Chapter 203: The Blind Gambler
And with that, The Curtain Call finally had two new official crew members.
There were still plenty of empty rooms. Bonney was given the cabin next to Nami's, while Kuma moved into the suite adjoining Jack's. Both of their quarters were custom-built, connected to the second deck to accommodate their height. If the 8.3-meter-tall Jack could live comfortably, the 6.9-meter Kuma would have no problem at all.
Speaking of which, Big Mom's Tea Party was fast approaching. Katakuri had shown him a great deal of goodwill and had been a huge help in his Observation Haki training. Shane owed him one and had no intention of breaking his promise. Thus, The Curtain Call wasted no more time and set a direct course for Totto Land, guided by the Eternal Pose Katakuri had left them.
Seven days later.
The journey had been smooth, and they were already halfway there. In another five or six days, they would enter Totto Land's waters. Just then, a rather prosperous-looking town appeared on the horizon.
"Looks like our luck is holding up," Shane said with a smile, stretching languidly in his deck chair. He stood up. "Our food stores are running low. We'll rest here for the night and resupply."
"Running low" was an understatement. While other supplies were plentiful, their food had been completely devoured. Before leaving Dressrosa, Zeff had stocked enough provisions to last for over half a month. It had been less than a week. If Shane hadn't used his master-level fishing skills to haul in a ten-meter-long giant squid the day before, the entire crew would have been starving.
The reason was simple... in addition to Shane, the ship now had another super-sized appetite on board, one that might even surpass his own.
"Bonney!" Kuma's face was dark as he dragged the little girl out from below deck. "Besides your three regular meals, Chef Zeff already made you two extra snacks today! And now you sneak into the pantry while no one is looking? That is extremely rude!"
"Hahaha, let her be, Kuma. To have such a healthy appetite at her age is something most parents would be envious of," Zeff said, coming out to smooth things over. Bonney was always sweet to him, calling him "Grandpa Zeff" and eating everything he made with gusto. He was more than happy to cook all sorts of new dishes for her every day.
"But sneaking into the pantry is going too far," Kuma insisted, determined to teach her a lesson. "Bonney, the pantry is always locked. When did you learn how to pick locks?"
"I don't know how to do that!" Bonney said, her cheeks still puffed out with food. "Don't blame me, Kuma! I was getting up in the middle of the night to pee when I saw Gin sneaking out of a tunnel with a carton of milk! That's how I found the way in!"
A tunnel? Dug into the pantry?
Zeff froze, then shot a menacing glare at Gin. When the big mutt was a pup, he'd had a bit of a sweet tooth, so Zeff had always strictly controlled his strawberry milk intake. And this is how he repays me?
Gin, who had been pretending to be asleep, felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked up, met Zeff's gaze, and gave a goofy, tongue-lolling grin, hoping to play dumb. But then, he saw Shane's cool, unimpressed stare. Gin's body went rigid. He shot a resentful look at Bonney, trotted over to the railing, and dutifully jumped overboard.
Soon, the town came into full view. It was clearly a gambler's paradise. In the center of the island stood the city's tallest building, shaped like a giant roulette wheel, its neon lights blinking rhythmically. The moment they docked, they could hear upbeat jazz music drifting from the open casino doors, a mix of saxophones, clattering dice and chips, gamblers' shouts, and dealers' sultry laughter... The intoxicating smell of money and vice was in the air.
"Gambler's Fortune City, huh? Lively place," Shane said, tearing his eyes away from the neon sign that read "Welcome to Gambler's Fortune." The docks were packed with ships, and tourists were flooding into the casino district. Business was booming.
This stretch of sea was near the midpoint of the New World. To have such a thriving entertainment industry here, it had to have the backing of a major power. Sure enough, after a quick scan, they spotted the flag of the Big Mom Pirates flying from the island's highest point.
"So it's one of Totto Land's protectorates," Zeff said, shaking his head. "Prices here won't be cheap, but the market should be well-stocked... Hey, Bonney, want to come shopping with me? Point out anything you like, and I'll buy extra."
"Yay!" Bonney's eyes lit up. She scrambled onto Zeff's shoulder. "Thanks, Grandpa Zeff!"
"I'll go with you," Kuma smiled. A place like this was bound to be full of shady characters.
The three of them walked off, Bonney chattering away between them, looking for all the world like a happy family. The rest of the crew split up to explore. Shane was about to head to a bar with Smoker when he overheard some young tourists talking.
"Hey, did you hear? At the Golden Roulette casino, there's a blind old guy who's won seventeen hands in a row!"
"Seventeen? For real? Is he cheating?"
"No way! The guy can't even see the cards! He's really blind! The casino checked him out, and they're freaking out..."
A blind old guy? A gambler?
Shane stopped, an eyebrow raised. Those characteristics immediately brought someone to mind: a monster who, in the original timeline, would be promoted to the rank of Admiral through a worldwide military draft.
Could it be him?
Shane closed his eyes, extending his Observation Haki. He didn't sense any particularly powerful individuals on the island. But that didn't mean anything. A true powerhouse could easily conceal their presence in a crowd.
He turned and clapped Smoker on the shoulder. "The bar can wait. Let's go check something out first."
"Huh?" Smoker looked at him, confused. "Boss, since when are you interested in gambling?"
"I'm not. I'm looking for someone," Shane laughed, changing direction and heading for the center of town. "A man with a strong sense of justice. If you hadn't left the Marines, he might have ended up being your boss."
Huh? Smoker's brow furrowed, now even more confused.
The Golden Roulette casino was the massive, wheel-shaped building they had seen from the port. It was the largest and most influential casino on the island.
