Chapter 56: Contained Cataclysm
The entire tavern watched.
Two odd individuals engaged in an odd wager, behaving oddly.
But so what?
Regardless of winner or loser, free drinks for all!
"Uncle, hang in there!"
"Don't let your guard down, young man!"
"Hey, let's get some lively music going!"
"…"
...
Lively music played.
Yet beads of cold sweat dotted both Vergil and Fujitora's brows.
"Hah…" Vergil had forgotten Fujitora was broke. Fujitora didn't know Vergil was penniless. But now, the whole tavern was watching.
To lose and be unable to pay the bet… would be utterly, shamefully disappointing!
"Ohhh…" Fujitora offered a dry grin. "I cannot afford to lose now!"
"And I have my own reasons to win…" Vergil's grin widened. The "Kun" trigram pattern emerged in his irises, beginning a slow rotation.
This wasn't a battlefield demanding great force, yet it was equally perilous. To control the dice's final outcome required meticulousness.
Feeling the dice's faces through minute dust particles on the table, then applying delicate force to shift them—Vergil's first attempt at such precision.
He licked his lips, a faint red gleam seeping into his pupils.
So much fun…
...
The small metal bowl sat inverted on the table. After vigorous shaking, it stilled. Neither moved to reveal it.
The outcome remained undecided.
Both extended two fingers, placing them on opposite sides of the bowl.
The Zushi Zushi no Mi and Chīguǐ Form activated simultaneously.
Minute. Exquisite.
Two distinct Devil Fruit powers leaked in trickles, seeping into the bowl.
Fine threads of dust, condensed under Vergil's control, stretched to nudge the dice—how he'd won the first round.
But this time, as the dust-threads touched the dice, Vergil met immovable resistance. Like biting into an old, rock-hard popsicle—teeth-jarring!
"Hm?!" Vergil glanced at Fujitora, but staring was pointless. He simply closed his eyes, focusing intently.
Is this the Gravity Fruit's power?
First, Observation Haki to sense the dice faces. Then, manipulate subtle gravity to flip them.
Vergil's eyes lit up. "Devil Fruits can be used like this?!"
Dozens of dust-threads spread, straining to budge one die, only to be crushed by the gravity field.
"Ohhh…" Fujitora, eyes closed, spoke slowly. "Since you insist on winning, I must be serious."
The Gravity Fruit's power spread, seizing absolute control of all three dice.
"I consumed the Zushi Zushi no Mi—the Gravity-Gravity Fruit. It allows control over gravity's strength and direction."
His face flushed slightly with embarrassment. "Apologies, young demon. I cannot bear the disgrace of dining without payment…"
The bowl lifted.
Reveal—
1-1-1.
Small.
"Uncle wins!"
"These two's gambling luck is insane…"
"It's tied! Final round decides it!"
"…"
Cheers and chatter erupted.
Yet the two gamblers were already panting from tension.
"Say…" Vergil raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Is this still gambling?"
"Gambling's charm lies in the unknown, young demon!" Fujitora wiped his face, breathing heavily. "Neither of us knows the outcome now. Isn't that gambling?"
"…"
"Right!"
Vergil nodded, leaning in, signaling Fujitora to begin the final round.
Clatter. Three dice into the bowl.
Both grasped it again, rocking it across the table. But this time, their powers clashed from the first shake.
Dust from the table's wooden planks, gathered by Vergil, coalesced into fine threads. Fujitora, manipulating dice gravity, used their corners to batter the dust-strings.
Within that palm-sized bowl, a "microscopic" war raged.
Beyond raw power, both Vergil and Fujitora pushed their Devil Fruit mastery to the limit. Two cataclysmic forces collided, confined by the tiny bowl. If that "world" were magnified a hundredfold, the duel between "gravity" and "earth" would surely destroy it.
Crack!
A crisp sound. The round table before them, unable to withstand the pressure, split.
But Vergil and Fujitora were beyond caring. They could shatter the dice, end the game—the bet's outcome no longer mattered. Both sought to overpower the other within that tiny vessel.
Simultaneously, they slammed the table. The bowl and dice tumbled to the tavern floor.
Boom!
The bowl hit the ground. Vergil and Fujitora simply dropped to the floor, shaking the dice together.
The onlookers stared, bewildered.
"Hey… what are these two doing?"
"I felt… a shiver."
"Shaking dice on the floor? As absurd as jumping to guess in mid-air!"
"…"
For a moment, the Gravity Fruit and Chīguǐ Form's powers saturated the bowl, an eerie aura spreading.
The three dice danced violently.
"Demon-brother… it ends now…"
"Not yet!"
Both strained. The bowl was about to be unveiled.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
A pure white steel greatsword descended, smashing the bowl, pulverizing the three dice.
"Hm?!"
Their "gambling duel" interrupted, both looked up—one with sight, the other with Observation Haki.
A two-handed greatsword. Unlike a conventional katana, it was a tall, double-edged blade wielded one-handed.
Vergil followed the arm to its wielder: a young man in pristine white light armor.
Nearly three meters tall, neat dark-golden hair, a handsome, clean face, a sunny demeanor.
He didn't seem hostile.
And judging by Fujitora's reaction, the young man's intent was… "goodwill."
Who was he?
"Sirs."
Before Vergil or Fujitora could speak, the young man sheathed his sword, bowed slightly, and placed his right hand over his heart in an unfamiliar salute.
"This is Elegia. A Land of Music, filled with love and peace."
He gestured nearby.
Vergil and Fujitora, absorbed in their contest, had unknowingly radiated an aura affecting their surroundings. The adults managed, but children playing outside the tavern were trembling.
Life's instinct drove children to fear "power."
Power like Alvin Vergil's.
Power like Fujitora's.
And power like… this young man's.
"I arrived with my father to attend the music festival. A pleasure to meet you."
The young man helped Vergil and Fujitora to their feet, smiling warmly.
"I hail from Arland, the Knight Kingdom of the Grand Line."
"Prince, and Grand Knight Commander—"
"Gia Zorian."
(End of Chapter 56)
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