"It's starting, it's starting!!!"
"How long do you think Orin will last this time?"
"Last time it was one minute. This time... gotta be at least a minute and a half."
"I'm betting two minutes."
"Anyone wanna place a beT?"
"...Don't make me slap you, Petermoo!"
Maybe it was just boredom, but a group of rough-and-tumble guys aboard the Roger Pirates' ship were crowding around, excitedly watching a battle about to unfold.
Orin was dressed in a tight black military uniform—no one knew where he'd dug it up—and a black rifle slung over his back. Right now, he was on high alert, staring down the figure across from him.
His long black hair fluttered in the wind. Though his youthful face was still somewhat tender, his firm expression and natural good looks were undeniable.
That face… had a certain unique coolness reminiscent of the Uchiha clan.
Standing opposite him was a blond middle-aged man. He wasn't doing anything in particular—just standing casually—but even so, the pressure Orin felt was immense.
"As expected of the Dark King, Rayleigh. Just his stance is terrifyingly strong."
Orin understood: in the world of One Piece, no powerhouse rose to the top without fighting their way through it. Mere hard work was the path of low-tier pirates.
And he, Orin—
His philosophy was simple: use your head... to ram straight through!
If you're afraid of pain, then what the hell are you doing being a pirate?!
Seeing that Rayleigh made no move, Orin decided not to wait either. In the stunned eyes of Buggy and Shanks, his figure flashed—and disappeared from sight.
"Huh? He vanished instantly?"
"When did Orin eat a Devil Fruit?"
They both knew about the scam Orin had pulled off with Petermoo-san. Naturally, they also knew that the treasure Roger had lost in that gamble was, in fact, a Devil Fruit.
And Orin, during the loot split, hadn't taken any money. Instead, he took only that Devil Fruit.
According to Captain Rayleigh, the fruit was supposedly called…
The Warp-Warp Fruit?
"Not at all!"
No one noticed when, but Captain Roger had appeared behind the two brats, ruffling their heads with his big hands as he laughed and said,
"You two should've seen it by now—Orin's using the Navy's Rokushiki."
"EH!!??"
Shanks and Buggy gaped in shock.
Of course they knew about the Rokushiki—it was an advanced form of physical martial arts, or you could even say a preschool version of Haki. But the real problem was...
This was one of the signature skill sets of a Marine officer. And Orin mastered it at nine years old?
Sure enough, when they turned back to the battlefield, Orin had already appeared behind Rayleigh, launching a kick right toward his kidney.
Sorry, Shakky-san, don't blame me!
But just before the kick landed, Orin abruptly pulled his leg back and quickly distanced himself from Rayleigh.
Rayleigh slowly turned his head to look at the serious expression on Orin's face, a mischievous smile curling at his lips.
"Why'd you pull your leg back mid-kick?"
Orin glared at Rayleigh, who looked like a mischievous uncle, and curled his lips.
"Nothing... I just had this feeling that if I went through with the kick, something really bad would happen."
In truth—
Just for a split second, he had a vivid image of his leg snapping in half.
Better safe than sorry, Orin held back and tried to capture that feeling again.
"Overdeveloped Observation Haki can sometimes hinder your growth, boy."
Rayleigh said with a grin, then in a flash, appeared right in front of Orin.
NANI?!
Orin's Observation Haki screamed in alarm!
Observation Haki: Enemy detected!
Brain: React now!
Body: LOL, how about YOU come react then? Poet mode activated!
That was one of Orin's greatest weaknesses—his Observation Haki was so powerful, it gave him a kind of natural top-dog or godlike view of things.
But that didn't change the fact that he was still a kid. His body couldn't keep up with the intel his Haki gave him. That gap was a serious drawback.
And it wasn't something talent could fix. Only real combat could build the monster-like reflexes and instinct he needed.
Only then could he wield more advanced powers—
Like Haki.
To put it bluntly, getting beat up more often was the fastest way to learn Armament Haki.
His natural physical talent could help shorten the process—but not skip it.
So when Rayleigh launched a sudden strike, Orin immediately realized he had no chance of dodging. Might as well brace and take it like a man.
Heart steeled, he decided to use the newest move he'd just learned: the beggar-tier version of Armament Haki—
"Tekkai!!!"
I refuse to believe I can't block a single kick—!
...
...
"Orin, you're finally awake!"
"Holy crap…"
Orin slowly opened his eyes and looked at the two boys standing by his bedside. It only took him two and a half seconds to realize what had happened.
He'd been kicked unconscious again by Rayleigh.
Should he say that Rayleigh-sama's kick was just too strong, or that getting knocked out counted as a passive effect of this skill?
If I use Tekkai again, I'm a weakling.
Orin swore silently.
"Hey! Orin, are you really okay?"
Seeing Orin suddenly sit up and get out of bed, Buggy and Shanks looked genuinely concerned.
After all, they'd seen it clearly—after Orin passed out, the Armament Haki on Rayleigh's foot was so dark it was almost purple. Even Captain Roger had broken into a cold sweat and asked if Rayleigh had maybe gone a bit too hard.
Sure, Orin was a monster, but taking a direct hit like that—shouldn't he be down for a few days? They couldn't fathom how he was up and walking around.
...
What's more, as Orin's close bros, they were worried about his health too.
This guy… was being way too reckless.
But Orin, the center of this whole event, clearly didn't think much of it. Instead, he stretched his limbs.
"I'm fine. By the way, how long was I out? Don't tell me it was a whole day."
Orin acted like nothing had happened—though when he touched his chest, he sucked in a sharp breath.
Damn that hurts!
Seeing the expression on his face, Shanks and Buggy thought his injury was flaring up again and rushed to help him.
"Don't push yourself, Orin!"
"Yeah, if you're hurt, rest properly, you idiot!"
Grimacing, Orin unbuttoned his chest and looked at the dark bruise spreading across it, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Eh? Orin, when did you learn Armament Haki?"
Shanks gawked, shocked, and shouted, eyes filled with disbelief.
Buggy, seeing his reaction, lost his temper and yelled,
"Are you stupid? That's clearly just a bruise!"
"Oh... Hahahaha! So that's what it was!" Shanks laughed, finally realizing. "I totally misread that."
"You bastard, you're seriously pissing me off!"
Buggy couldn't stand this about Shanks—always missing the point, always looking calm while others freaked out.
Usually, this was when Orin would burst out laughing, watching the show. Then, once they finished arguing, he'd throw his arms around their necks and smoothly change the subject.
"Don't be mad, Buggy. Let's go eat."
"Tch... Fine. I'm only doing this for Orin, not you, Shanks!"
"Yeah yeah... I get it."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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