"Bow before the infinite majesty of gold's power!"
Tesoro unleashed his most powerful move, his awakened ability manifesting destructive force beyond imagination. The massive golden warhead was on the verge of obliterating Wright. Tesoro was just about to erupt into laughter when Wright, gripping his sword in both hands, raised the blade to eye level and assumed an opening stance.
"Secret Technique: Void Slash!"
Clang!
The clear sound of the blade reverberated in Tesoro's ears. In the next moment, Wright vanished from his original position, appearing outside the vast golden domain that Tesoro had assimilated.
The massive golden warhead was cleaved in two by a single strike from Wright, splitting cleanly down the middle!
"A god? Don't make me laugh… Those Celestial Dragon scumbags are annoying enough, and now you're here calling yourself a god?"
Wright turned, his expression cold as he flicked the blood off his blade. "Anyone who calls themselves a god has no place in this world."
"Tesoro, you have talent, but if you keep clinging to this delusion, I might have to end things here today!"
"If I let you go, your growing power would pose an even greater threat. The world's peace shouldn't be jeopardized by someone with such dangerous ideals!"
Tesoro's expression twisted as if he'd been choked, then morphed into rage. "You bastard! Don't get cocky!"
"Celestial Dragon scum? Hahaha! Well said! Looks like you're not sent by the World Government…"
"The Revolutionary Army? Are you one of their officers?!"
"Hah! Typical of them to hide in the shadows! But…"
Tesoro spread his arms wide, and ten golden warheads rose behind him, all aiming at Wright.
"That tone of yours, though… It sounds just like those self-righteous Marines!"
"Who do you think you are? Even the entire Marine Headquarters has only one Vice Admiral who dares to speak like that—Wright!"
"Multi-Shot: Divine Golden Punishment!"
"…"
Wright stood still, watching the frenzied Tesoro and the incoming golden warheads, his expression growing strange.
What did this guy just say?
Did he mishear?
Since when did his name carry so much weight?
There was no time to dwell on it. Holding his sword in both hands, Wright prepared to act. Tesoro's current level of power would be troublesome to handle without using the Holy Light.
"Secret Technique: Void Shatter!"
This crowd-control version of "Void Slash" was Wright's strongest "concealable" move. With it, he unleashed a flurry of fragmented blade shadows that sliced through all ten of Tesoro's golden warheads, splitting them into twenty halves.
"You…"
Tesoro looked in disbelief at Wright, who had emerged unscathed from his ultimate attack. The swordsman's mastery of swordsmanship far surpassed his estimation!
"What did you just say? Vice Admiral Wright?"
Tesoro, seeing Wright's peculiar expression and lack of follow-up attacks, heaved a sigh of relief. The continued use of his awakened ability was a heavy burden, given his inexperience with it.
"What? Got a problem with that?" Tesoro caught his breath, speaking venomously.
"You were just ranting about the Marines being 'self-righteous'… So why does Vice Admiral Wright get a pass?"
"Hmph! Cowards who hide in the shadows would never understand Vice Admiral Wright's actions!"
Standing atop a golden pillar, Tesoro looked down at Wright. "One of the greatest benefactors of my life was killed by the Marines, no matter how much I wanted to repay him!"
"I only ever had two people I genuinely wanted to thank and repay, but they were both taken from me! Even with all my wealth, I couldn't change a thing!"
"If I want to repay that benefactor, even exhausting my current fortune wouldn't be enough!"
Tesoro's face contorted in fury. "The Marines are just the World Government's violent enforcers! Their so-called justice means nothing to the Government!"
"But Vice Admiral Wright is different. The entire world can see what he's done!"
"Vice Admiral Wright has nearly fulfilled my benefactor's wish and brought about the ending my benefactor dreamed of!"
"Vice Admiral Wright saved my benefactor's homeland! I even planned to perfect Gran Tesoro and invite Vice Admiral Wright to express my gratitude!"
"Vice Admiral Wright has filled half of the regrets in my life!"
"Even as a Marine Vice Admiral, Wright's attitude toward the Celestial Dragons is well-known in the Underworld!"
"Vice Admiral Wright is one of the few Marines who stands firm on true justice—and with his strength, the future is his for the taking!"
Tesoro chuckled darkly. "Though I dwell in darkness, I have experienced light… They were my light."
Recalling Stella's smile before she was taken by the Celestial Dragons, and the burning Holy Land of Mariejois where Fisher Tiger's towering figure fought to protect the fleeing slaves, Tesoro's eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears.
"I've submitted to the darkness, so that one day I can crush its source beneath my feet! With the power of gold that can shake the world, I will utterly destroy them!"
"Revolutionary Army? Compared to what Vice Admiral Wright has done, you're not even close!"
Wright's expression grew strained. Was the Golden Emperor really this much of a fan of his?
And all of this started because…
"Your benefactor? Fisher Tiger, the hero of the Fish-Men?"
Tesoro's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Wright, about to speak, but Wright spoke first.
"Stella… Your lover, killed by the Celestial Dragons?"
"You…"
"If this were five or six years from now, you might not even say these words… But why are you telling me this now? Let me guess…"
"A slave to money? Or perhaps… just a slave?"
Tesoro watched in stunned silence as golden wings of light unfolded behind Wright, lifting him into the air until their gazes were level.
"The events at Fish-Man Island… were coincidental, but fostering goodwill between Fish-Men and humans was always part of my mission. I couldn't ignore it."
Removing his sunglasses, Wright's features reverted to his true face. "Fisher Tiger truly deserves the title of hero; even in death, he never abandoned his hope for peace…"
Holy flames of gold and red engulfed Wright's blade as golden Armament Haki coiled around it. Standing atop three glowing halos, Wright looked up at the now-stiff Tesoro.
"As for Stella… I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do for her, but at least I'm trying to prevent others from meeting her fate."
Casting a healing Holy Light on himself, Wright offered an awkward smile.
"I never imagined the Golden Emperor would hold me in such high regard… I'm not worthy of the praise."
"Let's start over."
"Vice Admiral Wright of Marine Headquarters, on a secret mission…"
"Golden Emperor, your strength is impressive, but I couldn't go all out earlier to maintain my cover…"
"Shall we begin anew?"
"Though I sympathize with your past, I can't tolerate your talk about being a 'god'!"
"Vice Admiral Wright…"
Tesoro felt his face burn, as if molten gold coursed through his veins. But as a man of the Underworld, he quickly steadied himself, taking a deep breath.
"This is a rare opportunity. Vice Admiral Wright, please guide me!"
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