Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

"Place your bet now, open!"

"1, 3, 1, small!"

As the dealer picked up the dice cup and revealed the dice rolls, a chorus of wails erupted from the crowd.

Gion had just won one million Berries, and he had also lost all of his five hundred thousand Berries.

"I don't believe it, let's try again."

With Raleigh by her side, Gion felt she couldn't afford to lose here.

However, since she had already been targeted, the expression on her face naturally did not escape the croupier's eyes.

To put it simply, the dealer has already determined that Gion is hooked.

In the following period, the dealer only needed to let Gion lose less and win more to empty Gion's wallet.

Raleigh didn't take it seriously; he had plenty of peles anyway.

The few Berries he exchanged weren't even enough for him to earn from capturing a single pirate.

"2, 3, 1, small!"

"3, 3, 2, small!"

"4, 5, 6, Big!"

The dealer kept fiddling with the dice cup in his hand, and the chips in front of Gion were constantly decreasing.

The Berries that had been exchanged were disappearing from Gion's sight at an alarming rate.

"How can we keep losing?"

Gion felt very unhappy.

She never considered using her Observation Haki to see the dice in the dice cup; in her view, the point of going out to play was to have fun.

It's like playing a ring toss game at a market; even if the item you win isn't very valuable, the process is still enjoyable.

However, Gion did not understand that the dice cup could be controlled by the dealer.

Although it appears that his hands have left the table, there is actually a hidden button under his feet that gently moves the dice in the dice cup.

This is why casinos are not afraid of losing money.

Even if you've won a lot of money at the casino, you only need one chance to win it all back, with interest.

"Beautiful lady, you've run out of chips. Would you like to continue playing?"

Gion snapped out of her reverie and looked at the empty table in front of her, feeling somewhat bored. Although she had been engrossed in the guessing game, she was, after all, an elite member of the Navy and easily controlled her emotions.

"No, I'm not playing anymore."

Gion planned to go to the rest area next door with some cake and red wine.

Unexpectedly, a portly middle-aged man suddenly spoke up:

"Hey, beauty, want me to put up some chips for you?"

"Just stay with me for a little while."

He then leered at Gion's figure.

In theory, casinos don't welcome troublemakers like this, but this middle-aged man knew a minor boss under Crocodile, so he was rather unruly. "Rowley."

Gion turned to ask Dolores for his opinion.

"What's so great about a pretty boy like that? Beauty, you'll have a better life with me."

Hahahahaha.

The middle-aged man burst into laughter, and the gamblers around him, who were engrossed in the game, looked up at the young Gion and Raleigh and laughed maliciously as well.

A mocking smile appeared on Raleigh's lips.

I really don't understand why some people always think they have so much power.

You should be more wary of strangers, because you don't know if they have powerful backers or if they are powerful themselves.

However, it's clear that this fat man is going to learn a lesson.

I didn't hear what you just said.

Raleigh appeared behind the middle-aged man, a large hand already pressing down on his head.

"You...you dare touch me? My brother is one of Lord Crocodile's subordinates!"

Let me go now, and we'll pretend we never met and forget everything.

Although the middle-aged man was afraid, he felt that this was Crocodile's lair, and that Raleigh would definitely not lay a hand on him.

It would be better to accept his conditions and go our separate ways.

As for Raleigh and Gion leaving the Rain Banquet, he will naturally find someone to retaliate.

"Who do you think you are, trying to bargain with me?"

Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he grabbed the middle-aged man's head and slammed it onto the casino table.

!

After a loud bang, the middle-aged man lay bleeding from his head at Raleigh's feet.

Raleigh leisurely took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands, and tossed it on the ground. Then he said to the security guards approaching the casino:

"He's not dead."

This was just to teach him a lesson, to let him know that not everyone is someone you can afford to offend.

All the gamblers and dealers in the room were stunned.

They had assumed that after the fight inside the casino, the young couple would quickly leave.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly thin but handsome man was so ruthless, leaving the middle-aged man lying on the ground bleeding from a head wound with a single blow.

