One Piece Gunslinger

In that instant, Li Ang felt as if he had returned to the modern world. The wide driveway in the middle, the sidewalks on both sides, the tall buildings lining the road, and the flashing neon lights. This scene even made Li Ang somewhat dazed, and he unconsciously reached for his pocket, only snapping back to reality when he found nothing.

"What was I thinking about? My phone and stuff didn't come with me."

Bakara noticed Leon's brief moment of distraction, then glanced at the huge screen hanging on the building in front of them. She quickly understood what Leon was thinking and said:

"How about it? She really does have a dazzling aura. Even a woman like me feels my soul is drawn to her every time I see her."

Li Ang: "Huh??? What are you saying?"

Then Li Ang spotted the person on the big screen that Baccarat had mentioned—it was Karina! No wonder she said she'd see him in two hours; she was at a performance.

However, to be fair, it's true that when I see Karina on ordinary days, she doesn't seem particularly dazzling. But when she puts on a gorgeous outfit and steps onto the stage, she does look much more beautiful and charming than usual.

Karina on screen has become the focus of everyone's attention, like a lighthouse.

This made Leon start to reflect on whether he had wasted Karina's youth by recruiting her into the Revolutionary Army and entrusting her with important responsibilities because he valued her abilities.

She could easily make a living off her looks, and she also has amazing talent in art. Why is she even in the revolutionary army? She could probably save the world as an idol.

If it weren't for the limitations of this world's entertainment industry and communication, and if it were at the level of Earth, Karina could probably become a superstar loved by men, women, and children of all ages.

However, Li Ang could only put this problem aside for the time being. Once the Revolutionary Army took over the island, not only could Karina continue to be a star, but she could also spread her influence to the areas controlled by the Revolutionary Army.

"Huh? This..." Li Ang asked in surprise when he saw the screen change, "Isn't this Tesoro?"

Bakara immediately replied, "That's right, it's the master of this golden city, known as the Golden Emperor Tesoro. Lord Tesoro is also a big star. He is dedicated to bringing the best performances to his guests."

"Oh? I didn't expect there to be this side to it," Li Ang nodded.

“In that case, would you like me to take you to the concert?” Baccarat asked.

“No need for that,” Li Ang replied casually. “I have a little quirk. Could you take me to the poorest and most dilapidated place here?”

Although Bakara was somewhat surprised by this answer, before dragging Li Ang into the trap, Li Ang was her god, so naturally she could only do as Li Ang said.

In this oppressive world, once people reach a high position, many develop perverse fetishes. Li Ang's case is relatively mild; some of the people Bakala has served before were simply unbearable to look at.

Before long, Bakara drove to a place that looked much older and didn't have the gold decorations that were everywhere.

"This is the oldest place on the whole island, provided for those who have no money to live in."

Seeing this, Li Ang clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "How should I put it? Even though it's a place that's like a slum, it doesn't seem that dirty, chaotic, or dilapidated in Golden City." Besides, there was another half-sentence that Li Ang didn't say: this place, like other places, was still full of surveillance cameras.

Li Ang originally planned to find a place outside of surveillance to strike first and take control of Bakala by force. This required a location undetected by surveillance cameras, but the island was full of them, making it impossible for Li Ang to find an opportunity.

The moment Li Ang met Bakala, he knew he only had two paths left.

The first option is to play along. Honestly get tricked and fall for the trap. This is the old path from the original storyline.

However, this raises a problem: Li Ang came alone this time, and his combat strength is definitely not as high as the protagonist's entire crew. He needs to be confident in his own strength to take this path; otherwise, he should just stay put.

So if Li Ang insists on taking this route, he will have to call for backup and summon two more vegetable collectors, as he cannot handle it alone.

However, this path isn't without its advantages. Its main advantage is stability, making it almost guaranteed to succeed. The key to this path lies with Karina. With Karina's inside help, Tesoro's greatest asset can be neutralized, and the Revolutionary Army can be quickly crushed.

However, Li Ang still inexplicably chose to abandon this path. Looking back, he found it unbelievable. This stable path wasn't one he could just take whenever he wanted; he clearly needed Bakara's hospitality to take it. Yet, he gave up this opportunity.

(Actually, it's because this storyline is incredibly boring. It's practically just a different character doing the same things over and over again, so I guess it's just copying the original. There's absolutely nothing new about it; watching this is worse than reading the original.)

Li Ang's second chosen path was to try and crack the trap, and coming to the slums was one such attempt. He tried a brute-force approach, but that clearly failed. Surveillance was practically everywhere in the Golden City, except in private places like hotel rooms.

But what kind of nonsense is it to take Bakara to a hotel? Leon himself couldn't keep his pride in check, let alone whether Bakara wanted to or not. He knew perfectly well that Tesoro's men were closely monitoring his every move through the Den Den Mushi. And Karina, now one of Tesoro's subordinates, would undoubtedly know this as well.

