Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

The Dead Sea is the most important route before entering Hoh Xil. Crossing the Dead Sea only takes two days to get close to Hoh Xil, but if you choose to take a detour, it will take an extra half month.

Even though there are rumors of pirates roaming the area, most merchant ships do not choose to take a detour because there are only reports of pirate raids every two months or more.

After all, nobody expects to be the unlucky one.

The surface of the Dead Sea is as calm as a piece of dark glass, not even a ripple can be stirred by the wind.

It is called the Dead Sea simply because the waves in this area are much smaller than in other places. As a result, small boats that rely on sails to move forward suffer a lot here.

Therefore, the small wooden boat carrying Uchiha Hakuba, Matsumoto Rangiku, and Nico Robin drifted on the desolate water like a lonely leaf, moving at a very slow speed.

"Cocoyasi isn't far away, but this godforsaken place doesn't even have a single seabird." Rangiku rested her elbow on the gunwale, twirling an empty sake bottle between her fingers, her almond-shaped eyes half-closed as she surveyed her surroundings.

"There's an eerie quiet about it."

Robin, who was engrossed in reading an ancient book, looked up at the words, his gaze piercing through the thin mist as he looked into the distance: "Did you know a ship was coming before you said that? Look over there!"

Even as Nico Robin was speaking, Uchiha Shiraha noticed a huge merchant ship, entirely gilded, slowly emerging from the mist. The ship's hull was covered with intricate patterns, and a flag hung on the mast, embroidered with a golden dice pattern, which made people chuckle.

As the small wooden boat drifted near the merchant ship, or rather, as the merchant ship intentionally approached, a rope ladder descended from the deck. A waiter in a tailcoat bowed and smiled obsequiously: "Distinguished guests, would you like to board our merchant ship for a leisurely journey? Your ship is to pass through the Dead Sea, and judging from today's weather, it will likely take several days..."

Let's go!

The waiter was about to say a few words of advice when he was surprised to find that Uchiha Shiraha had already boarded the ship. When did this guy get on the ship?

Matsumoto Rangiku had already grabbed the rope ladder with great interest, and waved to Robin: "Let's go, let's go, it's better than drinking alone on this shabby little boat."

Seeing that the two had boarded the ship, Robin closed his book, smiled faintly, and climbed up as well.

As soon as you step into the cabin, you are greeted by a cacophony of noise.

The ship's cabins were transformed into bustling casinos, with dozens of gambling tables neatly arranged. The crisp sound of dice hitting the dice cups, the buzzing of the roulette wheel, and the cheers and sighs of the gamblers intertwined, creating a bizarre and surreal symphony.

The dealers at the gambling table, dressed in elegant uniforms, skillfully shuffled and dealt the cards, while chips shone brightly in the hands of the gamblers.

Uchiha Hakuba stood beside a poker table, watching the people at the table push their chips to the limit. With his chakra, he could easily sense the cards held tightly in their palms, but he seemed uninterested in participating. He simply stood aside with his arms crossed, coldly observing this game of money and desire.

Not far from the group, in a long corridor, rows of exquisite wine tables were set up. Amber-colored whiskey, scarlet wine, and crystal-clear champagne swirled in the glasses, and waiters moved among them with trays, refilling the guests' drinks at any time.

As soon as Rangiku walked over, a bartender made her a Flaming Red Sand. She took a sip, and the spicy and fruity flavor immediately caught her eye. She leaned against the bar and chatted with the bartender, her skirt swaying gently with her movements, attracting many glances.

"A girl working as a bartender?"

The hustle and bustle of the casino, mixed with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, hit them in the face. When Uchiha Shiraha was half-dragged by Matsumoto Rangiku, who had already drunk a lot of alcohol, to sit down at a poker table, there were already several people around the table: a fat, big-eared businessman, a young man with tattoos, and a lady in fine clothes. The chips were piled up like a small mountain, and the crisp sound of dice hitting the dice cup made people's hearts tremble.

The dealer was a beautiful woman with an expressionless face. Her movements were so swift and almost flashy that she shuffled the cards so fast they were like a blur.

Bai Yu glanced at the table. His Mangekyou Sharingan remained still, but he quietly spread his chakra perception. It was clearly a more concealed perception method than ocular techniques. Strands of chakra wrapped around the playing cards like a spider web.

"Deal the cards, I want to bet!"

The wealthy businessman impatiently tapped the table and threw out a stack of chips.

With a flick of the croupier's wrist, three cards silently slid down in front of each player.

Bai Yu merely sensed it, but his chakra detected the cards first: 2 of Hearts, 3 of Hearts, 4 of Hearts, a standard straight flush.

As for the others in his perception, the energetic young man was clutching a pair of Jacks with a random card, sweat beading on his forehead; while the lady had three random cards, yet she deliberately kept her shoulders ramrod straight.

The wealthy businessman had the best hand, a triple of three 9s. He chuckled in a low voice, his fingertips already pressed against a large stack of chips.

The wealthy businessman pushed out a thousand chips first, laughing and saying, "With this hand, there's no way I'm going to open anyone else's. Let's see who can beat me today!"

The lady followed with a coquettish laugh, her movements deliberate and leisurely: "I'll go with a thousand, it's just for fun."

Uchiha Hakuba's fingertips gently traced the edge of the playing cards. The light refracted between the crystal chandeliers, cutting the tense faces of the crowd into fragments of light and shadow.

"and."

Suddenly, Uchiha Shiroha pushed his chips into the center of the pot, the metal discs clinking together with a crisp sound. Everyone was drawn to Shiroha's action, their attention unconsciously fixed on his hand as he repeatedly touched the cards.

Matsumoto Rangiku was leaning against the gambling table at some point, the ice cubes in her glass clinking.

As she leaned forward, her short blonde hair fell down, carrying the scent of citrus perfume: "This is quite a big move, Shiraha-kun, you're really confident."

At the same time, her fingernails intentionally or unintentionally brushed against the back of Bai Yu's hand.

"Add two thousand..."

"Discard..."

"I've given up too."

The wealthy businessman glanced smugly at the others, but his gaze was ultimately drawn to Matsumoto Rangiku.

Although he was a wealthy man, this was the first time he had ever seen a beautiful woman like Matsumoto Rangiku, who was not only stunningly beautiful but also had a very attractive figure.

However, he wouldn't resort to such rudeness as to directly lay hands on someone.

"Raise the bet!"

"and!"

"It's open! 999, a triple! Kid, let's see what kind of hand you have."

"2"

"3"

Seeing what appeared to be a 234 straight flush, the wealthy businessman laughed: "Brother, a 234 straight flush doesn't seem quite enough, does it?"

At this moment, Uchiha Hakuba turned over the card in his hand, which turned out to be a 5 of diamonds.

235 is specifically designed to target leopards.

"impossible!!!"

"I need to have my license checked!!"

Uchiha Hakuyu smiled. Cheating was no problem for him. He wouldn't feel guilty taking money out of these gamblers' pockets.

"Take your time testing, bro!"

Amidst the envious gazes of the wealthy businessman, Shiraha led Matsumoto Rangiku and Nico Robin to the restaurant.