The Fabulous Casino, Rain Dinners

The first thing that struck me about this city was just how jovial things were. Back at Nanohana, there was more of a sober acceptance about everyone. They did not celebrate or cheer for their lives. They prattled on and settled as best they could. Rainbase, though, was kickin'! Plenty of people roamed the streets this late, and it was getting late; it was perhaps seven o'clock, the sun just reaching the horizon and throwing up a brilliant orange shade across the city. The citizens were carousing and going about the city as if there was some sort of festival. They carried drinks, food, noisemakers and sparklers. The people of Rainbase were reveling over something.

To help get into the spirit of things, I pulled aside a drinking couple to figure things out. Unfortunately, inebriation must have met them because they were not particularly observant. "Hey! It's normal that you can act normal even when you're drunk," I told them, and they immediately sobered up, staring at me blankly. "Glad I have your attention. What's going on, here, exactly?"

The woman of the pair leaned in, grinning like a cat. "Don't you know? Sir Crocodile is back in Rainbase. He left to go exterminate some pirates that were threatening one of the coastal villages, and now he's returned. We party like this every time he comes home, just to show our appreciation!"

I nodded in understanding. Fair enough. This was all in honor of the Warlord, Crocodile, who seemed to do a good job of protecting all of Alabasta. "Thanks, it's normal to forget my last and go about and party." The light of recognition faded from their eyes as the **** took back over. They stumbled away, holding each other for support on wobbly legs.

So that cleared that up.

I looked up into the sky and could still see the giant, golden banana gator atop Rain Dinners. I guess I did not have to ask any one to show me the way. Through perseverance, I struggled my way through the crowds, keeping a tight hold of my new possessions. This being a city where people can gamble, I had no doubts that **** men would try to steal from anyone. Oh, but I have a solution for that. "It's normal for no one to wish to steal or pickpocket from me, ever!" I yelled into the chaos of the night. The far-reaching effects of these earrings amazed me, sometimes. Going so far as to even shift the minds of people I am not even aware of, as long as I speak it true.

Feeling secure, I trudge on. Looking around, the civilians seem to be getting comfortable as the night comes. While he had only seen people with their desert robes on so far, once the sun began to set, and the torches around the city were lit, the entire mood seemed to shift as seemingly from nowhere, men and women dancers appeared. The men were dressed semi-normal, wearing their robes but only up to their waist where it was tied off, showing their chests and torsos. The women, on the other hand, were beguiling. They threw off robes and showed off their radical dresses. Vast amounts of flesh and enticing movements galore. It had unfortunately been too long since I had seen Alvida, or since I had gotten off with Tashigi and Nami. After my embarrassing defeat by them, it was hard to be in the mood, but these women certainly did the trick. I could feel my libido trickling back to myself.

I deigned to halt myself from simply taking one of those dancers, though. They were gorgeous, that is true, but I felt some instinct that told me if I waited, someone else might be provided. I just had to bide my time.

Eventually the entrance to Rain Dinners was in sight. The large moat that surrounded the casino shown bright with torchlight, and the stars above. It was a beautiful sight.

I walked along the bridge, and then into the main foyer, where I was greeted with exceptional service. A man checked me into the residential estates where I could stay for nights on end. I put a down-payment of a million Beri, which I was told would guarantee my stay for at least a month. However long it took for the Straw Hats or for the Marines to find this place. I tipped the man who helped to bring me and my belongings up with a stack of bills that I estimated to be roughly fifty thousand Beris. How ironic, Nami had freaked out about buying a dress for that much, and here I was giving it away like it was chump change.

Since it was late, I decided that I might as well sleep for the night.

I looked out the window and saw that festivities were still in full boom. I could even still see multiple groups of dancers flitting about in the streets. This place seemed like heaven, after the hard time I had had. I drifted off to sleep thinking of my plans for the next day.

The next morning, I woke up in probably the most comfortable bed I had ever had the privilege of sleeping in. It was amazing how much a good night's rest can do for you.

