Across the vast ocean, countless people still spoke of Roger.
At this moment, he was drinking heartily beneath a cherry blossom tree with Edward Newgate—better known as Whitebeard.
"Gulp, gulp." Roger set down his now-empty sake bowl, his drunken state all too obvious.
Whitebeard cast a glance at him, noting how uncharacteristic this was for a man of his strength.
"Roger! So it's true, just like the newspapers say—you're dying."
"Yeah," Roger laughed, unfazed. "My ship doctor, Crocus, says I've got about a year left. He's a damn good doctor, hahahaha!"
He spoke of his impending death with complete indifference.
...
"Hmm, Roger, where do you plan to spend the time you have left?"
"Hahahaha, that's a secret. But when I finally say goodbye to the world, I'll make sure it's unforgettable."
...
Time passed.
The storm Roger had brought with him gradually settled.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Sabaody Archipelago, a different kind of storm had just ended.
Doflamingo wiped the blood from his hands, standing amidst the remnants of another one of Sabaody's brutal underworld conflicts.
A shame, really. The more chaos, the better his business thrived. But some fools had actually dared to steal from him.
Pirates double-crossing other pirates? That was their role. But trying to rob him? That was blasphemy.
...
Late at night, a government vessel docked at Sabaody once again.
Inside the Donquixote Family's base, several familiar figures from CP0 arrived.
"Fuffuffuffuffu. I hope this time, you've brought good news."
Seated in the grand hall, Doflamingo smirked at the three masked agents. He was eager to know how much the Five Elders valued Aramaki.
"Donquixote-sama! This time, we bring three Ancient Zoan Fruits, three Paramecia Fruits, and a lower-tier Logia."
The CP0 squad leader spoke cautiously.
Doflamingo's brow furrowed slightly as he emitted a faintly menacing aura. "Tell me about their abilities."
Seeing that Doflamingo hadn't outright rejected the offer, the CP0 leader was relieved. He eagerly began his report.
"This batch includes three Ancient Zoans: the Snake-Snake Fruit, Titanoboa model; the Cat-Cat Fruit, Saber-Toothed Tiger model; and the Fish-Fish Fruit, Devouring Crocodile model."
One for the water, one for the plains, and one for the forests. Just missing one for the skies.
Of course, the CP0 agent couldn't hear Doflamingo's internal musings as he continued.
"The Logia we have is the Steam-Steam Fruit."
Steam? Just add some heavy metals, and you'd get a Smoker cosplay.
"The three Paramecia Fruits are the Light-Weight Fruit, the Glass-Glass Fruit, and the Gold-Gold Fruit."
A pause.
"As a token of our sincerity, knowing your fondness for gold, we're offering the Gold-Gold Fruit as a deposit for this deal. What do you think?"
With that, the CP0 agent pulled out a small box from his bag and opened it carefully.
Float-Float? If it had Diamante's ability to manipulate objects, that was valuable.
Glass-Glass? Glass? How would that even be developed?
Wait.
The Gold-Gold Fruit!?
That little bastard Tesoro—he was supposed to steal this from me!
Doflamingo's once-bored expression sharpened behind his sunglasses. His mind surged with possibilities.
He had expected to wait another twelve years for some lucky fool to deliver the Gold-Gold Fruit into his hands.
But fate had been kind.
A grand opportunity had fallen into his lap.
No matter how intense his thoughts, he showed nothing on his face.
Casually, he pulled the fruit toward him with a string, then smiled.
"Fuffuffuffuffu. You've done well. I like it. Stay at my base for a while. In two weeks, you'll meet Aramaki."
...
The next morning, Tesoro awoke in his quarters.
After carefully pressing and steaming the crimson suit Stella had sewn for him, he dressed with precision.
Slipping on his golden rings and accessories, he examined his reflection in the mirror.
A year ago, he was just a low-level thug scraping by in Sabaody's docks and factories.
Now, he radiated elegance and composure.
Tesoro suddenly recalled Doflamingo's words from the previous night after CP0 had left.
"Come tomorrow, Tesoro. It's time for you to take the next step."
Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he grabbed his latest financial reports and headed toward Doflamingo's chambers.
Moments later, he stepped inside.
Doflamingo sat in his oversized chair, eyes shut—not sleeping, but merely resting. Even a brief nap was enough to fuel him for an entire day.
Before Tesoro could speak—
BZZT!
Scarlet lightning crackled through the room.
Tesoro felt as if he were a ship caught in a raging storm, one misstep away from total ruin.
His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground.
Papers scattered around him.
Had this been a year ago, he would have fainted instantly. Even without malicious intent, Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki was suffocating.
But now, after a year of transformation—he could endure it.
Watching Tesoro struggle to remain conscious, Doflamingo finally spoke.
"Tesoro… Can I trust you?"
The words were quiet, yet they rang like thunder in Tesoro's ears.
They reached deep into his soul.
Without hesitation, he roared back:
"BOSS! I will serve you with my life!!!"
Instantly, the oppressive force vanished.
Tesoro collapsed onto the floor, drenched in sweat.
Doflamingo, sensing the unshaken conviction in his words, nodded silently.
This technique—his own blend of Conqueror's Haki and Queen Otohime's method—was his way of confirming loyalty.
He had his reasons for testing Tesoro.
The man had only been with the Family for a year.
Gratitude and loyalty were different things.
And absolute loyalty was the only kind that mattered.
After all—the Gold-Gold Fruit was far too valuable.
Some might wonder why he didn't give it to someone else.
But Tesoro had already proven himself. With this power, at the very least, he would be an SR-tier asset.
Gambling on an SSR-tier recruit? That was a fool's game.
"Tesoro, it's yours now. Use it well."
A golden gourd, suspended by silk threads, floated toward him.
"I understand, Boss! Ugh!"
Between retching and swallowing, the Gold-Gold Fruit's next wielder was born.
Ignoring the foul taste in his mouth, Tesoro stared at his golden ring.
Something was different.
He felt an unfamiliar connection to it.
Not turning into gold himself—no, that wasn't it.
It was as if all gold now belonged to him.
A mere thought later, his golden ring shifted, morphing into a pair of earrings.
An exact replica of the ones he had crafted for Stella.
Tesoro knew—he had changed.
"Impressive control," Doflamingo mused. "No wonder, in the original timeline, it only took you four years to carve out your empire in the New World."
Watching Tesoro's natural affinity for the fruit, he made his decision.
This investment was worth it.
-----------
+145 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg