CHAPTER 71:Black and White

They were observing Weiwei—and she was "observing" them in return.

Anxiety, excitement, restlessness, frustration, obsession—the tangle of emotions made it difficult for her to distinguish one from another. Every time the roulette wheel spun and the ball fell, emotions spiked so sharply that she could "see" them clearly, even with her eyes closed.

"Hey, miss! If you're not placing a bet, I'll have to ask you to leave!" The croupier, trying to stay polite, urged her as she sat motionless, silent.

"Huh? Can little girls bet here?"

"You exchanged chips, didn't you?"

"Ah, right... I'm a little confused. Then I'll bet... bet white."

As the croupier called out "No more bets," the ball spun rapidly before gradually slowing and dropping into the black 22 pocket.

"Black!"

"Again? Two in a row? I swear the next one has to be white!"

Weiwei's first bet was a loss. She didn't react. A million beli? She could earn that by taking down a second-rate pirate.

Then came the second round, the third... By the fifth round, though she clearly bet on black, the dealer claimed the ball landed on white and swept away her chips.

The dealer was watching her closely, and the other gamblers began exchanging glances. Around the table, subtle nods were shared. Everyone, except the "blind girl," was in sync with the dealer.

Weiwei sensed the shift immediately. The unease and frustration from earlier had vanished. What replaced them was the unmistakable heat of greed.

She placed her next bet on white, but the table went black. The result? The dealer falsely declared black as the winner.

Now she understood. They were all playing her.

Every emotion they gave off—delight, hunger, anticipation—pointed to one truth: they were in this together.

So she got serious.

With every spin, Weiwei focused intently on the sound of the wheel and the bounce of the ball, sharpening her mental clarity, cutting through the noise.

"I bet black."

The croupier smiled. "Too bad, little girl. You lost again."

"I'll keep betting black."

"Luck's not on your side tonight."

"…Ten in a row? All white? That's impossible! Are you seriously trying to cheat a blind girl?"

"How could we?"

"Our casino is known for fairness."

"Yeah, you're just unlucky. We all saw it."

Both gamblers and dealer played dumb.

Even a Buddha could get angry—and Weiwei was no Buddha. Still, she kept her anger in check, exaggerating her shock to let off steam.

Gritting her teeth, she said, "This one—I swear I'll win this one with black. I don't believe it anymore!"

"What?! White again? No way! Fifteen straight white?"

"Seventeen? Still white?!"

Her loud exclamations drew attention. Soon, other gamblers began to crowd around, fascinated by someone seemingly more cursed than themselves.

The casino owner stepped in, pushing aside the greedy croupier with a scowl. This level of blatant cheating threatened the casino's credibility.

But with the game already exposed, it was too late to backpedal. Whether the dealer would be punished later didn't matter now. For the moment, the casino had to stay firm.

To maintain control, they started rigging the wheel more subtly. Even as Weiwei bet on black three times in a row, the ball conveniently landed on white—again and again.

Twenty straight rounds of white? Unrealistic—but the owner insisted it was pure chance.

Seven or eight bouncers were now stationed nearby. The issue wasn't Weiwei's money anymore—it was keeping the atmosphere under control.

Weiwei lost her initial 1 million beli, then exchanged another 9 million and kept betting black.

The 21st round? White.

22nd? White.

23rd? Still white.

Her losses mounted. Her frustration seemed to rise, but she returned with 20 million more in chips.

The casino owner hesitated, clearly shaken. But after a moment, he nodded. Keep going.

"Thirty-three in a row? All white?! You've got to be kidding me. Guys, seriously, are they really white? Am I being scammed?" she asked the crowd.

"Yeah, girl, your luck is just cursed!"

"Totally unlucky. We're all watching—you're just bad at this."

Weiwei sighed. "If black isn't black anymore... what exactly is white?"

The gamblers flared up. "Watch your mouth! You accusing us of bullying you?"

"You're just unlucky! Deal with it!"

The owner watched with satisfaction, having shifted the crowd's focus.

Weiwei listened carefully, studying the emotions. Beneath their surface guilt lay a deeper layer—glee. They were enjoying this.

Gamblers, normally powerless in the casino, now found someone even weaker: her. She became the new scapegoat. That reversed dynamic satisfied their bitter, losing hearts.

Evil. She could feel it like crashing waves.

And with calm, honed observation, she saw it. Malice stabbed into her like needles. Every glance toward her carried the sharpness of predatory intent. She had crafted a battlefield where she was the bait—and wolves circled in.

Zefa once said that to awaken Observation Haki, he threw recruits onto islands full of giant beasts, forcing them to survive through sharpening their senses against killing intent.

Weiwei didn't want to go that far. People were beasts too. She believed honing Observation in the crowd was enough.

She could feel it now. Amid the noise, the lies, and the danger, she was standing on the edge—just one breath away—from truly awakening her Haki.

But she needed a little more heat... a little more pressure.

Just a little more.