Inside, the atmosphere was electric. A huge crowd had gathered around the central table. Seated at the head of it was a slightly portly, middle-aged man with his eyes closed. He wore simple wooden sandals and a purple kimono, and he held an unassuming wooden staff in his lap. A faint, knowing smile played on his lips.
It really is him. Shane grinned. This trip was already paying off.
Fujitora Issho!
Of all the top brass in the Marines, there were very few Shane respected. Besides Garp, Aokiji, and Smoker... he was one of them. Of course, the current Issho had not yet joined the Marines, so the title of "Admiral Fujitora" was still years away.
Shane waved down a waitress and ordered two sparkling drinks. He and Smoker found a table on the second-floor balcony, where they could watch the game below.
Across from Fujitora, a young dealer was shaking a dice cup, his hands trembling.
"Place your bets, sir!"
Fujitora nodded and, without hesitation, pushed his mountain of chips onto the "Big" section of the table. "All in. Same as before."
The crowd gasped.
"Again?! This is the nineteenth time he's gone all in!"
"He's been right eighteen times in a row! If he wins this one, his winnings will be over 300 million Belly! How is he doing it?! He's blind!"
"Is the casino going to go bankrupt...?"
The dealer heard the whispers and grew even more nervous. With a trembling hand, he lifted the cup—5, 6, 6. Big.
"H-He won... again..." the dealer's voice was weak. "Congratulations, sir." 300 million was a loss the Golden Roulette could absorb, but his own salary for the month was definitely gone.
"Thank you," Fujitora said, stroking his stubbled chin. "Nineteen wins in a row... I think that's enough for today. My luck has been quite good."
"Whoa! He's amazing!!" the crowd cheered. The casino's security guards exchanged dark looks.
On the second floor, Smoker was incredulous. "How did that blind guy do it? Wait... is it Observation Haki?"
"No," Shane said, his eyes fixed on Fujitora. "He didn't use any tricks. His game is clean."
Then how did he win nineteen times in a row? Smoker was baffled, and Shane, too, was frowning, trying to figure it out. Besides using Haki to "peek," Fujitora's Gravity-Gravity Fruit could easily manipulate the dice. But at this range, a trick like that would have been impossible to hide from his own senses. It was a complete mystery.
They weren't the only ones who were stumped.
"Esteemed guest," a sultry voice purred from the grand staircase as the casino's atmosphere reached a fever pitch. A beautiful woman with white hair and a high-slit dress descended, her high heels clicking on the marble floor. "Your skill is truly divine. Our boss is very interested in you." She stopped in front of Fujitora, a coy smile on her red lips. "Why don't you join me in our third-floor VIP lounge for a private chat?"
She leaned forward, giving the surrounding gamblers an eyeful. But Fujitora remained unmoved, as if he couldn't see a thing. Which, of course, he couldn't. But he could clearly sense the malice radiating from the brutish-looking thugs who had now surrounded him.
"This is quite a predicament," Fujitora sighed. "I am just an ordinary gambler, here for a bit of entertainment. There is no need for such a grand reception."
"Don't play coy, guest. An ordinary gambler doesn't win nineteen hands in a row," the woman giggled. "I suggest you accept our hospitality. If you insist on playing dumb..." She snapped her fingers, and the lead thug, a bald giant, drew his sword with a savage grin. "So we got a wise guy making trouble at the Golden Roulette, huh? Since you're so good at pretending to be blind, I'll make you a real cripple!"
SWISH!
The blade flashed—and hit nothing but air.
Fujitora had somehow appeared behind the thug, and he tapped the man on the back of the neck with his wooden staff. The thug's knees buckled as if he'd been crushed by an immense weight, and he collapsed to the floor, unable to get up.
"What are you waiting for?! Get him!" the bald thug roared. The other thugs finally snapped out of it and charged from all directions.
But Fujitora just casually swatted at the air with his staff. With a series of dull thuds, the two dozen or so thugs fell like dominoes, pinned to the floor by an invisible force. The casino fell silent.
On the second floor, Smoker's eyes were wide. "What a bizarre Devil Fruit power..." He wondered if he could withstand it at such close range. The boss said that with enough Haki, you can overcome any fruit. He'd been training relentlessly with the Z-hologram in the Dream Weed, and his Haki had improved. He probably could.
"...You!" The white-haired woman stumbled backward. Just then, a slow, deliberate clap echoed from the top floor.
Clap... clap... clap.
The gamblers who had been herded into the lobby all looked up. On the top-floor balcony, a short, stout man in a suit identical to Akainu's was slowly descending.
"Master Du Feld!" The white-haired woman scrambled to his side, relieved.
Du Feld? The name was familiar. Some of the gamblers began to put it together, and a collective gasp went through the crowd. Du Feld... isn't that one of the six emperors of the underworld? The Loan Shark King?! The owner of the Golden Roulette is someone that powerful?!
"Well, I don't know whether to call this bad luck or good," Du Feld said, a cigar clamped between his teeth. He ignored his secretary and looked at Fujitora. "The name you registered with was Issho, right? I just happened to be inspecting my property, and I run into a gambler of your caliber. Such incredible skill, and impressive strength to back it up... I'm quite intrigued."
He held up two fingers. "I'll make you an offer. Twenty million Belly a year. Come work for me as one of my top officers. What do you say?"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible," a cool voice said from the second floor before Fujitora could respond.
Who's that?
The Loan Shark King's face darkened, and he looked up. In the next second, his pupils contracted, and a few drops of cold sweat trickled down his temple.
"It would be a waste for him to work for you. After all, Mr. Issho is someone I was hoping to recruit myself," the handsome, dark-haired young man said, leaning against the railing, casually swirling the drink in his hand.
"How about this? Do me a favor and let me have him."
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