Inside Rain Dinners, countless gamblers stared red-eyed at the papers Aus casually waved around.
160 billion???
Just hearing that number felt like a fever dream.
But nobody dared make a move. They just watched with tingling scalps, witnessing this once-in-a-lifetime high-stakes showdown.
Crocodile's reaction clearly let them down though.
She clenched her teeth, even uncrossing those long white legs, her face darker than a storm cloud.
"That amount... how the hell could I possibly bet against you!!!"
Even if she was confident she could crush Aus at cards...
She knew damn well she'd never see a penny of that money. 160 billion was murder-and-robbery territory!
On these brutal seas, might makes right was the only law. Even she pulled dirty tricks when it suited her!
And she wasn't guaranteed to win. Sure, she was confident the odds of losing were microscopic, but if she lost even once, she'd spend the rest of her life drowning in impossible debt!!!
"Huh?"
His eyes narrowed, studying little Sand as she heated up and looked ready to explode. He leaned back with his hands behind his head.
"Worried I'll use muscle to skip the bill? Or maybe..."
Brief pause.
Aus's expression shifted to mock surprise, then broke into that soul-crushing smirk.
"You... scared?"
Before little Sand could respond, Aus snapped his fingers.
"Little Hawk."
Mihawk sighed and reluctantly pulled a Visual Den Den Mushi from his coat.
After a quick startup, the snail focused on the gambling table, capturing both their images.
"What the—" Little Sand's jaw dropped.
"Visual Den Den Mushi~"
"The kind that broadcasts worldwide."
Meanwhile, at World Economic News headquarters.
A humanoid bird darted between operators, frantically coordinating with pure excitement:
"Big news! Big news! World's first mega-stakes gambling livestream!!!"
"Lord Aus wasn't bullshitting me—this Visual Den Den Mushi finally pays off!!!"
Though News King Morgans hadn't built his media empire everywhere yet, he'd still managed to install Den Den Mushi projection screens across many countries and regions, including major nations.
"Holy shit, look at the central square screen! That's..."
"No way, that looks like..."
"Report!!! Lord Buggy, there's a live broadcast about Lord Aus—not a newspaper!!!"
"Shanks, look... that's gotta be your friend."
"The brat from Roger's ship, Marco?"
"Ma ma ma ma... he's grown into quite the man, Aus."
"Wororororo!!! Hic... what's this crap? Stop playing games and come fight!!! Black Gun!!!"
Once the feed went live, even areas without World Economic News coverage scrambled to catch this broadcast after hearing Aus's name.
"So then..."
"This gamble will be witnessed by the entire world. That should put your mind at ease, little Sand."
Too rattled to care about the nickname anymore, Crocodile stared at that Den Den Mushi in pure shock.
Her presence here wasn't exactly secret, but she'd kept such a low profile to avoid attention while hunting for that legendary Ancient Weapon.
Now she was famous worldwide...
Sand started gathering in her palm.
"Don't even think about it, little Sand."
The sand froze mid-flight, then drifted back to Crocodile. Aus said coolly:
"Nobody quits this game halfway through."
Right on cue, commentary boomed through every broadcast:
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is World Economic News, bringing you the century's greatest high-stakes showdown!!!"
"First, on the left side of your screen!"
"A legendary pirate who terrorized the Grand Line, battled the Devil's Heir Douglas Bullet, and went toe-to-toe with Whitebeard himself—
Sir Crocodile!!!"
"WOOOOO!!!!"
Little Sand's smoking-hot looks and attitude, plus that cigar-clenched glare of pure murder aimed at the camera, instantly had men across the seas losing their minds!!!
"And on the right, someone I'm sure you all recognize!"
"That's right!!!"
"The legendary pirate!
Pirate King crew member!!!
The man who single-handedly took on Marine Headquarters, carrying a 4.049 billion Belly bounty—the new ruler of the seas!!!
At just 17 years old, commanding absolute dominion over the ocean—the next generation's king!!!"
"'Black Emperor' Lord Aus!!!!"
After that obviously biased introduction, civilians who barely knew Aus suddenly understood exactly who they were looking at.
Especially that "Black Emperor" title—just hearing it made your chest tight with dread.
Old Kik watched the broadcast with a red face, excitedly shaking a nearby guard's shoulder.
"You see that? That's my grandson! Hahahaha!!!"
"And now both sides will engage in history's highest-stakes battle! The wager is—"
Dramatic silence that had every viewer on the edge of their seats.
"One hundred sixty billion Belly!!!"
The announcer's hyped-up roar exploded through every Den Den Mushi!
"What the fuck?!?!"
"160 billion?! How many zeros is that..."
"Are you serious?! That much money would be a literal mountain!!!"
The camera focused on both players.
Aus on the right looked completely chill. Neither worldwide attention nor the astronomical bet seemed to faze him one bit.
He just quietly watched his opponent—little Sand, who was now completely trapped.
Truth was, he'd played this perfectly.
For someone as proud as her, admitting in front of the whole world that she was too scared or too broke to gamble would be worse than death for someone who dreamed of being Pirate King.
Between public pressure and Aus's mockery, little Sand's whole body went tense, face flushing as her chest heaved.
After what felt like forever, she slowly lit another cigar.
"..."
Her face regained that cold, world-weary mask. Little Sand exhaled smoke, razor-sharp eyes cutting through the haze to pin Aus down:
"I don't know what game you're playing with all this bullshit, but...
you think you've got me all figured out?
Fine. Let's fucking gamble, Aus."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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