"Silver hair..."
Tesoro bore the pressure, bending over, hands on his knees, trying not to kneel.
Although he was powerful, he relied mostly on his devil fruit abilities. In terms of physical fitness, he was no match for Doflamingo.
After a moment, the pressure forced him to his knees.
*Bang—!*
Memories surged like a tide, throwing Tesoro back to the helpless days of being a Celestial Dragon slave.
He lowered his head, gritting his teeth, his bloodshot eyes reflecting the stark contrast of his pupils.
"If I can't have peace, then you will all die!"
He raised his head, his gaze traveling from slippers upwards, finally fixing on Kong Tai's young face.
He glanced at Kong Tai, a thought crossing his mind, and activated his ability.
The surrounding rooms suddenly burst open with a roar, and golden bars, forged from pure gold, slithered out like serpents from every chamber.
The tremendous noise immediately drew everyone's attention.
However...
Gazing at the golden bars swinging through the corridor, the onlookers showed nothing but amusement, no hint of fear.
Kong Tai didn't even turn his head.
He saw the madness and surprise in Tesoro's eyes, his lips curving into a smirk, a hint of disdain on his face.
In reality, gold wasn't as hard as steel; a swordsman could cleave through it with a single strike.
On his way here, he had deliberately blocked the golden powder traps Tesoro had set in the passage, so this guy was thinking too much if he expected to deal with them like other pirate crews.
Tesoro dared to confront Kong Tai primarily because of the golden powder.
Anyone caught in his golden powder trap, no matter who they were, he was confident he could subdue them.
What he hadn't expected was that after activating his ability, not only did the silver-haired man before him, the world's strongest, remain unaffected, but even his companions behind him were unharmed!
"No matter what, I won't surrender easily."
Shaking his head, Tesoro dismissed his surprise.
He had been a Celestial Dragon slave for a time, making him acutely sensitive to killing intent. The person before him had shown killing intent from the moment they arrived, clearly intending to eliminate him.
He glanced up at Kong Tai, then slowly lowered his head, a fierce glint in his bloodshot eyes.
Instantly, the golden serpents writhing in the corridor, as if summoned, froze in place, then turned their heads, all pointing towards Kong Tai and his group at the end of the passage.
*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!*
Then, they lungically shot towards them.
Outside the entire building, more and larger golden serpents, like a flood, surged from various parts of the city towards the central structure.
And under the horrified gaze of countless people, they unhesitatingly coiled around the building, heads held high, and along with the serpents inside, violently plunged towards the floor where Kong Tai and his group were.
"Are they fighting?"
On the streets outside the building, numerous gamblers who were heading to the casino had their fun interrupted by the sudden appearance of golden serpents.
The timid nobles, unwilling to get involved in such a dangerous situation, had come for pleasure, not to risk their lives.
Thus, at the onset of the chaos, they immediately retreated from the building along with the casino patrons.
Those who remained, their faces flushed with excitement, gazing up at the top of the building, were all pirates in bizarre attire.
Of course, among them were the Marine vice-admirals, Kake and Gion.
Unlike the pirates reveling in the chaos, these two knew who was upstairs.
Even though Tesoro's display was grand and terrifying, to that man, it was child's play.
*Crack!*
The opulent glass at the top of the building shattered instantly under the impact of the colossal golden serpent.
Reflecting the lights and the golden glow, the surrounding floating debris appeared exceptionally beautiful, both outside and within the corridor.
Yet, amidst this beauty lay an infinite killing intent.
Without hesitation, countless golden serpents surged towards Kong Tai and his group, instantly obscuring their vision.
At this moment, whether it was Mr. Tanaka and Baccarat, pinned to the ground by the pressure, unable to move, or the frenzied Tesoro, hope flickered in their eyes.
As long as they were on this ship, in this city, they had reason to believe Tesoro was the strongest.
However...
*Bang bang bang...*
The golden serpents converged, like meteors, smashing downwards. But as they reached the group, instead of colliding with Kong Tai and his companions as Tesoro and the other two had envisioned, they struck an invisible, resilient barrier and could advance no further.
"How is this possible."
A grimace appeared on all three of their faces simultaneously.
Then, they looked up at Kong Tai's cold, piercing gaze and shivered.
At this moment, Mr. Tanaka, the first to recover his senses, quickly lowered his head and silently activated his ability.
A circle of purplish-black light instantly formed beneath the three of them.
And their bodies, like heavy objects sinking into a swamp, began to descend rapidly.
He was their last resort for escape.
He was a user of the "Bari Bari no Mi," capable of passing through any non-living matter.
Since Lord Tesoro's attack had failed, it was his turn to act.
"Hmm!" Kong Tai tilted his head, looking at Mr. Tanaka behind Tesoro. "Almost forgot about you."
Although slightly surprised, Kong Tai showed no haste.
Now that they were within his domain, could they really leave if they wished?
"What's happening? Why can't we sink?"
Time ticked by second by second. Kong Tai was unhurried, and the people behind him were even less so. But Tesoro, kneeling on the ground, Baccarat, prostrate, and Mr. Tanaka, grew increasingly anxious.
As the seconds continued to tick away, the pressure from the life countdown surpassed the physical pressure, causing all of them to reveal signs of panic.
"Alright, stop wasting your effort. In front of me, let alone you three, even the Four Emperors and the Marine Admirals wouldn't be able to leave if I didn't want them to."
Looking down at the three of them, Kong Tai calmly uttered words that were incredibly boastful.
"How did you do it?"
"Is it this strange, peculiar space that can withstand my attacks and exert pressure on me?"
Tesoro was no fool. If he were, he wouldn't have accumulated such immense wealth in such a short time.
With Mr. Tanaka unable to help him escape, he began to consider the transparent space that enveloped them.