On the vast blue sea, in an unknown stretch of water.
A massive blue-and-white ship was slowly moving across the surface. On its towering mast, a simple flag fluttered in the wind, bearing the image of a flying seagull and the bold English letters "MARINE."
Yes, this was the warship of the Marine, the largest force in this world.
On the deck stood over a hundred marine dressed in naval uniforms.
In the next moment.
A resounding voice erupted from their mouths, accompanied by loud chants and precise movements as they conducted their training.
At the forefront, a tall figure stood out prominently, draped in a coat emblazoned with the word "Justice." His purple hair shimmered with a unique brilliance under the sun.
This was none other than Vice Admiral Zephyr, known as "Black Arm" Zephyr of the Navy Headquarters.
"Tap, tap, tap."
At that moment, a sailor holding a Den Den Mushi hurriedly ran across the deck toward him.
"Vice Admiral Zephyr, a call for you!"
Taking the Den Den Mushi, Zephyr frowned.
"How many times have I told you? As a Marine soldier, you must remain composed!"
"…"
"What? Is the information reliable?"
No sooner had he spoken about composure, Zephyr eyes widened upon hearing the news relayed by Rear Admiral from a Marine branch.
"The information was provided by a casino owner in my jurisdiction. We've sent people to investigate, it's absolutely reliable. The target is still in the casino."
The voice on the other end sounded urgent yet firm.
"Good! Don't make any rash moves. Wait for me to arrive!"
With that, Zephyr immediately hung up.
After the death of a Celestial Dragon, the World Government had been relentlessly pressuring the Marine to annihilate the Rocks Pirates, or at the very least, kill Bob, the one who had kill the Celestial Dragon.
However, the Navy Headquarters, considering the timing unfavorable and unwilling to engage in direct conflict with the Rocks Pirates, had nonetheless been forced to act under pressure. Thus, they dispatched Zephyr to patrol the area along the Rocks Pirates' route, hoping to gather useful intelligence.
Zephyr had done this many times before, and he had assumed this mission would be no different—just another routine patrol. But unexpectedly, he had stumbled upon a commander of the Rocks Pirates, and not just any commander, but Bob, the one they targeted to be eliminated.
Such an opportunity, of course, he wouldn't let slip.
For a newly risen pirate rookie, Zephyr was eager to test whether Bob was as formidable as the rumors suggested. If not, he wouldn't hesitate to cut him down on the spot.
After ordering his crew to enter a state of readiness, Zephyr's eyes sharpened as he commanded the ship to head full speed toward the casino.
.....
Inside the casino, at a dice table, Bob and John sat facing each other after exchanging their chips.
In front of Bob lay nearly two hundred blue chips, while John had over a hundred blue chips on his side.
Surrounding them stood a circle of gamblers. Since the casino's opening, they had never witnessed such a high-stakes game, with the minimum bet starting at 100,000 Berries. Some onlookers, standing by the side, entered to see as if they were the ones playing.
"How do we play this?"
Bob fiddled with the chips in front of him, speaking casually.
"Let's play the high-low game, nothing too fancy. Three dice, if the total is above 11, it's high if it's 9 or below, it's low!"
"The dice will be shaken by the attendant here, and neither of us will touch them. After the attendant shakes the dice, we'll bet on high or low, and the one who guesses correctly wins!"
"If the total is 18 or 3, the loser has to pay triple!"
John briefly explained the rules and winked at Bob.
"Alright, the rules are clear. Seems like you've played this a lot!"
Bob raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Hahaha! Not that much!"
John replied, as an experienced player, he naturally wouldn't openly admit his expertise.
"Let's begin!"
Bob weighed the chips in his hand and turned to the attendant beside him.
The crisp sound of dice came from the black cup in the attendant's hand.
"Thud!"
A dull sound echoed as the black cup was placed upside down on the table.
Bob glanced casually.
'2, 3, 6, totaling eleven—high.'
"I'll bet first! One million on high!"
