"Throw a fake match? That's not really my style."
Orin's eyes flashed with disdain. He was a man who aspired to surpass Red-Haired Shanks, someone destined to stand at the top of the new era.
He wanted to be a man who would never be defeated!
Perhaps sensing Orin's resistance in his eyes, Petermoo pursed his lips helplessly.
After a moment, he squeezed out a line.
"I'll split the earnings with you fifty-fifty once it's done."
"You really do know how to read people!" Orin couldn't suppress the smile creeping up his face.
It wasn't that he had no integrity—it was just that the stipend for an intern was way too low. He had no choice but to give in to the temptation.
"Shanks, one move to decide the match!"
"Huh?" Shanks, who was panting from being toyed with, gritted his teeth. "Fine by me!"
The surrounding crew members erupted in cheers.
"Finally going to settle it? Go, Shanks! Don't embarrass yourself!"
"Go get him, Orin! Stay sharp! Don't let the wind turn against you!"
The excitement surged to a peak, the atmosphere electric with anticipation.
Seeing the mood so perfectly hyped up, Orin grew serious. His fingers clenched tightly as he locked eyes with Shanks, who was equally solemn. In Orin's half-squinted, defiant gaze, a faint crimson glow sparked.
"Is that...?!"
Gaban was the first to speak up. A few beads of cold sweat slid down his forehead, his mouth agape like he was seeing something unbelievable.
Next to him, Rayleigh's pupils contracted. His expression grew grim as he stared at Orin.
"No… he only has the potential. That level of advanced Observation Haki use is still out of reach for a kid his age."
Even Roger looked stunned, his grin slightly stiff.
"The king of the next generation… looks like he's finally met his match! Hahahahaha!"
But Orin, fully focused, was unaware of the high praise being passed around by the legendary pirates. He was simply trying harder to see the arc of Shanks' swing more clearly.
He was trying to predict it.
As Shanks unleashed the sharpest slash he could muster, Orin merely watched as the flash of blade light skimmed past his cheek.
In that fleeting moment, he saw a blurred "trajectory"—
The path the blade was going to follow.
"Nice slash, Shanks. But unfortunately..."
"Hoo..."
Holding his breath, Orin caught the moment of vulnerability after Shanks' move. With his clenched fist, he struck him hard in the stomach.
Thud.
The impact was so heavy even Orin felt momentarily dazed.
"Ugh—!"
Shanks vomited bile on the spot. Orin simply relied on his monstrous strength to thrash this rookie kid mercilessly.
Thump—
The young redhead stumbled back, eyes rolling white, barely managing to stay on his feet.
"Ah—"
Seeing that Shanks was clearly out cold, Orin sighed.
Then suddenly, he raised his fist dramatically, wearing an exaggerated and fake expression of pain.
"Ahh, my fist hurts so bad! The recoil must've got me. Ouch, I'm blacking out! Ugh~ (tongue out)."
He glanced back at the crowd, then decisively collapsed, eyes closed. As luck would have it, he and Shanks hit the ground at the exact same moment, both of them lying spread-eagle.
Then...
Total silence.
"...What the hell..." Petermoo couldn't hold it in—his snot nearly sprayed out.
I told you to act, but can you at least take it slightly seriously, you bastard?!
Could you be any more over-the-top?!
Left with no choice, Petermoo cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Looks like… it's a draw. Sorry about that, everyone!"
"Huh?!?!" ×N
Just then, Buggy, who had been hiding in the cabin counting his private stash of Belly, stepped out.
He looked at Petermoo, who was now being mobbed by the crew, then at the completely motionless Shanks, and finally at Orin, who was lying on the ground picking his nose.
He was utterly dumbfounded.
...
"Don't be like that, Shanks. Balance between work and rest is important too, you know."
Orin said kindly, watching Shanks doing barbell squats with weights on his back.
"Shut up, you bastard! If you're gonna talk, then take the steel plate off your back first!" Shanks snapped, his teeth bared in fury. Even someone as mild-tempered as him couldn't help being provoked by Orin.
"Ah... Hahahahahaha!!"
Orin had no rebuttal. He could only laugh awkwardly while continuing his one-handed push-ups with a ton of steel strapped to his back.
"You two monsters! Can't you be quiet for one damn second?!" Buggy, listening to the two competitive maniacs, practically exploded in rage.
He was still stuck doing curls with tiny dumbbells. Forget Orin's monstrous physique—Shanks was already surpassing him effortlessly.
Because of the way Shanks was provoked, he began rapidly growing stronger. Orin, in the process of his own training, stole plenty of results as well.
Even Buggy, the master slacker, found himself forced to increase his training intensity—and he sure didn't hold back his complaints about it.
The days that followed became rather monotonous.
Orin's few daily pleasures included reading the newspaper, fighting, training, and fishing.
But since there were too many things he wanted to learn, he barely had time for his fishing hobby.
Of course, that wouldn't stop the cunning Orin.
"Hey! Orin, haven't you caught anything yet?" Buggy leaned beside him, watching Orin sit motionless at the ship's edge with his eyes closed.
"It's almost training time, isn't it?"
Hearing that, Orin—who had been practicing expanding the range of his Observation Haki—slowly opened his eyes. The faint red glow in his pupils faded.
"Relax. When have I ever not caught a fish before training?"
...
"But Shanks already started..."
"Alright, alright... I got it."
Orin sighed, then casually drew a pistol from his waist.
Ever heard of... American-style fishing?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few crisp gunshots rang out. Soon after, several fish floated to the surface of the sea, belly-up, still trailing wisps of smoke.
Orin flicked his hook and reeled in the unlucky catch, tossing them into the fish basket, then slung it over his shoulder and headed for the cabin.
"Let's go, Buggy!"
"Wait for me!"
...
"Orin's gotten even stronger again, hasn't he?"
"Yeah. He's a complete monster. Reminds me of someone..."
"You're thinking of Redfield, right?"
"Uh… close. But I was actually thinking of Whitebeard."
On the deck, watching the kid sparring with Vice-Captain Rayleigh—the Dark King—many crew members were deep in conversation.
Even the two kids in the front row joined in.
"No matter what, there's just no way to beat that guy Orin."
"Don't be so negative, Buggy. We're definitely going to get stronger too," Shanks said, his attitude more relaxed now. After being beaten down by Orin so many times, he had slowly returned to his easygoing self.
"What kind of dumb thing are you saying, Shanks? Even if we get stronger, doesn't mean Orin won't!" Buggy wasn't comforted at all—he felt even more hopeless.
It was bad enough having Shanks on the ship. Everyone thought he had the most potential, and Buggy could only play the foil.
Now, with Orin thrown into the mix, it was hard not to despair.
"Stop moping around—look! Orin's match with the vice-captain is starting!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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