The lid of the dice cup was opened once again, revealing the numbers on the three dice. Yamato’s expression became very complex.
“Little girl, what’s the result? Who won?”
“Ah… it’s still you, old man. Damn, is my luck really that bad today?”
“Maybe I’m just more lucky today. Do you want to keep playing?”
“No more, it’s boring. I’ve lost all my pocket money for today.”
“……”
Yamato’s words immediately silenced the person opposite her. Although he couldn’t see, there was no problem with his mind. They had gambled 31 rounds in total, and the little girl across from him lost all the 31 rounds.
Although the amount of the bet wasn’t large, it was enough for him to live on for a while. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be just one day’s pocket money for her.
He didn’t see anything wrong with winning money from a young girl. Once you’re at the gambling table, you have to be prepared. Even if you lose everything, it’s your own fault. If you can’t control your desires, you’ll be consumed by them. That’s the karma of the gambling table.
“I’m leaving, old man. Do you need me to help you out? You’ve won enough, be careful not to get tricked. Not everyone is like me.”
A blind man gambling in a casino is bound to be taken advantage of under normal circumstances, and Yamato thought the same. Because the man couldn’t even see the dice and had to ask her the results.
At such times, just colluding with the dealer would make it impossible for a blind man to control the outcome. Although she lost her one day’s pocket money, she considered it as helping a disabled person.
“Alright, it’s time to stop. Thanks, little girl.”
“No problem, I was going to play somewhere else anyway.”
After exchanging the chips for cash and paying a small fee to the casino, the blind man received his winnings. He then handed his cane to Yamato, asking her to guide him out of the casino.
“Hey, old man, are you always this naive? You just won my money and now you’re giving me your cane. Aren’t you afraid I’ll push you down somewhere?”
“I don’t think you will. And if you wanted to run away, you could have just taken the money and left earlier.”
“You’re no fun, old man. Weren’t you supposed to get scared? Never mind, I’ll take you to your hotel. Let me see your ticket.”
Tesoro had promised a day of free lodging and meals, but you needed a ticket to enjoy this service.
Without feeling suspicious, the man quickly took out his ticket and handed it over. His swift movements made Yamato doubt that he was really blind.
“Grand prize…old man, you really are lucky.”
Gran Tesoro’s tickets were of three types: invitations for industry leaders, tickets bought by ordinary tourists, and these randomly distributed VIP tickets through a lottery.
Yamato remembered there were very few of these tickets. Getting one already indicated good luck, so her losing 31 rounds made sense.
“Little girl, are you an employee here? You seem very familiar with this place.”
“Not exactly. I just know some people, so I got to play here a few days in advance. The scenery here is beautiful, but it’s a pity you can’t see it.”
“There’s nothing to regret. Not seeing things is sometimes also a blessing. There are too many despicable and filthy people in this world that I cannot bear to look at. I’ve chosen to close my eyes by myself.”
“Closed them yourself… You’re a strange man, old man. What’s your name?”
“Name… Just call me Issho. You’re still too young, little girl. This world is not as good as it seems. Even a blind man like me can be a threat to you.”
Being able to come here early to have fun, and with a rich family background, Issho thought she was one of those naive wealthy daughters. He wanted to make her more aware of the outside world to prevent her from getting hurt. For this reason, he planned to intimidate her by releasing some threatening aura, but she remained completely unfazed.
“Oh! Old man, you’re quite strong, huh? No wonder you dare to come out alone.”
Issho was indeed very strong, a man who directly obtained the position of Admiral through the World Military Draft of the Marines.
Even though he had no vision, his powerful Observation Haki served as his unique eyes, providing a mental map similar to infrared radar, which is unaffected by his blindness.
Or to say, it was precisely because he had blinded himself that he developed such powerful Observation Haki.
Gambling was his hobby and a way to earn his living. Different people focus on different aspects when cultivating Observation Haki, and Issho’s focus was on sensing and distinguishing auras.
With the ability to accurately sense the contours of various objects around him, he’s practically a cheat-like existence in the casino. Just now, Yamato kept betting against him out of anger, but there was no way she could win that way.
If the casino could take losses with grace, he’ll stop before going too far and leave. But if he encounters someone who can’t take loss with grace and still wants to take advantage of him, his strength will make them understand what true terror is.
His personality was relatively easy-going, and he cared about the lives of ordinary people. But it was different for villains. He was opposed to the Shichibukai system, believing it only emboldens pirates without any real benefit.
“You’re quite interesting yourself, little girl. If it were a few years earlier, I would’ve liked to see what an interesting person like you looks like.”
He had intended to scare her a little, but she remained unfazed by his aura, indicating she was no ordinary person. He had another purpose for boarding this ship after winning the ticket – to see what this place was really like.
He wanted to see if this was just an ordinary entertainment venue or a hub of illicit activities. So far, it seemed like any other entertainment venue, but he believed it was just a facade.
There were many extraordinary people on this ship, and he had sensed more than one strong aura on the way.
Yamato had already realized that this blind old man was no ordinary blind man but still escorted him to his resting place. To her, no matter how strong a blind person was, they would still face inconveniences.
“If you need anything, press the button on the wall. I’ll tell the reception desk to take good care of you.”
“Thank you. By the way, little girl, what’s your name?”
“Me? I’m Yamato. Goodbye, interesting old man. Oh, by the way, there’s an awesome concert here tomorrow. Even though you can’t see, listening should be fine, right? If you’re interested, you should check it out.”
Yamato then left. She wasn’t much interested in gambling, and her interest waned even more after losing repeatedly. The next day, Tesoro successfully got rid of the Celestial Dragons, and after they left, the Gran Tesoro finally began its real festivities.
“Fufufufu, this is just like the Celestial Dragons. People don’t even dare to fully enjoy themselves while they’re around…”
Doflamingo laughed to himself as he watched the Celestial Dragons leave, but a fierce glint appeared in his eyes under the sunglasses.
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