Kong Tai was unaware of the immense pressure his presence brought to Tesoro.
They were currently in a restaurant.
A small waiter, wearing an apron and carrying a plate larger than himself, placed a steaming dish on the table.
"Guests, please enjoy your meal."
The young waiter, clearly experienced despite his small stature and the tender age of five or six, provided impeccable service.
Straightening up, the waiter clasped his tray and slowly exited the room, closing the door with a soft click.
"Alright, let's eat!"
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze from the waiter and said with a smile to his companions.
The interruption had momentarily ceased their laughter, but now it returned with full force.
"Haha!! You guys don't know, the way the gamblers at my table looked at me when I pushed all my chips forward changed entirely."
Aro, while eating, loudly recounted his exploits at the casino to the group.
He indeed had good luck, pocketing over 20 million of the more than 50 million Berries they had won.
Their group didn't care about money, so they could put their minds at ease and bet it all.
*Clang!*
Just then, the sound of breaking glass suddenly echoed from outside.
"No eyes, kid?"
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
"If 'sorry' were enough, what would be the point of us guards? Tell us, how do you plan to compensate us?"
The arrogant voices instantly silenced the room.
Kong Tai turned his head towards the direction of the door, his brow furrowed. With a thought,
*Swish!*
The door slid open to the right.
Outside, several burly men in guard uniforms glared ferociously at a small child who had fallen to the ground.
Between them lay a scattering of broken glass.
The young waiter clutched his tray tightly, bowing repeatedly to the guards.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, please forgive me!"
*Crunch—!*
A guard stepped forward, his leather shoe crunching on the shards of glass with a sharp, piercing sound.
He leaned in, staring at the waiter, and boomed, "No. You know whose men we are, right? Add another 20,000 Berries to your debt."
"How could this be."
The small waiter straightened up, looking pleadingly at the guard, tears welling in his young eyes.
Kong Tai watched the scene unfold in silence.
It felt somewhat familiar. He had seen something like this in a One Piece movie in his past life.
Though he had forgotten most of it, seeing it unfold before his eyes made it feel very real.
On their way from the casino to the restaurant, they had also encountered children selling flowers, more than one group.
When he saw someone pitiful, he would indeed offer help, buying a couple of flowers, but not too many.
The streets of this city were spotless, ablaze with lights, exuding prosperity and decadence.
This was the world's largest entertainment city, and also a city of tragedy.
But...
Those who came here, apart from pirates, were mostly merchants with some assets, and nobles.
They lost everything here and became Tesoro's slaves.
To say they brought it upon themselves wouldn't be entirely inaccurate.
But to say they were innocent would be even more impossible.
Therefore...
Gamblers were not deserving of sympathy.
Just then, the restaurant owner and chef emerged from the kitchen.
He first wiped his hands on the scarf around his waist before stepping in front of the waiter and positioning himself between them.
"What is it?"
The guard sneered at the owner, who was hunched over, "Are you going to stand up for this brat?"
"No."
The owner shook his head, then unexpectedly knelt directly before the guard, bending over and placing his forehead on the ground. "Please, forgive them."
He then offered the guard a smile.
Looking at the owner's smile, Kong Tai's gaze sharpened slightly.
His first impression was that it was fake, but behind this smile, Kong Tai perceived an endless bitterness and despair.
He could sense that the owner was not a merchant, nor a noble. What had brought them to this point?
The answer was obvious.
Kong Tai thought of Baccarat, who had been following them since they boarded the ship.
If he remembered correctly, that woman was the user of the Suke Suke no Mi (Sustain-Sustain Fruit), and anyone she touched would find it incredibly difficult not to lose all their money in this entertainment city.
Unless someone could truly resist the desires of their heart and refrain from gambling.
And these sailors, who spent their lives at sea, how could they resist the temptations of this glittering world!
Besides, even if you didn't gamble, were there no other ways to trick you out of your Berries?
Naive.
"Sigh~"
Kong Tai sighed, put down his wine bottle, and slowly stood up, walking out of the room.
As he walked, he said, "Although gamblers don't deserve sympathy, these children, and these sailors, shouldn't have ended up like this."
"They have families, some with wives and children waiting for them back home. If they were to disappear without a trace here, one can only imagine what their families would become."
By this point, Kong Tai had reached the guards.
"Guests, their current situation is entirely their own doing. Furthermore, this is a matter of Gran Tesoro, and we would prefer you not to interfere."
Clearly, arrogance had its limits depending on who you were facing.
The guards, upon seeing Kong Tai's attire, recognized them as honored guests of the ship. Thus, while their tone remained arrogant, it was noticeably more polite than it had been towards the restaurant owner and the young waiter.
"Get lost."
Kong Tai looked up, his azure eyes, devoid of any emotion, fixed on the guards.
"Uh..."
Only then did the guards get a clear look at Kong Tai's face.
Staring at Kong Tai's youthful countenance and his distinctive pupils, the guard seemed to recall something. His expression drastically changed, his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Between his legs, an orange-yellow liquid rapidly spread outwards like a flood.
The other guards behind this one, while not as utterly pathetic,
Still trembled, their gazes filled with fear as they looked at Kong Tai, not even daring to breathe.
If it were just any pirate, even one with a bounty of several hundred million, they wouldn't be afraid.
But clearly, Kong Tai was different.
His news had been spreading throughout the world for the past few days.
As guards of the world's largest entertainment city, their predecessors were pirates. How could they not know what "the strongest in the world" truly meant?
Let alone ordinary guards like them, even their boss, the owner of this ship, Gild Tesoro, would not dare to obstruct Kong Tai in any way if he were to appear before him.
Ignoring the guards who had been completely terrified.
Kong Tai looked down at the owner, then at the necklace he wore around his neck.
He knew that inside it were photos of the owner's family.
"Guest~"
The owner looked up at Kong Tai, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes.
He didn't recognize Kong Tai, but from the guards' reactions, he could tell that this young man was undoubtedly a very powerful figure.