Looking at the Golden Lion Shiki in front of him, fist clenched as though brimming with boundless passion, Orin felt as if he had been pulled back into the days of the Edd War.
If he remembered correctly…
Back then, Shiki had tried to recruit Captain Roger with almost the exact same lines.
Orin had been there and overheard it himself. He didn't even bother to change his speech?
The corners of Orin's mouth twitched twice as he looked back at the Golden Lion with dead-fish eyes.
If Shiki really wanted the world, he would've gone and taken it for himself already.
Though he couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success, after twenty years of bitter research, the odds were still very much in his favor.
Why would he need to wait for an old man like Shiki to partner up with?
"Save it. My answer is the same as Captain Roger's—I only like doing the things I want to do. I'm not interested in ruling the world, Shiki!"
Orin's reply was almost identical to Roger's back then.
Hearing the familiar tone and words, Shiki froze for a moment, as if he could see Roger of old—radiant with that overwhelming aura...
But today, the old lion no longer had the capital to be furious.
His legs were gone, a ship's rudder was stuck in his head. His swordsmanship and Haki were a far cry from his peak.
Even his one remaining threat—the Float-Float Fruit—probably couldn't do a thing against Orin.
After all, this was a monster who could stand against Whitebeard at his peak, no weaker than Roger back in the day!!!
After a brief silence...
Tch—
The Golden Lion chuckled, not looking disappointed at all. Instead, his madness remained unchanged.
"Forget it if you won't. But I believe, monsters like you… in the not-too-distant future, you'll definitely stir this whole era. By then, we pirates may already be old, but you're different. Still so young, you'll be the one to show these greenhouse-raised brats of the new age…"
"What real pirates are truly capable of!!!"
As a pirate of the old era, Shiki knew their generation was fading. But Orin, as one of them, would surely ensure that Roger's death didn't mean their age was forgotten. He would let the world remember how terrifying their generation of pirates truly was!
Lucky for Shiki, he didn't know that in the future, a term would emerge: the Era of Extreme Evil.
Otherwise, he would've burst out laughing.
What "era" could possibly be more evil than theirs?
Leaving Rocks aside, there were still Whitebeard, Roger, himself, the remnants of the Rocks Pirates, and Orin, a young man standing at the very edge of their time.
Any one of them… Even someone like Bullet—who wouldn't rank among the very top of the truly fearsome figures—would still be enough to crush all the so-called Supernovas of the "Era of Extreme Evil."
"Don't deny it. Even if you don't cause chaos yourself, your influence already spans the entire sea. Everyone will fear you."
The Golden Lion had always seen the world clearly, and his intelligence network was excellent. Otherwise, back then, he wouldn't have known the Roger Pirates' location, nor about their connection to the Ancient Weapons.
As he spoke, Shiki cast his gaze toward the King of Seagulls perched on Orin's shoulder.
Not only him—Whitebeard had noticed as well.
"To lavishly feed a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit to a seagull… now that's extravagant."
With their years of experience roaming the seas, the two could tell at a glance what the Seagull King was. That's why they teased Orin like this.
Even "the world's strongest man" Whitebeard had only ever acquired a single Mythical Zoan over the years—the Phoenix fruit of his commander Marco.
To hand such a treasure, capable of raising a future commander, to a seagull…
When tied to Orin's identity, well…
Yeah, that was very Celestial Dragon-like.
"Of course. With subordinates spread across the seas, we've never lacked Devil Fruits."
At this point, Orin perked up.
He'd long wanted to use this chance to tempt a certain someone.
"After all, with so many powerful men under me, sometimes you have to hand out rewards. Otherwise, why would they work hard for you?"
As he said this, Shiki and Whitebeard both felt that Orin's voice had grown louder—almost as if he wanted someone else to hear it clearly.
"So when it comes to powerful Devil Fruits, I reward them to my most capable subordinates. For example… fruits I've gotten recently."
Orin reached into his coat. Under the gaze of everyone present, he pulled out a whole string—at least seven or eight Devil Fruits.
From their colors and patterns, they were either Mythical Zoans or Logias.
Everyone was dumbstruck. Their eyes went wide instantly!
Damn… even fruit vendors don't carry this much stock. Was he a Devil Fruit wholesaler?
One figure in particular nearly popped his eyeballs out.
Teach stared at one of them—a fruit marked with pitch-black patterns—and froze completely.
That was…
That was…
The very fruit he had dreamed of for decades, the most sinister of all Devil Fruits:
The Logia: Dark-Dark Fruit!!!
Why was it in the hands of the Black Emperor Orin!?!!!
If not for knowing he couldn't win, Teach would've stabbed Orin right then and stolen it for himself.
Gulp…
Swallowing hard, Teach stared longingly at the fruit of his dreams—dangling at the very end of Orin's string of fruits—before it was tucked back into Orin's coat.
To see such a shining, moonlight-like treasure treated like a worthless trinket strung along with others…
This was the first time Teach had ever felt such pain.
...
But now, with three remnants of the old era gathered and chatting, he clearly had no right to interrupt.
The future Yonko stood there like a mere lackey.
"Back when we clashed with Roger, besides you, I remember two brats about the same age, right?"
Whitebeard especially remembered that red-nosed brat who had brandished throwing knives and shouted at him:
"Cross me and you're finished! Watch me dye that beard of yours red!"
"Who said my nose is red!!!"
At that, Orin instantly knew who Whitebeard was referring to.
"Kurararara… So that red-haired brat and that funny red-nosed one who traveled with you—are they already dead?"
Shiki puffed his cigar, clearly remembering too.
"Shanks and Buggy, huh~"
"Really brings back memories…"
Orin conjured up a few bottles of outrageously expensive liquor and began drinking with the two old legends.
"They're still pirates. Not all that famous yet, but in the future, they'll make sure this era remembers them. The title of ruler of the seas will surely belong to the two of them!!!"
Whitebeard gulped the fine liquor. With no money of his own, it was his first time tasting such quality.
Yet in his serious eyes, it was clear he had etched those names into memory.
For Orin to give such high praise…
The name "Shanks," this supernova of the seas—he had vaguely heard of him. But the other name was unfamiliar.
Buggy, was it?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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