Chapter 309: Penacony Arc 『 Part Four 』
「 With those words, the siblings vanished as well.
In a corner stood Dr. Ratio and a young man dressed in opulent attire. Ratio, arms crossed, stared him down with a frigid gaze: "What makes you think you can win, you damned gambler?"
The young man leisurely toyed with a single chip in his palm: "Three Chips are more than enough. All or nothing." 」
「 ..... 」
〜Kakegurui World〜
The curtains of the private Hyakkaou Academy classroom were half-drawn, allowing the afternoon sun to slant in. Yumeko Jabami leaned lazily against her seat, boredly twirling a strand of hair around her fingertip. She had little interest in the overt battles or the covert schemes of the grand figures appearing on the sky-screen, until—
"Gambler?"
The moment Professor Ratio's nearly teeth-gritting remark reached her ears, Yumeko shuddered as if struck by an electric current. She slowly lifted her eyes, her gaze landing on the man facing the professor.
The man was nonchalantly spinning a teal chip between his fingers, a faint, phantom smile playing on his lips. His movements were casual, his tone light, as if the IPC's massive operations were nothing more than a simple post-tea wager in his eyes.
Yumeko's breathing gradually slowed, her pupils constricting slightly.
"How interesting…"
She whispered, the corners of her mouth beginning to curl upward uncontrollably.
"Judging by the voice, he must be the Aventurine that Topaz mentioned—the P45 IPC executive in charge of Penacony."
Ryota Suzui frowned.
"The Corporation actually sent a gambler to negotiate business? That seems incredibly unreliable, doesn't it?"
Smack!
Mary Saotome raised her hand and gave him a sharp flick to the forehead.
"That's why you're so rigid."
She sat with her legs crossed, twirling a pen between her fingers.
"Are you questioning the choice of P47 Diamond? Or questioning the capability of P45? Didn't you hear what Aventurine said? Conventional methods and Family dealings definitely won't work. Without a doubt… this 'damned gambler' is the trump card the IPC sent in."
Yumeko did not respond to their conversation.
Her gaze was locked tight on Aventurine… especially those eyes—eyes like peacock feathers, beautiful yet indifferent. There was no doubt he was a veteran gambler; if eyes could speak, she was certain they would share a profound common language.
Gradually, Yumeko's fingers began to tremble, her breathing grew shallow and rapid, and the arc of her smile became increasingly exaggerated—
"Ah…"
She suddenly covered her face, her eyes shimmering with a morbid light through the gaps in her fingers.
"Wonderful!"
Her voice carried an irrepressible excitement.
"Right now, this very instant, I want to gamble with him so badly…"
Ryota was startled by her sudden change, instinctively taking a half-step back:
"Ya—Jabami-san?"
Mary, however, sighed as if it were a common occurrence and pressed a hand onto Yumeko's shoulder:
"Hey, calm down. No matter how much you crave it, he won't hear you. And even if he did, with that starved look on your face… are you sure you wouldn't just scare him away?"
—
「 Stelle continued forward. Ahead stood a cute young girl with twin tails and an elegant lady wearing a veil.
"Memokeeper… do you truly believe you can leave unscathed?"
"My apologies. As for a preferred dance partner… I have already made my choice." The lady smiled faintly.
Having finished their piece, the two vanished. Acheron was waiting for her ahead, but the door in front of them suddenly extended, transforming from a single portal into a long, narrow corridor. Stelle followed her to the end, but the moment she pushed the door open, a bellboy appeared from behind it, bowing respectfully to her.
"Welcome to the Reverie Hotel! May you have an unforgettable vacation experience. If you wish to check in, please proceed straight to the front desk…"
The boy's sudden appearance nearly made Stelle jump out of her skin, but fortunately, after delivering his line, he vanished.
Acheron spoke softly behind her: "Leave this place. Wake up as you usually do, forget this chance encounter, and return to where you came from."
"But before we part, I have a request."
"Hmm?" Stelle turned to look at her.
"To you, it may sound strange, perhaps even rude, but I wish to know… have we met somewhere before?"
"…What do you mean?" Stelle looked at her blankly.
Acheron closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her gaze held a touch more tenderness and warmth: "You evoke memories of an old friend. In the haze of my recollections, she stood shoulder to shoulder with me, much like this surreal dreamscape where we stood close, yet forever out of reach."
"May I ask you a few more questions? I… often forget things, so rather than memory, I am more accustomed to using Feelings to capture the truth. Whether the answer is right or wrong doesn't matter; what matters is your immediate reaction."
"When you woke in your room, you spoke several names. Are they your companions? Family? Enemies? You seem to have established unbreakable bonds with many people and many things…"
Acheron's gaze sharpened, her voice deepening: "Might I ask if you fear losing these bonds?" 」
「 ..... 」
〜One Piece World〜
Future Timeline—
"Zehahahaha!"
Blackbeard downed a massive gulp of rum, the liquid dripping down his beard.
"That Galaxy Ranger girl… she's truly creepy to look at!"
Laffitte elegantly wiped his cane-sword, narrowing his eyes.
"If I recall correctly, the Galaxy Rangers have quite a reputation in the universe. They usually follow their inner sense of 'justice,' but this Acheron…"
He paused, his voice like a serpent's hiss,
"There isn't a shred of righteous spirit in her eyes."
"No, it's that there's nothing at all,"
Kuzan adjusted his glasses, suddenly interjecting.
There was no emotion in that woman's calm eyes; however, that was precisely what made her more terrifying. He had once looked up and stared into Acheron's eyes—they were beautiful, but beyond that beauty, there was nothing. It was a hollow, void-like gaze. It was a terror similar to looking at a crystal-clear lake and feeling as though you were about to be sucked in.
"A monster…"
Kuzan muttered under his breath. Even though they were both factions following the Path of 『 Hunt 』, the people of the Xianzhou Alliance felt entirely different from her. Although he couldn't use Observation Haki to perceive her directly through the Sky Screen, he could more or less read some fragments of emotion.
But this woman was like a black hole constantly collapsing inward… It was his first time seeing such an anomaly on the screen.
Can someone like that really be a Galaxy Ranger? …Or are all Galaxy Rangers freaks like her?
—
( Translator-kun: Since I can't use red text, I just used an underline for the Acheron red text. )