"Hey, hey, have you heard? That underground casino near West Street, the one that was about to go bankrupt, got saved by some old man."
"Huh? What are you talking about? That casino was about to collapse, how could anyone save it…"
"I'm telling the truth! That old man is really generous, always throwing around money like it's nothing. But he only won the first bet, then kept losing after that, making it look like the casino was rigged."
"Yeah, I heard about that too. The old man's quite the character. He just couldn't accept losing and kept gambling. I think he lost over a million Berries, haha. I think he's getting senile—losing that much! That's enough to feed a family of three for years."
Lin Mo overheard some gossip on his way back to the tavern.
He didn't need to ask. He knew they were talking about Rayleigh.
He wasn't sure if it was true that Rayleigh single-handedly revived a dying casino, but losing all his money was definitely something Rayleigh could do.
Fortunately, Rayleigh had given most of his money to the tavern owner before going to the casino. Otherwise, he would've lost it all.
Lin Mo kept walking.
As he turned down an alley, he happened to run into Rayleigh, who was walking toward him, smiling and looking in high spirits.
"Yo, Lin Mo." Rayleigh waved and greeted him.
Lin Mo nodded, his face expressionless, as a simple acknowledgment.
"Hahaha, my luck wasn't great today. On my last bet, I watched someone else play, and I joined in. Even though I didn't have enough money to wager, it turned out just like I thought. What a shame... if I had money, I would've definitely won it back." Rayleigh said, his eyes flickering toward Lin Mo. "You've got to have some spare cash, right? Lend me a little."
Lin Mo: "..."
What the hell? Has he really fallen to the point of borrowing money?
But you're the Pirate King Rayleigh!
Lin Mo replied without enthusiasm, "I'm not lending you anything."
"Eh? Really not lending?" Rayleigh feigned regret. "If you lend me the money, I'll definitely win it all back with interest. How about I give you an extra ten percent interest?"
"No deal." Lin Mo suddenly had an idea and laughed lightly. "I'll lend you the money, but you can consider that the debt for the drinks I owe you."
Rayleigh blinked, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha… I didn't expect you'd go to such lengths to avoid buying me a drink. Well, in that case, forget it."
Lin Mo: "..."
So, in the end, money and gambling can't compare to a drink.
Lin Mo didn't understand why Rayleigh insisted on having him buy drinks.
Though, if given the choice between a hundred thousand Berries and a bottle of alcohol, he'd pick the alcohol too…
"Hahaha, enough about that. Let's go, we're heading back to the tavern for more drinks!" Rayleigh laughed loudly and gave Lin Mo's back a playful slap, intending to push him forward.
However, just as his hand was about to reach Lin Mo's back, Lin Mo stepped forward, making it so that Rayleigh slapped nothing but air.
It seemed like a coincidence, but Rayleigh knew it was intentional.
Withdrawing his hand, Rayleigh mused, "Seems like you really don't like people touching you."
"I also don't like being disturbed. Can you be quiet?" Lin Mo replied with an expressionless tone.
Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh again. "Hahaha, you're quite the interesting kid."
Lin Mo didn't feel like wasting time talking further and sped up his pace.
Rayleigh followed behind him.
When they arrived at the tavern, they saw Bartolomeo squatting on the stone steps in front of the tavern.
When Bartolomeo saw Lin Mo, he jumped up with a grin. "I asked the tavern owner, your name is Lin Mo, right? I'm Bartolomeo! Can we be friends?"
Lin Mo: "..."
"Oh? You're quite popular, huh?" Rayleigh smiled.
Bartolomeo excitedly said, "Lin Mo, you're so amazing! You look younger than me, ahh, I really want to be your friend! Please, agree to it!"
"No." Lin Mo decisively refused and walked past him into the tavern.
Bartolomeo froze, standing there with a painful expression. "Ah, I've been rejected…"
Rayleigh slapped him on the shoulder as he walked past. "True friends are tested over time. If you can't handle this small rejection, then you should give up. That kid Lin Mo is not someone you can easily win over."
After that, Rayleigh followed Lin Mo into the tavern.
Bartolomeo stood stunned, watching them walk inside. He swallowed hard.
His initial disappointment was quickly replaced with determination.
Bartolomeo clenched his fist. "Right! If I can't even handle this little test, I'm not worthy of being Lin Mo's friend! Hahaha, I'll definitely earn your recognition, Lin Mo!"
Lin Mo heard what Rayleigh had said to Bartolomeo.
Inside the tavern, the tavern owner immediately served them drinks when they arrived.
Lin Mo opened the bottle and took a sip, then sighed. "Why did you say all that nonsense to him?"
Rayleigh laughed loudly. "Having one more friend is better than having one more enemy, right? That green-haired kid looks like he's got a temper and seems like a little thug, but he's actually quite innocent. Maybe he can't help you now, but he might be able to in the future."
Lin Mo: "..."
Hah, no thanks!
No one knows the future of the rooster-head kid better than Lin Mo.
He doesn't need someone who'll blindly worship their idol and exaggerate things. Let him go worship Luffy instead.
"Stop saying useless things that don't concern you," Lin Mo replied without expression as he continued drinking.
Rayleigh laughed and didn't respond.
The tavern owner, wiping a glass, smiled. "You're quite something, Lin Mo. You're the first, or at least the youngest, to speak to Mr. Rayleigh like that."
"No big deal," Rayleigh waved it off. "The kid's right, I was meddling, hahaha."
Just as Rayleigh was laughing and drinking, a figure radiating a chilling presence appeared outside the tavern.
With a loud bang, the lock on the tavern door was shattered.
A tall figure descended the spiral stone steps.
Before the tavern owner could even exclaim in surprise, Aokiji appeared in the small wooden door of the tavern.
He bent slightly and looked inside. When he saw who was sitting with Lin Mo drinking, a look of surprise crossed his face.
"Ah, Rayleigh? You're here in Loguetown? Coming for Roger's anniversary, huh?" Aokiji said softly as he pushed open the small wooden door and entered.
The tavern owner, seeing that Aokiji recognized Rayleigh, was terrified.
Rayleigh, however, continued drinking casually, smirking. "I've retired, but you Navy folks sure don't give up, huh?"
"Your bounty's still up, so even if you've retired, you're still a pirate," Aokiji sat down next to Lin Mo, then turned to the tavern owner, raising his hand. "Excuse me, can I have a glass of sherry?"