Chapter 187: Fujitora's Justice
Sure enough, not long after, two casino security guards in black suits and sunglasses approached the gambling table where Ian and the others were seated.
Bowing slightly, one of the guards said to Ian, "Sir, your bets have reached the VIP standard. Please come with us to the VIP room. There are more exciting games there."
Ian felt a bit speechless. Why did every casino pull this trick? As soon as you win a little more money, they invite you to a VIP room?
And... your VIP threshold is way too low. A few million Berries qualifies?
"Old man, are you going?" Ian asked Fujitora.
"Of course!" Fujitora replied with a smile.
So Ian stopped overthinking it. Since they were being invited, they might as well go.
The two casino security guards led the way, with Ian and Fujitora slowly following behind, heading deeper into the casino.
When they entered a room that looked much more luxuriously decorated, the door behind them slammed shut with a bang.
Inside the room, there was only one gambling table. Directly north of the table was a chair facing away from them. As Ian and Fujitora entered, the chair slowly turned around.
The moment Ian saw the person sitting in the chair, he nearly burst out laughing.
The person sitting there looked exactly like the King card from a deck of playing cards—a square, chiseled face, thick, curly beard on his chin, holding a scepter in his hand, and wearing a crown on his head. He looked just like a king.
No wonder this place was called the Old K Casino. This guy was probably the owner, right?
To be honest, Ian hadn't expected to meet the behind-the-scenes boss so easily. According to the usual routine, shouldn't he have encountered some elite underlings first?
Damn, your boss is way too cheap. He showed up this easily?
This feeling was a bit strange. From the moment he entered the casino, Ian felt it was too small-time. Sure, the casino was well-built, but its overall vibe just couldn't be elevated.
Such a casino was really low-class. Ian had once fantasized about seeing a casino as grand as Gran Tesoro, but this was just some shoddy setup.
So as soon as he sat down, Ian couldn't help but complain, "Just how poor is your casino!?"
"Hahaha! This was originally a small-time casino, so don't mind it, guest!" Old K laughed. "A bet of a few million is already huge for this casino, so I have to personally receive you!"
At this point, Fujitora interjected, "In that case, why not move your casino off this island? Why make things difficult for the residents here?"
Yeah, Ian also found it strange. If you're running a casino, you naturally want to make more money, right? This island has very few visitors, so why keep struggling here? Wouldn't it be better to move somewhere else?
However, Old K just shook his head without answering Fujitora's question and asked instead, "Are you two gambling together?"
"No, I am blind, so I have to entrust this to the young man here!" Fujitora shook his head. "Whatever he bets, I'll follow!"
Old K glanced at Fujitora, thinking this blind man was probably harmless, then turned his gaze to Ian and asked, "How would you like to gamble, guest?"
"Let's stick with dice!" Ian said bluntly. "That's the only game I know."
Old K then produced a dice cup and placed it on the table, saying, "Dice it is, then. Do you want to play it thrilling or take it slow?"
"Is there a difference?" Ian placed his chips in front of him.
"For thrilling, we settle it in one round. For slow, we gradually increase the bets!" Old K explained.
"Let's go with thrilling. One round to decide the winner!" Ian pushed all his chips onto the triple bet with a clatter.
Fujitora smiled faintly. He could tell that Ian really wasn't much of a gambler.
"Two million six hundred thousand and twenty-four thousand Berries in chips. If it comes up triple, I'll pay you three times that!" Old K said with a smile. "But if it's odd or even, then I'm sorry."
Ian nodded nonchalantly. Though the chips looked like a lot, his actual stake was only a little over twenty thousand Berries. Winning or losing didn't matter much to him, especially with Fujitora here. How could he lose?
Old K began shaking the dice cup. Ian noticed that Fujitora had tightened his grip on his staff sword.
With a bang, Old K placed the dice cup on the table and said, "Shall I open it?"
"Go ahead!" Ian nodded.
Old K's hand was on the lid, but before lifting it, he looked at Ian and said directly, "It's one, three, four—even. You lose!"
As he spoke, he lifted the lid. Ian looked and saw that the three dice inside were indeed one, three, and four!
Ian was momentarily stunned, glancing from the dice to Old K, and finally at Fujitora.
Though Fujitora couldn't see, he heard the result and frowned.
He had already used his ability to control the dice, and with his Observation Haki, he hadn't detected any tampering from Old K. Yet the result was far from what he had intended.
"Strange, what's going on?" Fujitora was also puzzled.
Ian was the most surprised. He saw Fujitora's expression and was certain that Old K had done something, but even Fujitora couldn't figure it out. Could this Old K be stronger than Fujitora?
That was absolutely impossible! Something must be wrong!
While Ian was frowning in deep thought, Old K had already picked up the rake to pull Ian's chips toward himself.
With a slap, Ian pressed down on the rake and said, "No, you knew the dice numbers before you even lifted the lid. You must have cheated!"
Old K spread his hands and laughed, "Guest, do you have proof?"
Ian was momentarily at a loss. He really had no proof, since even Fujitora hadn't noticed anything unusual about Old K's movements.
Old K pulled the chips over to himself and said with a smile, "Guest, since you have no chips left, this round is mine. Please leave!"
Fujitora sighed, stood up, and said to Ian, "Let's go, young man!"
But Ian shook his head and said, "Old man, since your method didn't work, let's try mine!"
Before Fujitora could react, Ian drew his Enma sword from his waist and slashed the gambling table in two. Under Old K's surprised gaze, he said, "Not having proof doesn't mean I need it. I think this casino shouldn't exist on this island!"
Fujitora chuckled, stopped in his tracks, and sat back down, saying, "Young people sure have drive!"
"Do you really intend to drive me away?" Old K's expression turned cold as he stared at Ian.
"I originally just wanted to take some money from you!" Ian shrugged, pointing at Fujitora. "But this old man thinks your casino shouldn't exist."
"Indeed!" Fujitora said. "I am alone and often go hungry due to my gambling addiction, but the residents of this island have families and loved ones. How can you bear to ruthlessly squeeze their money through this casino?"