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Chapter 107: Nothing Venture, Nothing Gain
Chapter 107: Nothing Venture, Nothing Gain
Without Crocodile's presence and with no interference from the Baroque Works agents, this gambling city was like a pile of money just waiting for Sag to pick it up.
It was like a skinned and roasted lamb, ready for him to take a bite.
Most of Sag's men charged into the Rain Banquet, directly proceeding to rob the place. They took cash from the gamblers and the casino's own reserves and treasures without discrimination.
The remaining pirates didn't spare the other casinos in Rain Town either, nor the gamblers wandering outside who had chosen their preferred gambling venues.
Regardless of the amount, the money these gamblers carried was meant to be spent, so the pirates figured, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"Stop!"
However, the chaos had barely begun when the deputy manager of the Rain Banquet rushed out and shouted, "This place belongs to the hero of Alabasta and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile! Don't you fear death?"
"We are under the employment of Heavenly Disaster!"
One of the pirates grinned ferociously and said, "Who cares about the Seven Warlords? Hand over the money!"
"He...Heavenly Disaster?"
The deputy manager was stunned. He then saw Sag walking in through the front door with Renee.
"Lord Sag?!"
The deputy manager stared, wide-eyed. "Why is it you?"
He recognized Sag from the wanted posters, and also because the previous manager had invited Sag in, and they seemed to be on good terms. Sag had even been provided with some transportation tools and a log pointer.
"Haven't you received the news in a whole day?" Sag walked to one of the bars inside the casino, picked up a bottle of liquor, and popped the cork with his thumb. After taking a few gulps, he said, "That crocodile has lost and no longer cares about anything. Our partnership is null and void now. This place no longer belongs to Crocodile, so hand over the money. If you don't give it to me, the Alabasta government will shut this place down in a few days anyway. The outcome is the same for you."
"L...Lost?"
The deputy manager couldn't make sense of the situation, but he understood Sag's words.
This casino was no longer under anyone's protection.
"Lord Sag, there's no need to rob the place, though. If you're taking over..."
The Rain Banquet was his pride and joy. Although the owner and manager were here to oversee things, it was he, as the deputy manager, who handled the actual casino operations. No matter what, he wouldn't give up easily.
If Crocodile was no longer an option, then having the protection of such a formidable pirate would be ideal.
"I'm a wanted pirate; I can't do that. I want the business, but not in the beginning. I'll take it over later on." Sag smiled and turned to look at the deputy manager. "You have a good head on your shoulders and strong willpower. How about this: when I've established myself and you've made it to the New World, if you still feel the same way, come find me."
He gestured with the bottle in his hand to his men and said, "For now, don't hold us up while we're robbing the place!"
Hearing this, the pirates resumed their looting. These dozens of men, with their gleaming weapons and fierce appearances, intimidated the thousands of people in the casino into silence. No one dared to utter a word as they were robbed.
The deputy manager was sensible and knew that the situation was irreversible. He could only lead a few pirates to the casino's cash vault.
"That's my money! My money!"
Things had been going smoothly, but as a pirate holding a knife demanded money from a gambler, the latter let out a miserable howl. "This is my last stake! You can't take it! I need to win back my losses! If you take it all, I'll have nothing left! This is money pooled together by my whole family. They're waiting for me to recoup my losses and provide for them!"
Sag walked over and found the man sitting at a blackjack table, his face deathly pale as he clutched a few bills in his hand.
The man had nothing left on the table, not even a single chip.
"I remember you," Sag said as he glanced at the gambler. "You were sitting next to me two days ago. Have you been here gambling for two days straight with money pooled together by your family? Is that why you're here?"
Sag delivered a powerful kick to the gambler, sending the few bills and coins he was clutching flying. Among them were only two 10,000-Berry bills, with the rest being small change that didn't even amount to 30,000 berries.
"Let me teach you a lesson," Sag continued as he bent down to pick up the scattered money, handing it to one of his men. "If you truly care about your family, you should be working hard to provide for them instead of indulging in fantasies of striking it rich here!"
Only the gambling den itself profits from gambling.
These people aren't even worth considering as small fries.
They may be poor, but it's the kind of poverty that Sag is willing to plunder.
There's no reason he can't take what the gambling den takes.
The robbery continued, with some gamblers crying out and desperately clinging to their money. However, faced with the threat of weapons, they ultimately valued their lives more.
They experienced a unique sense of powerlessness.
Losing everything at the gambling tables left one powerless.
Being robbed and left with nothing achieved the same outcome.
In the end, there was no difference.
Some people trembled in fear, some wailed and fell to the ground, but there were also those who experienced a great epiphany.
A skinny man stared blankly at the money being taken from him, his gaze fixed on his hands, which were no longer as strong and robust as they used to be. He fell into a daze...
How long had it been since he'd last eaten a proper meal? To save money, he'd skimped and scraped by on meager meals.
Life used to be tough but fulfilling in the desert. While the earnings were modest, they were enough to get by, and he used to enjoy a happy life with his family. But ever since he came to Rain Town, things had never been the same again.
Year after year, the money he earned was squandered in the gambling dens. Each time, he told himself that he would stop gambling once he won back his losses. Yet, every time, he ended up losing everything.
It wasn't that he had never won back his losses before. It was the greed that took hold of his heart, always thinking that luck was on his side and that he could win some more. And then, everything would be lost.
The money he held now was borrowed from his family. It was the last bit of money they had for buying water, and he had deceived his family countless times to gain their trust and bring the money here.
If he had lost it all, he probably would have continued down this path of obsession.
But now, being robbed, he suddenly saw the light.
These pirates were the embodiment of the gambling den!
There was no difference in the powerlessness they induced!
"Then, what's the point of it all?"
The gambler covered his face with his hands, and tears flowed from his eyes, which had long lost their sparkle due to his family's pleas falling on deaf ears.
There were better pursuits to strive for and more responsibilities waiting to be fulfilled.
But what had he been doing all these years? Slap!
He suddenly slapped himself and stormed out of the Rain Banquet.
(End of Chapter)
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