"Let go!" Orochimaru struggled to pry Luffy off him.
"No way! Don't be mad anymore," Luffy pleaded, knowing Orochimaru's anger could level the entire room.
"Fine, I'm not angry anymore," Orochimaru sighed, utterly helpless against Luffy's stubbornness. He knew he'd overreacted earlier.
Meanwhile, Sanji's temper flared. "Hey, you scrub! How dare you treat this lady so rudely?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Sanji in disbelief. Mistaking Orochimaru's gender before he spoke was understandable, even a little amusing. But after Orochimaru's deep voice confirmed he was male... even Luffy glanced sideways, surprised.
Luffy paused for a moment, then declared flatly, "Orochimaru's a guy."
Ten years after last witnessing such a petrifying mistake, Luffy watched as Sanji's composure shattered, the familiar *crack* of stone followed by the *shatter* of his dignity crumbling to pieces. Luffy couldn't quite comprehend the sheer destructive power of such a blunder.
By now, Sanji had turned ashen white. Zeff, utterly disgusted by Sanji's humiliation, dragged him away while the other chefs mercilessly mocked him.
Luffy was torn. Should he tell everyone this was the chef he had his eye on, or wait and see? 'Hmm, better hold off for now.'
The farce ended, and the crew returned to the ship. A dense fog rolled in, and a pirate ship loomed in the distance. Orochimaru considered it. Krieg? Not even worth feeding Luffy the experience.
Watching Luffy haul cargo, Orochimaru nudged him with his chin. "Hey Luffy, mind if I take out that pirate crew to blow off some steam?" He was still seething from that whole Iron Fist mess and Sanji's embarrassing blunder. Perfect punching bags, and taking them out quickly meant they could get to Arlong faster and farm some experience for Luffy.
Luffy hesitated, then agreed. Better safe than sorry—who knew what Orochimaru would do if he kept bottling it up?
Orochimaru turned to Zeff. "Head Chef, I'll take care of this pirate crew. Consider it compensation for the damage Luffy caused."
Zeff, no fool, readily agreed. Why wait to be robbed when he could have a free solution?
Orochimaru smirked, stepped onto the water's surface, and lowered himself, pressing his palms flat against the waves.
Luffy swallowed hard. That stance... looked familiar. 'No way...' Goosebumps erupted on his arms.
The Straw Hat Pirates stared at Luffy, puzzled.
"Luffy, what's wrong?" Usopp asked, curious.
"Nothing... You'll see soon enough..." Luffy replied, shivering. He wasn't exactly scared, just haunted by a childhood trauma.
Orochimaru lay flat on the water, an awkward pose that proved surprisingly effective.
"Ten Thousand Snake Formation!" The words sent a chill down everyone's spines. Then, a dense swarm of snakes poured from Orochimaru's mouth, their numbers far surpassing anything seen in the Ninja World, thanks to his Devil Fruit powers.
Nami screamed, trembling beside Usopp. Even Zoro swallowed hard.
The pirates watched in horror as the serpent horde surrounded multiple pirate ships. Razor-sharp blades erupted from the snakes' mouths, piercing the hulls in an instant. The ships splintered and sank, some unfortunate souls, including Krieg, impaled by the swords.
Orochimaru chuckled darkly, stretched, and casually climbed back aboard. The crew instinctively retreated. In an unusually good mood, he skipped lightly to his cabin to bathe, humming a jaunty tune. Time for another change of clothes.
As Orochimaru left, Nami grabbed Luffy by the throat, roaring, "What the hell was that?! Did you know about this all along?!"
Luffy choked out, "But... you all knew Orochimaru was a Devil Fruit user, right? So what if he grew a few extra snakes?"
"A few?! That was like... tens of thousands! Who develops their Devil Fruit like that?!" Nami's hair stood on end. Most girls hate slimy snakes, and even Orochimaru's single Orochi was unsettling enough. This visual assault—snakes erupting from his mouth—was too much.
(The name "Orochi" (大蛇) literally means "great snake.")
"Because... Orochimaru's also a ninja," Luffy gasped, his words garbled by Nami's grip.
Finally, Nami released him. Something seemed to click in her mind. 'Arlong wouldn't stand a chance against that,' she thought. Then, feigning weakness, she leaned against the ship, whimpering theatrically, "Waaah... waaaah..."
Orochimaru emerged, freshly changed, and tilted his head at Nami's crying. "Did you all bully Nami?"
"It was you!!!" The shark-faced crew snarled at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru frowned. Had the Ten Thousand Snake Formation really scared Nami that badly? He studied her tearful face, feeling awkward. 'What do I do now?' He had no experience with comforting women, except for that time Tsunade nearly beat him to death. Then, an idea struck him.
"Uh, sorry if I scared you," Orochimaru said, turning away with a faint blush. "Want me to have Luffy or Zoro take care of Arlong for you?" He trailed off, realizing it wasn't really his place to casually order Zoro around like that.
"No way! Why is your face as red as a teapot?! And stop making decisions for us! Who the hell is Arlong?!" the others roared in unison.
"Alright, it's settled then," Orochimaru declared, ending the discussion. "You explain it to Luffy and the others yourself." He figured they were going to fight Arlong anyway, and putting Nami's mind at ease now would stop her from running off again.
Nami considered their group's strength and Arlong's reputation. Finally, she decided to tell Luffy everything. As the crew listened to her painful story in silence, no one objected to taking down Arlong. After all, that's what the Straw Hat Pirates were all about.
Zoro leaned against Orochimaru, taking a swig of sake. "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Orochimaru replied, his gaze fixed on the sea. "I've seen that look of pain and hatred too many times."
"Hey... Orochimaru..." Zoro took another drink. "Are we... comrades?"
"Why do you ask?" Orochimaru turned his back and leaned against the railing.
"Because you never truly engage," someone said. "You're always on the sidelines, observing like a spectator. Maybe only Luffy can stir something in you."
"But I'm right here, aren't I?" Orochimaru replied, saying nothing more as he watched the mist dissipate over the sea.
"Hawkeye's here. Don't die," someone said, even though they knew Zoro wouldn't.
Zoro eagerly watched the sea, then leaped onto the deck to face Hawkeye. As expected, he was easily defeated, but he earned Hawkeye's acknowledgment.
"So, nothing changes... I'll just remain an observer," Orochimaru muttered, jumping off the ship. He watched Zoro, sword raised, weeping about never failing again.
Ignoring Hawkeye, Orochimaru examined Zoro's bone-deep wounds. He brutally ripped Zoro's shirt open and began healing him with brutal efficiency, leaving Johnny and Yosaku trembling. When he was done, he tossed Zoro aside without a word.
Orochimaru turned to Hawkeye, his gaze lingering. "Let's spar," he said, retrieving the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth and gripping its hilt.
To be continued...