Fujitora

Chapter 145: Fujitora

The two of them had completely misunderstood each other's intentions. Tesoro put down his wine glass, and he and Rodney discussed the terms further.

In the end, they sealed the deal. Tesoro would provide the weapons factory equipment, operating capital, and resources. Doflamingo would handle the connections and distribution channels, while Rodney's role was to supply the expertise in manufacturing AKs and bullets.

Their roles were clearly defined, and the profit-sharing arrangement was set: Tesoro would get 35%, Rodney 35%, and Doflamingo 30%.

"Oh," Rodney remarked, "by the way, I've entrusted those little rascals to you."

Tesoro was taken aback, then grew furious. 

"Are you the real one?!"

"Haha, who knows?" Rodney chuckled. 

"Real or fake, I'm not entirely sure. It could be the real me, or it could be a clone. You can try turning me into a golden statue if you like. Of course, I won't know what will happen afterward."

He waved his hand dismissively. 

"I'll wander around your place for a bit. No need for Miss Baccarat to accompany me. I'll explore on my own, and you don't have to worry about the rest."

Leaving the private room, Rodney stepped outside and took a deep breath. The dazzling vibrancy of this never-sleeping city was beyond belief. He decided to take a stroll, maybe test his luck in some way.

He had heard about a racing event; perhaps he would check that out.

As he walked away, Tesoro was left alone, simmering with frustration. This time, he had fallen into Rodney's trap. Both he and Doflamingo had similar intentions, but the outcome was far from ideal.

Rodney had defeated them single-handedly. While they both had the power to confront him head-on, Doflamingo might have been evenly matched with Rodney. However, when it came to a full-blown battle, Tesoro wasn't so sure he could beat Rodney.

Taking a deep breath, Tesoro decided to put these thoughts aside for now. Shortly after, he summoned Baccarat to the private room and instructed her to gather all the little rascals from inside Tesoro and have them sent away on a ship.

Although Baccarat was puzzled, she obeyed her boss's orders. These children, born within the confines of Gran Tesoro, sought freedom through hard work and earning money. 

Given their young age and physical condition, buying their freedom would require a considerable amount of funds. Earning enough with their current conditions would be a lengthy and uncertain process.

It could be said that these children were incredibly fortunate to have encountered someone like Rodney, who could change their lives in an instant.

Shaking her head, Baccarat left the private room to carry out Tesoro's orders.

Meanwhile, Rodney ventured into the bustling gambling city. The place was filled with gamblers driven by their insatiable desires, carelessly squandering their wealth. It was a playground for the rich, where the darkest aspects of human nature were on full display.

These individuals bet everything they had in the hope of turning their fortunes around. However, more often than not, they ended up with nothing. 

Their cries of despair and lamentation filled the air as the casino security personnel "politely" escorted them out. Even if they wished to continue gambling, they were denied the opportunity.

These people, driven by their desire to win back their losses, had borrowed substantial sums at exorbitant interest rates. In this world, those deep in debt had little hope of ever paying it off entirely through honest labor. 

They were forced to work for Gran Tesoro, effectively becoming indentured servants. Escaping the cycle of debt was nearly impossible, and they ultimately ended up back in the casino, squandering whatever hard-earned money they had left.

Rodney watched this spectacle with a shake of his head. In the face of immense wealth, few people could maintain their composure. Even he was susceptible to the allure of gambling, but he had been fortunate tonight. 

He had won a horse race and a game of chance, although he was careful not to push his luck too far. If he had been as reckless as Tsunade, he could have lost everything, no matter how much he had won.

As Rodney enjoyed a drink and explored the area, he noticed that some of the children were being taken away. It seemed that Tesoro was executing his request, albeit with a heavy-handed approach. Rodney decided to let them endure a bit of hardship.

"Let go! Let go of me! I haven't done anything wrong!" a child of four or five years old struggled, but the burly man in black didn't listen to his pleas. 

He simply tossed the child into a waiting vehicle and continued to apprehend the next one. Rodney didn't intervene; he knew it was his own command being carried out.

At this moment, a man with short-cropped hair, a beard, and prominent eyebrows, dressed in a purple kimono, and carrying a wooden cane stepped forward. He blocked the path of one of the children and, with his intact eyes, stared sternly at the black-clad enforcers. He demanded, "What have these children done to deserve such treatment? Why are you handling them like this?"

Clearly disappointed, the man had initially come here out of curiosity, hoping to witness the opulence and entertainment of the world's largest entertainment city. 

However, his journey had exposed him to too much darkness and wrongdoing, making him sick to his stomach.

Now, seeing these enforcers roughing up the children, he couldn't contain his anger.

"Mind your own business! We're just following orders," one of the black-clad guards sneered. 

"Now get lost! Isn't Gran Tesoro's entertainment city fun? Why worry about these trivial matters? Go mind your own business; this isn't a place for you to meddle!"

The enforcers moved in, but when the man known as Fujitora slightly drew his concealed sword from his cane, an invisible, overwhelming force pressed down on them, forcing them to the ground.

"So it's you. No wonder you seemed familiar," Rodney muttered to himself, intrigued. It was none other than the future Marine Admiral, Fujitora.

With the guards incapacitated by the unseen force, Fujitora declared, "Stop! Release these children! Have they truly committed any wrongdoing?"

Rodney stepped forward and said, "Excuse me, sir. Please stop. They are part of a deal I've made with Mr. Tesoro. These children are part of the arrangement. But rest assured, I have no intention of harming them. My territory requires these emerging talents."

Fujitora furrowed his brow, clearly recognizing Rodney. He didn't like the condition that treated the children as bargaining chips.

"Children should not be used as pawns in your dirty transactions," Fujitora stated.

Children should ideally grow up under the protection of their parents, but most of these kids were orphans. Seeing so many of them, Fujitora felt that the city wasn't as glamorous as it appeared on the surface; its underlying darkness made him sick.

"I understand, but do you think it's better for them to grow up in this place?" Rodney asked. 

"To develop a twisted value system that prioritizes money above all else?"

Fujitora hesitated. Rodney was right. Was it really better for these children to grow up in such an environment, learning distorted values?