"Finally made it in time after all..."
Step...
Step...
Black boots struck against the deck. All the crew members swallowed hard, staring wide-eyed at the mysterious and powerful man before them.
But the man didn't even spare them a glance. He dragged his wounded body along, chewing on roasted meat while reading a newspaper.
Facing the sea breeze, that slightly weathered and mature face came into view.
"Before I knew it, I'm already in my thirties, huh..."
The sea breeze blew, lifting his messy black hair. A faint stubble had grown on his chin.
But when Orin brushed his fingers lightly across it, the stubble vanished completely.
His gaze drifted to the wanted posters — Shanks, with his overwhelming presence, and Buggy, who was no longer the immature young man he once knew. Nostalgia flickered in Orin's eyes.
Time keeps moving forward. We're no longer kids. We've become the kind of old men that Captain Roger once was...
Gulp, gulp...
"Haa..."
He took a swig of liquor, smiling faintly. From the newspaper, he roughly figured out the current timeline — Luffy should be setting out to sea soon. He couldn't help but wonder how much the seas now differed from those in his memories.
He flipped through the paper continuously.
"Whitebeard's Second Division Commander Appears in East Blue — What Could He Be After?"
"Hmm???"
Of course. Even if you promised to restrain yourself, you still couldn't suppress that restless ambition, huh?
After all, even if Teach didn't betray him, it would've ended the same way in the end.
Still...
Since Ace chose to become Whitebeard's son, he must have made peace with his fate when he set out to chase Teach.
If he ends up captured... I suppose I can save him on the way, if it's convenient.
Orin chewed his roasted meat, his expression eerily calm.
The so-called "War of the Best" no longer concerned him. Having survived far greater wars, he saw it as nothing more than a squabble between children.
Whether to save or not — it was all just a whim to him.
Because from this moment on...
The entire sea was officially Orin's playground. No matter how big the chaos became, even if Imu personally stepped onto the board...
At best, they'd only be qualified to play a few moves against Orin.
"Well... it's been a while. Guess I'll go meet some old friends first."
As Orin's strength gradually recovered, the bloodstains on his body vanished into thin air. His elegant black formal attire became spotless and well-fitted once more.
"So then... who should I visit first?"
This should be East Blue, right?
As he pondered, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot. Space itself seemed to bend to his will. In an instant, he appeared high above the clouds — ten thousand meters up — and then warped away toward a distant direction.
...
Alvida Pirates.
After Orin's figure completely disappeared, the trembling crew finally dared to peek out. They glanced around cautiously, confirming the coast was clear before breathing sighs of relief.
"That was a Devil Fruit ability, right?"
"The rumored fruit that grants the powers of demons once eaten..."
"I swear, that guy looked really familiar..."
As the lowly pirates gossiped, Alvida appeared behind them — her eyes bloodshot with fury. Clearly, she was going to vent the humiliation she suffered from Orin on her crew.
She raised her massive spiked club.
Only Koby trembled violently, retreating into the storage room. He rummaged through a pile of wanted posters, until he found a familiar face — a man with long black hair.
Then he looked at the bounty amount.
Crack...
Koby's jaw dropped, disbelief plastered across his face. He almost fainted from shock.
Just then, a commotion erupted on the deck, snapping him out of it slightly.
Amid the noise, faintly, he heard...
"I'm Luffy! And I'm going to become..."
...
"Beru beru beru..."
"Beru beru beru..."
High above the sky, Orin strolled leisurely as if walking through a park. With every step, he crossed thousands of meters.
He wasn't in any hurry — there was no need to rush.
The familiar faces would all appear in due time, as the story unfolded. He would reveal himself when the moment was right.
For now, what intrigued him most was the [Seraphim Project].
Had Vegapunk completed what he'd instructed him to do? Were there any unforeseen complications?
In his hand was a Den Den Mushi he'd casually snatched from someone — and he now dialed the number of the Sea Transport King.
Click.
The call connected. A rugged, vicious-looking face appeared on the Den Den Mushi. A cigarette hung from his lips, his expression irritated.
"A call now? Who the hell is this?!"
Someone calling his private line during his rest — and from an unknown number at that — was not something he tolerated.
"It's me."
Orin spoke flatly.
"..."
"???"
"!!!"
That voice — that unmistakable tone — and even the unique pattern of the Den Den Mushi.
Umit froze, mind blank, speechless for several seconds.
Finally, he stammered out in disbelief:
"Orin... sir?"
"Mm. It's me."
Just those three calm words made Umit shoot to his feet, his eyes wide with excitement.
But Orin wasn't in the mood for small talk. The seas had changed while he was gone, and he wanted information.
"Enough chatter. Vegapunk — is he still at your site?"
Seeing Orin's expressionless face and calm demeanor, Umit didn't dare delay a second.
"Y-Yes, Orin-sama! Vegapunk and his research team are still in the facility. One of the Shichibukai, The Tyrant Kuma, has been guarding the project's progress!"
"That so. The address?"
"Yes, sir!!! The exact location is—"
Before Umit could finish, Orin already got what he needed. He hung up immediately.
Then, in bursts of warp after warp, he crossed hundreds of kilometers at speeds exceeding ten thousand meters per second.
Before long, he arrived above a desolate island.
"Pretty well-hidden, huh~"
Ignoring the guards outside, Orin warped directly to the central lab.
At that moment, Vegapunk was in the middle of an experiment.
"Now... how should I proceed with this step..."
"How's the experiment going?"
"Eh!!!"
A sudden voice at his ear made Vegapunk jump, letting out a startled yelp. The alarms instantly blared throughout the lab.
"Dr. Vegapunk! What happened?!"
Kuma appeared beside Vegapunk in an instant — his massive body shielding the scientist from the intruder.
He glared coldly at the long-haired man before him. Perhaps because of the dim lighting, he couldn't quite see the man's face clearly.
Kuma lowered his holy book and slowly removed one of his gloves.
"If you were to travel... where would you want to go?"
"Where, huh..."