Back to…
The past?
Hearing this, Orin's eyes flashed with disbelief, followed by a surge of excitement.
Whoosh—
In just an instant, Orin appeared in front of Vegapunk.
With only a blink, Vegapunk suddenly found himself staring into a pair of terrifying scarlet eyes glowing with feral light.
"Hey, Vegapunk… when you say going back to the past, do you mean what I think you mean?"
This world had countless rule-based powers—spatial ones aplenty—and even time was not without precedent.
For example, Lady Toki's Paramecia-type: Time-Time Fruit allowed her to send people or objects into the future, though only forward, never backward.
In the past, Orin had once considered the idea—perhaps traveling to Luffy's era while still young and becoming a Supernova.
But that thought vanished almost instantly. It was unrealistic, and on reflection, utterly stupid.
Growing stronger and crushing everything head-on was far more satisfying.
Seeing Orin's terrifying gaze, as if he wanted to swallow him whole, Vegapunk stuck out his tongue and instinctively took a step back.
"Don't be hasty now…"
He wiped the sweat off his forehead. That reaction was a bit too much.
He then revealed the strange, oddly-shaped instrument in his hands. It resembled a ball, though irregular.
"Truth be told, it was pure coincidence. From the Devil Fruit users frozen under the World Government's control, I found one with a very special ability. It's indeed related to time… though the limitations are enormous."
As Vegapunk slowly explained, Orin gradually understood the situation.
He knew the World Government's policy: when they encountered Devil Fruit users who posed great threats, they often chose not to kill them but to freeze and preserve them instead.
The reason was simple—preventing those strange and dangerous Fruits from reincarnating somewhere unknown after the user's death, where some ambitious individual could consume them and become a new threat.
Thus, just like Byrnndi World, countless nameless individuals were sealed within Impel Down's Level 6.
Vegapunk's experimental material included the "Green Blood" of such a Devil Fruit user.
After a series of complex procedures and an astronomical investment of funds, he finally managed to create a "pseudo-time machine."
"So what you're saying is, this thing has a lot of restrictions?"
Vegapunk stuck his tongue out, his eyes serious as he nodded.
"Exactly. As far as I know, perfect time travel is impossible aside from the Time-Time Fruit. Even then, it can only change the future, not the past. Likewise, this device cannot truly change the past either. That's why I asked whether you simply wanted to visit the past, rather than return to it outright."
This naturally led to the issue of time paradoxes.
For example—if Orin traveled back and strangled his younger self to death…
Then he would never grow up, never return to kill himself in the first place. Theoretically, this was contradictory.
"So… time travel comes with many restrictions. First, the past cannot be changed. No matter what shocking things you do, it will only cause the timeline to branch—forming a new timeline, a parallel world."
"Second, you cannot travel to a time period after your own birth."
In other words, Orin could not be reborn into a time after his birth. The earliest he could go would be shortly after the God Valley Incident, when Keek returned home and found the newborn Orin.
"Third, you can go back but only for a limited time. Once that time expires, you'll return to the present world. And you cannot bring anything back with you."
Orin rubbed his chin. These restrictions were indeed many. But, considering it involved tampering with timelines, it all made sense.
Taken together, it really was just an experience—a chance to play around. It would have no effect on the real world.
But he still had one question:
"And how long is this time limit?"
Vegapunk thought for a moment, tapped some calculations on the device, then finally gave Orin an imprecise estimate.
"In theory, the stronger the person, the longer they can stay—since they can better sustain the Devil Fruit's power. For someone like you, Orin-san…"
"About one to two years."
"???"
Orin had been expecting to hear one or two days, maybe two or three at most.
One to two years?!!!
Now that was interesting…
A long-term journey?
Vegapunk added that Orin could choose to return midway anytime he wanted. But Orin had no intention of coming back early.
It was only the year 1505 of the Sea Circle Calendar. The arcs Orin was most interested in were still a long way off.
No need to rush.
Compared to the "Evil Era," Orin was far more intrigued by the era where monsters roamed in droves.
"But there's no need to rush. I'll first give some instructions to my subordinates."
Orin didn't leave right away. After all, his influence was vast. If he disappeared from the seas for so long without a word, people might actually think Orin was dead.
"Berruberruberru…"
Seated in Vegapunk's lounge, Orin suppressed his excitement and placed a call to Hawk Eyes first.
Moments later, a pair of sharp, piercing hawk eyes appeared on the face of the Den Den Mushi.
"Click."
"What is it, Orin?"
Sitting aboard a wooden ship, Mihawk had just lit a few mood candles he'd recently bought. Orin's sudden call left him puzzled.
But judging from the slight smile on the Den Den Mushi's face, it was obvious Orin was in a good mood.
"Nothing major, Hawk Eyes…"
Orin accepted a cold drink from a robot, unable to hide the grin tugging at his lips.
"I just wanted to let you know—I'll be disappearing for a while. I'll need you to keep an eye on my forces for me."
Mihawk frowned slightly. This guy was always drifting across the seas anyway. Where could he possibly go?
Still, with so many years of friendship between them, Mihawk didn't pry. He only asked one thing:
"How long?"
Hearing that, Orin was instantly moved.
That was Hawk Eyes.
The most reliable vice-captain!
"One or two years. During that time, I won't appear on the seas. If any issues arise in the Underworld, the Kingdom of Duramos, or Fishman Island, I'll be relying on you. Of course, I believe others will lend you support as well."
Mihawk nodded without hesitation.
"I understand…"
He gazed at Yoru, the black blade in his hand, his eyes calm as he answered Orin. Black-red lightning flickered across its edge.
"This sea will not fall into chaos."