On a prosperous island, White Ghost's crew stopped for a short rest.
Although many people recognized them, they were not too panicked.
After all, White Ghost's crew had never slaughtered civilians.
The people they killed before were pirates and mafia members.
Negative rumors about White Ghost had been spreading throughout the North Blue.
Some said he robbed merchant ships. Others said he twisted right and wrong for money.
But this crew truly did not seem to have massacred ordinary people.
Because of that, the people at the harbor were more uneasy than terrified.
White Ghost looked over the bustling town.
"Everyone, move freely. But stay alert. Assassins could strike at any time."
The others nodded calmly.
They were already used to it.
In the North Blue, every time they went ashore for supplies, if they were even slightly careless, some assassin would try to stab them.
Stella and the women formed a group and went shopping.
Every time they landed, their first destinations were clothing stores and jewelry shops.
White Ghost was not worried about them.
Ordinary assassins could not do much to them. Nami only had to move a finger, and those people would collapse on the spot.
Besides, Ain, a Great Swordsman, was not just there for decoration.
After disguising himself, White Ghost took Enel and Akin for a stroll through town.
During their travels, many people had challenged White Ghost.
At first, he answered with a Tang sword and cut them down one by one, too lazy to waste words.
Later, he simply started hiding his identity.
There had also been many swordsmen who wanted to join White Ghost's crew, but he had accepted none of them.
Their foundations were too weak.
Although White Ghost had considered recruiting some small fry to act as cannon fodder in large battles, he eventually gave up on the idea.
He would wait until they reached the New World.
The small fry in the Four Blues were not worth much.
Most of them had more ambition than ability.
People from the New World were different. They often saw major events firsthand, so their mental resilience had long since passed the test.
White Ghost was also still thinking about the clone soldiers.
Unfortunately, he had no opportunity and no proper excuse to act.
If Germa had joined the recent wave of desperate attackers, that would have been perfect.
Unfortunately, Vinsmoke Judge was clever and did not make a move.
Otherwise, White Ghost would have had his excuse.
As the three walked, they arrived at a casino.
White Ghost paused, and the corner of his mouth curled up.
"What is it, Captain? Is something wrong inside?"
Beside him, Akin looked toward the casino expressionlessly.
Enel's expression grew serious.
"I sense an extremely powerful presence inside."
White Ghost chuckled.
"Let's go in and see whether we can recruit him. This is a very good man."
The three entered the casino.
Because White Ghost had disguised himself, not everyone recognized him.
White Ghost exchanged some chips, then casually tossed one away.
A chip worth one hundred thousand Beli landed accurately in a waitress's cleavage.
The pretty waitress, who possessed quite impressive assets, instantly turned shy.
White Ghost laughed loudly and walked toward his target.
At the dice table, a blind man in purple clothes held his chips and placed them on "large."
It wasn't that the people nearby did not want to bet with him.
This man was practically a god of gambling.
Since entering the casino, he had been winning nonstop.
Many gamblers who had been losing badly had made quite a bit of money by following this blind man.
But when those gamblers looked around, they saw the casino's thugs staring at them coldly.
That made them suppress their thoughts.
Then, as one, they looked at the blind man with pity.
One of the casino's large men opened the dice cup with a cheerful smile.
Inside were five, five, and six.
Large.
But the big man's mouth curled upward.
"I'm sorry, sir. This round is one, two, and three. Six points. Small.
"So you lost again."
The blind man nodded expressionlessly.
"I see. It seems this one's luck has turned poor. But in the next round, this one will surely win."
The surrounding gamblers looked at him with complicated expressions.
No one dared speak.
They could not afford to offend the casino.
There was no need to invite death for the sake of a blind man.
"Hahaha!"
The casino thug laughed as he shook the dice cup.
Thud.
The dice cup landed.
The thug smiled at the blind man opposite him.
"Sir, what will you bet on this time?"
"Hmm…"
The blind man hesitated for a while, then placed his chips on "large."
"This one will still bet on large. I believe my luck will turn."
The surrounding people looked at the blind man with pity.
No one dared make a sound.
Just as the thug was about to open the cup with a smile, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Since your luck seems so good, I'll try following you too. I'll also bet on large."
Everyone froze.
They saw a man nearly three meters tall walk to the table and sit beside the blind man, placing his chips down.
"This guy has a death wish?"
The people around stared at the man in confusion.
The thug looked at the chips on the table, then at White Ghost's calm expression. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"Sir, are you sure you want to do this?"
White Ghost did not answer.
Behind him, Enel picked his ear.
"If you can't afford to open, close the casino. It's only ten million in chips."
The thug's face darkened.
He looked at the chips on the table, then at White Ghost's imposing build and the two followers behind him.
And with such a generous move, he clearly had some background.
The thug gritted his teeth and opened the cup.
Six, six, four.
Fourteen points.
White Ghost lit a cigarette and looked at him.
"Pay up. What are you staring for?"
Then he turned to the blind man beside him.
"Your luck really is good."
"Heh."
The blind man also smiled.
"It seems this one's luck has returned. Perhaps it was this gentleman who brought good fortune."
The thug reluctantly paid out chips to both White Ghost and the blind man, then gave a look to the side.
A burly man nearby nodded and ran upstairs.
When the other gamblers saw this, they quickly stepped back to avoid being caught in what was about to happen.
White Ghost acted as if he had seen nothing.
He simply sat there and waited for the blind man to place his next bet.
The blind man once again placed his chips on "large."
Without hesitation, White Ghost pushed twenty million Beli's worth of chips forward as well.
The thug silently pressed a button beneath the table with the tip of his foot.
Inside the dice cup, the dice immediately rolled.
The movement was tiny.
But who were White Ghost and the blind man?
Akin and Enel's eyelids twitched behind him, but they said nothing.
What kind of person was their captain?
There was no need to disturb his enjoyment over such a small matter.
White Ghost tapped the table lightly with his finger.
"Are you opening or not? Why so slow?"
The thug forced out a smile.
"I'll open it immediately, sir. I was just confirming you would not regret your bet."
The large man smiled as he opened the lid.
Then his eyes bulged.
Still large?
How was that possible?
Hadn't he changed it just now?
Although the thug did not speak, the ugly expression on his face remained obvious.
White Ghost smiled at the blind man.
"Your gambling skill is this good? I'm willing to call you the God of Gambling of the sea."
The blind man replied humbly,
"Not at all. This one is merely lucky.
"Unlike you, sir. We have never met before, yet you trusted this one so readily."
White Ghost waved a finger.
"I've been wandering the sea for quite some time. I may not have learned much else, but I have learned how to judge people."
The thug's face darkened as he watched the two ignore him and chat as if no one else were present.
Then he caught sight of the staircase.
His boss was coming down.
Only then did the thug smile at the four people in front of him, who, in his eyes, were already as good as dead.
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