บท 20: Chapter 19 - A Matter of Time
The casino was vast, making it challenging to find anyone, even with four people searching.
Shanks wandered off at some point, likely drawn to the games.
After a while, they still hadn't found Rayleigh. However, the ten chips in Shanks' hands had multiplied into a sizeable stack.
"Shanks, you're amazing! You've won so much!" Shirakawa exclaimed, surprised by Shanks' gambling prowess.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I just placed a few bets randomly, and suddenly I had all these," Shanks said with a sheepish grin.
"Shanks, you won all that with my money. So technically, it's all mine," Buggy declared, not wanting Shanks to have all the glory and profit.
"No way! I won it, so it's mine!" Shanks retorted.
He tossed a stack of 10,000 berries at Buggy.
"No, all of it is mine!" Buggy snatched the money but still eyed the chips in Shanks' arms greedily.
"Okay, you two, stop arguing. If we can't find the First Mate here, we need to move on," Shirakawa intervened. "As for the chips, we'll exchange them for berries later and split it three ways."
"No!" Shanks and Buggy protested in unison.
'I worked hard to win this. I can't just share it,' Shanks thought. While he didn't value money, he wasn't about to give away his winnings, especially since Shirakawa hadn't contributed.
Buggy, of course, agreed. The fewer people to share with, the better.
"Hey, what are you four doing here?" a familiar voice asked.
Shirakawa turned to see Rayleigh, the First Mate they had been searching for.
"Shirakawa, you like this kind of place?" Rayleigh asked with a sly grin, sidling up to him.
"What are you talking about? We're looking for you."
"Oh? Don't tell me you caused trouble again and need me to clean up your mess."
"No trouble at all. We're here on business."
"Business, huh? We can talk later. I'm in the middle of a game."
Rayleigh walked over to Shanks and took all his chips, even the ones Buggy was holding.
"Perfect. This covers my drinks."
Rayleigh seemed pleased with his loot.
"Fine. We can wait," Shirakawa sighed, following Rayleigh. He was curious to see how Rayleigh played.
Shirakawa soon realized that either Rayleigh was terrible at gambling or incredibly unlucky. He never won a single hand. Before Shirakawa could even figure out the rules of the games, Rayleigh had lost all his chips.
'Is he the biggest spender in the One Piece world?' Shirakawa wondered.
"Alright, let's talk business," Rayleigh said, having lost interest in gambling.
"First Mate, we just found out that it'll take three years for the Log Pose to record the magnetic field of the next island," Shirakawa informed him.
"Oh," Rayleigh said calmly, walking to the bar and ordering a drink.
"Aren't you worried, First Mate?" Shirakawa asked, surprised by Rayleigh's nonchalance.
"What's the point of worrying? We have to wait anyway. Besides, we're pirates. We sail for freedom. We can go wherever we want. We're not fixated on one destination. There's always a way."
"So you're saying we should just wait here?"
"Not necessarily. You're free to do whatever you want. Just don't be surprised if we leave without you when the Log Pose is ready."
"But we can't leave without a full Log Pose."
"Who knows? Maybe the Captain has a plan."
Shirakawa felt like challenging Rayleigh to a duel right then and there.
"First Mate, we know where to find the Eternal Pose for the next island."
"Oh? You do?" Rayleigh's expression finally changed, showing a hint of surprise.
"It's in the Mole Kingdom's royal palace."
Rayleigh looked at Catherine, who nodded in confirmation.
"I see. It's not unusual for royalty to possess such an item."
"But if we want it, what do we offer in return?" Rayleigh understood the situation immediately.
"I need you to escort me back to my country. The Eternal Pose is your reward," Catherine said.
"Sounds reasonable."
"So you agree?" Catherine asked hopefully.
"No," Rayleigh shook his head. "I'm not going."
"You're not going, but you didn't say they couldn't go, did you?" Shirakawa interjected.
"Well, if they're willing to accept your request, I can't stop them."
"Great! Shirakawa, you'll escort me back, won't you?" Catherine turned to Shirakawa with pleading eyes.
Shirakawa hesitated. Catherine was a stranger, and he had already saved her twice. He wasn't obligated to help her further. But he was also soft-hearted. If something happened to her because he refused, he'd feel guilty.
"I think you should go," Rayleigh said, sensing Shirakawa's dilemma.
"Why?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the path to her country goes through the battlefield. That would be valuable experience for you."
"The battlefield? Count me out!" Buggy exclaimed.
"Shut up, Buggy. No one asked you," Catherine snapped, not wanting Buggy's cowardice to influence Shirakawa's decision.
"Alright, I'll go," Shirakawa said.
"Me too," Shanks added. He also wanted to train and get stronger.
"How long can we stay on this island?" Shirakawa asked Rayleigh.
"It's a big island. You'll probably need about six months. You might even run into other crew members who are exploring."
"Why?"
"We have some restless individuals on board. They can't stay in one city for too long. There are so many places to see. We wouldn't want to waste our time on this island, would we?"
"That's true. Whenever we reach a large island, we stay for a long time. Almost everyone explores at least half of it before we leave," Shanks explained.
"Then we don't have to worry," Shirakawa said.
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