Would You Dare Bet with Me?

"Hey, blind man! What are you staring at? Are you calling or not?"

Gels held a hand of cheap playing cards, a rough cigarette clenched between his lips. He narrowed his thin eyes and looked at Fujitora across from him with a half-smile.

Several thick stacks of cash lay spread beside his hand. The stakes for this round were clearly not small.

"Sorry, I was a little distracted."

Hearing Gels's voice, Fujitora came back to himself. After smiling faintly, he suppressed the doubts in his heart and refocused on the game before him.

After thinking for two seconds, Fujitora spoke quietly.

"Then I'll call."

With a light push, he shoved all the cash and gold coins in front of him into the middle of the table. It was an enormous call, and even Gels across from him was startled by the clean, decisive movement.

"Haha! You're pretty straightforward for a blind man!"

After his brief shock came boundless delight. Gels's mouth nearly split to his ears as he looked at the money on the table. He burst into laughter and slammed his cards down in front of him.

"Showdown! I've got a straight flush. You lost this round!"

Gels's shout caused quite a commotion, instantly drawing the attention of many interested onlookers. But upon seeing the cards he revealed, they merely smiled maliciously and silently shared an understanding.

The cards Gels had revealed on the table were not a straight flush at all, but a worthless mixed hand. It seemed he had long made up his mind to fleece this blind man who insisted on gambling despite being unable to see.

"A straight flush?"

Hearing Gels's words, Fujitora frowned slightly and cautiously reached out, seemingly intending to feel the cards on the table and verify whether they were real.

But before his hand could touch the table, a threatening remark made him stop.

"Hey, blind man. If I say it's a straight flush, then it's a straight flush. Don't you believe me?"

Gels sneered, staring fixedly at Fujitora across from him. He pulled a dagger from his clothes and drove it into the edge of the table, right in front of Fujitora's hand.

A silent threat.

"I suggest you leave the money on the table and go home obediently. A casino isn't a place for blind men like you to have fun."

Gels spread his hands helplessly and shrugged as though he were showing great kindness.

His words immediately sparked a wave of low chuckles. The gamblers were more than happy to watch such a show. There was no pity in a casino—only the naked law of survival.

"That clearly isn't a straight flush."

Just as everyone thought Gels, the brute, was about to take everything, an abrupt voice came from nearby.

The atmosphere in the entire underground casino froze, falling into a brief silence.

The corners of Long Yi's lips curled up. Completely unconcerned by the gamblers' stares, he slowly walked over to the corner where Fujitora and Gels sat. Tilting his head, he stated matter-of-factly,

"That isn't a straight flush, mister. You're lying."

A vein bulged on Gels's forehead. His face first reddened from having his lie exposed, but when he noticed Long Yi's age, his expression turned vicious. Pulling the dagger from the table, he toyed with it in his hand and sneered.

"You little brat, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. Otherwise, hehe, you might lose your life."

How could Long Yi possibly take such a low-grade threat seriously? He raised his face to meet Gels's vicious gaze, deliberately putting on an innocent expression as he repeated his words slowly, one by one.

"I! Said! It! Is! Not! A! Straight! Flush! Mister, did you hear me clearly? Are your ears not working very well?"

With the unique innocence of a young boy in his eyes, Long Yi asked in all apparent seriousness.

Of course, what Gels failed to notice was the faint chill hidden deep in Long Yi's eyes.

"Damn brat, you brought this on yourself. Die!"

Having been humiliated time and again, Gels's patience had finally reached its limit. There was no creed of respecting the elderly and caring for the young in his dictionary, so even though Long Yi was only a child, he roared and thrust out the dagger in his hand.

"Sigh..."

At that moment, Fujitora, who had not spoken until then, let out a soft sigh. He was just about to use his gravity-manipulating ability to save Long Yi when he suddenly stopped a second before activating it.

"This is rather interesting."

A strange smile tugged at Fujitora's lips. He did not intervene and instead chose to continue watching.

In an instant, silver flashed.

