Chapter 32: Jack’s Casino

"Snore~~!"

"Snore snore snore~~~!"

Over here, Vivian was sound asleep in the corner of the tavern.

Meanwhile, Smoker received a phone call and frowned.

"Straw Hat has already landed on Drum Island? The island with advanced medical technology?"

"Moving fast…"

Just a few days ago, they received news of the Straw Hat crew near Whiskey Peak, and now they were already on Drum Island.

"Looks like we need to get there early to intercept them," Smoker said.

Having stayed on BBQ Island for several days, enjoying the food, it was time to get back to business now that they had news of the Straw Hat crew.

"But… what about the local gang?" Tashigi asked.

"It's just a gang. If we leave it to Vivian, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Smoker glanced at Vivian, "Now that he's taking this step, we should give him a chance to earn some merit."

He had volunteered to escort Buggy to Impel Down.

And now he volunteered to capture the local gang and help the civilians get justice.

It was as if he saw the brave young man from two years ago, who risked his life to save a ship full of civilians.

"Then I'll stay and continue helping Vivian," Tashigi said.

Smoker: (?_?)

"Tashigi… are you…"

"Of course not!"

Tashigi's face turned red, and she loudly retorted, "I'm just worried that Vivian might run into trouble if left alone. After all, he just got promoted to Chief Petty Officer and doesn't understand many things. This is just normal concern between colleagues, nothing like what you're thinking!"

"I just wanted to ask if you think Vivian can't handle those gang members… Do you have to be so extra?" Smoker was bewildered.

Tashigi: (°ー°〃)

"In that case, I'll stay too," Kuto raised his hand. "As a colleague, I also have a duty to show my concern…"

"I think you just haven't had enough barbecue!" The soldiers roared at him.

Kuto: "…"

…

About three and a half hours later.

"Ugh…" Vivian sat up from the ground, stretched, and turned to see Kuto gnawing on a large meat bone in front of him.

Vivian: "…"

"I slept then woke up, and you're still eating?"

"No way." Kuto wiped the oil from his mouth, "I just got a little hungry, so I grabbed another piece to fill my stomach."

"You get hungry really fast…" Vivian couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

Kuto was an ultimate foodie, eating five meals a day, and whenever he appeared in the cafeteria, the staff would get nervous and call for extra help to serve him.

And that wasn't all.

Looking at his fair, tall, and thin appearance, it was clear that he not only ate a lot but also didn't gain weight.

Vivian often wondered where all the food he ate went.

"By the way, where's Captain Smoker?"

"Oh, he is going to catch Luffy."

"What?"

Vivian jumped up, "When did he leave?"

"Three hours ago." Kuto, chewing on his meat, looked at him puzzled, "Is there a problem?"

No problem?

Of course there's a problem!

That's a 21 Great Grade Sword task.

Do you think just taking down an ordinary gang can complete such a high-level task?

There must be a catch!

For example, the gang leader might be a former great pirate from the New World, who lost all his comrades to an unprecedentedly powerful enemy. Losing the will to continue adventuring, he chose to retire and settled on BBQ Island in the first half of the Grand Line, founding the current gang.

Hmm… a very reasonable plot.

Vivian quickly simulated several versions of the story in his mind, but in all of them, the gang leader's strength was undoubtedly formidable!

After all, the system wouldn't give him such an easy option to earn such a rich reward.

So…

"With Smoker, who could share the difficulty of the task, gone, doesn't that greatly increase my risk?"

"Task? What task? Did you receive a task I don't know about?" Kuto asked.

"Forget it, I don't feel like explaining."

Scratching his head in frustration, Vivian was feeling down when he saw Tashigi, with her Shigure at her waist, rushing in.

"Vivian, I've got news. Those guys are gambling at the town's casino. Should we go take them down?"

"You didn't leave?" Vivian blinked.

"You want me to leave?" Tashigi retorted.

"Uh… it's fine. The more people, the better." Vivian nodded.

Tashigi was at least a competent swordsman. Although he didn't know if she had reached the level of a "swordsman," she should be able to handle a couple of minor bosses, right?

Thinking this, Vivian took a cigar, put it in his mouth, and said seriously, "Where's the casino? Take me there."

…

"I have a question." On the way, Kuto suddenly spoke.

"Just ask." Blowing out a smoke ring, Vivian glanced at him, signaling him to speak up.

"Where did you get the cigar?"

"Oh, when I first entered the tavern, I saw a box on the table. I thought it was a gift from you guys, so I took it." Vivian said nonchalantly.

Kuto: "…"

Tashigi: "…"

Captain Smoker is probably cursing loudly on the ship right now, they both thought.

"We're here."

Soon, Vivian, Kuto, and Tashigi arrived at the entrance of a casino. The three of them looked up at the sign above the shop.

"Jack's Casino."

Jack?

No way…

Vivian instinctively swallowed.

Could it be Drought Jack's casino?

But there's no mention in the original story that the Beasts Pirates' business extends this far.

"The Four Emperors' territories are all in the New World, aren't they?"

And…

With Jack's intelligence, he probably couldn't run a casino, right? {There can be other people named Jack}