"Wh-What is going on?!!"
The clumsy Saint Grimm's face twisted in horror as he watched his own hand raise a pistol and shoot an unsuspecting fellow Celestial Dragon right beside him.
Although the special spacesuit prevented the shot from being fatal, and Celestial Dragons were naturally resistant to damage,
He still collapsed to the ground.
"My body... it's out of control!!!"
He began firing wildly, shooting at nearby slaves and CP agents. The worst part was, they didn't even dare to dodge — they either had to obediently die or withstand the bullets with Tekkai.
In the end,
He watched in terror as his gun-wielding hand twisted around, and the barrel slowly pointed at his own temple.
"No... Don't... AHHHH!!!!"
Steam filled the inside of his spacesuit, fogging up the visor. The sight made Orin feel slightly nauseous.
"This guy... Did he just piss himself in there?"
Orin instantly lost interest and deactivated his ability. Grimm collapsed to the floor, and the liquid in his suit backflowed into his helmet, nearly drowning him.
"How boring..."
With a wave of his hand, the two Celestial Dragons, the CP agents, and the slaves were instantly teleported outside the auction house, tumbling out the front door in a sorry state.
Orin picked up the orange juice offered by a maid and downed it in one go.
For brainless weaklings like that, Orin didn't even get to enjoy himself before they broke down.
"If you kill a Celestial Dragon, the World Government will definitely declare war, right?"
Mihawk observed coldly, his hawk-like eyes narrowing.
After all, the Celestial Dragons were the pride of the World Government, revered as divine beings...
It's said that even injuring a Celestial Dragon is enough to send an Admiral charging in.
Not that he was afraid — it just wasn't worth it.
"Is it really that serious?"
Orin crossed one leg over the other and opened his mouth to accept a grape from a maid.
"You could kill them," said Crocodile coolly, a puff of smoke trailing from the cigar in her mouth.
"The World Government has another option — They could simply claim that the Celestial Dragon died of illness... As long as they kill everyone present, that is."
She glanced at the panicked auction guests who were scrambling to flee after seeing a Celestial Dragon injured. She considered whether to just eliminate everyone.
"An Admiral will probably be here soon."
Before she could act, Orin stood up first. He threw on his black coat and walked toward the door.
"There's no need. He didn't die. The Elders will cover this up."
...
Outside the auction house, Orin faced the respectfully bowing auction manager, who stood with all the items Orin had just purchased.
Antiques, treasures, fine wine, beautiful women...
Orin stroked his chin as he looked over the piles of goods, then casually picked a few that caught his eye.
"Send these to Sammi. Tell her to keep them safe for me. As for the rest... You guys can split them."
The auction manager, the casino guards, the errand boys, and the female auctioneer all lit up with joy.
They beamed at the tall, imposing man before them, thinking Orin looked even more dashing than usual.
Truly Orin-sama — so generous with his rewards.
He'd just casually given away items worth over a hundred million Belly — more than several times their annual wages!
In the end, Orin only kept a bottle of decent wine he'd once tasted from Dick, and the woman named Stella he'd won for "five billion."
"You're not seriously taking that woman onto the ship, are you?"
Crocodile scoffed, glancing at the fragile woman before shifting her gaze to Orin.
"Of course not... she's got a special purpose."
Orin held the end of a chain, the other end of which was fastened around Stella's neck.
With a light tug, Stella gasped softly — a reaction that made Orin feel oddly suspicious.
This feeling...
"Hey!!! Stella!!!"
Just as Orin was about to leave, a young man came running toward them, shouting Stella's name, his face full of anger.
The woman chained to Orin visibly trembled upon seeing him, her expression sorrowful as tears streamed down her face.
If she could choose, she'd rather he never came.
The young man wore a fashionable suit and a gold chain. Orin scrutinized him —
He actually resembled Ace or a young Shanks, except with a different hair color...
A classic future bigshot's face.
"Stella!!! Let her go, you bast—urgh..."
Before Orin or the others could move, the guards at the door saw their chance to impress.
One punch — and the weakling was flat on the ground,
Coughing up bile.
Still, despite being pinned down, he stretched out a trembling hand, desperately reaching for Stella.
Stella smiled through her tears, reaching out too — but it was no use against Orin's grip. The two of them, like lovers in a tragic drama, reached for each other but couldn't close the gap.
Black lines formed on Orin's forehead.
Why did he suddenly look like the villain here?
Orin casually froze Stella in place, then walked over to the young man who was once the future richest man in the world — the Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro.
In the world of One Piece, just having that face guaranteed future greatness.
"Hello there, Tesoro."
Orin smiled, removed his sunglasses, and squatted in front of Tesoro, who glared up at him, eyes brimming with tears.
Tesoro met his gaze — and froze in shock.
That face... that face...
As one of the top names on the seas, Orin's appearance had long been known across the world. Even a nobody like young Tesoro couldn't fail to recognize him.
"I can tell... you really love this woman."
"...Give... Stella back to me!!!"
After a brief moment of shock, Tesoro did something that stunned everyone — he showed no fear.
Like a man ready to die, he shouted with unwavering conviction.
Was this... true love?
Orin wasn't angry. Facing the fearless young Tesoro, he simply gave a smile sharp enough to wound a man's soul:
"Do you know why you can't protect her?"
He casually conjured a Belly coin and flicked it at Tesoro's face.
"It's because you're broke. You don't have the money to buy the woman you love."
Orin had no intention of killing this business prodigy — in fact, he still needed someone to handle entertainment and gambling ventures.
More importantly, he wanted to experience that golden floating paradise from the movie — Gran Tesoro.
Orin's scarlet eyes locked onto Tesoro, a smile playing on his lips.
"Let's make a three-year promise, Tesoro. In the name of Orin — If you can gather one billion Belly within three years, I'll return Stella to you. I'll also give you an opportunity an ordinary person would never get in their entire life."
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Check out my new fanfic With the Justice System in One Piece! It has the system that so many of you love. If you're looking for something new, give it a try!
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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