Baccarat Joins the Crew

"Miss Baccarat, the power of the Lucky-Lucky Fruit? Please come with me!"

Vegapunk smiled slightly, looked at Baccarat, extended a hand, and spoke calmly.

Baccarat took a small step back, her hand holding the coin sweating profusely.

"You... you're a Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit Devil Fruit User!?"

Although Baccarat's Lucky-Lucky Fruit seems incredibly powerful, allowing her to easily manipulate the external environment and control her opponents.

However, in reality, the stronger the opponent, the less effective this ability becomes—as mentioned at the beginning, the stronger, the higher the status, and the more wealth one has, the luck one often has will far exceed that of ordinary people. In this case, even if Baccarat herself absorbs a lot of luck, it will be difficult for her to crush her opponent.

Not to mention, if someone is strong enough, the interference from the external environment will be minimized. It's hard to say whether monsters like Kaido, Charlotte, and Linlin would really be threatened by volcanic eruptions or meteorites falling from the sky.

This is why Baccarat held the coin in her hand but hesitated to throw it. As Devil Fruit User, Baccarat felt that she was still very valuable, and even if she was blocked, she could simply turn to them.

But if you launch a direct attack and fail, that would be truly disastrous! Especially since Logia Fruit users not only have strong luck by their own, but are also basically immune to most environmental factors, making it even more difficult for them to utilize the power of the Lucky-Lucky Fruit.

"Indeed, Miss Baccarat can also try out your Lucky-Lucky Fruit ability, although I do not wish to resort to violence."

As he spoke, Vegapunk's Lightning Clone's hands were already wrapped in lightning, transforming into Lightning Sword.

The bright electric light made Baccarat's expression shift between light and shadow, but after a moment, Baccarat breathed a sigh of relief, took back the coin, and raised her hands:

"Um... I surrender. I'm just a Devil Fruit User with little fighting ability. There's no need for me to be as wary as a top-tier Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit -Devil Fruit User!"

"Even if Devil Fruit User weak combat power, they can't be looked down upon, right?"

Vegapunk chuckled and said that, then suddenly vanished in a flash of lightning.

Baccarat was startled. Before she could react, the real Vegapunk had already torn open space and appeared in front of her with the others.

This time, since the place they came to was the Gran Tesoro, which is not only a place to look for the Devil Fruit User, but also a tourist paradise, there were quite a few people. Vegapunk, Nami, Nico Robin, Stussy and others were fine, but even Hancock and the Kozuki Family, as well as Yamato, came here.

Baccarat's eyes widened as she looked at the large group of people who had come out, her expression somewhat bewildered, especially when she saw Vegapunk's method of tearing through space. This... the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, does it have this kind of effect?

While she was still in a daze, Vegapunk reached out and took out a bracelet-style Wristwatch, snapping it onto her wrist.

A slight pain shot through her wrist, followed by a flood of information entering her brain. After a moment of disorientation, Baccarat her head, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Vegapunk completely changed.

"Dr. Vegapunk!? I can't believe you're still alive!! And the Umbrella Corporation is even under your control!"

Compared to Nami, Baccarat was undoubtedly someone who had truly heard of Vegapunk's name, and thus knew how terrifying the Blond Young Man's abilities were. Putting aside everything else, the fact that he had tricked and killed a Marine Admiral was enough to prove his power.

The reason Vegapunk is not well-known now is precisely because his deeds were so horrifying that the World Government had to destroy all information about him!

However, the time was ultimately too short. People like Baccarat, who debuted earlier, had actually heard of Vegapunk's reputation.

Upon realizing that she had actually latched onto such a powerful figure, Baccarat was undoubtedly extremely excited and overjoyed.

Despite possessing incredible Devil Fruit abilities, Baccarat herself doesn't have much ambition. Her hobbies are rather mundane, consisting mainly of eating, drinking, and having fun. Her favorite things are gold and Beli.

In this situation, being able to latch onto a powerful backer to ensure one's safety would naturally be the best thing.

Furthermore, even if Vegapunk wanted to confront the World Government, since he was able to fake his death for so many years under the World Government's pressure, he was clearly not a brainless person. Baccarat, who had seen the world, was not as worried about this as Nami.

So what if someone wants to overthrow the World Government? Basically, almost every major power that reaches a certain level has the idea of overthrowing the World Government!

Including the Gran Tesoro beneath her feet, the Four Emperors of the New World, and several Shichibukai... These people must all harbor rebellion against the World Government, but they simply don't have the strength to back it up.

"Not bad, Baccarat, is that right? Looks like you're quite well-informed!"

Vegapunk nodded, looked at the Devil Fruit User in front of him, and was quite pleased.

Even with Vegapunk's research, he didn't extend it to the aspect of luck at all. Baccarat was not only the top research subject, but also, thanks to the boost of luck, it greatly helped his research.

"You want to take over the Gran Tesoro? You've got quite the appetite, Baccarat!"

"Of course, Lord Vegapunk! Not only am I very satisfied with the Gran Tesoro, but there's also a lot of luck waiting for me to reap here! Only in a place like this can I truly unleash my abilities and better serve you in the future!"

Hearing this, Vegapunk smiled and glanced at the Red Hair beauty before him, feeling quite satisfied.

A big appetite is good! Especially Baccarat's own Lucky-Lucky Fruit ability, which itself requires many lucky people to fill the gap.

In the original story, the main reason why Baccarat frequented the Gran Tesoro, besides her own enjoyment and desire for money, was that it had the most channels to fill her luck.

Otherwise, go to a place like the Bridge Kingdom in the East Blue and see how much luck a bunch of slaves can have. It's very possible that a single distinguished guest who comes to the Gran Tesoro could be as lucky as tens of thousands of slaves combined!

Vegapunk would never allow his own people to fill Baccarat's luck pool, so the Gran Tesoro, as a channel for luck, is quite useful to Baccarat.

Vegapunk and Baccarat were chatting when Carina, who had been standing on the outermost edge, suddenly changed her expression.

What's going on? The owner of the Umbrella Corporation and the Devil Fruit User have also set their sights on the Gran Tesoro? Isn't this stealing my business?!

Carina had already joined the Gran Tesoro and become a songstress, but her main purpose was naturally still the treasure of the Gran Tesoro.

Her original plan was to attract the help of the Umbrella Corporation, and take advantage of the opportunity to search for the Lucky Devil Fruit User to lure the Gran Tesoro into a confrontation between the two sides, so as to take advantage of the chaos and steal the Gran Tesoro's treasure.

Although the plan was rough, it was originally intended to be a shot in the dark, with the expectation that success would be the best outcome, but failure wouldn't be a big loss.

Unexpectedly, Umbrella Corporation powerful force from Umbrella Corporation also set its sights on Gran Tesoro. At this moment, Carina's eyes darted around, and she began to ponder in secret.

Now I don't need to cause any conflict between them, but... can Gran Tesoro hold out?

Although Gran Tesoro is considered one of the top powers on the high seas, it's obvious to anyone that one of them, which deals in entertainment and casinos, is stronger than another that sells weapons and engages in human modification.

However, with the Celestial Dragons backing the Gran Tesoro, if the Umbrella Corporation had known this from the beginning, they would have been at a disadvantage...

As Carina pondered this, she began to have a provocative idea in mind. Just then, Vegapunk suddenly turned his head and looked at Carina.

Seeing Vegapunk's ambiguous smile, Carina was startled and quickly tried to lower her head. However, Vegapunk casually pulled her, and a powerful suction force pulled Carina towards him.

"What are you doing, sir? Please have some self-respect!"

Carina looked flustered, seemingly trying to break free from Vegapunk's grasp, but Vegapunk didn't give her any time to perform. He casually grabbed a bracelet and snapped it onto Carina's wrist.

A flood of information rushed in, and Carina's eyes rolled back, she felt dizzy and disoriented for a moment before she came to her senses. Then, a look of disbelief, as if she had been tricked, appeared on her face.

"What... what are all these things?"

