One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 241: Gambler Fujitora?

In the first half of the Grand Line, the Prometheus sailed steadily across a calm stretch of water.

On the deck, a golden birdcage with a diameter of more than three meters sat prominently. Inside, a small dinosaur, about one meter in length, paced around. This was the Microraptor that Nia and Stussy had captured during their time on the prehistoric island of Little Garden.

At first glance, without prior knowledge, one might mistake the creature for an exotic bird. Its body was covered in vibrant, multicolored feathers, giving it a striking and beautiful appearance. It didn't look particularly threatening, on the contrary, it was quite elegant.

Claudius, Nia, and Stussy gathered around the cage. Nia held a small box in her hand, which contained freshly caught fish from the sea.

"That's right, Microraptors eat fish," Claudius commented, amused. "They've got pretty unique tastes, don't they?"

"Let me try feeding it!" Stussy said enthusiastically as Nia tossed a fish into the cage.

Claudius chimed in, "I want to try feeding it too!"

Stussy gave him a playful look and said, "Your Highness, why don't you go feed the Tyrannosaurus? This little guy isn't really your style." She snatched another fish and tossed it into the birdcage without hesitation.

"Tyrannosaurus..." Claudius muttered softly.

The group had indeed encountered Tyrannosauruses on Little Garden, but these creatures were far too wild and aggressive to tame. Claudius had tried several times but eventually gave up.

In the end, the Tyrannosaurus became a barbecue. Claudius had to admit, the meat was excellent—tender yet chewy, and surprisingly flavorful.

Of course, this also marked the end of Claudius's dream of raising a dinosaur.

"I'll figure something out next time," Claudius grumbled. "Maybe I'll catch Kaido and keep him as a pet instead. Let's see if anyone dares to complain about feeding him!"

"Don't worry, none of us would be interested in feeding that guy," Stussy replied without missing a beat.

Not far away, Robin spoke up. "You can come and feed my Pachycephalosaurus. It eats fruit and leaves, and it has such a gentle personality."

Claudius glanced over and saw Robin holding an iron chain. At the other end of the chain was a juvenile Pachycephalosaurus, about two meters in length.

Life, however, wasn't always fair. Ace, through sheer luck of birth, had inherited Roger's lineage. Now, with Claudius as his guardian, Ace's backing only seemed to grow stronger.

Compared to Ace, Doflamingo was truly unfortunate in the "father lottery," having been betrayed by his own family and left to fend for himself.

The Gran Tesoro came into view. A massive ship, it rivaled the Prometheus in size. In fact, it appeared to be even larger.

Claudius took a telescope from Nia and examined the ship. Clicking his tongue, he said, "Still a bit small, but it's just getting started. I can't complain."

The Prometheus was roughly the size of a small island, about a third of Water Seven. While the Gran Tesoro appeared larger, it was still far from the enormous casino ship it would later become, one capable of housing three or four Water Sevens.

As Claudius said, though, the ship was still in its early stages. Tesoro was already working on building an even larger vessel, which would surely make waves once completed.

The Gran Tesoro currently served as a grand gambling ship and cruise liner, attracting high rollers from across the world. However, Claudius's visit had nothing to do with gambling. Unlike Crocodile, he wasn't addicted to games of chance. If not for business, he wouldn't have come at all.

Tesoro had contacted him about a peculiar guest aboard the ship, someone Claudius had been seeking for some time.

That guest was Fujitora.

Fujitora was a folk master—a wandering swordsman and a notorious gambler. The world was vast, filled with hidden masters and powerful individuals, particularly in the New World. Some rivaled even the strength of Marine vice admirals.

Many of these masters worked as bounty hunters, assassins, or freelancers in the shadows. Others, like Fujitora, remained relatively unknown despite their extraordinary strength.

Fujitora had no hometown to speak of. Born on a ship in the New World, he had lived as a ronin, wandering aimlessly. Orphaned at a young age, he grew up enduring the harsh realities of life at sea. Over the years, he worked odd jobs to survive—dockhand, laborer, shipwright—barely scraping by.

Along the way, he developed a strong gambling habit, which eventually led him to the Gran Tesoro.

Tesoro, noticing Fujitora's immense potential, had alerted Claudius. It was this discovery that brought Claudius to the ship.

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