"Boom!!"

"Crash!!"

By the time Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Issho stepped out of the Isshin Dojo, the street was already packed with people. Not far away, a crowd had gathered, clearly watching some kind of commotion. From the center of the throng, the muffled thuds of combat rang out.

Hearing the noise, Kyros and Issho turned their heads. Kyros even stopped a plump old lady just squeezing out of the crowd and asked curiously,

"Excuse me, ma'am, what's going on over there?"

"Is someone fighting?"

The sounds were clearly those of a skirmish, but with such a tightly packed crowd, it didn't look like a serious brawl. Normally, in a real battle, people would've scattered already. This seemed more like a small altercation.

"Oh yes, a Marine's arresting someone."

"Quite the commotion too."

The old woman said this calmly, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. But Kyros's expression shifted, and he immediately returned to Yoriichi's side, just about to report when Yoriichi calmly said:

"No need. It's just a father and daughter exchanging friendly blows. They know what they're doing. It won't get out of hand here."

"Come on, I'll treat you to a drink. Once we're done, we'll head back to the ship."

Yoriichi didn't even glance toward the noise, brushing it off casually. Though Kyros and Issho were curious, they chose not to press further. They had deep trust in Yoriichi's instincts.

Frost Moon Village wasn't large. It only had one tavern, and though the place was a little run-down, the drinks were surprisingly good. Judging by how much Kyros was enjoying himself, the taste must've been excellent.

Issho didn't drink. He simply ordered a cup of tea, but hadn't had more than a few sips before his ears picked up something else—coming from a corner of the tavern: the sound of dice hitting a gambling table.

In this world, where there's alcohol, gambling is never far behind.

Yoriichi didn't stop him. Even though Marines were explicitly prohibited from gambling, he wasn't the type to be overly rigid. For someone like Issho, who knew his limits, such rules weren't worth fussing over.

"Dice, huh? Heh, count me in!"

Issho made his way toward the table, pulling some Beli from his pocket and feeling for a seat. He was about to sit when a voice cut in sharply:

"Hey hey hey! Marine!"

"What do you think you're doing, gambling? Don't you know it's against Marine regulations?"

"Get out, get out—unless you want me reporting you to your superiors!"

"Which division are you from, huh?"

The speaker was a young woman, about twenty, wearing a plaid shirt. Her bright pink hair stood out in the crowd. She was sitting on a stool by the table, legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from her lips as she casually barked at Issho, acting like some spoiled rich girl.

"Hey now, Belle-Mère, you can't just drive away paying customers like that!"

"And especially not a Marine!"

"Hehehe, you want to join us, sir? Come on, have some fun with us!"

Just as Issho was feeling a little awkward and thinking of leaving, a pudgy man with squinty eyes quickly grabbed his arm and gave him a once-over. When he realized Issho was blind, he hesitated briefly but quickly hid the reaction, grinning as he pulled him down into his seat.

"Hehehe, thanks."

Issho chuckled as he ran his fingers along the tabletop, placing his Beli down on it.

A full hundred thousand.

"Ohoho~ A big spender, huh?"

The squinty-eyed man's grin widened instantly when he saw the stack of cash, then gave a subtle nod to the middle-aged dealer.

"This table plays dice," he said to Issho.

"Simple stuff. Bet big or small. Left side's small, right side's big."

"You can wager however much you want—"

But before he could finish, a loud slam on the table cut him off.

Wham!

Belle-Mère, who had been watching with a growing scowl, suddenly slapped the table hard and snapped:

"A blind man gambling?! What, are you planning to spend your Marine disability benefits on this crap?!"

"Hey! Belle-Mère!"

"That's way outta line!"

"What a Marine does with his own money is none of your business!"

"If you're not playing, then get out of the seat!"

The pudgy man glared at Belle-Mère, his right hand dipping into his coat as if reaching for something.

Seeing that motion, Belle-Mère scoffed, dropped back into her seat, took a slow drag of her cigarette, and grumbled, "Start already!"

"Alright! Place your bets—big or small!"

As the dealer announced the start, Issho chuckled and placed 10,000 Beli on his left—small. He didn't care at all about Belle-Mère's words. All his interest was on the game.

Seeing him casually throw down that kind of money, Belle-Mère frowned and followed suit, tossing her own 10,000 Beli onto "big." The others quickly joined in.

The mood at the table heated up instantly.

Back at the bar, Yoriichi and Kyros paid no mind to the gambling table. Yoriichi chatted casually with the barkeep, while Kyros quietly sipped his drink.

Bang!!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the gambling corner.

The tavern, which had just been buzzing with excitement, instantly fell silent.

Thud!

A heavy body collapsed to the floor. A bullet wound was square in the middle of the forehead, blood and brain matter pooling beneath him.

People stared in shock, recognizing the body as the pudgy man who had pulled Issho into the game. His hand still clutched a small pistol, finger on the trigger—but the shot clearly hadn't come from him.

At the table, Belle-Mère sat with a smoking gun still in hand, cigarette hanging from her lips.

"She… she killed someone!!!"

Screams broke the silence. In a flash, everyone in the tavern scrambled to escape.

In mere seconds, the gamblers had all vanished, leaving only Belle-Mère, Issho calmly seated, and the dealer who'd been running the game.

That dealer now glared murderously at Belle-Mère, and his entire body began to bulge unnaturally.

In the blink of an eye, the previously average-sized man transformed into a towering figure over 180 cm tall, with darkening skin and thick bristles sprouting from his pores. His mouth twisted, and long tusks extended from his jaws.

"What is that?"

"A boar?!" Kyros muttered from afar, confused by the grotesque transformation.

The now-beastlike man reached out and crushed Belle-Mère's gun with a single hand. But she reacted instantly—letting go before the weapon shattered, doing a backflip and rolling clear of the table.

"Action!"

She shouted.

Instantly, eight Marines stormed the tavern, swords drawn, charging toward the transformed man as they yelled:

"Boar Tamer Kapo! You're under arrest!"

"You're surrounded!"

At the bar, Kyros stared wide-eyed in shock.

"A Marine op? That girl's a Marine too?!"

Yoriichi, meanwhile, turned his gaze toward the transformed man, chuckling softly:

"A Devil Fruit user, huh?"

"With that kind of power, I doubt these few Marines can handle it…"

But just as he said that, his eyes shifted to the tavern's entrance. His hand moved to his sword hilt, his expression growing serious.

"Something... serious has arrived."

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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter

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