O.N.E. P.I.E.C.E.
"I'd stop fidgeting with that before our escort notices," Robin said in Percy's ear, gently guiding his twitchy hands away from the cuffs of his new, immaculate, white suit.
"I still don't get what was wrong with our old clothes," Percy said in a huff.
"You kidding?" said Leo, "We look hot!"
"We certainly look quite splendid," said Brook, twirling to admire his new, special-made suit, "If I had eyes to see us with, of course! Yohohoho!"
"My man!" Franky crowed, slinging an arm around Leo's shoulder, "We gotta hit up the town in our new looks! Start making some serious cash, ya know?"
"Why bother?" Zoro snorted, "Luffy seems to be doing alright enough for all of us."
"Annabeth too," Robin stated with an amused smirk. The two Strawhats in question were at the slot machines and a black jack table, respectively. Judging by the growing crowds around them, they were doing well for themselves so far.
"Yeah, just don't eat any flowers if someone offers you one," Percy said darkly before turning back to watch Annabeth, "It's not luck; she's just really good at math."
"Statistics," Robin clarified, "She's card counting."
"Ssssh!" Usopp tried and failed to slap a hand over Robin's mouth, "That's enough to get you kicked out of a place like this!"
"I don't think Luffy knows what math is," Chopper said through his mouthful of cotton candy that Luffy had been gracious enough to buy him with some of his winnings, "He's just reeeeally lucky."
"Wow, you guys are really cleaning up. How about you try your luck now in the VIP room?"
Robin watched Baccarat carefully as she sauntered over to their table. It was interesting to Robin that this voluptuous woman took great care not to brush against Percy as she slid into a seat at the end of the table.
"What's the difference between this VIP room and here?" Nami asked suspiciously.
"Big games, bigger prizes," Baccarat said with a broad grin, "You could become a billionaire in just one shot!"
That sold Nami immediately. She was off collecting Luffy and Annabeth before anyone else could begin to formulate an opinion on the matter.
"You sure about this, guys?" Leo asked the group milling about in the spacious elevator, then, under his breath so that Baccarat wouldn't hear, "I've met King Midas; I know a gold-themed trap when I see one."
"You're a Strawhat now, Leo," Nami said confidently, "We never back down from a challenge!"
Luffy and Chopper cheered in agreement.
Franky wrapped a massive, red hand around Robin's tiny waist, "What's say you and I go find somewhere with a view when all this is done?"
Robin's eyes glittered mischievously but she shushed Franky as Baccarat tapped on the wall.
"Surururu! Pleased to make your acquaintance!"
Leo, Usopp and Brook all lurched backwards in alarm.
"He stuck his head through the door!" Brook cried out in amazement, "I wish I had a head."
Chopper was about to point out that he did have a head; it just didn't have flesh or organs, when the strange little man, who Baccarat introduced as Tanaka, head of security, pulled all of them through the wall.
"What is this weird room?" Luffy gasped in amazement.
"What was that weird Devil Fruit?" Chopper gagged, pawing at his tongue to make sure he hadn't swallowed any gold.
"I bet even!"
"I bet odd!"
Sanji scoffed. "So your big VIP game is dice?"
"Giant dice," said Annabeth, watching the proceedings with an analytical curiosity, "Fascinating."
"Who's the gorilla man?" asked Zoro.
"That's Dice," Baccarat explained to the Strawhats as Dice tossed a steel pot larger than his whole body into the air, "He used to be the underground death match fighting champion, but he ran out of opponents. He had nothing to do, so we let him be a dealer here."
"He's so strong!" Luffy, Chopper and Usopp gasped in amazement.
"Hey, hey, Zoro, ya think you could do that?" Luffy asked excitedly, hanging off Zoro's arm like a kid would to ask their parents for candy.
Without breaking a sweat, Zoro assured Luffy that of course he could, but they should probably let the staff do their job for now so they wouldn't piss off Nami, to which Luffy eventually agreed.
"Is he gonna break it with that axe?" Brook wondered as Dice began twirling the weapon in question in the air. But no, the gorilla man opted to break the pot with his head instead. The pot gave a loud cracking noise before shattering into hundreds of smaller pieces.
"Whoah!" Luffy, Chopper and Usopp cheered the former cage fighter on, then stopped abruptly as Dice wandered off, moaning in delight while lovingly caressing the shiny, red mark on his forehead.
"WITH HIS HEAD?" Brook hollered incredulously.
"Masochistic freak," Zoro muttered under his breath. Sanji was loathe to ever agree with the dumbass swordsman on anything, but secretly, he couldn't help but agree. That guy was giving him the creeps.
"How about 300 million for the first role?" Baccarat suggested innocently.
"That's a lot," Usopp stated the obvious.
"But our luck's been good so far," said Brook, "We're on a hot streak!"
"That's not how luck works," Annabeth began, "Statistically, your odds don't increase or decrease the longer you-,"
"But it's like she said, we could be billionaires in one shot!" Nami crowed eagerly, slapping a hand over Annabeth's mouth to shush her, much to the daughter of Athena's chagrin.
