Raymond POV

"Now then, what shall we play?"

I sat back down at the table as D'Arby got to his feet before joining me. He eyed me sceptically before asking "Do you have a preference? You know what I'd suggest." I thought for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, poker it is. However I should warn you. I'd also like to put my own 'edge' on the game." This caused D'Arby to raise an eyebrow and ask "What did you have in mind?"

I said "Just a spin on the rules, something to ensure you don't try to cheat me. Jotaro, come over here please." I gestured Jotaro closer before saying summon your Star Platinum but don't attack."

Turning back to D'Arby I asked "Are you left or right handed?" D'Arby paused for a moment before raising his right hand in the air. I said "Alright, place your left hand on the table like this."

I pressed my own left hand with my fingers splayed out. Seems my rules were confusing D'Arby as he asked "What is the point of this?" 

Jotaro called forth Star Platinum as I called Ace of Swords. I had my Stand summon a knife which I handed to Star Platinum. As long as another Stand held the knife, it wouldn't vanish. Jotaro did ask "What are you doing?"

Growing annoyed with the questions, I sighed. "We shall be playing poker, but as this game goes on, I want you to stab this knife in between our fingers. Y'know that little game, try and not hit our fingers? After each round, go faster. And faster."

This reveal clearly shocked D'Arby as he stammered "W-what? You want to threaten me? It's clear Jotaro will just favour you with this!" I spoke "He won't, because if he does I will admit defeat and just like that, you've got another soul for your collection."

Leaning forward, it seemed he still hadn't bought the idea. He asked "And why would you even suggest this then? Seems like you don't gain much from it." At this, my expression changed, it looked almost maddened as I said. 

"Quite the contrary, there is plenty of room for injury from this. Let's see how well you play, how well you CHEAT, when your hand is on the line."

D'Arby thought this over for a moment, I half expected him to deny it. But I knew better, I knew D'Arby. He wouldn't resist the chance to gain a new soul. He was fully confident he could still win. That was his mistake! 

And sure enough he said. "The terms are fair. I accept your challenge Gladius. But it will take more than a cheap trick to scare me." We seemed ready to start, however there was one last thing.

I scowled, I knew his plan. But if I wanted him to agree, I had to give him the illusion that he was in control. I ended up agreeing. "Fine, but at the first suspicion of cheating, there will be consequences and we'll find another to deal for us. I should warn you, between Jotaro's Star Platinum and my own perception, you won't find it so easy to cheat."

At this D'Arby seemed anxious, but he kept calm. Instead he said "Deal. Sounds good to me. Now then are there any more interruptions? More last minute rules you want to add?" I pointed "Get out a new deck. I don't want one you may have tampered with."

D'Arby just said "Done." And pulled a new deck out of his pocket, seal and everything. I even handed the deck to Jotaro to inspect. One Joker card, all seemed normal. I shuffled and cut it before placing it back down in front of me.

We each picked a card from the top to decide who would deal. D'Arby held his card, announcing "Ten of hearts!" I looked at what I'd got and narrowed my eyes before showing it and saying "Five of spades."

D'Arby said "Then I'll deal." I nodded saying "Very well." I studied his movements, one for me, one for him. He didn't last long though as Jotaro got my attention. I turned to him and he gave a simple nod. I knew exactly what he meant and didn't even give D'Arby a chance to make an excuse.

Ace of Swords summoned another knife and with no remorse I stabbed it down directly into D'Arby's right HAND!

The treacherous gambler howled in pain, instantly stopping the dealing and clasping the wound. He glared at me and exclaimed "You goddamn psychopath! What are you thinking!" Avdol exclaimed "Raymond, you just stabbed D'Arby's hand!"

I spoke "Relax, thanks to Ace of Swords' precision, I avoided breaking the bones in his hand. I only did what I did because I believe Jotaro spotted some cheating." Avdol turned to his friend asking "Is this true?"

