"Roar... looks like a slacker monster just showed up."
Orin was enjoying the delicate sensation on his back when he suddenly seemed to sense something and slowly opened his eyes.
Within his Observation Haki range, a yellow flash had just arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"A Marine monster… Borsalino, huh?"
Hearing this, Mihawk became interested. He'd heard of Borsalino before—apparently, he used a sword. Though it was technically a lightsaber formed from his Devil Fruit ability.
"Let's wait and see if he shows up."
After Orin said this, he closed his eyes again.
...
"As expected!!! The Marines are here!!!"
"Damn it!!! Which bastard dared to mess with a Celestial Dragon?!"
"We're dead!"
"Run!!!"
Those who had been standing outside the auction house watching the spectacle—watching as the two battered Celestial Dragons were thrown out—scattered the moment they saw the Marine capes.
But some chose to stay.
For instance, the auction house manager, who had received strict orders and didn't dare to flee.
Seeing that the man didn't run, Borsalino paused in mild surprise. Hands still in his pockets, he slowly approached.
"Hey there~ mind if I ask… Do you know where the thug who attacked the Celestial Dragons went?"
His tone was aloof.
Faced with this level of monster, just the psychological pressure was enough to crush a normal person.
The manager swallowed hard.
"You're a Marine, right? Orin-sama once told me… if the Marines come looking for trouble, direct them to the Red-Light District..."
"Huh?"
Hearing that name, Borsalino stiffened for a moment, then his entire aura slowly retracted. Scratching his head with a finger, he looked surprisingly relaxed.
"Orin, huh? That's a problem~ I was ordered not to engage him."
The slacker was happy now.
Originally, he thought that if Orin had fled to sea or disguised himself somewhere on the island, catching him would be a pain. It'd be hard to explain to HQ.
But now, things were easier.
He could just pass the headache up the chain of command and be done with it.
Surely HQ wouldn't expect him to take on Orin alone, right? If they did… well, he might just "accidentally" lose signal on his Den Den Mushi~
They're not paying him enough to take on that kind of mission.
"Moshi moshi, this is Fleet Admiral Kong? I've encountered a bit of a… tricky situation."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kong's aged face wore a slight smile, but he looked mildly annoyed.
"Report the situation with the Celestial Dragons, Borsalino!!!"
"Yes, yes… both of them are alive and not in critical condition. But I don't have the authority to arrest the attacker~"
"...Don't tell me…"
Kong's pupils shrank, his expression turning grim.
"Yup~ It was Orin the Black Gun~ I'm definitely not a match for that monster~"
Just in case Kong got hot-headed and ordered him to fight Orin, Borsalino shamelessly threw up a preemptive excuse.
Kong: "..."
Currently, on the official wanted list, Orin was still known as the Black Gun—like "Red-Haired" or "Whitebeard."
Giving pirates the title of "Emperor" was simply too much for the World Government and Marines.
Not that Orin cared. After all, the title "Black Emperor" was something that guy Morgans came up with for headlines. It was just for show.
"Sigh~"
"I understand. I'll report this to the Elders. Cancel the operation for now. Escort the Celestial Dragons back to the Holy Land."
"Got it~"
Borsalino was satisfied. Escort duty? Perfect. He could slack off aboard a luxury ship—no need to fight monsters.
...
As for Orin,
Beating up a couple of Celestial Dragons wasn't anything worth worrying about.
And sure enough, just as Orin expected, after CP agents finished reporting the incident, not only did the Elders refrain from launching a Buster Call to punish Orin, they even harshly punished the two Celestial Dragons who caused the trouble.
Worse yet, for violating orders from the God Knights, those two almost lost their status as Celestial Dragons.
They were supposed to be elite among the elite, and people like Saint Marcus Mars knew well—now was not the time to provoke Orin.
If Orin really killed those two wastes, the God Knights would be stuck in an impossible situation.
Do nothing, and the Celestial Dragons are dead—that's unacceptable and must be handled seriously.
But fight? They'd lose. Unless they sent in top-tier forces, they wouldn't win.
Just like the Elders, they knew that if things got out of hand and Lord Im was dragged into it… Orin might not die, but they definitely would.
...
The following days passed quickly.
Orin spent his time lounging in entertainment venues, enjoying life while waiting for the scheduled day to arrive.
Inside a massive luxury suite—
On a twenty-meter-wide round bed, two young maids in silk stockings lay asleep, exhausted from the wild night before. Their bare shoulders peeked out from beneath the covers.
Orin, however, was full of energy. After tucking them in, he stepped out of the room.
With a snap of his fingers, a sharp formal outfit appeared on his body.
Sammi approached and bowed slightly.
"Well? Tomorrow's the big day. How many people have arrived?"
"The majority are already here. Only a few are still on their way—but they'll be here soon."
Orin nodded, stretching his slightly sore back before heading toward the kitchen.
And over the past few days, the Sabaody Archipelago had grown increasingly lively.
...
"Sir, we'll arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago in one hour."
"Thank goodness, we made it just in time—almost lost our lives back there!"
"Yeah! Who could've predicted we'd run into a Sea King halfway through?"
"Stay sharp, all of you! Don't embarrass me when we show up at that meeting!!!"
All kinds of merchant ships, pirate ships, and even luxury noble fleets were arriving one after another at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Hey, isn't that…"
"That's Donquixote Doflamingo, right? He's been making waves in the North Blue recently. Said to be the biggest underground broker."
"I heard his codename is Joker. He's Black Emperor-sama's number one underling!!!"
"Hiss..."
Everyone around gasped in shock.
He was that man's right-hand?
"Fufufufu… what a lively scene. So this is the power of the underground king—his terrifying influence?"
"Behihihi, of course! The punishment is suicide, after all. I heard many people, afraid of accidents, arrived on the island half a month early."
Strutting in his signature pigeon-toed swagger, Doflamingo's towering height and wild aura made him stand out like a crane among chickens.
Then, a figure caught his eye.
It was a slender woman wearing a small shawl, a beautiful round hat, and holding a delicate purse. She had golden, curly short hair.
Her elegant face and curvy, long legs made her look like a blooming rose.
And roses… usually have thorns.
"Fufufufu… isn't this the Queen of the Pleasure District, Miss Stussy? I didn't expect to see you here."
Faced with Doflamingo's teasing, Stussy smiled brightly.
"Since it's Orin-sama's command, how could a woman like me dare disobey?"
"Is that so? Fufufufu… I thought you'd skip out, seeing how Sammi stole your market~"
Doflamingo grinned wickedly, licking his lips like a provocation, deliberately needling the Queen of the Pleasure District.
After all...
He hated the World Government types the most—especially those who ran red-light districts and stole clients and intelligence from his networks!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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