Thirty minutes to clean myself up, hide forty-five million Beri and my black blade, _Kibayami, _and then walk down to partake of a continental breakfast buffet. Ten minutes to sit in my seat, stuffed with food. Twenty more to get up and peruse all of the games that seemed to be being played in the casino. There were slot machines, poker tables, areas designated for craps and backgammon. It was noisy with so many people betting their lives on the line. I found it exhilarating. Off to the side was the game I was looking for. Roulette.

I had traded in my (roughly) five million Beri for chips, and sat down at one of the tables, making sure I got a seat close to the shooter. I sat and watched a couple of rounds go by, trying to get a feel for how proceedings go. I had yet to actually see one of these roulette wheels in action, but I had of course heard of how it is supposed to work. A wheel with numbers is spun one way, a marble, or ball, or 'pill' is rolled the other way along the wheel. Once both slow down enough, the ball will drop into a colored number and any bets on that number or color are fulfilled. Easy.

As soon as a round was over, I went to work. I got the shooter's attention and beckoned his ear. "Hello, friend. Don't worry, it's normal for no one to hear us like this. I wanted to tell you I'm normally a guest of Sir Crocodile." Hook

"Well, greetings sir!" the man chirped. He was currently passing back some meager winnings to a pair of players who had bet on all black.

"Thank you. Now, as a personal guest, you can normally be honest with me. Tell me, are these tables tampered with so that you can decided the outcome for a specific number?" Line

The table host pulled a cane and swiped away the rest of the losers' money before responding. "Yes, there's a button that I have that gets the ball in, or within one of any number I want."

Sinker. "Great! It's normal for you to let me win when I bet larger than one million Beris on a single number. You will normally let me win, right?"

"Of course, sir, it's just right to happen, isn't it?"

"It is," I smirk. "It's normal for everyone else to hear us now, so be careful."

I let a few more rounds go by, this time participating in the game. I gamble fifty thousand Beri here or there, always going for groups of numbers. Once I actually did win back some of the money that I had been losing, but I knew that altogether, I would get everything I wanted back. The next round, I took a handful of chips and slid them over in front of the Red One. "Two million, on One."

There were some hmms and haws from my tablemates. They figured I had boldened up and was ready to play high stakes. A couple joined me, but on opposing numbers, and others still merely bet their load on the color Red. All in all, there was over seven million Beri on the table. The shooter glanced around the table, waiting for any other bets, but none come. He nodded his head and spun the wheel with a flourish. In his other hand, he flicked the pill and sent it in the opposite direction before laying his hands down on the side of the table. I noticed his palms shift, and the wheel began to slow, the ball falling closer to the numbers. It hits the point of no return and begins bouncing around the wheel, knocking off the wooden stiles and numbers. The wheel then slowed enough for me to follow my number with my eyes. The Red One was creeping along the bottom, then up the sides, sliding across the ceiling, then falling back down, right where the ball was waiting for it. The white marble tipped into a stile, and our table grew quiet.

The stile it had landed in was Red One! I hooted and cheered, playing up my humongous win, even though I had known it was coming. With two million on the line, that was seventy million Beri coming my way! I had already doubled my entire fortune, with just one big shot. Nothing could ruin this!

((Except something could easily ruin it...
Thanks for reading, this might just end Tsujo's dry spell, so let's see how it goes. Anyone who wishes, please comment which of the honeys from Baroque Works is going to be responding to Tsujo's victories? Or, if someone has a better idea for conducting a poll, please message me and I can get that set up too. Choices will be Miss All Sunday (Robin), Miss Double Finger (Zala/Paula), Miss Valentine (Mikita), Miss Father's Day (Frog Girl). These four are by far the most appealing (disregarding fashion choices), and I will be fixing the timeline so that Miss Valentine, Mr. 5, and Miss Goldenweek are present. Note I am not including Miss Goldenweek because her canon age is 16, and I'm not sure if that falls within acceptable content on this site or not. So hopefully we get plenty of responses, and I'll see you all next time.))