Gels, who had attacked Long Yi, fell into a pool of blood with disbelief and deep unwillingness on his face. The dagger slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a clear clang.

Long Yi, meanwhile, remained utterly calm, as though he had not been the one to draw his sword just now.

"Even if you're dead, I still have to say it: that wasn't a straight flush."

Shaking his head lightly, Long Yi flicked the filthy blood from his blade and sheathed his sword beneath the horrified gazes of the gamblers.

While the gamblers were still stunned, Long Yi casually grabbed several handfuls of the banknotes Gels had left on the table and walked to the very center of the underground casino.

"You all saw it. This guy attacked me first. I was only acting in self-defense. Still, I'm sorry you had to see something unpleasant. Consider this money compensation."

As soon as he finished speaking, Long Yi threw the banknotes in his hands high into the air. The slightly bloodstained Beli drifted down like snowflakes.

Only when the bills smacked into the gamblers' faces did they snap out of it. They cried out and scrambled for the fluttering money. Glittering Beli was beckoning to them—who had the time to care about the blood that had splashed out earlier?

The entire underground casino instantly descended into chaos.

Taking advantage of the commotion, Long Yi slipped past the casino thugs' attention, dragged Gels's corpse away, and quickly left.

"Uh, that should be my money, shouldn't it? That brat..."

Accurately catching a banknote floating through the air and tucking it into his clothes, Fujitora gathered the valuables on the table and followed Long Yi out of the casino.

North Blue Marines, Sixth Branch Base.

"This is the three million Beli bounty. Please take it."

After Long Yi tossed Gels's corpse before the Marine on duty at the bounty office and confirmed his identity, the Marine drew a large red X across Gels's wanted poster.

After impatiently tossing Long Yi a large bag of cash, the Marine dismissed him and told him to get lost.

"Gels's bounty was 3.2 million."

Long Yi frowned, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face.

"Brat, three million is three million. What, are you trying to challenge the authority of the Government Marines?"

The Marine on duty looked at Long Yi with a smirk. The Marines patrolling nearby sneered as they stroked the muskets in their hands.

"I advise you to leave obediently. Otherwise, you won't even get to take these three million with you."

Skimming bounty money was an old rule at Marine branch bases. Seeing that Long Yi was so young, the Marine on duty was willing to say a few extra words to him. Otherwise...

"Fine. I understand. I'm leaving."

For some reason, Long Yi seemed like a different person. The anger on his face turned calm, and he readily hoisted the bag full of cash onto his back before walking out of the Marine branch base without looking back.

"At least you know what's good for you, brat."

Lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, the Marine on duty muttered to himself and put away the short-barreled pistol he had secretly drawn.

Walking along the uneven road, Long Yi's face was as dark as water.

He had long heard that the Marine branch bases were thoroughly corrupt and had murky ties with pirates. Yet after seeing it with his own eyes, the extent of the rot within the Marines still exceeded his imagination.

How could these still be Government Marines who upheld peace and bore justice on their backs? They were clearly bandits hiding behind the name of justice.

"The Government Marines have fallen too. I wonder whether justice even still exists in this world."

Halfway down the road, a low sigh suddenly reached Long Yi's ears. He was not surprised in the slightest when he heard it.

He raised his head and looked ahead. Not far away, Fujitora stood leaning against a large tree by the roadside, his cane sword held in his arms, as though he had been waiting for a long time.

"I am—"

Fujitora looked at Long Yi with his clouded eyes, intending to introduce himself. But the instant he opened his mouth, Long Yi interrupted him.

"Uncle Yixiao, I know who you are, and I know why you came to find me. These are yours."

With an easy smile, Long Yi directly tossed the bag from his shoulder at Fujitora's feet.

"I didn't count it properly, but it's definitely more than you would have won in that hand."

Fujitora nudged the money bag at his feet, his expression strange. He was certain he had never met this boy before, yet why did the other party seem to have seen through his heart and known his thoughts so well?

After thinking for a long time without finding an answer, Fujitora smiled in relief. He took several playing cards from his clothes and casually tossed them onto the ground. Looking closely at their suits, they happened to form a straight flush.

