Atlas slowly descended, his body transparent. He wandered the street casually, his gaze appreciative.
The Pleasure District is a famous entertainment street by the sea. As for its variety of facilities, there's nothing you can't imagine that it doesn't have.
Its prosperity was known from the New World all the way to the Four Seas.
After all, the District prohibits no one from entering, whether you are a pirate or a Marine. Therefore, it is a truly mixed bag, attracting all sorts of people.
On the street, the biggest money-maker is, by far, the casino. All kinds of people mix here, including fierce, gun-toting pirates.
However, not a single pirate dares to cause trouble or extort others here.
It's not that they suddenly found their conscience, but that the last person who dared to try was thrown into the sea to feed the fish. Not even a trace of their bodies remained.
Among the group of ferocious-looking pirates, the most eye-catching was a middle-aged man.
This was a huge gambling table. In the centre sat a sexy female dealer in a bikini.
Surrounding her was a group of excited brutes, and the middle-aged man among them looked even stronger.
He had neat, short black hair and a short, trim black beard. Above his closed eyes, an X-shaped scar ran from his temples down to his cheeks.
He was tall, dressed in a light purple kimono with a dark purple sash, and leaned on a slender cane-sword.
That's right. This was a blind man. A blind man gambling.
In Atlas's Observation Haki, this guy's life signature was like the bright moon among the stars, completely eclipsing the light of everyone else in the casino.
The Blind Swordsman, Issho!!
The future Admiral Fujitora!!
A look of surprise appeared on Atlas's face. He hadn't expected to see Issho here.
But on second thought, it wasn't surprising. Although he was a wandering swordsman with a strong sense of justice, he also had a love for gambling.
It was perfectly natural for him to appear in such an establishment.
Shaka-laka—!!!
The violent sound of dice shaking rang out. The gamblers around the table grew excited, their breathing becoming heavy.
Clack—!!
With a loud clatter, the dice finally settled.
"Ladies and gentlemen, place your bets, big or small! All bets are final—!!"
The female dealer had a gentle smile on her face, her expression unchanging as she scanned the pirates around her, who were drooling over her.
"Big, big, big! I'm definitely betting on big!!"
"That's right! It's been 'big' several times in a row! I've missed out too many times! This time, I'm betting my entire fortune. I have to win it back!!"
"Dammit, somebody lend me some money! I'll definitely turn it around this time! I'll pay you back double!!"
The surrounding gamblers looked bloodshot, rubbing their hands together and shouting eagerly.
"Hey! You, the blind man over there! It's your turn to bet!!!"
Seeing that Issho hadn't made a move, a sharp-eyed gambler immediately yelled.
He had seen it clearly. This guy had won a lot of money at the other tables. If they could win big off this blind man, they'd be rich.
"Oh? Is it my turn already?"
Issho's eyeballs moved left and right beneath his closed lids. As if sensing the other gamblers' thoughts, he pushed his chips forward.
"Since everyone is betting on 'big,' I shall bet on 'small.'"
"Hahahaha! What a bold old man! With guts like that, you're already a qualified gambler." The pirate laughed as he lifted the dice cup.
—[Silence]!!
Seeing the result, the surrounding gamblers fell into a strange, bewildered stupor.
One, two, one!
Small!!
The blind man actually guessed right.
But... in that case, wouldn't all their money go to him?
"What is it, everyone? Can someone tell me if the result was big or small?" Issho asked calmly, seemingly unaware of the atmosphere.
"Hehehahahaha! It's nothing, the result was 'big'! You lost, old man!!"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from a tall, conspicuous man with upturned eyes.
The dealer in the centre seemed to want to say something, but she saw the group, led by the pirate who had just spoken, slowly reach for their weapons.
They even licked their chapped lips and shot her a vicious glare.
The meaning was self-evident.
"Is that so? What a pity."
Issho suddenly opened his pure white, unseeing eyes, turning them slowly as he sighed with regret.
