"Boss, another drink."
Rowan raised his hand. Not long after, Tesoro brought the drink over.
At that moment, a trace of black substance slid across the table, climbed onto Tesoro's arm, and vanished.
[Spark]
That was Rowan's space coordinate, a mark for finding him in the future.
"Are you from the West Blue, sir?"
"If you want to tour Sabaody Archipelago, I can be your guide. I'm very familiar with this place. I know which areas are dangerous and where the Celestial Dragons usually appear."
That last sentence caught Rowan's interest.
His prison's sin points were down to just over a thousand. Baltigo was currently focused on underground expansion, and the next revolution hadn't been scheduled yet.
That was why he came to Sabaody.
And under the cloak… he wore another face.
"I heard you say you have a daytime job too, but I'm only free at night."
Tesoro showed a hint of disappointment. "I'm sorry, sir. A stable job is very important to me right now."
Rowan smiled and extended his hand from under the cloak.
Ten bills of ten thousand Beli were placed on the table.
"I think you need money. And I happen to have some. So tell me, why are you working so hard? Paying off gambling debts?"
Tesoro hesitated when he saw the money.
This cloaked man had been coming every night for the past few days, always staying until the last auction ended before leaving.
Tesoro had been observing him.
He felt that this man was looking for something.
And he himself desperately needed money.
"Is this payment for hearing a story?"
Tesoro forced a stiff smile.
He was afraid the man might take the money back.
But one hundred thousand Beli wasn't enough. Not even close.
Rowan pressed his hand over the money. "If your story satisfies me, this will be your payment. If not, you leave empty-handed."
"Tesoro!"
The tavern owner shouted again.
Tesoro bowed quickly. "I need the money, so please wait for me."
Rowan raised his glass but said nothing.
Half an hour later, Tesoro returned.
"Sir… does your offer still stand?"
Rowan gestured for him to continue.
Tesoro began telling his story.
He loved music, but his mother despised it. His father was a gambler who eventually died from illness. Tesoro ran away and survived through theft.
He gambled too.
Eventually, after losing too much, he was about to be sold as a slave.
That was when he met her.
A woman with a beautiful voice.
"So you're working this hard to buy her freedom?"
Rowan handed him the one hundred thousand Beli.
"But what if someone else buys her before you earn enough? Have you thought about that?"
Tesoro froze.
After a long silence, his eyes reddened. "That won't happen. If it does… I'll kill that person."
Rowan chuckled softly. "And what if that person is a Celestial Dragon? What then?"
Tesoro staggered slightly.
"That… wouldn't happen. There are many slaves in that shop. Stella is lucky. And I'll work even harder…"
Rowan interrupted him.
"I've always wondered why slavery exists in this world. Building happiness on the suffering of sentient beings… that means the foundation of morality itself is broken."
"In a world with supernatural power, even a one-for-one exchange is sometimes a luxury. Pirates are strong, so they plunder and kill. The Celestial Dragons have Admirals protecting them, they call themselves descendants of gods, so they can do whatever they want."
"When this continues long enough, everyone starts to believe it's natural. That's why those people can say things like, 'How could we understand the feelings of ants?'"
Tesoro stood there, stunned.
Those words shattered the logic he had always accepted.
Rowan only intended to plant a seed.
"Maybe one day, you'll understand. When you can truly empathize."
Rowan then placed another twenty bills of ten thousand Beli on the table.
"If you don't have time at night, then just tell me when and where Celestial Dragons usually appear. This money is yours."
Tesoro was even more confused now.
What was this man trying to do?
In Sabaody, no one wanted to encounter Celestial Dragons.
Even auction house owners only wanted their money, not their presence.
Those nobles with glass helmets…
They could truly do whatever they wanted.
If they liked something, they took it.
No one could resist.
Resistance meant death.
And if they were threatened, Admirals from Marine Headquarters would arrive.
The highest combat power of the Marines.
"You… what are you trying to do?"
Rowan replied calmly, still wearing his transformed face.
"Whatever I plan has nothing to do with you. You're just a waiter. You didn't do anything."
Tesoro fell silent.
He looked at the two hundred thousand Beli.
Then he clenched his teeth.
"Wait here."
After some time, Tesoro passed by Rowan.
The money disappeared quietly.
In its place, a slip of paper was left behind.
He didn't speak another word after that.
The paper listed the probabilities of Celestial Dragon appearances across areas 1 to 29.
It also noted that encounters were more likely during the day.
At the bottom, a warning.
Burn after reading.
Rowan frowned.
Daytime would be risky.
A shadow clone could replace him, but intense training or combat might disperse it.
If that happened, his identity here would collapse.
And he still had plans within the Marines.
The auction was about to begin.
Rowan stood and left the tavern.
Behind him, Tesoro remained in a daze.
Those words echoed in his mind.
Slavery. Morality. Empathy. Change. Celestial Dragons.
Could anyone really oppose them?
He reached into his pocket.
A slip of paper.
A Den Den Mushi.
He froze.
When did this get here?
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