"That's so much… Are you sure you can finish all of this?"
Marineford, inside one of the most luxurious, high-end restaurants.
Orin sat back lazily on a leather chair, one leg crossed over the other, holding a menu in his hand.
As his gaze swept across the list of expensive dishes, Orin tilted his head and glanced at Doll, who was happily devouring her food beside him.
Come to think of it, a restaurant like this… would any Marine really come here to eat?
Even with an Admiral's salary, you'd probably only be able to afford a couple of plates of vegetables here.
After all, most Marines at headquarters still held onto their sense of justice and weren't exactly the type to engage in embezzlement.
That probably meant the real purpose of this restaurant's existence was to serve the high-ranking dignitaries visiting Marineford, or officials from the World Government.
As the saying goes: three years without business, one day open to earn three years' worth.
A single, ordinary dish here dared to cost eight figures in Belly.
Only people like Orin — who had lost all concept of money — or those brainless Celestial Dragons would spend without blinking.
"What's the big deal? It's not like you're short on cash anyway… slurp slurp…"
Still just a young girl, Doll was powerless to resist the lure of fine cuisine.
Facing this dazzling feast — the kind she couldn't afford even if she starved herself for ten years — she couldn't hold back any longer.
After all, it wasn't her money. She was eating on Orin's tab!
She figured she might as well eat him broke.
With that thought in mind, Doll ate without the slightest psychological burden.
Unknowingly, her wariness and prejudice toward Orin were gradually melting away.
Back when Orin caused that massive uproar in Marineford, she hadn't even joined the Marines yet.And now, with Orin having become a Celestial Dragon, they were technically half-allies.
Although he still carried the identity of a pirate, he no longer needed to raid the seas for survival. There was no longer any functional conflict between him and the Marines.
Orin didn't care about this little bit of money anyway.
Strictly speaking, Doll was the first person in the Marines he had built a decent relationship with.
Orin had dealings with powerhouses across the world, but strangely, he had no friends within the Marines.
Doll — with her looks, strength, and temperament perfectly matching Orin's aesthetic tastes — became his first true Marine friend.
"But you know… I invited Doll to dinner because she's acting as my guide. You, on the other hand…?"
Orin's gaze darkened as he turned to the other side.
"Garp old man, I never said I was inviting you to eat, did I?"
Sitting on Orin's other side was a large man with a scar near his eye, gnawing on a massive bone-in cut of meat like there was no tomorrow.
When Orin first suggested inviting Doll to dinner, this old guy had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.
After overhearing Doll say that Orin was treating and they could eat freely, he shamelessly tagged along.
"Wa-hahahaha!"
"Don't be so stingy, Orin. We're old acquaintances, aren't we?"
Old acquaintances?
Orin's gaze sharpened slightly.
He still remembered vividly how, back then, just one cannon shell from this old man — wrapped in Armament Haki — had left him utterly helpless.
"Please. If it weren't for Lady Rouge and Ace, I'd have kicked you out already."
"Speaking of which… how are they doing these days?"
At this, Garp grinned widely, visibly delighted.
"Oh! Rouge and little Ace are living happily in Foosha Village, of course! And… I guarantee you this — Ace will grow up to be a fine Marine someday! Just like me!!"
Hearing them discuss unfamiliar names, Doll was curious but didn't ask further.
Orin tried another bite of the restaurant's dishes but, honestly, he wasn't particularly impressed.
For example, he used his "Micro-Observation" level of Observation Haki to examine the size of the shredded radish strands.
Compared to Mihawk's divine blade work, this was mediocre at best.
Edible, but far from remarkable.
"By the way, do you know where Kuzan ran off to?"
Orin tossed a few ice cubes into his orange juice, stirred it gently with a thin spoon, and looked toward Garp.
But Garp knew exactly how much his disciple disliked Orin.
While chewing on an expensive steak, he replied carelessly:
"How should I know where that brat went?"
"You don't?"
Orin sighed dramatically, took a slow sip of orange juice, and tilted his head lazily toward the ceiling.
"In that case… we'll just split the bill evenly…"
"PFFFTTTTTT!!!" ×2
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Before Orin even finished his sentence, two choking sounds erupted from both sides, followed by violent coughing fits.
Doll and Garp both went pale.
Split the bill?
For this extravagant feast — where Orin had ordered practically everything on the menu, some dishes even in multiple servings — he wanted them to split it?!
Even if they divided it equally, each person would still owe several hundred million…
Maybe even over a billion Belly!!!
"Ah… come to think of it, I do remember where Kuzan went! Right, right! He went with Zephyr to the new officer training camp! Wa-hahahaha!"
Garp scratched his head and laughed heartily, trying to deflect.
Doll wiped the corner of her mouth and sighed helplessly, chiming in:
"Yeah, I came to Marineford for the same reason."
As one of the "next-generation officer seeds," Doll was here at Marine Headquarters to receive training from Zephyr-sensei and the other instructors, primarily to master Haki.
She was being groomed as one of the future pillars of the Marines.
Becoming an Admiral might be difficult, but her chances of reaching Vice Admiral rank someday were very real.
"So… as a Celestial Dragon, am I allowed to inspect the Marine Academy?"
When Doll heard this, she didn't object to going with Orin, but as a trainee herself, she didn't have the authority to decide.
"I don't really mind…"
Garp, on the other hand, was much more straightforward.
"Don't look at me. If you wanna go, go. Just don't tell anyone I told you Kuzan was there."
When it came to throwing his own disciple, Garp didn't hesitate in the slightest.
"Alright~ got it."
...
"Hey, Doll, have you thought about where you want to be stationed in the future?"
As they walked, Orin suddenly asked, his tone sounding like casual curiosity.
Hearing this, Doll raised an eyebrow, then genuinely began considering it.
"Well… after we finish our Haki training, we'll probably be assigned to various branches. But ultimately, it'll depend on Marine Headquarters."
"How about transferring to the Sabaody Archipelago branch? I've been wanting to get rid of that Vice Admiral there anyway…"
Doll hesitated, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Stationed on your turf, huh? What, so you can make me abuse my authority? Forget it. I'm not helping you do anything against justice."
"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Orin burst out laughing at her reaction.
"Justice?"
"Don't worry about justice. I don't need you Marines to handle that for me. On the Sabaody Archipelago… no, on these seas… my words are justice!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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