“This is not the place to talk, Mr. Tesoro. Let’s continue our discussion in the reception room.”
“Young Master, they…”
Watching Doflamingo’s actions, Diamante failed to realize the significance of the name Tesoro for a moment, but seeing Doflamingo’s signal, he chose to remain silent.
“You seem to know quite a bit.”
Tesoro did not remove his disguise, but his response tacitly confirmed his identity.
“Although this place may be small, there are many people around. You were rather careless, Mr. Tesoro. These two are your subordinates who often accompany you, right?”
With the conversation reaching this point, Tesoro naturally understood how his identity was exposed. However, while Doflamingo knew him, Tesoro wasn’t familiar with Doflamingo.
The current Doflamingo had only made a slight name for himself in the first half, and was not the member of the Shichibukai yet. Both his bounty and business acumen were not worth Tesoro’s attention.
Tesoro’s influence on the world economy far surpassed that of Doflamingo, whether it is in the Underworld industry or legitimate business.
Even though he had investigated the situation here before coming, it was merely a glance at the name.
However, Tesoro did not refuse Doflamingo’s invitation. Reading between the lines is an essential skill for a businessman, but from Doflamingo’s expression, he couldn’t discern anything, indicating he wasn’t a simple character.
Shortly after arriving at the reception room, Monet arrived with several boxes.
“Mr. Tesoro, this is the money you paid during your bidding for the Devil Fruit. There was a slight misunderstanding between us, so consider that fruit as a token of apology.”
As Tesoro looked at the money box Doflamingo pushed over, he furrowed his brow slightly.
“What do you want?”
“Fuffuffuffu, you are indeed a clever person. Let’s get straight to the point then. This fruit is a token of apology. Diamante is a valued member of my family, and I don’t want this incident to affect our cooperation.”
“Cooperation? When did we cooperate?”
“There may not be much right now, but there can be in the future. Mr. Tesoro, I want Beasts Pirates’ exclusive operating rights of Underworld in this region. If you entrust this authority to me, I guarantee that I will double the profits of the Beasts Pirates within a year.”
“There are already people handling these businesses.”
“Then make them disappear. Once these people are gone, won’t the market here be empty?”
Doflamingo directly stated what he wanted to do, to clear out the other middlemen, so that he would be the only one here.
“Interesting. You can try, and if you succeed, I can consider giving it to you. But if you can’t deliver the profits you speak of, you won’t be able to handle the Beasts Pirates’ wrath.”
Business is always a gamble, and the Underworld is no different. Their established dealers are in the New World, and they are not overly concerned about the first half of Paradise. If Doflamingo can achieve this, giving it to him is not out of the question.
As Tesoro said, in this unequal gamble, Tesoro was betting on profits while Doflamingo was gambling with his life and future. Talking big at this moment is useless. In Tesoro’s view, Doflamingo’s claim of doubling profits is like a military pledge.
If he couldn’t deliver, he would pay the price for lying.
“You have two months. You can call once within these two months, and after that, the offer is off the table.”
Tesoro left a business card, making his intentions clear. If he could truly organize such a large area within two months, he would hand it over to him. Dealing with just one person for deliveries could also save a lot of hassle.
Destroying something and occupying something isn’t the same; if he can truly achieve this, it shows he has the capability.
“Tanaka, let’s go.”
Saying that, he picked up the money and left. He had no qualms about taking the money and leaving; in the Underworld, it was simply a matter of buying one’s life. Diamante’s act of double-crossing was taboo no matter where you are. Even if he got killed, there would be nothing to say.
Originally, they were going to sell the Gol-Gol Fruit, but now they’ve ended up giving it away for free.
“Doffy…”
After Tesoro and the others left, Diamante also felt that he had made a mistake, but Doflamingo did not hold him accountable.
“It’s alright, Diamante. Although we’ve suffered a loss, this is an opportunity. Let’s go, it’s time to get to work. We don’t have the luxury of making mistakes this time; our success or failure hinges on this.”
If caught by the Marines, due to his identity, at most, he would be arrested. But when it came to this point, he dared not break the promise with Kaido.
…
On the other side, Tesoro immediately left the island.
“Mr. Tesoro, are you really going to hand over all the business here to that person?”
Baccarat also played a role akin to a secretary, learning many things bit by bit. Sometimes she couldn’t understand Tesoro’s decisions.
“If he has the ability, then of course he can. That guy is not a simple character; at least his patience is commendable.”
Despite nearly killing his subordinate, the other party still greeted him with a smile, not only returning the money but also offering the Devil Fruit with a smile, solely to secure the qualification for cooperation. From this, Tesoro could tell that the other party had grand ambitions.
However, he liked ambitious partners. Such people could better develop certain things. As for whether his ambition would endanger him, with Kaido and Arceus backing him, he showed no fear.
“Baccarat, write a report for me to send back to Onigashima. Tanaka, change course; we still have things to do.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, Mr. Tesoro, leave it to me.”
Then the importance of Tesoro’s legitimate identity became apparent. Their destination was the West Blue. Since they were not wanted, they could pass through the Calm Belt directly and then traverse the Red Line to reach the West Blue.
Their purpose in going to the West Blue wasn’t for rare Devil Fruits or treasures but to recruit a new artist for the Beasts Fruits’ Film and Television Department. The leaders of the Beasts Fruits’ Film and Television Department were Stella and Tesoro.
However, over the years, their attitude towards this industry had changed. Previously, they only saw the glamor of this industry but didn’t see the hardships behind.
Their powerful backing had allowed them to avoid many troubles, but famous artists in this world all possess genuine skills, which come from diligent training. Relying solely on him and Stella was too much work.
Although Ann has decent talent, her lack of fame makes it difficult for her to share the workload pressure. Therefore, Tesoro planned to recruit someone with a certain level of influence, and to show sincerity, he even chose to go personally.
And that person was none other than the famous stage actress – Victoria Cindry.
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