Alabasta Kingdom, Rainbase. As the sun set, the afterglow bathed the luxurious casino "Rain Dinners", surrounded by a lake, rendering it magnificent and grand. Sephiroth walked forward along the path leading to the center of the lake, arriving directly at the casino's entrance, and reached out to push open its doors.
Immediately, a noisy and chaotic sound reached his ears, and various gambling tools entered his sight – slot machines, roulette, baccarat... a dazzling array of games, almost overwhelming. Many gamblers entered the casino with the idea of making a fortune, but the vast majority of them ended up losing money.
Only a small number were able to control their greed, sober up, stop in time after making a small profit, and turn to leave. However, as long as these people still wanted to keep coming to the casino to win money, they would eventually spit out the money they earned, principal and interest, and might even lose everything. Sephiroth didn't like gambling, nor did he gamble.
However, he was quite interested in things that guaranteed a stable profit... Sephiroth walked to the casino counter, took out a 10,000 Berries bill from his wallet, exchanged it for a 10,000 Berries chip, and walked directly to a roulette table, finding a seat.
The rules for roulette at the Rain Dinners casino were that the wheel had numbers from 0-36, and the slots for these numbers had three colors: red, black, and green. When the dealer spun the wheel and threw a metal ball, and it randomly stopped on a certain number, that number was the winning one.
Players could bet on any single number from 1-36, or bet on a range of consecutive numbers, or bet on red or black slots. Each type of bet had different odds. Among them, betting on a single number had the highest odds, with a payout of 1:35. However, it was worth mentioning that if the metal ball landed on the number "0" in the green slot, it meant the dealer won everything.
Regardless of what numbers or colors the players bet on, they lost. In the original plot, the blind man Fujitora Issho was bored and went to play roulette to pass the time, and then, being extremely bored, deliberately let himself be cheated by a group of small fry from the Donquixote Family...
The rule at the roulette table was that players placed their bets first, and then the dealer spun the wheel and threw the metal ball. This method, besides allowing the dealer to manipulate the game and cheat to fleece players, also prevented experts with Observation Haki from predicting the outcome. Players essentially had no chance to cheat.
It could be said that this seemingly luck-based roulette game was actually all rigged. However, for him, this was no problem at all! As Sephiroth extended his left hand and gently pressed it on the table, the silver bracelet on his right hand, which possessed the power of the Float-Float Fruit, emitted an invisible force, instantly assimilating the entire gambling table.
The wheel and the metal ball were also assimilated, brought under his control, and could be moved and manipulated freely. "Guests, please place your bets!" At the gambling table, the middle-aged dealer in a black suit with a mustache raised his hand to signal for the gamblers at the table to start betting.
Many gamblers looked at the records of past winning numbers on the table before gradually starting to place their bets. Sephiroth, without any hesitation, casually threw his only chip onto the number "1". As the dealer dropped the metal ball onto the spinning wheel, amidst the anxious and uneasy gazes of the gamblers, the wheel slowly stopped, and the metal ball landed on the number "1".
"The result is 1, black!" Soon, the mustached dealer, including Sephiroth's initial stake, placed thirty-six 10,000 Berries chips in front of him, completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation. In response, Sephiroth went all-in again, placing his chips on the number "36".
His action caused many gamblers to shake their heads repeatedly, lamenting inwardly how reckless this lucky young man was, not knowing when to stop. After everyone had finished placing their bets, the dealer spun the wheel again and threw the metal ball. "The result is 36, red!" After two rounds of roulette, Sephiroth's chips went directly from 10,000 Berries to 12,960,000 Berries. Wow-!
At this moment, all the gamblers at the table looked at the silver-haired young man who had hit the number twice in a row but whose expression remained incredibly calm. He inexplicably gave off the feeling that he had victory firmly in his grasp. Having lost two big rounds in a row, the mustached dealer standing inside the table, his eyes gradually became serious and sharp.
