"I'm not a pirate — at most I'm a pirate hunter."
Kuina didn't react much. Ever since she went to sea, she'd often run into people who saw her alone, a young girl, and thought to do something bad — only to be defeated by her and handed over to the Navy for the bounty.
Over time, in the outside world she had come to be seen as a pirate hunter.
But Zoro was different — he was a straightforward pirate.
"Any problem with that?"
When Tashigi heard this, she immediately drew her blade and raised it toward Zoro.
"I'm Navy!!!"
"???"
Zoro's face changed at once; it turned a little troubled.
But Tashigi gave him no time to hesitate and swung straight at him.
"I absolutely cannot let a famous blade like [Yami Karasu]fall into the hands of a villain like you!!!"
"My dream is to retrieve all the famous blades from the hands of evildoers around the world!!!"
...
"You young people sure have energy~"
The two watched it all. Orin looked at the young man and woman who a moment ago had been on friendly terms and were now fighting, and a helpless smile crossed his face.
When he was young he never had this kind of playful banter. The women he met were either won over by his wealth or conquered by his strength; it was rare to have a female friend who treated him as an equal.
He glanced at Mihawk next.
Mihawk, meanwhile, stared seriously at the pair's swordplay, watching like one would watch children at play.
Heh…
This man was even more predictable — unless the woman was a master swordsman, in Hawk Eyes world there was only swordsmanship and red wine.
...
"Execution platform, execution platform…"
While the others each had things to deal with, the Straw Hat Pirates' captain, Monkey D. Luffy, wandered around like a delinquent searching for the execution platform.
Walking along, somehow he wandered into a tavern.
"Old man, do you know how to get to the Pirate King's execution platform?"
"The Pirate King…"
The old man looked up at Luffy's figure when he heard the question.
"Are you a pirate?"
"Yeah."
Hearing that, the old man smiled.
"This tavern's been run for decades. I used to be quite familiar with Pirate King Roger."
He still remembered that Roger used to come here often to drink and talk with him.
"That Roger fellow had a lot of will…"
For a moment, as he looked at the casually seated Luffy smiling across from him, he felt as if he saw Roger himself — and he was taken aback.
They talked a lot, mostly stories about Roger.
Finally the old man clinked cups with Luffy.
"To the eternal Pirate King."
"To the eternal Pirate King!!!"
Not long after, Luffy left and continued searching for the execution platform.
Then a tall figure appeared.
Sensing someone else coming, the old man leisurely wiped his glass and glanced that way — then froze, his composed expression gone.
"You… you are—"
"Well… Captain Roger told me long ago that he often visited a tavern in his hometown. This must be the place."
Two figures walked in, and the old man broke out in a cold sweat.
As a friend of Roger's and an old man who'd seen much, how could he not know the identity of the man before him?!
"'Black Gun' and 'Hawk-Eye'?!"
"How could you two be here?!!"
The old man blurted out their names.
Orin wasn't surprised; he simply took a seat at the bar.
"Nothing much. Just came to see Captain Roger's hometown."
Hearing that, the old man fell silent for a moment.
"Roger, huh…"
"Well, as Roger's finest crewmember, you really should come and have a look~"
Twenty-three years ago he had once met a young Orin. He had a favorable impression of the man who had given Roger his final dignity.
"When he was young, Roger used to drink here and tell me about his thoughts and will. He was a man to be respected…"
Facing Orin, who knew Roger best, the old man talked more than he had with Luffy — after all, he had more to relate and more shared memories.
He recalled Roger's figure and voice.
"I followed news about Roger's crew for a long time. I even thought you might inherit his will and become the Pirate King… After all, you're the most famous among his crew~"
The old man chatted with Orin, clearly more at ease with a pirate than an ordinary person.
Mihawk quietly drank his wine, listening to the two talk.
Just then another figure entered the tavern.
Orin and Mihawk didn't move when they heard the sound, but the old man looked over.
Seeing who had come in, his face immediately soured — clearly he had little fondness for the Navy.
"Nav— get out!!!"
But Smoker acted as if he couldn't hear; he walked to the bar and sat not far from Orin.
His gaze fixed on Orin, his tone resolute.
"Orin!! Why would a man like you come to tiny East Blue?!!"
In principle, as a Navy officer he should address Orin as Saint Orin, even if Orin now treated the World Government with contempt, the Navy would still show outward respect to a Celestial Dragon.
But Smoker was a different sort of Navy hothead.
Having known Orin since childhood, he didn't have the same filtered reverence other officers felt; he tended to treat Orin like a pirate.
Orin didn't care. He'd long since lost interest in titles — instead, Smoker intrigued him.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"If I said I came to completely destroy Loguetown — the place where Captain Roger left — would you believe me?"
"Nani!!!"
Smoker sprang to his feet, cold sweat suddenly covering his face.
Being of the younger generation in the Navy, when Orin had stormed the seas he had still been only a youth. He only knew of the fearful reputation of people like him — stories of world-ending power, of one man taking out half a Navy headquarters…
If someone like that caused chaos in Loguetown, the island's residents—!!
Hiss…
His whole body seemed to turn to smoke. Smoker gripped his Seastone weapon, ready to act.
In the next instant, though, a magnificent black cross-blade flashed across his neck.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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