Chapitre 48: Gambling
From a distance, he could see a pyramid-shaped building with a carving of a chubby crocodile on top. Without needing to ask, Sanders knew that this was Crocodile's casino, Rain Dinners.
He sealed up the doors and windows on his ship and left it at the city's edge. Then, he stepped into Rainbase.
As soon as he entered the city, Crocodile's subordinates reported his arrival. Sanders sensed this with his Observation Haki but didn't pay any attention. At this moment, he was using his Haki to search for the person he was looking for.
After a while, a smile appeared on Sanders' face.
Carrying a cold beer that he had just bought from a roadside stall, Sanders walked towards Rain Dinners.
Inside the casino, small groups of gamblers were gathered around various tables, betting money.
At a small table in the corner, a crowd had formed around a group of people.
"Another wrong bet!" A man with long hair, looking like a thug, exclaimed dramatically.
After speaking, he signaled to his companions at the table, who quickly joined in.
"Such bad luck! He almost got it!"
"Yeah, so close!"
"…"
Across from them sat a middle-aged blind man. He was dressed in a purple kimono, had short hair, and two deep scars on his forehead. His wide-open eyes were completely white.
Upon hearing the others say he had bet wrong again, the man looked regretful.
"Let's go for another round. This time, I'll bet on white again."
The man, like a gambler who had lost everything, placed his chips on the table.
"Click!" The roulette wheel spun.
The small ball landed on white, number 18.
"What is it this time? Please check for me," the blind man asked anxiously.
"Too bad, it's black, number 15," the long-haired thug said without blinking.
Some of the bystanders couldn't stand it anymore and were about to speak up when the thug glared at them fiercely, lifting his shirt to reveal a gun.
The onlookers fell silent.
"Still want to play?" the thug asked the blind man.
"Of course, I'll bet on white again!"
"Go ahead, you might just hit white this time!" the blind man shouted, trying to motivate himself.
Once again, the wheel landed on white, but the thug remained unmoved, claiming it had landed on black.
"Then this round, I'll bet on black!"
"Click!"
"Oh no, it's white this time! If you had bet white again, you would've won!"
"I'll bet on white."
"Missed again, it's black."
"…"
After several rounds of back-and-forth, the blind man seemed to grow more anxious with each loss.
"What's going on today? I'm so unlucky!" the man sighed.
The long-haired thug patted him on the shoulder with a wicked grin.
"It's normal, everyone has unlucky days. Who knows, you might get lucky on the next round."
"You're right! This time, I'll bet all my chips!" The blind man pushed all of his remaining chips onto the table with a hearty laugh.
The thug was overjoyed, instantly excited. He had been eyeing the mountain of chips in front of the blind man for a while. If this wasn't Crocodile's territory, he would've robbed the man long ago.
But this way was even better. He could "legitimately" win all of the chips.
The thug loudly praised the man, "Well said! I like people with guts like you!"
"We'll join in your craziness, too. Let's all bet everything for one big round!"
"If you win this one, you take all the chips!"
"Let's do it! A life-or-death gamble between men!"
The blind man grinned, "Really? In that case, I'll bet on white again!"
Click!
The wheel spun, and the ball landed on white, number 27.
But the thug laughed loudly and said, "Too bad! It's black!"
"The game's over. Want to head home and grab more money?" The thug swept all the chips into his pile, exchanging glances with his companions, his face full of smugness.
The other gamblers in the casino looked at the group with disdain, but no one dared to expose the scam.
At that moment, a voice sounded behind them.
"It's white, number 27. The man won all the money!"
The crowd immediately turned around to see who had the courage to speak up.
The long-haired thug's face darkened as he yelled, "It's black!"
"Who said it's white? Come here and open your eyes to see that it's black!"
He pulled out his gun from his waistband as he spoke.
Sanders pushed his way through the crowd.
"I said it's white. What are you going to do about it?" Sanders asked calmly.
"It's clearly…" The thug, trying to intimidate Sanders, started to threaten him, but Sanders shot him a cold glare.
"Hmm?"
The thug suddenly felt like a wild beast was staring him down, and a chill ran through his body. His instincts screamed that he would die if he said anything more.
"You don't want Crocodile finding out you're cheating in his casino, do you?" Sanders withdrew his intimidating aura and said nonchalantly.
The thug and his companions' expressions flickered between fear and uncertainty. The dangerous sensation they had just felt seemed almost like an illusion. After a brief hesitation, they decided to pack up their chips and leave.
Offending the casino owner was not something they could afford. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen such a secluded corner in the first place.
If there were no trouble, it'd be fine. But if trouble started, they might end up getting fed to the crocodiles.
"Since you bet everything on the last round, all the chips belong to this man now," Sanders said, pushing the chips back to the blind man.
"You're a good kid. Just you wait," the thug snarled, glaring at Sanders before leaving with his lackeys.
After they left, Sanders pushed all the chips to the blind man.
"These are all yours," he said, then sat down across from him.
Placing his freshly exchanged chips on the table, Sanders suggested, "Let's play a couple of rounds. Not roulette, though—let's play dice. We'll guess high or low."
He pulled out a dice cup.
Outside the casino, the long-haired thug and his gang were storming out, full of fury. They cursed as they walked, planning how they'd deal with Sanders once he left the casino.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from the clear sky, hitting them directly.
The thugs collapsed instantly.
Nearby passersby were startled, looking up at the sky in confusion. How could there be lightning on such a sunny day?
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