One Piece: I'm not Roger

As dusk descended across the sea, the setting sun dyed the ocean gold. On the opposite side of the horizon, the moon had already risen, and darkness slowly spread across the waters as night approached.

A battered little boat drifted toward Gran Tesoro with Aether standing aboard it.

Along the journey, he had encountered several violent storms. Although none of them posed any danger to him, the same could not be said for the tiny boat beneath his feet. It had already reached its limit.

If not for the fact that mobilizing a large fleet could provoke Charlotte Linlin and alert Tesoro ahead of time, Aether would never have bothered traveling alone like this.

Still, preparations had already been made.

He had stationed manpower on a nearby island beforehand. Once everything was settled, they would move in immediately to take control of Gran Tesoro.

The gigantic golden structure ahead gradually grew clearer.

At the front of Gran Tesoro stood a massive circular entrance large enough for enormous ships to pass through with ease. Compared to the colossal city floating on the sea, Aether's tiny boat looked insignificant.

Even from outside, loud cheers and music could already be heard coming from within.

Aether leisurely took out a silver wig before placing it on his head. After that came sunglasses, a fake beard, and several artificial wrinkles around his eyes.

When he finished, he raised a mirror to inspect himself.

Satisfied, he nodded lightly.

With this disguise, anyone unfamiliar with him would never recognize his identity.

From this moment onward, he was no longer Aether.

He was the legendary Kun Emperor, master of Kun Fist.

After passing through the circular entrance, the interior of Gran Tesoro came fully into view.

The harbor resembled an enormous entertainment arena. Towering stands rose hundreds of meters high in every direction, packed with excited spectators. At the center of the sea floated a grand performance stage where several beautiful dancers in revealing outfits performed under dazzling lights.

As their graceful bodies moved to the music, the atmosphere exploded with excitement.

Aether glanced around with interest.

The scene reminded him of certain extravagant industries from his previous life.

As expected of the world's largest entertainment city.

Neither Las Vegas nor Macau from his past life could compare to the absurd scale of Gran Tesoro.

Suddenly, Aether's small boat shook violently.

A large pirate ship had recklessly brushed past him.

Several pirates standing on the deck burst into mocking laughter when they saw his pathetic little boat.

"Hahaha! A beggar like you dares to come to Gran Tesoro?"

"Do you even have enough Berries to buy a drink here?"

Aether looked at them as if they were idiots.

He recognized the captain immediately.

Black Crocodile Vida, bounty: 130 million Berries.

A pirate known for murder and looting who had entered the New World only half a month ago.

Although Vida's bounty exceeded 100 million, he was not considered one of the Supernovas. He had spent over a decade causing chaos in South Blue, and his bounty had already surpassed 100 million several years ago.

Only inexperienced fools behaved this arrogantly in the New World.

Once someone stayed here long enough, they would realize pirates worth over 100 million Berries were everywhere.

Perhaps irritated by Aether's gaze, Vida's expression turned vicious.

"Sink that boat," he ordered coldly. "I want him dead."

"Yes, Captain!"

The pirate ship immediately changed direction and accelerated toward Aether.

Dark bloodstains covered the iron ram at the bow, proof that they had used this tactic many times before.

The disturbance quickly attracted the attention of the audience watching from above.

Rather than fear, the crowd became even more excited.

"Hahaha! Kill him!"

"That Black Crocodile brat is pretty entertaining!"

Facing the charging ship, Aether simply smiled faintly.

Since they insisted on throwing their lives away, he saw no reason to stop them.

His figure suddenly disappeared.

Before anyone could react, he appeared directly in front of Vida.

The pirate captain's expression instantly changed from arrogance to panic.

Aether turned slightly, twisting his waist as Armament Haki coated his body.

"Kun Mountain Lean."

Boom!

Vida was blasted away like a cannonball, flying hundreds of meters through the air.

The pirates on deck still had not processed what had happened.

Aether's smile remained gentle, but his eyes held no mercy.

