Not far away, in front of the third-floor window of the hotel, Seven took in the entire scene.
In this pirate world where the weak are prey to the strong, Seven felt he was extremely lucky compared to this tragic pair of lovers.
Although an orphan, he was fortunately picked up and raised by the old village chief. After the chief passed away, the villagers often helped him. Even though he was frequently bullied by the village thugs, he managed to survive.
Later, by an even greater coincidence, he met Captain Roger, awakened a portable system, and was invited by the Captain to join the crew, gathering all the items needed to activate the system.
In just seventeen years, his life had become even more exciting than his previous one.
At this moment, Seven not only possessed a powerful physique far exceeding that of the Giant Race, but also a Super supreme grade blade, and was a top-tier Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.
He was also the God of Sky Island, and the future Raiden Shogun of Wano Country—also known as Inazuma.
"Praise System Bro!"
Even if the system was neither intelligent nor possessed an independent will, it didn't affect Seven's devotion to it. He wasn't the kind of scum who would bite the hand that fed him.
For two consecutive days, Tesoro always arrived at the iron cage punctually at dawn and dusk, using awkward jokes to make Stella happy.
"Just one more night, Stella."
Tesoro pressed his face close to the iron bars, his voice very low but filled with light. "Once the wages are settled tomorrow morning, I'll take you away."
"Mm, make sure you get some rest."
Tesoro came from the slums, with a gambling father and an alcoholic mother; he himself had become addicted to gambling in his youth. Life was like a pool of murky water with no bottom in sight, the path ahead dark and almost devoid of light.
But at his most chaotic age, Stella was like a bright lamp, dispersing the black mist that entangled him and illuminating his lost direction.
For her, Tesoro quit all his bad habits and began working day and night, thinking only of saving enough money to buy her freedom.
Now, hope was right before his eyes.
Tesoro had never longed for time to pass faster. Once tonight's work was finished, Stella could leave the cage.
The long-awaited happiness was within reach.
That night, Stella tossed and turned in the iron cage, unable to sleep, while Tesoro was full of energy during his labor.
However, at daybreak.
The ransom that should have been gathered was short by a margin because of the Black-hearted Boss's deductions.
"Boss, please have a heart..."
"I beg of you, I beg of you..."
A man's knees are worth gold, but only until he reaches a dead end.
Tesoro knelt on the ground, desperate for the Black-hearted Boss's mercy, but he seemed to have forgotten why the boss was called black-hearted.
"Someone, throw him out."
Like a piece of trash, Tesoro was thrown out of the black-hearted workshop, rolling onto the street in front of a pair of white sneakers.
"I'm sorry," Tesoro apologized quickly.
The shoes didn't look cheap; Tesoro only wanted to gather the money quickly and didn't want to cause any trouble.
"It's fine." Seven left the money for his breakfast and stood up to leave unhurriedly.
What he had seen and heard over the past two days precisely confirmed a saying: Hemp rope breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune finds the bitter-fated. Misfortune, that little hussy, seems particularly fond of bullying those poor souls who have already fallen into the abyss.
Sure enough, weakness is the original sin.
The strong will naturally draw their blades to pierce the heavens.
Tesoro might think that not having enough money was the ordeal, but he absolutely could not imagine that a greater, irresistible suffering had only just arrived.
The Celestial Dragons, though late, they arrived.
The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, live year-round in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, enjoying inexhaustible wealth and supreme privileges that override everything without needing to work.
The Celestial Dragons consider themselves descendants of the gods.
Believing that breathing the same air as commoners would pollute them, they isolate themselves from the outside air with glass bubbles.
With the arrival of the Celestial Dragons at Island No. 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago, the entire island was instantly shrouded in dead silence.
A large number of Marines blockaded the streets to maintain order, CP members acted as security, and guards from the Celestial Dragon's family stood closely by.
On both sides of the street, regardless of age or gender, everyone prostrated themselves on the ground, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Elderly people trembled as they crawled on the ground, children were silenced by their parents' hands—their faces flushed red but not daring to cry out—and even pet dogs had their heads held down firmly by their owners against the cold stone slabs.
The dignity of the gods is not to be looked upon directly.
In the middle of the street, a fat Celestial Dragon with purple hair and a glass bubble on his head sat on a slave mount, looking at Stella in the iron cage by the roadside.
Dazzling blonde hair and snow-white long legs—the purple-haired Celestial Dragon had long been accustomed to women of such beauty.
However, he had never seen a slave imprisoned in an iron cage whose eyes burned with such bright light—
It was a Yearning for the future, a longing for freedom, a vitality and hope that had never been extinguished by suffering.
