CHAPTER 79: CHAPTER 79: FROM NOW ON, THIS IS MY TURF

"Alright, I’ve got all the reason I need to make a move."

Separated from Karina and the others, Karl sat at a sic-bo table, rolling a 100,000-chip between his fingers, the corner of his mouth lifting.

He tossed the chip out with a flick.

The game was sic-bo, betting big or small.

Karl bet on big.

No cheating, and he didn’t plan to.

Maybe the luck he’d spent rebirthing the Float-Float Fruit had recovered.

The house opened big.

Karl’s 100,000 turned into 200,000.

Second round.

He put the 200,000 back on big.

Seconds later, the house opened big again.

Two hundred thousand became four hundred thousand.

Round after round, the 100,000 Karl had thrown out grew into several million without him noticing.

Even Karl was a little surprised.

Winning every bet—was his luck really that good today?

Perhaps when a man doesn’t care about winning or losing, fortune descends upon him?

"Ara ara... looks like Lord Dragon Knight’s luck is good today."

Just then, having finished her call with Tesoro, Baccarat strolled up behind Karl and placed her hands suggestively on his shoulders with a sweet smile.

The very next round, Karl lost all his winnings including his original 100,000 in a single throw.

The sight drew gloating or resentful looks from onlookers.

Because Karl had just kept winning, many were jealous, and many who followed his bets had made a tidy profit.

But in one go, plenty of greedy types shoved in all their chips with Karl and lost everything.

Interesting—luck siphoned away? I can’t feel a thing.

Having dropped a few million, Karl’s expression didn’t change; instead, his smile deepened.

When Baccarat’s hands touched him, Karl flooded his body with intent and used Life Return.

Yet he sensed no change in his body.

If he hadn’t known Baccarat was a Luck-Luck Fruit user, Karl might not have noticed his fortune being leeched.

Of course, it could have been that after so many wins his luck had simply turned.

To be sure, he kept betting.

Hand after hand, small to large, Karl lost clean every time, a stark contrast to his earlier streak.

In a short while, the thirty million in chips he’d gotten from Karina was gone.

"Lord Dragon Knight, would you like more chips?"

Standing behind him, Baccarat kneaded his shoulders and leaned to his ear, breath warm. "On Lord Tesoro’s orders, you can receive chips worth up to one billion belli per day in Gran Tesoro, free of charge."

"In that case, give me another hundred million."

Having lost tens of millions with an unchanged face, Karl merely smiled and nodded.

"Of course."

Baccarat straightened and signaled the croupier.

Moments later, a woman in a black suit set chips worth one hundred million belli before Karl.

Seeing this, the gloaters nearby

finally understood this youth’s identity wasn’t simple.

A few seasoned eyes studied Karl, their gazes landing on the knight’s armor etched with the cute little dragon crest; realization dawned, faces paled, and without a word they scooped their chips and left the table.

My god... we nearly mocked the man who slew a Celestial Dragon.

Good thing the big shot didn’t take it to heart—we just saved our skins!

With a hundred million in hand, Karl kept tossing casual bets.

Before long, he’d lost the entire hundred million, not a single win.

From winning every toss to losing every toss, the reversal told Karl his luck wasn’t merely spent—it had been drained by Baccarat behind him.

No wonder it’s one of the "rule-type" powers—truly impossible to guard against.

"Ara ara... Lord Dragon Knight’s luck seems off today. Shall we try another table, or a different game?"

After he lost it all, Baccarat wore a perfectly timed look of surprise and offered a caring suggestion.

Anyone who didn’t know better might think she really meant well.

"No, I’m done."

Karl shook his head, turned to Baccarat, and asked, "Miss Baccarat, is there somewhere to sing? Preferably with loudspeaker Den Den Mushi so everyone can hear."

"Yes, there’s a massive golden stage right here in the Golden Harbor."

Though she didn’t know why he asked, she answered smoothly. "My boss, Lord Gild Tesoro, the Emperor of Gold, is not only the world’s richest man but also a performer who often gives song-and-dance shows here."

"May I use that stage?" Karl asked.

"If it were anyone else, no."

Baccarat smiled. "But since it’s Lord Dragon Knight, of course it’s fine."

One had to admit

as Gran Tesoro’s VIP hostess, Baccarat had her conversation skill maxed out.

"Then I’ll trouble you."

Treating her as a future companion, Karl’s favor toward her grew as he smiled.

Before returning to the harbor, Karl regrouped with Karina and the others, then they took a turtle-car back to the Golden Harbor.

"That golden stage opens every night and invites world-famous troupes to perform."

Pointing at the stage towering over the harbor, Baccarat suggested, "If Lord Dragon Knight plans to sing there, I recommend a daytime rehearsal. I can arrange a world-class diva to back you, with dancers. Tonight you’ll bring down the house."

"Thanks, but I won’t be singing."

Karl nodded slightly, then said something that froze Baccarat in place.

A lump of gold rose from the ground, liquefied into a rope that twined around Baccarat’s wrists, binding her.

"Lord Dragon Knight, what... do you mean by this?"

