A Gambling Man

*Albert POV*

*Location: Brockton Bay, Massachusetts*

*Date: December 31st, 1990*

So...that tidbit about finding a nice apartment to live in, as it turns out, finding one near New Year's Eve is the worst possible time, considering it was a holiday. Heck, it'd probably be impossible to find in the first few days after it's all done. I mean, during that time I might've...punch a few more skinheads, I mean I was in places they had no business going to and I still met them/knocked them out. 

Whenever I did that, of course, I always made sure to wear the mask, and I just started wearing it in general to help offset that whole thing. Except when I was eating or meeting someone for a possible apartment, which all failed, considering most of the people who applied had a steady stream of income. Although that was probably from the few scars I got, I mean most skinheads I encountered were more...idiots than anything else with egos as big as the Empire State Building, but a few did in fact have weapons. 

Most of the time, it was more blunt objects that left decent-sized bruises, but I did get cut a few times, mostly across my face. So yeah, while my mask did help stop the strikes a little, it did not stop the bleeding that followed, and at this point, I was starting to wonder if my good luck with the gacha rolls was being countered by the occasional encounter with dumb skinheads. 

Was it fun beating the ever loving crap out of racists? Yes, yes, it was, was it worth it? That would also be a yes as well, because heres the thing, I may be a sleezbag sometimes with a crippling gambling addiciton, but I think it was a few bits higher on the totem pole of evil when compared to literal Nazi's. 

So here I was, alone and sitting on a bench watching a few people celebrate the New Year, alongside maybe a few fireworks outside the city limits. I even had one of those kazoo-like things or whatever they're called, you know the kind that make a sound and go straight out, a little annoying that I can't remember, but what can you do?

[Host has one New Year's Eve roll, would the host like to use a holiday roll?]

[Y/N]

I spat the thing out as the system popped up out of nowhere, that gold screen now having some blowhorns and confetti added to it. I could feel my eyes bulge, and a few people looked my way as my hands jolted u as well. Honestly, I didn't know if holidays counted as a special event because I think I remember something like that when I first activated the thing. Looking around, I decided to go hide in a nearby alleyway and ask a few questions before rolling.

"Alright, system, please explain what a 'holiday roll' even is?" I whispered, looking around ot make sure no one could hear me.

[Holiday rolls are special rolls for specific items, traits, skills, or various other possibilities that relate to whatever holiday]

"Ok, can I pay specifically for a holiday roll, or is it something special that only happens on that specific day?" I asked by putting my hands together.

[Holiday rolls can only be rolled on a holiday host; no amount of money can change that]

Well damn, thought I could prank some people with april fools stuff, maybe, honestly it depends on what came out but seeing as that was the reponse, looks like it won't happen anytime soon. 

"Could I spend money on the holiday to get more holiday rolls? Also, are there any other specific rolls I should know about?" I said as I resisted the urge to sit down on the ground, knowing how filthy the city was. 

[Yes host can spend money on holiday rolls, during the holiday, and there is only one other roll type the host doesn't know but is not yet unlocked]

Sighing, I just shook my head, knowing full well that right now I was going to be saving up my money till I could find a few more expensive items. 

"Alright, system roll away." I said, excited to see what I would roll.

[Spinning Spinning Spinning Ding Trait rolled]

[Uncommon Trait - Laughter of Nika (One Piece)]

[Description: The Laughter of Nika, a laughter celebrating freedom and liberation, this laugh can inspire allies and terrify enemies under the right conditions. Side effects can include: weird heartbeat, odd laughter, and increased appetite]

Well...that was something because in all honesty, I don't know how useful it would be, I mean, sure, in team fights it was probably useful. Right now though...it was probably just a weird laugh I now had, I mean honestly I expected this thing to have some One Piece stuff in it, which was one of the few animes I watched/enjoyed alongside their movies, but I didn't expect...this to be perfectly honest. 

"Shishishi-" I clapped my hands over my mouth as I began to slowly laugh at the absurdity of it. 

That's when I very quickly realized that my laugh was forever altered in such a way that I would be looked at weirdly for the rest of my life. I rubbed my cheeks up and down in contempt for this system, I mean, sure, it's been good to be me overall; however, right now this...this was beyond all kinds of weird. I mean, does One Piece exist in this world? If so, would people assume I'm doing some silly laugh in salute for the anime?

"Hey, system can this trait be turned off? Or is it permanently on?" I said, rubbing my eyes, now really hoping that the answer was a yes. 

[While some traits can be turned off, certain traits are unfortunately biologically attached to the host and thus cannot be turned off]

[Laughter of Nika is one of the biological ones that cannot be turned off by the host]

"...fuck." was the only thing I could think to say in that moment.