Jotaro nodded and pointed "Yeah, look at his left hand." Looking down, I instantly noted that one card in particular was sticking out slightly. Usually, this wouldn't be a big deal. However in this instance, I knew D'Arby's game.

Jotaro explained "That's the card he was planning to deal you. He pretended to deal the top card, when in truth it would have been second from top. In this situation, the top would have gone to him. And he would have had three tens with that hand!"

I grinned. "Ah, the good old 'second deal' trick. Good eye Jotaro." D'Arby snapped "Y-you dare stab me! You-!" He was cut off as Ace of Swords proceeded to point the dagger at the gambler's throat.

"One more attempt at cheating from you. I'll do more than stab your hand, I'll cut the whole thing OFF!" In honesty, I was beginning to loath D'Arby. He was going to end up like Steely Dan at this rate. Even so, I calmed myself.

"This confirms that you can't be trusted to do something as simple as dealing cards. We're going to find someone else. A third-party." As I said this, I noticed a young boy playing a short distance away.

I hated getting a child involved. But I didn't trust anyone in the bar, nor would D'Arby allow either Jotaro or Avdol to intervene. 

I pointed "That boy, he'll do. Avdol bring him over." D'Arby agreed, saying "Good." Albeit reluctantly. He narrowed his eyes and spat "It appears I underestimated Jotaro. I'll accept this stab wound as punishment. And now, I'll devote my full concentration to our game. Gladius."

I grinned, seems he missed the sadistic look in my eyes as I said. "Very good. This shall be fun..."

Timeskip...

Avdol brought the child over, D'Arby had wrapped his hand in a bandage and now we were finally ready to begin. I asked the boy "Do you understand what you're doing?" The boy nodded and replied "Yes sir."

And just like that, I said to D'Arby. "Right, place your hand out just like mine."  I splayed my left hand out at on the table, D'Arby grunted angrily and did the same. I turned to Jotaro who knew what to do.

I had Ace of Swords summon a second knife for Star Platinum to hold. One for each of us. He started slow, stabbing the table between our fingers, however he soon picked up the pace. 

Judging by the thin layer of sweat forming on D'Arby's face, I could tell I was getting to him. Even if he hid it behind a composed expression. Good, I just needed to keep this up. I knew D'Arby and knew just how to make him crack.

The rules had been laid, Jotaro was doing his part. Now, we play. The boy dealt our opening five cards. Mine consisted of the following.

Nine of diamonds,

Nine of hearts,

Five of Spades,

Five of Clubs,

Queen of Hearts.

Studying the hand, I scowled. A pair of nines and a pair of fives, that was all I had. I mean, two pairs were better than one. But my odds were low for the opening hand. Thankfully, I had a good poker face. D'Arby wouldn't need to know.

I could swap out cards if I wanted, but I didn't know if that would make my hand better or worse. I could see why poker was considered a game of psychology. That's why I'd added my own twist. Added pressure.

D'Arby analysed his own hand before saying "I'll raise." He tossed forward two chips with Polnareff's face on them. For the purpose of this game, he'd split Polnareff and Joseph's soul chips into multiple.

He'd also provided me with some blank white chips which he explained "Remember. Those chips are for your soul." This made me ask "If I want more chips, do I have to bet something else?" 

D'Arby corrected "SomeONE else. But yes, that's how it works. Now, make your move Gladius." Looking at my hand again. I put the same number of chips forward from my pile and said. "I'll call that bet. Let's see what you have."

We both revealed our hands and I instantly felt anger fill me. THREE OF A KIND! I knew my poker hands, that was better than the Two Pair that I had. D'Arby shot me a condescending smirk as he took the four chips from the pot and said "Thank you."

I simply remained blank as I said "Indeed. Now then, Jotaro, increase speed." As I said this, Star Platinum increased the speed in which it stabbed the knife. I explained to the shocked D'Arby. "With every hand. I shall have Jotaro increase the speed. Let's continue please."

