One Piece: I'm not Roger

A high-tech car moved smoothly through the bustling streets toward the casino.

The beautiful guide assigned to Aether naturally wrapped her arm around his. As long as the guest did not reject them, the escorts were expected to accompany them throughout their stay, even spending the night with them if requested.

Aether did not refuse. He simply allowed her to lead him toward the exchange counter, where a specialist converted the treasures taken from Crocodile into chips.

After receiving the chips, Aether casually slipped one worth a million Berries into the woman's deep cleavage, causing her face to flush bright red.

"You're terrible," she complained softly, though her embarrassed expression carried more excitement than annoyance.

Aether merely smiled politely. In places like this, playing along was normal.

Under her guidance, he arrived at a gambling table and casually joined the games.

Time slowly passed.

Aether moved through several tables, trying different games. His luck today seemed average at best, losing more often than he won.

Still, gambling had never been his real purpose.

From the moment he stepped into the casino, he had continuously spread his Observation Haki throughout the massive building, carefully searching every corner. It did not take long before he discovered several troublesome individuals.

One of them sat not far away.

Marine Admiral Candidate Tokikake.

Wearing a hat and laughing loudly while gambling, Tokikake looked no different from an ordinary rich gambler. Nobody would have guessed his true identity from appearance alone.

Aether calmly observed him before expanding his Observation Haki further across the upper floors.

Soon, he sensed another familiar aura.

"Momousagi..."

That sharp presence felt just as dangerous as before, carrying the same overwhelming pressure that resembled a drawn blade ready to strike at any moment.

Their brief encounter previously had allowed Aether to memorize her aura completely.

That discovery immediately worsened his mood.

Two Marine Admiral Candidates, combined with someone like Gild Tesoro, created a troublesome situation even for him. If they joined forces, ending the battle quickly would become difficult.

And if someone like Admiral Kizaru arrived afterward, things would become even more troublesome.

Inside Gran Tesoro, Tesoro possessed overwhelming advantages. As long as the city's gold remained under his control, his strength could rival a Yonko Commander. Unless the control system was disabled first, fighting him directly inside the city would become extremely dangerous.

While Aether remained deep in thought, the guide beside him became increasingly dissatisfied.

She had already received orders from above.

Her mission was to bring Aether to the VIP room.

Clearly, Tesoro had taken interest in him.

Thinking about the generous reward waiting for her afterward, the woman immediately pressed herself tighter against Aether's arm. Her soft chest completely wrapped around him as she spoke in an alluring voice.

"Sir, would you like to visit the VIP room? The games there are much more exciting. And no matter whether you win or lose, I'll belong to you tonight."

"No need," Aether replied casually. "You can do whatever you want."

The unexpected rejection stunned her.

Before she could react, Aether smoothly pulled his arm free from her embrace.

The escort forced herself to maintain her smile despite her ugly expression.

She still refused to give up.

"Sir, if you don't want to go there, I can stay here and accompany you instead."

As she tried to cling to him again, Aether calmly stepped back to avoid her.

He naturally knew what the so-called VIP room actually meant.

Tesoro had already set his sights on him.

Unfortunately for Tesoro, now was not the right time for them to meet.

Aether had no need for this woman's company anymore.

After casually stuffing another valuable chip into her cleavage as a tip, he prepared to leave the casino floor.

However, the guide clearly valued Tesoro's reward far more than Aether's generosity. Just as she was about to persist further, a beautiful purple-haired woman suddenly stepped between them.

Carina.

Dressed in a glamorous evening gown that perfectly displayed her figure, she naturally wrapped her arms around Aether's waist and smiled at the guide.

"Thank you for taking care of my man while I wasn't feeling well," Carina said sweetly. "Isn't that right, honey?"

Aether looked at her gorgeous face in surprise, curious about what she was planning.

Still, he immediately played along.

"That's right," he said with a smile. "My woman can accompany me from here."

Without hesitation, Aether wrapped an arm around Carina's slender waist and pulled her directly against his chest.

Her skin felt smooth and warm through the fabric.

Lowering his head slightly, Aether whispered near her ear.

"Miss Thief, what exactly are you planning?"

Carina leaned closer, her fragrant breath brushing against his ear as she quietly replied,

"I came to recover my property. Are you planning to keep all my money for yourself?"

She glanced at him sideways before continuing.

"Besides, I just helped you out. You clearly didn't want to go to the VIP room. Considering you defeated Crocodile, you shouldn't be scared of Tesoro, right?"

Aether looked at her bright eyes thoughtfully.

Then he suddenly remembered something important.

Without hesitation, he spoke softly.

"First of all, Crocodile's money belongs to me now."

Carina rolled her eyes immediately.

"However," Aether continued calmly, "if you help me accomplish something, I can give you all of that wealth."

While speaking, he casually guided her toward another gambling table and began placing bets again.

Since Carina had successfully infiltrated Crocodile's ship before, her stealing skills were obviously exceptional.

That was exactly what Aether needed.

Tesoro possessed the Control Key for Gran Tesoro's central control system. If Tesoro became desperate enough to destroy the city and drag everything into the sea, all of Aether's plans would collapse.

So before anything else, he needed someone capable of stealing that key.

Carina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You want me to work with you right after we met?"

Then she crossed her arms and added firmly,

"Just so we're clear, I won't sell my body, and I won't do anything suicidal either."

Aether lowered his head slightly and whispered into her ear.

"I want to take Gran Tesoro."

"I need you to help me steal the Control Key. I'll handle everyone else."

The moment those words entered her ears, Carina's entire body stiffened.

She slowly turned her head and stared at Aether as if looking at a madman.

This was Gild Tesoro's territory.

Inside Gran Tesoro, Tesoro was practically an emperor.

And yet this man calmly spoke about seizing the entire city as though he were discussing tonight's dinner.

Was he insane?