You Are Not Now!

"Master Finn, what did that little girl just do to Tesoro?" Doflamingo asked, his voice laced with curiosity. Being a clever man, he understood that whatever Finn was about to say was directly tied to the events that had just unfolded.

Finn gave a slight, knowing smile as he turned to face Doflamingo. "If the Golden City is to function smoothly, Tesoro's abilities are essential. So, I replaced his memory and turned him into your loyal servant."

"Replaced his memory?" Doflamingo's heart skipped a beat. The thought of memory manipulation felt far more potent than Granose's childish fruit. If my memory was altered... would I be next?

A cold shiver ran down Doflamingo's spine. If he had been as naïve as Tesoro, would his fate have mirrored Tesoro's?

"Um... Master Finn," Doflamingo began, attempting to flatter, "Wouldn't it be better if you turned him into your loyal servant instead?"

Finn shook his head, his smile unwavering. "In the future, I'll need you to stay here and control the Golden City. It will be more efficient if Tesoro answers directly to you."

Doflamingo's unease deepened as he looked at Finn. "Master Finn, you really trust me, don't you?"

"Don't get sentimental," Finn chuckled lightly. "I let you go because I know you're a smart person. If you ever wish to die, I can suppress you with a single gesture."

Doflamingo fell silent. Deep down, he knew Finn spoke the truth.

At that moment, Finn casually dropped Tesoro onto the ground and placed his hand on the man's head.

"Medical Ninjutsu: Healing Jutsu!"

In an instant, Tesoro's eyes fluttered open. He blinked and, upon seeing Doflamingo, immediately greeted him with newfound loyalty. "Young Master!"

"Fufurfur!" Doflamingo chuckled, feeling a rush of satisfaction as he saw Tesoro, once proud and arrogant, now bowing before him in humble subservience. Of course, he understood that all of this was courtesy of Finn.

Finn glanced at Doflamingo and said, "As for the next steps, you should contact Sengoku. Can you handle it?"

"Master Finn, you can rest assured! As long as you and Marshal Sengoku have spoken in advance, I'll take care of everything," Doflamingo replied confidently. Having ruled the underground world for years, he was more than capable.

Finn nodded in approval. "Good. Now, go ahead and handle it."

"Then, Master Finn, what about you?"

"I need to find someone and leave. Don't worry about me. Just follow through with my orders."

"Understood, Master Finn!"

Turning to Robin, Finn instructed, "Take little Pudding back to the super battleship, and have Tashigi and Kuina accompany her."

As the others vanished through the particle teleporter, Nami clung to Finn's arm. "Master, are you leaving me alone?"

Her voice held an excited undertone. This was her time alone with Finn, and she relished every moment of it.

"Yeah? Don't you like it?" Finn smiled down at her, his hand gently ruffling her hair.

"Of course I like it!" Nami grinned, snuggling closer to him with a sweet expression.

Finn pulled out a Brain Phone Bug, activated its tracking function, and hacked into Tesoro's Phone Bug. It didn't take long for him to locate Carina's signal.

"Let's go," Finn said, taking Nami's hand as they made their way toward the Golden Manor in the heart of the Golden City.

Nami, lost in thought, couldn't help but imagine what Finn and Robin might be up to tonight. She was determined to find out the truth.

They soon arrived at the mansion, which housed Tesoro's most trusted employees. Guards at the entrance immediately shouted at them.

"Who are you? This is Miss Carina's place!"

Finn's Conqueror's Haki flared subtly, knocking the guards unconscious.

"Carina?" Nami's eyes widened with recognition. The voice she had heard earlier—the one that had struck a familiar chord—was unmistakable now.

From upstairs, a sweet voice called out, "What's going on down there?"

Hearing no response, Carina grew alert. She flung open the window and leaped out, rolling to a stop in front of Finn and Nami.

Carina slowly stood up, squinting in disbelief. "Little Thieving Cat?!"

"Hmph! Foxy! Glad you remember me!" Nami snapped, pushing Carina to the ground before sitting on her stomach, her tone sharp and accusatory.

Carina raised her arms in surrender, saying nothing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Nami demanded.

"Let you beat me. I know you hate me," Carina replied with a calm sigh.

"Of course!" Nami's small fist clenched, and without hesitation, she threw a punch at Carina's face.

Carina flinched, bracing herself for the blow—but to her surprise, Nami's fist landed just inches from her head.

"Why didn't you hit me?" Carina asked, confused.

Nami bit her lip and stared into Carina's eyes. "I was angry when you betrayed us, but at the time, it was the only thing you could do. If you hadn't, we would all have been doomed."

Carina's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she forced a smile. "But... I still put you all in danger."

Nami reached out and cupped Carina's face. "Since you know you were wrong, you'll make it up to me. Slowly."

Carina let out a soft laugh. "I'm afraid that won't be easy. I'm now a famous singer in Golden City. I've got a good life here. Why not stay and live the good life with me?"

"Not anymore!" Finn said, stepping forward and squatting beside Carina. He smiled down at her with an air of finality.

Carina, slightly irked, narrowed her eyes. "Who are you? What do you mean, 'not anymore'?"

Nami grinned mischievously. "She's my master! And the new owner of the Golden City. Your former boss, Tesoro, now answers to her."

Carina scoffed. "Nice try, Nami. That's a pretty low-level lie."

Finn shook his head and made a call to Doflamingo through the Brain Phone Bug. Moments later, Carina's phone rang.

Confused, she picked it up, only to hear Tesoro's voice on the other end.

"Hello? Boss, what's going on?"

"Carina, you're fired!" Tesoro's voice came through, cold and dismissive, before the call abruptly ended.

"Do you believe me now?" Finn asked, tapping Carina's nose with a playful grin.

Carina's mouth hung open in shock as she slowly processed the situation.