"Sir, the games out here are small-time. Would you like to move to the VIP area? It's more suited to someone of your status and skills," a beautiful casino attendant quickly approached Ryu, smiling as she spoke.
"Can I meet your boss? I'd like to play with her," Ryu smiled casually.
The attendant hesitated. It wasn't common for guests to request to meet the casino's owner just to "play." In fact, even out here on the main floor, they had a system in place to slightly tip the odds in the house's favor. Once a guest moved inside, though, the casino ensured that, no matter how much they won, they'd lose it all back. And playing against the owner? That was a guaranteed loss.
"Apologies, but I can't answer that right now. I'll need to ask the boss," the attendant responded with a polite smile after a quick recovery.
"So, you're checking if I'm worthy enough? Or maybe you're worried I won't have the skills?" Ryu chuckled, standing and gesturing for her to lead the way.
"Oh, not at all. It's just that our boss isn't always on-site, so I can't answer right away," she replied, covering her mouth with a polite laugh.
Soon, they arrived at a room marked "VIP."
"Please wait here while I check with the boss to see if she's available to join you," the attendant said with a bow before leaving.
Aside from Ryu, the VIP room held a few other guests, who gave him a brief glance before returning to their gambling, clearly uninterested in him.
Ryu didn't mind. He casually strolled over to a sofa and took a seat. A male attendant soon brought him a glass of wine and asked if he needed anything. Ryu shook his head and asked, "What types of games do you have here?"
"The minimum chip exchange is 100,000 beri," the attendant explained with a bow. "That area over there is for card games; the specific rules can be arranged by the players. Over here is the dice area, mostly for high-low bets. Lastly, we have a miscellaneous games section, where guests can browse and, if interested, let an attendant know. We can then help find other guests with similar interests."
"As expected of the biggest casino in Rainbase! Impressive," Ryu nodded, walking over to the dice area. With his sharp hearing, he could easily tell the numbers on the dice. Though the casino had its own tricks, Ryu wasn't here for money—he was here to meet Robin.
After a while, Ryu placed another bet on "low" and smiled at the dealer. The other players followed his lead. As for meeting Robin and not caring about winning or losing, he had to admit, "It's hard to resist the thrill!"
With his inner power, Ryu found it all too easy to cheat at the casino games. Initially, he hadn't planned to cheat and made his bets casually. But after a few lucky wins, the dealers started targeting him, which irked him.
"Oh, so you want to mess with me? Alright, I'll play along!"
With the use of inner power, Ryu quickly accumulated chips worth millions. They'd even switched out the dealer multiple times, but they couldn't stop him. They had no idea how he was doing it—despite checking the dice and mechanisms, the results still weren't in the house's favor.
"Well? Are you going to open the cup?" Ryu asked, smiling at the dealer, who was nervously wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Yes, open it! Open it!"
"Haha! This guy here is on fire today. Nothing can stop his luck!"
"Absolutely! Thanks to him, I even made a little profit myself!"
The surrounding players laughed heartily.
"Didn't expect you'd be good at gambling too!" Robin's voice suddenly came from behind him just as the dealer was about to open the dice cup.
"Just passing the time—it's more of a hobby, nothing serious. Is your boss here?" Ryu asked with a smile, glancing at the dice once they were revealed.
"I'm the manager here," Robin replied, smiling as she took the dealer's place.
"In that case, could you cash out these chips for me? I'll bet the rest on low," Ryu said, handing over his remaining chips to the nearby female attendant with a smile.
Robin nodded to the attendant, then casually shook the dice cup a few times. "Any other bets?"
Most of the gamblers around them chose to follow Ryu's lead and bet on low, while a few, sensing something off, left with their winnings.
Once all bets were placed, Robin revealed the dice with a smile. "It seems I won this round."
The crowd groaned as the dice showed a high number, and some began to grumble at Ryu. Unfazed, he stood and followed Robin as she left. As for those questioning his or the casino's integrity, Ryu paid them no mind.
In the VIP room of the casino, Robin narrowed her eyes at Ryu. "I'm curious—what brings a Marine like you here?"
"To capture pirates, of course," Ryu replied with a casual smile.
"Pirates? My boss isn't a pirate," Robin chuckled, feigning innocence.
"Of course. That's why I'm here for you." As soon as he finished speaking, Ryu dashed toward Robin.
