Chapter 36: Gambling

"So, why are you just playing roulette over and over again? And how are you winning every time?!" Sabo asked Kai who was currently trying to see how much money he could fork out of the casino.

"You know kenbunshoku right?" Kai asked Sabo as he didn't look up from the roulette table. Sabo just nodded. Kai leaned into his ear in a voice too quiet for anyone else to hear. "Well, did you know if you master it. You can see the future?" Sabo's eyes widened. "Yeah really I wouldn't lie to you, and yes I do know what you are about to say." Sabo was cut off before he could even start speaking.

"Well technically yes, if I wanted to. Just like right now we are having a conversation without you even speaking." Kai cut off Sabo again. "Stop doing that!" Kai let Sabo yell and didn't cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, I'll stop, I was just trying to prove a point, Pipe boy."

"The future huh? That's pretty cool!" Sabo said. Kai smiled. "He's finally here." Sabo was confused. He looked around. "What do you mean? Who's here?" Kai pointed to a door. 10 seconds later Ace walked in. "Yo, Airhead! Where are you?" He called out as he looked around.

He finally saw a table in the back right of the room. "Shishishi! Sabo! Why are you here too?! Is this the business you were talking about earlier, Airhead?!" Kai sighed. "I'm not an airhead Daddy's boy! And yeah. What kind of a reunion would it be without Pipe boy? Now all four of us are here. Too bad I can't tell the kid who I am yet. He doesn't know how to keep a secret."

""Shishishi/Shehehe! You're right!"" They both said. "He would probably tell the whole world if he found out!" Ace chuckled. Kai waved him over to the seat beside him and Sabo. "Come sit. I just gotta win a few more times for something interesting to happen." Ace sat down beside them. He frowned at Kai. "Are you really using kenbunshoku?"

Kai laughed. "Wahaha! What are you gonna do? Tell the marines?" Ace and Sabo both chuckled. "What a shitty marine." Sabo said. "Shishishi! I don't care if you cheat! But it's boring that way! The fun of gambling is to leave it up to chance!" Ace said. "No shit, Ace, I'm not gonna do this all night I'm just waiting for someth-. And the wait is over." Sabo and Ace looked at Kai then at each other confused.

About ten seconds later a beautiful woman walked into the casino and excused the dealer who was currently sweating at the hundreds of millions that the casino just lost in like 30 minutes. "Hey devil-chan! Long time no see! What's it been like 10 days?" Robin shuffled the cards and sat down in the dealer position. "11 actually." Kai just smiled and hummed. "So you were counting." Robin paused her shuffle a bit, clearly a little flustered but continued on like nothing happened.

"Anyway, Pipe boy, Daddy's boy, meet Devil-chan. I think she would really get along well with the people you work for Sabo" They both got the message from what Kai said about Sabo, she didn't like the government very much. They looked over to the woman in front of them. "I'm Ace, pleasure to meet you." Ace said. "I'm Sabo, pleased to make your acquaintance."

Robin returned the pleasantries. "I'm Robin, the pleasure is all mine. How do you guys know Mask-san?" Ace and Sabo were about to answer when a hand slapped each of their mouths shut. "Jheez, don't actually tell her. You guys are too stupid to be talking to devil-chan, she'll eat you alive if you just tell her what she wants. Besides, how can you sell out your best friend like that?"

"Nishishi. You really won't leave me anything huh, Mask-san? Not even one little clue?" Robin said as she genuinely laughed. "Wahaha. Don't act like I didn't already give you one devil-chan." Robin clicked her tongue. "You being best friends with two people I don't know doesn't help me out much." Kai just chuckled.

Ace and Sabo sweat a bit. What a scary woman! She was using them the whole time. "Oh no, there's two of them!" Ace said. "We can't say anything anymore! Let's just not talk at all!"

"Nishishi! You have funny friends Mask-san. So who are you two?" Robin asked the two. "I'm Ace, and I-" He was cut off by Sabo grabbing his face with both hands. "Don't let them get to you Ace! You can't tell her anything! K-" He was shut up by a punch to the face from Kai. "Don't say my real name, asshole!" Kai sighed. "You guys are such idiots. Don't spoil the fun for me yet."

"Nishishishi! K huh. That's still not much to go on." Robin put her hand on her chin and thought deeply about who Kai could be. Too bad she would probably never guess he was a dead person! "Hmm, I wonder. Could you have faked your own death Mask-san? That seems like something you would do. You're too smart to let other people think you were still alive before you put on your mask."

