Completely unaware that he'd been labeled "ungrateful" by Keek,
Orin now sat with a serious expression, one leg crossed over the other, leaning back in his chair, intently watching the game in front of him, his face tense.
"Hey... you two, are you some kind of card-playing pros?"
Looking at the absolute garbage hand he'd drawn, Orin was already regretting teaching them how to play.
After sailing out of the waters surrounding Ohara, Orin had gotten bored and pulled out a set of entertainment supplies Sammi had prepared—among them, a deck of cards.
He eagerly called Mihawk and little Robin over, and the three of them sat around the table.
Orin briefly explained the rules.
And smart as Mihawk and Robin were, they understood it right away.
Then...
Then Orin started losing. Again. And again.
A cold bead of sweat slid down his forehead as he stared at Mihawk, who had already played all his cards. Orin looked stunned.
"One more round!"
This next game was much more intense. By the final stretch, Orin had just two cards left, while Mihawk and Robin each had only one.
As long as... as long as one of my two cards can beat theirs, I can win directly!
Having lost so many hands in a row, Orin was now so tense he gulped nervously. A hint of desperation rose in him—he was ready to cheat.
Just moments later—
"Little Hawk! You—!"
Orin's face was full of disbelief!
Mihawk, sitting tall, gave him a sidelong glance, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. His sharp eyes pierced through everything.
"As expected, Orin. You still tried to cheat in the end."
"Damn it!!!"
Robin looked at the two of them, puzzled. She had no idea what that strange exchange meant.
But actually,
What seemed like a simple card game had been filled with mental warfare.
Mihawk, being so familiar with Orin, had already been guarding against this trick the moment he got his hand.
During all those earlier rounds where Orin kept losing, Mihawk had been on the lookout for him using Observation Haki to cheat.
Sure enough, in the final round, seeing Orin's odd expression, Mihawk immediately knew he was up to something.
So, Mihawk had decided ahead of time that after Orin played his card, he would delay for at least a minute before responding—doing absolutely nothing.
Just as expected, Orin foresaw the future where Mihawk held onto his card and didn't play, and didn't even say he couldn't.
There was no way to tell whether Mihawk's card was high or low.
It was like—
You can predict the future?
Then I'll predict your prediction of the future.
Orin was starting to boil.
"I'm done playing!!!"
"This is no fun at all!!!"
He flung his cards onto the table. In an instant, the table cleared—every card vanished.
Mihawk wasn't surprised to see Orin throwing a tantrum. He shook his head, picked up his sword, and headed for the side of the ship to practice by the sea.
Robin, however, smiled gently.
Orin-sama really is quite an interesting person.
Lying back with his hands behind his head, still a little frustrated, Orin's Observation Haki caught a "target" entering his domain.
He opened one eye,
Snapped his fingers,
And a news-delivering seagull appeared in his hand.
The bewildered little seagull was completely stunned.
What the heck?!
Wasn't I just flying in the sky a moment ago?
Where am I now!?
After a moment of dazed confusion, the delivery seagull looked at the man holding it. After carefully recognizing him, it suddenly trembled!
At top gull-speed, it pulled a newspaper from its bag,
Then respectfully extended both wings to hand over the paper.
"Uh…"
Now this actually left Orin dumbfounded.
Are newspaper seagulls this polite these days?
Even bowing like a defeated nation!
He actually felt a little bad about snatching it just now—his frustration from earlier had mostly dissipated.
Sigh... might as well pay for this one. Flying around all day to deliver a couple newspapers isn't easy.
But before Orin could teleport some money, the seagull raised one wing to signal a "pause" gesture,
Then pulled out a little wallet,
Waved some money in front of the stunned Orin and Robin to make sure they saw it clearly,
Then solemnly tucked the money back into its wallet.
It gestured emphatically to convey:
"Boss, this counts as paid. Please let the gull go."
Orin: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched as he looked at this very businesslike, clearly-on-a-deadline seagull. In the end, he let it go.
Did that bastard Morgans train every single gull?
Any random one recognizes me.
Well, at least he got the message from last time.
If I see one, I'll let it go. Consider that warning received.
Shaking his head,
Orin sighed. The higher his status climbed, the less fun there was in the world. He had to create his own amusement now.
"Little Robin, read the newspaper out loud. Make it emotional, bring some drama to it."
"Yes, Orin-sama."
Orin leaned back in his chair, eyes closed. In his past life, he'd loved listening to books and novels—especially real people reading aloud.
Next to him, little Robin held the newspaper and began to read carefully:
"A few days ago...
...4.49 billion Belly,
Dead or alive!! Heinous criminal!!!"
Orin: "..."
He slowly turned his head toward Robin, who had just read that line with dramatic intensity.
"Why did you put so much hate into the words 'heinous criminal'?"
"Huh?"
Robin blinked, confused. Wasn't Orin-sama the one who told her to read with emotion?
Those words—[Heinous Criminal, Dead or Alive]—were bolded, red, and had exclamation marks!
"Never mind... forget I said anything. Keep going."
Orin shook his head and continued listening.
"Great pirate Golden Lion has escaped—he broke out of Impel Down..."
So that guy finally broke out, huh?
Only now did Orin remember that he once had a comrade.
But it was strange—why wait until the year 1500 to escape?
He'd have to go visit that old man for a chat sometime.
...
With Orin's powers speeding things up, their ship moved swiftly and soon arrived at the edge of West Blue.
There was a town nearby that looked pretty nice—bustling and lively.
Orin and Mihawk got off the ship, followed by a tiny figure who barely reached Orin's knee.
"Mm... let's buy some snacks. Eating proper meals all the time is getting old." Orin stuck his hands in his pockets, looked up at the sky, and thought aloud.
"If you don't like it, don't eat." Mihawk didn't indulge him, speaking coldly as he walked toward the meat and vegetable stalls.
"Huh? W-Wait, I'll eat, okay?"
Orin sighed, instantly teleporting to catch up. Then, as if remembering something, he snapped his fingers and conjured a sack of Belly,
Which he tossed to Robin.
Robin beamed with excitement, cheeks flushed red, thinking she was finally going to be useful:
"What do you need me to buy, Orin-sama?"
"No... nothing."
Orin raised a brow and smiled gently—but what he said made Robin feel icy cold.
"This is your severance pay. In this town...you're getting off the ship."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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