After agreeing that Issho and Sphinx would report to the Gold City once it opened, Diarmuid and his companions quickly left the gambling den.
Sphinx, having vented her anger, slumped into a chair with a complicated expression.
"You need to change that short fuse of yours, Sphinx," Issho told her, glancing over.
Sphinx looked up at Issho and muttered, "I just can't help getting angry whenever I see him..."
"If I hadn't been here today, you might genuinely be dead. Is that the result you want?" Issho frowned and challenged.
"I'm not afraid to die!" Sphinx declared without hesitation.
"But your death would be meaningless. If Shiki truly treated you like a daughter, as you said, do you think he would want you to die so carelessly?" Issho pressed.
"I..." Sphinx tried to speak, but didn't know what to say.
"Forget it. Just be more careful in the future. Don't be so volatile," Issho smiled again.
"Sigh..." Sphinx sighed, feeling helpless.
"This turned out quite well, didn't it? Gold City... I've never heard of it, but that Marine Admiral shouldn't be lying to us," Issho said, stroking his chin with a hint of anticipation.
"Is he really trustworthy, deadbeat gambler?" Sphinx asked, sounding suspicious.
"Why would he lie to us? There's no point," Issho replied with a smile.
After a slight pause, Issho added: "If we truly join this Gold City, at least we won't have to worry about Marine issues anymore."
A person's character and thoughts are, in fact, an accumulation and evolution of their life experiences.
In the original story, Issho went through unknown experiences, but he certainly held a distinct view of the world, even believing, to some extent, that the world had polluted his eyes, and he didn't want to see the foul world anymore, leading him to blind himself.
Furthermore, when Marine Headquarters initiated the World Military Draft, he might have held the ambition to change the world, which led him to join the Marines and immediately assume the rank of Admiral based on his strength. Using his status and authority as a Marine Admiral, he launched the campaign to abolish the Warlords of the Sea at the Reverie, ultimately succeeding. This fulfilled his ambition and, in a way, changed the world.
However, in the narrative of this world, Issho not only isn't blind, but he also met Sphinx. It sounds like they have been together for many years. He has been influenced, to a greater or lesser degree, by Sphinx's ideas, will, and even lifestyle, which would subtly change his outlook and decisions.
Coupled with the fact that he inherited Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, while he may feel no connection to Shiki, there would inevitably be some small degree of change.
This led to the Issho of this world not holding such harsh views on the world, nor blinding himself. Because he had the former pirate Sphinx by his side, he never contemplated or planned to join the Marines. Even if a World Military Draft were to start now, Issho would likely continue to be a deadbeat gambler, showing disdain for the Marines.
Now, at this turning point, Issho met Diarmuid and was given a new choice: join Gold City.
"I'm mysteriously looking forward to Gold City..." Issho murmured.
After speaking, he seemed to recall something. He looked back at the gambling table, saw the dice cup still securely covering the dice, his expression brightened, and he rushed up to lift the cup. Counting the dots, it was "High."
"Sphinx, I won! Quick, pay up!" Issho said with a laugh.
Sphinx was stunned, then cursed: "Impossible! Besides, that bet is void! I won't give you a single Berry!"
"Is that how you talk to your savior, you bastard!" Issho complained angrily.
Soon, the two walked out of the ruined gambling den, bickering with each other.
Meanwhile, on another street, the gunfight that just occurred in the gambling den seemed to have had no effect whatsoever. The sixteen years since the start of the Great Pirate Era had indeed toughened the nerves of the people in this age.
"Admiral, you just let them go? Will they really go to Gold City as promised?" Hina asked as she walked beside Diarmuid.
Diarmuid, casually enjoying the lively street view, said dismissively: "That was just an offhand arrangement. In reality, even if they don't go to Gold City, I won't suffer any loss. And it's clear Issho is a clever man. This matter doesn't hurt their interests, so why wouldn't they go? Besides, as for that Sphinx, she won't be able to pay her respects to Shiki if she doesn't go to Gold City."
Vergo followed on the other side, saying: "If it were me, I would definitely go."
Hina shot Vergo a disgruntled glare. Seeing this, Vergo didn't dare speak again, as he had been thoroughly beaten by Hina. Even though there was an element of surprise in her attack, Vergo clearly remembered being subdued by Hina in an instant. He knew very well that the Rear Admiral beside Admiral Diarmuid, who looked gentle and only handled clerical work, was actually a very capable fighter.
After glaring at Vergo to silence him, Hina grabbed Diarmuid's arm and said: "Admiral, the amusement park in Carnival City is famous, I hear. Let's go ride the roller coaster..."
…
Meanwhile, in the New World, at Dressrosa.
