Sabaody Archipelago, Island 23.
In front of the iron-barred display window of a human trafficking shop, Tesoro was still singing, his voice soft yet full of hope. He wanted to bring happiness to his beloved Stella, who was imprisoned behind those bars.
Clang!
The door of the human trafficking shop was pushed open from inside. A middle-aged man in a black suit with a thick beard walked out, yawning widely.
"Hey! Kid, you've been singing all night. It's almost midnight now, and I'm about to go to bed," he said, his tone bored. "If you really like Stella, why don't you pay to buy her? Spending 38 million Berries to buy a princess from a country not affiliated with the World Government is a profitable deal from any perspective!"
In fact, the middle-aged man was very eager to sell Stella. Although this woman was said to be a princess from a country not affiliated with the World Government and skilled in many arts, she was essentially just an ordinary beautiful woman. For the same price, buying four or five beautiful women of similar appearance would be more than enough. Recently, he had been considering lowering the price. Stella had been living off him for over a year. If he waited a few more years, Stella's appearance would deteriorate, and he wouldn't be able to sell her then.
"Boss, please wait a little longer, I'll have the money soon..." Tesoro said sincerely, his eyes pleading.
"If you're serious about buying her, I can give you a 1 million Berry discount," the boss replied, softening slightly. "I'm only giving you this price because you've been coming here every day for over a year."
As the two spoke, a figure shrouded in black mist descended from the sky and landed smoothly on the street, startling the Boss. When the black mist disappeared, revealing the silver-haired youth, Tesoro immediately cried out with joy, "Boss Sephiroth!"
"I brought the money," Sephiroth deactivated his vampire status. He chuckled softly and patted the suitcase in his hand.
"Boss, the money's here. I want to redeem Stella now!" Tesoro beamed with delight and vigorously shook the middle-aged man's shoulder.
My one million Berries! The human trafficking shop boss sighed inwardly. How could he have been soft-hearted enough to lower the price? However, the Boss didn't go back on his word. He immediately led Sephiroth and Tesoro into the shop and promptly processed the purchase documents for Stella, exchanging money for goods.
When Stella was released from the display window and the explosive collar around her neck was removed, she immediately threw herself into Tesoro's arms, happy tears bursting from her lips, which made Tesoro immediately comfort her affectionately.
Seeing the seemingly endless scene, Sephiroth, who had just been treated to a lovey-dovey spectacle, cleared his throat. "Ahem! You two, that's enough! There are other people here!"
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Tesoro scratched his head awkwardly and smiled shyly. Stella, beside him, blushed slightly on her beautiful face and hugged Tesoro's arm tightly, her expression full of happiness.
"Come on! Take me to your place," Sephiroth invited. "Next, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Sephiroth waved his hand and was the first to leave the human trafficking shop. Tesoro and Stella, now free, immediately followed behind him.
"Boss, from now on, I'll work for you. What exactly do I need to do?" Tesoro asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Sephiroth snapped his fingers lightly and said straightforwardly, "Of course, make money by doing business!"
"In what specific areas?" Tesoro asked, a little confused.
"Weapons, pharmaceuticals, heavy industry, entertainment industry, and then I also want to get involved in intelligence..." Sephiroth listed several fields, a faint smile gracing his lips.
"It seems our company will be a big one!" Tesoro exclaimed with awe.
"That's right. From now on, I'll be the Chairman of the Company, and you'll be the Vice Chairman."
Hearing this, Tesoro's eyes twitched slightly. He asked hesitantly, "Boss, if I may ask, how many people are currently in our Company, and what is the Company's name?"
"Including you and me, there are two..." Sephiroth smiled humorously. "Regarding the Company's name..." He gently rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Let's call it Umbrella Corporation!" He looked at Tesoro with a gaze full of ambition. "Just wait and see! Sooner or later, the name of this company will resonate throughout the world!"
"Hmm! ... The Company's logo flag will have a white background with an umbrella consisting of silver-gray and red colors on it."
Hearing this, Tesoro couldn't help but put a hand to his forehead and sigh softly, for some reason. He felt a sense of uncertainty in his heart, but he had already boarded that pirate ship, so he could only continue the journey and see what the final outcome would be.
Seeing that, Stella, who was holding Tesoro's arm, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, amused by her new boss's idea.
"Oh, that's right, Miss Stella..." Sephiroth hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "There's a question I don't know whether to ask or not..."
Stella blinked her eyes and smiled softly. "Hmm? Mr. Sephiroth, please ask. I'll answer anything I can."
"I heard the Boss say you were a princess..." Sephiroth began, looking at her intently. "Then how did you end up being held in a human trafficking shop?"
"Well... it's a long story..." Stella sighed, the shadow of a painful past flashing in her eyes. "More than a year ago, the Sardo Kingdom, where I lived, was attacked by Pirates..." Her face turned mournful. "Our country's army was completely helpless against the powerful Pirate crew, and they occupied our country, causing chaos everywhere. I was then captured and sold as a slave..."
"Why didn't your country contact the Marines for support?" Sephiroth asked, his brow furrowed.
"Because our country was too poor to pay tribute to the Tenryuubito, so we weren't qualified to be a country affiliated with the World Government..." Stella explained, her voice full of resignation. "Therefore, the Marines weren't willing to come and save us. However, this is unavoidable... After all, our island is relatively far from other islands and cannot be reached by a Log Pose. A Permanent Pose is needed to find it... But our country has barren land and no valuable special products, so interaction with the outside world is very little, thus hindering the country from developing..."
"I see!" Sephiroth nodded in understanding, realizing why she, a princess, had become a slave. The World Government always treated non-affiliated countries with an attitude of exploiting them if possible, and ignoring them if not. Presumably, the Sardo Kingdom was a very poor place, otherwise, it would most likely have been exploited to death a long time ago.
"What was the name of the Pirate crew that attacked your country?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Pirate Admiral Paul Floyd, and his subordinate Lion Grand Fleet," Stella replied. "That person was a Great Pirate with a bounty of 365 million Berries..."
"Huh!? That name... why does it sound so familiar... a bounty of over 300 million..." Sephiroth rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, then said with sudden realization, "Oh! Right, that person... he seems to be locked up in Impel Down by Garp..."
"Really?" Stella gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief, a flicker of hope beginning to ignite.
"That's right... That person met Vice Admiral Garp at sea and chose not to flee, but instead chose to engage in a direct confrontation, but he was defeated."
Hearing that, Stella immediately cried tears of joy. She had been worrying about this in her heart for over a year, living in fear and despair. Receiving this good news so suddenly today, she truly couldn't control her emotions, tears of relief flooding her cheeks.
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