"I suddenly feel hungry again. Bring me a medium-well steak."

Lance closed the menu without acknowledging the little girl's thanks, his tone flat.

Blood still pooled across the floor, thick and metallic in the air. For anyone else, the stench alone would kill their appetite. Yet Lance calmly declared he was hungry.

"Y-yes, right away!"

The girl hurried off, nearly tripping over herself.

The manager looked at Lance, his legs trembling, words caught in his throat.

"Save your gratitude. I don't care about your stories or your past. The only thing I'm interested in right now… is steak."

Lance's expression never changed.

He hadn't acted out of kindness or justice. He had simply been annoyed while eating, so he killed the ones who disturbed him. Nothing more. The fact that his methods were monstrous was irrelevant—if anything, the carnage had helped restore his mood.

As for thanks from these people? They were only deluding themselves.

The staff exchanged nervous glances, then silently returned to the kitchen, dragging corpses away and scrubbing at bloodstains.

"White-sama!"

Baccarat swept into the restaurant just as Lance finished his meal, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Her eyes immediately fell on the corpses scattered across the floor, each one a dead subordinate of Tesoro.

For a moment, even she froze. The sight of a man sitting calmly among blood and corpses, eating dinner without a trace of emotion, was… overwhelming.

But she quickly composed herself, forcing a smile.

"It seems some of Tesoro-sama's men troubled you. Since you've already dealt with them, all the better."

These debt-collectors were disposable pawns. No one, least of all Tesoro, would mourn their loss.

"You found me fast. Must've been thanks to the surveillance snails everywhere." Lance exhaled smoke slowly. "I have to admire your professionalism—pretending nothing's wrong even now."

At his words, Baccarat couldn't help but recall what had happened earlier in the casino. The humiliation she had suffered at his hands still lingered, but Tesoro's orders bound her. She had no choice but to continue.

"You're our honored VIP guest. Allowing you to walk alone was my mistake. Please, let me make it up to you."

Her smile didn't falter.

"Then lead the way."

Under the stunned gazes of the restaurant, Lance rose and followed Baccarat out.

"Who is that man? He killed Tesoro's men, and yet Lady Baccarat smiled at him?"

The children whispered in awe.

"I don't know," the manager admitted. "But I do know this—he didn't feel threatening at all. And yet… those men were nothing before him."

The customers around them panicked.

"What do we do now? Tesoro's men are dead!"

"Tesoro-sama will come after us!"

"He'll kill everyone on this island!"

"No, he won't. But if we stay, we'll be dragged down with them. We need to pack and leave—now!"

Fear drove them to scatter, abandoning the restaurant as if chased by death itself.

Meanwhile, outside, the turtle-car returned. The three women—Rebecca, Baby-5, and Monet—were laden with so many luxury goods that even one turtle-car couldn't carry them all. Dozens of attendants had to help ferry the haul back to the Nine Dragons ship.

And yet, for all their extravagant spending, they had burned through only 200 million berries. It was a testament to how much more money there was still to waste.

"VIP room? What's that?" Rebecca asked curiously when Baccarat mentioned their next destination.

"It's a special game Tesoro-sama has prepared for our honored guests," Baccarat explained smoothly. "High risk, high reward. Win, and you could multiply your fortune tenfold. Do you have the courage to try?"

"Ten times?! If we win, we could buy the entire shopping district!" Baby-5's eyes sparkled with stars.

"Baby-5, calm down. Nothing here will be that simple." Monet's tone was cautious.

"I don't care, I want to see it!" Baby-5 bounced with excitement.

Soon, guided by Baccarat, they entered the amusement complex and headed toward the innermost floors.

Ding!

The elevator chimed as it stopped, but the doors didn't open. Instead, a short man with a massive onion-shaped head phased directly through the wall.

"Waaah! Someone came out of the wall!" Rebecca yelped, diving into Baccarat's arms.

"My apologies, honored guests. Allow me to introduce Mister Tanaka, our head of security. He has the Through-Through Fruit, which allows him to pass through anything."

Baccarat gestured gracefully.

"Heh-heh… welcome, guests…" Tanaka gave a strange laugh, then extended his hand. "Please, come with me."

Hand in hand, they followed him—passing straight through the wall itself, stepping into the hidden VIP room.

"An amazing Devil Fruit… if I had it, I'd sneak into my man's room every night," Baby-5 muttered enviously.

"Welcome to the VIP Room," Baccarat declared with a flourish. "Only the world's most powerful and wealthy are permitted here."

The room's style was a stark contrast to the golden casino outside. Classical decor, genuine antiques, priceless furniture—it was luxury in another form, understated but no less extravagant.

"So the special game you mentioned is just odd-or-even betting?" Monet's sharp eyes scanned the tables. Simple games of chance, high stakes riding on dice rolls.

"That's right. Though here, the rules are… slightly different." Baccarat smiled knowingly.

Monet's frown deepened as she noticed Navy officers in Justice cloaks gambling nearby, laughing and shouting.

"Even the Marines are here?" she muttered.

"Of course. This ship is a World Government-recognized neutral zone. Even the Navy has no authority to make arrests here," Baccarat said smoothly, before turning back toward Lance. Her eyes glimmered.

"Well then, White-sama… would you care to try our special game?"

(End of Chapter)

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