If Leon doesn't want his glorious deeds to spread throughout the entire Revolutionary Army, or even reach Hancock, Karina will inevitably find a way to use them against him.

Chapter 337 He picked up the hoe again.

However, it doesn't matter that Li Ang's attempt failed this time. Brute-force cracking is not his area of ​​expertise anyway. Li Ang was just trying it out casually, and there will be more fun to come.

"Let's go, that satisfies my curiosity. Now, take me to the casino."

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Li Ang was confident in his abilities, which is why he suggested going to Bakara's area of ​​expertise to compete with her.

What if they fail? Failure is failure. As long as Li Ang isn't foolish enough to get himself mired in trouble, it's just a matter of sending a few more harvesters afterward, or they can wait until after the final battle with the World Government to harvest this batch of resources. Li Ang felt absolutely no psychological pressure.

Fortunately, in this Golden City where surveillance cameras are installed in every corner, these video Den Den Mushi can only transmit images, not sounds, so Li Ang is not without a chance.

Just as Bakala was about to start the car and leave, a boy and a girl emerged from the alleyway beside her, each carrying a small basket.

Upon seeing Li Ang and Bakala, his eyes lit up, and he ran over in a few quick steps.

Seeing this, Li Ang instantly came up with a plan. He reached out and placed his hand on Bakala's hand, signaling her not to start the car.

Soon, two children ran up and presented the basket to Li Ang with both hands, saying, "Uncle, please buy a statue. These are all handmade crafts."

Li Ang looked into the basket the two children were holding. Inside lay several wooden sculptures. Judging from the strips of cloth wrapped around the children's fingers, they were indeed carved by the two men.

"Heh, while it's undoubtedly handmade, it's just too ugly. No one would buy a statue like this. Even if it were given away for free, nobody would want it. I could carve something better in just two minutes." Li Ang, however, had no intention of spending money on it and instead mocked it.

At this moment, in order to prevent Leon from learning more information, Bakara said, "Did you hear that? Nobody will buy these statues of yours. Get out of here."

Clearly, under the double blow from Li Ang and Bakala, the light in the two children's eyes gradually faded. This was undoubtedly another failed sales pitch, and they were even ridiculed.

But the boy quickly hardened his gaze, took the girl's hand, and left. Li Ang watched them leave, and vaguely heard the boy comforting the girl, saying, "Brother, I'm sure I can make even better statues in the future, maybe even statues that can be put at auction, and eventually save enough money for our family to leave this place."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang also revealed a barely perceptible smile.

"Alright, let's go now."

Bakara was waiting for Li Ang to say those words, so she immediately started the car, turned around, and left.

In fact, Li Ang should thank the brother and sister from before. Seeing how much the two of them did to redeem themselves, Li Ang came up with a way to deal with Bakala.

Sitting in the carriage, Li Ang asked, "Are those two people the children of slaves?"

Since Leon had asked, Bakara couldn't keep hiding it any longer and answered, "Although they aren't slaves, they are people who owe huge debts. But it's not a big problem to understand them as slaves. It's working time now, and their parents have gone to work to pay off the debts, leaving the children at home."

Li Ang then laughed and said, "Hehe, the only way to incur such a huge debt is at the gambling table."

Hearing this, Bakara's expression changed slightly, but she quickly smiled back: "Yes, that's right. It can only be said that these people are really too stupid. Even though they have lost all their money and know that they are doomed, they still fantasize that they can win it back next time. That's how they incurred huge debts."

Li Ang then said, "To lose everything and incur huge debts, that's incredibly bad luck."

However, what Li Ang was thinking was: "It's not that they're plagued by bad luck, but rather by good luck. They walked into a trap step by step when they thought their luck was at its best, and were taken down in the end. That's what happened to them."

If the target wasn't someone like Li Ang, but an ordinary traveler, then even Bakara wouldn't need to intervene; the dealers and some backdoors in the gambling equipment alone could allow him to cheat without being noticed. That's the kind of effect achieved.

Those with a certain level of strength, status, insight, or experience in gambling can see through these cheating tricks. This is where Bakala comes in. If you don't know Bakala's abilities, you can't figure out how you fell for it, no matter how hard you try.

Bakara then added, "But I believe you'll be very lucky and win a lot of money at the casino."

Li Ang confidently replied, "Of course." Yes, yes, whether you have good luck or not is entirely up to you. If you say it's good, then of course it's good.

At this point, Li Ang changed the subject, saying, "But do you know why I'm going to that place?"

Bakara thought to herself, "How would I know? You rich people have such strange tastes. Last time I met an old man who wanted my underwear, and he slipped on a banana peel and died on the street."

Hey, that's not just a matter of hobbies anymore, he's a perverted old scoundrel, you should call 110 if you see him.

Bakara didn't speak, because she knew that Leon would answer the question himself.

Sure enough, Li Ang then turned to Bakala and said:

"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."

