On a reclining chair,
Orin, cigar in mouth and sunglasses on, enjoying life, heard those words and his pupils shifted slightly downward.
"Oh? Isn't this Sammi? What's the matter?"
"Orin-sama..."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sammi greeted respectfully in a soft tone, as if afraid to disturb Orin's mood. Her pretty face was slightly tense.
Orin, however, didn't seem to mind, chuckling lightly.
"No need to be so stiff, Sammi. I know your nature — you wouldn't bother me unless it's something important. So relax a little."
In the upper-floor office of the Sabaody Archipelago,
Hearing this, Sammi finally let out a barely audible sigh of relief. A charming smile appeared on her refined face.
"No, it's your travels and mood that we most need to consider."
Sammi truly felt grateful for Orin's protection and generosity, and so she had always done her utmost.
"My sisters in the red-light district and I will forever remember your kindness."
Those words were pleasing to the ear.
At least Orin's smile deepened — after all, being remembered fondly by beautiful women was always pleasant.
"Alright, I get it. Now tell me the real matter. I know you — unless it's something big you can't handle, you wouldn't call so easily."
Only then did Sammi speak, reporting everything to Orin.
"It's like this — a few days ago, Crocodile, she..."
"...So, I can only report this matter to you. This time, the World Government's attitude is clearly different from before."
Sammi felt indignant. That mere World Government would actually dare show Orin-sama so little respect.
"I don't read the papers for a few days and little Crocodile's already stirring up trouble, huh?"
Orin's expression turned odd — he hadn't expected her to be so stubborn.
He admitted, when Crocodile had been by his side, her strength was definitely much greater than in the same period in the original story.
After all, whether it was Haki advancement or Devil Fruit development, Orin had given her plenty of advice and ideas. But still...
She dared to provoke Akainu?
Sakazuki now had the solid strength of an Admiral, and among them he was probably on the stronger side.
Crocodile's ability also didn't hold much advantage in elemental matchups.
Not afraid of becoming the Glass-Glass Fruit user, huh~
"The condition for letting her go is... joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"That's right."
Orin rubbed his chin, but he didn't feel any real offense.
This was something he could only really say to Sammi — she wasn't in a position to decide, so he could even play at sounding tough.
If he had personally stepped in back then, it probably wouldn't have been CP0 answering the phone — it would've been the Elders convening urgently to negotiate with him.
If he had taken a hard stance, refusing to let Crocodile become a Warlord and demanding her release...
Chances were they still would've released her.
It just would've left both sides unhappy, and later on, there'd probably be more instances of them deliberately not giving each other respect.
No need for that.
"Sure."
Orin's voice came slowly from the other end of the Den Den Mushi. Sammi was stunned when she heard it, wondering if she'd misheard.
But Orin had indeed said,
"Let Crocodile join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I support it. If they invite Mihawk, you can also pass on my stance — it's the same. After all, respect is something you have to give each other for it to last."
Truth be told,
At first, Orin hadn't thought much about the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It had just been a side move when he recruited and subdued the little Doflamingo.
But now, seeing the World Government sticking to their original plan to bring in Crocodile and Mihawk... things were getting interesting.
Mihawk, Crocodile, Doflamingo... plus the yet-to-arrive Empress Boa Hancock — that would be four out of seven already. More than half.
Anyone with life experience knows —
When you buy snack packs and collect cards, getting one doesn't make you want to collect them all.
But once you have more than half, you naturally start wanting to complete the set.
Or, in other words —
An obsession.
"And besides, it's also a kind of status symbol. In name, they're compared directly to the Four Emperors."
"...I understand."
Sammi didn't fully grasp the practical significance of such a title, but her main trait was obedience.
If Orin-sama decided it, she would carry it out without holding back.
After that, Sammi dialed Mihawk's Den Den Mushi signal, and soon it connected.
At the moment, he was drinking with Rayleigh.
On Orin's tab, of course.
"What is it?"
A pair of signature sharp hawk eyes appeared on the Den Den Mushi, looking at Sammi as he asked.
Sammi briefly explained the situation.
But clearly, the little Hawk seemed uninterested, silently sipping his red wine.
Rayleigh, holding his own glass, was also listening to this little-known insider gossip. Hearing the terms of becoming a Warlord, the lenses of his glasses reflected light.
"Why not? Since your dream is to become the world's greatest swordsman, this title would make things much easier. You could appear anywhere legally and challenge all kinds of swordsmen."
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Mihawk thought it over.
If it were the him from the original story, perhaps he really would've accepted to avoid trouble.
But now, even without the World Government, he could freely go anywhere in the world without issue.
Orin's name and reputation were enough.
So Mihawk showed reluctance.
Sammi, as if expecting this, immediately added:
"Mihawk-san, agreeing to the World Government's nomination for the Seven Warlords of the Sea is also Orin-sama's wish."
Mihawk: "..."
Hearing this, the little Hawk's mouth opened slightly. After a moment, he still said nothing — just looked a bit helpless, as if to say:
Why didn't you say so earlier?
In the end, he nodded, tacitly agreeing to it.
...
As for Doflamingo, that was much simpler.
After hanging up, Sammi dialed another signal, calling Doflamingo far away in the New World.
The Den Den Mushi was quickly picked up.
A pair of wicked red eyes and an arrogant grin appeared, with a pink feather coat draped over his back.
"Fuffuffuffuffu... How rare, Sammi-san. I didn't expect you to ever have business with me."
New World, Dressrosa.
In a lavishly decorated room,
Having just arrived ahead of time to gradually usurp Dressrosa, Doflamingo hadn't expected to suddenly get Sammi's call.
Grinning wickedly, he considered that although they were both Orin's subordinates, they weren't exactly friendly — both companions and rivals, with little contact outside business.
But Sammi's next words made him put away his arrogant smile and obediently lower his crossed legs.
"I didn't call to chat, Doflamingo. I'm acting on Orin-sama's orders!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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