Chapter 41: Loguetown - A Little Gambling Never Hurt Anyone

[Ding! You've earned Silvers Rayleigh's recognition. Check-in progress +20%, current progress at 50%. Observation Haki level increased by 1, current level: Lv4.]

The sudden system notification nearly made Takumi choke on his drink.

As his Observation Haki leveled up, he suddenly became aware of the heartbeats of nearly half the people in Loguetown.

The overwhelming noise made his head pound.

Thankfully, it only lasted a few seconds before fading away.

Takumi rubbed his temples in annoyance.

Rayleigh sure was something.

Even while hiding out in the backroom, the old man could still contribute to his check-in progress.

Smoker, who had been watching Takumi closely, noticed the change in his expression and asked, "You okay?"

Takumi responded flatly, "I'm fine."

"Really?" Smoker didn't sound convinced.

When Takumi didn't answer, Smoker continued, "You haven't had too much to drink, have you?"

Takumi shot him a sidelong glance.

Too much to drink?

Not a chance.

Even though he looked like a kid, Takumi's alcohol tolerance was almost superhuman—he could drink anyone under the table.

Back before he ended up in this world of pirates, Takumi had been the kind of guy who never turned down a drink.

For him, drinking was just like having a glass of water.

But as much as he loved to drink, Takumi always knew when to stop.

The moment he felt the slightest buzz, he'd put down his glass.

"You're not much of a talker, are you?" Smoker chuckled, taking another swig.

By now, the Marines had finished clearing out the bodies from the tavern.

"Captain Smoker, what should we do with the bodies?" one of the Marines asked respectfully.

"Just take them to the morgue," Smoker replied casually.

"And the one who's still alive?" the Marine inquired.

"Lock him up," Smoker ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The Marine saluted and quickly left the tavern.

Now, the only ones left in the tavern were the tavern owner, Takumi, Smoker, and Rayleigh, who was still in the backroom.

"There's going to be a lot of pirates coming to Loguetown soon," Smoker said, taking another drink. "Besides Roger's execution platform, this tavern named after him is bound to attract a lot of them. I'll be dropping by more often, owner."

"Damn it, are you just trying to wreck my place?" the tavern owner grumbled. "If you're so eager to catch pirates, why don't you stake out the port? Every pirate has to come through there to get to shore. Stop turning my tavern into your personal hunting ground!"

"Some pirates are a lot trickier than you think. The ones who get caught at the port are just small-time thugs," Smoker said, puffing on his cigar. "I've got a bad feeling something big is going to happen. Roger's death anniversary in a few days might bring some trouble."

"Hmph! Even if something does happen, what's it to me?" the tavern owner huffed. "I'm just a small-time tavern owner. Besides, this place is fully booked for the next few days. I'm not taking in any other customers. If you want to catch pirates, go do it somewhere else and stay out of my way."

"Fully booked?" Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Who booked it? Takumi?"

The tavern owner answered without hesitation. "Yeah, him."

There was no way he was going to spill the beans on Rayleigh.

Smoker paused, then nodded. "Makes sense. The kid did just come into a big pile of bounty money, enough to book the whole place."

Finishing the last of his drink, Smoker set down a stack of Beli and stood up. Before leaving, he gave Takumi another look. "So, kid, you sticking around until after Roger's anniversary?"

Takumi replied with a shrug, "Maybe. Depends on my mood."

"Heh, fair enough," Smoker said, smirking as he walked out of the tavern.

Not long after Smoker left, Rayleigh came out of the backroom.

"Haha! Looks like that young Marine's got his eye on this place," Rayleigh laughed.

The tavern owner sighed. "Rayleigh, you might find this funny, but I'm at my wit's end. Ever since Smoker got stationed here, he's been a real pain. He's always coming here to catch pirates, and my tavern's been trashed more times than I can count."

"There's good and bad in everything," Rayleigh said, grabbing another bottle and taking a swig. "Sure, he causes you trouble, but he also keeps a lot of trouble away. There are a lot of pirates out there who don't play nice."

"True," the tavern owner admitted with a sigh. "If only all pirates were like Roger."

"Haha! No point in wishing for the impossible. Come on, let's drink," Rayleigh laughed, inviting the tavern owner to join him.

The tavern owner chuckled, shaking his head as he headed to the door. "You two go ahead. I'm going to lock up so no more troublemakers come in."

As Rayleigh drank, he noticed that Takumi seemed to have had enough. "What's this? You're done already?"

Takumi sighed, "I've already had plenty…"

"Haha," Rayleigh laughed. "You're still just a kid. Hey, want to hear some stories about Roger? I've got plenty of tales no one else knows."

"Not interested."

"Don't be so cold," Rayleigh grinned. "It's been a while since I've had this much fun drinking. I'm thinking of heading out to find some entertainment. Want to join me?"

"No thanks," Takumi declined flatly.

Rayleigh's idea of entertainment was easy to guess.

Most likely gambling...

Ever since the Roger Pirates disbanded and Rayleigh settled in the Sabaody Archipelago, he'd become quite the gambler.

When he wasn't coating ships, his daily routine involved either drinking or gambling.

Despite his excellent Observation Haki, he still managed to lose more often than not, sometimes even ending up broke.

He'd even resorted to selling himself to human traffickers to make some quick cash...

Takumi had zero interest in gambling.

He'd much rather find a sunny spot to take a nap.

Seeing that Takumi wasn't interested, Rayleigh sighed, "Alright, I'll go by myself then. I'm feeling lucky today—might win big, haha."

Rayleigh grabbed a bottle of booze and headed for the door.

Just as he reached the exit, the tavern owner returned.

"Rayleigh, where are you off to?" the tavern owner asked.

Rayleigh chuckled, "I remember there's an underground casino nearby. It hasn't closed down yet, has it?"

"Uh?" The tavern owner was caught off guard. "No, but it's been struggling. Fewer gamblers these days, so the place isn't doing well."

"Haha, as long as it's still open, I'm going to check it out."

"Rayleigh, I thought you didn't gamble. When did you get into it?"

"A little gambling never hurt anyone. I'm just having some fun. Don't wait up for me for dinner," Rayleigh laughed as he left the tavern.

The tavern owner scratched his head awkwardly.

Takumi couldn't help but chuckle.

Losing everything and calling it "a little gambling"? Really?

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