After hearing Baccarat's words, Tesoro's eyes narrowed slightly, and he spoke coldly:
"Miss Baccarat, you certainly have quite an appetite! It seems you've had your eyes on me from the very beginning!"
"Not at all. Didn't you also never intend to pay those 10 billion Berries, Mr. Tesoro?"
Baccarat spoke with a grin as she pointed around them. The Central Grand Casino, which had been bustling with people, was now silent; Tesoro's men had already cleared the area without a sound.
This was exactly why Tesoro dared to issue threats from the start; even the Golden Emperor had to maintain some appearances.
"If Miss Baccarat is willing to join Gran Tesoro, then giving you a one-billion-Berry cut from that ten billion wouldn't be a problem."
"After joining, besides a fixed annual salary, you could also take a ten-percent cut every time you gamble on behalf of Gran Tesoro!"
"This is my utmost sincerity, Miss Baccarat. Please do not make a mistake!"
As soon as Tesoro finished speaking, a faint pressure of Conqueror's Haki bore down on Baccarat. She felt her body grow heavy and her vision darken for a moment, but then a strange power in her brain isolated the influence of the Haki.
Vegapunk's nanoparticle robots weren't just for controlling others; if one ignored the control capabilities, they also possessed a series of functions like enhancing the brain, blocking mental attacks, and repairing cellular damage to slow aging. They could even be called an excellent benefit.
Seeing that his Conqueror's Haki had no effect, Tesoro was slightly surprised. Under his Observation Haki, Baccarat seemed to be just an ordinary woman with negligible strength.
This was why Tesoro hadn't been worried about Baccarat at all, but the fact that his Conqueror's Haki had vanished like a stone dropped into the ocean made him feel slightly wary.
"Hehe... it seems even the great Golden Emperor can't afford to lose, resorting to threatening customers... I wonder if your Gran Tesoro can stay in business once this news gets out?!"
"I have no interest in joining your Gran Tesoro. If you're willing to bring Gran Tesoro under my command later, I might give you a chance!"
Baccarat toyed with the chips in her hand, looking at Tesoro with a calm expression. However, her palms were sweating slightly. Her strength was too weak, and she hadn't seen Vegapunk's true power, so she was quite nervous.
(If this guy flies into a rage, will the Boss be able to save me in time?!)
"Whether Gran Tesoro stays open isn't something you need to worry about, Miss Baccarat. As for wanting to be my superior... wait until you pass the next hurdle first!"
After saying that, Tesoro pressed his hand on the table, turned around, and left.
Baccarat was stunned for a moment. Tesoro's actions confused her. Just as she was about to get up and leave, several agents in suits with cold auras appeared in the casino hall as if they had teleported.
"You're Baccarat, right? Saint Kamael wants to see you and play a game. Come with us!"
Saint Kamael?! Baccarat was startled, immediately thinking of Tesoro's trump card—the Celestial Dragons!
Tesoro, who ran Gran Tesoro, had to care about the casino's reputation, but the Celestial Dragons didn't! If she were taken by a Celestial Dragon and turned into a slave, she naturally wouldn't be able to threaten Gran Tesoro anymore.
As for whether the Celestial Dragon would take her as a slave... based on Baccarat's understanding, it was almost a certainty.
The slaves the Celestial Dragons loved to collect most were talents who excelled in certain areas. Whether it was her looks or the gambling skills she had shown this time, Baccarat undoubtedly far exceeded the standard.
Not to mention Tesoro stirring the pot! Tesoro might not be able to control the Celestial Dragons, but with their IQ, it was easy to manipulate them slightly.
Even if they said it was just for a game, if Baccarat won, the Celestial Dragon would likely turn hostile. If she lost, she would probably lose herself as well. This simple move by Tesoro was enough to put any ordinary gambling expert in a tight spot!
Even Baccarat's face turned deathly pale. She was flustered; even though she knew Vegapunk was going to deal with the World Government, facing a Celestial Dragon herself still gave her a huge psychological shadow.
"Don't worry, just go with them..."
At that moment, Vegapunk's faint voice sounded in Baccarat's ear. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she stood up, waving her hand at the CP Organization agents.
"Lead the way!"
The agents didn't say much and obediently walked ahead to lead the way. Baccarat, following behind, wanted to look around, but she heard the voice in her ear again.
"This is sound transmitted through vibrations near your ear bone. You can't see us; we're currently hiding in a spatial layer, following you!"
"Don't worry, it's just a Celestial Dragon. We've slaughtered plenty of these fat pigs!"
In the spatial layer, similar to Kamui, Vegapunk comforted Baccarat while looking at Stella.
"Stella, use the teleportation array now to bring Sugar and Charlotte Brulee to me!"
Hearing Vegapunk's words, Stella seemed to realize something. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded.
"Another Celestial Dragon... Last time you acted against the World Government, Boss, you were a bit impulsive and forgot to call out those cloned Celestial Dragons. Now their fate is unknown, and we can't contact them. It seems we'll have to make up for it this time!"
"If we want to gather information on the World Government, it's most convenient to let these so-called World Nobles do it!"
At this time, Hancock, standing beside Vegapunk, also spoke coldly:
"After those idiots are replaced, leave them to me! Hmph, Celestial Dragons..."
Vegapunk nodded. Although the psychological shadow of the past no longer hindered Hancock, her hatred for the Celestial Dragons was almost permanent. The Celestial Dragons they had replaced before were all personally executed by Hancock.
The group here had already devised a plan, even deciding the fate of the Celestial Dragons. Meanwhile, Baccarat was led to a massive palace by a group of black-suited agents and bodyguards.