Though Robin wasn't known for her combat strength, her Hana Hana no Mi ability could be troublesome, so Ryu decided to strike first.
"Dos Fleur: Clutch!" Robin called out, creating additional arms to try and restrain Ryu as she backed away, hoping to buy some time—she knew Crocodile was watching.
Boom! Crash!
With a single punch, Ryu sent Robin flying. The hands she had formed on his body disappeared immediately.
"Nico Robin, the Devil Child, I'm officially arresting you," Ryu declared, towering over her as she lay among the debris.
"Marine, you've crossed a line. This place is mine!" Just as Ryu finished speaking, sand began to gather in front of him, gradually forming the shape of Crocodile.
"Crocodile, I suggest you stay out of this. She's beyond your control," Ryu glanced at Crocodile dismissively, hoisting the injured Robin as he prepared to leave.
"You're mistaken if you think you can just waltz out of here," Crocodile said, his body transforming into sand and blocking Ryu's path.
"Out of my way! I don't feel like dealing with you right now. Otherwise, do you think I'd be wasting time listening to your nonsense?" Ryu's newfound strength had bolstered his confidence.
Robin was proof enough—his newly learned technique, Traceless Steps, was significantly faster than his previous moves, and his enhanced energy and body strength only added to his assurance.
"Is that so? Marine, you've successfully angered me. You'll pay for that." Crocodile's words barely left his mouth before Ryu's fist smashed into his head, dispersing it into sand. Ryu had infused some of his inner power, but strangely, he hadn't managed to hit Crocodile's true body.
"A power like Haki, huh? So, that's your trump card?" Crocodile asked as he reformed, staring at Ryu.
"So that's how it is—pretty quick reflexes." Ryu realized that Crocodile had managed to turn his head to sand right before the punch landed, giving the impression that his attack had no effect.
But Ryu knew Crocodile didn't possess Katakuri's level of Observation Haki. It was either a coincidence or that his opponent had noticed his attack in time; after all, it had been a casual strike from Ryu.
"Looks like your boss values you more than I expected. I wasn't planning to fight him yet, seeing as he's a Warlord and technically an ally of the Marines, but if he insists on courting death, that's on him. So, it looks like you'll have to wait here a bit longer," Ryu said, releasing Robin with a grin.
Though he'd defeated Robin, the system hadn't awarded him any experience or diamonds, so he wasn't about to let her go just yet.
"Crescent Sand Dune!" Crocodile wasn't one to sit idly by; the moment Ryu released Robin, he launched an attack.
"Interesting guy. Fine, I'll play along!" Ryu smirked, his fists darkening with Armament Haki as he leapt into the air, dodging Crocodile's crescent-shaped slash.
"Armament Haki!" Crocodile's eyes narrowed. As a Logia user, he was almost invincible in the Grand Line, especially in the desert, but Haki was his one vulnerability. He'd underestimated Ryu's haki proficiency.
"Geppo!"
Bang!
Ryu used Geppo to redirect himself mid-air, landing a solid punch on Crocodile's face before he could react, sending him flying a few meters.
"So, you're a hidden powerhouse. No wonder you dared to cause trouble here! But Armament Haki alone isn't enough to stop me," Crocodile sneered, wiping the blood from his mouth as he got back on his feet.
"Sables!" A miniature sandstorm formed in Crocodile's hand, which he then hurled at Ryu.
"No need to embarrass yourself with these useless tricks!" Ryu activated his Snow Without a Trace movement technique, easily dodging the sandstorm as it failed to even graze him.
"Oh, really? Try this! Ground Death!" Crocodile's right hand touched the ground just as Ryu closed in.
Instantly, everything around Crocodile began to wither and turn to sand, the buildings and landscape deteriorating rapidly. Frowning, Ryu noticed Robin backing away and promptly lifted her, using Geppo to take to the sky.
"Consider yourself lucky today. But you won't always have such good fortune," Ryu remarked as he punched through the roof, escaping with Robin.
Crocodile watched them leave but didn't give chase. Instead, he pulled out a special Den Den Mushi, seemingly to contact someone.
Once they were away from the casino, Ryu set Robin down. "I can't let you go just yet, so you'll have to follow me for a while."
Robin didn't know Ryu's true intentions, but with no chance of escape, she had no choice but to comply and follow him.