Chapter 604: VIP Treatment
The Gran Tesoro, meaning "Great Treasure," was likely the largest ship in the entire pirate world at the moment!
Its length and width were measured in kilometers, making it a city floating on the sea, and the greatest entertainment city in the world.
Not only did it have a massive amusement park comparable to Sabaody Archipelago, but it also boasted commercial streets that led the trends of the era, high-end hotels with luxurious spas, food shops open 24 hours a day, a famous theater featuring world-class star performances, a vast golf course, winding racing tracks, artificial beaches covered with bikini-clad beauties and simulated wave pools, and the world's most famous super-sized casino!
Without exaggeration, here you could find every form of entertainment in the world!
On the Tesoro, there were impeccably dressed nobles and celebrities, as well as Marines and pirates, but the majority were people chasing dreams of money. In this Golden City, the most widely circulated and talked-about stories were those of people who struck it rich overnight in the casino.
A glittering city, a life of wine and luxury—don't doubt it, this city had that kind of charm, attracting countless people from the sea to find ways to come here.
At that moment, in the Tesoro's grand theater, a magnificent concert was underway. Under the dazzling, intoxicating lights, a beautiful songstress was performing her hit song with her exquisite voice and singing talent. The theater, which could hold tens of thousands of people, was already packed to capacity. The fans cheered, wept with excitement in the music, and shouted the songstress's name loudly.
"Carina!! Carina!!!"
In a private box on one side of the theater, the owner of this ship, or rather the owner of this city, Tesoro, was sitting on a sofa with his legs crossed, holding a glass of red wine. Dressed in a suit, he watched through the window at the crowd going wild for his songstress.
"Hmph! Quite the charmer!" Tesoro sneered with a hint of mockery. This woman named Carina was a songstress he had recently recruited. It seemed she would become one of his best money-making tools...
As Tesoro set down his glass, a tall, voluptuous woman walked up behind him. She wore a cool, form-fitting cheongsam, black ladies' gloves on her hands, and revealed an impressive cleavage. Her long legs, with each step, appeared and disappeared through the slits of the cheongsam, incredibly alluring. She stopped behind Tesoro, resting her right hand on her hip and standing with a slight arch in her back, and said to him, "Boss, that old hag is at the casino again!"
"Tch!" Hearing this, Tesoro couldn't help but purse his lips, a look of annoyance appearing on his face. "Damn it, I shouldn't have given her a taste last time... Does she really think this place is an ATM for her?"
"What should we do now?" the woman asked with a smile. "Use the old method on her?"
"Not yet!" Tesoro waved his hand. "That old hag is just a small fry, but her son is a bit of a problem... Let her win another million Berries from the casino first, then send her off. But if she gets greedy, then Baccarat, you handle it personally. Make her understand that not just anyone can take my money so easily!"
"No problem!" Baccarat nodded in agreement.
Just as Baccarat was about to turn and leave, suddenly, a Den Den Mushi on the table in front of Tesoro started ringing urgently.
It wasn't the sound of a call, but an alarm!
Tesoro was startled, then picked up the receiver and asked, "Security room, what's going on?! Why is there an alarm?!"
On the other end, a security guard said somewhat panicked, "Boss, it's an air raid alarm! A large number of people seem to be approaching from above the Tesoro!"
"Idiot! If someone's approaching, shoot them down!" Tesoro said with a fierce tone. "This isn't the first time this has happened. Do I need to teach you how to handle it?"
On this pirate-infested sea, running a gambling ship wasn't easy. Among the vicious pirates, there were always some reckless ones who would target this ship. Since the Tesoro started operating, it had dealt with countless waves of pirates trying to rob it. In recent years, the pirates' methods of approach had become more varied. Some pretended to be gamblers and only struck once inside the ship, while others planned a direct assault from the start. Even attacks from the air like this, Tesoro had seen several times before.
So when he heard the air raid alarm, Tesoro's first thought was that another group of fools had come to die...
"B-but, boss..." the security guard hesitated. "There are over a hundred of them, and... and the leader seems to be able to fly!"
"Fly? A Zoan-type Devil Fruit user?" Tesoro asked.
"N-not quite!" the security guard said. "Boss, they're almost at the ship. I'll send you the image!"
