The Gambler Who Owes Gambling Debts

Twin Snake Island, the casino.

Smoke hung in the air.

At the table sat a gambler with short black hair and a scar stretching from his forehead down to his eyes, wearing a pale purple kimono. His expression was calm as he waited for the dealer to flip the cards.

Behind the gambler, a crowd of broke gamblers who still couldn't bear to leave muttered aimlessly.

"This guy's lost nineteen in a row."

"Isn't he a bodyguard? Why's he at the table?"

"I heard he blew through all his savings a couple years back and racked up a huge gambling debt. Now he's stuck working here as a bodyguard to pay it off."

The dealer unhurriedly flipped the cards. "Issho, you now owe the casino a total of one billion Berry."

The gambler called Issho rose slowly, a hint of self-mockery in his voice.

"How regrettable."

He could have easily cheated with Observation Haki, but for a blind man like him, winning by luck... was far more addictive.

Every bet, every card flip, felt like a gamble with fate itself.

And the outcome was always shrouded in uncertainty.

Ever since Cang Country fell and the World Government put a bounty on his head, Issho's life had veered completely off course. His former glory and status had dissolved into nothing, leaving only endless confusion.

Gambling became his sole comfort, his only escape from reality.

Issho got up from the table and returned to his actual job: casino bodyguard. When he sensed a crowd gathering, he instinctively tilted his ear.

"Damn, a bounty of one billion Berry."

"No kidding. That's a crewmate of Pirate King Roger—a Great Pirate who's been to Laugh Tale and seen the One Piece."

"The West Blue's never produced someone like that before."

Creak. The casino door swung open.

The moment those sharp yellow eyes came into view, gasps rippled through the casino.

"Dracule Mihawk, the Marine Hunter."

A sharp sword, sharp eyes. Between swordsmen, they could sense each other's Sword Intent.

In Mihawk's eyes: the blind swordsman gripping his Blind Cane had a Sword Intent shrouded in mist.

In Issho's perception: the man before him radiated an unyielding, forward-charging Sword Intent.

They just stood there, but the invisible clash of Sword Intent already made the gamblers inside struggle to breathe, a bone-deep chill prickling their scalps.

Issho spoke first, making a request. "Somewhere else."

Mihawk nodded. "Fine."

In truth, the moment he saw the man was blind, Mihawk had already lost interest. He really had no desire to fight someone who couldn't see.

That was Mihawk's pride: he never chose the disabled as opponents—unless they were brain-dead.

Still, recalling his captain's instructions.

Mihawk figured this blind swordsman fit Seven's requirements for a crewmate well enough. And with a ship full of Great Swordsmen, the thought was actually pretty exciting.

If it could really happen, across the entire sea, no Pirate Crew had ever been configured like that.

That was why Mihawk agreed to spar.

Eager for some excitement, the gamblers trailed a safe distance behind the two, keeping a reasonable gap.

If Mihawk dared to fight Marines, what were a bunch of small-time gamblers to him? Watching the show was important, but their lives were more important.

Twin Snake Island, west side.

"Dracule Mihawk."

"Issho."

A brief introduction, fitting both their personalities.

Mihawk was steady and calm; even in battle, he showed almost no emotional fluctuation.

Issho, on the other hand, hadn't crossed swords with anyone in a long time, and his long-dormant heart was slowly heating up.

The difference was that Mihawk never shouted his attack names during a fight, while Issho did—as if it made him look more imposing.

"Gravity Sword: Fierce Tiger."

This was a technique combining the Gravity-Gravity Fruit's power with swordsmanship, concentrating gravity onto the blade and releasing a horizontal Gravity Wave to strike.

While manipulating gravity, the pressure it generated also crushed the space around it, creating secondary damage.

Gravity Sword: Fierce Tiger worked on a similar principle to when Seven unleashed a Flying Slash, with the Thunder Dragon trailing behind the slash wave and the Electromagnetic Storm mixed in.

But the next second.

A look of deep shock flashed across Issho's face: the Gravity Sword that had never failed him in past fights had no effect on Mihawk.

The other man hadn't even used Armament Haki.

Mihawk was somewhat surprised as well. The reason he chose to take that hit head-on was merely to offset the disadvantage of his opponent's blindness—who could have guessed the Gravity Wave would simply fail.

After a moment's thought, Mihawk took off his hat and removed the Flying Bamboo Dragonfly from his hair.

"Sorry. A little gadget from my captain."

He had assumed it was just a simple flying device, never imagining that such a tiny Bamboo Dragonfly would be an Anti-Gravity Device. It was... beyond common sense.

Even in a world like that of pirates, sustained flight was still a rare ability exclusive to a few Devil Fruit users or special races.

Anti-gravity was even rarer.

This little trinket could not only fly, but was also the natural nemesis of a Gravity-Gravity Fruit user.

Placing his hat and bag on the sand, Mihawk finally drew Black Blade Night from behind his back. "I am the Morning Star Pirates Vice-Captain. I'd like to invite you aboard."

A smile curled at the corner of Issho's lips.

"To be valued by a swordsman like you is my honor. Unfortunately... I still owe the casino a One Billion Berry Debt."

Having witnessed too much evil, Issho had blinded himself, unwilling to see those filthy, despicable men, and had wasted away for years on Twin Snake Island.

And a man with such Sword Intent was merely a vice-captain. Issho suddenly felt a strong desire to meet this man's captain... what kind of person could that be?

"Please."

"Please."

Clang~ Clang~ Clang~

The moment the two Supreme Grade Blades clashed, a thunderous roar shook the entire coast. The Flying Slashes they unleashed spread outward, cleaving countless rocks and waves.

Between the grinding blades, sparks flew as gravity and sword energy fought for dominance.

After a moment, both men pushed off simultaneously, their blades separating as they each retreated several meters.

Fujitora's gravitational field surged around him, sending rubble floating into the air. With a swing of his blade, the debris turned into countless projectiles, hurtling toward Mihawk alongside a Gravity Wave.

Mihawk gripped Black Night Blade and unleashed a single Flying Slash, precisely shattering every attack.

The residual shockwave from the collision of Flying Slash and gravity carved wide, meter-deep trenches into the ground.

In the distance, the watching gamblers' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"These two guys... are terrifying."

"Who knew... that fat Bodyguard was this strong? I even beat him up a few times before."

"Then you're screwed."

The gambler who had once bullied Issho, relying on his own brute strength, turned pale. "Bro, I'm gonna lay low for a couple days. Take care of your sister-in-law for me."

"Big bro, go on ahead."

Boom~

An even fiercer clash rang out. Sword energy wove into an invisible storm, and the reefs along the shore shattered in large swaths as seawater poured back into the cracked trenches.

The moment their blades locked, both men felt the power contained in each other's swords—

Mihawk's blade was unstoppable, the pinnacle of speed and sharpness, carrying an absolute obsession with being the strongest.

Issho's blade was steady and heavy, a fusion of gravity and conviction, bearing the unwavering resolve tempered by years of experience.

The sea breeze howled past, billowing their clothes.

The setting sun stretched their shadows long across the sand. The towering waves on the sea gradually calmed, leaving only two upright figures on the shore and the lingering Sword Intent still hanging in the air.

Mihawk sheathed Black Blade Night. "I'll take care of the gambling debt."

"Thank you." Issho's Sword Intent faded, and he returned to the appearance of a blind, fat Bodyguard. "Please, Mr. Mihawk, don't harm them."

Hearing this, Mihawk paused for a few seconds, then reluctantly abandoned the idea of destroying the casino. He took a Den Den Mushi from his bag.

"Captain."

"Bring one billion Berry to West Blue, Twin Snake Island."