The moment Bai Chuan and his crew stepped into Rainbase, the city struck them as entirely different from Nanohana. Nothing about this place suggested it was a desert kingdom.
"I'm heading to the casino. Any of you interested?" Wende cocked an eyebrow at Bai Chuan and the others. Despite the crew's considerable reputation, not everyone on the seas paid close attention to pirates. They'd already passed through several cities, yet the number of ordinary citizens who actually recognized them was vanishingly small. So their arrival caused no local disturbance. At most, someone might glance twice at Bai Chuan and silently wonder, How can someone this handsome be allowed to walk the earth? It's an affront to heaven itself.
"Sure, I was just thinking I'd like to test my luck today." Yuristing was the first to agree to the casino proposal. Coming here and not gambling would make the whole trip pointless.
"Alright then, we'll split up for now. Do whatever you want, but try not to stir up any trouble." Bai Chuan addressed the crew, adding that final reminder. It wasn't that they feared trouble; they simply didn't want to go looking for it for no reason.
"Don't worry, Captain. You know what kind of people we are. We're all well-behaved, honest kids," Jora thumped his chest with absolute confidence.
"Heh, you're the one I'm most worried about." Bai Chuan's words instantly drew agreement from the entire crew. How had Jora, a swordsman, lost the composure expected of a swordsman? It made Bai Chuan recall their very first meeting—back then, what a cold and aloof figure Jora had been. But now, no matter how you looked at him, he was an utter chatterbox.
Since they had arrived in the evening, the city presented a scene of bright lights and wine-soaked revelry. Casinos and taverns were everywhere—practically a city built for entertainment. And this city even had fountains—something utterly unimaginable in an ordinary desert town.
Salar and Adara's family had gone off on their own, likely to find somewhere to eat and sample the local specialties. More had tagged along with Riedel, probably heading to some less-than-legal establishments. Sometimes Bai Chuan genuinely worried that Riedel might end up being a bad influence on More. Kurocam and Yuristing had both followed Wende to the casino. Kurocam hadn't wanted to go, but Wende had forcibly dragged him along, insisting he needed to unwind and couldn't spend every waking moment thinking about fighting.
So now, the Silver Pirates who had just entered the city were down to a single member: their captain, Bai Chuan. He stood alone on the street, watching the dense crowds.
"As expected, the truly outstanding are destined for loneliness." Bai Chuan consoled himself with that thought.
Though every city had its own character, most were fundamentally the same, and Bai Chuan had no interest in sightseeing right now. He just wanted to find a place to get some proper rest. His head had been a mess lately. Day after day, he was tormented by headaches from thinking about the clan issue. He'd tried to force himself to stop, but he simply couldn't control it. The thoughts seemed to spring up inside his mind all on their own.
Bai Chuan found an inn and sank into the clean, soft bed. A deep drowsiness washed over him instantly. His eyes slowly, slowly closed, and his breathing grew even—it looked like he had fallen asleep.
In contrast to the quiet of Bai Chuan's room, the outside remained a roaring spectacle. It was as if the people here were entirely accustomed to nightlife. The deeper the night, the more people came out to play. The streets now also featured some nobles who were rarely seen under ordinary circumstances—apparently they had all come for the kingdom's royal wedding. But the wedding was still two months away. Arriving this early was more than a little premature.
After who knows how long he'd slept, Bai Chuan was jolted awake by the sound of explosions in the distance.
"What's going on?" He groggily opened his eyes, but the explosions continued.
He walked to the window, opened it, and saw a place not far away where the blasts were happening, thick flames shooting into the sky.
"That's Rain Dinners, isn't it?" Standing by the window, Bai Chuan could clearly hear the voices of people talking below.
"Yeah, that's the place. Someone actually dared to set a fire there—they've got guts."
Rain Dinners was the biggest casino in Rainbase. If Bai Chuan wasn't mistaken, Yuristing and the others ought to be there right now. A sudden premonition surged up inside him—he had a feeling this incident was something his own crew had caused.
The moment that thought formed, Bai Chuan jumped straight out the window and flew toward the source of the explosion.
When he arrived, he didn't spot any of them, but his Observation Haki told him that Yuristing was fighting inside those fierce flames. Bai Chuan didn't rush in to help, because he could sense that the group surrounding Yuristing was no match for them. So he simply waited outside. He'd ask what happened once they came out.
They didn't keep him waiting long. Soon, the three of them emerged from the fire, and Wende even used his ability to carve a path through the flames. It made for an extremely stylish entrance.
"Captain, what are you doing here?" Yuristing looked rather surprised to see Bai Chuan. Their captain shouldn't have any interest in this kind of stuff.
"Don't tell me you've gotten hooked on gambling too, Captain. You've finally discovered its charm?" Yuristing raised an eyebrow and said with a cheeky grin. Who knew why he used that tone.
"You're overthinking it. I was just drawn here by the commotion you kicked up. So tell me, what happened?"
"Just bringing it up pisses me off." Yuristing's expression shifted the moment Bai Chuan asked.
"This casino actually dared to cheat—and they tried to pull it on us. Tell me, Captain, can we just let that slide?"
"No, we can't." Bai Chuan shook his head at Yuristing's words. Cheating aimed at his own crew? Absolutely unacceptable.
"So I went to have it out with them, but then they actually resorted to violence. Nothing else for it—that's how what you just saw happened."
"Oh, so that's how it is. Fair enough. I just didn't expect that after I warned Jora not to cause trouble, the one stirring it up would be you—the one I was least worried about."
"Heh heh." Yuristing grinned a little sheepishly.
"Alright, you three should get some rest for now. I imagine you'll have some trouble coming your way tomorrow. The person running the biggest casino around here definitely won't be an ordinary figure."
"Don't worry, Captain. We'll handle this ourselves."
With the combined strength of the three of them, Yuristing felt they could sweep through the entire country without a problem.
/-\
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