It was as if the heavens themselves sought to emphasize the scene unfolding before them.
Orin looked up at the sky. Thick, dark clouds rolled in, rumbling with thunder.
"A sudden strong wind, huh~"
He lifted his gaze higher. The gale howled, whipping his elegant coat in every direction.
"How unusual."
Mihawk, too, sensed the shift. Faced with the might of nature, he simply pressed down on his hat with one hand, his cold eyes fixed ahead.
At the execution square, chaos reigned. Countless civilians screamed and fled, shouting the names of pirates as panic swept through the streets.
Zoro, having just defeated Tashigi, had regrouped with Sanji and the others. They too could sense something ominous brewing in the air.
Nami, well-versed in the ways of weather, checked the instrument in her hand.
"The air pressure just dropped this fast? I've never seen such a bizarre change before."
Carrying a large fish over his shoulder, Sanji nodded.
"Yeah... and this wind feels strange too."
"A storm's coming," Nami said grimly. "Right over this island."
...
Meanwhile, Smoker and Tashigi had received urgent news that a group of pirates was gathering at the execution plaza.
"You said pirates?"
"Yes. Straw Hat Luffy, Buggy the Clown, and Alvida are all there—infamous criminals. They've taken over the square."
Smoker's face darkened instantly. He ordered every Marine in Loguetown to mobilize and surround the area.
But when they arrived, the chaotic spectacle before them left them speechless.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Staring at the man about to be executed, Smoker couldn't help but recall the image of Orin holding that wanted poster.
He'd thought this one might be different from the rest of the scum—a pirate noteworthy enough to catch the eye of someone like Orin.
But in the end... that was all he amounted to.
Smoker sighed, disappointed.
Still, watching pirates destroy each other wasn't such a bad sight. He gave a sharp order.
"Listen up! The moment Straw Hat's head hits the ground—move in and surround them immediately!"
The Marines tightened formation, ready to strike.
...
"Looks like a huge storm's coming~"
Orin smiled faintly. He turned toward the Seagull King perched on his shoulder, whispered something, and the bird spread its wings, vanishing into the clouds.
"What are you planning?"
Mihawk's curiosity got the better of him. It wasn't that he was nervous—this low-level farce hardly warranted concern—but he couldn't figure out what business Orin could possibly have here.
"Well… let's just call it a little compensation for that orange juice earlier~"
Orin chuckled, offering a casual explanation.
At the front of the plaza, Buggy's underlings were cheering wildly. The spectators—whether fearless or just too curious—crowded close despite the danger.
Then, the condemned man spoke loudly and clearly:
"I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!!!"
The crowd gasped.
"What… did he just say Pirate King?!"
"And in this town, of all places?!"
"That's insane!!!"
Buggy's tolerance, to his credit, was far greater than that of the onlookers. Rather than rage, he showed the composure of a man with the bearing of a king.
With his foot on Luffy's straw hat and his sword raised high, he sneered.
"Well then~ time to send you on your way, you damned rubber brat."
At that moment, two shouts cut through the air. Two figures—one with green hair and one with curly eyebrows—burst onto the scene.
"What the hell are you doing?! There's a limit to jokes, you know!"
"And what kind of show would this be without me?"
With a slash and a kick, Zoro and Sanji charged forward, trying to save Luffy—but Buggy's henchmen swarmed like ants. Weak as they were, there were far too many of them.
The civilians, realizing the danger at last, scrambled to retreat.
Orin and Mihawk, meanwhile, had silently moved into a hidden corner of the square.
"You're too late anyway!!!" Buggy roared with laughter.
"Even that Zoro won't make it in time!!!"
He raised his blade and brought it down in a crazed swing.
The Marines held their breath, waiting for the Straw Hat's death before springing their trap.
...
"Are you sure about this?"
Mihawk's tone was almost amused as he watched the ridiculous display. His eyes slid toward Orin.
"No need to worry."
Orin's eyes gleamed, as though anticipating a good show. He even pulled out a Den Den Mushi to record it.
Zoro and Sanji were still fighting their way forward, but Luffy stood there unafraid. Calling out the names of his friends, he grinned wide—his smile calm and fearless, utterly free of regret.
In that instant, his figure overlapped with another—one from a different era—and he laughed, saying:
"Sorry… looks like I'm gonna die."
Hearing those words, Zoro and Sanji's faces twisted in anger and disbelief.
A few others nearby went silent, their expressions darkening.
Smoker's eyes trembled. His veins stood out, and bloodshot anger filled his gaze.
He's… laughing?
Just like that man he'd seen as a child—the Pirate King who smiled as he faced death.
Mihawk noticed it too. His eagle-sharp eyes narrowed as he stared at the grinning man on the scaffold, struck by something he couldn't explain.
"Looks familiar, doesn't it?"
Orin couldn't help but smile, raising the Den Den Mushi to capture the moment.
A fearless smile—it might not mean much to someone like Smoker, who'd never seen true strength or real resolve before. But for those like Mihawk and Orin, men who stood atop the world, courage and will were commonplace. They'd all faced death countless times.
Still, there was something different about this.
Here, on the execution platform of Loguetown, that final smile carried a weight that stirred memories.
It was only natural that Mihawk felt something stir within.
"A man like that shouldn't die here. He's the kind who stirs up the tides of the world. Dying now would be far too dull."
The moment he finished speaking, within the range of their Observation Haki, a faint surge of natural lightning began to gather—blue currents forming in the storm clouds.
In a flash, a bolt of blue thunder crashed down from the sky, striking the execution platform just before Buggy's blade could fall.
Mihawk's eyes flickered. He hadn't moved a muscle, but the glance he gave Orin said it all—he suspected Orin's hand in it.
"Don't look at me. I don't have lightning powers."
Orin shrugged helplessly. It couldn't be helped—he caused enough chaos that people were bound to suspect him whenever something strange happened.
Though he had used his power a moment ago, it wasn't to summon a storm or lightning.
As the bolt struck, blue flames erupted across the scaffold. The crowd screamed in shock.
Those who believed in fate stared in awe at what they thought was divine intervention.
"You… do you believe in God?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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