Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

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 and gazed into the distance through the thin mist: "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 ride? Your ship is to pass through the Dead Sea, and judging by today's weather, it looks like it will 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 smoke and alcohol, hit him 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 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 noblewoman 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, I'm not going to open anyone else's. Let's see who can beat me today!"

The lady followed with a coquettish laugh, her movements slow and deliberate: "I'll give you 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, Shirayu-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..."

"Fold..."

"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!"

"with!"

"It's open! 999, a triple! Kid, let's see what your hand is."

"2"

"3"

Seeing that it seemed to be a straight flush of 234, the wealthy businessman laughed and said, "Brother, a straight flush of 234 doesn't seem to be 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 from 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.

Kill him directly in Chapter 16?

The clamor of the gambling tables was left behind as the three walked down a scarlet-carpeted corridor toward the cafeteria. The wall lamps along the corridor cast a warm yellow glow, and the aroma of food gradually filled the air, overpowering the smoky and alcoholic smells of the casino.

"Now I can eat to my heart's content!!"

Seeing that Shiraha had won a lot of chips, Matsumoto Rangiku was also very happy. Although she didn't know what kind of food was on the ship, such a large merchant ship must have better food than on a small boat.

The restaurant's doors are made of heavy, carved solid wood, and a cool breeze blows when you push them open.

The interior is decorated in an extremely luxurious style, with crystal chandeliers hanging down and the dazzling array of dishes shining brightly.

The cold buffet area features paper-thin slices of smoked croaker, drizzled with clear lemon juice;

On the sashimi stand, tuna belly, scallops, and Sicilian sweet shrimp were neatly arranged, with bright red sauce next to them;

The grilled lamb chops in the hot food section sizzled with oil, their skin crispy and charred, and sprinkled with finely chopped rosemary;

The creamy matsutake mushroom soup steamed in a white porcelain bowl, and the baked shrimp with cheese had an enticing orange-red shell. The dessert table was even more dazzling, with chocolate lava cake, strawberry mousse, and macarons piled up like small mountains. Even the fruit was cut into delicate flower shapes and soaked in chilled syrup.

At that moment, Matsumoto Rangiku was overwhelmed by the delicious food.

She had never seen so much food in Rukongai, so many dazzling dishes to choose from.

Rangiku rushed to the drinks section first, picked up a glass of chilled plum wine, grabbed a piece of roasted lamb chop, and then started enjoying the food nearby.

Unlike Matsumoto Rangiku, who was eating large chunks of meat and drinking heavily, Nico Robin was picking up a piece of fish belly with her chopsticks. The moment she put it in her mouth, her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

She chewed slowly and said softly, "The meat is very fresh, but the sashimi knife skills are a bit lacking, and it lacks the delicate melt-in-your-mouth texture."

She put down her chopsticks and looked at Uchiha Shiraha, who was eating beef beside her: "Shiraha, did you taste anything?"

Bai Yu forked a piece of steak, the light sauce melting on her tongue. She shook her head, her gaze sweeping over the delicacies on the table: "Well, let me think about it."

After thinking for a while, under Nico Robin's expectant gaze, Uchiha Shiraha put down his fork, his eyes sweeping over the table full of food, his voice calm yet carrying a hint of certainty:

"Just as Robin said, the ingredients for these dishes are top-notch, the seasoning is impeccable, and the heat of the roasted lamb chops and the temperature of the sashimi are perfectly controlled."

Uchiha Hakuba paused, looked at the plum wine in Rangiku's cup, and then turned to the mousse next to Robin, which she had only taken a sip of.

"But it's just too steady, so steady that it's like it was carved from a recipe. Every bite tastes exactly as expected, without any surprises."

"Good food shouldn't be like this."

Uchiha Shiraha's gaze fell back on the beef on the plate: "Truly delicious food should carry the thoughts of the cook. Perhaps it's the extra cumin sprinkled when roasting meat by the campfire, or the extra half spoonful of salt accidentally added to a bowl of hot soup shared by a traveler. Those unique artistic conceptions that go beyond the ingredients themselves are the most enticing flavors."

No sooner had Bai Yu finished speaking than a greasy laugh broke the restaurant's clamor.

Following the sound, a man in a wrinkled naval uniform sauntered over. The stars on his epaulets were covered in dust, and the sword at his waist was worn very improperly, making him look exactly like the puppet soldiers that Uchiha Shiraha had seen in TV dramas.

His lecherous gaze lingered on Rangiku and Robin, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. Behind him were two equally irresponsible lackeys.

"The young man is right."

The man licked his chapped lips, staggered to the table, and completely ignored Uchiha Shiraha.

Uchiha Hakuba also looked at the Navy Lieutenant Commander in front of him with great interest.

Uchiha Shiraha sensed that the most anticipated scene of showing off and getting slapped in the face was about to unfold.

"But in my opinion, no matter how alluring the taste, it can't compare to the charm of the two of you."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch Rangiku's hair that was hanging down her shoulder.

Rangiku reacted quickly, twisting her wrist slightly as she held the wine glass, the rim of the glass barely brushing against the man's hand, splashing the icy wine all over his hand.

She still smiled languidly, but her eyes were devoid of any warmth: "Sir Navy officer, please keep your hands in line."

The man wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he laughed even more unrestrainedly: "Rules? On this Pleasure Ship in the Dead Sea, my word is the rule!"

He patted his chest, his tone full of smugness: "Naval Lieutenant Commander, do you know what that means?!"

He paused, his gaze lingering on the two again, his tone laced with blatant enticement: "You two are so good-looking, why are you running around with this young man? Why not join me? I guarantee you'll live the high life, have whatever you want, all you need is... hehe..."

Before he could finish speaking, an icy dagger flew past his ear.

It slammed into the wall behind him with a "nail" sound.

"roll."

The man shuddered in fright, covering his ears and taking two steps back. He realized the dagger had flown from Matsumoto Rangiku's hand, but his bravado masked his fear, and he shouted, "You brat! Do you know who I am?!"

“We’re not interested in knowing,” Robin’s voice rang out calmly. She had somehow moved behind the man, her slender fingers gently resting on his shoulder.

"Moreover, what you said was extremely rude."

The man felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, and a piercing pain spread from his bones. He tried to struggle, but found that his limbs were firmly locked, and he couldn't even move a finger.

"Evil...Devil Fruit!"