"Excuse me, sir, please come with us."

The security personnel stepped forward and said to Raleigh.

This is Rain Banquet; maintaining order within the casino is their job.

Even if the person making the move seems to be exceptionally strong, they still have to bite the bullet and go for it.

Of course, they felt no fear.

This is Crocodile's territory, and besides, Crocodile's office is upstairs.

I'm not going; I'm too lazy to bother with you guys.

Raleigh waved his hand, returned to Gion's side, picked up a glass of red wine and drank it. "I'm staying in the casino today, but if you don't save this guy, I can't guarantee he won't bleed to death."

"Don't blame it on me later."

The security personnel looked at the middle-aged man on the ground, then at Raleigh sitting leisurely on the sofa, and were somewhat at a loss.

However, the casino manager arrived immediately to oversee the situation;

"You guys go and take them to the hospital first. You don't need to worry about these two guests."

After hearing the manager's words, the security personnel quickly carried the middle-aged man away from the ground.

Then the manager walked over respectfully and said;

"Gentlemen, you two may need to explain something in a moment. Of course, our casino will not favor either side."

"However, I think it's best to maintain harmony when traveling, and it's always better to reconcile if possible."

Neither Raleigh nor Gion paid him any attention. Although the manager was somewhat annoyed, he didn't dare to say anything and could only walk out with a smile on his face.

"Damn it, the guy you're beating is one of Commander Mr. 11's men. You'd better respect him."

The manager left, grumbling, and Tijien asked curiously:

"Rowley, why don't we just go find Crocodile instead of staying here?"

I heard from that guy earlier that he's connected to Crocodile's subordinates, so he should be causing us trouble, right?

Gion knew that what pirates couldn't stand the most was being humiliated, and they would definitely get their revenge if given the chance.

However, if Raleigh goes directly to Crocodile, he won't have to worry about getting into trouble.

Raleigh tilted his head and leaned on Gion's shoulder as he spoke;

Crocodile is now a person of some importance; he can't be killed indiscriminately.

"Since an idiot has delivered himself to our doorstep, let's use him as a scapegoat."

The truth is, Raleigh is just lazy. He doesn't know if Crocodile is at Rain Party, but if things get out of hand, Crocodile will already be there.

Moreover, when he last met Crocodile, he was alone, but now he has established the framework of the Barrot Works, and Raleigh wants to test his skills.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. They couldn't even defeat Luffy and his crew when they first set sail, so their skill level couldn't be that high.

To Raleigh's dismay, the person who came to his door was not a member of the Barot Works organization as he had assumed, but Crocodile himself.

After listening to the manager's report in his luxurious office on the upper level of the Rain Party, Crocodile, who was already furious, decided to take action himself.

Da da da.

Crocodile stepped out of the elevator and followed the manager who was leading the way straight to the casino's lounge area.

The gamblers on both sides of the road watched Crocodile's figure and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"My goodness, it was Crocodile himself who took action. That young couple is doomed."

"What are you talking about? Lord Crocodile is a hero of Alabasta. He's just giving us a lesson."

"Yes, teaching them a lesson before letting them go shows Crocodile's magnanimity."

The gamblers showered Crocodile with compliments.

This eased Crocodile's gloomy expression as he smoked his cigar.

They were right there, Boss.

The manager pointed, and Crocodile saw a man and a woman in the distance with their backs to him.

However, Crocodile felt a strong sense of familiarity with the man's back.

"It feels like I've seen it somewhere before."

Crocodile was pondering where the familiar memories came from, but his body had already moved to a place not far from Raleigh and Gion.

"Hey friend, isn't it a bit inappropriate to cause trouble here?"

"Not even a word of explanation, are you trying to disrespect me?"

Raleigh was resting on Gion's shoulder when he was suddenly awakened by Crocodile's voice.

Listening to Crocodile's impressive speech, Raleigh thought that he truly deserved to be called the most respectable person.

