Kress Island's Little Gambling King, Fujitora Issho!

Kress Hot Spring Island, port.

Ortolan and Gion slowly descended the ship's ladder and arrived on the island.

This place is really nice; it's much more bustling than the rural areas of Baterilla, with lots of people and tourists.

This also shows that in this world, there are not only pitiful people like Bartholomew Bear and Ginny, but also many people who live relatively happy and fulfilling lives, as if there is a great divide between them.

As Doflamingo said, children who grow up in war and children who grow up in peace can never understand each other.

The world is beautiful, yet cruel.

Squeezing through the crowd, Ortolan held Den Den Mushi in his hand, dealing with Garp on the other end.

"You two old men can just stay on Baterilla and enjoy your retirement. We young people won't get involved."

"What's there to be afraid of? He's not going to run away. He might run away from himself, but can he run away from his wife and kids?"

"Let me know when he's about to die, and I promise I'll rush back to claim the credit!"

"Ugh, ugh, I'm not talking anymore. This place is even more remote than Baterilla. The signal is about to drop. Hello? What did you say? I can't hear you!"

And so, while Garp's crude language lingered over the Den Den Mushi, Ortolan promptly hung up.

Seeing that Ortolan had put away the Den Den Mushi Gion Mushi, Gion couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why don't you block him? Doesn't it get annoying to call Den Den Mushi three times a day?"

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if Roger dies early and Mr. Garp can't contact us? Wouldn't we have missed our chance?" Ortolan stroked his chin and finally shook his head.

Instead of continuing the topic, the two first went to a restaurant on the island and enjoyed a hearty meal to satisfy their cravings, and then went to the island's Entertainment City.

The Entertainment City is indeed well-equipped, with hot spring resorts, luxury hotels, shopping streets, casinos, and amusement parks all available.

After strolling around the streets for a while, Gion said, "I'm going to buy two swimsuits. You can wander around by yourself for now, and we'll meet up later."

For any other shopping trip, Gion would definitely drag Ortolan along, but when it came to swimsuits, she was a little hesitant. After all, you have to try them on before buying them, right? If Ortolan were there, could she ask him to give his opinion?

We definitely need to have him evaluate it, right?

However, Gion felt that this was somewhat inappropriate, so she decided against it.

Without giving it much thought, Ortolan glanced at a gambling den across the street and said, "I'm going in to play a couple of rounds. Come find me here when you're done."

Ortolan wasn't a gambler and wasn't particularly interested in these games, but he was still a little curious. Since he was already there, he decided to go in and try his luck with a couple of rounds.

Gion had no objection and nodded, saying, "Yo, then you can go."

After saying that, she turned and left gracefully. Ortolan didn't linger, lifted the curtain, and went inside.

This gambling den wasn't large or high-end; it seemed to cater to the low-to-mid-range market. Inside, it was smoky and chaotic, with a large group of gamblers gathered around several tables, shouting and yelling. Some were incredibly excited, while others looked miserable, clearly having lost badly.

After casually exchanging some chips, Ortolan found an empty seat and sat down. He didn't place any bets because he didn't quite understand the rules, so he planned to watch a couple of rounds first and study them.

He said he'd watch two rounds, but Ortolan sat there for over half an hour without playing a single chip. He was truly just hogging the spot!

However, due to his strong physique, he looked very intimidating, and although the surrounding gamblers harbored some resentment, they dared not provoke him and could only mutter their complaints in secret.

Just as Ortolan was intently observing the game, trying to learn a few techniques, a large hand patted him on the shoulder.

"Young man, why haven't you placed a bet in so long? Is it because you don't have any dice you like?"

A warm, gentle voice came from beside him, sounding somewhat familiar to Ortolan, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before. So he turned to look at his side.

A tall, burly man stood beside her, smiling and looking very friendly.

The man had short, buzz cut hair, but his face looked rather mature. He was probably in his thirties, but he looked like a forty-year-old uncle. He had big, dark eyes, was wearing Wano Country samurai clothes, and was holding a Cane Sword in his hand.

Good heavens, Fujitora Issho lightly!

This is a limited edition for those who haven't gone blind yet!

