"Little ones! It's party time!"
On a deserted island, Roger, feigning deep thought for three seconds, raised his sword and roared.
"Emperor's Flying Kick!" The words had barely left his lips when Nero kicked Roger squarely in the back of the head with both feet, then grabbed his collar and delivered another punch.
"You idiot! Party! Party! Ever since we set sail, it's been nothing but parties! Three months and still partying? I'll make you a party!!!"
"I can't help it! Newgate is running around everywhere. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in years. Ha, hahahaha!"
Roger suddenly burst out laughing, perhaps remembering something.
A cross mark appeared on Nero's forehead, and she landed two more punches on Roger's head: "Is there something funny about what I said?"
"No, nothing, it's just... *pfft*... I heard Newgate is starting to go bald... Ya hahahaha!" Roger laughed unrestrainedly, especially thinking of Newgate's enviable golden hair.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hehehehehe!"
"Kuskuskus!"
The others also burst into laughter. Except for a very few newcomers, everyone else and Newgate were old rivals from the same era.
"Hmm, what's so funny about going bald... *pfft*..."
"You laughed! You haven't even met him, and you're already mocking a stranger!"
DUANG!
With a smoking fist and a large bump on Roger's head, Nero retorted, "I didn't laugh!"
"Big Sister! Your juice is already chilled!"
"And the parasol and beach chairs are all set up!"
"Hmm, you two worked hard, Buggy and Shanks!" Nero turned to thank them both before letting go of Roger.
"What's the big idea! Aren't you also ready to enjoy the party?" Roger muttered under his breath.
Nero kept walking, pretending not to hear Roger's complaint.
As one of the extremely rare female combatants on the ship, and quite attractive, Nero naturally received a lot of care on board.
"And Buggy, Shanks! You two betrayed me too quickly, didn't you?"
"Sorry, Captain! Big Sister promised to teach me Kamisari!" Shanks said sincerely, adjusting his straw hat.
"Bastard! That's my special move!" Roger roared.
"Big Sister promised to give me Nicuss Emperor's treasure map, so sorry, Captain! Let's not talk much later, I'm afraid Big Sister will misunderstand!" Buggy even took a few steps back and drew a dividing line with his foot.
"You... damn it!" Roger angrily pounded the ground, deciding he needed to seize an opportunity to show Nero a thing or two.
"Nero, come fight me!" Bullet walked to the beach chair, his massive body blocking the sun and casting a shadow.
"Hmm, you finished?" Nero pulled down half of his sunglasses, looking at Bullet suspiciously.
"Who do you think I am?" Bullet extended his fist and opened it, revealing a small bottle containing several white, ping-pong-ball-sized dumplings.
"The Sea Kings meatballs you wanted, pounded a million times, I've made them! It's time to fulfill our agreement and fight me, Nero!"
Bullet's smile was terrifying, like a demon lost in the human world, but the sight of him holding several meatballs made it impossible for Nero to take him seriously.
It took Nero two seconds to barely manage not to laugh aloud, covering her mouth with her fist to hide it. Then Nero spoke: "Hmm... *cough*... Hathaway, please keep the meatballs safe for now. I'll deal with this quickly."
"Oh? Is a fight about to break out?"
"Bullet! How many times has this been?"
"I can't help it. To be completely surpassed by a newcomer in such a short time, if it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand it either."
"On the latest bounty poster, Nero's bounty has also surpassed his. Although I knew this day would come sooner or later, it's too fast!"
Hearing this news, Bullet barely managed not to turn around. He had been pounding meatballs for the past two days, and he didn't expect to lose to Nero on the latest bounty poster as well. His fists were starting to itch.
"Bets open! Bets open! Bet on Nero for 1 to 1.1, bet on Bullet for 1 to 3!" Rayleigh, who knows where he dragged a table from, shouted loudly.
"What? Me, me, me! I want to bet on Nero!"
"Nero! All my possessions!"
"All-in is a kind of wisdom, Nero!"
"Does this even need consideration, Rayleigh! I'm betting on Nero too!"
Even Roger squeezed in, pulling out all his savings.
Seeing this scene, Bullet felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and so did Master Rayleigh, the bookie.
"Ahem, everyone listen to me!" Rayleigh was drenched in cold sweat. This wave could lead to starting all over again if he wasn't careful.
"We, the Roger Pirates, are now a famous pirate crew! Don't you all have any drive?"
"1 to 1.1! What's the difference between that and begging on your knees? This is gambling! If you don't gamble on that slim possibility, if you don't covet the greater benefits behind it! Can you even be considered famous great pirates?"
"Well said, Rayleigh! Then I'll bet everything on Bullet!"
Roger was moved to tears by these words, pushing his treasure towards the direction representing Bullet, and at the same time, he showed a charming evil smile: "Bullet! I'm willing to bet everything for your slim possibility!"
At the same time, he gave Nero a look that said, 'Today you ignore me, tomorrow I'll be beyond your reach.'
"Roger! You..." Rayleigh looked at Roger with emotion. Even an idiot, if used in the right place, can play a huge role.
"Captain..."
"I'm going for it! Rayleigh is right, how can a pirate be afraid to take a gamble?"
"Count me in, I'm also willing to believe in Bullet's slim possibility!"
"Go for it, Bullet!"
"Take down Nero!"
"Bullet, we believe in you!"
The members of the pirate crew all cheered for Bullet, making Bullet want to deal with them first.
"One hundred million Berries! I bet on Her Majesty to win!"
Rayleigh's eye twitched, and he quickly spoke as he looked at Hathaway's money pouch: "Alright! Once the bets are placed, no changes allowed!"
He compared it to the amounts of the other idiots on the ship and let out a sigh of relief. Good, he could still make a small profit in the end.
Besides Jabba, he had actually overlooked Hathaway too. How careless!
"Huh? So fast? I haven't placed my bet yet! Vice Captain, could you make an exception?" Buggy, who had just brought all his possessions from the ship, heard Rayleigh closing the bets and urgently pleaded.
Rayleigh pushed up his glasses, the white reflection obscuring his expression: "Hmph~ Alright, Buggy, who do you want to bet on?"
"Huh? Does that even need asking? Of course, it's Big Sister!" Buggy was puzzled. Could there really be an idiot betting on Bullet?
Rayleigh: "Oh... then no!"
Buggy: "..."