Carina, looking completely bewildered at Vegapunk, was so angry she was practically turning into a pufferfish, much to Nami's amusement.

Serves you right! You cunning fox, you've met your match now, haven't you? Your boss isn't someone to be trifled with, and now you've gotten yourself into trouble too.

"Damn it, you bastard, you pervert! Get this thing off me right now!"

After fully processing the information in her mind, Carina finally came to her senses and couldn't help but shout. But suddenly she felt a chill in her heart as someone gently pressed down on the back of her neck.

Turning her head cautiously, Carina saw only a stunningly beautiful woman with a cold and aloof demeanor, looking at her with an indifferent expression.

Even though Carina had seen many beauties in the Gran Tesoro and was herself a great beauty, she had to admit that the woman before her was more stunning than she had ever imagined, and none of the beauties she had ever seen before could compare to her.

However, compared to her beauty, it was her terrifying aura that made Carina's legs go weak. Especially the Conqueror's Haki with faint black Inazuma on her hand, which was like a volcano about to erupt, pressing against Carina's neck.

"What did you just call me 'darling'? Do you have a death wish?"

"N-nothing... it was just a slip of the tongue. No, no, I meant I'm an idiot, a pervert, not Vegapunk- sama!"

Carina had barely uttered a word when she felt the force of the hand behind her about to burst forth, scaring her out of her wits. She quickly changed her tune, labeling herself a bastard and a pervert.

When Hancock released her hand from behind, she finally revealed a tearful expression. Being bullied and unable to talk back was too much for her!

"Alright, all the irrelevant people have been taken into custody. Now the only problem is how to get our hands on the Gran Tesoro."

Vegapunk ignored the utterly dejected Carina. In reality, Vegapunk only controlled this fox-like songstress to prevent any unforeseen complications in this operation; he didn't care about her abilities.

Right now, it's more important to find a solution to the Gran Tesoro problem as soon as possible.

If Vegapunk really wanted to attack the Gran Tesoro, then the Gild Tesoro would certainly be no match for him.

However, taking action like that would cause too much commotion, and the Gran Tesoro would be practically ruined—the reason this den of iniquity attracts so many visitors and generates so much revenue each year is largely due to the World Government's leniency; the entire casino is legitimate and legal.

If Vegapunk had taken over the Gran Tesoro, all he would have gotten in the way of the World Government's wrath would have been!

In this situation, Vegapunk naturally couldn't take action, or even use violence. Fortunately, there was a Devil Fruit User of bankrupting any casino owner.

The Pirate World is unlike modern times. Due to the imperfect legal system, people who run casinos here are generally no different from gangsters, and there is never any such thing as knowing when to quit while you're ahead.

In a well-regulated modern society, truly reputable casinos never resort to cheating tricks or target gamblers who make a fortune. On the contrary, they often promote their casinos to spread their reputation.

As for those who are truly skilled at gambling, or whose Senbon are so strong that even the casino cannot detect them, the casino will be very polite in trying to win them over and see if they can become a guest of the casino. If not, they will refuse to let them come again next time, but they will never do anything to take back their gambling money.

Legitimate casinos rely on their reputation and brand. In terms of probability, the casino owner is guaranteed to make a profit; it's just a matter of how much they win. Therefore, they never take any risks.

However, even though Pirate World Gran Tesoro is considered the largest casino on the entire sea, the rules are still very simple and brutal. Winning a little money is no problem, but if you win a lot of money and don't have any status, position, or strength, the casino won't let you leave!

This is certainly ruthless towards gamblers, but it's also ruthless towards the casino itself! Because it means the casino has no right to refuse gamblers. Theoretically, if a gambler is skilled enough, they could win the entire casino's money.

Baccarat's gambling skills are mediocre, but with the power of the Lucky-Lucky Fruit, she is absolutely confident of winning the entire Gran Tesoro. Of course, when it comes to that, the Gild Tesoro will almost certainly turn against her, and then it will depend on their respective strengths.

With the strength of Vegapunk and his group, they were clearly superior to this Gild Tesoro.