At this mont inside the Rain Dinners casino,
Countless gamblers stared wide-eyed, their eyes bloodshot, as they fixated on the pieces of paper Orin was casually flicking in his hand.
1.6 trillion???
Just hearing that number made everything feel surreal.
Yet no one dared make a move. They rely sat there with scalp-numbing tension, witnessing this unprecedentedly extravagant gambling scene.
However, Crocodile’s reaction clearly let them down.
Her silver teeth clenched tightly, and even her elegantly crossed white legs dropped to the ground. Her expression was shrouded in dark lines that had never appeared on her face before.
"This amount... how the hell am I supposed to bet against you!!!"
Even if she was confident she could beat Orin at the table...
She didn’t need to think twice to know she could never get her hands on that kind of money. 1.6 trillion Belly—it was enough to kill for!
On the cruel seas, the strong determining life and death was all too common.
Even she herself had often used ruthless ans to get things done!
Not to ntion, she wasn’t 100% certain she’d win. Even if she believed the odds of losing were minuscule—
But if she did lose, she’d be saddled with a debt so huge it would follow her for the rest of her life!!!
"Huh?"
Orin narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the flustered and increasingly heated Little Croc. He crossed his arms behind his head.
"Are you worried I’ll use brute force to renege? Or maybe..."
He paused for a mont.
Orin’s expression slowly shifted to one of feigned confusion before twisting into a sneering smile sharp enough to kill.
"You... scared?"
Before Little Croc could respond, Orin snapped his fingers.
"Little Hawk."
At the cue, Mihawk sighed and reluctantly pulled a visual Den Den Mushi from his coat.
After a brief activation, the Den Den Mushi locked its eyes onto the gambling table, capturing the images of both players in its field of view.
"This is..." Little Croc was stunned.
"A visual Den Den Mushi~"
"The kind that broadcasts live to the entire world."
...
World Economic News HQ.
A humanoid bird darted among the operators, issuing rapid-fire commands with an excited look on his face:
"Big news! Big news! The world’s greatest high-stakes gamble—live!!!"
"Orin-sama really didn’t lie to . This Den Den Mushi finally ca in handy!!!"
Even though Morgans, the current News King, hadn’t yet expanded his empire to dominate the world,
His developnts in recent years had still allowed for screens and projectors using Den Den Mushi to be installed in many countries and regions, including major nations.
"Hey, look at the big screen in the square—that’s..."
"No way! That looks like..."
"Report!!! Buggy-sama, there’s a live broadcast about Orin-sama! It’s not a newspaper!!!"
"Shanks, look... that guy, isn’t he the one you ntioned before?"
"That kid from the Roger Pirates? Marco."
"Ma-ma-ma-ma... he’s grown into a strapping young man, Orin has."
"Oro-ro-ro-ro!!! hic... What the hell is this? Stop playing—let’s fight!!! Black Gun!!!"
Even in regions where World Economic News hadn’t yet reached, the news of Orin quickly spread, and people scrambled for ways to watch the broadcast.
...
"Well then..."
"This next gamble will be witnessed by the entire world. That should put your mind at ease, right, Little Croc?"
Crocodile could no longer care about Orin’s irritating nickna. She stared in shock at the Den Den Mushi.
Her hiding out in Rainbase wasn’t exactly a secret, but her low-profile behavior was precisely to secretly pursue the legendary Ancient Weapons.
Now she had gained worldwide fa...
That thought alone made grains of sand slowly begin to swirl in her hand.
"Don’t move, Little Croc."
The sand froze midair, then slowly drifted back toward Crocodile as Orin said casually:
"This ga... no one’s allowed to quit halfway."
At just the right mont, everyone watching the broadcast heard a voice-over announcent.
"Ladies and gentlen, this is the World Economic News, bringing you the greatest gamble of the century!!!"
"First, on the left side of the screen—"
"A pirate who once road the Grand Line, fought the Demon’s Heir Douglas Bullet, and tragically lost to the world’s strongest man, Whitebeard:
—Crocodile!!!"
"Woooooo!!!!"
Crocodile’s sultry aura and bold outfit, paired with the cigar clamped between her lips and her icy, furious gaze at the Den Den Mushi—
Instantly captured the hearts of countless n across the sea!!!
"Next, on the right side of the screen—you all know who it is!"
"That’s right!!!"
"The legendary great pirate! A mber of the Pirate King’s crew!!
The one who fought the entire Marine Headquarters alone!
With a bounty of 4.49 billion Belly, the newly crowned emperor of the sea!!!
At just 17 years old, he holds absolute dominion over the seas—The King of the Next Generation!!!"
"Black Gun Orin-sama!!!!"
After this rather long-winded introduction, many people unfamiliar with Orin now had a clear understanding of who he was.
Especially that title—[Black Gun].
Just hearing it sent a chill down the spine.
Old Keek was watching the live stream, face flushed red, excitedly shaking the shoulders of a nearby guard.
"Did you see that? That’s my grandson! Hahaha!!!"
"And now, the two will engage in the highest-stakes match in history! The wager is—"
A mont of complete silence gripped every spectator’s heart.
"1.6 trillion Belly!!!"
The announcer’s excited shout ca through the Den Den Mushi!
"Nani?!?!"
"1.6 trillion?! How many zeroes is that..."
"Is that for real?! That much Belly would make a literal mountain!!!"
The feed then cut back to the two on the battlefield.
On the right side, Orin remained relaxed and cheerful, completely unaffected by the attention of the entire world or the astronomical bet.
He simply stared at the opposite side—at Little Croc, who was now under the spotlight.
In truth, his move had been calculated perfectly.
For soone as prideful as her to say in front of the entire world that she was too scared or too broke to gamble—was more unbearable than death for a would-be Pirate King.
Whether it was pressure from public opinion or Orin’s mockery—
Little Croc was now tense all over. Her face flushed red, her chest heaving.
After a long while, she finally lit another cigar.
"..."
Her expression once again returned to its calm and jaded look. She exhaled a puff of smoke and locked her sharp gaze on Orin through the haze.
"Even though I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve with all this... You think you’ve got figured out? Alright, let’s bet, Orin."
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