In the days that followed, most of Orin's training shifted focus more and more toward physical conditioning.
Although he couldn't compare to those "two hundred times the effort" types of geniuses,
His sniping technique, swordsmanship, and physical combat all improved at twice the rate of someone like Shanks—a top-tier genius—so it wasn't an exaggeration to call him a monster.
That's why developing his physical strength and Haki as early as possible was more important than anything.
Time flashed by.
Two months had passed since Orin had left his hometown. Life aboard the ship was peaceful and fulfilling.
Just after dawn, Orin was dragged out of bed by Buggy and Shanks to help clean up. The night before, Captain Roger's bounty had gone up again, so the crew threw yet another party.
Everyone got drunk and had a good time—except for the three clowns below the King of the Pirates.
Damn it!
Who the hell throws a party every day and doesn't get mentally exhausted?!
Orin had no choice when it came to this crew of hot-blooded idiots and their captain, Roger, who was just like Luffy in personality.
It wasn't that he didn't want to join in, but that so-called rum was just disgusting. With no addiction to alcohol, Orin just couldn't appreciate the taste.
This pirate king journey was not what Orin had imagined—full of fiery passion and wild adventures. Aside from the occasional storms, lightning, hail, or hurricane, there was barely a trace of that so-called thrilling journey.
In the end, it seemed that being on the Pirate King's grand voyage was just being around a bunch of top-tier tough guys flexing at the highest level.
By the time cleanup was finally done around lunchtime, Orin and the others had just finished disposing of the bottles and leftover scraps.
He was about to grab a quick bite to eat and head off to train again...
But all of a sudden, Orin froze mid-step, his gaze locking onto the sky in the distance.
Something was flying toward them!
He had heard it first through Observation Haki.
Buggy rushed to the ship's rail and squinted. Only then did he realize—it looked like a cannonball!
"Shit!"
Then, looking farther off in the distance, he spotted a white sail appearing on the horizon.
Who the hell launched a cannonball from that far away?
A missile?
Orin had a hunch about who it might be.
Without wasting time to sound the alarm, and under Shanks and Buggy's nervous gazes, Orin immediately pulled the long rifle slung over his back and took aim at the black speck in the sky.
At that same moment, Captain Roger appeared at the bow of the ship without anyone noticing, watching Orin as he aimed.
"Kid, that guy's cannonballs are fast. You think you can hit it?"
Roger grinned, teeth showing, watching Orin still trying to get a lock.
Who the hell was he looking down on?
Sure, maybe I can't beat the guy, but I can't even shoot a cannonball?
Orin smirked, lined up the sights with the dark speck, and enhanced his aim with Observation Haki.
"Got it!"
Through his Haki, he sensed the bullet hit the cannonball dead-center while it was still dozens of meters from the ship.
However...
He hit it—but not exactly clean.
To his shock, instead of exploding in mid-air like expected, the cannonball bounced his bullet away like it was nothing and continued falling in its original trajectory.
What the hell?! That thing's armor-plated?!
No... this was definitely a cannonball infused with Haki!
Realizing he couldn't stop it, Orin quickly holstered his rifle and backed behind Buggy and Shanks.
Still, he wasn't panicked—when the sky falls, the tall guys catch it. It wasn't their turn to die.
Sure enough...
"Divine Departure!!!"
With Roger's furious shout, his blade—crackling with black and red lightning—sliced through the sky with a thunderous arc.
It looked like the heavens themselves were being torn apart!
Not only the cannonball Orin had aimed for, but several more that followed it were instantly obliterated mid-air in violent explosions.
Orin was blinded by the brilliance of that slash.
He had seen this move in the anime and knew it was crazy—but seeing it live was a whole different thing.
A single slash that cut the sky in two?
Divine Departure was awesome. He had to learn that!
Orin's scalp tingled, and he was practically drooling, using his Observation Haki to study every motion Roger made during the technique.
But maybe he was still too much of a rookie. All he could sense was an overwhelming power moving through Roger's body—nothing more detailed.
He felt disappointed.
Maybe it was like how the Sharingan couldn't copy forbidden jutsu—the level gap was just too big.
Before he could think more, Shanks and Buggy dragged him back behind a crowd of crewmates who had rushed to the deck.
"Hahahahaha! Boys, prepare for battle—it's the Navy!" Roger bellowed with laughter, blade in hand.
"That mad dog again?! We just shook him off, and he's already caught up again in under two months?" Gaban grumbled, holding twin axes, wearing only a vest.
"Then let's send a little gift of our own." Rayleigh was more direct. He slashed the sea with a wave of sword energy—
Which, as Orin expected, didn't do anything. A massive black fist from the battleship smashed it apart.
Quick on his feet, Orin scrambled up the lookout and greeted his sniper master:
"Yo, Petermoo-san!"
Petermoo, though chubby, was far from slow. Seeing Orin climb up, he smiled and said:
"Oh, Orin! Be careful this time—these guys aren't just some small fry."
"I'll take care of myself." Orin grinned and peered through the scope of his rifle, eyes locking onto a figure on the distant battleship.
It was a burly man in a Vice Admiral's cloak and black suit, with short hair and a beard, casually tossing cannonballs in his hand.
The cannonball that had given Orin so much trouble earlier had been thrown by this guy's hand.
If you asked Orin, cannons nowadays were just too weak—how was the automatic worse than the manual?
...
"Hey, hey, hey! Can you hear me, Roger?! Surrender already!"
Even from afar, you could hear Garp shouting into a massive loudspeaker.
"Hahahaha! No way, Garp!"
Roger responded with a matching smile. The two old rivals were already shouting at each other from a distance.
Same old fiery banter as always.
What followed was the usual: chase scenes and Haki clashes flying everywhere.
Roger's crew was full of elites and incredibly agile. Even for Garp, taking them all down alone wasn't realistic.
On the other hand, Roger didn't want to get into a drawn-out battle at sea with someone as tough as Garp.
After all, if either side's Conqueror's Haki leaked too much, the result would be a wrecked ship and everyone forced to swim to the next island.
Now and then, a cocky Marine would try using Geppo to get close to the Oro Jackson—only to be smacked into the sea by Rayleigh or sniped by Orin.
Among all the reckless young Marines, Orin spotted one suspicious figure through his scope.
A tall, curly-haired guy.
"Hey, hey, hey... This guy's blending in with the regular Navy. Definitely up to no good!"
If Orin didn't know him, this guy really could've snuck past.
A young Ice-Ice Fruit user sneaking up on their ship? That could not end well.
Silently, Orin pulled out the one and only Seastone bullet he'd managed to swindle from Petermoo.
He took aim, lips curling into a grin.
This would be his little welcome gift.
The young ice of the sea—Kuzan.