As their small ship sailed through the glittering curtain of gold dust that perpetually fell upon Gran Tesoro, Jerry kept a thin, invisible shield of water vapor around his friends, a silent ward against the city's insidious welcome. After docking, the three men and their lynx stepped onto the golden streets and found themselves standing still, gaping like villagers seeing a metropolis for the first time.
There was simply no other way to react. They had never witnessed such opulent, overwhelming inhumanity with their own eyes. Every street was paved in gold, every building dripped with golden filigree, and golden fountains spouted shimmering water into the air. It was a city plucked from a mad king's dream.
As they walked, Jerry's Observation Haki instinctively scanned their surroundings. He immediately detected several powerful auras scattered throughout the city—pirates, bounty hunters, perhaps even a Marine on vacation. Yet, they were all coexisting in a strange harmony, doing their own thing. Gran Tesoro's reputation as a strictly enforced neutral zone was clearly no joke. Those who caused trouble here were dealt with swiftly and mercilessly by the local forces, so even the bitterest of enemies would do little more than glare at each other before moving on.
Declining the services of the fawning tour guides, the group chose to wander on their own. No one gave their masks a second glance; on the Grand Line, their attire was practically conservative.
As evening fell, they grabbed a bite to eat from a golden food stall. The sound of a beautiful voice drew their attention to a massive screen hanging between two skyscrapers. On a distant stage, a young woman with voluminous purple hair was singing, her voice captivating the enormous crowd below. Her fans were screaming her name, their cheers echoing through the plaza.
"Carina! Carina!"
Jerry stared at the singer on the screen. She looked incredibly familiar, and a name from his memories clicked into place. He muttered it under his breath.
"What was that, Captain?" Skull leaned in, a mischievous glint in his eye sockets. "Are you interested? Don't tell me you have a thing for idols…"
"Please, Skull," Jerry replied calmly, not taking the bait. "She looks like she's barely out of her teens. I didn't realize you were into robbing the cradle."
"Hey! She's not that young!"
They continued their stroll, eventually finding their way to the heart of the city: the central casino. This was the crown jewel of Gran Tesoro, the most luxurious, high-class, and outrageously grand establishment on the entire ship-city. It was the personal domain of Gild Tesoro, the undisputed King of Casinos. Cheating was undoubtedly rampant, but as long as you weren't caught, anything was fair game.
After exchanging a hefty sum of Berries for chips, the crew split up to try their luck. Deuce, having come from a well-to-do family, had a passing knowledge of most games and drifted from table to table, trying his hand at everything and steadily losing money. Skull, a man of singular focus, made a beeline for his favorite poker tables.
Jerry, with Kotatsu at his heels, simply wandered. He observed the games, noting they were mostly similar to those from his old world. With his enhanced senses, incredible perception, and agile mind, it didn't take him long to master the rules. He started playing casually, and soon, the pile of chips in his hands grew into a small mountain.
He was just about to cash out and find another game when a loud commotion erupted from the poker section.
"You're cheating!"
An old woman's screech cut through the din of the casino. She slammed her tiny fists on a table and jumped onto it, ignoring the stares of the crowd. She pointed a gnarled finger directly at Skull, and at Deuce, who, having lost all his money, had come over to watch his Skull incredible winning streak.
Jerry's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. The old woman was short and shriveled, her face a roadmap of wrinkles. She wore gaudy sunglasses and a leopard-print coat. Standing silently beside her was a giant of a man, nearly seven meters tall. He had a burly, fat body perched on oddly thin legs, and a dopey expression on his face. But the most striking feature was the magnificent white, crescent-shaped mustache on his face—a near-perfect replica of the one worn by the Emperor, Whitebeard.
Wait a minute… that can't be, Jerry thought, his mind racing. Whitebeard's self-proclaimed lover and his supposed son, 'Little Whitebeard'? Here?
He was almost certain. The woman was Miss Bakkin, and the hulking giant was her son, the former Warlord of the Sea, Edward Weevil. Seeing that his crewmates were their targets, Jerry started walking over.
Skull looked up from his mountain of chips, his skull mask conveying a sense of genuine confusion. "Cheating? Who's cheating? I've been playing normally this whole time."
"Normally?" Miss Bakkin screeched, stamping her foot on the card table. "How many hands have you won in a row, you little brat?"
Skull honestly couldn't remember. He'd been on such a roll, he'd lost track long ago. "How many? How should I know?"
"Don't play dumb with me!" Bakkin shrieked, poking her cane aggressively at him. "You've won more than ten straight games! You're telling me that's not cheating?!"
As Jerry arrived, Deuce quietly filled him in. The game was a variation of poker. Skull had been winning and losing for a while, but then, as if blessed by Lady Luck herself, he'd started an unbelievable winning streak. Coincidentally, Bakkin and Weevil had sat down at the table right as the streak began, and Skull had proceeded to clean them out completely. As her pile of chips dwindled to nothing and Skull's grew into a fortress taller than she was, Bakkin's greed had curdled into rage. She'd decided that if she couldn't win, no one could.
Seeing Jerry arrive, Skull immediately felt a surge of confidence. He straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and stood his ground. He really hadn't done anything wrong.
"Don't be ridiculous. I've been playing honestly," Skull declared, gesturing to the crowd. "If you don't believe me, ask them."
He glanced around at the other players and onlookers, but they quickly averted their eyes. Those who had lost money to him were secretly thrilled to see him in trouble, and the rest were simply there for the drama. No one was going to stick their neck out for him.
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