"Big brother!"
Seeing Sai lie unconscious at the center of the splintered crater, Boo rushed over in a panic.
Taking the Lion King belt from Rhea and re-fastening it around his waist, Ornn offered a calm, reassuring word. "Relax. He just lost consciousness from stamina drain and shockwave recoil. He'll be back on his feet shortly."
After quickly examining his brother and confirming that the injuries weren't life-threatening, Boo let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.
When he looked back up at Ornn, his aggressive demeanor had vanished entirely, replaced by a mixture of awe and respect. "Thank you for holding back... Wait a second... You're that Ornn?! No wonder your physical strength is so terrifying!"
Ornn raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback. "You know who I am?"
He had only been in the West Blue for a few weeks, spending almost all of his time anchored off Keya Town or locked in his forge. It made little sense that a commander from the Kano Kingdom's official naval force would recognize him on sight.
"In your half-beast form? At this point, practically every pirate and Marine in the West Blue knows your face!"
Boo turned and ran into the ship's main cabin. A moment later, he returned holding a freshly printed parchment poster, holding it up for Ornn to see.
Ornn's eyes widened as he stared at the image printed on the bounty sheet—a towering, crimson-furred goat-man with molten magma swirling around his left fist and a heavy forge hammer resting against his shoulder.
WANTED — DEAD OR ALIVE
ORNN
฿70,000,000-
70,000,000 Berries?!
Ornn stared at the number, utterly speechless. When did I become worth this much?!
Yamato and Rhea—having watched the fight from the railing of the Gospel—vaulted across the gap to inspect the poster, their eyes wide with surprise.
"Captain, when did you get a bounty like this?!" Rhea gasped, her cat ears twitching in shock. "How come I've never heard your name on the arena circuit before?"
"What about me?! What about me?!" Yamato bounced on her heels, scanning the paper eagerly. "Is there a poster for me too?!"
She was secretly hoping for an absurdly high opening bounty of her own—ideally one that would immediately put her on the map and surpass her idiot father's multi-billion Berry record.
Ornn spread his hands helplessly. "Don't ask me. I literally just found out I have a price on my head."
All three of them turned their gazes toward Boo.
Boo scratched his head in utter bewilderment. "Wait... haven't you three been buying the News Coo paper over the last few days?"
The three of them exchanged blank glances.
Yamato didn't even know what a News Coo was. Ornn spent eighteen hours a day alternating between the forge and combat drills, entirely isolated from local news. As for Rhea... while she spent plenty of time on deck and knew what news gulls were, she had zero interest in reading newspapers, so whenever a gull landed on the railing, she simply shooed it away.
Looking at the clueless expressions of the trio, Boo slapped his hand over his forehead in exasperation. He then proceeded to break down the absurd, wildly embellished rumors currently circulating across the West Blue.
According to the local news reports, an ambitious, ruthless monster named Ornn had ransacked Keya Town, orchestrated a bloody political purge to wipe out both the Fire Tank Syndicate and the Junkrat Gang, and established himself as the undisputed underworld terror of the West Blue.
Listening to the dramatic retelling, cold sweat broke out across the foreheads of Ornn, Yamato, and Rhea.
Where the hell did the Marines even come up with that storyline?!
It was Capone Bege who had set up the arena ambush, and Ornn had merely fought back in self-defense. Yet, through the magic of Marine PR and sensationalist journalism, he was now framed as an ambitious, bloodthirsty conqueror intent on taking over the West Blue!
"Though... to be completely honest," Boo added, his tone softening into genuine gratitude, "we in the Kano Kingdom owe you a huge favor. The Fire Tank Syndicate and the Junkrat Gang had been targeting our kingdom's ore transport ships under instructions from rival nations. Now that you've erased both crews, our merchant sea lanes are vastly safer."
Hearing this, Ornn—who had been about to clarify the misunderstanding—instantly shut his mouth.
If there's an advantage to be taken, only an idiot passes it up.
They still needed to secure rare metallic ores in the Kano Kingdom to finish the micro-carving of the Moving Castle, as well as find a reliable method to practice Armament Haki. Being hailed as a benefactor of the Kano Kingdom would make their upcoming stay much smoother.
Speaking of Armament Haki, Ornn had previously tried asking Yamato for training guidance after leaving Wano. However, every time he asked her how to unlock it, Yamato's explanation was simple: "Oh, I just got beaten up by my idiot father until I could coat my attacks with it!"
Faced with a Luffy-style answer like that, Ornn had given up. He knew he needed a structured, methodical training manual—something the martial tradition of the Happo Navy was famous for.
Once he acquired a proper training system and Yamato's seasickness fully receded, he could replace Rhea with Yamato as his primary sparring partner, accelerating his Haki mastery through continuous high-tier combat.
As they chatted, Sai groaned on the deck planks, slowly regaining consciousness.
The moment his vision cleared and memory flooded back, Sai scrambled to his feet, threw himself onto his knees with a loud PLOP, and slammed his forehead against the wooden deck.
"I lost! As an apology, please forgive the recklessness of my crewmen! I am deeply, deeply sorry!"
The sudden, theatrical kowtow startled Ornn and the girls. Boo rushed forward, grabbing his brother's shoulders. "Big brother! No! That's not—"
Turning to Ornn with an embarrassed laugh, Boo explained, "Don't mind him... my brother gets extremely dramatic whenever he wants to express gratitude or apologize!"
After a round of chaotic coaxing, they finally convinced Sai to stand up.
Though he stopped bowing, Sai slapped his chest with conviction. "I, Sai, am a man of my word! Since I promised to treat you as honored guests of the Happo Navy, I won't back down. Name whatever you need—if I so much as frown, I'm not worthy to be the 13th Leader of the Happo Navy!"
Observing Sai's fierce sincerity—which matched his honor-bound nature in the canonical timeline—Ornn paused for a second before speaking up.
"Actually... I do have one request."
"Gahahaha! Speak freely, Ornn! As long as it's within my power and doesn't violate the code of the Happo Navy, I'll make it happen!"
"It's like this," Ornn said steadily. "I've been seeking a reliable method to cultivate Armament Haki for a long time, but high-tier fighters are rare in the West Blue. I was hoping to trade for a copy of the Happo Navy's Armament Haki training manual. I know such techniques are priceless, so I'm willing to—"
Before Ornn could finish offering trade terms, Sai glared at him fiercely, as if he were about to throw a punch.
"Oi, Ornn! Are you looking down on me?!" Sai barked. "I already gave you my word as a leader! Why are you rambling about payment?!"
He waved his hand dismissively. "It's just the fundamentals of Armament Haki! When I was training Boo, I wrote down a complete breakdown of the physical conditioning and breathing notes. Once we dock at the Kano Kingdom, come to our family compound and I'll give you a copy!"
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Enjoy.
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