The next second, the eyes of a Video Den Den Mushi in the private box suddenly glowed, projecting two beams of light onto a screen in the corner, and the image appeared.
It was footage taken by the security department using the same type of Video Den Den Mushi, with a close-up focus on one person.
Tesoro didn't pay much attention at first, but when he saw the man in the image wearing a bear-eared hat and the blazing black flame wings on his back, he immediately gasped!
He shot up from the sofa.
"Why is it him?!" The war between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates had only just ended a month ago. This man with the black flame wings was already known to the entire world. How could Tesoro not recognize him? So when he realized who it was, even he became a bit tense.
"The Seven Warlord, Black Dragon Ian!?" Baccarat exclaimed in surprise. "Has the Dragon Hunter Pirates set their sights on us?!"
Tesoro didn't speak, just observed the scene in the image, trying to gauge Ian's possible intentions. No wonder the security department didn't dare to attack recklessly—they must have recognized Ian too.
"N-no, it doesn't look like an attack..." Tesoro quickly judged. He shouted into the Den Den Mushi to the security department, "Without my orders, no one is to make any provocative moves!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Hanging up, Tesoro thought for a moment, then straightened his collar, adjusted his appearance, picked up his cane, and walked toward the door of the private box, saying, "Baccarat, gather a welcoming party and come with me to greet them! It seems our casino has a special guest!"
…………………………
In the sky, as Ian led the group slowly descending, he was also observing the massive ship. The Tesoro gambling ship had a peculiar shape, with a huge tunnel at the bow, which seemed to be a passage for ships coming to the casino. After passing through the tunnel, there was a massive golden port.
But since Ian and his crew had come down from Skypiea, they had no ship, so they had to land directly in the open-air city on the ship.
As they got closer, the faint, stirring music from the ship became audible. Red, green, gold, and multicolored lights dazzled the eyes. Seeing this, everyone's eyes lit up with excitement. Roger's subordinates, Shachi and Penguin, even whistled in the air.
Ian was the first to land, touching down in a plaza on a commercial street. When he folded his wings and stepped onto the ground, the people passing by looked at him with suspicion.
But then, as the members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates landed one by one, the surrounding people gasped.
From the tattoos on Ian and Sardin's bodies, they recognized who these people were. The pirate flag symbol of a sword piercing a dragon's head belonged to only one pirate crew in the world!
The Dragon Hunter Pirates!
After recognizing the Dragon Hunter Pirates' emblem, they also identified some of the big names among them.
Former Seven Warlord Black Dragon Ian, former Seven Warlord Sand Crocodile Crocodile, and the three top executives of the Dragon Hunter Pirates: Fujitora Issho and Enel, among others...
When they realized that the Dragon Hunter Pirates had appeared here without any hostile intent, the people breathed a sigh of relief and quickly moved away, watching from a distance with awe.
Just as Ian and the others were looking around at the streets, suddenly, the surroundings went dark.
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, several stage lights converged, illuminating a single figure.
Tesoro walked slowly toward Ian and the others in the light, his handsome face and luxurious jewelry and suit causing his admirers to scream and shout his name as soon as they saw him.
"What a show-off..." Ian muttered.
"I agree..." Crocodile also frowned at the approaching Tesoro.
Tesoro stopped in front of Ian and the others, spreading his arms and laughing, "Hahaha, what a surprise! Look who's here? Sir Ian, welcome to the Tesoro!"
As he spoke, the lights suddenly blazed, accompanied by a shower of flower petals and confetti. Two rows of welcoming teams, who had appeared from who knows where, emerged before the group. These beauties, dressed in carnival-like costumes, waved colorful balls in their hands, lining the path to welcome the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
This was definitely VIP treatment...
Since a smiling face was hard to refuse, Ian had to smile back and say to Tesoro, "I've long heard of the Golden City's name. I've brought my entire crew to see it for ourselves. Don't laugh at us, Sir Tesoro!"
"Not at all, not at all!" Tesoro laughed heartily, then politely greeted Fujitora, Crocodile, and Enel as well. "Now that you're all here, as the host, I'll make sure you feel right at home!"
With that, he gestured and said to Ian, "Please!"
Ian didn't stand on ceremony. He signaled with his eyes to Zeke and the others carrying the packages behind him to follow, and then, led by Tesoro, he walked along with him...