Bob took out ten blue chips and tossed them onto the high area. With his precise control, the ten chips stacked neatly.
"Damn! That's rich, betting a million Berries right off the bat!"
"This is what gambling is all about! What we do is just child's play!"
"He really doesn't treat money as money!"
Seeing Bob throw out a million, the gamblers around felt their breath quicken. It was just the beginning, and the stakes were already this high.
"Since you bet high, I'll bet low!"
John gave Bob a deep look and picked up ten chips from his side, tossing them over.
At the same time, John's hand on the table gave a light tap, and the dice under the black cup seemed to be hit by something, flipping inside.
The dice now showed 2, 1, 4, totaling eight—low.
Bob looked at the dice in the cup and smiled slightly. So this was John's trick! Using Observation Haki, he could see the dice and then manipulate them with a tap on the table.
"Open it!"
Bob said slowly.
The attendant lifted the black cup, and in that instant, John used Observation Haki again to check, finding the dice unchanged.
The dice still showed 2, 1, 4.
"Eight points, low!" the attendant announced loudly.
Hearing this, John frowned slightly and pulled the chips on the table toward himself.
Winning so easily made John a bit suspicious. He had expected a fierce battle! Could it be that Bob wasnt as skilled as he thought?.
The second round began, and as the attendant shook the dice, the black cup was placed down again.
'1, 2, 3, totaling six—low.'
Bob threw two million Berries onto the low area.
John repeated his trick, changing the dice to 3, 5, 3, and bet two million on high.
"Eleven points, high!"
This time, John's eyes showed less doubt, as Bob didn't seem as formidable as he had imagined.
In the following rounds, John won several more times, leaving Bob frustrated, growing increasingly exasperated. At one point, John deliberately lost to Bob twice, giving him a taste of victory.
Throughout this period, Bob emotions fluctuated greatly, starting with calmness, then turning to helplessness, followed by anger, and finally settling on defiance.
"Damn it! I refuse to believe my luck is this bad today!"
"Again!"
Bob roared, standing up. At this point, he only had five million chips left on the table.
"Hey, don't get too worked up! Luck is unpredictable. Maybe your fortune will turn around next time!"
John pretended to console him, now fully convinced that Bob was a novice at dice games, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
The two times Bob had won were both because John had let him. John felt everything was under his control.
"Attendant, hurry up!"
Bob urged the dice-shaking attendant, showing his impatience and urgency.
"Thud!"
A dull sound echoed as the black cup was overturned onto the table.
"This time, I won't believe it!"
"All in on big! Besides these five million chips, I'm adding this bag of treasures!"
Bob pushed all his chips forward and even placed the bag of treasures on the table.
"Brother, don't get carried away! Your luck today is indeed terrible!"
"Gambling is most dangerous when you're impulsive. Calm down and take it slow!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
"..."
The other gamblers nearby, seeing Bob bet everything he had, began to advise him, much like people trying to persuade a prostitute to change her ways.
"Hahaha! If that's the case, then I'll play a big one with you!"
"I'll bet on small. Although my bag of treasures isn't as much as yours, combined with all these chips, it's enough!"
John also stood up, placing all his money on small.
He was extremely excited, having waited for this moment. After slowly tricking Bob and seeing him on the verge of a breakdown, John knew the time had come.
This time, John planned to deliver the final blow, turning the dice into three to triple his winnings.
Currently, the dice under the black cup showed 4, 5, and 6, totaling 14 points—a big bet.
Under John's controlled force, the three dice instantly changed to three 1.
"Open it!"
John said excitedly, his eyes fixed on the dice inside.
The attendant reached out to lift the black cup.
Almost simultaneously, Bob's hand resting on the table, without any visible movement, transmitted a force into the black cup.
The dice changed—6, 6, 6.
John's face turned pale with shock as he stared at Bob, frantically tapping the table, but it was futile. Bob's invisible force neutralized his power.
In the next instant.
The black cup was lifted by the attendant.
"Three 6, a triple!"
"Boom!"
John felt his mind go blank.
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