"Shouldn't be a problem for you, right, Shanks~"
This time, the commotion wasn't small.
Prince Loki of the giants rebelled, killed the king, and drove his longsword straight through Elder Yaruru's skull. The resulting uproar was immense.
Orin sat atop a pile of giant corpses, watching Shanks's stern expression as the red-haired man tried to appear serious. The corners of Orin's lips curled upward.
In just a few short years apart, this Shanks had started to grow into a man with real presence…
"If it's just about taking down Loki, I'm more than enough!!!"
With the three scars over his eye, the current Red-Haired Shanks no longer looked like a youth. Instead, he carried the air of a man.
But Orin didn't let him bask in that.
"Years apart and you've picked up a scar on your eye. Is Teach really that strong?"
Orin couldn't quite figure it out. Without a Devil Fruit ability, Teach's strength wasn't anything terrifying—yet he'd somehow managed to scar Shanks, who had been in his rapid growth phase at the time.
It made no sense.
"Hey!!! You two!!! What the hell are you whispering about?!!"
Loki's mood was clearly unstable. Seeing two powerful figures suddenly appear, his first thought had been to talk with them.
But instead, they casually chatted among themselves, not even sparing the giant prince a glance.
He gripped his massive hammer tightly, his face growing darker and more terrifying by the second.
Normally, if anyone dared shout at Orin like that, they'd be eating a Warp-Warp kick instantly, with survival left up to their own luck.
But this time was different.
Orin knew Loki carried some sort of "mission." Even though Orin wasn't Joy Boy, Shanks was destined to seal him away until the fated one appeared.
"Stay still, Loki."
Just as Loki was about to explode, the bandaged Orin, annoyed by the noise, shot him a cold glance.
In those scarlet pupils burned the overwhelming dominance of top-tier Conqueror's Haki, like the gaze of the world's most terrifying predator.
Locked onto by those eyes, even Loki felt a chill run down his spine. Blood dripping down his massive body, he couldn't stop a few beads of cold sweat from falling.
Orin's Conqueror's Haki wasn't quite at Rocks's overwhelming level, limited only by his age and physical peak—but to suppress someone like Loki, it was more than enough.
Even wrapped in bandages, wounded as he was, Orin was no one to trifle with.
Beside him, Shanks too felt his breath hitch under that crushing aura.
His first instinct was to flare his own Conqueror's Haki in resistance.
But in the end, he restrained himself.
"That's some terrifying Conqueror's Haki, Orin. Even I felt a shiver run down my spine."
Orin glanced at his arm, eyes narrowing.
"Terrifying? With that mark on your arm, you're practically unkillable now, aren't you, Shanks~"
Shanks froze, absently rubbing his arm.
"Don't joke around. Others might not know, but you do. Even the God Knights can die, you know…"
After trading jabs, Shanks turned his gaze on Loki.
How should they deal with him?
But before either could speak, Loki bit down hard and shouted first:
"Hey!!! Black Emperor! Red Hair! Do you really intend to serve under the World Government for the rest of your lives?!!!"
"Joy Boy defeating the World Government is destiny itself…"
He was trying to sway them to his cause. Clearly, Loki knew the true measure of their power.
But seeing them unmoved, Shanks even drawing his blade, Loki's eyes bulged with rage.
"Don't tell me… you're cowards?!!"
Orin's patience was wearing thin.
Talk all you want about defying the World Government—did this guy seriously believe he had the power?
Loki was strong, yes. But not beyond reason.
Even Rocks, whom Loki revered, hadn't been able to defeat the World Government. And Loki, imagining himself as Joy Boy? Laughable.
In the end, whether the Red-Haired crew had needed to mobilize against him before or not, this time Orin and Shanks handled him with ease.
They shackled him in seastone chains and cast him into the Netherworld.
...
"Done."
Shanks looked a bit battered, while Orin remained spotless. Together, they returned to Gaban's home.
Ripley was feeding the baby when she saw them, smiling warmly.
"Orin-kun, Shanks-kun~"
Gaban came out of the house as well. One glance at them and he already knew the outcome.
"Handled clean and swift. As expected of you youngsters!"
They stayed at Gaban-san's house for a while, but Shanks soon announced his departure.
That guy always carried himself with some mysterious air, like he bore the weight of the world's fate. Orin knew, but didn't care to meddle—he simply watched as Shanks rose to leave.
Before going, Shanks mentioned something else:
"By the way, Orin, aren't you going to see Uta? All those top-class scores and recording denden mushi you've sent her over the years—she treasures them like gold~"
Shanks spoke of Uta with a father's warmth, no trace of the rivalry he'd shown earlier.
"Uta, huh…"
Orin paused, then after a moment's thought, shook his head slowly.
"Forget it. If fate wills it, we'll meet someday."
After all, it wasn't the main plot yet. He and Uta had no real father-daughter bond. Better to remain the distant uncle with a fond impression.
Once Shanks left, Orin lingered with Gaban-san for a bit longer.
At one point, he even asked how exactly he'd managed to have children with a giantess.
On that subject, Gaban was clearly very proud. Only after Orin handed over dozens of bottles of the world's finest liquor did he reveal the answer.
"Ah…"
Hearing it, Orin was left utterly shocked.
And he couldn't help but wonder… maybe someday he should find himself a giant maid or something similar…
The days passed quietly.
Orin healed his wounds at Gaban-san's house, and in the meantime, thanks to his strength and good looks, he enjoyed a delightful period of attention from many giant women of Elbaf.
Eventually, with his powerful body restoring itself, his injuries healed enough. At last, Orin told Gaban-san he was leaving.
News of his departure left many of Elbaf's giant women reluctant to see him go. They would have gladly kept him in their embrace.
But a man's ambition lies far beyond such comforts.
Standing at Elbaf's harbor, Orin waved to those who came to see him off.
"The sea! Orin has returned!!!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo