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The wind is dead, which isn’t that surprising on the Grand Line. Large quells subside in an instant only to kick up again the moment your guard is down, but for that to happen you need to put your guard down first. So that involves entertaining yourself, and with that comes the board games.
“Alright so double checking, everyone’s playing right?” Nami stands at the head of a table seeing the rest of her crew spread out at the table. Getting an affirmative from everyone else she brings out the game board.
“It’s my turn to pick out the game so I picked a favorite of mine. Insane Monopoly, pyramid scheme edition,” Nami could see the slight pallor in them as she dragged out the first board, then the second, then the separate boards for jail and cards.
“Nami, I’m not too sure about this,” Robin is trying to be magnanimous, but she also knew this was Nami playing with the rules. They weren’t allowed to ban a game from game night until they’ve played it at least once and this was the fourth version of monopoly Nami had dug up after all other versions were banned after playing it once.
“House rule that we stop once one person is bankrupt?” Sanji was not yet aware of how thankful he’d feel for putting this house rule in, but in about ten hours everyone would
“Sure,” And thus the game begins.
Hour 1
“Nami, how do stocks work?” The group had decided on a learn as you play style to the additional rules and Luffy was the first person to roll onto one of the additional squares.
Nami flips through the rather large rulebook, for what will not be the last time. The rules are hand-scrawled, this game is not the production of a printing press or even a sizable company, but instead two men who were trying to make the worst game possible. They gathered some friends, played it once, then sold it, which is how something that Usopp will go on to call a cursed artifact ended up in Nami’s hands.
“Stocks prices are based on what number turn it is. When finding the cost of a stock look at the large card and use the ones digit of the turn for the value of the stock. You can only buy and sell stocks on a stock on a stock space, but you can buy or sell to your wallets content,”
Luffy takes the turn to buy a stock at random. The next few people in the rotation have standard rolls. Robin gets a community card, Sanji gets a property, but they also end up going through most of the rules they’ll encounter throughout the game. They almost thing they can make it through this game without tearing each other’s hair out.
Hour 4
“I’ve got to make dinner. Just declare me bankrupt or something so I can go cook,” Sanji was openly smoking at the table, which he both would normally never do and also he would normally not be allowed to do. Everyone was beyond caring about something like that at this point.
“How about you have someone play in your stead?” Robin suggested the only one getting something like enjoyment out of this game, so she was actively hoping to prolong this experience.
“I’ll play for you Sanji!” Nami almost sounded innocent, but was too drained to give it the full effect.
“Nami-swan you’re an angel!” Sanji wouldn’t have even needed the attempt, both because of how he is as a person and how much he wanted a break.
“Grab the good shit!” Zoro was very obviously talking about alcohol. Sanji flipped him off before disappearing into the cabin.
“Alright, my turn. I rolled a seven and a man, which means I can’t go to the other board, hm. Not changing rings either, so I’ll buy this property. Now I’d like to discuss a trade between me and Sanji,” Nami wasted no time taking advantage of her control of Sanji’s game.
“Are you allowed to do that?” Usopp was more genuinely curious than against the action.
“Yup, just not allowed to bankrupt him,” Nami had checked earlier, with plans to con Sanji during a smoke break if it came down to that. “ Now I get all his property for a hundred gold.”
“Didn’t take all of his gold too?” Robin was sitting pretty, but still not in first.
“No. I like to win and it would leave Sanji too vulnerable to bankruptcy. Even with our combined funds I’d barely eek past Robin and Luffy’s way ahead, lucky bastard.”
Luffy was indeed in the lead, by a lot. Those random stocks he had bought turn one had turned quite a profit, plus a few good properties, lucky community cards and highly successful pyramid scheme had led to an nigh impossible to beat lead.
Hour 5
“Listen, Moss Head, I am willing to trade for Water 7. What do you want?” Sanji had quickly built his stock back up after Nami systematically gave everything of value to herself. In a four ringed board there was plenty of property and every time Nami took from him, she had to give him some cash to follow the rules.
“No, if I give you Water 7 that completes a set & that’s good for you.”
“That’s why I want it. You have incomplete sets. We could work something out,”
“What do you even have?”
Hour 6
“Alright, these six properties plus 500 gold for those seven of yours, including Water 7.”
“How about Zou instead?”
“No fucking deal.”
“Why not, shitty cook?”
“This entire deal is about Water 7, if I don’t get it, no deal!”
“Fine then!”
“Oh my gods. I hate both of you,” Nami was very, very tired. She was also next on the turn list after Sanji spent an entire hour failing to trade with Zoro.
Hour 7
“Which piece am I again?” Jinbe had just gotten back from a piss break.
“You're the koi,” Chopper remembered this one.
“Which board is that on?”
“Jail.”
“Oh.”
Hour 8
“And I survive with a hundred Gold to my name,” Franky groaned to this, as did everyone else at the table.
“No, no. I think, fucking, the steam engine has the same effects on a property as a a Luxury Hotel but it only costs as much as a regular one. Which means you are 200 gold short and officially bankrupt!” Nami finally delivered the good news, this game was finally over.
Cheers went around this table, but it was still time to tally the cash.
“Alright, I had 7200 Gold” Nami went first.
“Luffy?”
“200!”
“Zoro?”
“7900.”
“Usopp?”
“10500.”
“Chopper?”
“4600.”
“Robin?”
“ 3500”
“Franky is bankrupt, so Brook is next,”
“4400, yo ho ho,”
“And Jinbe, if he doesn’t beet Usopp’s 10500 then Usopp wins”
“2900”
“Alright! Usopp wins so he gets the honors,”
Usopp quickly shoved all the boards and pieces into the box as best as he could, then headed below deck to the nearest source of open flame. He tosses the box, supplies, rules and all into the fire.
All glowed in it’s warmth and destruction.
“Hey Nami?” Robin asked
“Yeah?”
“We’re banning monopoly completely.”
“That’s fair.”