"I really thought I had a chance to win this time. What a shame!"
"Hahaha! That's right! Winning and losing are normal at the gambling table. Just take it in stride, old man!" It was the same pirate, his face full of undisguised smugness.
"Yeah, yeah, for us gamblers, you win some, you lose some!"
"Hahahaha, that's right! We got lucky this time and managed to beat you!"
"How about another round? Maybe this time you'll win it all back!"
The surrounding pirates all chimed in. Some, having gotten a taste, wanted to fleece the blind man again.
"No, I have no more money on me. I won't disturb your fun any longer."
Issho slowly closed his eyes, shaking his head calmly.
Although he enjoyed gambling, he was not obsessed with it. It was merely a small diversion in life.
Tap, tap, tap—!!!
After speaking, Issho turned and walked toward the casino entrance with his cane-sword.
He had lost all his chips for the day. There was no point in staying.
"Why did you let those pirates cheat you? With your Observation Haki, you should have been able to sense it, right?"
Suddenly, as Issho stepped out of the casino, a young voice sounded in his ear.
"Hehe~~"
Issho seemed unsurprised. He chuckled softly and pointed to his own blind eyes.
"Even before I lost my sight, there was already too much filth in this world that was hard to look at."
"In my opinion, being unable to see is its own blessing. This world truly has too many filthy, despicable people one cannot bear to look at!!"
"Oh? So you blinded yourself?"
"In that case, Sir Issho, have you ever witnessed the justice that exists beyond the world's evil?"
Atlas still did not reveal himself. He believed that with Issho's Observation Haki, it made little difference whether he was visible or not.
"Oh? You know who I am?"
...
New World, Whitebeard's territory.
Aboard the massive Moby Dick.
On the wide deck, dozens of pirates lay asleep, the remnants of last night's party still on their lips.
Overturned wine jugs, scattered bowls and chopsticks, and the traces of a bonfire.
In a remote corner, a wide-awake, dark-skinned, fat man sat leaning in the shadows. He secretly pulled a crumpled newspaper from behind his back.
The publisher at the bottom was not the World Economic Journal, but a small, unknown newspaper from the New World.
Morgan's World Economic Journal was not the only one in the world; other newspapers, large and small, still provided stiff competition.
An absolute monopoly leads to creative decline, which is why Morgans, as the company president, still tirelessly travelled the world digging up valuable news.
His rough hands carefully smoothed out the newspaper. He stared excitedly at a blurry photograph in the corner.
It was a black-and-white photo, so the colour was unclear, but the pattern was a snail-like spiral, giving off a mysterious aura.
A Devil Fruit!!!
The dark-skinned fat man's hands trembled, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The Dark-Dark Fruit!!!
He was certain. This was the fruit of the ability he had dreamed of.
To obtain this fruit, he had hidden on Whitebeard's crew for decades. A crew of this level was bound to come across many Devil Fruits.
This was the place he had the highest chance of finding it! During that time, he had heard news of this fruit more than ten times.
But this... this was the closest he had ever been! Long ago, he had seen this fruit by chance and had firmly seared its appearance into his memory!
That pattern!
There was no mistake!!
His bloodshot eyes darted back and forth, quickly scanning the newspaper's contents word by word. A line of fine print caught his eye: Pleasure District Auction!!!
As the world-famous Pleasure District, it naturally also hosted "curiosity" venues, such as auctions.
"Thatch! I heard about a place with especially delicious cherry pie! I want to go check it out!"
Carefully navigating around the pirates on deck, the dark-skinned fat man walked up to Thatch, the Whitebeard Pirates' chef, and shook him awake, suppressing his excitement.
During his time on the crew, he had used countless excuses to go ashore. He could lie without batting an eye.
"Huh? Cherry pie? Teach, you really are a glutton!!" Thatch mumbled, looking groggily at the fat man beside him.
"Zehahahaha! Can't help it, I just love 'em." Blackbeard gave a "hearty" laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Should I go with you? What if you run into trouble alone?"
