Black Gun's strength had become even more terrifying.
That was the most direct impression the Elders got after reviewing the frontline battle intelligence and video footage.
They had originally thought Orin would keep a low profile in the Sabaody Archipelago for a while. Over the past two years, they had nearly forgotten this threat upon the seas.
But to their surprise, Orin suddenly returned to the world stage—and made a massive impact the moment he did.
Realizing that negotiations were about to begin, the Elders gave a solemn order to Spandine:
"CP9, withdraw at once."
Receiving the command, the CP agents left one after another as if receiving a royal pardon.
Only Spandine remained, still kneeling before Orin with a bitter expression because he was holding the Den Den Mushi.
Orin smiled faintly and slowly extended his hand. The Den Den Mushi instantly appeared in his palm.
Only then did Spandine show a grateful look and scurry off the warship respectfully.
"Orin, are you declaring war against the World Government?"
Once unrelated personnel were dismissed, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the God of Finance, spoke coldly. He was always the most ruthless among the Elders.
Orin merely raised a brow at this.
"Where's that coming from? I was already on the island before the Navy arrived. If anyone initiated this war, wouldn't it be you?"
"But you clearly knew in advance that the Buster Call was going to strike Ohara!"
"And how do you know I knew in advance?"
At this, Saint Nusjuro was momentarily speechless.
How Orin had obtained the information... he couldn't exactly say it was leaked from within the World Government, could he?
That would just be a slap in his own face.
"Enough. What's done is done. There's no point discussing it now."
At that moment, Saint Marcus Mars, the Warrior God of Environment, cut in and changed the topic.
"You should understand this, Orin. When it comes to Ohara, the World Government holds zero tolerance. Even with you present, there was no way we'd allow Ohara to remain on the map."
He wasn't wrong.
As powerful as Orin was, the World Government still possessed countless top-tier combatants. While they couldn't capture him, they definitely couldn't be stopped either.
That was the foundation of the World Government's rule over the seas for the past 800 years.
They took pride in this.
They had assumed Orin was here to stand up for Ohara and confront the Navy directly because of it.
Little did they know—Orin had no such interest.
"I never had any intention of protecting Ohara, you know."
Orin shrugged.
People always seemed to treat him as an enemy with ulterior motives, as if everything he did was calculated.
But truthfully, more often than not, he just did whatever he felt like.
"???"
Now it was the Elders' turn to be stunned.
Their eyes filled with surprise as they frowned at the Den Den Mushi, as if they'd just heard something unbelievable.
"Engaging the Navy... there's only one reason for that..."
A smirk tugged at Orin's lips.
"And that's to declare to this era—I'm back!!!"
Madman...
That was the first word that came to the Elders' minds.
They couldn't believe such a massive battle had erupted just so he could announce his return to the seas.
At the same time, though, it sent a very clear signal—Black Gun Orin had finally stepped onto the world stage again as an adult!
The Elders felt both relieved and troubled by this.
Relieved because Orin, in a sense, was one of the more "manageable" people from the World Government's perspective. Though his temperament was troublesome—too freewheeling and erratic—he was still far easier to deal with than the typical pirate who only knew how to plunder and burn.
And with his overwhelming power and potential, he would inevitably crush this new generation of pirates with absolute superiority.
After all, throughout their long lives, there had only ever been a few monsters who could rival Orin.
And the most recent of those… had already been eliminated by them—
His name was Rocks.
What troubled them, however, was how unpredictable Orin was. That kind of behavior was an enormous threat to the World Government.
Letting him roam freely on the seas might throw countless future plans into chaos—
Just like this Buster Call.
"We understand how you feel, Orin. But you must realize—the Buster Call can never be used as your personal tool to gain fame."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, the God of Agriculture, spoke sternly.
"This isn't the same as raiding Marine Headquarters. The Buster Call is the ultimate deterrent of the World Government across the seas."
In other words,
Orin could not use the destruction of the Buster Call to once again rise to the top of the world stage. That was the bottom line of the World Government.
Orin paused for a moment in thought—
Then chose to compromise.
As always,
If the World Government shows respect, he would usually return the favor.
The way the Elders had just publicly reprimanded Sakazuki was clearly a gesture of goodwill toward him.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll give you respect too. Let's drop this matter here. I have no interest in interfering with what happens to Ohara—do as you please."
Even though the Buster Call forces had been heavily damaged by Orin and Mihawk, they were still more than enough to wipe out a defenseless Ohara.
A complete CP deployment, multiple warships and troops, and a wounded-but-active Commodore Sakazuki—
The outcome for Ohara was the same.
It was only a matter of how fast.
Perhaps the Elders hadn't expected Orin to back down so easily, and they were briefly stunned by his words.
They had assumed someone as difficult as Orin would seize on the Navy's offensive as leverage to demand all sorts of conditions.
They'd even prepared to make some concessions.
But today... Orin seemed unusually easygoing.
After deliberating briefly, the Elders decided to offer an olive branch:
"In that case, Orin, the World Government will owe you a favor. So long as you don't go too far, we'll maintain a friendly attitude. Making this ugly would benefit neither of us."
And just like that,
What could've turned into a brutal war…
Was defused in a few words.
In addition, at Orin's request, the Elders even added a symbolic favor of their own, issuing a command that meant little to them—
"From this moment onward, revise Black Gun Orin's bounty to..."
"Four billion, four hundred and ninety million Belly!!!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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