Holy Land – Mariejois, inside the headquarters of the World Government, the Ministry of Finance was located on the eighth floor.
At this moment, inside Tesoro's office, Baccarat was organizing documents for him.
As the saying goes, when one person ascends to greatness, those around them rise as well.
Tesoro had followed Claudius all the way from being a slave to becoming a high-ranking official.
And Baccarat had followed Tesoro, rising to a high position herself—now serving as Deputy Minister of Finance.
However, despite her status, Tesoro was still the one in charge. She merely assisted him in handling various tasks.
Setting down the documents in her hand, Baccarat let out a soft sigh. The workload in the Ministry of Finance was immense—after all, they were responsible for cleaning up the financial mess left by the World Government.
On top of that, there were still many new plans to implement.
Over the past two years, Saint Claudius had been continuously bringing in talented personnel to support Tesoro and Baccarat, helping to ease their burden.
Even so, the Ministry of Finance, despite being one of the largest institutions within the government, still found itself struggling to keep up.
Finally catching a break, Baccarat sank into the sofa and exhaled in relief. She picked up her elegant pipe from the table, took a slow puff, and then sipped her tea, all while watching Tesoro, who was currently on a Den Den Mushi call.
Baccarat liked Tesoro.
Long ago, she had been just a dancer, until she unexpectedly consumed a powerful Devil Fruit.
But without guidance, she had no idea how to properly use its abilities.
Then Tesoro appeared, taking her under his wing and personally nurturing her step by step into who she was today.
To say Baccarat was well-endowed was an understatement—she possessed striking burgundy curls, warm hazel skin, and an explosively curvaceous figure.
Having been by Tesoro's side for so many years, she had developed a mature, refined temperament.
Her smile was charming, with eyes that narrowed in a way that made her seem approachable and kind.
Yet beyond her looks, she was also highly capable, playing an indispensable role in Tesoro's work.
In every aspect—body, beauty, personality, and talent—she was simply impeccable.
A true goddess-level woman.
Unsurprisingly, she had never lacked suitors.
But Baccarat had no interest in any of them.
Because in her eyes, there was only Tesoro.
She was willing to give him everything, even though she knew Tesoro's heart belonged to another.
No matter what, she could never replace Stella in his heart.
Stella might not have Baccarat's talent, nor was she necessarily more beautiful, but she was Tesoro's haven—one of the two pillars that supported him.
The other pillar was, of course, Saint Claudius.
Baccarat had always understood this.
She knew Tesoro was a devoted man.
But no matter how much she tried to accept it, she couldn't let go of her feelings.
Perhaps this was love.
Even so, she had her own principles.
She would never act on her feelings, nor would she allow them to disrupt Tesoro's world.
She simply kept her emotions buried deep within, watching over him silently.
Taking another slow drag from her pipe, Baccarat exhaled a thin stream of smoke.
She glanced at Tesoro, who was still on the Den Den Mushi, and whispered softly:
"Stella… I really envy you."
Meanwhile, Tesoro remained oblivious to Baccarat's thoughts.
To him, Baccarat was undoubtedly a great woman, but he had never considered anything beyond their professional relationship.
Right now, he was focused entirely on his conversation with Tom, the legendary shipwright from Water 7.
---
"Tom, come on now—Water 7 generates hundreds of billions of Berries a year. Do you really need to be nitpicking over these little amounts I'm holding onto?" Tesoro sighed helplessly into the receiver.
A gruff voice responded through the Den Den Mushi:
"Hundreds of billions? Sure, that was before.
Back then, Water 7 was a privately owned operation—Your Highness was just a major shareholder, and that was that.
But now it's different.
Water 7 is officially under the jurisdiction of the World Government. It's part of the system now, no longer just some private enterprise.
We've got quotas. We've got targets."
Tom sounded equally exasperated.
Tesoro sighed again.
Just as he was about to respond, Tom cut him off.
"Do you even realize how expensive it is to build these Sea Trains?"
"Laying down just one route costs tens of billions!
And you can't just have one train per route, right? You need at least three to five trains operating at all times.
Those aren't cheap either!
Now, if we're talking about a single route, sure, the costs add up to 100 billion or so.
But this year alone, our target is to establish routes connecting at least ten islands!
That's an estimated 800 to 900 billion Berries!
Do you understand now?"
Tesoro fell silent for a moment.
Tom continued, pressing harder:
"And don't tell me we'll make it back quickly!
Sure, maybe in three to five years, we'll see full returns. But you know how much upfront investment this requires?"
Tesoro sighed again.
"I get it, Tom. But you also know the Ministry of Finance doesn't have much surplus right now."
He knew he was going to approve the funding regardless.
After all, this was Claudius' vision—even if it meant losses, Tesoro had no choice but to ensure it got done.
That said, as Minister of Finance, he had to maintain an image.
If he made money too easy to obtain, then tomorrow the Marines would come asking for hundreds of billions, then Dragon would show up asking for even more.
Even with all the wealth at his disposal, Tesoro couldn't afford to be too generous.
Tom wasn't buying the excuse.
"Tesoro, the Ministry of Finance has nearly five trillion Berries this year.
I'm only asking for a 500 billion loan.
No interest. Just let me borrow it! And I will pay it back once the train lines are operational."
Tesoro gave a bitter smile.
Before he could respond, Tom raised the stakes.
"If you keep dragging this out, I'll take it straight to His Highness!"
Then, shifting tactics, he added in a calmer tone:
"Look, the past three years, Water 7 has raised its tax contribution to the Ministry of Finance by an additional 3%.
Consider that the interest. Isn't that fair?"
Hearing that, Tesoro smirked.
That was what he'd been waiting for.
"Tom, if you're threatening to report me to His Highness, how can I refuse? Fine—500 billion it is."
"That's the spirit! Now hurry up and process it—if you delay His Highness' plans, none of us will have a good time!" Tom laughed heartily.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Tesoro muttered.
After exchanging a few more words, the call finally ended.
Tesoro shook his head in exasperation.
Across from him, Baccarat was watching with amusement, a sly smile on her lips.
"Being Minister of Finance isn't easy," Tesoro grumbled.
Before he could even enjoy a moment of peace, the Den Den Mushi rang again.
Hearing its distinctive "Blubrubulu", Tesoro groaned.
Casting a glance at the receiver, he sighed.
"Here we go… another money-hungry leech."
On the other end, the Den Den Mushi had taken the distinct scowling face of Crocodile.
---
(To be continued.)
***
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