"All in on even!"
"WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT?"
While half of the Strawhats had been conversing, Luffy had marched up to the dice station and bet 300 million berries without consulting anyone.
"Ow!"
Nami clobbered Zoro over the head with her climatact, "You're supposed to be watching him!"
"Since when?" Zoro whined, inching out of range of Nami's wrath.
"Navigator-san," Robin said calmly, "Look at Luffy."
"Bam! Snake Eyes!" called Dice.
"Aw yeah!" Luffy cheered, flashing the others the peace sign over his shoulder.
Nami squealed in delight. "We doubled our money!"
"What were you saying about luck?" Percy asked Annabeth teasingly. Annabeth was about to launch into another tirade about statistics, but was interrupted by Baccarat gently pushing Percy aside with a dainty, well-tanned hand in order to reach Luffy.
"My goodness, you are on a role!" Baccarat said admiringly, placing a hand on Luffy's shoulder, "I don't think anything could stop you now."
"I can have all I ever wanted," Nami said happily, flashing berry signs in her eyes, "Money!"
"Oi, I thought we were here to find Piper," Leo muttered.
"My goodness, such exciting VIPs we have here!"
Whispers filled the lounge as all eyes found a towering figure in a bold, pink suit gliding gracefully down the red-carpeted stairs. A demure-looking, purple-haired woman in a little, black dress followed diligently behind him, surveying the Strawhats with thinly-veiled interest.
"Who the hell are you?" Luffy said flatly.
"Where are my manners?" the figure said smoothly, "I am Gild Tesoro. I am the master of the Gran Tesoro and the owner of this casino."
Luffy gasped in recognition, "I know you! You're the Casino King!" He jabbed a finger at Tesoro, "Well watch out, cuz I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
"It's not a contest," Usopp tried to tell Luffy, but the Captain wasn't listening.
Tesoro laughed. It did nothing to put any of the Strawhats at ease, "Well then, to mark this special occasion, how about I welcome the future King of the Pirates to my humble abode with a wager?"
Luffy's gaze did not falter, "I'm listening."
Tesoro took a seat in front of Dice, "Since it's a special occasion, I'll offer 10 times your wager if you win."
"10 TIMES?" Nami and Usopp shouted incredulously.
Annabeth's eyes narrowed, "What's the catch?"
Tesoro's creepy smile widened, "The woman with the fascinating accent is wise to ask all the right questions. Naturally, I don't expect you to pay 10 times your wager if you lose. I already have more money than I know what to do with; this is the only way I can have any fun."
"You're on!" Luffy declared, plopping down next to Tesoro and shoving all his chips towards Dice, "All on odd!"
"Something isn't right," Percy murmured, subconsciously rubbing at the spot where Baccarat had touched his chest.
"Luffy! Don't do it!" Robin cried, having come to the same conclusion as Percy.
It was too late. The axe spun and spun in the air while Dice slammed the pot open, revealing a 6 and a 2.
"Huh, guess I lost," Luffy said in a muted tone.
"All our money," Nami muttered in shock, "Gone."
Annabeth took a step backwards, "Percy's right. We need to get out of here."
Tesoro laughed loudly, clapping his hands in amusement, "Well, thank you as always for an outstanding show, Baccarat."
"Show?" Usopp looked around wildly at their guide, "What did you do?"
"A simple trick," Baccarat said smugly, wiggling her fingers, "I have the power of the Luck Luck Fruit. When I touched your Captain, I took away his luck."
"So…I'm unlucky now?" Luffy scratched his head, "But I don't feel any different."
He clutched at his stomach and folded over.
"Luffy!" everyone cried.
Zoro ran over to him, "What's wrong?" he said urgently, "Where are you hit?"
"Stomach ache," Luffy groaned.
"STOMACH ACHE?" everyone shrieked.
"Luffy never gets sick," Chopper said in amazement, "He really is unlucky."
A muffled shout to their right caught everyone's attention. To their horror, Tanaka had snuck behind Percy and, without the son of Poseidon noticing, jabbed a thick, metal syringe into the side of his neck. Percy struggled, but the propofol acted fast, and he soon collapsed into Tanaka's arms. Annabeth made a mad lunge for her boyfriend, but Tanaka phased through the floor, reappearing next to Tesoro.
"Sururu! I got one!" he cheered.
Tesoro sighed, "I had wanted to collect my money from you peacefully, but it looks like my associates have gotten carried away."
"You kidnapped our friend!" Nami shouted, "And you knew we wouldn't be able to pay you back! You cheated us!"
"Cheated is such a strong word," said Baccarat.
"You simply didn't know the rules," Dice agreed.
"Here, whoever falls for ruses, loses," Tesoro said grandly, sweeping his arms like a showman to indicate the cheering crowd all around them, "You are, of course, welcome to try taking your friend back and getting out of here by force."
"That's a bet we're always willing to take," Zoro said eagerly.
"Hell yeah," Sanji agreed, before lunging at Tanaka.
"Oh, my leg!" Baccarat fell dramatically to the ground.