"To be precise, you haven't quite grasped the rules yet. You seem a bit impatient, bro? How about I make room for you?" Ortolan grinned and asked.

Fujitora Issho rubbed his hands together, looking eager to try his hand at gambling, and said, "I just finished work at the fish farm, and my wages for today are still fresh in my pocket. I'm just waiting to gamble a bit. If you don't mind, I'll really not hold back!"

Upon hearing this, Ortolan knew that this guy was indeed a serious gambler!

He didn't delay anything, immediately stood up and gave up his seat. Fujitora Issho was really not polite, his big butt thudded into Ortolan's seat, and then he hurriedly placed his bet, as if afraid of missing this round.

Ortolan stood to the side without leaving, casually taking two cigarettes from his pack and offering one to Fujitora Issho. The guy didn't refuse, smiling as he accepted it, saying, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. You're obviously an expert. I can learn a thing or two from you," Ortolan said casually.

"There's a lot of technology involved here, so you'd better watch out!" Fujitora Issho said confidently. "I am known as the Kress Island's Little Gambling King, and that is me."

That's right, Fujitora Issho. At this time, he doesn't have the code name 'Fujitora' yet, since he's not a member of the Marines. His real name is just two characters: Issho.

"A local, bro?" Ortolan asked casually.

His impression of Fujitora Issho was limited to his time as Marine Admiral. As for his past, he only knew that Fujitora was a skilled martial artist from the common people, and nothing else. That's why he asked out of curiosity.

Fujitora Issho, being a very outgoing guy, didn't hide anything and laughed, saying, "No, I wandered here more than half a century ago, found a job here, and settled down temporarily. I'm actually a ronin... a homeless wanderer."

"A ronin..." Ortolan muttered, then asked, "Judging from your attire, you call yourself a ronin, are you from Wano Country?"

"No, that's not it. I came from a small island in the New World. My family told me that my ancestors seemed to have escaped from Wano Country. As for the rest, I don't know much. My family suffered a disaster a long time ago. I was still young then, and since then, I've called myself a ronin." Issho said nonchalantly.

Just then, the outcome of the bet was revealed, and Yi Xiao, who called himself the Kress Island's Little Gambling King, suddenly lost all his chips.

When it comes to gambling, Yi Xiao would never care about winning or losing. Although he is a gambling addict, he doesn't care about money or anything like that. What he likes is the thrill of winning or losing and the anticipation of the unknown.

But now, he had just boasted to Ortolan that he was the gambling king, and then immediately lost. He was losing face.

So he smiled and said casually, "Haha, let's warm up. Looks like my luck is so-so today. I need to use some skills to make up for my bad luck."

After saying that, he placed a few more chips on the gambling table, chatting with Ortolan while keeping an eye on the situation.

Soon, they lost again!

"One more round, one more round, watch closely!"

A moment later...

"Did you see that clearly? What I just demonstrated was a technique that guarantees a loss! Now I'll show you how to win!"

"Cough... Oops, my hand slipped and I placed the wrong bet! I'm sure I'll win this time!"

Half an hour later, Yi Xiao patted his pocket and found it completely empty. He looked up somewhat awkwardly at Ortolan, who was watching him with interest, and grinned, saying, "As the saying goes, after the worst comes the best. I was just suffering terribly under the influence of Goddess of Misfortune, but now it's Goddess of Fortune's turn to smile on me. Hey buddy, want to lend me a hand? Don't worry, if you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me. And if you lose, I'll pay you back with my wages the next day!"

As if afraid that Ortolan wouldn't believe him, he patted his chest and said, "It's true, I'm known for my good reputation. If I say I'll pay you back, I definitely will!"

Ortolan didn't say anything, but he still handed the chip he was holding to Yixiao.

Seeing this, Yi Xiao took the chips and said seriously, "It's time to show my skills as the King of Gamblers!"

Half an hour later, Gambling King Yixiao looked at Ortolan with a suspicious gaze, and then said, "No, we haven't won a single game. This doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Want more? If so, I'll exchange some more chips for you," Ortolan asked with a smile.

After a moment's hesitation, the guy gritted his teeth and said, "This is the moment to turn things around! Since you trust me so much, I can't let you down. Call me now!!!"