Hearing that voice, Orin, who had been sitting on the bed, was the first to spring up with excitement and rush out the door.
In contrast, Buggy looked bitter.
He really didn't like grueling training. After all, with so many powerful people on board, there was no way he'd be the main force when it came time to snatch treasure.
But seeing Orin and Shanks dashing toward the stern, not wanting to be left behind, he forced himself to stay composed and followed after them.
"Wait for me, you two!"
The three of them exited the cabin and headed toward the stern. Along the way, they passed a few burly men who had drunk too much and collapsed on the ground.
Such random banquets were already a common sight for them. The trio didn't pay much attention and headed to the storage room to pick out their weapons.
Buggy chose throwing knives. Shanks favored a longsword.
Orin, after thinking for a moment, picked up a flintlock pistol.
This was a decision he made after serious consideration.
Not only did it suit his naturally awakened Observation Haki, making him ideal for playing the sneaky role, but also...
The sword-user track was just too crowded.
From early legends like Golden Lion, Roger, and Rayleigh, to current top dogs like Red-Haired Shanks and Dracule Mihawk, and in the future there'd even be Three-Sword-Style Zoro...
Trying to stand out in the sword community? Orin felt the cost-benefit ratio was just too low.
If you're going to aim for something, aim to be the best in the world—that's what his lucky god-tier start deserved. But when it came to being the world's greatest swordsman... Even if he had the talent to learn swordsmanship...
Even if Orin fought tooth and nail to become the so-called strongest swordsman, Mihawk and Zoro would probably chase him down for life,
With voices ringing in his ears daily:
"Accept my challenge! I am the man who will become the world's greatest swordsman!"
That would drive anyone mad.
So why not aim to be the world's greatest marksman instead?
After all, as someone from planet Earth in his previous life, Orin had a natural fascination with guns. Plus, he was born with Observation Haki.
Most importantly—this path wasn't crowded.
The few famous snipers in the future? Usopp, Van Augur, maybe toss in Benn Beckman. The track was niche and totally uncompetitive.
Orin didn't see himself as inferior to any of them.
Once he developed Conqueror's Coating, future-sight-level Observation, and loaded up with Seastone bullets...
He probably couldn't one-shot a Yonko, sure.
But one-shotting a Yonko Commander? That's fair game. Shanks could one-shot a guy with a three-billion bounty after all.
Once his skills were maxed out and he had Yonko-level power, he'd travel the world, live life to the fullest, witness all the legendary events, and when he got old, buy a few maids and chill in a private estate.
After slaving away in his past life, he was determined to enjoy this one properly.
But as beautiful as that dream was, reality was cruel. Right now, he was just a slightly stronger-than-average kid born with Observation Haki.
Even if Rayleigh was kind of a lousy teacher who'd lead him astray, building a solid foundation should still be fine.
He'd make do.
What followed was Orin's first lesson since boarding the ship.
"Physical combat is the foundation of all fighting styles. Whether you use swords or fists...
Even if you specialize in long-range guns, you still need incredible reflexes and Haki to stand your ground."
For the three kids living in the New World, the term "Haki" wasn't unfamiliar, so Rayleigh didn't spend much time explaining.
He turned to look at the weapons each of them had picked.
"Beyond physical training, most people develop their own combat style based on what suits them best. So..."
Rayleigh glanced at the trio and took a sip of wine.
"Tell me what you want to learn. If I know how to do it, I can pass on some of my experience and techniques."
"I want to learn swordsmanship!"
Shanks answered immediately, clearly devoted from the start. Maybe it was Roger and Rayleigh's influence, but he had a definite preference for longswords.
"Swordsmanship, huh?" Rayleigh chuckled. "Then starting today, slash 5,000 times every day. First, master the basic grip."
He then looked at Buggy.
"Short knives and longswords aren't that different. Start with some basic swinging practice."
Finally, his gaze landed on Orin, who was staring at him with bright eyes. Since Rayleigh didn't know this kid well, he decided to ask first.
"You can teach anything?"
"Of course. But if you're thinking of learning marksmanship, the ship's sniper, Petermoo, never misses a shot..."
"Then I want to learn Conqueror's Coating!"
"Pffft—!!!"
Orin's sudden declaration almost made Rayleigh spit wine five meters out.
He wiped his mouth and grumbled:
"You little brat, I don't know where you heard that phrase, but advanced techniques like that—first of all, they require you to have Conqueror's Haki in the first place!"
The implication being—Orin probably didn't even have Conqueror's Haki, so what was the point of learning Conqueror's Coating?
But Orin didn't care. He figured he'd give it a shot regardless:
"Then... if I do have Conqueror's Haki, Rayleigh-san, would you teach me?"
"Why not?"
Rayleigh thought it was just a child being naive and casually agreed.
The small talk didn't last long. Soon, the three kids began their basic training.
With heavy iron plates strapped to their backs, Orin was doing one-handed push-ups on the ground while reading a newspaper,
At the same time, he was also training his Observation Haki.
In his perception, Shanks was drenched in sweat, earnestly practicing sword swings. His young face was full of determination.
Buggy was training too, but the way he deliberately slowed down his movements made it obvious—this guy was slacking off.
"Shanks' sword swings are getting sharper every time," Orin noted.
After finishing his strength training, he watched as Shanks completed his daily 5,000 sword swings.
...
Should he call him a swordsmanship prodigy?
The improvement was visible to the naked eye. Orin, acting like a sneaky little opportunist, secretly observed Shanks' progress and mentally recorded every detail.
While Shanks switched to strength training, Orin picked up the longsword Shanks had placed on the ground.
Recalling how Shanks had exerted force and the way the air had moved as he swung, Orin began his own sword training.
"What a greedy little brat."
Atop the lookout tower, a muscular man with long hair and small sunglasses watched Orin training at the stern and commented to the chubby blond beside him.
"He wants to learn guns and swords? If he comes to me asking to learn axes next, I'm not teaching him."
"I don't really believe in snipers using swords, but that kid's a bit different."
As a master of Observation Haki, Roger Pirates sniper Petermoo could see something others couldn't.
"That Orin kid—he's stealing Shanks' effort."
And that was exactly right.
The sword techniques Shanks mastered through 5,000 swings?
Orin had copied and perfected them in just 1,000.
This discovery amazed him.
"Holy crap… Sharingan-level Observation Haki?"
Although his natural Observation Haki didn't cover a huge range—just a few dozen meters even after years of training—
Its precision was unmatched. It might not be microscopic, but it was definitely maxed out from birth.
No subtle movement or detail could escape his senses.
So aside from raw power, learning new skills came absurdly easy to him.