Chapter 67: Yes, I'm Lewd, That's Right.
Dusk settled, the setting sun having already sunk below the horizon, leaving only a faint glimmer where sea met sky.
The heavens donned a deep, melancholic gray backdrop. A cool autumn breeze swept across the vast plains, blowing into the bustling city on the western peninsula.
Inside the magnificent, golden casino, neon lights dazzled the eyes. Well-dressed gamblers continuously moved back and forth, intoxicated by the atmosphere of hedonism and luxury.
Reiner's group arrived at the casino. The ever-laughing Luffy was the first to dart off, scrambling up and down like a monkey, curiously observing all the novel sights.
Passing by a hostess, he snatched food from the platter she carried, tilted his head back, popped it into his mouth, and then zipped off elsewhere.
Just like Sun Wukong, Reiner thought with an inward smile, reminded of a certain figure from his memories.
"Such a familiar smell... what is that?" Chopper, standing near Reiner's feet, pointed towards a sofa in the corner.
Following his finger, the group looked over. Six or seven people lay sprawled haphazardly on the sofa – men and women alike – all with glazed eyes, clearly delirious.
Scattered messily on the table was a handful of cigarettes. That must be the familiar smell Chopper mentioned.
"Must be high on something. Stay away from there, Chopper," Reiner glanced over coolly. Although he didn't recognize the specific substances, he could roughly guess from the state of the people.
Likely ingested some illegal stuff. Probably highly addictive. He even recognized the Guard Captain from the port earlier among them.
The group didn't pay them much mind, walking straight into the main casino floor. Speaking of which, Reiner had never actually gambled in a casino before.
He knew the common poker games, but the rules here seemed somewhat different.
The others weren't much better off than him. After a brief look around, they arrived at a Sic Bo (Bet Big/Small) table.
This one I know!
"I know how to play this!" Usopp excitedly sat down at the table, eyes wide as he leaned forward to observe the dice.
As the dealer shook the dice cup, Usopp closed his eyes tightly, listening intently with a tilted ear.
"I've decided! I'm betting Big!"
Seemingly having figured something out, Usopp yelled, taking out a 5,000 Beri chip and placing it confidently into the square marked 'Big' on the table. Small print underneath noted the odds.
[Total Points 11~17, Payout 1:1]
"Seriously, Usopp?"
Reiner looked at him doubtfully, hesitated for a moment, then took out a 20,000 Beri chip and placed it in the same square as Usopp.
"You look like you know what you're doing. I'll trust you this once."
"Relax, Reiner! Trusting me is never wrong!" Usopp declared proudly, chest puffed out, his long nose practically pointing at the ceiling.
However, seeing Reiner place his bet, Sanji and Zoro immediately pulled out their chips and placed them in the opposite 'Small' square.
"Betting small, betting small."
"Just bet the opposite of Reiner, and you're golden."
The two looked completely assured of victory, as if they had Reiner's gambling luck completely figured out.
"Heh heh." Reiner gave them a major eye-roll. Only when targeting him could Zoro and Sanji actually agree on something.
The three of them had already formed the ship's rival trio; whenever one was targeted, the other two would immediately gang up and heckle.
Chopper blinked, looked at the smug Sanji and Zoro, then also produced a chip, saying in his young voice, "Me too! Help me bet Small."
You too, Chopper!? I never thought you were that kind of reindeer!
"Bets are closed! No more bets!"
Behind the table, the dealer, dressed in a white shirt and black vest, called out steadily and slowly lifted the black dice cup.
"Two, three, three... Eight points, Small!"
Besides Reiner's group, a few scattered gamblers were also at the table. The winners looked delighted, waiting for the house to pay out, while the losers were either angry or dejected.
"Yay! We won!" Chopper excitedly jumped onto Zoro's head. Zoro and Sanji also smirked, shooting smug, raised eyebrows at the dark-faced Reiner.
However, where there were winners, there were losers.
"Damn it! How could this happen!?"
Usopp looked furious, pulling more chips from his pouch and slamming them onto 'Big' again. "This time I'll definitely win!"
Seriously!? The dealer hasn't even shaken the dice yet, and you're betting already!? Reiner stared dumbfounded at Usopp.
And I thought you actually had some skill... Turns out you're just a degenerate gambler! What a fraud!
They played like this for a while. Reiner had already lost quite a bit of money but persisted nonetheless. Seeing their bets getting larger and larger, the other gamblers gradually left the table.
Sic Bo was relatively easy to pick up, so many beginners enjoyed playing it.
Seeing the bets gradually increase from thousands to tens and then hundreds of thousands of Beri, some newcomers started feeling uncomfortable and left.
Each round was fast. Although Reiner didn't lose every single hand, he lost more often than he won. Soon, his initial two million Beri was gone. Seeing the others having fun, he didn't want to be a spoilsport.
He waved his hand and exchanged another twenty million Beri for chips. Anyway, the money he lost ended up in his teammates' hands. As long as it wasn't Luffy, there was no need to be stingy.
Several bunny girls, each carrying trays of chips, came over, surrounding their table.