"I WILL SAVE YOU BACCARAT-CHWAN!"
"Tag, you're it!" Baccarat said seductively into Sanji's face as her fingers grazed his chin. Sanji staggered backwards, but his cigarette fell from his mouth in his haste, and in his quest to put out the fire in his new suit, he slipped on a banana peel and spun into the wall.
"IDIOT!" shouted Brook.
"WILL HE EVER LEARN?" shouted Zoro.
Franky and Dice locked fists in a battle of brute strength, though Franky shuddered in disgust every time Dice shuddered in delight at their punches.
"Bro, you're a total creep, you know that?"
"EEEEE! GIVE ME MORE!"
Meanwhile, Tanaka rounded Robin, Usopp and Leo into a huddle, taunting them with Percy's prone form clutched tightly in his arms as he slipped in and out of the floor.
"Surururu! Catch me if you can, foolish Strawhats."
"Oh, I'll catch you right between the eyes," Leo snarled, summoning a ball of fire in his right hand, "Should be easy on such a big, fat head."
"Leo, no!" Robin said quickly, "Even if you manage to hit him, you'll hit Percy too."
Leo growled in frustration but, knowing that Robin was right, extinguished himself.
"Coward!" shouted Usopp, "You're only using Percy as a shield because you know you can't take us head on!"
Zoro chose this moment to pounce.
"We just need to get the boss," he said confidently, darting at Tesoro himself.
Annabeth saw it before Zoro did, "ZORO, DON'T!"
It was too late. With a smirk, Tesoro closed his fist. The others, especially Leo, watched in horror as the golden dragon curled around the nearest pillar sprung to life, flying at Zoro. Zoro met the dragon head on with his swords, but by then it was too late; gold patches had already begun blooming all over his body. Soon enough, Zoro clattered to the ground. His legs were now solid gold, leaving him immobile at Tesoro's feet. Chopper rushed forward in concern.
"No! Stay back!" Zoro ordered in a panic.
Tesoro's grin widened, "So you do have a brain. Roronoa Zoro is right. Had you come any closer, you would all be lovely gold statues by now."
Zoro struggled to lift his head and glare at the man looming over his crouched figure, "You have a Devil Fruit power."
"That's right," Tesoro said gleefully, "The Gol Gol Fruit, to be specific. Any gold in the world I touch falls under my complete control, including the gold dust that welcomed you as you arrived!"
"You bastard," Nami growled, "You're not taking Zoro and Percy!"
Luffy staggered forward, still bent over in pain, "Give…them…back!"
"Very impressive killing intent, even while incapacitated," Tesoro admitted, "But even if I thought I couldn't beat you, I still have insurance."
Simultaneously, two daggers rested themselves against Nami's and Annabeth's throats.
"I wouldn't move, if I were you," the purple haired woman warned Nami as she wrapped an arm around Nami's wrist to keep her in place.
"Take one more step and it'll be the end of you," agreed a new woman, who'd wound herself around Annabeth like a snake, Nami's bronze dagger, now liberated from her waist, at Annabeth's neck.
"They're good, aren't they?" Tesoro said happily, "Carina and Piper are my most prized entertainment here."
Annabeth thanked the gods that everyone had the sense to mask their surprise at that second name.
"Now then," said Tesoro, "With a combined bounty of 420 million berries, I'd say Roronoa Zoro and Perseus Jackson would make excellent sacrifices, right?"
He leaned over and ruffled Zoro's hair, "This one's quite precious to you, isn't he, Strawhat Luffy? Is his life worth 320 million?"
"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Luffy roared, still unable to move due to the pain in his stomach.
"We'll get you the money!" Nami declared, causing Luffy to quieten, "Then you'll give us back our crew mates, right? We just need a little time!"
Tesoro's smile did not waver, "Of course. I am a fair man, after all."
He slammed a perfectly-pristine, white sneaker onto Zoro's chest, causing the man to grunt in pain.
"I'll give you until tomorrow at midnight," Tesoro informed the remaining Strawhats, "At which point I'll make a grand show of Pirate Hunter Zoro and Earthshaker Perseus' execution for the whole world to see!"
"No way!" Usopp cried.
"We accept your terms!" said Nami.
"Stop it!" Usopp growled desperately, but Annabeth glared at him to shut up.
"Now this is entertainment!" Tesoro declared, his grin taking on a more demented feel. He ground his foot harder into Zoro's chest and, as Tanaka threw him onto the ground, slammed his other foot onto Percy's head, "Backed into a corner with nowhere to go! It's the ultimate gamble! What will you do? I can't wait to see it!"
"BASTARD! GET OFF THEM!" Luffy howled, "ZORO!"
"I'm ok, Luffy!" Zoro managed to shout, "Percy's gonna be ok! Just go! We'll see you later!"
"C'mon, everyone," Nami lead the others back to the elevator, "We have work to do."
The Strawhats, especially Luffy and Annabeth, cast desperate, hopeless looks at Zoro and Percy laying prone at the golden madman's feet before Tanaka pulled them through the wall, and the two captive Strawhats were gone.