One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 243: Then What? The Croupier Deals Cards Online

In the casino, Fujitora was smiling broadly as he tossed his chips onto the table with excitement. Despite his streak of losses, he felt as though he was dominating the game.

Having heard about the Gran Tesoro's reputation as one of the best casinos in the world, he had been eager to visit. As a ronin with no ties or obligations, he figured there was no reason not to come here and gamble.

And to his surprise, the casino was as good as people said.

As a seasoned gambler, Fujitora had visited countless casinos of varying reputations. He knew most casinos used underhanded tactics, black box operations were practically standard in the industry.

The Gran Tesoro was no exception; he was certain it had its tricks. After all, no casino could make money without stacking the odds in its favor. But in the week he'd spent here, he hadn't felt cheated once. If there were any rigged games, they were rare enough to go unnoticed. That level of fairness was rare in the industry.

Of course, Fujitora never considered that his gambling skills were so poor that he didn't need to be cheated. His bad luck ensured he lost everything on his own, making him the casino's favorite type of customer. Why bother cheating someone who was bound to lose anyway?

In truth, Tesoro had deliberately made the Gran Tesoro's operations as fair as possible. For him, the casino wasn't just about profit, it was a tool to "clean" money and legitimize his business empire. There was no need for excessive tricks, at least not yet.

"Big!" Fujitora shouted enthusiastically, slapping the table.

He preferred straightforward betting games, finding the simplicity of "big or small" wagers exhilarating. When the croupier revealed the dice and called out the result—"Big!"—Fujitora grinned triumphantly. "Hahahaha! Pay me back!"

He bet big every time, without hesitation. Winning was thrilling, but losing didn't bother him. As a ronin with no responsibilities, he had no reason to save money.

His parents were gone, and he had no elders to support. As a wanderer, he didn't need to buy a house or a ship. He had no girlfriend to buy gifts for and no children to raise. At 40 years old, Fujitora still felt young and carefree, uninterested in settling down.

Why spend money on responsibilities when he could gamble?

"If I'm destined for anything, it's the casino," he thought.

Indeed, Claudius's youthful appearance belied his actual age. Despite being in his thirties, he looked as though he had stopped aging in his early twenties. His noble bearing, however, made it clear he was no ordinary young man.

Fujitora, standing just over three meters tall, immediately noticed that the man sitting before him was of similar height, a rarity. As he studied Claudius, he couldn't help but notice the contradictions in his appearance. The man seemed both youthful and mature, calm yet commanding.

For his part, Claudius was equally intrigued. Fujitora had the rugged look of a seasoned wanderer, though his current attire, a mix of rough fabrics, hinted at a life of hardship. There was a certain elegance to him, tempered by a gambler's carefree spirit.

Fujitora felt a hint of familiarity as he looked at Claudius, though he couldn't place where he had seen him before.

"Please, have a seat," Claudius said, gesturing naturally as he poured a second cup of tea.

Fujitora instinctively obeyed, sitting across from Claudius. It wasn't until he was seated that he realized how easily he had followed the man's instructions.

Claudius slid the teacup toward Fujitora and smiled. "Thank you for accepting the invitation. I hope I wasn't too presumptuous."

Fujitora picked up the teacup and smiled in return. "Not at all. I've been wanting to see what the VIP section looks like. Thanks to you, I've got my chance."

"Hahaha, I'm glad to hear that," Claudius said, nodding.

After a brief pause, Claudius asked, "May I have the honor of knowing your name?"

Setting his teacup down, Fujitora introduced himself. "Fujitora. Just a lone ronin wandering the seas."

Claudius nodded politely before introducing himself. "Claudius. Donquixote Claudius. Just one of the Celestial Dragons."

At that moment, Fujitora froze. Though both of them had ended their introductions with the word "human," the difference between a Celestial Dragon and a ronin couldn't have been more pronounced.

Before he could process the irony, another realization struck him. His eyes widened as he blurted out, "CP-X?"