As a top-tier Texas Hold'em player, even in a different world, the rules were exactly the same. For Arashi, this posed no challenge at all.
Of course, if the red-haired woman beside him really was Baccarat, then he had to be careful not to let her touch him.
The first round ended, and Arashi emerged as the winner, successfully taking 50 million Beli.
"Looks like luck is on my side today."
Looking at the chips he had collected, Arashi casually picked out a 100,000 Beli chip and tossed it to the dealer. "Good work. Let's continue."
"Thank you, Mr. Arashi."
The dealer nodded slightly and began dealing the next round.
"Mr. Arashi, you're not from the Kingdom of Nasia, are you?"
The red-haired woman sitting beside him lit a cigarette, narrowed her beautiful eyes, and smiled. "Bringing a child to a place like this… you must have quite the background. Oh, right—my name is Baccarat. I'm one of the managers of this casino."
As she spoke, Baccarat removed her glove and extended her slender, fair hand toward Arashi.
Damn… it really is Baccarat!
Only won 50 million and she already wants to steal my luck? That's a bit petty, isn't it? Though… she doesn't look small-minded at all…
Looking at the hand extended toward him, Arashi kept his smile. Instead of shaking it, he picked up a 100,000 Beli chip and placed it in her palm.
"Arashi. A traveler. Nice to meet you—please don't mind the small token."
Baccarat blinked in confusion as she looked at the chip in her hand.
What is this guy doing? Does he think I'm asking him for money?
"…Haha."
She awkwardly withdrew her hand and placed the chip in front of her. "Mr. Arashi is quite humorous."
"Your turn, Arashi!"
Seeing Arashi chatting with Baccarat, Perona suddenly squeezed between them and shoved 10 million worth of chips forward. "I'm calling!"
"Pass."
Baccarat glanced at her cards and folded immediately. The other players followed suit one by one.
When it was Tesoro's turn, he didn't even look at his cards. "I call 10 million—and raise another 10 million."
After speaking, Tesoro looked at Arashi. "Traveler Arashi? First time I've heard that name in the West Blue. I'm Tesoro—recently became a partner in this casino. I hope we'll get along well."
"Not at all."
Arashi smiled as he pushed all his chips forward. "All in."
"Bold!"
Seeing Arashi shove over 100 million Beli in one go, Baccarat narrowed her eyes and smiled. "With such generosity, Mr. Arashi must be more than just an ordinary traveler. And the child beside you—so delicate, with such noble bearing. She must be from some royal or noble family in the West Blue, right?"
"You're overthinking it, Miss Baccarat."
Arashi shook his head with a smile. "She's just my little follower. After all, when traveling at sea, having a maid or two makes life much easier."
Before he could finish speaking, Perona suddenly jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Father~ let's reveal the cards! That annoying guy called you!"
"Cough—cough cough…"
Perona's sudden "father-daughter" act nearly made Arashi choke.
Baccarat and Tesoro were equally stunned, staring at the two of them.
A father bringing his daughter to a casino? That's… incredibly irresponsible, isn't it?!
Arashi turned his head and glared at Perona. "Stop messing around."
Perona, however, instantly switched into full acting mode. She leaned in and planted a kiss on Arashi's cheek, smiling sweetly.
"Father is the best! Do your best!"
The sudden shift left everyone completely dumbfounded.
But Arashi quickly understood.
Perona was jealous.
Seeing him chatting with Baccarat, she had improvised this whole "father-daughter" scenario to send a clear message:
He's taken. Don't even think about it.
…Well, women were hard to understand. Little girls were even worse.
At such a young age, and already this scheming—what would she be like when she grew up?
But her move was undeniably effective.
Baccarat had indeed planned to use her charm to get close to Arashi and make physical contact. As long as she touched him, she could use her Devil Fruit ability to steal his luck.
Now, with Perona glued to him, that plan was impossible.
Not only could she not touch him—she couldn't even finish a conversation without being interrupted.
That annoying little brat…
I'll have to find a way to lure her away.
Unbeknownst to Perona, her simple act of jealousy had completely ruined Baccarat's scheme.
All she knew was that she didn't like Baccarat—and there was no way she'd let her get close to Arashi.
Trying to flirt with him? Keep dreaming!
Realizing Perona's intention, Arashi no longer worried about Baccarat using her powers on him. If she pushed too far, Perona would definitely make her regret it.
Bringing this little one along really was the right choice…
Feeling pleased, Arashi looked up at Tesoro across the table and said calmly:
"Mr. Tesoro, shall we?"
As he spoke, Arashi flipped over his two hole cards—
A pair of Aces.
Before Tesoro could even reveal his own cards, his expression darkened.
Without another word, he angrily tossed his cards aside and stood up to leave.
Clearly, he had lost.
"Much obliged."
Arashi smiled as he watched Tesoro leave. "Seems like luck is unstoppable today."
"Father is amazing!"
Perona, thrilled by the win, kissed Arashi on the cheek again.
"Looks like hitting 500 million today won't be a problem."
Gathering his chips into a pile, Arashi gave them a quick glance and then smiled at the dealer.
"Come on—let's keep going."
More to come.
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