The three talked and laughed as they walked away, Bonney chattering non-stop in the middle, their silhouettes in the sunset gave off a bit of a warm family vibe.
The other crew members also scattered and went their separate ways to stroll around; Shano initially planned to join Smoker for a few drinks at the tavern.
However, just as they left the dock, they overheard a group of young tourists coming their way, discussing something.
"Hey, did you hear? Over at the Golden Roulette Casino, there's a blind uncle who's won seventeen rounds in a row!"
"Seventeen rounds? Really? Could it be a scam?"
"No way! That uncle can't even see the cards, he's genuinely blind. The casino people confirmed it, their faces turned green..."
Blind uncle?
Gambler?
Shano paused mid-step, slightly raising his eyebrows.
This combination of traits instantly reminded him of someone.
A monster who, in the original timeline, would be promoted against the odds to Navy Grand Admiral through world conscription.
Could it be him?
Shano slightly closed his eyes and unleashed his Observation, but sensed no particularly formidable aura on the island.
However, this didn't prove anything; a strong person at the same level could easily hide their presence in a crowd without making a big commotion.
He turned, patting Smoker's shoulder: "We'll head to the tavern later; first, accompany me to see something interesting."
"Huh?"
Smoker, with a cigar hanging from his mouth, looked puzzled, "Boss, since when did you become interested in gambling?"
"It's not gambling; I'm looking for someone."
Shano laughed heartily, changed direction, and led the way to the center of town, "A righteous fellow. If you hadn't left the Navy, he might become your superior one day!"
Ah?
Smoker frowned, growing more confused.
…
The so-called Golden Roulette Casino was the highest building shaped like a roulette that everyone saw when docking.
It's the largest and most well-connected casino on the island.
At the moment.
The casino was bustling.
Around the central gambling table were crowds of onlookers, and seated in the main position was a slightly chubby middle-aged man with closed eyes.
He wore wooden sandals, a simple purple yukata, held an inconspicuous wooden staff in his arms, and his face looked calm, with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
It really was him.
Upon seeing this scene, Shano grinned, feeling his trip hadn't been wasted.
Fujitora Issho!
In the entire Navy, there weren't many high-ranking officers he respected, besides Garp, Aokiji, Smoker… perhaps just this man.
Of course, Issho hadn't joined the Navy yet, and the Grand Admiral title of "Fujitora" was still not established.
He gestured to a waiter, ordered two glasses of bubbly wine, and he and Smoker found a spot on the second floor to sit, sipping the wine while quietly observing Fujitora's table below.
Opposite Fujitora.
A young croupier was shaking the dice cup with sweat on his forehead, his hands trembling slightly.
"Place your bets, sir, you should place your bet now!"
Fujitora nodded, decisively extending both hands to push all the piled-up chips in front of him into the "Big" area.
"The same again, all in."
The crowd instantly burst into an uproar!
"Here we go again? This is the nineteenth all-in, right?"
"All eighteen previous rounds were correct, if he wins again this time, the chip value will exceed three billion Belly. How does he do it? He's blind!"
"Won't the casino go bankrupt..."
The croupier listened to these discussions and became even more nervous, fingers trembling slightly, revealing the dice cup—
5, 6, 6, Big!
"He won again..." the croupier's voice was shaky, "Congratulations, sir."
A loss of over three billion was something the Golden Roulette Casino could still withstand, though the croupier's salary for this month might be gone.
"Thank you."
Fujitora chuckled as he rubbed his beard, "Already won nineteen rounds? That's enough, today's luck has been truly good."
"Wow, so powerful!!"
The surrounding onlookers cheered wildly, while a few security staff nearby exchanged grim looks.
Second floor.
"How did this blind man do it?" Smoker couldn't believe it, then suddenly realized, "Wait a minute… is it Observation?"
"No."
Shano stared at Fujitora, slightly shaking his head, "There are no extra tricks, his gambling technique is very clean."
Then how did he win nineteen rounds in a row?
Smoker was puzzled, and Shano also couldn't figure it out, frowning.
Logically, besides "peeking" with Observation, Fujitora's Press-Press Fruit could easily alter the direction of the dice.
But such a method at this distance couldn't escape Shano's perception.
This was truly perplexing.
It's not just the two of them who couldn't figure it out; there were many others, like… the controller of the casino.
"Distinguished guest."
As the casino atmosphere grew lively, a lazy and alluring voice came from upstairs.
Everyone looked up to see a white-haired beauty in a high-slit cheongsam gracefully descending the stairs, her high heels making crisp sounds on the marble floor.
"Your gambling skills are truly extraordinary, our boss is quite interested in you~"
The white-haired beauty stopped in front of Fujitora, lips curling slightly, "Why not come with me to the VIP suite on the third floor to discuss, shall we?"
She leaned forward slightly, revealing glimpses of spring allure, and the surrounding gamblers began to swallow hard.
But Fujitora remained still, as if he saw nothing.