Woof Woof Royal Casino

Did you know why ordinary people had no money? It was simple.

Most people did not love money from the bottom of their hearts. They lacked the single-minded devotion to give up everything for money, so money would not approach such unfaithful people.

And none of the gamblers on Fortune Island loved money from the bottom of their hearts either.

They were a bunch of lunatics who reveled in probability. They did not pursue victory or defeat, but merely enjoyed the thrill, torment, and unease of the moment before the outcome was revealed.

So they were all penniless.

The wealthy ones were the shopkeepers who stopped at nothing for money and racked their brains to earn it.

Like this Woof Woof Royal Gambling House.

It was the longest-running gambling house on Fortune Island. Everyone knew they cheated, but no one could ever expose them on the spot.

By the time anyone figured out their methods and tricks, the gambling house had already switched to another approach.

Woof woof-the scene truly lived up to the name.

Every gambler here would lose until they howled. Even if they won a round for the moment, as long as they kept gambling, they would always lose.

This made business at the Woof Woof Royal Casino flourish. Many people no longer came to win, but simply to expose its tricks on the spot.

It was a different sort of contest and wager.

The owner of this gambling house was called Ao San, a burly bald man.

No one had ever seen him join a game, not even once. Everyone spread rumors that he was the sort who loved only money, not gambling.

The games at the Woof Woof Royal Casino were extremely simple and monotonous.

Betting high or low, guessing odd or even.

Whether cards or dice, it was all the same.

Yet often, the simpler the gambling was, the more it attracted people, easily leaving them unable to stop and setting their blood boiling.

Could someone who grasped the essence of gambling so well really not be a gambler who loved it?

For Issho, a middle-aged man with short black hair dressed in purple, his love of gambling was already an inseparable part of his life.

He too was a regular at the Woof Woof Royal Casino, coming practically once every month.

He too cared nothing for winning or losing. As for gambling, it was purely a hobby.

"Everyone! Will this round be high or low? Place your bets, then hands off!"

The attendant at the wooden table shouted the familiar casino patter, rapidly shaking the dice cup in his hands.

Issho's ears twitched as he listened carefully to the sounds inside. Quite a few people even used Observation Haki, sharpening their senses to the utmost.

High, low, high, low...

As the outcome kept changing, choices flashed through Issho's mind. Only when the dice cup came down did he wave his hand, sending his chips onto high.

"Well, has everyone made their choice?"

The attendant looked around. Once everyone had taken their hands away, he lifted the dice cup.

"High!"

Howls erupted all around, while a handful of people looked delighted.

"Now! Next round! High or low?! Place your bets, then hands off!"

While he was listening intently to the shaking, a chill rose in Issho's heart, as though an iceberg had settled beside him.

"Tell me, my friend, will it be high or low?"

"Heh, if you knew the answer in advance, what fun would gambling be?"

Issho delivered those polite words without blushing or missing a beat, while his ears remained fixed on the dice cup.

"Fair point. I'll bet high, then."

Before the dice cup had even come down, Lofan placed his chips on high.

Issho waited until the dice cup landed before silently pushing the chips in front of him onto high.

"Have you chosen?! Everyone, here we go! High!"

"Good luck."

Issho did not reply. He silently collected his chips and prepared to leave.

He could clearly sense that the other man had come specifically for him. Though he did not know his exact intentions, he could not drag the innocent people here into it.

"Done gambling already, my friend?"

"There's no need for us to beat around the bush. We can talk somewhere else."

Lofan's warship was docked at the harbor, and Heng Youcai had already received word of his arrival.

Heng Youcai did not panic. After all, he was a major taxpayer to the World Government. Surely even an admiral could not disregard the law?

"Your Majesty! The Cloud Gull Admiral entered the Woof Woof Royal Casino and has made no other moves."

"Keep watching, but don't overstep."

"Yes!"

An admiral personally taking a warship somewhere was an action laden with enormous political implications and menace.

Heng Youcai could not simply ignore it, but neither could he interfere too much.

After some thought, he still felt uneasy, so he had a guard summon Duobao and Duocai to receive his orders.

Now he had both power and fame, and his money kept growing too.

Yet he had to think twice before even sneezing. The higher he climbed, the less freedom he had, and the more he had to weigh every consideration.

"Your Majesty!"

The two spoke at the same time, identical even in their intonation, breathing, and movements.

Duobao and Duocai were two slender beauties. They were twins who managed the kingdom's finances, serving as Heng Youcai's trusted aides.

"Go welcome the Cloud Gull Admiral on my behalf and sound him out. The kingdom will cover all his expenses on the island. Go."

"Yes!"

Watching their swaying waists eased Heng Youcai's heavy thoughts a little.

This was a tavern decorated in a brilliantly vivid red.

Or rather, every tavern on Fortune Island was either yellow or red, without exception.

The two sat at the bar, but the tavern was otherwise empty.

Most people here were hardly decent folk with clean records. They all had some dirt on them, more or less, and at the sight of a marine wearing Justice on his back,

They had vanished in an instant, like mice spotting a cat.

"What should I call you, young man? My name is Issho."

"Lofan."

Fujitora instantly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of white eyes.

"So you're the Cloud Gull Admiral. What brings you to see this old man?"

Though surprised by his identity, Issho had always acted openly and honorably, and had even done many kind deeds, so his heart was at ease.

"This world has no shortage of filthy, vile people too unbearable to look at, does it?"

Lofan's words struck straight at Issho's heart, but he truly did not know what he could do to cleanse this rotten world.

"This filth can never be completely cleaned away, but does that mean we shouldn't try?"

"Cloud Gull Admiral, please speak plainly."

"Issho, you possess great strength and a compassionate heart. Don't you want to do your part for justice in this world?"

It was not that Issho had never considered joining the marines, but the Seven Warlords of the Sea system...

How could he acknowledge the marines' justice when such a warped system was recognized by the government and granted the legal right to plunder?

Lofan knew why Issho had fallen silent.

In the original story, abolishing the Shichibukai had been one of Issho's reasons for joining the marines.

"You should know just how many interests are tied up in this Shichibukai lapdog system. I don't think I need to say much more."

"Since you describe it that way, Cloud Gull Admiral, I take it you have some objections."

Lofan's words had finally piqued Issho's interest. He took a sip of his drink and quietly waited for the other man's lengthy discourse.