With a series of woodpecker-like da-da-da-da sounds, a Celestial Dragon dressed in astronaut-like clothes arrived, riding a beast that looked like the legendary Iron-Eating Beast.
In his hand were iron chains tethering several lifeless slaves with lowered heads. He was surrounded by a large number of guards and bodyguards.
"Ohohoho, what a fine little beauty. Are you the 'Red-Haired Goddess of Fortune' who won 10 billion in Gran Tesoro?"
"You look like a perfect collectible. I didn't expect Gran Tesoro to have such stock!"
This Celestial Dragon must be Saint Kamael. He spoke while swaying his head.
Because his nose was so long and he wore a transparent bubble helmet, he looked like a woodpecker; his nose kept hitting the helmet, making that da-da-da sound.
This is a Celestial Dragon?! Baccarat felt like laughing, but Saint Kamael, after glancing at her, spoke directly to his bodyguards:
"Why isn't this woman kneeling upon seeing me?"
Baccarat was stunned for a moment and quickly explained:
"Saint Kamael, didn't you ask me here to gamble with you?"
"That's no reason to stand. Can't you kneel and gamble with me?"
"Go, break both her legs so she can stay kneeling while gambling with me!"
Hearing the Celestial Dragon's words, Baccarat's face was filled with shock and anger. She couldn't help but step back. Seeing the bodyguards about to act, she didn't care anymore and activated her Devil Fruit ability to its limit.
In an instant, Baccarat forcibly absorbed the luck of everyone within a 1,000-meter radius, causing her own luck to reach its peak while the luck of those opposite her drained rapidly.
Although Celestial Dragons were dim-witted and lacked strength, being born into such a family was a form of luck itself, so his luck far exceeded that of an ordinary person. However, his bodyguards had much less luck, and as for his slaves, they had almost none.
Thus, with Baccarat going all out, various accidents immediately occurred.
First, several slaves tamed by the Celestial Dragon suddenly emitted a few gurgles, collapsed from sudden illnesses or old injuries, and died on the spot, startling the bodyguards and the Celestial Dragon.
The Celestial Dragon frantically pulled out a pistol, and amidst the sounds of misfires, he riddled several of his own bodyguards with bullets... Although the bodyguards around him generally knew the Six Powers and had bullet-deflecting abilities like Iron Body, even Iron Body required mental preparation. Getting shot while completely unprepared, they couldn't hold up!
Fortunately, with their strength, as long as they weren't hit in vital areas like the eyes, they were only wounded, not killed. Even if shot in the chest, their tough muscles could stop the bullets from entering their internal organs.
"Damn it, it's that woman's doing! Move, now!"
The bodyguards were quite experienced. This strange situation was clearly the result of a Devil Fruit ability. Although they didn't know which one it was, as long as they took down the user, they wouldn't have to worry about anything else.
Baccarat let out a long breath and slowly picked up a coin. What just happened was merely a side effect of her absorbing luck; she hadn't even truly used her luck to crush her opponents yet!
But just then, a black spatial portal appeared beside Baccarat, and a hand reached out, grabbing her wrist.
"Leave these guys to me... After all, he's a Celestial Dragon; he's still of some use!"
"You... who are you?! Baccarat, do you know what you're doing?"
The agents, bodyguards, and the guards in full armor were all on high alert. From the looks of it, the other party seemed to have planned this for a long time!
Unfortunately, Vegapunk had no intention of wasting words. His shadow instantly shot out like a venomous snake, connecting to the shadows of everyone in the group opposite him, freezing them all in an instant.
"Sugar, these people are yours. Brulee, once Sugar turns them into toys, you'll adjust their memories one by one!"
At Vegapunk's command, Sugar, who had green hair and wore a red hat like a child from a fairy tale, stepped out of the spatial gate with a grin.
Then, Charlotte Brulee, wearing a princess dress and a mischievous smile, also stepped out, eyeing the group of Celestial Dragons with ill intent.
"What do you want to do? Why can't I move? You bastards, do you know what you're doing?!"
Saint Kamael screamed. Seeing the smiling Sugar slowly approach, he felt a chill for some reason. Before he could say more, Sugar reached out and touched him.
With a pop, the unlucky Celestial Dragon turned into a strange toy and fell to the ground. The bodyguards, slaves, and guards looked on blankly, completely unaware of what had happened.
But soon, they didn't need to think anymore. Sugar's small hands went pat-pat-pat, and amidst the clattering sounds, the ground was covered in toys.
"Alright, Sugar, take these toys back first. Brulee, go and modify their memories!"
Vegapunk waved his hand. Sugar happily led the toy people back into the spatial gate. Brulee bowed slightly to Vegapunk and followed Sugar back.
Baccarat's expression was strange as she rubbed her forehead, feeling like her current memories had some gaps.
She remembered she was supposed to have a gambling match with Tesoro, but... did Tesoro just attack? Or did he find another gambling expert to play against her? The memories afterward were a bit muddled!
Vegapunk had a Quantum chip; the memory loss caused by Sugar's Hobi Hobi no Mi could be instantly restored using the memories stored in the chip. Others, however, had basically forgotten all about the Celestial Dragon and his guards.
That was why Baccarat felt so confused. What exactly had she come here for?
It wasn't just Baccarat; theoretically, all of Vegapunk's subordinates were a bit dazed. Although they had forgotten about the Celestial Dragon, they remembered the Hobi Hobi no Mi's ability clearly, so they could roughly deduce what had happened.
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