The luxurious, smoke-filled VIP room of Rain Dinners was a temple of tension and hushed whispers.
Under Kuro's meticulous and subtle signaling, Mike had already achieved ten consecutive victories at the high-stakes poker table.
With each round, the bets grew bigger, the wins more astronomical and the pile of chips in front of Mike grew into a small, glittering pyramid.
The casino manager stood nearby, his face pale with anxiety, dabbing at his sweaty brow with a silk handkerchief.
'If this gentleman keeps winning,' he thought, his stomach churning, 'we'll be lucky if he doesn't take the clothes off our backs.'
But the boss had given a single, terrifying order: let Captain Mike do as he pleased.
And so, the entire casino, from the dealers to the pit bosses, was now actively helping him cheat his way to a fortune.
This was absolute madness!
Mike casually grabbed a massive handful of high-denomination chips and stuffed them into the eager hands of the two beautiful hostesses flanking him.
His voice was relaxed and lazy.
"Go buy whatever you like—food, clothes, jewelry, you name it."
The two beauties carefully tucked the small fortune away, their faces blossoming with sweet, radiant smiles.
"Thank you, Captain!"
"You're the best, Captain!"
"And the most handsome!"
This pile of chips represented an astronomical sum to them, more than they could earn in a year.
Mike was not only impossibly generous and handsome, but he was also the most important VIP in Rain Dinners.
'Tonight,' they both thought with a shared, secret determination.
'We absolutely must devour him.'
"Hahaha!" Mike laughed heartily at their flattery, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
He grabbed another handful of chips for them.
"Stop telling such obvious truths!" he joked.
With their pockets now stuffed full, Mike stood up, stretching his arms after being pleasantly squeezed between them for the last hour.
He waved a hand at his ever-efficient steward. "Getting a bit tired here. Kuro, pack it up. We're calling it a day."
"Yes, sir," Kuro replied, efficiently beginning to gather the mountain of chips—the trophies of the Captain's 'hard work.'
At that moment, a staff member quietly approached Kuro and whispered a message.
Kuro paused and walked over to Mike.
"Captain, Crocodile sent a messenger to ask you," he said with a slight bow.
"Whether you'll be continuing to grace Rain Dinners with your presence tomorrow, or if you have other plans."
"Hmm..." Mike pondered for a moment.
He'd already won a cool billion Belly in just a few hours.
Winning too much was starting to feel a bit... dull.
'How lonely it is to be invincible,' he thought with a dramatic internal sigh.
'Perhaps tomorrow, I should go soak in the hot springs at the Yuba oasis.'
'Hot springs and bikinis... a match made in heaven.'
"Tell Crocodile we're heading to the hot springs in Yuba tomorrow," Mike said leisurely.
"Yes, sir," Kuro acknowledged, turning to relay the message.
"You little..." Captain Smoker, who had been quietly accumulating his own small pile of winnings, frowned as he watched Mike flirting with the hostesses.
"Hot springs after gambling? You really are just here on vacation, aren't you!"
"What else?" Mike retorted. "Tch, of course i'm slacking off as usual."
Mike glanced at Smoker clutching his chips and couldn't help but chuckle.
The man had spent half his savings on a custom motorcycle just to get on his ship.
"Kuro!" he called lazily. "Go tell the cashiers not to cash out Captain Smoker's winnings. Our esteemed Captain isn't the kind of guy who—"
"Hold on!" Smoker cut him off, urgency flashing in his eyes.
He cleared his throat.
"My body... has been feeling quite tired lately. Perhaps a soak in the hot springs would be beneficial. Tell Crocodile to arrange three premium VIP spots!"
....
While the Marines planned their spa day, a very different scene was unfolding in the bustling port city of Nanohana.
"Fire Fist" Ace, his face etched with frustration, was asking around for any information on his wayward former crewmate.
"Teach? Blackbeard?" he'd ask, only to be met with blank stares.
'Where the hell has that bastard gone?' he fumed.
Deciding to switch tactics, he began asking about the other person on his list.
He approached a talkative shopkeeper, his voice low but polite.
"Excuse me, have you seen a tall, handsome Marine with lazy-looking eyes?"
The shopkeeper looked Ace up and down with a suspicious glint in his eye.
"Tall, handsome Marine with lazy eyes?" he repeated, instantly recognizing the description of the man who was now the biggest celebrity in Alabasta.
"Haven't seen him," he said flatly. "I'm the tightest-lipped man in this city. I definitely wouldn't tell you that Captain Mike is currently at the Rain Dinners casino in Rainbase."
"..." Ace stared at him for a second.
"Got it. Thanks, boss."
"Hey!" the shopkeeper called out as Ace turned to leave. "Don't tell anyone it was me, the tightest-lipped man in Alabasta, who told you!"
"Don't worry," Ace nodded, a small smile on his face.
Just as he was about to head off, his Den Den Mushi rang.
"Purupurupuru... Katcha."
"Ace, where are you?" It was Vista.
"We rushed as fast as we could. We've finally made it to Alabasta."
"Vista? Didn't you come alone?"
"No, Pops sent Jozu with me. Pops thinks this Captain might be a key figure who could tip the scales of power in the future. He wants us to have a good talk with him."
"Just for a Marine with exceptional swordsmanship?" Ace raised an eyebrow.
"Pops seems to be overreacting."
"That's his decision," Vista's tone grew firm. "Where are you? And where is our target?"
"I'm in Nanohana," Ace sighed.
"Fine, I'll wait for you. Mike is inside the Rain Dinners casino in Rainbase right now."
"Got it. We'll head there right away."
....
As Vista and Jozu set off, another ship was just approaching the port of Nanohana.
Its sails swayed gently and a familiar, sheep-headed figurehead bobbed in the waves.
The Going Merry, and the Straw Hat Pirates, had finally arrived in the desert kingdom.
-----------------------------
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