"Don't move, Kuzan!"
As that voice rang out, it was as though everything had frozen. The figure who had been about to turn and throw a punch instantly halted in place.
On the deck, many Marine officers stared in shock at the monstrous Vice Admiral now immobilized in front of the young man in uniform with the gentle expression. Their eyes were filled with horror.
What kind of bizarre ability was this?
"No, it's not complete stasis—Vice Admiral Kuzan is still moving!"
Among the Marines were those skilled in Observation Haki. Under their careful scrutiny, they did in fact notice a small anomaly.
In particular, it was a pair of hawk-like eyes that first pierced through the mystery of the move.
Mihawk stood with arms crossed, and as Orin used the technique a second time, he finally saw through it.
"He's constantly teleporting his opponent's body back to its previous state from the last moment. That creates the illusion of stillness?"
"Hey… don't go around explaining your comrade's tricks like that."
"Even if I didn't say it, they'd figure it out soon. It's not hard to counter…"
Swoosh—
A sharp punch broke through the restriction, flying straight toward Orin's face, but was easily caught by an equally Armament Haki-infused monstrous grip.
"To break a Devil Fruit ability, you just need overwhelming Haki."
"But even if it can be broken, there's still some residual effect."
The two clashed again, and the explosion of Haki created a blast wave that made the entire deck groan and start to collapse underfoot.
Mihawk casually leapt away and landed on the shore—where Orin's figure instantly appeared beside him.
In the cloud of dust, a terrifying dark silhouette loomed. The reflection in the sunglasses showed a chilling white gleam, and a cold voice filled with killing intent rang out:
"Orin, according to orders from Marine Headquarters, I was not supposed to lay a hand on you. But if you must blame someone, blame yourself for appearing on this island—an island fated for destruction..."
Orin only shrugged, his eyes naturally carrying a hint of scorn.
"I didn't come here to start a war. I really just came to say hi... Otherwise, do you think anyone from this so-called Buster Call would have survived?"
Hearing that, Kuzan felt as if he had been thoroughly insulted.
Orin seemed to have a natural gift:
Anyone he wanted to enrage—even the calmest, most gentle person—would eventually feel an uncontrollable urge to kill him.
"In that case… bring it on! I've spent the last two years training every day just to take you down!!!"
Extreme cold and biting chill erupted from his body. A blade of ice formed by condensed Haki appeared in his hand.
"To fight you, I risked everything—trained Haki like mad under Garp-sensei!"
After that nearly crippling three-way battle long ago, Kuzan had thought for a long time before finally understanding what it would take to defeat a monster like Orin.
And the punch Garp had thrown at Marineford that forced Orin to retreat—that gave him the inspiration he needed.
Devil Fruit powers could only play a supporting role against Orin. In a real fight, it all came down to Haki!
"You're under arrest, Orin!!!"
Clang——
Formidable Armament Haki coated the ice blade. In a field of spreading snow and frost, Kuzan moved like a ghost.
He and Orin—whose speed was just as insane, if not greater—clashed in an instant.
In terms of raw Armament Haki alone, the two were nearly equal!
"You've improved a lot, Kuzan..."
Orin could tell that Kuzan's Haki had grown by more than just a little compared to two years ago.
And his ability to combine it with his Devil Fruit powers—that level of trickiness even Orin couldn't help but inwardly praise.
But this so-called "troublesome opponent" only applied to the Orin of two years ago.
"If you're this excited, then I guess I'll have a little fun too..."
Orin shook his head helplessly.
The next moment, a terrifying aura swept across half of Ohara Island. Black-and-red lightning surged wildly around his body, crackling up toward the sky!
Seeing this, Mihawk couldn't help but sweat slightly. His expression grew grim.
"...Is he going to use that move?"
Meanwhile, the other Marine officers watching the two on the verge of battle were inwardly groaning.
What was supposed to be a one-sided Buster Call purge—how did it turn into an actual demon-slaying now?
But they were Marines of HQ. Even facing such a terrifying enemy, they had no intention of retreating.
They coated their weapons or fists in Armament Haki, preparing to at least support Vice Admiral Kuzan as much as they could.
However, just as someone was about to rush forward—
Suddenly!
A massive emerald-green sword aura, stretching hundreds of meters, blasted through the air in front of them, completely cutting off access to the battlefield.
A cold, proud figure slowly emerged from its wake.
Several Marines clad in cloaks turned pale and broke out in cold sweat. As they looked toward the source—
What kind of eyes were those?
Eyes like top predators high in the sky—hawk-like and mercilessly cold.
Standing before them was like standing in front of a drawn blade—frigid and deadly.
A splendid black-bladed cross katana lay across his body, its cold glint blending seamlessly with his noble air.
And his voice, filled with haughty disdain, rang out as if it had always belonged to someone born superior:
"Weak, pitiful creatures... if you want to meddle in this battle, survive my blade first."
...
"Someone tell me what the hell that insane sword aura on the coast was!!!"
Out at sea, still aboard a battleship, Sakazuki stared at the soaring emerald sword aura in the distance, his expression stern as he questioned his adjutant.
The adjutant, who had just finished a call on the Den Den Mushi, suddenly turned pale and drenched in cold sweat. He rushed toward Sakazuki with a report.
"Report, Vice Admiral Sakazuki! We've just received word from the front line—appearing on the coast is...Black Gun Orin!!!"
"What did you say?!"
Boom——!!!
Before he could even repeat it, the moment he heard Orin's name, Sakazuki's reaction was identical to Kuzan's.
After a brief daze, he immediately realized—this Buster Call was the perfect excuse to finally eliminate this heinous pirate once and for all!
His body instantly transformed into magma—an explosive volcanic eruption hurtling toward the shore.
All that remained behind was his dumbfounded adjutant and a group of equally stunned soldiers.
At the same time, another person receiving this bombshell news was the equally flustered commander of the Buster Call—Spandine.
The moment he processed it, his eyes widened in shock as he looked at the subordinate who had just delivered the report.
"You… Who did you just say is fighting the Marines on the shore?"
"It's Black Gun Orin."
"N-Nani?!"
As soon as he heard the name, he collapsed helplessly to the floor, mouth agape, eyes brimming with panic and disbelief.
As the one once responsible for gathering intel on Orin for the Elders, he was easily the person here who best understood both Orin's power and the Elders' attitude.
Which is exactly why he knew—
Orin appearing in the middle of a Buster Call…
Just what kind of horrifying signal that represented!!!
"No... No good, this is already beyond what I can control!!!"
Suppressing his panic, he forced himself to think clearly. Driven by instinct, he pulled out the most well-maintained, most precious Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"Beru... Beru... Beru..."
Click.
The call connected. The image that appeared was a stern, scarred forehead with a thick beard—an aura of overwhelming authority emanating from it.
The voice that came through carried the tone of one looking down from a great height.
"What happened, Spandine!!!"