"More news about Liuyun?"
Whitebeard rubbed his temples the moment he heard the name. Days ago he had known nothing about the man. Now every scrap of intelligence that reached him seemed to revolve around Liuyun, and it was giving him a headache.
"What is it this time? Speak."
"I picked up a rumor," Marco said. "Liuyun has opened a business on Fish-Man Island where you can beat up Celestial Dragons. Ten thousand Beli for a punch, ten thousand for a slap. Word is he has ten of them tied up there. As soon as pirates heard they could pummel Celestial Dragons without consequences, they brought treasures and Devil Fruits and set sail. And they say no matter how hard you lay into them, even if you go all out, the Dragons won't die. They just cling to life."
"So exaggerated?" Diamond Jozu stared at Marco, skeptical.
"Right? It sounds fake. Ordinary Celestial Dragons not dying from a beating?"
"They might be 'nobles,' but that doesn't make them gods. Their arrogance is just borrowed from the Gorosei. You're telling me they can't be beaten to death once captured? Come on. They're flesh and blood."
"Marco, is your info solid? The more you talk, the foggier it sounds."
The deck filled with doubt. It wasn't that Marco's intel seemed wild. It was that Liuyun's audacity defied belief.
"Keep digging," Whitebeard ordered, crumpling a newspaper and tossing it aside. "If you can't verify it, go to Fish-Man Island yourself. And prioritize your safety."
"Yes, Father." Marco unfurled blazing phoenix wings and leapt skyward.
"Not even staying for a meal?" Whitebeard frowned. The boy was working himself to the bone.
"No need, Father. I'll be right back." Marco smiled and vanished into the clouds.
At the same time, on Fish-Man Island…
"Master, could you pay my wages first? My hands are… itchy."
Tsunade stood behind Rakuya, kneading his shoulders with just the right pressure. The sudden return to a proper, professional Tsunade made him feel oddly nostalgic. It was like her very first day on the job again.
"Pay you? What for?" Rakuya lifted his eyes.
"My hands are itchy, so I want to…" Tsunade stood demurely before Liuyun, her earlier bluster gone without a trace.
"Your hands itch? Then scratch them."
Pfft.
Off to the side, Momousagi almost spit out her drink.
Tsunade's face went dark, veins jumping at her temple, but she swallowed it down. "Master… my hands aren't itchy."
"Not itchy anymore? So are they itchy or not?"
"Liuyun!" Tsunade snapped, then immediately deflated into a docile lamb with her creditor in front of her. "Master, I… want to make a bet. But I'm out of money. The casino won't extend me credit."
"Gamble? Fine. You can have your pay today. But in exchange, you owe me three hours of free massage." Rakuya sat up, speaking as if stating a simple law.
He expected her to explode or haggle. Instead, Tsunade agreed at once and went to work even more diligently.
"Good."
"A little to the left."
"Mhm. Perfect. Juice."
He barely had to open his mouth. Tsunade whisked a glass from the table and held the straw to his lips. A gentle pull and sweet juice slid down his throat.
"Now that's the life."
No wonder the Celestial Dragons rotted where they stood. With service like this, Rakuya could see himself turning decadent too.
"Master, I'll keep going," Tsunade said with a flawless service smile, kneading on. Time crawled. Her hands were working, but her eyes never left the clock. In her head she howled, willing the seconds to sprint.
Three hours later
Clap.
Tsunade dusted her palms and held one out. "Master, over three days of regular work, you owe me twelve million Beli."
Her first-day frenzy had been shut down by one sentence from Rakuya. Since then she had behaved herself. Between making the bed, turning it down, massaging, and handling meals and morning wash-ups, she earned a bit over four million a day. Three days came to roughly twelve million.
She had already learned the rules of this world. Only Beli spent here. Money from the shinobi world was useless, and she had no intention of taking that from her Master anyway.
If she could gamble, anything was fine.
"Here."
Rakuya flicked his hand. Two heavy chests thumped onto the floor. Tsunade popped one open and was nearly blinded by the gold inside.
"Hehehe… so much Beli." The little gremlin grin crept onto her face.
Bang.
She slammed the lid, grabbed the chest, and made for the door.
"Master, I'm heading out. This time I'm going to win big."
A gambler's gleam flared in her eyes. She wanted to sweep the tables clean.
Rakuya smiled faintly and let her go. Just as she reached the threshold, a dice cup appeared in his hand. He tilted it and five ivory dice chimed into the cup, crisp pips clacking against wood.
"Hm?"
Tsunade froze, then turned back.
"So," Rakuya said, smiling like a fox, "want to play a round?"
Tsunade was a born gambler. As long as there were stakes, she didn't care where she was. The sound of dice on wood sent a thrill through her. A tiny voice in her head urged her to run while she could, but her feet carried her back toward Rakuya all the same.
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