"You're very unusual. I can't see through you."

Fujitora shook his head, unsure what to say. Ever since meeting Long Yi, the boy had been controlling the pace of their exchange.

"If you can't see through me, then don't. It's not like I'm a bad person. But since I've repaid your debt, Uncle Yixiao, would you dare make another bet with me?"

Hearing this, Fujitora was slightly taken aback. But as a man addicted to gambling, he had no desire to reject Long Yi's proposal. He wanted to probe Long Yi's true nature during their wager.

"Uncle Yixiao, I know you're very strong—strong enough to be called a monster. So I want to bet that if you stand still, I can knock you down within three moves."

Fujitora was somewhat surprised by Long Yi's words. He had not expected this to be the form of their wager.

"Brat, since you know my strength, then you should also know that not even a Marine Admiral could knock me down within three moves. Forgive my bluntness, but you've already lost from the very beginning."

After thinking for a moment, Fujitora decided to tell Long Yi directly that this was an utterly unfair bet.

"What an Admiral can't do, I definitely can! What's wrong, Uncle Yixiao? Are you scared?"

Long Yi smiled faintly. He was certain Fujitora would not pass up such a wager. Curiosity was the sweetest bait, luring Fujitora step by step into his trap.

"Scared? Hehe, fine. I accept this wager. Tell me, what are the stakes?"

Fujitora smiled easily and openly accepted Long Yi's bet. Since he could not possibly lose, what did he have to fear?

"If I win, Uncle Yixiao, you have to teach me how to master Observation Haki."

As Long Yi spoke, he drew his sword from its sheath.

Sensing Long Yi's movement, Fujitora nodded, then asked again.

"I didn't expect a brat like you to know Haki exists. Then if I win, what will you give up?"

"Haha! Uncle Yixiao, you're definitely going to lose!"

Long Yi did not answer. Instead, he laughed loudly, fixed his eyes on Fujitora, and decisively drew his sword.

Mountain-Breaking Strike!

His legs drove forward, his sword pressed downward, its edge fully exposed—power enough to shatter mountains!

Long Yi's sword technique made Fujitora smile faintly. This sword move could be considered exquisite, but it was still not enough before him.

With a light flick of his cane sword, without even using his Devil Fruit ability, Fujitora deftly neutralized Long Yi's Mountain-Breaking Strike.

When the first strike failed, Long Yi did not care. He adjusted his stance and attacked again.

Ghost Slash!

Ghostly energy surged as violet demonic fire burned across the blade. Long Yi raised his sword overhead and brought it crashing down with the force of splitting a mountain.

The instant the ghostly energy and demonic fire ignited, Fujitora's expression finally changed slightly. Yet even this imposing attack was deftly blocked by his cane sword, its force completely dispersed.

At this point, two moves had passed.

A Devil Fruit?

Fujitora secretly guessed, frowning slightly. Long Yi seemed shrouded in mist, impossible to see through.

"You're amazing, as expected of Uncle Yixiao. It seems my current strength truly isn't enough to knock you down. So be careful, Uncle. I'm going to use some underhanded means now."

Long Yi had originally wanted to say "Fujitora," but he suddenly remembered that there was still a long time before Yixiao became a Marine Admiral.

But he had no time to consider his verbal slip. With only one chance left to attack, Long Yi grinned wickedly and pulled a strange green fruit from his clothes.

"I choose you, Hollow Tree Fruit!"

With a forceful swing of his arm, Long Yi threw the Hollow Tree Fruit at Fujitora's feet in a perfectly standard throwing motion, at least according to Fujitora's senses.

"Brat, do you think—"

Fujitora laughed quietly, about to tell Long Yi it was useless, when the fruit suddenly exploded, releasing a visible shockwave.

His unfinished words came to an abrupt stop. Fujitora's expression changed drastically, and his burly body toppled backward beyond his control.

"I told you, there was no way I could lose."

Secretly laughing, Long Yi narrowed his eyes at the falling Fujitora like a fox that had stolen a chicken.