"Shanks's brother... I mean no disrespect, but in terms of Haki alone, you're not quite as sharp as him."
Though it had been many years since he last saw Shanks, after all, in the original story, he stood at the pinnacle of Conqueror's Haki during the Era of the Worst Generation.
To be honest, Shamrock's Conqueror's Haki wasn't bad at all, but it didn't leave much of an impression on him.
"…"
Shamrock didn't respond to those words. He simply tightened his grip on his sword, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even stronger.
What a joke...
It's one thing for the young man in front of him to say that, but now even this so-called "brother" he's never met?
Both of them were masters of Haki and swordsmanship. No need for pleasantries—just go straight in and start slashing.
Orin still held onto some sense of martial decorum. He wanted to convince Shamrock through sheer power, just like he did with Shanks.
Dark red lightning crackled around Shamrock's blade—violent and razor-sharp.
After all, he was a "noble-born," raised in the Knights of God, and had been trained by top experts like Garling since childhood. Compared to those wandering swordsmen on the high seas, his path was clearly different.
He hadn't needed to brush with death over and over to awaken Armament Haki or master Conqueror's Haki Infusion. Instead, he relied on generations of knowledge and experience from the Holy Land.
"Impressive swordsmanship!"
Orin reversed his grip and caught Shamrock's fierce slash with a steady strike of his own.
Their weapons didn't physically clash, but the overwhelming force burst out from the point of impact.
"Look!!!"
The knights all looked up at once, pupils trembling, mouths agape.
"The sky… it's splitting!!!"
"Are they really from our generation?!"
Orin blocked Shamrock's razor-sharp strike with ease. Then a crimson gleam burst from his eyes, making Shamrock momentarily freeze—then Orin began his counterattack.
"Your future... holds no victory."
If he were fighting another top-tier master, Orin might have been cautious. A Conqueror's Haki strong enough could potentially awaken the deadly power of Observation Kill.
But Shamrock clearly didn't fall into that category.
Holding his sword one-handed, Orin's scarlet eyes scrutinized Shamrock's every move.
He looked calm, even leisurely, but his hand didn't slow down for a moment.
Ding—
Ding—
His blade slashed like a hurricane from every direction toward Shamrock, black sword light surging like a tide.
Warp-Warp Slash.
Orin suppressed the urge to shout the move's name out loud. He kept silent, though the speed of his blade increased until it left no openings at all.
"This speed!!!"
Shamrock was shocked. He hurried to match the pace, his red blade weaving in a blur, blocking every strike within his Observation Haki.
But…
How could mere muscles compete with teleportation?
Even swinging his longsword at full strength, there were still mistakes. Orin suddenly feinted—what looked like an attack from the left abruptly reversed and came from the right instead.
It caught Shamrock completely off guard. Though he instinctively dodged, he couldn't avoid the blood spray.
Like a trapped beast in a tightening cage, Orin's black blade crackling with lightning always found an opening.
And even the onlookers could clearly see—Shamrock was losing ground. His expression said it all.
Orin looked calm, the corners of his lips carrying a faint, relaxed smile.
Shamrock, however, wore a serious, grim expression—so tense it was almost rigid.
Because when you're the one under pressure—when you truly want to win—there's no way you can smile.
"Damn it…"
Shamrock clenched his teeth and swung a powerful slash straight ahead with everything he had.
Orin caught it with a reverse swing, but the impact still pushed him back several meters.
"What's wrong? Going all out now?"
Orin stomped the ground hard—his strength causing a crater like a small meteor strike beneath his feet.
He held his sword, his whole aura locking onto Shamrock.
He intended to set the tone of the battle with this move.
Even if this strike couldn't knock Shamrock out, it would definitely leave him badly injured.
Crack crack crack…
Within the scarlet lightning storm, two beams of red light locked onto Shamrock like demonic eyes, cutting fissures into the air itself as Orin charged forward—
"Divine Departure!!!"
A single slash changed the color of heaven and earth…
Just witnessing it, everyone felt the same terrifying thought:
If you take that hit, you'll die!!!
The very surface of the Red Line began to tremble. The ground cracked apart. The world seemed to sink into a black abyss.
Orin's eyes were serious.
He still couldn't resist yelling the name of the technique. It was just too satisfying!
As the one facing this strike head-on, Shamrock felt the most pressure of all. Sweat beaded on his brow as he glanced toward his longsword.
He couldn't hold back anymore…
There was no reason Orin could use his Devil Fruit ability and he couldn't, even if it wasn't his own power.
Faced with this overwhelming blow, Shamrock slowly raised his sword. A massive surge of energy gathered at once.
His blade began to transform!
"What is this?"
A red gleam flashed in Orin's eyes. He saw something astonishing and frowned.
Mythical Zoan: Cerberus!!!
The blade swelled rapidly, and then—like breaking free from its chains—three monstrous beast heads emerged, each wearing a spiked collar, each face twisted with malice, their fangs gleaming sharp.
...
Especially the swirling mist coiled around the blade—Orin had never seen that before. It was the mist of a fully awakened Devil Fruit.
From their mouths, the hellhound heads spat razor-sharp blades laced with hellish energy. All three aimed straight for Orin, now infused with Conqueror's Haki Infusion, amplifying their might.
"Orin, this is the true power of a Devil Fruit!!!"
Shamrock's expression was solemn. He poured nearly all his strength into this one attack.
The three Cerberus heads spat out long blades wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, spinning as they roared toward Orin's tiny silhouette.
This was a technique that once nearly killed Prince Loki of Elbaf.
It wasn't Shamrock's own power, but a manifestation of the Mythical Zoan's awakened ability.
And now its power was even greater, boosted with both Armament and Conqueror's Haki. This was a full-force strike from Shamrock.
Orin could block it—and of course, he did.
With one slash of his sword, charged with sword aura and Conqueror's Haki, he dispersed two of the hellhound heads.
But he lacked the strength to stop the third.
"This… is the strength of the meta-defining build?"
The aftershock shredded the three-headed Cerberus. Orin's figure emerged from the explosion and sword light, landing firmly on the ground.
He met Shamrock's gaze.
The fire in Shamrock's eyes hadn't faded. On his blade, another monstrous head was starting to form.
"In that case… I'll pull out a little trick of my own."
Orin smiled faintly. Slowly, he sheathed Ace into its scabbard. As Shamrock watched in confusion, he calmly slipped on a pair of black gloves.
"Now then, why don't you try facing me at full power~"