Slot machines, poker, dice... countless gambling tools filled the space.
"Shhhp~"
Bepo forcefully sucked back the ten centimeters of drool hanging from his mouth, his face full of anticipation. "I wonder if there are any lady bears here..."
"No way!!" Shachi and Penguin immediately refuted him.
"S-Sorry..." Bepo apologized, lowering his head.
"He's too weak!"
After the usual shenanigans, Shachi ran up to Law with a look of reverence. "Captain, did you bring us here for some fun? This is amazing!"
"Of course not," Law said mercilessly, though he, too, was quite shocked by the transformation of the place.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman with long, fiery red hair and a welcoming smile walked toward the Heart Pirates. She wore a deep purple dress that exposed her tanned thighs, causing all the men in the Heart Pirates to swallow hard.
"Hello, is this your first time here?" the red-haired woman with a center part smiled at Law.
"It didn't look like this when I was here years ago," Law stated flatly.
Indeed, the last time he was here was when he was a member of the Donquixote Pirates. It had been six or seven years since then.
If the place had previously been equivalent to a shabby motel next to a dockside train station, it had now completely transformed into a five-star hotel.
"Well, this place was completely renovated a year ago. It now belongs to Gild Tesoro-sama." The red-haired woman gently touched her crescent-shaped golden earring, then bowed slightly. "Oh, excuse me, I am the receptionist for this casino. You can call me Baccarat."
The moment Baccarat stood up, her expression shifted, taking on a slightly cold, mocking tone. "Bounty of 440 million Berries. The captain of the Heart Pirates, Trafalgar Law."
"She called out the Captain's name right away!"
"Does that mean we've made a name for ourselves, too?"
The Heart Pirates crew members were excited.
Law ignored his goofy crew members behind him and said coldly, "I'm not interested in gambling. I only want to know if the old business is still operating."
In the past when Law visited, this place was purely a black market for head transactions. Bringing in the corpses of people with bounties on the black market could fetch more money than the reward offered by the government.
For example, bringing in the heads of people like Alucard or Whitebeard could earn two, three, or even four times the amount listed on their wanted posters. This was because they had too many enemies, many of whom wanted them dead even more than the government did.
Another reason was that pirates could never go to the Marines to claim a bounty. Skrum's bounty was 116 million Berries, and Law had seen his price on the black market—he could get over 150 million.
"Of course, we haven't forgotten the old ways. Please follow me."
Baccarat turned to lead the way for the Heart Pirates, her long legs looking particularly enticing.
After passing through the casino, they went through another hidden door, and a smell of blood wafted toward them.
Baccarat gestured with her hand and introduced, "Please hand over the corpse here."
As she spoke, Baccarat pressed a switch on the wall, and a drawer, large enough to hold an adult, shot out.
"Bepo."
Law called out, and Bepo immediately placed Skrum's corpse into the drawer. The drawer retracted into the wall. About three minutes later, a different drawer shot out from another corner of the wall, containing a leather case.
Baccarat smiled and handed the leather case to Law. "Skrum's black market bounty is 150 million Berries. Please visit again soon. But are you really not going to try your luck?"
Law took the case without hesitation and said arrogantly, "Wouldn't it be easier to just steal it all when my strength is sufficient?"
"Heh heh. How audacious, and quite exciting," Baccarat chuckled, clearly not believing Law's words.
…
The Heart Pirates crew members walked out of the "restroom," their faces filled with regret.
"Ah, why couldn't we have gambled just once? We just got 150 million Berries, didn't we?"
"Bunny girls... It was my first time seeing them. Couldn't we have stayed a little longer..."
Finally, they all let out the same collective sigh. "Ah, what a waste."
Law handed the leather case to Bepo. "You guys head back to the sub."
Bepo took the case and was puzzled. "Huh? Captain, where are you going?"
"Gild Tesoro, rumored to be the richest man in the underworld in the first half of the Grand Line, the man who controls five percent of the world's Berries. I just remembered that name when that woman mentioned it."
"Five percent of the Berries?"
"How much is that?!"
Everyone was shocked. Five percent of the entire world's Berries… it was an unimaginable sum, let alone five thousandths.
"What caught my attention was that as I was leaving, I thought I saw an acquaintance. I'm curious and want to check it out," Law's expression turned grim.
"Can't we go with you, Captain?" Penguin asked.
"If I lose, I can still escape, but you won't be able to."
"Room!"
Law activated his operation space and told his subordinates, "Go start the submarine. Be ready to retreat at any time."
"Understood, Captain."
Bepo and the others quickly left. Though they could be silly, they knew when to take things seriously.
Law recalled the brief image he had just seen. Although it was fleeting, he was sure he hadn't mistaken it.
"Wearing such disgusting outfits... Diamante, Pica, Trebol, it must be you... Is Doflamingo here too?" Law's expression was intensely cold. He suddenly vanished from his spot, and the operation space disappeared with him.