"This..."
Inside the Room of Power, the five Elders exchanged glances.
They had expected some outrageous demand—asking the World Government for more Devil Fruits or famous swords, things like that.
But this?
Should they say it's just like Orin, doing everything based on his whims?
They were certainly aware of the past grudges between Orin and the three rising monsters of the Marines' new generation.
What a difficult man...
Still, this kind of harmless request didn't cost the World Government anything. Of course they were eager to agree.
"Agreed. As long as no emergencies arise at the time, they can accompany the royal family of the Kingdom of Duramos on the journey."
As for Kuzan and the others' personal feelings?
That wasn't something the Elders took into account. To them, it was merely a temporary coexistence with a former adversary.
Just like how Garp and Roger had their mutual respect.
They were seasoned Marines. Surely they wouldn't be petty enough to ignore the bigger picture...
...
"You little brat, what are you sending me this time?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, an old man wearing glasses stared curiously at a letter and a gold nugget in front of him.
"One is an invitation to next year's World Government Affiliate Nations Conference. The other is pure gold."
"Pure gold? I don't need money right now—you'll need it out on the sea."
Orin had no choice but to explain the significance of pure gold to him.
"Oh!!! Hahahahahahaha!!!!"
Picking his ear, Orin watched as the old man straightened his back and burst into joyful laughter. A smile tugged at the corner of his own lips.
"I told you I'd take you flying. You've got a long life ahead—find something fun to do with it."
"Hahahaha, you little brat..."
After a short chat, Orin hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Yeah...
A long life without any joy was nothing short of torture...
Orin collapsed back onto the sofa, head tilted up, staring at the ceiling.
"Well then... time to resume this world journey."
"Orin-sama, are you heading out again?"
Feeling a bit bored, Orin mentioned his upcoming departure to Sammi, who happened to look as if she had been waiting for this moment.
"Perfect timing. There are some matters you might need to personally handle~"
"Oh~?"
...
Meanwhile, in the lawless zone of the Sabaody Archipelago—
Compared to the previous chaos, business had now gradually returned to order. The black market industries had firmly rooted themselves here, artificially inflating the archipelago's GDP to absurd levels.
In theory, these industries were collectively owned by various underground organizations. Their shares were complex and intertwined—not private property.
But Orin... just so happened to be the principle behind the principle.
"Interesting..."
After all, she ran a casino. And with her signature slicked-back hair, Crocodile seemed to treat gambling like a personal hobby.
At the gambling table, she crossed her legs and puffed on one of the world's most expensive cigars, reclining comfortably in her chair and tossing out chips in bulk.
She ignored the gathering crowd of gamblers watching with bated breath, despite not being the ones betting. Crocodile casually removed the cigar from her mouth and flicked the ashes to the floor without care.
She then lit a new one and exhaled slowly.
It wasn't her money anyway, so she didn't feel the pain.
No matter how much she bet or wasted, it couldn't possibly surpass the trillions she already carried on her shoulders.
Orin had money to burn!
So even after losing a few hundred million Belly in an instant, she didn't bat an eye and simply had the waitstaff bring over tens of billions more in chips.
"Oi, Doflamingo. What are you doing here?"
When the player across from her changed, Crocodile slowly lifted her shadowed eyes and asked with a blank expression.
The wealthy merchant who had been playing with her had now mysteriously stood up, face pale with fear, and given his seat to a blonde youth in a cloak.
Wearing gold earrings and dressed not in his usual suit but in an open shirt, tight pants, and loafers.
"Fufufufufu... Just wanted to personally thank Orin-sama. That was quite the generous gift, after all."
"Is that so... You really are a good guy for Orin."
For some reason, seeing Doflamingo act this way lit an inexplicable fire in Crocodile's heart. Everything about him seemed to rub her the wrong way. She just wanted to provoke him.
Despite Crocodile's cold face and sharp tongue, Doflamingo didn't get angry. He merely curled his finger, and the nearby dealer began shuffling cards uncontrollably.
At the same time, he shot back with a sneer:
"To be fair, he's someone who could kill me in an instant. Bowing down doesn't seem unreasonable. If it were you, how many moves could you last against the Black Emperor, Crocodile~?"
"Tch..."
Crocodile clicked her tongue. That line reminded her of the moment when Orin had taken her down without a scratch—something she still remembered vividly.
But she prided herself on having more backbone than someone like Doflamingo.
If Orin hadn't personally make a gesture of peace, she probably would've let herself be pummeled to death rather than give in.
That alone—
Made her feel she was a notch above Doflamingo in terms of pride.
The two began their gambling duel.
One backed by a money-printing powerhouse, spending like water without flinching—her wealth practically equal to Orin's.
The other running a booming business—he even owned part of the casino.
Neither of them lacked money, so they threw themselves into this grudge match without hesitation.
Doflamingo used his threads. Crocodile used her sand. Both cheated in their own way, keeping the game balanced.
While they played, Doflamingo casually revealed his true reason for coming to the Sabaody Archipelago:
"I heard some underground forces have been making shady moves—underreporting payments. So Lady Sammi contacted me. As the biggest intermediary, nothing gets past me."
"I've heard about it too..."
Crocodile's expression darkened.
"Even though we made it clear that provocations would mean death, some people still dare to pull tricks. Are they really that greedy?"
During the time Orin spent on the Sabaody Archipelago, Sammi and Crocodile had handled many affairs. Though Orin wasn't great with accounting, he'd heard about some of it through Sammi.
Crocodile had assumed Orin would personally handle this situation.
But it turned out he'd sent this flamboyant punk instead.
"Fufufufufu... For profit, who cares about the risk of getting beheaded?"
Doflamingo leaned back with his legs crossed and arms wide open, then leaned forward. The reflection in his glasses gleamed red.
"Looks like we'll be on the same boat for a while... Let's get along, Crocodile~"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo