"Crack—"
Witnessing with his own eyes the scene of Orin grabbing lightning with his bare hands dealt a massive blow to Enel's worldview.
His jaw hung open, eyes bulging, snot dripping.
Completely pathetic.
"Forget it, playing with a rookie like you isn't fun anymore."
Orin showed no pity at all. His right hand tightened in the air, and streaks of black and red lightning exploded out.
Who doesn't know how to play with lightning these days?
Enel, now questioning his very existence, didn't react at all to Orin's strike.
Under the pressure of Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Enel couldn't move a muscle—he could only watch in horror as that hand slowly reached toward him.
A single slender finger curled slightly.
"Pop~"
With a clean and simple flick to the forehead—enhanced by Conqueror's Haki Infusion—Enel's eyes rolled back as he collapsed backward in a T-pose, completely knocked out.
...
With a thought, Orin and the unconscious Enel appeared aboard the Oro Jackson.
At that moment, Crocodile was reading the newspaper while Mihawk was cooking.
"Hmm?"
Hearing the noise, Crocodile shifted her eyes toward Orin and... the long-eared guy beside him.
"Who's this?"
Orin always did things she couldn't understand, and she was used to it by now.
But this time, it felt different.
He went out of his way just for one person. The last time someone received that kind of honor... it had been her.
"Brought back a new crew member. Consider it reinforcing the team."
Hearing Orin admit it, Crocodile finally looked at the new guy more seriously. Even Mihawk came over, still holding a kitchen knife.
"Why? Because his ears are long?"
"This guy ate one of the strongest Logia fruits—the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"Oh."
Not quite the reaction you'd expect. Both of them remained calm, as if the concept of powerful Devil Fruits meant little to them.
"So?"
"So... he's really good at running errands."
Like clockwork, the three of them avoided discussing how strong the fruit was.
Not because they doubted the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—but because Orin's crew had no need for Enel's combat abilities.
To put it bluntly, when it came to frontal combat, Orin alone could cover every strategic niche that Enel might've filled—
Whether it was AoE destruction, aerial combat, or speed.
The only real use Enel had on Orin's crew...
Was running errands.
...
"I've told you so many times—you're not getting away."
On Skypiea, Orin walked out of a lightning storm like a waterfall, hands in his pockets, not even a hair out of place.
That was the power of Haki. Unless your level was high enough, you couldn't even ruffle his clothes.
The lightning that lit up the heavens and the earth slowly faded away.
A young man, panting heavily with a flicker of fear in his eyes, stared open-mouthed at the completely unharmed Orin.
He was on the verge of breaking down!!!
These past few days had felt like a slow psychological torture. He couldn't run, couldn't win—
Even his most powerful attack only made the guy shudder slightly,
As if someone had just opened a window and let in a cold breeze.
Part of it was that Enel was still too young, too inexperienced with his Devil Fruit.
The other part... was that he ran into a final boss.
A gap no fruit could make up for.
"So, have you calmed down yet?"
Enel: Calmed.
"I... I get it now. I won't try to run anymore..."
Though Enel's childhood left him dark and rebellious inside,
Orin was an expert in taming kids like this.
In fact...
It was hard to say whether Enel or Doflamingo would grow stronger under Orin's guidance.
But reaching the threshold of Admiral-level strength? Not that hard.
"Don't look so bitter. You'll see—I'm actually easy to get along with."
Enel didn't respond. His mind was still replaying Orin's wicked grin—
Even though he could've ended it with one move, he kept tagging along with Enel's Elemental Form just to mess with him.
It had become psychological trauma at this point.
Thus—
Orin's crew welcomed its third member:
Enel.
...
"So this is the Blue Sea? Incredible..."
Munching on an apple, Enel no longer saw himself as a god—at least, not in front of Orin.
The group had stayed in Skypiea for over half a month. After all, traveling meant taking in the local sights and culture.
Orin had a great time. He even brought back a bunch of local specialties like Impact Dials.
But on the other end of the ship, Mihawk stood with arms crossed, calmly staring out at the endless sky and sea.
"Hey, Orin... what are you planning next?
Is there anything I can help with?"
"Huh?"
Orin was still fiddling with the dials when Hawk Eyes asked the question, making him pause in surprise.
"Why do you ask? I was thinking of touring the New World."
"Your dream... you've already fulfilled it, haven't you, Orin?"
Mihawk spoke with feeling. He turned to face Orin.
...
"But... traveling with you has been a fun journey. I admit that. Still, my swordsmanship hasn't improved in a long time."
At these words, both Orin and Crocodile—and even newly-joined Enel—all looked at him in shock.
Orin: Confused?
Crocodile: Silent...
Enel: Dumbfounded (*???)
What's going on? Did we just form the team and now we're splitting?
So... can he leave too?
"You mean to say..." Orin raised an eyebrow.
"I mean—I want to go explore the world on my own, cross swords with other swordsmen, and create the true strongest swordsmanship in the world!!!"
Mihawk's eyes were filled with intensity, focused solely on the path of the sword.
"When I reach the goal I've set... I'll come challenge you again, Orin!"
Orin understood.
Wandering around every day with him, winning without effort—it gave Mihawk no pressure, no challenge.
He was asking for a 3D2Y!
Orin pouted. Honestly, it felt a little strange. After all, they'd traveled together for years.
But Orin had never officially formed a pirate crew. If Mihawk wanted to chase his dream—how could he stop him?
Chasing your dream... isn't that the coolest thing?
How could someone who wasn't the world's greatest swordsman be Orin's right-hand man?
Crocodile, upon hearing this, smirked and removed the cigar from her mouth.
"I've been meaning to say this—the only name echoing across the sea is yours, Orin. I've been fed up with that for a while now. Since Mihawk is going to explore, I'll do the same. Maybe level up a bit too."
She'd gradually come to understand how crucial strength really was—no wonder her bounty lagged behind those two.
"...Alright. Dragging you all around with me every day is a bit selfish, I guess..."
"It's not like we won't meet again. So go on—go conquer the seas, bearing the name of Orin!!!"
...
"Oh right, Enel—if you've got nowhere to go, go run errands for Sammi. I'll make you a Vivre Card, so we don't lose track of you."
"Huh???"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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