The purple-haired Celestial Dragon split his fat mouth into a cruel and excited smile.
Compared to plundering a beautiful body, personally snuffing out such hope was even more exhilarating.
"Take her... back."
A light sentence, yet it carried an indisputable command; this was the weight of a Celestial Dragon.
"Yes, Saint Elaine."
In such a situation, no one dared to step forward. The Marines didn't even dare to show an angry expression; for a few tens of thousands a month, there was really no need to risk their lives.
Only in the slave auction house, the Shipping King Umit, who was watching, secretly thought something was wrong.
"Oh no, that's the slave Beelzebul had his eye on."
Umit was a bit panicked, but he soon felt relieved: even a man like Beelzebul wouldn't dare to disobey a Celestial Dragon, right?
Probably... not.
"I can't stay here; I must leave immediately." Umit seemed to already see the impending storm that would sweep through the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
He didn't dare to cross a Celestial Dragon, not even by association; he hadn't finished spending all that wealth yet.
Umit secretly left without looking back.
In front of the iron gates of the slave auction house, Tesoro was pinned down on the rough stone slabs by two CP Agents, his shoulder blades nearly crushed.
Yet he could only watch helplessly as chains were wrapped around Stella's neck and she was dragged away.
"Thank you, Tesoro."
"Just knowing you felt that way makes me happy." Stella's smile was brilliant. "I really feel very happy, Tesoro."
"NO!!!"
Tesoro twisted his body frantically, but he couldn't break free from the CP Agents' grip, nor could he escape the damn, cruel shackles of fate.
"Stella!!!"
Why?
Tesoro's eyes were nearly bursting as he roared in his heart over and over again.
He had clearly touched the glimmer of freedom, he had clearly gathered the ransom, he was clearly... clearly just one step away from taking her away from this hell!
Why?!
Why?!
"Oh~" Seeing this scene, Saint Elaine drawled his words, his heart becoming inexplicably more excited. "So they're a pair of lovers."
"Ho ho ho, take him away too."
Saint Elaine had already thought of a better way to play; not only would he destroy hope, but he would do it right in front of this man... destroying that damn hope bit by bit.
"Ho ho ho~ quickly take them back to the ship."
Step... step... step...
The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted Saint Elaine's laughter.
From a side alley, Seven, with hair as white as snow and a black cloak fluttering behind him in the wind, walked over slowly with his hands in his pockets.
"Stop right there!"
The Marines aimed their guns forward and shouted sternly.
Hum—
Red and black Haki surged like ripples across the entire island. A second ago, the Marines and CP Agent small fry who were ready for battle all rolled their eyes and collapsed unconscious.
Seven flashed in front of Tesoro like a ghost. "Oi, want to save her?"
Tesoro gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "I'll do anything as long as I can save Stella."
"Including your life?"
"Including my life!"
Receiving the answer, Seven patted Tesoro's shoulder with satisfaction. "Watch closely, I'll teach you how it's done."
After walking a few steps, Seven suddenly turned around.
"Say thank you."
Tesoro was stunned for two seconds before hurriedly saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you..."
In Tesoro, Seven saw his former selves.
He saw the self who worked nine-to-five, in a daze, clearly having done nothing wrong yet living such a bitter life.
He saw the eight-year-old self who set up a stall to sell fish balls in Housha Town.
He saw his former weak self who could do nothing and could only hide behind the Captain.
If not for the system, he would probably be like Tesoro, powerless against the oppression of fate.
Since fate has already been changed,
Then let's overturn this world.
"Oi, bubble-wearing Swine."
The shorter the words, the greater the lethality.
Especially when Seven accurately described the World Noble Celestial Dragon as a Swine, a bubble-wearing Swine.
From Seven's appearance to the time he knocked out the Marine and CP Agent small fry, only dozens of seconds had passed. The Celestial Dragon Saint Elaine had already been shielded by his family guards.
"Kill him! Kill him quickly!"
Saint Elaine's face flushed red, clearly unable to bear being called a bubble-wearing Swine. What's wrong with being a bit fat? Did I eat your food or something?!
The two Celestial Dragon guards looked solemn.
"Do you truly intend to make an enemy of the World Government? Saint Elaine is from the Nairona Family, a noble among the Celestial Dragons."
Seven's eyes lit up. "Ah... ha..."
He had thought it was just a common Swine like Saint Charlos, but he never expected it to be a big fish: the Nairona Family... could they be the descendants of Imu?
In that case, Seven would accept this windfall.