The child instantly dealt the next hand. Better than the first, but still not great. This time I had three of a kind. Three SEVENS to be exact. I grinned, seven works for me. Looking to D'Arby, I noticed something.

His focus wasn't on his cards, but rather on a book perched just next to him. He eyes each page as he carefully flicked through it. Another cheating method? Maybe, maybe not, I wasn't about to take a chance.

Ace of Swords threw another knife, it intentionally missed his hand, only narrowly skimming it. D'Arby lurched back in shock as I said "Just checking if you were still present. Wouldn't want you to get distracted would we?" My expression was a smirk which made D'Arby snap.

"In case you didn't notice. I'm winning our little game. Your fear tricks aren't working on me! I bet." He angrily threw some more chips onto the table. The very fact that he said this made me doubt his statement. I was getting to him now, I just needed to push deeper.

With this confidence, I said "We'll see. I raise this. Let's see how things go." I pushed forward five more of the white chips. And said "Let's see what you've got." D'Arby revealed his hand and again, I frowned.

A STRAIGHT! A one, two, three, four and five! Again, he's one-upped me! This time though, I leaned forward. As D'Arby took the pot, he said "My my, I win again. At the rate you're going. I'll have my third soul and be well on my way to a straight flush."

I said nothing and allowed the child to deal. Looking at the cards, I'll just say it was abysmal. A pair of nines, that's it. There was next to no way I could win out of this. I placed my hand to my chin in thought.

Was it a coincidence that he always had a hand that was just the next step up from mine?  I had two pair, he had three of a kind, I had three of a kind, he had a flush. Maybe, or, like with the cat earlier. Was this all a trick? A ruse. Was the seemingly innocent child being paid by D'Arby?

Either way, it made little difference. D'Arby was leading the game, but with that hand over, Jotaro had sped up with the knives. It was difficult to follow Star Platinum's speed now. For both me and D'Arby. His focus was becoming fragile now.

I just needed one final push.

D'Arby spoke "Let's get this over with. I'll bet two of Joestar's soul." He placed the red chips down in the pot. I closed my eyes, breathing calmly before opening them again and saying. "Very well. I'll put a big bet on this one. I'll bet the rest of my own soul." D'Arby smirked "Daring today aren't we? Are you getting confident?" 

I leaned back, turning to Jotaro and Avdol before asking. "May I?" They knew what I was talking about. Avdol asked "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I just gave them a knowing look.

Jotaro muttered "Fine, whatever. But if you screw this up, I'll leave you paralysed before D'Arby can even think about taking your soul." I only nodded in acknowledgement before asking. "Can I add to the bet?"

D'Arby shrugged "Yes. But you've already bet the rest of your soul. Unless you have something else?" At this, I was finally able to execute my endgame plan. Placing even more blank chips forward, I declared.

"Then I bet the souls of both Jotaro and Avdol."

Suffice it to say, my plan worked. D'Arby's eyes widened in shock, Avdol leaned forward asking "What are you thinking?!" I turned to him and said "Trust me. I know what I'm doing, I wouldn't do this if I wasn't certain."

D'Arby was definitely interested in my sudden bravery. He tried leering "Hmm. What're you planning. I'll call with more of Mr Joestar's soul. What're you gonna do now? Bet that old man Gyalzen?"

I smirked, just as I'd hoped. "Good idea D'Arby." I spoke smugly as I put more chips forward. "I'll best Gyalzen's soul as well as that of Kakyoin in the hospital." At this Avdol yelled "What?!" And grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt. 

He yelled "What are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Jotaro however seemed to understand my goal. He placed a hand on Avdol's shoulder, saying "Hey Avdol, I'd just sit back and watch if I were you." To this I calmly said "Thank you." Before returning to the game.

Between my move and the fast-moving knife between his fingers, D'Arby looked paranoid, uncomfortable. He was right where I wanted him. All he needed to do was bet higher. And just as I'd hoped. He did.