Riku Doldo III, tired after a busy day, was preparing to make himself a cup of tea for a rest.
However, just as he took out the tea leaves but before he could steep them, he suddenly noticed a figure sitting brazenly on the sill of his half-open window.
"An assassin?" King Riku frowned, then looked up, examining the figure closely.
His expression then shifted to surprise.
"Heavenly Yaksha?" King Riku exclaimed in astonishment, using Donquixote Doflamingo's epithet.
"Fufufufufufu..." Doflamingo laughed wickedly.
At this moment, King Riku didn't feel much fear toward Doflamingo. Doflamingo was currently a Warlord of the Sea, which theoretically made him an ally. Furthermore, due to Diarmuid's influence, the Warlords of the Sea didn't carry too much infamy anymore.
So, in that first moment, King Riku truly wasn't afraid, only surprised: Why has Doflamingo come here?
"Heavenly Yaksha-san, how may I assist you?" King Riku asked, his tone still respectful.
Doflamingo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked out the window.
Dressrosa was small, counting as a minor country in the New World. The population wasn't large; Doflamingo recalled it being around two million people. The entire country occupied this single island.
And the island itself looked very poor.
Yes, the Dressrosa ruled by the Riku royal family was exceptionally impoverished.
While Riku Doldo III may have excelled in some areas, his Riku family had been seriously negligent on the two crucial issues of economy and public welfare for hundreds of years.
"A poor country is a king's failure, isn't it?" Doflamingo suddenly turned and looked at King Riku.
King Riku frowned slightly, not quite understanding Doflamingo's meaning. You're a pirate. Why are you talking to me about kings? You should be talking about the Pirate King.
"I don't quite understand your meaning, Heavenly Yaksha-san," King Riku said after a moment of silence.
"One billion Berries. One billion Berries in cash. You must prepare that amount as a ransom for me in three days," Doflamingo said, disjointedly.
King Riku was completely confused. What is all this about?
But his expression quickly darkened: "Ransom? Who did you kidnap?"
"Don't think so lowly of me, King Riku. If I truly kidnapped anyone, consider it the entire Dressrosa. If I don't see one billion Berries in cash in three days, the Donquixote Family will destroy all of Dressrosa. You shouldn't doubt whether I have the ability. Because you are free to bet, fufufufufufu..." Doflamingo said with an evil laugh.
As his voice fell, Doflamingo's fingers twitched a few times.
King Riku suddenly felt his body become uncontrollable, and under Doflamingo's manipulation, he poured a cup of tea.
"Consider this my treat. For the sake of my good reputation, please do not tell anyone about our 'transaction,' or I will be forced to silence you. For example, by killing everyone in Dressrosa?" Doflamingo said with sadistic pleasure.
Then, he turned, leapt out the window, and his evil figure, reflected by the moonlight, flickered in the air like a true yaksha before disappearing.
"One billion?" King Riku only now regained his senses.
Frankly, for any normal royal family, one billion Berries wouldn't be a huge problem. It wouldn't be a problem at all, in fact.
Even for a great noble, that amount of money wouldn't be too much pressure. Nobles on the Sabaody Archipelago used to spend two or three hundred million Berries to buy slaves to satisfy their private desires, let alone the money they spent on luxury items and maintaining their lavish lifestyles. They could easily spend far more than one billion Berries in a single year.
If it were King Neptune of Ryugu Palace, he could toss one billion Berries without batting an eye, and after smashing it into Doflamingo's face, he might even aggressively ask, 'Is that enough?'
But for King Riku, one billion Berries was a death sentence.
He was incredibly poor. As a king, he was definitely a failure.
However, at any other time, he could still manage to scrape together one billion Berries by gritting his teeth.
But now, the Heavenly Tribute for the year had just been shipped out not long ago. Riku Doldo III had absolutely no financial reserves left. He was completely broke.
Doflamingo had, in fact, precisely pinpointed this timing and verified that the Riku royal family was entirely unable to cover one billion Berries in cash, which is why he made his move.
After all, was he truly short one billion Berries? No. One billion Berries meant nothing to Doflamingo.
However, this figure was precisely where Riku Doldo III's breaking point lay. Any less, and he might actually be able to pool the money. Any more, and he would despair and perhaps decide to fight Doflamingo to the bitter end.
But one billion Berries, not too much, not too little, was exactly the figure he could accept but would require special means to raise.
King Riku didn't dare bet on whether Doflamingo was ruthless enough, nor did he dare bet on whether Doflamingo would actually plunder and destroy Dressrosa. Thus, he didn't tell anyone, instead intending to find a way to gather the one billion Berries within three days.
"If all else fails, I'll just have to borrow money from the citizens first," King Riku eventually murmured to himself after long deliberation.