He's a pirate, but also a Pokémon Master.

The fat man is Buffalo, one of the combatants of the Donquixote Pirates, who ate the Paramecia-type Spin-Spin Fruit.

Beside him was a woman dressed in a burgundy maid outfit, with long black hair and a dashing demeanor. She was clearly Buffalo's partner, Baby-5, who had eaten the Weapon-Weapon Fruit.

Seeing these two people here was indeed beyond Gu Xin's expectations.

They were probably out collecting Devil Fruits and happened to come here, their target being the Iron-Iron Fruit.

"Ying~ I'm going to gamble big too!" Buffalo grinned, as if shouting this would bring him better luck.

He loves gambling and can't resist going into casinos to gamble a few rounds whenever he sees one, and he's incredibly lucky.

"Hey, baby5, lend me 20 million to play with." Buffalo asked his partner for money without any hesitation.

"Baby5 is needed! Okay, here you go!" Baby5 was very happy and immediately took out a bunch of money and gave it to Buffalo.

Because of her childhood experiences, Baby5 has a strong desire to be needed, so she basically won't refuse any request from others.

This is one of the reasons why Buffalo likes to partner with Baby5... She really pays her well and is so easy to talk to!

Seeing the two leave, Gu Xin also withdrew his gaze and pondered to himself.

The appearance of these two people may affect the plan a little, but it won't be a big deal overall, provided that they don't interfere with him.

Otherwise, Ming-ge would have no choice but to lose two of his "family members".

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.

At 6 p.m., Crocodile made his dazzling entrance, standing on the central platform of the Rain Party.

Crocodile was draped in a black cloak and sported a slicked-back hairstyle reminiscent of a mafia boss. His world-weary face had a noticeable suture line down the middle. The most striking feature of his face was his left hand, which was replaced by a large golden claw hook.

While everyone's eyes were on Crocodile, Gushin's attention was on Nico Robin behind him.

Of course, her current public identity is the vice president of Baroque Works, Crocodile's assistant, and her nickname is "Miss all Sunday".

"Now, all those with a net worth exceeding 100 million, proceed to the central betting table for the final showdown." Crocodile, a cigar dangling from his lips, spoke clearly to everyone. "The winner will take this Iron-Iron Fruit from me!"

Only three people stepped out from the crowd: Guxin and Buffalo as representatives, and a scarred man who appeared to be a pirate with a bounty of fifty million, and who was also quite capable.

After the verification of funds, the three sat around a table with an automatic roulette wheel on it.

The final round was very simple; it was just a roulette game.

The roulette wheel has two colors, red and black, and numbers from 1 to 36. The person who chooses the number where the steel ball lands wins.

It's almost entirely based on luck, and has nothing to do with gambling skills.

"Now you have a choice," Crocodile said.

"My luck is on fire today, I'm going to pick red 6!" Buffalo exclaimed eagerly.

"I choose Black 18," the scarred man then said.

Gu Xin said calmly, "Red 1."

For him, it doesn't matter which one he chooses, because he can cheat.

Once the three were confirmed, Crocodile pressed the switch, and the steel ball spun inside the roulette wheel, passing over numbers one by one.

Secretly, Guxin used his telekinetic powers to subtly control the trajectory of the steel ball.

Superpowers are quite useful, especially telekinesis, which makes no sound and is even harder to detect when it is not applied to others.

At that moment, Crocodile's gaze fell upon him.

Discovered?

Gu Xin thought to himself that it was strange, but he remained outwardly calm.

In fact, Crocodile was looking at him for other reasons.

It's been raining in Alabasta for the past month without any apparent reason.

Others thought the drought had passed, but he knew very well that was not the case.

Because he is the mastermind behind it all.

He used the forbidden substance "Dancing Powder" to keep Alabasta in a dry climate, while secretly framing King Cobra. The plan was initially going very smoothly.

But a little over a month ago, something unexpected happened.

It actually rained at the rapeseed flower harbor!

At first, he thought it was just a coincidence, but then it rained in cities across Alabasta one after another.

Meanwhile, the cities experiencing rain follow a pattern, almost extending from the rapeseed flower port towards the rainy areas.

So he sent people to investigate, but no definitive results were obtained.

But it wasn't all for naught.

Based on the order, the cities that will experience rain in the next two days will be [Rainy Area].

Just then, [Pirate Rising Star] Gushin also arrived in the rainy area.

He could hardly help but suspect that there might be some connection between the two.

As Crocodile pondered, the steel balls in the roulette wheel were about to stop.

As Buffalo waited expectantly, the steel ball glided past red 6... and finally landed in the square of red 1.

Gushin wins, taking the championship tonight!

"You flatter me. It seems I'm luckier tonight," Guxin said with a smile.

"He's certainly got good luck," Crocodile said in a deep voice. "No wonder he's a rookie with a bounty of over 100 million."

"How about coming with me? I can provide whatever you want—gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and precious objects—you name it."

He was recruiting Guxin.

Although he was dismissive of Guxin's reputation, the fact that the initial bounty was over 100 million was enough to demonstrate Guxin's potential.

Such a person is worth recruiting!

At the same time, keeping Guxin by his side makes it easier to observe his movements.

Upon hearing this, Yi Xiao, who was sitting in the audience, felt a little worried.

Faced with the invitation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea, what choice will Gushin make?

After spending time together, he believed that Gu Xin was not the kind of person who would collude with evil people, but he was still subconsciously worried.

After all, Crocodile's name is too famous.

The "heroes" of Alabasta are recognized by the World Government as the Seven Warlords of the Sea, an honor bestowed upon only seven individuals.

The wealth and luxury he possessed were something many people could never attain in their entire lives, and few could resist such temptation.

Buffalo narrowed his eyes, glancing at Guxin out of the corner of his eye.

He had heard of Guxin's exploits; a few months ago, he killed a Marine Rear Admiral and a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Moria, and was therefore offered a bounty of over 100 million.

But he wasn't afraid. It was just a mere 100 million bounty; his family patriarch, Doflamingo, was the real powerhouse.

As someone who had ventured into the New World and had a significant background, he looked down on a small-time pirate with a mere 100 million bounty.

With Baby5 joining forces, they could probably take it down easily and then steal the Paramecia-type Iron-Iron Fruit to claim credit.

Crocodile is a bit of a handful.

He hoped that Gushin would refuse Crocodile's offer, making it easier for him to seize the prize.

For a moment, everyone was waiting for Guxin's reply.

"I'm sorry, I don't really like being someone's dog," Gushin said casually, then took the box containing the Iron-Iron Fruit from Crocodile.

"Oh, by the way, thank you for your Devil Fruit."