"Looks like this operation went quite smoothly for you, Orin-sama."
Sammi beamed with joy as she hung the necklace, inlaid with scraps of pure gold, around her neck. Her lips curved upward uncontrollably.
She was no longer young and didn't have to worry about things like Orin and the others—about stunting her growth or hindering her potential.
Right now, all she wanted was to preserve her youth and delay the aging process.
"You've worked diligently under me. That earns you the right to share this wealth."
Orin smiled as he slipped a bracelet embedded with pure gold into the little maid's hand.
He had more than enough to go around. A fist-sized piece of pure gold, used sparingly, was enough to grant hundreds—thousands—even eternal life.
Naturally, Orin would first share it with those closest and most loyal to him.
And of course, the old town chief…
Orin crossed one leg over the other, mentally checking if he had left anyone out, when suddenly his Observation Haki sensed several oddly dressed figures entering the hotel.
They were clad in white robes, with strange masks on their faces.
"Interesting... ."
With a snap of his finger, several figures instantly appeared before Orin.
"This is…"
The newcomers were startled, but upon seeing Orin, they instantly realized what had happened.
"Who sent you?"
Lounging on the sofa with two maids clinging to him and a glass of freshly squeezed juice in hand, Orin looked on with keen interest.
As if he were watching a dog.
"Orin-san, we were sent by Saint Roland to negotiate a deal with you…"
"Hold it."
At the mention of that unfamiliar name, Orin interrupted them. The CP0 agents' mouths were instantly sealed by an unknown force, unable to make a sound.
"Saint Roland? I don't recall any of the Elders having that name."
Only after Orin finished speaking were they able to open their mouths again.
"Yes…"
Before they could get another word out, their mouths were sealed once more.
"So… he's from that God Knights unit?"
"Saint Roland isn't—"
"Oh? Then he's just an ordinary Celestial Dragon?"
At that, Orin lost all interest. He downed the juice in one gulp.
Snap—
With a snap of his fingers, the white-robed figures disintegrated into dust and floated out the window.
"World Government agents…" Sammi, perhaps a bit concerned, spoke softly.
They currently had a good relationship with the World Government, and a lot of their income had increased thanks to them. If this created tension…
"They're just lackeys—lackeys that take orders from those Celestial Dragons."
Orin had no idea what kind of nerve that Celestial Dragon—whom he had never even met—had to send CP0 to demand things from him.
If it had been the Elders or Garling, maybe he'd have considered it…
Just as that thought passed through his mind—
Beru… beru… beru…
Click.
"Orin…"
"Some guys claiming to be CP0 just showed up wanting to make a deal with me. Was that your doing?"
At those words, within the Room of Power—
The Elders exchanged glances.
Clearly, each of them thought the others had privately tried to obtain some pure gold to gift to their descendants.
But after looking at each other's expressions… it seemed none of them had done so?
Very quickly, however, their expressions darkened. Sending subordinates to negotiate with Orin…
That move—
Was like Orin calling them directly, only for the call to be answered by a bunch of giggling escorts from a red-light district—who then wanted to discuss matters with the Elders.
If not outright disrespect, it was at least deeply insulting.
"It must be some overconfident Celestial Dragon from the Holy Land acting on their own."
"Thinking they're not completely useless, they abuse what little CP authority they have like this?"
"Idiots!!!"
The Elders cursed inwardly, but they still had to smooth things over.
"It was our subordinates acting out of line."
"Orin, this wasn't our intention."
"Those people, you may deal with them as you see fit!"
Orin glanced at the spot where the bodies had already turned to ash and scattered, and curled his lip.
"Then… why did you call me?"
After this little episode, the Elders actually felt like they were the ones on the back foot.
Ever since learning that Orin was searching for pure gold, the World Government's intelligence network had been watching closely.
As expected, a sudden large reward posting and Orin's disappearance for a few days made them realize—
Orin might've gone to search for pure gold—and found it.
Upon receiving this intel, the Elders began making plans.
Even though they didn't personally need it, pure gold was still a rare treasure. Even gifting it to loyal elites under their command would be a significant boost to the Government's power.
So they were prepared to pay a high price.
But unexpectedly, a few rogue Dragons under them had ruined the negotiation and put them at a disadvantage.
"Let's cut to the chase, Orin."
"The legendary pure gold created by scientists two hundred years ago—the one said to grant eternal life—is in your possession, right?"
Orin didn't deny it. After all, he had no intention of hiding it like a precious treasure. It was for himself and his people to use.
"You're quite well-informed, gentlemen."
"Then let's get to the point, Orin. We want to trade with you for pure gold."
"Eternal beings like you still need this stuff?"
The Elders flinched. Just how much did Orin know?
"We have our uses for it. Name your terms."
...
"Hmph… but it's not like I'm short on money…"
Still, that didn't mean Orin wasn't interested in other things. Everything in this world had a price—the only question was whether the offer was high enough.
Fortunately, the Elders knew one thing that Orin would be interested in.
"If you're willing, we can trade Devil Fruits for it."
"So generous?"
Orin raised an eyebrow. The World Government certainly had deep pockets.
Then began a back-and-forth bargaining session. In the end, both sides agreed to a compromise—
One Logia or Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit for every gram of pure gold.
After all, this was the pure gold said to be able to buy the world. Its rarity ensured it would never reach the hands of ordinary people.
So even if the description was exaggerated, it wasn't entirely false.
There was a price—albeit a steep one.
And as it turned out, the World Government's stockpile wasn't as plentiful as imagined. They couldn't just hand over dozens or hundreds of Logia and Mythical Zoans at once.
In the end, Orin received three Logia and two Mythical Zoan Fruits:
Logia: Earth-Earth Fruit
Logia: Air-Air Fruit
Logia: Cloud-Cloud Fruit
Zoan (Mythical): Gale Bird Form
Zoan (Mythical): Colossal Mammoth Form
Decent enough. Worth collecting.
But just before the call ended, Orin used the earlier CP0 incident as leverage for one more condition.
It gave the Elders a bit of a headache, but they ultimately agreed—since it wasn't an excessive demand.
"Next year is the World Government's Reverie, isn't it? For the escort ship from the Kingdom of Duramos, I want to choose the Navy personnel myself."
"And given how dangerous the New World is, I think a few extra guards wouldn't be too much."
"Who?"
"Vice Admirals: Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino!!!"