"There's nothing wrong with that. Forty billion Berries, even. Let's start."

Lance walked over and sat cross-legged beside Tesoro, his expression calm and unshaken.

"Hahaha! Mr. Lance, you are truly straightforward!"

Tesoro laughed heartily and raised his hand, signaling Dice to begin.

At the same time, he exchanged a glance with Baccarat, and she gave a subtle nod.

After all, this was nothing more than Tesoro's casino, crafted for the Gran Tesoro's guests!

No real skill was needed—before the dice were revealed, all Baccarat had to do was touch Lance lightly, and her Lucky Lucky Fruit would twist his fortune, throwing him into a streak of bad luck.

With this, Tesoro could easily crush him without lifting a finger.

Tesoro had used this trick countless times, stripping VIP guests of everything, leaving them bankrupt and drowning in debt, condemned to remain enslaved in this golden city to pay it back.

"Begin!"

Dice hurled the two massive iron dice into the air, shook the giant cup hard, then slammed it down.

"Mr. Lance, once you've placed your bet, you are my guest!"

Baccarat approached silently, slipped off her glove, and reached her hand toward Lance's shoulder.

No one noticed her—every pair of eyes was locked on the dice cup.

But Lance, of course, noticed her movement the moment she made it.

He did not dodge. He did not resist. Instead, he allowed her hand to rest upon his shoulder, the corner of his lips lifting in a faint smile.

Seeing this, Tesoro, Tanaka, and the guests around them all revealed strange, mocking grins.

Bang!

The cup shattered beneath Dice's headbutt.

"Eleven points, odd!"

The result was announced—Lance had just lost the entire 40 billion Berries!

"The show begins!"

"He lost 40 billion in one go! Haha, I can't wait to see how devastated he is!"

"Do you think he'll go mad on the spot? That's forty billion Berries!"

The onlookers burst into gleeful chatter, thrilled at the thought of Lance collapsing in despair. The worse he looked, the happier they felt.

"Ah! Benefactor…"

Rebecca pouted sadly, feeling awful for Lance. "Let's leave, please! Don't gamble anymore!"

"We can't leave! Losing ten billion, how could we just walk away? We must win it back!"

Baby 5 clenched her fists, unwilling to accept defeat, urging him on.

"Baby 5, Rebecca, stop it. He knows what he's doing."

Monet didn't say more, but her sharp gaze caught Tesoro's ploy. She was certain—Lance was no man who allowed himself to be taken advantage of.

"My, my, it seems your luck isn't so good today, Mr. Lance."

Tesoro's harmless smile betrayed the pride in his eyes.

In one move, he had recovered all the lost money—plus the ten billion Lance had put down at the start. How could he not be pleased?

"My luck does seem poor."

Lance's voice was steady, as if he had expected the loss. His face betrayed no change. "I'd like another round. But this time, I'll need to borrow one hundred billion chips. How about it?"

He glanced at Tesoro.

"One hundred billion Berries?"

Tesoro raised a brow in surprise.

The audience gasped in unison.

A hundred billion, wagered in a single game? Even they, with all their wealth and power, would never dare such a move!

"Of course, no problem!"

Tesoro grinned broadly. "Since Mr. Lance requests it, I won't refuse. Baccarat, bring him one hundred billion in chips!"

The chips were stacked before Lance. Tesoro smirked with delight. One hundred billion—this would bury Lance forever.

"One hundred billion. Odd."

Without hesitation, Lance shoved the entire pile forward.

"As bold as ever, Mr. Lance!"

Tesoro gestured. "Begin!"

Dice once again tossed the dice high, the thunderous cup crashing down to cover them.

Rebecca clasped her hands together, shutting her eyes. "Please… please let him win!"

"My man will never lose," Baby 5 whispered fiercely.

Even Monet, normally steady, found her chest tightening as she watched. One hundred billion… the entire room was trembling with anticipation.

Every gaze locked on the dice cup. No one breathed.

Bang!

The cup shattered. The dice rolled free.

"Three points. Odd!"

Lance had won.

The casino erupted in shock.

Not just one hundred billion, but one trillion Berries now stood in his name!

"What?!"

Tesoro's face twisted as he shot to his feet.

Baccarat and Tanaka paled, eyes wide with disbelief.

"It's odd! It's really odd! Yay! He won!"

"My man never loses!"

Rebecca and Baby 5 hugged each other, screaming in joy.

Monet exhaled deeply, relief flooding her. She glanced at Lance again—yet his face had not changed at all. Even after winning a trillion Berries, he looked the same.

"This man… I truly can't see through him."

"Looks like my luck was pretty good this time."

Lance exhaled a smoke ring, voice light.

"No! Impossible! This is impossible!"

Tesoro's eyes bulged, locked on the dice. A two and a one. He couldn't believe it. A man whose luck had been stolen—how could he still win?!

"Baccarat!" he roared.

"M-Master Tesoro, I… I don't understand…"

For the first time, Baccarat panicked. Her power had never failed. She could still feel Lance under her ability—so how could he win?!

"Did you really think such cheap tricks could fool me, Tesoro?"

Lance stood slowly, the corner of his lips curling into a scornful smile.

"Your little games—I saw through them long ago."

(End of Chapter)

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