#12 The Heist at Sabaody
Carlo didn't hold back at all. He pulled out a long knife from behind him and started drawing lines on Saint Larcher's right arm, making him shiver in fear.
"Two arms and two legs, you get four mistakes. The fifth one, well..." Carlo moved the knife to Saint Larcher's neck, nearly scaring him to the point of wetting himself.
With such a high status, when had he ever experienced this kind of fear?
"So, if you don't want to die, think carefully before you speak," Carlo warned with a sinister smile, looking every bit like a villain.
"Wow, Carlo, you're a natural-born bad guy. I'm impressed!" Blackbeard said, giving Carlo a thumbs-up. As ruthless as Blackbeard was, he admitted Carlo's method was more thorough.
On the other side, Saint Larcher felt a warm trickle in his pants. He was trembling all over, too scared to say anything. He could only nod desperately.
Come on, just ask your questions! I don't dare to speak otherwise!
He had completely lost his dignity as a Celestial Dragon. Survival was all that mattered now.
"First question: where is your family's treasure vault?"
"Second question: take us there."
"That's it. Think before you answer, and don't even think about lying," Carlo said, slicing a bit of Saint Larcher's sleeve. The next cut would be on his arm.
"I... I'll tell you!" Saint Larcher was shocked. He couldn't believe these two dared to kidnap and threaten him and now wanted his family's treasure. They must have nerves of steel!
Under immense pressure, he revealed the location of his family's treasure vault on Sabaody Archipelago, including the guard details and the positions of surveillance snails.
"Good, you get to live a bit longer," Carlo said, sheathing his knife. He wasn't worried about Saint Larcher rebelling; he simply didn't have the power.
"We can't waste time. By tomorrow, someone will notice this idiot is missing," Carlo said, looking at Blackbeard. His meaning was clear.
"Yeah, let's go now. Ha ha ha!" Blackbeard agreed, and they quickly set off, dragging Saint Larcher along.
The entire process of capturing Saint Larcher, getting the treasure's location, and heading out took less than an hour. It was only around 2 AM, and the island was asleep. As they left, they saw the innkeeper across the street nodding off at his desk.
If that old man knew what had happened in his inn tonight, he'd probably lose his remaining hair in fright.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination on the other side of Groove 3. There stood an even more luxurious palace, surpassing Saint Lercher's in grandeur. This was his father's residence on Sabaody.
"Damn, the rich just get richer. Each of them needs their own palace? You spoiled pigs!" Carlo was so angry that he slapped Saint Larcher twice.
Saint Larcher endured the pain silently, fearing for his life.
Saint Larcher led them to the back of the palace, where the garden was most dense. In the dark, he fumbled around, finally uncovering a large patch of grass to reveal a hidden hatch.
Underneath was a subterranean vault, the family's treasure trove on Sabaody, hidden so well it was nearly undetectable.
Inside the palace, no one was present. Only Saint Larcher had come to Sabaody this time, while the others stayed in Mary Geoise. There were no guards here, given the vault's hidden location and the general fear of approaching it.
"Here it is. Let's go in," Saint Larcher said, trying to curry favor with his captors.
With Carlo and Blackbeard watching, Saint Larcher led the way. They disappeared into the hatch.
After a long, dark tunnel, they saw a golden glow in the distance.
"This is more than a nation's treasury!" Carlo gasped, seeing the light.
He hadn't even seen the full vault yet, but the sight was already overwhelming. The combined wealth of the Celestial Dragons must be unimaginable.
Blackbeard nodded in agreement, sweat forming on his brow at the sight.
"These are all the treasures. The Devil Fruits you want are in the back..." Saint Larcher said nervously.
The loot was vast, and their night had just begun.