...
"Oi."
Orin squatted down, looking at the motionless Crocodile lying on the lounge chair, and poked her cheek.
"Move a little, eat something. You don't wanna starve to death on the Oro Jackson, do you?"
Orin snapped his fingers.
A plate of seafood fried rice appeared on the dining table in front of them.
Orin stared at her like that, and she stared back at him with a deadpan look.
Orin: "…"
Crocodile: "…"
Maybe it was because she was too hungry, or maybe she just couldn't take Orin's antics anymore—she finally opened her mouth with great effort, despite her weakness.
"You… bastard… I can't even lift my arms. How am I supposed to eat…"
The moment he heard that, Orin's eyes lit up.
Oh crap,
I forgot!
"Then… can you promise me that if I let you go, you'll behave yourself?"
Crocodile nodded like she was resigning herself to fate.
Orin didn't quite trust her—not because he was afraid of her, but because if she suddenly went berserk and damaged the Oro Jackson, he'd be seriously heartbroken.
A flash of red gleamed in his eyes. After confirming something, Orin nodded and finally snapped his fingers.
The black seastone cuffs on Crocodile's ankles instantly vanished.
True to her word, she didn't do anything unusual. She simply picked up the spoon in silence and started eating.
Orin clasped his fingers together, resting his chin on them, watching her eat with gusto. He coaxed gently:
"So? Wanna join us?"
"I know what you're thinking. Once you realized that your own strength wasn't enough to become a king… you became disillusioned and instead wanted to build a utopia—a peaceful world untouched by the powers that be. So… you're searching for that, aren't you?"
Orin smiled softly, resting his chin on his hand,
not even glancing at the stunned expression on Crocodile's face.
"You're looking for that thing..."
"The Ancient Weapon… Pluton!!!"
"How the hell do you know that?!"
Crocodile put down her spoon, eyes dark and voice cold.
"Oh, that… maybe because my Observation Haki has a prophecy-like ability?"
"Prophecy?"
Crocodile repeated in disbelief, and even Mihawk, who had just walked over with a bottle of red wine, paused.
The two of them looked at Orin with cold sweat on their faces.
This monster…
Just how many hidden abilities does he have?
"And I can also tell you with full confidence—Alabasta definitely has a huge secret. However…"
"You'll never find the Ancient Weapon there. Give up on that fantasy."
"…"
Hearing that, the final wall in Crocodile's heart crumbled completely.
So that's how it is…
All the meticulous planning she had done over more than a decade, in the end, amounted to nothing?
Crocodile slowly lowered her head, her face shadowed, her expression unreadable.
"No need for that look. Twisting your path and pinning your hopes on external forces—is that all the great pirate Crocodile amounts to?"
Orin's deliberately provocative words instantly broke her composure.
She was just about to lash out in fury, but a wave of weakness swept over her body and she collapsed back onto the lounge chair.
...
In the next moment, Orin was already behind her, looking down at her flushed, powerless face.
Ambitious, strong, and seemingly dependable like the little hawk.
And now—
Seeing this sultry, sharp-edged woman rendered powerless, cheeks flushed, lying there at his mercy…
To be honest, Orin felt quite accomplished.
Though, thinking back to her male form, and now seeing her sexy appearance like this, he did feel a bit weird.
"If you've got ambitions you want to fulfill, maybe this place wouldn't be such a bad choice."
"Just my name alone—[Black Gun]—is far more intimidating than some vague and mysterious Pluton."
Still unaware that his subordinates had already voted on a new title for him, Orin remained quite confident in his old alias.
"When the day comes that you want out, I can promise you a retirement home in one of the World Government's allied nations."
Hearing that incredibly tempting offer, Crocodile kept a neutral face, completely unfazed by Orin's grand vision.
She just stared at him coldly and spoke in a low voice:
"So what you're saying is… you'll never lose, right? Orin. Even against Whitebeard, the World Government, or anything else… you'll never lose?"
"Well… obviously."
Seeing her suddenly turn serious, Orin spun on his heel and sat back down on his original chair.
"I see."
Crocodile exhaled a slow puff of smoke. Maybe she really did see the possibility of standing atop the world in him, or maybe it was just a woman's natural instinct to seek stability.
Or perhaps she simply knew she couldn't escape anymore—her massive debt was already a done deal.
"If the day ever comes when you're defeated, I'll be the first to kill you."
"Okay~ okay~…"
Of course Orin could tell—Crocodile had tsundere-ly agreed.
He snapped his fingers again, and the seastone cuffs vanished completely.
Crocodile stretched out a bit, then looked over at Orin, who, having achieved his goal, was now lying on a lounge chair sipping juice, completely relaxed and back to his usual self.
Her lip twitched slightly.
"Is he always like this?"
Crocodile glanced at the little hawk, who had just drawn his sword and was heading off to use a Sea King as a practice dummy.
And as for that question, the little hawk didn't seem to think anything of it.
"You get used to it."
Crocodile: "…"
Looking at one weirdo after another, she started to doubt whether she had boarded the wrong ship.
In the end, she decided to just explore the legendary vessel of the Pirate King—Oro Jackson.
She carefully examined this ship that had once sailed around the world and reached the final island, Laugh Tale, her gaze quietly thoughtful.
"Beautiful ship, isn't it?"
At some point, Orin had come up beside her. With his height towering over her by several heads, Crocodile had to tilt her head up to look at him.
"In the future, let's ride this ship and go see the world."
Looking at the nostalgic gleam in Orin's eyes, Crocodile blurted out, almost involuntarily:
"What's your dream, Orin?"
"Huh?"
Orin froze when he heard that.
"My dream… Well, I once lied and said I wanted to turn the world upside down—but honestly, that doesn't suit my personality."
Orin wasn't one to stir up trouble for no reason. That kind of thankless effort just wasn't his style.
Even if the world did end up turned upside down one day, Orin figured he'd have had a good reason—
Like, just for fun or something.
"My dream is…"
"To become the freest and happiest person in the world!!!"
"Whether that means living in luxury or stirring up trouble for fun, none of it really matters. My life doesn't need commentary from insects, because this world has always been survival of the fittest."
The freest and happiest, huh…
Without unmatched strength or ultimate power, so-called happiness and freedom were fragile as bubbles.
"You've got some wild ambition, huh, you bastard…"