Sammi-san's villa.
In a luxuriously decorated room,
graceful and soothing music played live as scantily clad dancers twirled across the floor.
They swayed their waists freely, eyes glimmering like water, doing their best to attract the attention of the man in the center of the room.
But Orin clearly had no interest in the dancers who were little more than moving wallpaper. In front of him, a Den Den Mushi was chattering away.
Lounging on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, Orin smiled as he lifted a large jug of juice and poured it into his mouth. The massive dose of sugar quickly replenished the energy he'd burned through in recent training.
"It's connected... Hey, Buggy, stop hogging it!"
When the call first connected, the Den Den Mushi had the features of red hair. But immediately after, it changed into a red nose.
"Orin!! Finally got ahold of you! How've you been lately?"
"Buggy, Shanks. Of course I've been doing great."
"That's good... Oh yeah! When Shanks and I dropped everyone off the ship, a ton of stuff happened. We pretty much traveled across the whole New World..."
Orin leaned back on the luxury sofa, one leg lazily draped over the other. While Lina massaged his shoulders, Mei gently wiped his mouth.
Listening to Buggy's stories, he casually waved his hand. The girls in the room silently withdrew, leaving only the two little maids behind to continue serving.
The maids were tactful. Knowing their master was speaking with friends, they didn't dare interrupt—acting as if they hadn't heard a thing.
"...And the elders asked us to escort Captain Roger on his final journey."
Inevitably, the conversation turned to Roger's execution. Buggy's tone grew heavy.
"We just returned Petermoo-san to his hometown. In a few days, Shanks and I will be passing through the Sabaody Archipelago, then heading to Loguetown. Will you be going, Orin?"
Orin nodded.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss Captain Roger's final moment for anything."
As he finished speaking, a mischievous grin crept across his face.
"But by then, there'll definitely be plenty of Marine officers stationed there—maybe even an Admiral. You and Shanks better be careful."
"Ha!?"
Aboard the Oro Jackson, where only Rayleigh and the others remained,
Buggy was stunned by Orin's words, jaw dropping wide open.
Marines?
During their time sailing with the Roger Pirates, his memories of the Marines were vivid—especially that Iron Fist bastard who loved to laugh.
Even back then, when Captain Roger was still around, that guy was a major headache. And he was only a Vice Admiral!
If an Admiral—or even the Fleet Admiral—showed up at the scene, with no Roger Pirates to back him up, Buggy would definitely end up shackled in some dungeon!
"Rayleigh-san! I think you should come with us! There'll be Marines there..." Buggy immediately began looking for a solution, pleading to Rayleigh with a tearful face.
"Relax, Buggy. The Marines won't make a move on you two."
Rayleigh smiled. He knew Orin was deliberately teasing Buggy, but didn't bother calling him out.
"Roger used his life as a bargaining chip to have the World Government remove the bounties from every member of the Roger Pirates."
"No way... Captain Roger did all that... for us?"
Hearing this, both Shanks and Buggy felt their eyes grow misty, touched by the captain's final act of sacrifice.
"No, no, no, Rayleigh-san..."
Orin chuckled, finishing the last sip of juice in his cup. His right hand gently stroked Mei's fluffy white head as he said slowly:
"The removal of the bounties that Captain Roger negotiated doesn't apply to those two who never made it to Laugh Tale. And even if their bounties are gone now, if they cause trouble again, it wouldn't be surprising for the Marines to issue new ones."
Buggy, who had just been moved to tears, felt his warm heart suddenly go cold again after hearing Orin's words.
But thankfully, Orin's next words gave him some comfort.
"But you and Shanks don't need to worry too much. You guys don't even have bounties. Unless you run into someone who knows your face, there's no way they'll recognize you. Hahahahaha!"
Hearing Orin's merciless laughter, Shanks and Buggy were left unsure whether to laugh or cry, awkwardly standing in place.
They'd been so worried about being targeted by the Marines... but it turned out the Marines didn't even see them as threats.
"Then... Orin, are you going to be alright? I saw your bounty the other day—it's already shot up to a billion! That's a fifth of Captain Roger's! You're bound to draw attention."
After solving his own concerns, Shanks immediately remembered Orin's situation.
"Back in the day, you pissed off so many Marines. Even Garp remembered your face. If the Marine top brass decides to come after you, even someone like you would be in trouble, right?"
Hearing this, Orin didn't seem bothered at all. He simply told them his current situation:
"That's not something you need to worry about. Actually, after I disembarked, I ate the Devil Fruit that Captain Roger gave me. With the most powerful Observation Haki and the abilities of the Warp-Warp Fruit, I can move freely anywhere in the world."
Buggy and the others exchanged looks of surprise.
On one hand, they were shocked that Orin had actually eaten a Devil Fruit.
On the other hand, as Orin said, with future-sensing Observation Haki and teleportation combined, they truly couldn't imagine any scenario in which Orin would be caught or defeated.
Not to mention Orin's absurdly powerful natural strength and monstrous talent to begin with.
The group, having not seen each other in a long time, chatted for a long while.
Finally, after agreeing on a time and place to meet, they ended the Den Den Mushi call.
...
After the call, Orin remained seated quietly on the sofa, his back against the soft cushions, head tilted in thought.
A sudden idea had just popped into his head:
He wanted to go see Captain Roger... ahead of time.
Frankly, that so-called impenetrable fortress known as Impel Down, so highly praised by the World Government, wasn't much in Orin's eyes.
With the power to foresee the future and teleport anywhere, even Marine Headquarters was no more secure than a leaky sieve to him.
Even if someone noticed something off, Orin was confident he could escape before any high-level force could respond.
Even if an Admiral personally guarded the gate, it wouldn't matter. Orin was sure he wouldn't lose easily. If he wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
And if it wasn't an Admiral-level figure... then anyone else would just take one sea stone bullet with Conqueror's coating and be done.
He didn't hesitate—Orin was never the type to overthink. His confidence in his own strength was absolute.
He stood up slowly, tilted the little maid's chin, and said casually:
"Lock up Doflamingo and the other officers with sea stone. I'll deal with them when I get back."
"Also, tell Sammi-san I'll be out for a while. If she needs anything, have her contact me via Den Den Mushi."
"Understood, Orin-sama."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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