The casino manager, seeing them exchange twenty million in chips, immediately sent over several attendants. They weren't afraid of the customers winning; they were afraid of them winning and leaving immediately.
As long as they could keep them playing, the casino would eventually win it all back.
"Your chips, sir."
A red-haired, youthful mature beauty wearing a bunny ear headband and a sexy figure pressed close, her lips parting slightly to issue a seductive voice.
Reiner looked down. A tight-fitting bodysuit clung to her body, accentuating her captivating curves.
She held a tray of chips before her chest, her hands pressing together the overflowing softness, which seemed ready to burst free at any moment.
"Sir hasn't had good luck tonight. Allow me to cheer you on."
A soft, sweet voice murmured as a blonde bunny girl placed chips on the table, then smilingly pressed close, linking her arm with Reiner's.
Hehehehe~~
Spending money is just for fun. If benefits like this are included, then the more, the merrier!
"Work hard, little sister. There'll be a reward for you if you do well."
Reiner smiled lightly, directly reaching out to loop an arm around her slender waist, then extending his other hand to embrace a cute bunny girl with short blue hair wearing white silk stockings.
"You two help me place the bets."
"Stop it~ I'm afraid you won't be able to handle us," the blue-haired bunny girl said coyly, placing her hand on Reiner's chest.
"Better to die stuffed than starved! One hundred thousand Beri! Bet Big!" I can't withstand temptation! I'm lewd! Self-reflection complete.
Reiner scooped up both women, sitting them on his lap.
Nearby, Sanji was even more dazzled, practically bathing in an ocean of pink hearts.
Reiner grandly pushed his chips out for the attendants to play with; his job was just to play with the bunny girls. The money he lost was won by his companions anyway; back and forth, it amounted to free fun.
Winning big time!!!
While Reiner and the crew were thoroughly enjoying themselves, on a red sofa in a corner...
A long-haired man groggily opened his eyes. His resolute face looked somewhat haggard at the moment. He reached up, forcefully massaging his temples, and struggled to sit up.
Sandi shook his head, trying to clear his mind. After sitting quietly for a long while, some color finally returned to his face, his eyes gradually brightening.
"Phew~~ Overdid it a bit tonight."
Sandi looked up at the wall clock, then picked up the water kettle from the table, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, and slowly stood up.
He casually picked up the greatsword leaning against the sofa, strapped it to his waist, patted it, then removed his armor, revealing a sturdy physique clad in a white short-sleeved shirt.
After tidying himself up briefly, he glanced down at the other people passed out on the same sofa, ignored them completely, and prepared to turn and leave.
Just as he turned, his gaze inadvertently swept across the distance and landed on a blond man seated at a Sic Bo table, embracing a woman on each side.
"Him again?"
Sandi muttered under his breath. An ordinary person wouldn't pay special attention to someone based on such a simple glance from afar.
But Sandi was different. He was meticulous, and his mind wasn't slow – good enough for Doflamingo to place great importance on him.
If it weren't for becoming addicted to something Doflamingo strictly forbade touching, he wouldn't be here.
"I had already ruled him out as a suspect... but..."
Sandi's gaze sharpened like a sword, focusing intently on Reiner dozens of meters away. Since I've encountered this man again, I should at least test him.
Once or twice might be coincidence, but frequently entering his line of sight... perhaps there was some connection behind these events after all.
Moreover, this person was Sandi's original suspect.
Sandi made no overt movements, simply standing in place, staring coldly at Reiner.
At the gambling table, the two bunny girls were flushed red, giggling continuously as they threw Reiner's chips onto the table.
Reiner couldn't help but curse inwardly. These two are really no good! A whole twenty million Beri gone in no time!
Even Stussy isn't as high-class as you two. Ah well, at least it was free.
Suddenly, Reiner felt something – a faint chill coming from behind him.
Regarding the gaze directed at him from afar, even though Reiner hadn't learned Observation Haki, he could faintly sense it.
His daily training and the enhancement from his Devil Fruit granted him a physical constitution and extraordinarily sharp five senses far exceeding those of ordinary people.
Feeling this uncomfortable gaze, Reiner subconsciously turned his head to look.
There, dozens of meters away, separated by several gambling tables, stood a tall, brown-haired man in a corner, staring intently at him.
The instant Reiner began to turn, Sandi also focused his senses completely. If that blond man is truly as weak as he appeared at the port...
...then it's absolutely impossible for him to detect my gaze from dozens of meters away, across a noisy casino floor, with his back turned!
The moment their eyes met, Sandi was instantly shocked.
It really is you!!
Hiding yourself really deep... I had almost given up. If not for this coincidental encounter tonight, I could have wracked my brains forever and never figured it out.
But Sandi showed no outward reaction. After less than a second of eye contact, he shifted his gaze away and walked nonchalantly towards the casino exit as if nothing had happened.
This left Reiner feeling quite puzzled.
He recognized the man as the Guard Captain from the port earlier. But...
Why?
He was absolutely certain they had only met for the first time today. I was the one who got ripped off, and I haven't even sought trouble with him yet.
Why is he targeting me first instead?
(End of this chapter)
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 15 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you