Face? Whose face? Your face, of course.

"However, Crocodile, what face do you have in front of me?"

Raleigh lifted his head from Gion's shoulder and turned to look at Crocodile with a blank expression.

When Raleigh's gaze fell upon Crocodile, it was like a knife piercing Crocodile's heart.

Crocodile's hair stood on end instantly, and he froze on the spot like a mouse seeing a cat.

He never expected that the person he had been cursing through gritted teeth would appear in front of him. It seemed that he had been gambling in the casino for some time.

"Oh no!"

Crocodile's first reaction was to turn around and leave, but Raleigh had already seen him. If he left now, Crocodile would never be able to hold his head up in front of Raleigh for the rest of his life. So he could only drag his slightly stiff body to Raleigh.

"Please sit down."

Raleigh said it offhand.

Crocodile gritted his teeth and said:

I didn't know it was you, Lieutenant General Raleigh.

This isn't the place to talk. How about we go to the office upstairs?

Since Raleigh is already here, Crocodile already has a general idea of ​​what will happen next.

But he's a man of great dignity; how could he embarrass himself in public?

If you're going to lose face, it should be in a closed, deserted place like an office.

Raleigh thought about it and decided that talking to Crocodile in his office would be fine, since he wasn't worried about Crocodile setting traps or anything like that.

Lead the way.

Those three simple words made Crocodile clench his fists in anger.

He swore that this was the first time in his life he had ever given directions to someone!

Feelings of humiliation and resentment began to grow within him.

Raleigh didn't care what Crocodile thought; as long as you have power, you don't need to care about what others think.

In the spacious and bright office, various fruits and red wines were brought in.

Raleigh sat in Crocodile's seat, propped his legs up on the desk, and glanced at Crocodile sideways.

Tell me about it.

"The World Government has let you out for so long, and you've killed so many pirates."

"I heard on my way here that you've become a hero of the Kingdom of Alabasta. Are you bored?"

Crocodile stood in front of Raleigh and said unwillingly;

"We've done our best these past three years, averaging four hundred pirates killed and thirty pirate ships destroyed each year."

After hearing this, Raleigh wore a mocking smile.

"Useless trash, is that all? Is this all the power you, Crocodile, possess?"

I've seen the intelligence about you. All you do is kill some rookie pirates who landed in Alabasta to make up your numbers; you can't even send out your own men.

The only reason I didn't kill you was because the World Government thought you were a capable person. But now it seems you're nothing but a piece of trash.

Crocodile, it seems I need to remind you that the purpose of the Seven Warlords of the Sea is to stop the development of pirates. If you can't do that, then I'll have to request the revocation of your Warlord status.

Raleigh's words were full of threat, but Crocodile dared not gamble.

His most important thing right now is his status as a Shichibukai.

At first, he did look down on the title of Shichibukai, but in the three years he accepted the title, he experienced the benefits of it.

Except for ships belonging to the World Government, Kingdom Nobles, and Navy, which cannot be robbed, all other merchant ships can be robbed.

This explains why he established Barrot Works and opened casinos within three years—he gained too many benefits from his status as a Shichibukai. Another reason is that this status protected him from potential attacks from the Navy. Being a pirate offers no advantages other than freedom.

Not only are they enemies of the World Government and the Navy, but most of the time they are also enemies among pirates of the same faction.

Just like how the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger's pirate crews would fight whenever they met.

Give me some time. I've only just begun to establish the organization's framework; I haven't even started eliminating the pirates yet.

Raleigh raised his hand, manipulated the wind in the air, and slapped Crocodile across the face.

A clear handprint instantly appeared on Crocodile's face.

Crocodile made no move, but his face was unusually flushed.

Raleigh said calmly:

This is a lesson for you, Crocodile.

Remember this: I'm giving you one more year. If you manage to control less than 30% of the pirates from Upside Down Mountain within that year, I'll come back and chop off your head next time.