As the dealer responsible for this table, the casino needed him to earn profits for it, not lose money... If the table he was responsible for lost too much money, getting a salary deduction was a small matter. In severe cases, he might have his limbs broken by the casino, or even... die! He had lost over ten million Berries in two rounds.
If he didn't find a way to win it back, he would likely be held accountable! Soon, the dealer returned twelve 1,000,000 Berries chips, nine 100,000 Berries chips, and six 10,000 Berries chips to Sephiroth across the table. The latter then placed ten 1,000,000 Berries chips on the number "6".
The reason Sephiroth only bet ten million was not because he was planning to play it safe or anything, but because the betting limit for this table was ten million Berries. This was also one of the casino's little tricks, preventing wealthy gamblers from endlessly doubling down on their bets and winning back all the money they lost in one go.
Nearby, the onlookers among the gamblers were instantly dumbfounded after seeing Sephiroth place such a huge bet again. "Wow! He's betting so much! Does he think he can hit the number three times in a row?" "He must be getting carried away with gambling, right?" "Even if he loses ten million, isn't he still not at a loss? He still has 2.96 million left!
You have to know, his initial capital was only 10,000 Berries!"
... Amidst the various discussions, a few gamblers followed Sephiroth's lead and placed bets, hoping to catch some good luck. However, their betting amounts were only a few thousand or tens of thousands of Berries. No one followed with a large bet.
Anyone who plays roulette knows that the probability of hitting a single number is outrageously low. It's simply impossible to win repeatedly based purely on luck. Therefore, most of the gamblers at the table were basically watching with the attitude of enjoying a show, wanting to see Sephiroth's face turn ugly, or even break down hysterically, after losing a large sum of money.
Seeing this situation, the mustached dealer's face remained impassive. He still pretended to casually throw the metal ball with his right hand, letting it roll on the spinning wheel, while his left hand quietly reached under the table to a magnet, beginning to manually control the outcome of the wheel. However...
A few seconds later, the metal ball, completely unaffected by the magnet, landed directly in the slot for the number "6". Hiss-!!! A sound of sharp intake of breath suddenly rose. At the edge of the table, the onlookers among the gamblers instantly widened their eyes, looking at the result on the table with expressions of disbelief. "In this round, he directly earned 350 million!"
"Simply terrifying!" "Damn it! I feel like I missed out on a hundred million! Why didn't I follow him and bet just now!" "This is ridiculous! He hit it three times in a row!" At this moment, the mustached dealer's body trembled, and his eyes bulged. He first looked at the number on the wheel, then looked at the silver-haired young man across the table. "This... this... this is impossible!"
This is madness! The guy clearly cheated, but somehow the other player still won. Is it possible... he cheated too? Over 300 million lost in a single round. The Boss won't let this slide. He'll be lucky if he lives to see tomorrow.
"Hey! Quit standing there like an idiot! Pay up already!" "Yeah! Hurry up!"
Sephiroth hadn't uttered a word, but the gamblers who'd followed his bet were already shouting at the dealer, demanding their winnings. The commotion from the table drew the attention of an elderly man with a white beard and hair, dressed in a sharp purple suit. He quickly assessed the situation and turned to the mustached dealer.
"First, pay the guest his chips. Then take a break."
The dealer broke into a cold sweat, stammering, "Manager, I... I..."
Before he could finish, the manager shot him a sharp, meaningful look. The dealer swallowed his words. "Understood!" He handed Sephiroth a hefty stack of 1,000,000 Berries chips, then stumbled away from the table, trembling.
The manager turned to Sephiroth with a polite smile and a slight bow.
"Esteemed guest, the stakes here are too modest for someone of your caliber. Might I suggest our VIP room? The limits are higher, and the games more varied..."
Sephiroth chuckled softly and shook his head. "No, this suits me just fine."
The manager's smile faltered for a moment before he replied, "As you wish."
"Please hurry and get someone to reopen the table. I'm still waiting to bet!"
"This..." The manager's smile froze. After a brief pause, he said, "Please wait a moment," and hurried off.