"???" Bakala looked completely bewildered. What on earth was this? She couldn't understand it.

Li Ang had anticipated this; without explanation, most people would be confused. However, he didn't rush to explain, but instead asked, "Do you think those who incur huge debts are really just unlucky?"

Hearing Li Ang ask this, Bakala's heart skipped a beat: "Does he know our trick? Does he also know that I'm a user of the Lucky Fruit? If so, we'll have to change our mission objective."

However, Bakara asked with a strange expression, "If it's not just bad luck, is there some other reason? Let me make it clear, our casino absolutely does not have a problem with cheating. After all, this is the world's largest entertainment city. If a casino cheats, it's like ruining our reputation, and then no one will come."

Yeah, yeah, I understand the logic. If you cheat and don't get caught, then you're not cheating.

Li Ang chuckled and said, "To most people, this is simply because they were unlucky, but to me, it was inevitable. The outcome was already predetermined the moment they stepped into the casino."

To be honest, even if the casino staff didn't actually gamble, winning that much money through luck isn't a big problem. However, if you become greedy and continue gambling, you'll definitely be taught a lesson.

"Inevitable?" Baccarat had worked for Tezzolo for several years, so of course she knew it was inevitable. Did that mean Leon already knew this tactic?

So Bakara tentatively asked, "Why do you think this is inevitable? Isn't it all decided by luck at the gambling table? If everything is inevitable, then what's the point of luck?"

However, Li Ang did not answer this question, because the magnificent casino was just ahead: "Remember this sentence first, 'For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.' We will explain it to you after we come out of the casino."

Since Li Ang didn't say anything, Bakara didn't ask any further. As for whether they could get out of the casino, that wasn't up to Li Ang: "I'm in charge here. Unless you know my abilities, no matter how cunning you are, you'll still have to drink my foot bath water."

However, Li Ang was also secretly planning his next move in the casino, figuring out how to win over Bakala – a move commonly known as poaching.

So the foot bath water is meant to be drunk, but Li Ang plans to have Tesoro drink Baccarat's foot bath water instead.

Since the goal was to use techniques to crack the code, why not go all the way? After failing with brute force, a bold idea popped into Li Ang's head.

If we can poach Baccarat, then none of these problems will remain problems.

He'll force Tesoro to his knees, leaving him helpless and trapped in his own trap. Tesoro sent Baccarat to trick Leon, so Leon plans to use Baccarat to trick Tesoro in return. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—perfect.

As for the tactic of undermining someone's foundation, everyone knows that as long as you have the right tools, there's no corner you can't dig up. In this field, Li Ang is a master, a top expert in undermining foundations, a hero in verbal sparring, and a champion in practical skills.

But this was also a huge challenge for Li Ang. First of all, there was not enough time, less than two hours. As for preparation, Li Ang had not made any drafts beforehand, so this was a test of his ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

Secondly, Baccarat has been with Tesoro for several years. Loyalty aside, she's also quite successful in terms of personal gain. As a top-tier host, Baccarat's role is irreplaceable, and Tesoro hasn't treated her unfairly. Furthermore, Tesoro isn't a declining World Government; his career is still on the rise, so there's absolutely no reason for him to switch sides.

What resources could Li Ang ultimately utilize? Absolutely none. He could only rely on his own words to persuade Bacarara. Well, not entirely none, though. At least he had the name of the Revolutionary Army to intimidate others—that was his only resource.

Fortunately, Li Ang encountered two children striving for their freedom. Seeing their frail bodies and hearing the boy's resolute words at the end inspired Li Ang.

They devised a plan to use the powerful dragon's fury to suppress the local snake.

Chapter 338 Using Others' Abilities to Show Off

Snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways. Even the weak have their methods.

The Revolutionary Army has grown in this way, starting with just one ship and a few founding members. By the time Leon joined, it had some manpower, but was still not a significant force. Later, it gradually grew and expanded, but it was still much smaller than the World Government.

Even now, the Revolutionary Army, with the help of numerous allies including Whitebeard, can only fight the World Government to a 40/60 split. Yes, even so, if neither side considers favorable timing, location, or strategies, the two sides are only evenly matched, and the Revolutionary Army may even be slightly weaker.

Therefore, over the years, the Revolutionary Army has become accustomed to taking the path of the rats, to thinking from the perspective of the weak, and to using various means and tricks to avoid direct confrontation with the World Government.

However, Li Ang realized his mistake when he beat up Vander Decken on Fishman Island, and it wasn't too late.

That's right, the Revolutionary Army is still weak to the World Government. But to others, the Revolutionary Army is already a monster that cannot be provoked. Even Tesoro, the Golden Emperor, who possesses 20% of the world's gold (excluding the buried and undiscovered gold), is no match for the Revolutionary Army.

Currently, the only entities comparable to the Revolutionary Army are the Four Emperors and the World Government.