In the anime, this guy's eyes, even when open, are all white. Although he's a blind man, it's his own doing that they are closed, and no one knows if he's truly blind or faking it.
Truthfully, Kong Tai was also curious about this.
Shaking his head, Kong Tai straightened up, leaning back lazily on the gambling table, and asked Issho with a smile, "Since you can't sense it, how do you know who I am?"
"A feeling."
"..."
"A feeling?"
This surprised Kong Tai a little.
"Mmm!" Issho nodded, his voice as calm as ever. "To be honest, I really dislike the Seven Warlords. They, relying on the special privileges granted by the World Government, engage in acts of state-sponsored thievery. When I traveled to Alabasta and Dressrosa, I vaguely sensed that something was different there."
"But..."
Issho pondered for a moment before continuing, "But I never imagined they could be this wicked. I initially thought they were merely seeking power and profit, but I didn't expect they had reached a point where they didn't treat people... as people."
"So?"
Kong Tai remained noncommittal regarding Issho's words.
"So, to be honest, after I heard you killed Crocodile, I've wanted to meet you."
"Mmm! That's a reasonable enough explanation."
Kong Tai nodded, raised his sake gourd, and took a sip. Then, exhaling a puff of alcohol vapor, he lowered his gaze to Issho and chuckled, "Uncle, you've said so much. May I ask you a question?"
"Ask away! I'll tell you whatever I know."
"Since you discovered the conspiracy of Crocodile and Doflamingo early on, why didn't you, with your strength, intervene?"
"Intervene..."
Issho hesitated slightly, but still answered, "In this world, not everyone is like you, young man. Not everyone can be as strong as to instantly kill a Seven Warlord. I admit my strength is decent, but I can't swiftly dispatch Crocodile and Doflamingo like you. Moreover, I am a blind man. If I were to get into a stalemate, given the status of the Seven Warlords, the World Government and the Navy would arrive on the scene very quickly."
"Furthermore, prolonged combat, coupled with the fact that most of my abilities are ultimate moves, means I couldn't possibly protect ordinary people. Added to that, I only had a sense that something was wrong, not precisely what was wrong. So, until I left, I never found any concrete reason to act."
"And of course, there was also the timing."
"Mmm!" Kong Tai nodded, agreeing with Issho's reasoning.
The guy's techniques indeed couldn't account for ordinary people like his could, and with his strength, he truly couldn't defeat Crocodile and Doflamingo in a short time.
It was no wonder that as soon as he was appointed an Admiral, he had been dedicated to abolishing the Seven Warlord system.
It turned out that during his travels around the world, he had already discovered the flaws of the Seven Warlord system.
However, although the World Government eventually abolished the Seven Warlords, it had little to do with him. It was rather that the special weapon that the World Government developed to replace the Seven Warlords had matured.
After all, a weapon would obey commands without hesitation, whereas the Seven Warlords were all unruly individuals. In comparison, a weapon was naturally more suitable.
This was why, despite all his efforts in the Navy, the guy couldn't be happy in the end, even though a long-cherished wish was fulfilled.
"Can I ask you another question?" For some reason, Kong Tai suddenly looked at Issho with curiosity. "Although this question might be a bit presumptuous."
"Ask away!"
"Uncle Issho, please tell me, your eyes... um... are they really blind?"
This question, the moment he saw Issho, had been like a cat's paw, scratching and tickling him incessantly in his heart.
"Uh..."
The gentle smile that Issho had maintained on his face froze. He hadn't expected Kong Tai to ask such a... such an, um... "trivial question."
However, after a moment's hesitation, he still answered truthfully, "Indeed, I am blind."
"You really had the heart to do it to yourself!"
Upon hearing Issho's affirmative answer, Kong Tai couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
After all, someone who could personally blind himself would be considered a formidable individual, regardless of where they were.
Hearing Kong Tai's exclamation, Issho seemed unfazed. He reached out and gently stroked his closed eyelids, saying with a smile, "There are too many filthy and despicable people and events in this world that are unbearable to witness. And given my disposition, if I cannot cleanse the world, then it is better not to see."
"You are quite carefree."
"Heh heh!!"
Issho chuckled softly, offering no further reply.
Although his eyes were blind, it had also brought about a sea-change in his strength. In the past, he was merely a skilled wanderer who had eaten the Gravity-Gravity Fruit.
But since losing his sight, his Observation Haki had been enhanced to an epic degree, giving him the confidence to face anyone in this world, including the world's strongest standing before him.
Though he knew he might not necessarily win.
No, he would definitely not win.
Yet, that soaring confidence still remained.
Moreover, even though his eyes were blind, it allowed him to truly see the world, to see the hearts of men.
After this question, a brief silence fell between them.
"Let's gamble."
Sitting by the gambling table, Issho's gambler's soul burned fiercely.
"Gamble on what?"
Kong Tai tilted his head, looking at the empty tabletop before Issho, and teased humorously, "You're a classic case of having weak skills but a strong addiction. You have nothing, yet you want to gamble."
"We're not gambling money this time."
Issho showed no anger at Kong Tai's teasing. At over fifty years old, his life was in its twilight. His first half had been that of a passionate wanderer, and his latter half, that of a blind gambling swordsman.
Besides gambling and traveling, he had no other hobbies.
After all, to avoid seeing the ugliness of this world, he had sacrificed his eyes.
"Then what are we gambling on?"
"A condition."
"A condition?"
A hint of surprise flickered in Kong Tai's eyes, but it quickly vanished. Facing Issho's gentle yet slightly fierce face due to the scar, he smiled and said, "Alright, we'll gamble on a condition."
Regarding the scope of this condition, both showed tacit understanding and didn't elaborate. This meant they both had faith in the other's character, as perceived by themselves.
After all, a condition could be anything, small or large, even leading one to commit suicide.
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze and looked at the dice cup in front of him, asking, "Do you shake, or do I?"
"You shake."
"Alright."
Kong Tai didn't stand on ceremony. With a thought, the dice cup, lying on the gambling table, began to spin and flew up automatically.
Clatter, clatter!!
The crisp sound of dice colliding within the cup echoed.
"Aren't you afraid I'll cheat?"
Across the spinning dice cup, Kong Tai's lips curved into an amused smile as he looked at Issho. "After all, with my strength, cheating would be effortless."
"I'm not afraid," Issho's voice remained calm. "I lost ten rounds just now, waiting for this eleventh round. Life is like the dice in this cup; it can't always go in one direction. Even heaven gives everyone a fair chance of survival, let alone dice with only six sides."