Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Perplexity
The "Observation Haki" in her panel's Haki column blinked twice but ultimately remained unlit.
Her accumulation was still lacking. What could she do? Simple, just keep generating emotions!
Facing the collective gaze of everyone in the casino, Vivi spoke, "Is it really just bad luck? That's so unfortunate. How many chips do I have left? Let's play one last round. In a world as dark as this, you all kept saying 'white'. I'm going all-in. On the 39th round, I'm betting on black."
After losing 25 million Berries in a row, she threw all of her remaining chips, worth 5 million Berries, into the pot.
Then she casually glanced towards the casino owner, who was temporarily serving as the dealer.
The owner was visibly nervous. Thirty-eight consecutive rounds of white, who would believe that? Even a fool would notice something was wrong, but the figure of nearly 30 million Berries had clouded his judgment.
"Bets closed! Let it spin!"
The ball spun rapidly inside the roulette wheel and, in the end, landed once again in a white slot.
"White! It's white again, even in the 39th round! This woman is having a miserable losing streak."
"He he he, this is hilarious. People should know when to quit; you can't fight against fate."
"Young people these days, so headstrong. Sometimes, they have to learn their lessons the hard way. She has lost a whopping 30 million Berries."
The gamblers were gleefully enjoying the spectacle. They thought this would be their gossip for years to come. Even the casino owner believed he had found a golden goose.
Vivi smiled as well. Although she hadn't awakened her Observation Haki yet, there was finally some progress. This path was the right one.
She called out to the two Marine Lieutenants playing cards nearby, "Ain, I've run out of money. Let's come back tomorrow and play again."
Ain and Binz had lost a fair amount too, but they didn't care. A small-time casino daring to provoke a former Marine Admiral? With just a hint, the casino would have to return all of their money.
"Alright, let's go."
Feeling light-hearted, Vivi tapped her bamboo cane on the floor, found the door, and left a casual remark, "I'll be back tomorrow," before she, Ain, and Binz briskly departed.
"Hahahahahaha-! What a fool! She actually wants to come back?" Inside the casino, whether it was the owner, the dealer, or the gamblers, they were all holding their stomachs, covering their mouths, and struggling to stifle their laughter. It seemed like they were worried that their laughter would be heard and scare her away.
As they were still smiling, they heard a series of "clack clack" sounds from outside.
Perplexed, everyone turned their heads in unison. At the entrance stood a tall middle-aged man, an "X"-shaped scar running from his forehead to his eyes. He wore a light purple kimono and wooden clogs. However, the most distinguishing feature was the bamboo cane in his hand and his tightly closed eyes.
The people in the casino were somewhat bewildered. What was happening today? They had just seen a blind woman leave, and now another one appeared? These fellows had no functional eyes but kept entering the casino one after another? Were they out of their minds?
"Excuse me, I was walking down the street in front and heard laughter coming from here. I could tell you're having a really good time. Is there something fun happening here that you can share with this old man?" The middle-aged blind man in the light purple kimono asked with a gentle smile.
When the middle-aged blind man discovered it was a casino, he was overjoyed. His happiness was genuine, not feigned. He happily sat down to place his bets on the roulette wheel. Coincidentally, he took the seat Vivi had just vacated. Even the surrounding gamblers hadn't budged.
The only difference was that while Vivi had been consistently betting on black, the middle-aged blind man in the light purple kimono consistently bet on white.
Once again, the atmosphere in the casino was fueled by greed. They had already experienced success, and, through an unspoken consensus among all the gamblers present, they seamlessly manipulated the game once more.
They had already deceived one blind person, and with the second, they would continue to deceive! They reasoned: Bring it on! You bet on white, and we'll spin black. If it lands on white, we'll still declare it's black! You choose black? No problem, we'll announce every outcome as white! You can't see anyway!
Vivi had lost 30 million Berries, and while the middle-aged blind man in the light purple kimono appeared modestly dressed, he was astonishingly wealthy. He casually bet 25 million Berries with no change in his demeanor.
The surrounding gamblers and casino staff were a bit bewildered. What was going on? Was making money this easy nowadays? Were all blind people this rich?
The middle-aged blind man began inquiring about what had happened earlier as they continued to play.
'Oh? The young girl is coming back tomorrow? What's she after? As someone discarded by the heavens like me, I shouldn't interfere with the young folks.' The middle-aged man's hand had initially rested on his bamboo cane, adopting a posture as if he were ready to draw a sword. However, upon hearing that Vivi would return tomorrow, he immediately changed his focus.
He withdrew his right hand from the cane's hilt and left behind the words "I'll be back tomorrow." Then he strolled away with a relaxed expression, the rhythmic sound of his bamboo cane echoing with each "clack clack."
The people in the casino were completely unaware that they had passed through the gates of hell.
The casino's owner was over the moon. They had earned 55 million Berries in a single day! This was absolutely staggering profit. After removing the tributes to the city's bigwigs and nobles, they would still have at least 30 million Berries left for themselves. It was a massive haul. Even pirates didn't make money this fast, right?
A group of people eagerly anticipated the return of these two fat lambs.
However, they were left waiting in vain.
When Vivi came to the New World, she hadn't brought much money with her. In her original plan, having 30 million Berries would have been more than enough. But after her visit to the casino, she was flat broke. In order to continue playing, she had to rely on Ain to guide her. She staked out at a private harbor owned by a noble. She eventually captured two pirate crews in quick succession and exchanged their bounty with World Government officials stationed in the Lulusia Kingdom. She then returned to the casino with that money.
This whole process was cumbersome, especially considering that she had to perform all the procedures while keeping her eyes closed. It posed a significant challenge for her. Ironically, despite intending to go to the casino in the southern part of the city, she somehow managed to circumnavigate the entire city and ended up at a casino in the northern part instead.
After once again enduring the malicious stares of numerous gamblers, Vivi lost her hard-earned 20 million Berries. This experience resulted in another advancement in her Observation Haki. Then, after leaving behind the words "I'll be back tomorrow," she led Ain and Binz, her two 'accomplices,' out of the casino.
No one understood why she had so confidently claimed she would return tomorrow after being in the southern part yesterday, only to end up in the northern part today.
The middle-aged man in the light purple kimono, who had patiently waited for her in the southern part for most of the day, was equally perplexed.
He also lost 20 million Berries after following her to the northern part of the city. Later, he followed her trail, going west the next day, east the next, and even confronting a group of mountain bandits and two road thug gangs.
He was fifty years old. He had experienced a lot in his life, but now, he was thoroughly bewildered by Vivi's actions. What in the world was she even trying to accomplish?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone