The interior of the casino was even more extravagant than it looked from the outside.
Cigars in mouths and women in their arms—it seemed to be the common habit of most gamblers. The hall was noisy and smoky, the air heavy with chaos.
Nao and the others all frowned subtly, then quickly walked through.
They scanned the area and quickly found the two blind men who had entered not long ago in the eastern corner.
"It's over nine again. My apologies, it seems I've won again."
The purple-robed blind man had his side facing them and smiled gently. Around him was a circle of gamblers with wide eyes, staring at the table with disbelief on their faces.
With that endearing smile on his face, if he were an ordinary person, he would probably be mistaken for a poor, kind, blind old man who was unfortunate enough to have lost his sight.
But Nao had already recognized his true identity from outside.
This man front of him was none other than—Issho, known later as Admiral Fujitora!
In the original timeline, within two years after the Paramount War, he would be recruited through the World Military Draft and rise to become one of the Marine's three admirals.
Of course—"Fujitora" was a codename, like "Kizaru" and "Aokiji." That title only came after he was promoted to admiral.
Right now, this blind swordsman had but one name: Issho.
Fujitora was even a year older than Akainu, and seven years older than Aokiji. This was still seventeen years before Paramount…
Just how strong was this blind swordsman?
Is it possible for me to bring him into the Marine ranks early?
Nao crossed his legs and sat down in an empty chair next to him. His eyes slightly flickered as he quietly watched the chubby back.
"We only came in a few minutes late, right?"
The women also sat down next to him. Bellemere looked at the pile of chips in front of the blind swordsman and clicked her tongue in amazement.
"This uncle has already won several million Berries. And he's a blind man. How did he do it? His luck is way too good…"
"It's not luck. It's Observation Haki."
Nao shook his head slightly.
"In front of an extremely powerful Observation Haki, all gambling tricks and cons are worthless."
"His Observation Haki is very strong?" Shia tilted her head, a little curious. "Is it stronger than yours, Nao?"
"Yes, and much stronger."
Nao smiled. He leisurely put his arms behind his head. "Of course, that's only for now. You can't say for sure what will happen in the future… Anyway, let's just watch for a while. Let's just be quiet spectators and enjoy this uncle's performance."
"Excuse me, sir."
A female host in a black uniform walked over with a frown. She reminded him in a low, cold voice.
"This is the VIP area. Guests who have not exchanged for more than 500,000 Berries in chips are not allowed..."
Nao lifted a finger and tilted his sunglasses halfway down, turning his head to look at her. He gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that. Could you say it again?"
"…"
The rest of the female host's sentence was instantly swallowed.
She stared blankly at Nao's face. In that moment, the noisy clamor of the casino seemed to fade away like a receding tide, leaving only stillness—her world frozen, with nothing but those star-like black eyes before her.
No one knew how long she stayed like that. It wasn't until another guest brushed past her shoulder that she jolted awake, snapping back to reality. Hastily bowing, she stammered:
"My apologies for disturbing you, sir. Please, enjoy yourself."
With that, she retreated back to her original spot in a hurry. She stood with her hands behind her back and leaned against the wall. The small face that was trying to look calm was slightly red, and her eyes would always intentionally or unintentionally steal a few glances in their direction.
Gion and the others looked at Nao with a half-smile.
Nao casually put his sunglasses back on. He shrugged, motioning for them not to look at him and to continue watching Fujitora.
…
At Fujitora's gambling table—
The number of spectators was increasing. They were all whispering to each other, and their eyes were filled with excitement and disbelief as they looked at the back of the blind swordsman.
"Hey, hey, you've heard about this guy, right?"
"Of course! The news has spread all over the casino street. Everyone knows that there are two blind men who have won eight million Berries from five casinos in just two hours!"
"Hehe, this Great Bird Carousel Casino has the most funds, so it was left for last. It seems this fat blind man wants to go all-in here and get the last and biggest pot..."
The discussions around them came and went, creating a chaotic din.
Fujitora in front of the gambling table seemed not to have heard anything. He sat calmly with a gentle smile on his face.
"Esteemed guest…"
Across the table, the middle-aged dealer with a bushy mustache pressed one hand down on the dice cup. His forehead was beaded with sweat, but he forced a smile onto his face.
"Let me confirm again—this time, you're not betting high or low, but placing all of your chips directly on seventeen points? If you win, the payout is five times, yes—but if the number is wrong, the seventeen million Berries' worth of chips you've just accumulated will all be—"
"No need to say more."
Fujitora shook his head slightly, his tone warm and steady.
"I've already made up my mind. Please, open the cup."
"…Alright."
The mustached dealer clenched his teeth, his right hand slowly lifting the bamboo cup from its base.
Fujitora remained calm, his expression unchanged. Around him, the gamblers stood on tiptoe, craning their necks, eyes locked on the dice as the cup was gradually lifted. Their hearts pounded in their throats.
Clack!
The cup was finally lifted and set aside on the table. The three dice that had been hidden beneath the cover were revealed under the bright lights.
Six. Six. Five.
Together, it was exactly 17, the number Fujitora had gone all-in on!
Boom!
A cheer erupted from the side of the table. The passionate applause was one wave after another, almost non-stop. All the gamblers looked at the blind swordsman with admiration, almost as if he were a god.
Nao also gently clapped his hands in admiration.
Across the table.
After seeing the three dice, the middle-aged dealer's legs gave out, and he slumped into his chair like a deflated balloon.
"I apologize, it seems I have won again."
Fujitora comforted the old blind man next to him, who was crying tears of joy. He raised his head and smiled slightly. "I believe I am finished for tonight, sir. What is 17 million Berries multiplied by five?"
"E-Eighty-five million Berries…"
The dealer's eyes went blank. He muttered under his breath, voice trembling:
"The casino's cash flow was already low recently. Now we've lost so much more. The boss will kill me, he will..."
He was talking to himself like he had lost his soul, completely forgetting about Fujitora and the gamblers around him.
The spectators immediately became dissatisfied. They loved a good show and started to make a fuss, urging the casino staff to pay up—
Good heavens, eighty-five million! Many of them had never even seen that much money in their entire lives.
But soon, the clamor died down.
A sudden silence fell over the area. No one dared to cheer anymore. The gamblers were horrified to find that a large group of burly men in black suits had appeared at the various entrances of the hall at some point and were surrounding them with unfriendly expressions.