Although Thatch was exasperated by Blackbeard's gluttony, as his closest friend on the ship, he naturally worried about this slacker crewmate.
"No need, I'll be fine on my own! You drank so much last night, you're not even fully awake yet!" Hearing this, Blackbeard quickly waved him off.
This Devil Fruit was too important to him. It was better to go alone to maintain secrecy.
"But..." Thatch was still worried.
"Zehahahaha! If I run into trouble, I'll just tell them I'm one of Pops's sons! I'm sure no one would dare touch me! After all, Pops protects his family!!"
Blackbeard nonchalantly refused Thatch's offer.
He was only saying goodbye to cover his tracks. Since he hadn't seen the fruit's colour, he couldn't be 100% sure it was the one he dreamed of.
"Well... alright. Be careful!!"
Since Blackbeard had brought up Whitebeard, Thatch couldn't argue.
After all, everyone on these seas knew Whitebeard was intolerant of anyone who harmed his family. Few dared to provoke the wrath of the World's Strongest Man.
"Zehahahaha! Don't worry, I'll just be gone a little while, and I'll be back!!"
Blackbeard laughed and turned toward Moby Dick's lower deck.
Soon, a small boat was dropped into the sea. The hulking Blackbeard jumped onto it, sending up a spray of white foam.
New World. A giant, three-masted ship sailed slowly on the sea.
The ship was massive. The figurehead was an abstract dragon's head with bared fangs. The hull looked exceptionally sturdy, remaining perfectly still even as violent waves crashed against it!!
On the large white sail, a skull flag—featuring claw marks and two crossed sabres behind it—billowed in the wind.
If any Marines were present, they would definitely recognise the ship's owner!
The Red Force!!
Last year's super rookie pirate, "Red-Haired" Shanks, and his pirate crew.
The World Government had extended an invitation to him last year to become a [Warlord of the Sea], but he ruthlessly refused.
This caused quite a stir on the seas at the time. This was a Warlord position!!
Although they are nominally lapdogs of the World Government and looked down upon by all pirates, in their hearts, it is undoubtedly a recognition of status and strength. Those invited to be Warlords are all infamous, powerful pirates.
Aboard the Red Force.
A red-haired young man in a straw hat pressed down on his head as his hair fluttered in the sea breeze. He grinned widely, revealing his gums. His white teeth were dazzling in the sun.
"Hey! Beckman! Where in the New World are we?"
"Who knows. Anyway, Captain, don't you believe in sailing freely? Does it matter where we are?" Beckman replied coolly, leaning against the railing.
"You're right! We've already travelled the Four Seas, and our New World journey only just began a year ago! Hahaha!!"
Shanks adjusted the longsword at his waist, spread his arms wide, and roared at the sky.
"By the way, Captain, why did you stay in the East Blue for so long?" Beckman asked, ignoring Shanks's antics, his brow furrowed.
"Mhm, yeah. We could have entered the New World much sooner. There's so much food I haven't tried yet," mumbled a fat man in a striped shirt, shoving a chicken leg into his mouth.
"Ahaha! Well, about that... it was the final wish of my old captain."
Seeing that no one responded to his roar, Shanks scratched his head awkwardly.
Suddenly, the corner of his eye caught sight of a massive ship decorated with large red lanterns approaching. The straw-hatted young man immediately jumped up, awkwardly changing the subject.
"Look! What is that? It looks interesting."
The moment he spoke, Shanks leapt over, looking impatient.
Before the crew could react, he had disappeared.
The rest of the Red-Haired Pirates stood there, staring at each other. They couldn't believe their captain had ditched them in the blink of an eye!
After a long pause, a pirate with curly blond hair and a long rifle on his back asked in an uncertain tone:
"That..."
"I think it's a 'flower ship,' right?"
"Drop the 'I think.' That is a flower ship. And it's the most famous one, the big boss—the Pleasure District!"
Beckman's expression remained cool, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.