She hadn’t seen Nami quietly activate the Float-Float Fruit, and thinking Karl had done it, she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Apologies, but I’ll have to inconvenience you for a bit, Miss Baccarat."

Karl grinned. "Your ability is rather troublesome."

"C-could it be... you figured it out?"

Her shock eclipsed even the surprise of his sudden move.

"Mm. A power that steals luck and makes it your own—I was stunned when I first heard of it, too."

Karl took the Den Den Mushi from her and tossed it into the golden water with a playful smile. "It’s a pity you only half-understand my Rumble-Rumble Fruit. You really shouldn’t have uttered certain plans targeting me inside Gran Tesoro."

Then, under Baccarat’s incredulous gaze, Karl told the others, "Karina, keep an eye on Miss Baccarat. Nami, with me."

He slipped an arm around Nami’s waist, and the two vanished in a flash of lightning.

An instant later, they appeared atop the stage, then blinked out again.

With electric-field teleportation that ignored obstacles, in less than half a minute Karl returned to Nami’s side with an armful of loudspeaker Den Den Mushi.

"Nami, please float these loudspeaker snails over the ship and across the sky. I want everyone on the island to hear what I’m about to say."

Setting the snails down, Karl left that instruction and disappeared again.

When he came back, he held a golden microphone.

"All set?"

"All set."

Seeing Nami’s OK sign, Karl nodded and flipped the mic on.

"Phoo... phoo..."

He blew twice across the mic; the screech rang over Gran Tesoro’s sky.

Except for a few packed casinos and enclosed venues, everyone out on the streets heard the sound and looked up.

In every district and every open space, anyone who raised their head could see loudspeaker snails floating, defying gravity.

"Ladies and gentlemen..."

A moment later, a youthful voice with a trace of immaturity—his body wasn’t fully grown—echoed from the snails’ megaphones.

"My name is Karl. Some of you may find it unfamiliar."

"That’s fine. I’ll introduce myself properly."

"I’m Karl. You can call me the Dragon Knight. I wield the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. I’m currently a pirate, with a bounty that isn’t high by this sea’s standards. Including my partner Whitey, it’s only 1,511,000,000 belli."

"I’m not saying this to brag—just a friendly reminder."

"Gild Tesoro, master of Gran Tesoro, and I have a private matter to settle. Please evacuate this island within thirty minutes, or bear the consequences."

"Because..."

"From now on, this is my turf."

Rumble...

Deafening thunder rolled across Gran Tesoro’s heavens.

The sudden thunderbolt in a clear sky made gamblers and patrons everywhere freeze and look to one another.

"Run! The Dragon Knight—the one who killed a Celestial Dragon!"

"A Logia warning—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is hailed as the strongest of the Logias! He can fight an admiral to a standstill. He’s not joking—move it, I don’t wanna die!"

"Why would a big shot like that come here?!"

"Are the bigwigs going to wreck Gran Tesoro?!"

As when Little Dragon slew the Celestial Dragon, hyenas and civilians reacted the same.

As the thunder grew louder and louder,

blue-white lightning flickered from thin air.

Revelers in the casinos and sleepers in the hotels alike bolted out, fighting over turtle-cars or other rides, or simply sprinting for the harbor.

Once there, they didn’t care whose ships they boarded—they just tried to sail.

Karl’s large three-masted ship was among their targets.

Crack-boom—

Several bolts fell, charring those who rushed his ship.

Seeing the cute dragon emblem at the prow, they realized whose vessel it was and hurriedly backed off, choosing other targets.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?!"

Atop the Golden Hotel,

Tesoro heard Karl’s warning, smashed a table with clenched fists, and shouted at Mr. Tanaka, "Is this Baccarat’s mess? Who provoked that brat?"

"I—I don’t know!"

Having used the Phase-Phase Fruit to come report something else, Mr. Tanaka had never seen Tesoro so furious; he stammered.

"Damn it... ’from now on this is my turf’—he’s clearly set his sights on Gran Tesoro, picking a fight on purpose."

Tesoro yanked out a golden Den Den Mushi like a Buster Call and sneered. "Think I don’t understand attribute matchups? If I can’t beat him, I’ll have someone who can. I’ll show him the true overlords of the sea!"

Brrrr... brrrr...

Brrrr... brrrr...

But when Tesoro tried to dial for reinforcements,

calls that would normally connect instantly rang dozens of times with no answer.

"Why... won’t they pick up?!"

He slammed the table again, losing control, then froze and turned toward the harbor. "He did this?"

Just as he said.

Within that half hour, not only could he not get through, but nobles and magnates tried to call their factions—or the Marines—for help.

Every single one failed.

One sentence explains it.

One reason the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is among the invincible powers is its completeness—the strongest of Logias.

By blending radio waves into Observation Haki, his perception becomes godlike; fused with his electric field, he can generate special electromagnetic interference to jam Den Den Mushi.

After his warning, Karl spread his field and broadcast that interference, cutting every snail off.

All their signals were trapped inside his field, unable to connect to the outside network.

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