Time continued to pass on the island. It had been six months since I began working—slaving, ahem—for Dr. Martinez. I kept up with my training indoors and even ventured into the clearing in the forest to practice running, jumping, and climbing trees. At first, I assumed my body had limited potential because of my age, but it seemed that as long as I worked hard enough, I could improve. That was… good.
My relationship with Dr. Martinez had also improved. I had even met a few friends who came over to hang out, though Fujitora remained elusive. I had made up my mind: another half a year, and I would earn enough money to secure my own future.
Once a month, Dr. Martinez sent me to sell his "products" to clients. By keeping a portion of the profits, I chipped away at my debt to him. He still let me stay at his place, claiming he needed manpower—but who knew how long that would last?
Right now, I was returning from one of those trips, money in hand. If he asked me to join him at the casino again, I would—just in case I ran into Isho.
When I arrived, I handed him the money.
"What do you say, Reed? Feel manly enough to come with me today?" he asked.
I smiled. "Sure. I managed to save a bit. Let's go."
He looked shocked. "What?! Hehe… what changed, kid? I only asked to tease you; didn't expect you to actually come."
"I've been thinking," I said. "I've been living a far too boring life. I want some excitement other than running errands in the forest."
"That's the spirit!"
Afterwards, I got dressed for the occasion and followed him out the door. I didn't take much money—only ten thousand Berries—but it was enough considering my savings of sixty thousand.
We arrived at the casino. I didn't see Fujitora guarding the entrance, only another man.
Once inside, I was stunned by the sheer scale. This was bigger than any casino I'd ever seen on Earth—but I had only been to smaller ones, so perhaps that wasn't saying much.
I was tempted by the slot machines, but Martinez scoffed. "Hey kid, real men play at that table. Come, let's see you at roulette."
He dragged me to a table and seated me. As I looked across it, I froze. On the other side… Isho. Crap.
I tried to calm myself, but Dr. Martinez waved casually. "Yo, Isho! This is the new kid I was telling you about. Finally learned how real men operate."
Isho's smile was gentle, even though he couldn't see. "Hello, sir. I was wondering why you were late… but I expected an actual kid, not someone my age."
"Shut up. You're both kids," Martinez shot back.
"Yes, yes," Isho replied amiably.
He then extended his hand toward me. "Hello, I'm Isho. Thanks for taking care of the doctor—he once helped me a few years ago until I could earn a living."
I smiled awkwardly and shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Reed. The doctor is a handful, but without him, I may have lost an arm. I'm glad to have met him."
I stared at his face unconsciously, and he seemed to notice. "You seem to be wondering how I can still see with these scars over my eyes… let's just say I've gotten used to it and rely on my other senses."
"Wow… that's really impressive. I wonder if I could do that," I replied, realizing he said "senses" instead of Haki—but it was to be expected.
"Who knows," he said with a small smile. "Anyway, welcome to the table. Let's play."
Long story short… Martinez, Isho, and I left the casino with sullen faces. We had lost all our money.
"Well, that's life for you," Martinez shrugged. "Next time we'll win."
"Yes sir" Isho responded.
I doubted it, but didn't say anything. Afterward, we bid farewell to Isho and headed home.