"Makes some sense."
Kong Tai offered no comment on Isshou's words.
Even a gambler cursed with extreme bad luck would have a day where their luck turned around, let alone Isshou.
Most of this guy's losses were actually due to the people he gambled against cheating.
And he never used his perverted Kenbunshoku Haki, so if people said big, he'd believe it was big, and if they said small, he'd naturally assume it was small.
In his life, he had seen too many ugly things and ugly people. After going blind, he no longer wanted to dwell on this ugly human nature. So, even if he knew, he never paid much attention to it, unless the other party went too far, to the point of targeting him directly.
At that time, he would reveal his fangs and make the other party understand that even a gambler has their limits.
If there was no cheating, then in this long life, if it were just betting on big or small, regardless of winning or losing, you would find that in the end, it wouldn't amount to much.
It was just like elderly people playing small stakes mahjong for leisure. Even if they played every single day for three hundred and sixty-five days a year, they wouldn't win or lose much in the end.
This was a matter of probability, with no strange elements involved.
Alright, enough digression. Let's return our attention to the gambling table.
*Bang—!*
The dice cup landed on the table.
Since Isshou didn't care, Kong Tai would naturally see it through to the end.
Win or lose, he believed in Isshou's character. Even if they lost, with his own strength, anything would be a minor matter to him.
It was the same for Isshou if he lost, because with Isshou's current strength, he was of no use to him anymore.
And at this stage, even if he invited Isshou onto his ship, it wouldn't hold much meaning.
After all, Isshou's goal was not the ultimate treasure, nor was it to kill all the Celestial Dragons.
Their objectives were not the same.
That was why this guy wanted to gamble with him, to bet on that fifty percent chance of winning, right!
"Bets placed, choose your side!"
"Big… or small."
"Small," Isshou chose small without hesitation, even though he had bet on small ten times before and lost ten times. On this eleventh bet, Isshou still chose small without hesitation.
"You're quite persistent, aren't you."
"If life had no persistence, then it would be meaningless."
"You're always saying strange things. I admit you have a lot of life experience, but you don't need to preface every sentence with something that sounds like life philosophy."
Kong Tai was somewhat helpless. He could sense Isshou's expectations for him and their group from his tone, but that wasn't a reason for him to lecture them.
Everyone's life was different. The experiences Isshou had, and the lessons he learned from them, might be somewhat useful to Kong Tai, but only minimally.
Although he was only eighteen in this life, he had been a person in his thirties in his previous life.
Combining both lives, his life experience and the time he had lived were not inferior to Isshou's.
Shaking his head, Kong Tai said no more. After all, old people always liked to impart their life experiences and the truths they had discovered to younger generations. This was the same everywhere, in every world.
Even he himself would sometimes tell Kuina and Ah Hua some inspirational stories, especially when they were children.
Of course, there was an exception, and that was Brook.
This guy was the oldest person there. His legend was such that even Shirohige's contemporary, Barmeliel Redfield, saw him as an idol.
From Barmeliel Redfield, one could tell that Brook must have been a significant figure throughout the seas in his youth, at least in the West Blue.
And at his age, this guy never showed the side of an elderly person in front of them. Instead, he acted like a youth, mingling with Ah Hua and the others all day. Only when he alone sat quietly by the ship's main mast, basking in the sun, could Kong Tai sense the twilight of an old man in him.
Thinking of this, he turned to look at Brook.
"What is it, Captain?"
Seeing Kong Tai suddenly look at him, Brook exaggeratedly reached up and touched his face, then burst into laughter, "Yohohoho! Captain, have you also noticed that my skin has improved a lot recently?"
"It seems the milk I've been drinking lately is very effective!"
"Yohohoho!!"
Shaking his head, ignoring the vain Brook, Kong Tai turned his gaze back to Isshou and, under everyone's watchful eyes, extended his hand and opened the dice cup in front of him.
"3… 3… 3."
Looking at the dice, a look of surprise appeared on Kong Tai's face.
Isshou had actually guessed correctly. Fifty percent chance of winning, and he had lost without any cheating.
"Small…"
Putting down the cup, Kong Tai picked up the wine gourd beside him, took a large gulp, and then smiled at Isshou, "Alright, you win. Tell me, what do you want me to do."
"A small matter."
Isshou's tone was still calm, as if he had known the outcome beforehand.
"A small matter?"
"Yes! It is indeed a small matter, at least for you all."
He looked up at Kong Tai, his lips curling upwards, and for the first time, he showed a smile in front of Kong Tai, "I really want to see you all! I can feel your young, righteous hearts."
As he spoke, his eyelids trembled slightly, and a slit opened in his closed eyes. However, within that slit, there was no blackness as a normal eye should have, only white.
The uncle struggled slightly, and in the end, he gave up, his eyelids closing again.
He had blinded himself, and no one understood his resolve at that time better than he did.
He didn't regret it, but sometimes, he also wanted to see the interesting people and events in this world.
Just like now, he wanted to see Kong Tai and the others clearly.
"My request is very simple: let me follow you for a while."
"Follow us?"
To be honest, Kong Tai had thought of many things, but the one thing he never expected was that Isshou would propose to follow them.
With Isshou's strength, he could be a big shot anywhere. What use would following them be?
"Yes," Isshou nodded, "Since I can't sense you, I want to personally feel and experience you, and your team, to see if you are truly as I've heard."
"Just for that?"
"Mm!"
Kong Tai looked deeply at Isshou, then lowered his head, his fingers pinching his chin, rubbing his stubble with his thumb. After a moment of thought, he nodded in agreement.
"Alright, a bet is a bet. Since you've made a condition, and such a seemingly insignificant condition at that, how can I refuse?"
"So you agree."
"Mm!" Kong Tai nodded, then extended his hand across the gambling table to Isshou, smiling, "Welcome aboard our ship, Uncle Isshou. Please guide us on our journey ahead."
"Guide you? I wouldn't dare. I just want to personally experience, to experience different scenery."
Though blind, Isshou seemed to be able to see. He stood up, extended his hand, and precisely clasped Kong Tai's hand.
"My name is Isshou, a blind swordsman. I apologize for any inconvenience in the days to come."