Where once Los Sanatos had been bereft of gold, it was off the chain with treasures once more. Falco readied their boat, then helped his father load their diving gear. The old-style round helmets were weighty, but they'd help them sink to the bottom quicker. Much of Howitzer's wealth had already been recovered by a flotilla of boats. Half a day of ceaseless searching and hauling off jewels until sunset and high tide. A portion of his riches may be lost to the ocean forever, but in all likelihood the odd diver was liable to keep surfacing with a stray diamond for weeks to come.

Walking the docks was the man with the growing rep. Brown leather coat and scuffed boots, red bandana and now donning a cowboy hat.

"Jondy!" The boy called and got a side-eye. The man came over. At fifteen Falco was the youngest resident of the town. He glanced and his father wasn't back. "Props for that mad flex on anniversary day."

"I did jack all. Who says it was me?"

"Only everyone."

Jondy swore. Didn't deny it though.

"You should be careful showing your face in town. Rumor has it the Platos are gonna bust you on sight."

Jondy tipped his hat and continued off.

Falco watched him go. He thought admiringly, Jondy's a real one.

Short of swindling or jumping a man, there weren't many honest ways to source cheddar. But no coin meant no beer, so Jondy had to get some. On rare occasions he'd taken a pick down a cave system but gave up when his last two tries proved fruitless. He'd once sailed around the bays and isles, stockpiling from ancient shipwrecks, but there were no more of those either. Jondy wasn't a collared, employee type. Since the other men weren't kind enough to buy his drinks for him, he'd have to flimflam it out of them.

Jondy kept Falco's warning in mind, pulling his hat lower. He pushed his way into the Hydra for games night, which was back on now Howitzer was old news. His shrewd gaze scanned for suckers.

Bacon was in the shoppe belonging to the local seamstress, the only one in town. It was closer than his old village; he'd not traded in purely emeralds for some time. His scuffle and hogtying had ripped the elbow of his shirt and lost him a button. Perconia was mending it. Suddenly, she dropped down below the counter. Bacon turned and saw the governor passing the windows. Maybe Perconia had skipped out on taxes, or done some trivial thing without the right permissions. The bell tinkled. To his surprise, Governor Starganade had stepped in for Bacon.

"Ah, just the man I was keen on seeing."

"Me, Sir?"

"Yes. It was you choosing to do that stocktake on our town's anniversary that helped those hooligans steal all that TNT."

Bacon's shock turned to panic. "I had no idea-"

"Not only were the guards gone, most everyone was by the water for Howitzer's speech." His chin raised, wig getting taller. "This is a legit warning, Bacon. No more goofs."

Bacon got real nervous as his boss left. Perconia straightened up. Bacon spun around, the bell signaling his leave.

"Hey, your duds!" Perconia called. "My pay!"

Bacon went to the Hydra. If he could get info on Jondy now he could clear his name, keep his job and his safety.

He pushed the saloon doors. It was packed. Large round tables were set up, piles of gold nuggets and copper ingots in their middles, men seated and holding cards. Unwelcoming eyes stared his way. Bacon braved them and entered, steps creaking the floorboards.

"What kinda booze you after, Sir?" Wolfie called.

"Oh. Beer, cheers." Bacon dug in his pockets and tossed him a gold nugget.

"Right on."

"We got a villager with us?" Whoopy said.

Before Bacon considered leaving after all, a chair pushed out and someone put an arm around his shoulder.

"Human or not, this guy's got a stan in me." The hat disguised the fellow who pulled Bacon stumbling to the table, then dropped him into a chair.

"No help allowed! He can join next round!"

That stubbled jaw was familiar, then Bacon spied the blonde hair. "Jondy!?"

He raised a hand, facing back to Hazzard. "Crazy Eyes gets a partner, why can't I?"

"I can't read well!" A low-toned voice rebutted.

"Tough shit." When Bacon tried standing that arm was back, pulling him down. "Watch it, don't want the guys thinking you're tryna peep their cards. Cheats are not liked at this table."

Bacon noticed their holstered firearms and stilled.

Wolfie came by to deposit his frothy tumbler.

Jondy winked. "Drink up. Next round's on me."

So Bacon was forced to watch them play. Jondy won most of the hands. He was a remarkable liar, able to feign unwavering confidence or just the right amount of hesitancy. He had the others eating out of his hands. The gold kept piling up on his side.

"Another of Jondy's sweep nights," Cobra muttered, swinging back a drink.

The next round was tense. It was just Jondy against an increasingly irritable Diablo. Jondy tapped the table and smirked. Bacon glimpsed the cards he was holding.

"Your game's on fleek, Jondy. But your partner isn't." Diablo pushed out his emeralds and nuggets. "All in."

Jondy considered, then slower, he pushed his winnings to the middle too.

Diablo flipped his hand. "Three of a kind." He smirked as Jondy paused. "Go on."

"...full house."

Diablo froze. The table got shifty. Dark eyes flicked between Jondy and Bacon. A deep breath in.

"Punked me, aye…?" Click! Suddenly his gun was out and cocked. Jondy's smile didn't waver.

"No going apeshit, Diablo!"

"We're all chillaxed here!"

Bacon was shitting bricks while Jondy was the picture of ease. Diablo wasn't backing down so someone started reaching for their gun.

"It's aight," Jondy raised his hand to the others. He leaned in. "I'm a chill dude, and I can see you're mad. How about we play something else?"

"What? So you can keep dicking us around? You're no man, Jondy."

"Can't dick around in a game of Roulette. If you're a man, you'll play."

A challenge had been issued. Everyone at the table looked between them. Just like in Poker, Jondy wasn't backing down. Diablo smirked, then unloaded his gun, five bullets bounced on the table. He slid one back into position, spun the cylinder and it clicked back in place. They watched each other.

"You first," Diablo set his gun on the table.

Jondy picked it up, pointed it across. Click. Diablo jumped.

"Your turn." Jondy set it back down.

Furious, Diablo grabbed for the gun, pointed and pulled.

Click.

Disappointed, he placed it back. Sweating and swallowing now, his nerves were progressively eating him away in the face of Jondy's braggadocio.

Jondy slowly took the gun. "Feel like caving?"

Diablo didn't answer. It must've been sheer pride holding him there. The seconds stretched on.

"Nuh."

Jondy pointed. Click.

Diablo exhaled, relieved as he took the gun. Now it was his turn to make the other guy into a chicken.

"One in three. This is getting real af. Gonna back out?"

Bacon stared, incredulous at the cahonies of the man beside him.

Jondy said nothing for a while, then he went back to gassing, smiling winsomely down the barrel. "...shoot."

BANG!

The gun was shot - out of Diablo's hand.

The men jumped up, turning to see Deputy Shark whose pistol was smoking.

"You wankhammer!" Diablo shouted.

"That game's outlawed. Same with gambling, last I checked."

He eyed the bar and Wolfie turned away to go clean the backroom.

Bacon found his voice, "Aren't you one of Jondy's boys?"

"Plato or not, one man's already been dropped. Another dies in town and our kingdom over the ocean aint gonna be happy. We lost Howitzer. If you mofos are all about your independence, we need rules."

"No Platos are telling us nothing," Knockout grumbled.

Shark holstered his weapon. "Straight up, let Jondy keep his wins and you all bounce. Live to play another day."

Resignation spread over the table. They started to stand. Jondy scooped together his winnings. They stalked out into cool night. Bacon was utterly dazed as he shambled out with the men. A hand clasped his shoulder and turned him.

A gold ingot was placed in his hands.

"Thanks for your help today, partner." Jondy turned away and left him.