"Welcome back, Orin-sama! And Mihawk-san..."
As they strolled through the streets of the Red-Light District, every girl along the way was visibly excited at their arrival. Especially when they saw Orin—their enthusiasm reached full-on fangirl levels.
Thanks to the two men's reputations as powerhouses, Sammi had been thriving in the underground world, even gaining the title of King of the Underground.
The Red-Light District business had grown into one of the top two in the world.
Their daily earnings were calculated in billions of Belly.
So, the two weren't just the girls' protectors—they were practically walking treasure chests.
Who wouldn't love that?
Orin walked at the front, bending down with a smile to greet the beautiful girls.
Now and then, he would lift a chin or ruffle someone's hair, his handsome face adorned with a gentle expression that made both mature women and young girls swoon.
Mihawk, on the other hand, kept a cool and distant demeanor, arms folded, silently following behind Orin.
These pink skeletons of flesh could never shake his devotion to the way of the sword.
Interestingly, when they reached the center of the district, the two turned and ran into a stunning young woman holding a baby.
To be in the heart of the Red-Light District while holding a child—her identity was obvious.
"Long time no see, Orin-san, Mihawk-san." Rouge gave a gentle smile, eyes full of gratitude as she looked at Orin.
"Oh?! Isn't this Lady Rouge?"
Ever since Orin had brought Rouge back to the Sabaody Archipelago, she'd settled in peacefully.
After all, the expenses of a pregnant woman were negligible to Orin, who no longer even considered money real money. He didn't hesitate to cover them.
Not to mention, the sword he casually "acquired"—Ace—was worth over ten billion Belly by itself.
And a little more than a year ago, she had successfully given birth to the son of Captain Roger—Ace. On the day Ace was born, Orin had even returned from a deserted island just to be there.
He still remembered how Rouge wanted Ace to recognize him as his godfather. That scared the hell out of Orin, and he quickly waved her off.
He almost became Roger's peer...
If that had happened, what would he call Rayleigh-san next time they met?
That didn't seem right either.
Captain Roger really messed things up by having a kid so late in life and confusing the generational lines.
After thinking it through, "Orin-san" just seemed safer.
"You brought little Ace out for some sun, huh... What a lively kid. As expected of Captain Roger's bloodline."
Maybe it was innate perception, but when Ace saw the two men approaching, he stretched out his arms.
Orin reached over and picked up the child, weighing the son of Roger in his arms. Then he turned to Mihawk, who was standing off to the side with a cold stare, and smirked:
"Hey, Hawk Eyes, wanna hold the baby?"
"Huh?" Mihawk's cold face showed a flicker of surprise.
And then Orin just shoved the baby into his arms.
"Wait... hold on, you—"
Watching Mihawk's expression turn grim as he clumsily cradled Ace with both hands, Orin couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He really did enjoy teasing Mihawk more than holding Ace.
"Hahaha, alright, alright..." Orin laughed heartily as he handed Ace back to Rouge.
"We're heading out on a voyage this time. Might be a while before we come back. If anything comes up, contact Sammi—or give me a ring via Den Den Mushi."
He tugged at Ace's chubby little cheek and waved goodbye.
The two made their way up to the upper levels of the central building.
Soon, they arrived at Sammi's office.
"Oh my, Orin-sama and Mihawk-san, why didn't you let me know you were coming back? I'll have the staff prepare—"
The two were already used to Sammi's enthusiasm.
They both sat on the couch. Orin crossed one leg over the other while Mei and Lina soon brought over orange juice and red wine.
"Hey, Sammi, Mihawk and I are about to set sail. Help us get ready."
With two little maids on his lap, Orin spoke nonchalantly.
Mihawk quietly sipped his wine, saying nothing—this was something they had already discussed in advance.
In fact, during the past two years of leisure, Orin had already planned out the timeline and the route.
Naturally, Sammi had long been prepared.
"All the supplies and equipment are ready, Orin-sama."
The two little maids chimed in as well:
"Yeah, everything's packed! Clothes, food..."
"We've got about ten billion Belly in cash, packed into several chests!"
"Wow, you really did prepare thoroughly~"
"So... can you take Mei and me with you?"
"Mmhmm, Orin-sama! We can give massages, feed you, scrub your back, warm your bed..."
"Nope. This isn't make-believe—we're talking about the high seas. Even I can't guarantee your safety out there."
"Aww... seriously?"
"..."
As they joked and flirted, the usually quiet Mihawk, who had been calmly sipping his wine, began to furrow his brows the longer he listened. Eventually, he couldn't help but interrupt:
"Hey, you guys..."
"Aren't you forgetting something? To sail, don't we at least need a ship?!"
Hearing that, Orin froze.
As if it had just hit him, he clapped his hands together.
"Oh right!"
He'd gotten so used to teleporting everywhere, he had completely forgotten that traveling usually required a ship.
Sammi, on the other hand, was perfectly calm.
"Actually, about that..."
"Actually, I've already taken care of that for you, Orin."
A weathered voice cut in at that moment, following Sammi's words. A slightly scruffy figure appeared in the doorway.
Orin had already sensed the aura long ago, so he wasn't surprised. Instead, he smiled in greeting.
"Rayleigh-san."
"Dark King Silvers Rayleigh!" Mihawk's sharp gaze locked onto him.
Seeing the legendary swordsman before him, the itch in Mihawk's sword hand flared up again. But he knew this wasn't the time or place, so he restrained himself.
Rayleigh had also been living on the Sabaody Archipelago for the past two years, often crashing at Orin's place and mooching drinks under his name. The two had met several times.
But Rayleigh always kept things casual—he'd never seriously sparred with Mihawk.
From Orin's perspective, Mihawk was still too weak.
Facing Rayleigh in his prime would be suicide.
Seeing Rayleigh now, and thinking back to their previous conversation, Orin arched a curious eyebrow.
He peeked into the future with Observation Haki... and was promptly stunned.
"Rayleigh-san, you actually..."
"Hey, Orin, using Observation Haki like that all the time sucks the fun out of life!" Rayleigh said with a chuckle, then surprised Orin with a big announcement:
"Go, Orin. Represent us old-timers and see what this era is all about. And go aboard the Oro Jackson!"
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