"Lord Arceus, aren't you going to intervene with them?"
"People will grow, and at their age, they should have their own judgment. There's no need to intervene if there's no danger."
Although it seemed there was no one else around Yamato and her companions, more than one gaze was fixed on them. If Tesoro really had any ideas, his end would be quite miserable.
He isn't the Golden Emperor who had trained his fruit powers to an awakened state after turning dark; he's just an ordinary person. Such a person wouldn't even need Olga or Elizabeth to act; he wouldn't be able to defeat the current Yamato, and even one of Kaidou's fingers carries substantial weight.
They aren't puppets, they can't always grow under someone else's control. Without their own sense of right and wrong, it would be easy for them to be misled by others.
Arceus only ensures that they don't deviate in a major way; the rest is up to them.
.....
"That's probably it. Anyway, I really need money. Alright, it's time to rest now. Kids, you should head back early too; the night in Shampodi, even in area 33, is not safe."
Saying this, he put the money from the guitar case into his pocket. Every penny meant he was a step closer to Stella; after nearly three years together, they had long been in love.
Yamato's five thousand Belly brought him closer to his goal, and another month of work would be enough.
"Big brother, how much more do you need? She won't be bought by someone else, will she..."
"I still need 300,000 Belly, but don't worry, I'll have enough by next month."
He was worried something like that might happen, which is why he was working hard to make money. Although it's been nearly three years since Stella stayed here, he wasn't sure if anything unexpected would happen.
"You're lying, you're obviously worried too."
"Don't worry about this, kid. Go back early. By the way, where are your parents? How dare they let you few kids stay here alone?"
After leaving the Ferris wheel, Olga had been following them from twenty meters away. Just now, there were many people around, and Tesoro thought their parents were among them, but now everyone was gone, and they were still there.
Being able to casually take out 5000 Belly meant a child's family condition couldn't be ordinary; having no one nearby was obviously unreasonable.
"Little girl, you didn't get your money the way I used to, did you? That's no good, you know."
"Of course not, it's my pocket money. But about the 300,000 Belly..." Yamato took out her wallet, which looked like a pink Chansey from the outside, and it was just as round as a Chansey due to being stuffed full.
Upon opening it, it seemed like a pile of egg rolls, but they were Belly rolled up in tens. It seemed to be stuffed with about a million Belly.
"Here, I'll lend you 300,000 Belly. Remember to pay me back next month."
She did it because she felt it was the right thing to do. Under the influence of the Power of the Evergreen, she believed he wasn't lying; he was in dire need of money, and she had plenty. She thought lending him the money to do something important was fine.
Moreover, she said lend, not give. She didn't think she should support him unconditionally, only to help him avoid unforeseen events.
Whether Tesoro would repay the debt or how to pay it back, she hadn't thought about it.
To Tesoro, it was undoubtedly a windfall, but after a brief moment of joy, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. After taking Yamato's money, he pressed her wallet back.
He really couldn't refuse the money. While Stella hadn't been bought yet, the longer it dragged on, the more hidden dangers there were.
Having been a thief himself, he knew how chaotic Shampodi was, where beneath a seemingly calm surface, many were on the lookout for targets.
While the park population had thinned with the evening, it was unknown if there were prying eyes around.
"Didn't your parents tell you not to flaunt wealth?"
"They did, but this is just pocket money, not a big deal."
One sentence stifled Tesoro's words. The money he painstakingly accumulated over a month was merely pocket change to her.
The gap between people seemed overwhelming, leaving him a bit defeated, while also yearning for wealth.
"Alright, go and redeem your big sister. Remember to pay me back next month, or you'll be in big trouble."
"I'll definitely pay you back, but... Never mind, where are you staying? I'll take you back, or it'll be troublesome."
"No need, there's someone nearby... eh, where are they? Maria, Robin, Jack, did anyone see Sister Olga?"
"She didn't follow us from the start... And Lord Arceus didn't seem to come either." Neither Jack nor Maria noticed this, but Robin did, and even those Hundred Beasts Fruit people had quietly left not long ago.
"I should send you back. Where are you staying?"
"On a ship outside red tree number 30."
....
"Lord Arceus, is this really okay?"
Only Arceus could have called Olga away, and he also withdrew those from the Hundred Beasts Fruit to test their response to an unexpected situation.
Kaidou intended for them to experience a real battlefield directly, which is why it hadn't been implemented all along.
So far, they had only undergone regular training, which suited the current situation in Shampodi well.
"Are they still following?"
"They're still following, and we've identified them; they're local human traffickers in the Shampodi Islands."
"Then let them have some practice. They should see some blood, but don't be careless. You and Elizabeth go over, but make sure you're not discovered."
"Understood."
...
Tesoro was escorting Yamato and the others back to red tree number 30, while Olga's illusion allowed her and Elizabeth to follow them almost invisibly, with the traffickers further back.
Their targets were Yamato and Maria; Robin was just an ordinary human girl, and as for Jack, although he was a fish-man, he didn't look like one, so outsiders couldn't tell.
Yamato and Maria were both outstanding in appearance, with rare species features like horns on their heads, catching the traffickers' eyes.
While they were bold, they weren't daring enough to kidnap people in front of everyone. They waited from daylight until now, just to find an opportunity.
After the people who had been with them gradually left until only Tesoro remained, it seemed like the right chance for them...