization, Tesoro naturally received special attention. He had gathered this information from some photos in newspapers. Anyone who was being accompanied by both Baccarat and Tanaka at the same time was almost certainly Tesoro.
He has a precise understanding of his role: a middleman operating within the gray area. To excel as a middleman in the Underworld, one must know whom not to offend.
And without a doubt, the last person he wants to offend right now is Kaido. He was originally furious when he received the news that there was an issue with Gol-Gol Fruit, but after confirming the identity of the target, he immediately suppressed the dissatisfaction.
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