"Am I hearing this right? Commander Shiki is stepping up!"
"Originally, I thought this was just a showdown between Bob and Wang Zhi, Commander Silver Axe, but it turns out to be a relay battle!"
"Holy crap! This is going to be good, Commander Shiki is replacing Commander Silver Axe!"
"But... Commander Shiki doesn't have any money on him right now, does he?"
"Looks like that's the case."
The pirates watching the scene all turned their eyes to Shiki when they heard he was about to take the stage. At that moment, Shiki was puffing on a cigar, looking quite smug with his arms crossed, but he had nothing on him.
He heard the pirates' comments loud and clear.
"Me, without money? You bunch of ignorant fools, just wait and see how quickly I fetch it!"
With the power of the Float-Float Fruit, it wasn't long before Shiki brought back a large bag of treasures, no less than what Wang Zhi and the others had.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Silver Axe reluctantly gave up his seat, and Shiki unceremoniously sat down, tossing the bag onto the table.
"Clatter clatter!"
The treasures scattered across the table, making a series of clinking sounds.
Looking at Shiki now, he was all swagger, just like Silver Axe at the beginning.
"Bob, Wang Zhi, you don't mind if I join, do you?"
Shiki raised an eyebrow as he spoke to the two.
He didn't think Bob could win with any particularly high skill at most, it was just good timing and luck.
But he didn't believe Bob luck would last forever.
"Of course not!"
Bob said with a smile.
He certainly wouldn't refuse someone coming to deliver money. Since he had decided to win this time, he had to maximize the benefits.
As for Wang Zhi, of course, he wouldn't refuse. He was eager to have a replacement immediately and was more than happy about Shiki appearance. Wang Zhi nodded slightly to express his agreement.
"Gihahaha! Bring it on!"
Shiki extinguished his cigar and lit another one.
"Kaido, deal the cards!"
Bob didn't say anything more, looking at Kaido, who was standing like a wooden stick.
Hearing this, Kaido glanced at Bob, sighed, and began shuffling the cards.
Soon, three sets of cards were dealt in front of the three captains.
For Shiki, Bob used the same strategy he had with Silver Axe, but this time he didn't test the waters anymore because he knew Shiki skill all too well.
From their previous duel, Shiki was at a certain disadvantage compared to him in both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Moreover, his relationship with Wang Zhi was also competitive.
But he had to finish this quickly to harvest Shiki in the shortest time possible because his strength was considerable, and he would soon discover his tricks.
And so. After a dozen rounds, the treasure in front of Shiki had decreased by twenty million Berries.
Wang Zhi wasn't facing much better either.
Even though Shiki noticed something was off and used Armament Haki to counter Bob's Observation Haki, he was still losing continuously.
"Holy crap! Bob seems like a completely different person suddenly!"
"Yeah! He's winning every round cleanly, as if he knows what cards the opponent has!"
"What's going on? This is completely different from the initial streak of losses!"
"He's already won over forty million Berries in just a few rounds!"
"Is Commander Bob really learning this fast?"
"Could it be that this is Commander Bob true nature, and he was just pretending at the beginning?"
"That seems quite possible."
Some of the pirates watching the scene exclaimed in surprise.
If Bob earlier wins were like a gentle stream, now it was a waterfall—completely unrestrained, swiftly crushing his opponent.
This was a complete contrast to before.
From being a clueless beginner who kept losing, to stumbling along with mixed results, and now to dominating the game with consecutive wins.
This led the pirates to consider two possibilities:
One, Bob was indeed a novice at first, but after several rounds of practice, he had fully grasped the game and could now play strategically.
Two, Bob had been pretending all along. From the start, he had been in control, acting like a novice to lull his opponent into a false sense of security, then gradually dismantling them.
It was hard to believe he could make such a transition in such a short time, but the idea that Bob had been hiding his skills seemed entirely plausible. After all, they now realized that Bob's expression had remained unchanged throughout—a calmness that came from being in complete control.
This also made them wonder: with skills like this, how could Bob have lost 30 million Berries? The pirates watching could only think of this, and so does Shiki and Wang Zhi at the gambling table.
As the game progressed, they became more convinced of their suspicion. Bob wasn't relying on luck, nor was he a novice. They could clearly feel that their cards seemed transparent to him.
Both of them now had a question in their minds:
'Why can Bob see our cards, but we can't see his?'
They exchanged a glance and quickly arrived at a possibility.
Bob Armament Haki is stronger, and his Observation Haki is far superior to ours!
This thought exploded in their minds like a bomb.
Only this could explain why their cards seemed to be laid bare before him.
Instantly, they were filled with dread.
Looking at Bob calm expression, they realized they had been completely wrong. Bob was not just their equal—he was far beyond them, and only now he was showing it.
Thinking this, Shiki felt like he had become a clown once again, while Wang Zhi felt like a fish that had taken the bait.
Silver Axe, who was watching from the sidelines, also noticed Bob abnormality. If earlier, when he was at the table, he could attribute it to luck, now Bob performance could only mean one thing.
In that moment, regret surged in the hearts of all three. Playing cards with Bob wasn't just irrational—it was downright foolish.
Suddenly, Wang Zhi seemed to remember something and looked around.
"Where's John?"
-------------------------------
Please Read My new book:
One Piece : I launch a Coup to Become Fleet Admiral
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator