At this moment, even Orin himself didn't quite understand...
What exactly was Lip referring to?
Why should he care? And besides...
The luxurious, sprawling villa was decorated in a creamy-white style.
Led by Lip, Orin and the others slowly stepped inside—only to see that the place was filled with...
Little girls?
Or rather, little girl slaves.
Though the villa was spacious, it was still easy to see that the groups of small children were chained together, shivering on the floor, their pupils trembling as they looked in terror at the newcomers.
They came from all over the seas—East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, South Blue, the Paradise half of the Grand Line, the New World...
Some even came from the Calm Belt.
But without exception, every one of them shrank back in fear when their eyes fell on Orin and his entourage.
Orin froze as well. He looked at the crowd—at least three hundred little girls, and over a hundred sets of three sisters—and then turned his gaze toward Lip.
Lip merely gave a slight bow. Even with his mask on, Orin could feel the smugness radiating from the man.
"Perfectly in line with your tastes, Orin-sama. Every one of them was captured as three sisters."
"Especially these few—beautiful little triplets. With the eye I've gained from years of experience in the Holy Land, I can say with certainty that when they grow up, their looks won't lose out to the top beauties of the seas."
But Orin didn't look the least bit excited. Instead, he pressed a hand to his forehead.
Now he understood.
This must have been a misunderstanding from when he'd once told Lip to keep an eye out for three-sister slaves being sent into the Holy Land.
Lip must have taken it as Orin having some twisted fetish for three sisters—especially young ones.
"This..."
"Is something wrong, Orin-sama?"
Orin wanted to say something, but instead, he began walking toward the crowd of girls, scanning them as he went.
The CP agents followed respectfully at his back.
Every girl who met Orin's gaze shrank back in fear, bowing her head.
All but one.
"Lip."
"What is it, Orin-sama?"
Orin pointed at the one girl daring enough to look up.
"Other than those three sisters, release all the rest. Return them to wherever they were taken from."
The sudden order stunned not only the CP agents behind Lip, but Lip himself as well. He froze for a moment before bowing his head in acknowledgment.
They didn't understand why—but Orin's orders were absolute.
It would be a lot of work to release this many children...
Orin ignored them and the other girls. He walked straight to the three familiar-looking little girls.
A very pretty little girl with black hair stood protectively in front of the other two—one with a large head of green hair, the other with orange hair.
"Hey. Your name..."
Orin towered above them, his presence naturally intimidating. The two younger girls hid fearfully behind the black-haired girl.
"What is it?"
Perhaps she had only just been captured and hadn't yet tasted the true darkness of the world. The black-haired girl clenched her fists stubbornly.
She looked brave, but her trembling legs betrayed her.
"My name is... Boa Hancock. You man, release us at once!"
Hearing that familiar name, Orin smiled.
So it really was her.
"Well then... from now on, you'll be mine, little Hancock."
Orin looked at the defiant little girl, not bothering with her about-to-explode temper. Instead, he turned back toward Lip.
"No need to bring me any more slaves in the future. Just keep these three under control. Make sure they behave."
"Understood!"
Orin had no untoward intentions toward the girl. Although he suspected there really were perverts like that among the Celestial Dragons, Hancock right now was nothing more than a tiny brat.
He had no interest in playing the "good guy." After all, even if he hadn't existed, she would only have been taken by some other Celestial Dragon. Her fate would have been far worse than with him.
At least Orin ordered that they not be branded with the "Hoof of the Soaring Dragon."
As for the rest, he wasn't going to think too much about it. They would simply have to resign themselves to being Orin-sama's slaves.
Even if one day they left the Holy Land, nothing would change.
Like he always said—
Once you follow Orin, you follow him for life.
Hidden in the shadows, Lip bowed slightly. His head slowly turned toward the three sisters.
So many slaves captured, only to be released... He now knew he had misunderstood Orin-sama's intent.
From here on, he would put his utmost effort into managing these girls, into molding them into proper slaves for Orin-sama.
And from this moment forward...
The name Orin would become etched as a shadow in Boa Hancock's heart.
...
"Well then... no need to see me off. Head back here, Lip."
At the port of Sabaody Archipelago, Orin looked at his rather loyal CP0 subordinate and said with a smile.
"Oh, and pass a message to the Elders for me. Tell them I fully support the [Seven Warlords of the Sea] plan, and they don't need to consider my opinion any further."
"Understood. I will convey your words without fail."
Orin nodded, and then his figure slowly faded away.
Sabaody was still as bustling as ever—perhaps even more than when he'd last left.
The lively streets, some now boasting semi-modern architecture, bustled with patrol squads maintaining order.
Even Celestial Dragons couldn't run completely wild here.
That was thanks to Orin-sama's influence.
Any ordinary Celestial Dragon who caused trouble would simply be handed over to the God's Knights for a beating when they got back.
And if the God's Knights wouldn't act...
Then Orin naturally would.
...
He hadn't wandered for long before a figure appeared in his view.
A cold, imposing man stood in the shadows of the street, only his sharp eyes gleaming in the light.
A massive sword was strapped across his back, his arms folded as he glared at Orin.
"You're back."
Orin smiled.
So, he'd been waiting here?
"Hey. It's been more than half a year since you said you were off to pursue the way of the sword, hasn't it? Honestly..."
Orin walked up beside him.
Mihawk didn't react much to the words. He simply turned toward the center of the island, walking with Orin.
"In these months, I challenged swordsmen far and wide. Many were nothing but empty reputations—but many others, I came to acknowledge. And now, I've touched the threshold. The threshold of the world's strongest swordsmanship."
As Mihawk recounted his journeys, Orin walked at his side with hands in his pockets.
Counting silently.
Three...
Two...
One.
"...So. Let's have another match. After all, the title of the world's greatest swordsman between us is still undecided."
Orin sighed lightly.
Of course. The very first thing upon meeting Mihawk again...
Had to be a sword duel.
"Before that... isn't there one other matter?"
"Hm?" Mihawkdidn't understand. His mind was only on crossing blades with Orin.
"That Crocodile woman... she still hasn't been released, right?"
"...Correct. I was just about to remind you."
"You totally forgot just now, didn't you!!!"