"So, what do you think?"
Inside a room, Wang Zhi, John, and Silver Axe were sitting together, discussing the matter.
The one who spoke up was Silver Axe, clad in silver armor. Once he heard that John had already met with Bob, he couldn't help but want to know all the details, especially Bob's attitude.
"Relax! With me acting as the go-between, how could anything go wrong here?" John shot Silver Axe a confident smirk as he spoke.
"Hahaha! So—what's Bob stance on all this?"
Wang Zhi also couldn't hold back and chimed in. The three of them had already planned everything ahead of time first, John would approach Bob and inform him out about the gambling, then Wang Zhi and Silver Axe would talk to Bob as well.
The idea was to get a feel for Bob attitude. If Bob wanted to keep playing, neither of them would want to let the opportunity slip by. If Bob was hesitant, John would try to persuade him.
Either way, Wang Zhi was sure he was going to profit from all of this.
"You guys have no idea—last time Bob and I made a bet, he seemed ready to keep going. If I hadn't stepped in, he'd probably still be at it!"
"This time, as soon as I brought up the topic, he took the bait right away!"
"So just go see him later, he's ready!" John said coolly, shooting the other two a knowing look.
"No surprise. Gambling really is addictive! Bob got deep pockets and youth. Of course he'd want to win it all back." Hearing John say everything was already set, Silver Axe added his own agreement.
"By the way, John, are you joining this time?" Wang Zhi thought for a second before asking.
"Of course I'm not joining! Do you think Bob will still play with me? He's not stupid!" John replied, sounding a bit annoyed.
Wang Zhi nodded. He hadn't considered that.
After losing five hundred million to John, there's no way Bob would gamble with him again—unless he had more money than he knew what to do with and wanted to lose it to the same person twice.
"By the way, I told him you two are terrible at gambling, so be sure not to give yourselves away!" John added.
"Got it!"
"We'll go find him now, see how he reacts!"
"Let's move!"
With that, Silver Axe and Wang Zhi stood and headed straight for Bob's location. John didn't follow them this time—he had no worries about Bob. Knowing how crafty Bob was, a little acting would be no problem at all.
.....
On the deck, Bob was leaning against the ship's rail, feeling the sea breeze, watching the waves roll as he waited for Wang Zhi and John.
As expected, a familiar voice sounded behind him.
"Bob, taking it easy, huh?" Wang Zhi spotted Bob lounging by the rail and struck up a conversation.
Hearing the voice, Bob turned around and greeted, "Wang Zhi, Silver Axe!"
"What brings you two commanders here to enjoy the scenery?"
"Haha!"
"It's been ages since I've enjoyed the easy life at sea. Figured I'd get a little fresh air, never thought I'd run into you out here!"
Wang Zhi laughed and played along, moving closer to box Bob in on either side.
Seeing this, Bob frowned—were they afraid he'd make a run for it?
"Heard some interesting stories about your last outing with John!"
"Kinda regret not joining you then!" Wang Zhi steered the conversation, making small talk with Bob, gradually bringing up the recent trip to get to the real topic.
"It really wasn't much. If I'd known how it would turn out, I wouldn't have gone at all." Bob shook his head and spoke with a sigh.
Wang Zhi frowned slightly and followed up.
"Oh?"
"How so?"
"To be honest, I lost some money when I went out with John this time."
"A whole thirty million Berries, in fact!"
Bob sighed and shook his head, his voice full of helplessness and regret.
Upon hearing that, Wang Zhi and Silver Axe nearly burst out laughing. Thirty million? They knew it was five hundred million Berries, but they weren't about to call Bob out for saving face.
"Who would have thought! Not only did you manage to drive Zephyr away, but there was this too!"
"Still, gambling is all about luck. You lost this time, but maybe next time luck on your side!" Wang Zhi stroked his beard, smiling.
Silver Axe chimed in as well, "Exactly! It's all luck. You lose big once, but maybe next time the tides turn."
"Who knows?"
"You gotta play to find out! Too bad we're stuck on the ship, nothing we can do now." Bob didn't even look at them, his eyes on the horizon, sounding a bit melancholy.
"Oh? Sounds like losing money this time really got to you." Wang Zhi commented, watching him.
"Not quite. After all, I'm still the richest pirate on this ship. Thirty million Berries is nothing to me."
"It's just boring, that's all." Bob turned to look at Wang Zhi, speaking slowly.
"How about…we play a little something? We've been on the ship for days now. I'm so bored—I'm itching to do something with my hands."
"You lost money last time, maybe you can win it back from us?"
Wang Zhi finally got to his real purpose, knowing Bob was just about ready to bite—now all that was left was to set up the gamble.
"You two?"
"You're not trying to win my money, are you?" Bob frowned and asked.
"How could we know without playing? It's all about luck anyway, isn't it?" Silver Axe replied.
"True, it's all luck."
"Just as long as nobody gets mad after they lose."
Bob hesitated for a while, then nodded as if the decision was tough.
"Haha! Of course!" Wang Zhi, seeing Bob agree, readily promised, his face lit up with a smile.
With their goal achieved, the two saw no need to stay any longer—never mind enjoying the scenery.
They chatted a bit more with Bob about nothing in particular, then said their farewells and left.
Watching the duo walk away, Bob lips curled into a subtle smile as he turned back to the sea.
The fish had taken the bait.
In this world, tricks really do win you everything!
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