"I... I understand..."
Hatchan didn't even have the courage to refuse because he knew very well— if he angered Orin while Rayleigh wasn't around, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
Luckily, not long after, Rayleigh returned.
"Orin? What are you all doing here?"
Having just dealt with a commotion at the auction house, Rayleigh came back only to find Orin and the others sitting around.
Puzzled, he asked directly.
After Orin explained the situation, Rayleigh immediately nodded in agreement.
"If it's coating you're after, we can handle that quickly. Back when we coated the Oro Jackson, I went to Fishman Island together with Roger and the crew, remember?"
Perhaps recalling those old days, Rayleigh's tone softened with nostalgia. After all, Orin had once been a member of that very ship as well.
"With Rayleigh-sensei's skills, I've got no doubts at all," Orin said calmly.
"Besides, if worst comes to worst, I can use my ability to keep the seawater away for a while. The Oro Jackson will be fine."
Rayleigh smiled faintly and shook his head, clearly unworried about the ship.
"That much I can rest easy on. After all, a man like you would never meet his end in the middle of the sea."
"Of course not."
Orin downed the fruit wine in his cup in one go.
"The time is drawing closer and closer... there's no way I'd leave the stage now."
Rayleigh's lips curled into a knowing smile at those words.
He glanced at Orin's tall, imposing figure and his dependable companions by his side, as though reminded of the young man who had once carried Roger's body down from the execution platform.
"Forgive us, Orin," Rayleigh said softly.
"We selfishly excluded you from the new era... when you're the one who had the greatest chance of becoming Pirate King."
Rayleigh's tone was light, but the weight of his words struck like thunder.
Hawkeye Mihawk and Crocodile exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with unspoken emotion.
Especially Crocodile— she had once set her sights on becoming Pirate King herself, until she met Orin and slowly abandoned the thought.
Back then, she had wondered why someone as absurdly strong as Orin wasn't aiming for the throne like every other pirate.
And now she learns that the reason Orin can't become Pirate King... is because of such a ridiculous rule? That he has to wait for some so-called "chosen" person to meet the conditions?
Then what about all those people who set sail chasing the dream of becoming Pirate King?What were they?
Just clowns meant to lose?!
"..."
"Enough about the past, Rayleigh-sensei," Orin said calmly.
Crocodile, whose expression had darkened, glanced sideways at him in surprise.
Orin's face remained composed.
"I'm a man who's sworn to surpass Captain Roger himself, to reach the very pinnacle of piracy.Let someone else take the title of Pirate King. I have no interest in it."
His words sounded arrogant beyond measure—but when one thought about who he was, they made perfect sense.
Rayleigh didn't argue, merely clinking his cup against Orin's.
A man aiming to surpass Roger himself...
Such incredible ambition!
...
Later, after leaving Rayleigh to wait for the coating to finish, Crocodile's expression remained stormy.
She finally couldn't hold it in anymore and turned to Orin.
"Hey, Orin. That thing Rayleigh said about you not being able to become Pirate King—what's that supposed to mean?!"
Orin stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. Her expression was unusually serious.
"Ah... that," Orin said lightly.
"It means I'm not the successor to Roger's will. I don't meet the requirements to claim the One Piece. Besides, that's not where my ambitions lie."
"..."
Crocodile frowned deeply, her irritation subsiding slightly, though her tone stayed sharp.
"Other than you, I'm not acknowledging anyone else! The title of Pirate King should belong to the one with the most power and influence!!!"
Orin hadn't expected her reaction to be this intense and said a few words to soothe her.
Meanwhile, Mihawk stood quietly to the side, lost in thought.
By Crocodile's definition, Buggy—whom Orin had once jokingly invited to compete for Pirate King—clearly wouldn't qualify. Not in strength, not in influence, not in spirit. By himself, that clown was nothing but a small fry.
But... if Buggy had Orin's full support—the man who was practically a walking, living One Piece—then things would be very different.
Power, influence, fame... Buggy would have everything.
Even the one thing most pirates struggle to obtain—the aura, the presence, the spirit. With the world's strongest man backing him, even a fool's presence would naturally rise to match his status.
The real problem would be Crocodile.
Would she ever accept Buggy becoming Pirate King?
Knowing her, she'd probably try to kill him on the spot.
As for Mihawk himself, though...
If this was what Orin wanted, he'd give Buggy a chance.
If Buggy could earn Mihawk's acknowledgment, then Mihawk wouldn't mind helping Orin elevate him.
...
Eventually, with Orin's reassurance, Crocodile calmed down—at least outwardly.Still, her frustration lingered. In her eyes, the title of Pirate King no longer held the same allure it once did, and her desire for it quietly faded away.
Though she muttered coldly:
"Fine. But if the so-called future Pirate King ends up disappointing me, I'll kill him myself."
...
"So big..."
"This size is insane..."
...
With the Oro Jackson slowly descending into the depths, the surrounding waters grew darker, and colossal silhouettes began appearing around them—giant Sea Kings, some over a hundred meters long.
Mihawk and Crocodile kept their guards up, watching carefully, but strangely, none of the Sea Kings approached to attack.
"Relax," Orin said casually.
"These giant Sea Kings are intelligent. They won't attack us."
He didn't seem concerned in the slightest, not even about the coating breaking.
Even if some of these monstrous Sea Kings got too close, a simple burst of his Conqueror's Haki would drive them away instantly.
Orin could even accelerate the Oro Jackson's descent effortlessly.
Before long, an enormous shimmering bubble came into view, encasing a breathtaking island below.
"So this is Fishman Island? There really are so many mermaids and fishmen..." Crocodile said softly, standing at the ship's edge, staring at the thriving city beneath the sea.
"Yup," Orin replied, then added with a teasing tone, "and also... your old enemy~."
"Nani?"
Crocodile blinked in confusion. But then, in the distance, an enormous and very familiar ship came into view.
In an instant, blood vessels bulged in Crocodile's eyes, her face freezing in shock. Even Mihawk's usually indifferent expression hardened.
Only Orin remained calm as his gaze locked on the distant towering figure.
"So the intel was correct. You came to Fishman Island from the New World after all... Whitebeard."
Far away, the towering man also spotted the Oro Jackson.
His pupils contracted sharply before narrowing slightly.
"You're... that brat from Roger's ship?"