Pirates who survived through slaughter and robbery deserved none.

His body moved again.

"Kun Strikes the Eight Directions."

The deck exploded into chaos.

Pirates were sent flying into the sea one after another like falling rain.

The battle ended almost instantly.

Soon, only two people remained aboard the ship.

Aether, and another presence hidden inside the cabin.

Through Observation Haki, he clearly sensed someone sneaking toward the captain's quarters.

Aether glanced briefly toward the giant stage above where Gild Tesoro had appeared before calmly walking into the cabin.

As for steering the ship, he did not care.

Tesoro's people would naturally guide it into the harbor.

Inside the captain's quarters, a beautiful young woman with short purple hair was opening a treasure chest with sparkling eyes.

Golden light reflected across her delicate face as she stared at the treasure with excitement.

The valuables inside were worth at least 300 million Berries.

"It wasn't a waste following those idiots for half a month," she whispered excitedly. "The treasure from Dense Forest Island really was here."

Just as she prepared to pack everything up, a man's voice sounded behind her.

"Trying to steal my money?"

Her entire body froze.

Something hard pressed against her back.

A gun?

Carina slowly turned around before immediately putting on a pitiful expression.

"Um... actually, I just got lost."

The moment she saw Aether's face, she relaxed slightly.

He was neither Vida nor one of the pirates she had been observing.

Based on her understanding of Vida's personality, that idiot would never return to his room immediately after arriving at Gran Tesoro.

So this man was probably just another crew member.

At the same time, Aether quietly observed her.

Delicate facial features.

Short purple hair.

A naturally seductive charm mixed with innocence.

Though she still carried traces of youthfulness, her figure was already exceptionally mature.

Aether immediately recognized her.

Carina.

The thief and future top showgirl of Gran Tesoro.

Interesting.

It seemed the two of them had arrived here on the same day.

Before Aether could speak again, Carina suddenly threw herself into his arms with surprising familiarity.

She looked up at him with watery eyes that seemed capable of speaking on their own.

"I really am lost."

Her voice sounded soft and seductive enough to send chills down someone's spine.

At the same moment, however, her long leg shot upward toward a certain fatal area without hesitation.

Unfortunately for her, Aether reacted faster.

He firmly trapped her leg before the attack could land.

With one leg restrained, Carina immediately lost balance.

Aether looked at her with amusement.

"Trying to cripple me?"

Panic flashed across Carina's face.

"N-No, I was actually..."

Before she could continue lying, Aether casually knocked her unconscious.

He placed her gently onto the bed afterward.

"Sleep for a while, little thief," he said lazily. "I don't have time to play games with you."

After locking the room behind him, Aether casually took the treasure chest for himself.

He happened to need spending money anyway.

By the time he returned to the deck, golden powder was already raining from the sky.

The glittering dust drifted throughout Gran Tesoro as if the entire city had been covered in gold.

Standing high above, Tesoro silently observed him.

Aether looked up and smiled faintly.

Tesoro smiled back.

Neither spoke.

Aether naturally understood what the gold dust really was.

This was one of Tesoro's methods of controlling others.

Anyone who inhaled enough of the dust would fall under the influence of the Gold-Gold Fruit. If too much accumulated inside the body, Tesoro could even turn them into living gold statues.

"You're thinking too highly of yourself, Tesoro," Aether muttered inwardly.

Soon afterward, he officially stepped onto Gran Tesoro.

Rows of luxurious convoys lined the streets while beautiful female attendants waited to welcome arriving guests.

One particularly attractive woman immediately approached Aether with a professional smile.

When she learned that his destination was the casino district, her smile brightened even further.

Guests who exchanged large amounts of money for chips earned attendants generous commissions.

The broad streets stretched toward the center of the city.

As Aether looked around at the dazzling buildings, neon lights, and luxurious atmosphere, even he felt somewhat tempted.

Taking over this city as quickly as possible suddenly sounded like a very good idea.

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