Orion's tone was gentle, and he even wore a smile on his face.
But the words "you'll all die" fell like an invisible mountain, crashing down upon Tesoro and Baccarat, instantly freezing the air in the private room and making it suffocating.
Was this the pressure of the Marines' Fleet Admiral?
Baccarat's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat, her heart pounding wildly.
So terrifying!
She recalled how at the port, she had foolishly attempted to steal this man's luck through a handshake.
Thankfully, thankfully Hancock had stopped her back then.
With Orion's terrifying aura—seemingly amiable yet capable of deciding life and death with a flick of his wrist—her petty tricks would likely have been detected on the spot, leading to her immediate execution.
Because her Lucky-Lucky Fruit wasn't invincible; it required physical contact to activate.
Facing this unfathomable Fleet Admiral of the Marines, forget about stealing his luck—she probably couldn't even get within three steps of him.
Tesoro was equally shaken, but after all, he was the ambitious Golden Emperor, backed by the powerful Gold-Gold Fruit.
"Hehehehe..." Tesoro let out his signature eerie laugh, bowing deeply to Orion. "If the Fleet Admiral wishes to play, I'll naturally accompany you to the end."
"If Baccarat loses, I assure you, not a single pirate currently in Grand Tesoro will survive!"
After speaking, he turned his head and said to Baccarat in a low voice.
"What are you standing there for? Make sure the Fleet Admiral enjoys himself."
Baccarat took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear in her heart, and forced a professional smile back onto her face.
She gracefully walked to the gambling table opposite Orion, her slender fingers picking up a pure gold coin from the table, flipping it nimbly between her fingers.
"Fleet Admiral, shall we play best of three, or best of five?"
Orion leaned back in his chair, smiling as he shook his head. "I'm in a hurry, so let's settle this in one round."
At this point, Orion raised his eyes to scrutinize Baccarat, his gaze seeming to see through everything as he said with a faint smile.
"I want to see whether Lady Luck favors you, the Lucky-Lucky Fruit user, or me more."
Clink.
Baccarat's heart jolted violently, and the gold coin flipping between her fingers slipped silently from her grasp.
...
Meanwhile.
In a brilliantly lit amusement park somewhere in Grand Tesoro.
Nami, Nojiko, and Koala were excitedly weaving through the crowd.
"Wow! This golden merry-go-round—if we melted it down, it'd be worth at least thirty million Berries!"
"And that golden roller coaster! Oh my god, I'm so happy I could faint!"
Nami's eyes had already transformed into two spinning Berry symbols, and she was practically ready to throw herself onto the amusement rides.
Just then, several pirates reeking of alcohol, clearly up to no good, staggered over and surrounded them.
Leading them was a one-eyed man with a brutish face, who grinned with yellowed teeth and shamelessly eyed the three girls.
"Three little cuties, isn't the amusement park boring?" the one-eyed man chuckled. "We've got plenty of money. How about joining us for a drink? We'll make sure you have a good time!"
Nojiko frowned, stepping in front to shield Nami and Koala.
But Nami snapped out of her money-fueled fantasy, planting her hands on her hips as she cast a disdainful glance at the pirates.
"You? A few lousy coins and you think you can buy us drinks?" She curled her lip scornfully. "Even if you emptied your entire savings, it probably wouldn't be enough to buy a single strand of my hair."
"What did you say?!" The one-eyed man's face darkened, and the other pirates beside him flashed menacing looks.
"You're refusing my favor? Today, you're coming with us whether you want to or not!"
The one-eyed man roared and reached out to grab Nami.
At that moment, a slightly confused voice came from nearby.
"Um... excuse me, which way to the bar?"
Everyone turned to look and saw a young man with green short hair and three swords at his waist, standing not far away with a puzzled expression.
It was Zoro, who happened to be passing by after getting lost.
"Get lost, kid!" the one-eyed man barked impatiently, seeing it was just some clueless youth. "Don't interrupt our business!"
Zoro scratched his head, finally taking in the situation.
He quickly stepped forward, positioning himself between the pirates and the three girls.
"What do you think you're doing to them?"
"Do you want to die you damn brat!"
Enraged that a mere kid like Zoro would dare interfere, the one-eyed man swung his fist at him.
"Looking to die?"
Zoro's eyes glinted coldly. "Who the hell do you think you are!"
Before the words faded, Shusui was swiftly drawn from his waist!
"One-Sword Style: Iai: Lion's Song!"
A flash of cold light sliced through the air.
The one-eyed man's movements froze abruptly.
He glanced down at the thin red line across his chest, disbelief flooding his eyes, before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
"Boss!"
The remaining pirates were horrified.
They drew their weapons and charged at Zoro with furious roars.
"Fools."
"Two-Sword Style: Hawk Wave!"
Two slashing waves shot out, instantly sending the two pirates at the front flying backward.
"Two-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt!"
Zoro spun, his two swords whipping up a fierce whirlwind that engulfed the remaining pirates.
After the flurry of blades, they lay battered and unconscious on the ground.
The fight that erupted in the amusement park quickly drew the attention of nearby pirates.
A tall pirate, watching the men Zoro had cut down, clutched his stomach and laughed uproariously.
"This is hilarious! You've made it to the New World, yet you can't even handle a kid! What a disgrace!"
Beside him, another pirate stared intently at Zoro, his face gradually turning deathly pale.
"That green-haired guy, and those women... I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."
He suddenly remembered something, his eyes widening in shock, his voice trembling with fear.
"Damn it! They're Marine interns following Fleet Admiral Orion to the New World for training!"
"What?!"
As these words echoed, the entire amusement park erupted into chaos.
"Fleet Admiral Orion?!"
"Damn! Why would he come to Grand Tesoro?!"
"Run! Everyone, escape!"
The once bustling amusement park instantly transformed into a house of horrors.
All the pirates, as if they had seen a ghost, threw away their liquor bottles and chips, frantically surging toward the port, desperate to flee the City of Gold at the earliest opportunity.
However, just as they rushed out of the amusement park, a flood of suited bodyguards emerged, blocking all exits completely.
The lead bodyguard, holding a golden spear, coldly declared.
"The Grand Tesoro port is now closed. No one is permitted to leave! Those who defy this order will be executed without mercy!"
The pirates paid no heed to these bodyguards.
Compared to these mere security guards, the Fleet Admiral who had fought his way from the first half of the Grand Line into the New World with his interns was the true God of Death!
"Break through!"
"Anyone who stands in my way, dies!"
Without another word, the two sides immediately engaged in battle.
Although the pirates were outnumbered, they were not lacking in strength—many among them had bounties exceeding a hundred million, some even approaching five hundred million.
Their combat experience far surpassed that of these bodyguards.
In an instant, the air was filled with the glint of blades and the splatter of blood.
The bodyguards were quickly forced into retreat.
Just as the pirates thought they could carve a path to freedom and escape...
The pirate at the forefront suddenly froze, his entire body as if paralyzed, unable to move.
Then, golden liquid gushed violently from his seven orifices, swiftly covering his entire body!
In the blink of an eye, a living person had turned into a glittering golden statue.
This bizarre sight brought everyone to a halt.
Then came the second, the third...
One after another, the pirates froze in silent terror, only to be completely engulfed by the gold erupting from within their bodies.
---------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator