"Delicious..."
While Zoro and his group were caught up in their little commotion, Orin was still enjoying the dishes from the chefs' competition.
He didn't even need to step into the arena and shock everyone with his skills. Whatever he wanted to taste, a simple snap of his fingers was enough.
Half of the finished dishes made by the chefs would instantly teleport in front of him.
That sight alone made many contestants think they'd encountered a ghost.
"As expected, the food Sanji makes is always the best..."
Tasting fine cuisine was one of life's simple pleasures. Orin, who had long been spoiled by luxurious meals, had rather refined taste.
So, when he occasionally came across dishes made by the top chefs of the entire East Blue, he couldn't resist sampling them.
Sitting beside him, Mihawk picked up a piece of food with his fork. His unique eyes examined it closely for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Excellent knife work. If the chef who made this dish is also a swordsman, his swordsmanship wouldn't be bad either."
He then placed the food into his mouth and began to eat.
Hearing that, Orin couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Compared to this little hawk, those three kids he'd seen on the street earlier were nothing at all.
This was a true sword fanatic!
...
While Zoro was encountering Tashigi for the first time and reuniting with Kuina, Luffy was searching for the execution platform where Roger had been executed.
Since they were already in Loguetown, wouldn't it be a shame not to take a look?
Here, Smoker and Luffy met each other for the very first time.
"Oh~ this place is huge! I've even made it all the way to the port. It's totally different from Foosha Village!"
Wearing his straw hat, Luffy looked around curiously like some country bumpkin. When he noticed Smoker nearby, he walked over and asked,
"I want to see the place where the Pirate King was executed. Do you know where it is?"
"...Follow the direction the smoke is drifting. That's where the execution platform is."
"Really? Thanks a lot!!!"
Luffy ran off.
Smoker, with two cigars in his mouth, controlled the smoke to point the way. He didn't think much of it and turned to leave—
But the moment he turned his head, he froze completely.
"Eh?? What's wrong, Captain Smoker?"
Seeing him standing there motionless, the nearby soldiers stepped forward curiously to ask. But Smoker didn't respond at all.
He just stared blankly into the distance. Two men were walking side by side down the street—heading, it seemed, in the direction of the execution platform.
But what truly stunned Smoker wasn't where they were headed...
It was who one of them was!!!
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead. The cigars in his mouth broke cleanly in half, but he didn't even notice—his pupils trembling as he whispered,
"Ah..."
Perhaps sensing something, the figure walking toward the platform slowly came to a stop.
Beside him, Mihawk also halted, turning his head slightly in confusion.
Orin slowly turned his face, revealing a handsome profile. His scarlet eyes gleamed as they looked at Smoker.
That single glance made Smoker's pupils shrink. He couldn't say a single word.
That legendary man...
Orin!!!
Why would a man like him appear here, in Loguetown of all places?!
He'd been gone for nearly ten years—why was he suddenly back on the seas again?!!
Smoker's expression turned tense.
Orin didn't say anything. He merely smiled at Smoker and flicked his finger as if giving him a forehead flick.
That simple motion made Smoker blush with embarrassment. Memories from years ago flashed through his mind.
Back then, Orin had been only fifteen, while he himself was just a child.
He had once challenged Orin—and received a flick to the forehead so painful he'd never forgotten it.
He hadn't expected Orin to still remember, or even recognize him now.
"Captain Smoker, those two men..."
The soldier noticed where his superior was looking and thought the two in the distance were criminals. He was about to ask permission to apprehend them, but Smoker raised his hand to stop him.
"Those kinds of men... are beyond anything we can control. And there's no reason—or right—to even try."
"I'll report this directly to Marine Headquarters!!!"
Smoker knew full well the meaning behind that man's presence. That was why he didn't act rashly.
This sea had been peaceful for a few years only because that man had disappeared.
Now it seemed... chaos was about to return!!!
...
"That Marine seems to have recognized you."
Walking beside Orin, Mihawk spoke casually, though his tone suggested he wasn't particularly concerned.
"Yeah. That Marine once watched Captain Roger's execution together with us, more than twenty years ago."
Returning to an old place and meeting an old face—Orin couldn't help but feel nostalgic.
Mihawk, on the other hand, was a little surprised.
He hadn't expected that Marine, whose presence felt so weak through Observation Haki, to have once shared such a moment with them.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. As they passed a weapon shop, his sharp gaze shifted toward the interior.
"You noticed too, huh? Three young people with a real passion for swordsmanship~"
Back when he had watched Roger's execution in Loguetown, Mihawk had been about that same age. Seeing them now felt like looking back at his younger self.
"That young man is a fine swordsman. No wonder you entrusted your former blade to him."
Mihawk skipped right over Kuina and Tashigi—he could only sense a trace of a true warrior's aura from Zoro.
One day, that youth might become his rival.
"Ah, youth really is a wonderful thing~"
Orin's attention, however, was on something else. Watching his disciple surrounded by what could only be described as "fraternal twins," he smiled faintly.
But inside the weapon shop, the atmosphere wasn't nearly as friendly.
"Miss, would you be willing to sell your sword? I can offer you two hundred thousand Belly!!!"
The shopkeeper looked greedily at Kuina, clearly eyeing the fine blade in her hand—Wadō Ichimonji. He wanted to swindle her into selling it cheap.
Kuina, however, ignored him completely.
Seeing that she wasn't taking the bait, the cunning shopkeeper turned his eyes to Zoro instead. He spotted the black blade at his waist.
"You there, young man, how about your sword? That fine craftsmanship..."
Before he could finish, Tashigi stepped forward, cutting him off as she pulled out a record book of famous blades.
"Don't let him fool you!!!"
"That Wadō Ichimonji alone is worth at least ten million Belly! And this one..."
She examined it closely, flipping through the old and worn records.
"Ah, found it! One of the 21 Great Grade Swords—[Yami Karasu]. And here it says..."
"Special note: Originally wielded by a Marine officer. Later killed, and the blade fell into pirate hands..."
"You're a pirate?!!!"
Zoro blinked, unfazed.
"Yeah. So what?"