Kai started sweating bullets. "Let's gamble! Ace, Sabo, black or red?" Robin giggled at his reaction. "I'll take red." Ace took his matching colour. "I'm on black then." Sabo just opposed Ace. "And what will you take Mask-san." Kai laughed. "All in on 27." He said. Robin paused for a moment. "Are you sure? That's a risky move."

"Wahaha! Did you forget already devil-chan? I don't lose bets." He said as the ball fell perfectly into the 27 tile. "Nishishi! That's pretty impressive." Kai lit a cigarette. "What can I say? I'm an impressive guy." Robin nodded subconsciously at his boastful claims agreeing. Kai got two fists to the face causing it to explode into air and reform.

"Don't just flirt in front of us!" Sabo called out to Kai. "You said you wouldn't do that anymore! It's cheating!" Ace quipped at Kai using future sight. "I don't wanna hear that from you Pipe boy! Not after you practically turned into a tomato just by sitting next to Koala! You were both blushing just because I made one joke about you dating! Make a move already, don't be like Smokey and make her ask you out! And Ace, let me have my one moment, this is the last time I promise."

Sabo started blushing a bit and Ace nodded at Kai's promise before turning to Sabo. "So, who's this Koala girl?" Sabo just coughed. "Hey, let's bet again!" Robin giggled and got ready to spin again after giving out the three's winnings. Just as she was about to spin again. "Only after you start talking Pipe-san." She said as she stopped preparing for the next spin.

"Wahaha!" Kai laughed at this. Sabo paled. "She's just like him, Ace. If they get together they'll be the scariest couple ever!" Ace nodded before he realized he wasn't in trouble right now. "Never mind that Sabo. Tell us who Koala is."

Sabo gave in. "She's just this girl I work with. We met a few years ago and have been on the same team since. I just think she's a little cute is all." Robin giggled and rolled the roulette again. This time Kai didn't cheat and Ace ended up winning the hand. "Well good for you Sabo. She sounds great. And if Airhead is talking about her like this I guess that means he already approves of her. Shishishi!" Ace said as he collected his winnings.

"Say what does this Koala do for work?" Robin asks. Sabo just answered her normally. "She works for the revolutionary army." Robin nodded. "So you are with the revolutionary army." Kai just smiled and shook his head playfully as he let out a puff of smoke. He didn't mind if Robin found out about Sabo, but he would stop her from learning about Ace as she would connect the dots instantly once she got on the crew and heard about Luffy and Ace being brothers and them being Sanji's brother's friend.

Sabo smacked his head on the table and groaned. "I told you to watch what you said Pipe boy. Wahahaha!" Ace looked at Kai and chuckled. He knew that if Kai was this friendly with her then she wasn't harmful. Sabo finally said. "I hate having to watch what I say." He still had his head on the table. Kai laughed. "Wahahaha! You would think going undercover for years would teach you a thing or two." Ace laughed. "Shishishi! You would think that! By the way, who is this girl you're so into Airhead?" Sabo jumped at the opportunity to cover up his mistake and get back at Kai.

"Well we met 11 days ago. And then we didn't see each other until today. That's about it." The two were feeling helpless. "Is that really it? You're not dating or anything? I bet you're secretly dating!" Ace called out. ""Who knows?"" Both Kai and Robin said at the same time. "They're so in sync! We'll never get anything out of them Ace!" Sabo said helplessly. "Wahaha! Well if you really wanna know more about her, she's Straw Hat Luffy's future crew member. You guys have heard about him right? The new guy in the grand line from the East Blue. I've watched over him a bit, and I think he's got a chance to go far." Ace and Sabo took the hint and pretended not to know Luffy.

"Nishishi! I'm not on his crew yet. We still have our bet ongoing." Robin added in. "But I never lose a bet. So you're 100% gonna join. Wahaha." Sabo let his curiosity get a hold of him as the three bet on the roulette again for the 7th time now. "What is this bet?" He asked. Kai exhaled the last of the smoke from his cigarette and stomped it out. Then he grabbed a new one but, before he could ask Ace to light it for him Robin had reached out with a lighter in hand and gave him a light.

"Thanks, devil-chan, I wish you were around all the time, you're great company. Anyway you two, right now devil-chan is working for Croc, I know, I know, the big bad Croc no way! Well there are circumstances. Anyway, I bet that Luffy would kick Crocs ass and she bet that Croc would win. If I win she joins the crew and if she wins she can ask me for anything she wants."

"You bet against Airhead in a fight against Luffy? Tough luck Robin-san I don't think you're winning this one." Ace said as he thought Robin stood no chance. "You guys wanna know something funny too? Luffy doesn't even know how logia's work yet. Should I try to tell him or should I let devil-chan keep the handicap?" The two shook their heads. That idiot Luffy! How could he set foot in the grand line without knowing about logia?

Robin frowned when she heard this. "Why aren't you telling him? That's not fair. You should tell him. He won't stand a chance if you don't tell him!" Ace and Sabo smiled after a moment. Kai was too smooth, they thought. "Say devil-chan. Don't you wanna win? What are you getting all worked up for? It almost sounds like you wanna come with me?" Kai said and you could practically hear the smile on his face. Robin looked down and hid her small blush. 'I fell right into his trap! That was smooth!' She thought before looking up with a fake smile on her face. "Wanna bet again?" She asked.

"Wahahaha! I'll be happy to have you too devil-chan, can't wait till you're on the crew. I'll go for 1-12 this time." Ace and Sabo bet on their own odds and Kai ended up winning this roll. "So, Ace. What's your love life looking like?" Sabo asked Ace as the three kept betting.

Ace said nothing for a minute and then answered. "Nothing much really. There's this one girl I have a promise with but that's it." Kai hummed. "Do tell. Maybe this promise will ignite the flames of your love. Pun intended." Sabo chuckled and Ace shook his head. "I met her on Wano. Her name is Yamato. She promised to go out to sea with me someday, but I need to rescue her first."

"Wahaha! I couldn't write a better love story myself! You save her life and she finally is free to sail the seven seas with you." Kai said. "There are only 6 seas though?" Sabo said, pointing out Kai's mistake. "My bad I get confused sometimes. I forget this isn't earth." The three with him ignored this comment as they didn't understand it.

"So Ace, this wouldn't happen to be Yamato as in, I don't know, Kaido's son Yamato. Would it? Wahahaha!" Ace smacked Kai in the head, exploding it into air. "She's not his son! She's his daughter!" Robin paused for a second. "Who are these friends of yours Mask-san? Friends with a yonko's kid?" Kai just laughed. "Wahahaha! She would probably faint if she found out who your dad's are, right Ace?" Sabo and Ace chuckled and didn't say anything to confirm or deny this.

Robin wasn't sure if that was a joke or not so she decided to pretend she never heard it. Better safe than sorry. "Anyway Ace. Sounds like you might have a little thing for Kaido's kid. You gonna take him down?" Kai asked Ace. "No, I can't fight Kaido yet. I'm not strong enough. Pops has told me more times than I can count." Kai nodded. "Good I would have had to kick your ass again if you said you would fight him as you are now. You should wait a while. You know I bet Luffy will go to Wano at some point. Maybe the three of us could show up together and give Kaido a good beating. You could join in too, Pipe boy."

Ace and Sabo smiled at this. ""Sounds fun."" They said. Robin almost spit out her drink. "You guys know you're talking about a Yonko right?" The three all turned their heads towards her and tiled them. """So?""" Robin was shocked. Before she realized she didn't know how strong any of them were. She just assumed they stood no chance against a Yonko. She decided not to get her hopes up but was still curious as to who the three were.

Kai looked at the clock on the wall and said. "Alright devil-chan. It was lovely to see you but I think we should get going. Thanks for the roulette. It was a blast. Hopefully I'll see you soon, maybe even on a new pirate crew. Wahaha." Robin smiled and nodded. "Hopefully." She said absentmindedly before covering her mouth like she made a mistake. Ace and Sabo were about to say something about what she just said but Kai slapped his hand over their mouths. "Let's go, Pipe boy, Daddy's boy." He walked out of the casino with the two. "Nishishishi! What a gentleman." Robin said as Kai had ignored her slip up once again.

Outside the Casino. "So Daddy's boy. How long can you stay?" Kai asked Ace. "I have to leave tomorrow." Ace said. "And you're here until the revolution is over right?" He asked Sabo. Who nodded. "Perfect, tonight is gonna be fun." Kai said as he bought a bottle of his favourite drink, whiskey and took the two up to a cliff in the desert. When they got there he took off his mask and the three of them drank and talked all night, they didn't sleep a wink.