" Tch..." ×2
Inside the gloomy castle, countless zombies hid in the shadows, peeking at the few figures sitting within.
At this moment, both Mihawk and Moria looked displeased.
The former was because he had to look after the sleeping child in his arms, while the latter was burning with hatred for Orin's shamelessness.
"Black Emperor Orin, what the hell are you trying to do!!!"
"Shh..."
Orin crossed his legs leisurely and made a gesture for silence, his eyes signaling toward the still-sleeping Perona.
Moria's face stiffened, but he continued to glare at Orin, waiting for his explanation.
"I know, Moria. A man like you would never be content serving beneath another. And as for me, I intend to bring all the Seven Warlords of the Sea under my banner."
"Of course, replacing you with another Warlord would be simple enough... but I find that far too boring~"
Orin slowly curled his fingers into a loose fist.
"More than physical victory, I prefer spiritual victory. Otherwise, I would have already wiped every rebel from the seas long ago."
Orin was not a bloodthirsty killer. Especially now — when few dared provoke him on the seas — he struck far less often than before.
"If you truly refuse to submit, that's fine. So long as you give me respect in the future, I can guarantee the safety of your subordinates... as long as they don't provoke me."
The moment he heard the first half of the sentence, Moria was about to explode.
But after Orin's second half, his angry roar stuck in his throat.
His expression grew ugly, veins of shadow spreading across his face.
"Aside from you, no one could harm them anyway!!!"
Here, "subordinates" only referred to little Perona. Hogback, Absalom, and the others had yet to join Moria's crew.
"Is that so?"
Orin gave a mocking smile, as if deliberately trying to provoke him.
"You claim you want revenge against Kaido. But what about little Perona then? Do you really think you can ensure her safety against Kaido and his monstrous underlings?"
Moria was struck dumb.
Because what Orin said was the truth.
He was not Kaido's equal to begin with, let alone when you added King, Queen, and the other Beast Pirates.
Although he had adopted Perona, he treated her as his own daughter.
"Are you saying you'll protect Perona for life? That she'll never be harmed!? Orin!!!"
Moria stared at Orin with deadly seriousness.
He had no choice but to admit it — if Orin wished to harm Perona, there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Orin's meaning was clear: give him respect, and in return Perona would receive a lifelong guarantee of absolute safety.
Moria's character was such that he would stake his own life for the sake of his people.
"That's right~"
Orin understood everyone's personality. With his god's-eye perspective, he was like a succubus haunting the seas, perfectly grasping every strong man's weaknesses.
"A good deal, isn't it? I won't make you do anything excessive. Just align with me when it comes to Warlord matters — give me respect, that's all."
Give respect?
That phrasing immediately raised Moria's acceptance level.
To submit to Orin outright, or bear his name — that was harder for him than death.
But to simply "give him respect" for the sake of his adopted daughter? That was much easier to accept.
After hesitating briefly, Moria nodded.
"I understand. When it comes to matters concerning the Seven Warlords, I'll give you, Black Emperor, the utmost respect. I hope you keep your word!!!"
Hearing this, Orin smiled with delight.
To him, it was pure profit.
He already liked Perona as Mihawk's future little partner, and would have watched over her anyway.
Now he gained Moria's respect and goodwill on top of it, for free.
"Mihawk, from now on, you'll be responsible for looking after little Perona."
"Huh??? Why should I do that..."
Mihawk looked utterly bewildered, frowning with obvious reluctance.
But just then —
In his arms, the doll-like girl with curly hair slowly opened her big eyes, awakened by Mihawk's raised voice.
"Oops, you woke her up," Orin said with a smirk, clearly amused.
At those words, Mihawk quickly lowered his head and saw Perona's wide eyes staring at him.
Realizing this stranger was someone she didn't know, mist welled up in her gaze.
Mihawk instantly panicked.
Flustered and awkward, he clearly had no idea how to soothe a child.
Thus began the first meeting of these destined frenemies, nearly twenty years earlier than expected — in this ridiculous scene.
"Don't cry..."
Sweating coldly, Mihawk frowned, clearly worried she might wail, his usual composure nowhere to be seen.
"This is bad. If Perona cries, then..."
Perhaps the mood had softened, for Moria made a move to warn him — but it was already too late.
At the instant of the warning, Orin's eyes flashed red, as if seeing something others could not.
He vanished, reappearing beside Moria.
"What are you—?"
Mihawk saw Orin suddenly move away, smirking at him, and felt a creeping unease, though he couldn't say why.
Until Perona's shrill wail rang out.
The moment the sound fell, translucent phantoms poured out from her body — small, ghost-like figures.
Orin knew at once. Unless countered with Haki, these ghosts had a conceptual effect — unless you were already as pitifully hopeless as Usopp.
And standing closest to Perona was Mihawk. Naturally, the swarm of mini-ghosts passed through him first.
Instantly—
An overwhelming flood of self-abasement and despair surged through him.
Orin teleported Perona into Moria's arms, then casually pulled out a transponder snail camera.
He snapped the scene: Mihawk collapsed on the ground, hands flat, face downcast.
Even Yoru, his black blade, opened its eyes to watch its master.
Though it had sulked when Mihawk used it to cut fruit, seeing his state now, it couldn't help but watch with concern.
And Mihawk muttered:
"To travel with you... how disgraceful for you, Orin. I'm sorry. I'm nothing but dead weight..."
Even a swordsman of Zoro's will would be caught off guard. Mihawk, unprepared, stood no chance.
Fortunately, he recovered quickly — within just a few seconds.
And the first thing he did after regaining himself was glare at Orin, who was gleefully snapping photos.
"Delete it!!!"
"No."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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