Sabaody Archipelago.
"We're finally back."
As the ship under Sammi's command slowly docked, Orin disembarked with Rouge. This was a port directly connected to the lawless area.
The surroundings were entirely under Sammi's control—there weren't any unrelated onlookers.
No sooner had they returned than Orin spotted several familiar faces.
"Hey!! Orin!!!"
Before he could even respond, a figure lunged toward him. That iconic red nose was unmistakable.
"Buggy!!!"
Seeing the figure, Orin lit up with joy.
And it wasn't just Buggy—Rayleigh and Shanks were there too. Orin had told them in advance where he'd be returning.
"That was awesome, Orin! We all saw the news about you!" Shanks came over to greet him, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well... it was just a coincidence, really."
Orin looked a little embarrassed. The reports had blown things out of proportion. It was one thing for strangers to see it, but for people he knew—it was kind of awkward.
Rayleigh gave his shoulder a hearty pat, smiling as he looked at Orin.
This kid, who once couldn't last a single round beneath his feet and constantly came to him for guidance, was now a great pirate in his own right...
Thinking about it now,
It felt like just yesterday that the long-haired boy with a bare chest was yelling about joining the Roger Pirates.
It was a little emotional, honestly.
"Oh right, I almost forgot—let me introduce you. This is Rouge."
Since she was Captain Roger's wife—and pregnant with his child—Orin felt he had to introduce her properly.
But before he could get the words out...
The three of them were already staring at him with stunned expressions—
Especially after noticing Rouge's slightly rounded belly.
Orin: ???
"Hey! Orin..." Buggy clutched his shoulder with a disapproving look and whispered, "I know you're into red-light districts, but this is way too fast! You've only been off the ship a few months, you bastard..."
Shanks didn't say anything, but the look on his face was pretty much the same—he stared at Orin in astonishment.
Even Rayleigh chimed in.
"If you indulge yourself too early in life, the road ahead won't be easy, Orin."
Hearing all that, Orin looked thoroughly exasperated.
"You guys... What the hell are you talking about?! She's Captain Roger's wife! And that child is Roger's!"
At those words, the three of them froze. The air itself seemed to go quiet.
After a long pause—
"Eh?!?!?!"
...
They didn't stay long.
After entrusting Rouge to Sammi, Rayleigh, and the others for safekeeping, the three of them immediately set out for Loguetown.
...
Aboard the passenger ship.
"Man, who would've thought~ Captain Roger actually had a wife? And why did he entrust her to you, Orin?"
Inside the dining hall, the three of them were chatting over a meal, catching up after a long time apart.
Shanks was clearly still reeling from the sudden appearance of Captain Roger's wife and child. He couldn't help but ask.
Buggy was curious too, looking at Orin expectantly.
"Well, um," Orin swallowed a mouthful of noodles, "I discussed it with Captain Roger when I went to visit him in Impel Down."
Buggy nodded slightly at first—
"I see… So it happened when you went to Impel—"
Halfway through his sentence, his voice trailed off. His eyes widened.
"Pu..."
"N-NANI!!!"
"You mean that Impel Down?! The underwater prison that's supposed to be impossible to escape from?!"
Even Shanks' jaw dropped open in disbelief, let alone Buggy—his eyes and tongue practically popped out of his head.
"What else could I mean? You think there's a second Impel Down?" Orin replied, half-laughing. "Is it really that shocking?"
"Are you stupid?! Being shocked is the normal reaction! That's the sea-prison of legend, housing monsters from across the Grand Line—hell itself, where escape is said to be impossible!"
Buggy was practically yelling.
"You think everyone's a monster like you?! No—a monster among monsters! That's what you are!"
Orin wasn't particularly bothered.
Sure, he might have been the first... but soon, there'd be a second.
His recently allied partner-in-crime:
Golden Lion Shiki.
The three of them had a lot to catch up on after all that time apart.
But eventually, their conversation turned to the purpose of this journey—
Captain Roger's execution.
As the topic came up, the atmosphere gradually turned somber.
Except for Orin—
He was still shoveling food into his mouth like it had nothing to do with him.
Shanks, looking a little gloomy, couldn't help but ask when he saw how unaffected Orin seemed.
"Orin, aren't you sad?"
"I mean... Captain Roger's about to be executed. Just a year ago, we were still sailing the seas together, free as birds..."
Orin shook his head.
"Of course I feel something."
"But more than anything, I'm happy. Captain Roger is dying for his dream—is there anything more romantic than that on the sea?"
"Now if he'd died in bed, wasting away from disease and suffering—that's what I would've found truly sad."
Shanks and Buggy were both stunned.
From the bottom of their hearts, they felt Orin's words made sense.
But they were still kids, at least mentally. Even if they agreed deep down, they couldn't help feeling sorrowful.
And to say Orin wasn't sad at all—
That'd be a lie.
After all, Roger had looked out for him for years. Of course there were genuine feelings there.
But having lived through that execution scene over a thousand times in his past life,
Orin couldn't help but feel... a bit numb to it.
...
Thanks to their conversations, the time aboard the ship didn't feel long.
By the morning of the second day,
The three of them finally set foot on the soil of Loguetown.
The execution would take place that morning—they had just made it in time.
"Hey, Orin, Shanks, have you guys noticed? There's a lot of Marines around here."
Buggy eyed the battleships docked along the pier, and the Navy soldiers patrolling through the town. He couldn't help but shrink back instinctively.
"Don't worry, Buggy. You don't even have a bounty, remember?"
Orin chuckled faintly. He looked around at the bustling crowd.
Pirates, civilians, nobles… almost every kind of person was gathered here in this tiny East Blue town of Loguetown.
The Marines couldn't afford to make a scene here.
If chaos broke out, this execution—an event the Navy and World Government were staking their reputation on—would be broadcast to the world via Den Den Mushi... and become a laughingstock.
That was something they absolutely couldn't allow.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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