With what fragile confidence he had left, he said. "Well then I will raise even HIGHER! Let's see you top this!" He pushed forward a massive pile of his chips forward. He was beginning to doubt his chances. I had one trick left.

Pushing all my chips forward, I declared. "I'll do more than that. I go all in, this time I'm betting the soul of my infant son Sylvester!"

At this, everyone was stunned. Avdol was stammering on his words. "W-what... You... What?" Jotaro just looked wide-eyed, even he was surprised at my words. As for D'Arby, well his fate was sealed based off his response.

"W-what?! Your son?! This is ridiculous! You don't have a son!" Reaching into one of my pockets, I pulled out a photo of him, saying "Yes I do, here he is. Isn't he adorable?" 

I felt sick to my stomach saying this. Sylvester meant more to me than anything in the world. If I didn't know D'Arby and how he'd react, I would have never made this bet. But D'Arby would have to match my bet.

Pointing at him, I spoke. "Before you say anything. I'll say this, so far I'm betting not only myself, but Jotaro, Avdol, Gyalzen, Kakyoin AND my son! I think that requires equal value from you." At this, D'Arby stammered "W-what?!"

I grinned "Yes, let's see. You betted Joseph, Polnareff and DIO's location. That's all good, but I think I deserve more." I had just the thing in mind, but turning to Jotaro and Avdol, I asked "Any ideas?" 

Jotaro got the idea, leaning down and whispering exactly the same thing I'd thought of. My grin grew even wider as I declared.

"Perfect idea Jotaro. You can tell us the identity of DIO's Stand!"

At this, D'Arby's façade shattered. His chair fell back as he stood up. His breathing was ragged and he was sweating buckets now! I only pried deeper though.

"Well? Aren't you going to make a move? Jotaro! Increase your speed! Oh, and roll the knives between your fingers like this!" I had Ace of Swords give a demonstration which Star Platinum happily mimicked.

With the way the knife rolled, it looked like a lawn mower blade spinning. It was only Star Platinum's precision that kept our fingers from being cut off. I was fine with this, D'Arby though was another story.

I snapped "Go on! Don't keep us waiting!" However D'Arby continued to pant heavily. I'll admit, I was honestly growing surprised when I noticed how bad I was getting to him.

His hair began going white, he was drooling and it took a moment to notice that he'd PASSED OUT! 

I spoke "Seems he's admitted defeat in his heart. If I'm right, that means..." Turning around, I smiled as I saw Polnareff and Joseph's souls returning to their bodies. Not only that, but as D'Arby fell back, collapsing to the floor, his book was open.

Souls began bursting from the different chips. I briefly caught a glimpse of the same businessman I'd worked with years prior. He smiled as his soul drifted away. 

As Jotaro and Avdol tended to their revived comrades, I instead approached D'Arby, leering down at him. Seems  I'd effectively broken him, he was cackling away like a madman. 

I spoke calmly "It seems behind all your cheating, all your bravado. You were still human at the end of the day, you still had fear. All I needed to do was torment you enough. Between you and me, my hand? It wasn't even that good. Look." I dropped my hand on him, not caring if he could react.

Turning around, I was met with the others. Polnareff stepped forward "Whoa, I guess I should be apologising. I wasn't expecting for you to be the one to save us." 

I shrugged "No problem, you had every reason not to trust me. I'm just sorry we couldn't get information from D'Arby. Seems he's not in any suitable to talk." Joseph approached as well.

"Eh, seems you did what you could. Jotaro was just saying how dangerous this guy was. He could have taken out all of us. Using fear may have been our best bet." He adjusted his hat. Saying "Come on, we've got a city to search."

With that, we departed. We'd won, but my mind was still not at ease. I'd only beaten D'Arby because I knew his personality and was able to gain further knowledge of him as we played. 

I knew there were some Stand users who worked directly under DIO. I had no idea what any of them were capable of...

Author's Note: And that's it for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait, this chapter was actually quite an interesting one to write since I had to do a lot of planning. I really hope you enjoyed and as always, thank you for reading.