"Ha??? Isn't that way too arrogant of you!!!"
For Orin's straightforward words, the still-young Doll couldn't really understand his meaning at all.Instead, she felt that Orin was trampling all over the justice she had sworn to uphold.
But faced with the young girl's indignant anger, Orin didn't bother to explain himself right away.
"Tszz…"
He silently lit one of Doll's ridiculously expensive cigars, the kind worth ten months of her salary,and blew out a stream of smoke right onto her heroic, pretty face.
"Hoo…"
"Hey!!! You bastard!!!"
Doll coughed violently, staggering backward several steps, her beautiful eyes glaring sharply at Orin.
"In time, you'll understand, Doll…"
"The title of Black Emperor… its influence isn't any less than your Marines~"
"The pirates the Marines can't command—I can.
The allied nations' internal affairs the Marines can't interfere in—I can.
The Marines' banner can't serve as reins to restrain those ambitious profiteers chasing insane wealth—but I can."
The Marines' powerful forces deter pirates across the seas, keeping regions safe.
But Orin's network of subordinates… they controlled the flow of the entire world's economy.And if it came down to sheer combat strength, he might not even lose to the Marines.
He didn't explain everything in detail, but just those few words alone were enough to leave the young Marine beauty completely stunned in place, until Orin had walked several steps away and called out her name, finally snapping her out of it.
Yet, deep inside her heart, a faint doubt quietly arose.
The justice of the Marines...could it really bring peace to this raging sea?
...
"Oh!!! Isn't this Kuzan?!!!"
Within the Marine officer training camp, Kuzan, one of the Vice Admirals, had been dragged in to serve as a guest instructor since he had nothing better to do.
But the moment he heard that voice that utterly familiar voice carved deep into his very bones his expression darkened instantly, storm clouds overtaking his face.
A shadow fell across his features, masking his emotions completely.
"Orin… you know this, right? I'm not looking to fight you right now. But if you keep provoking me…"
A chilling breath escaped Kuzan's mouth, curling into the air.
"I can't promise I'll keep my rationality… or keep reminding myself you're a Celestial Dragon."
The terrifying frost in his voice was enough to make all the trainee recruits nearby turn pale green.Even Doll widened her eyes in shock, quickly retreating to the side, terrified that she'd get frozen solid together with Orin.
Kuzan slowly turned his face, locking onto Orin's eternally unchanging smile.
Step by step, he approached, each footfall leaving a patch of ice behind, until his tall, three-meter frame stood eye-to-eye with Orin's.
"How did you even find me?"
The two towering figures faced each other, their opposing presences clashing like invisible blades,their sheer aura so oppressive that many nearby felt their breath catch.
"Well… obviously, it was my old friend Vice Admiral Garp who told me where you were.Otherwise, how would I have found you?"
In a blink, Orin had shamelessly sold out Garp, completely disregarding any sense of loyalty.
What a joke!!!
Inviting Doll, this beautiful Marine guide, out for a meal—that was fine. She was a new friend, after all.
But Garp?
He wasn't getting a free pass.
Did Garp really think the Black Emperor's meals came without strings attached?
Sure, the bill was charged to the World Government in the end, but still—
…a deal's a deal!!!
Hearing Garp's name, Kuzan's brows twitched almost imperceptibly. He hadn't expected it to be the very man he admired most—Vice Admiral Garp…
"Then, you pirate Celestial Dragon… what business do you have in the Marine officer training camp?"
He wouldn't raise a hand first, of course.
But Kuzan wasn't about to give Orin a warm welcome either. Not immediately attacking was already the limit of his patience.
Orin, however, didn't see Kuzan as some mortal enemy. In fact, he thought their relationship should be like Garp's and Roger's—rivals, but friends.
"Do you really have to be this cold?"
Looking at Kuzan's frostbitten expression, Orin spread his hands helplessly.
"I admit, maybe we've had… a few grudges in the past. But that's all behind us now, Kuzan. Just like Captain Roger and that old bastard Garp—enemies but also friends. I think we should be the same way…"
"Shut up!!!"
Orin still wanted to keep talking, but Kuzan's furious roar cut him off instantly.
If it were anyone other than Kuzan speaking to him like this, Orin would've slapped them across the face with Conqueror's Haki Infusion by now.
But the icy man before him… he restrained himself.
Kuzan, however, was far less forgiving grabbing Orin's collar with one hand, his voice trembling with suppressed fury.
"You haven't forgotten, have you?!! Since over a decade ago, you've ambushed me 116 times in total!!! I've still got six bullet scars on my thigh to prove it!!!"
If Kuzan hadn't stopped engaging Orin directly and trained his Observation Haki early on,the number would've been far higher.
"And what about that punch at Ohara, huh? Don't tell me you've forgotten!!!"
Orin scratched his head awkwardly, a crooked smile on his lips.
"I told you already, that was back then! Besides, it wasn't my fault you kept chasing me. But now… there's no reason for us to be enemies anymore~"
Perhaps it was Orin's words, but after a brief silence, Kuzan finally released his grip on Orin's collar.
He turned to leave without another word, and Orin didn't stop him.
But after only a few steps, Kuzan suddenly halted.
The two stood close, yet their backs faced opposite directions.
"Do you really think… my hostility toward you is just because of old grudges, Orin?"
...
Orin's black pupils shifted sideways, catching Kuzan's sudden words.
"What else would it be? Don't tell me you're still holding onto the past just because I targeted you?"
"That's part of it… but it's not the real rift between us."
"In the end… it's because of your very existence, Orin."
The frost at Kuzan's feet spread outward, creeping up Orin's shoes and climbing his pants,forming sharp cracks of ice as it rose higher.
"I admit… the order you've built has kept the seas from falling into unbearable chaos. But precisely because of that… Your whims, your capriciousness, you are the greatest potential threat this world faces. Do you still remember your so-called dreams and ambitions?"
"Absolute freedom. Absolute whim. But I will stop you, Orin."
Orin's lips curved into a faint smirk, as though he'd just heard something amusing.
He slowly turned around, meeting Kuzan's unwavering gaze head-on.
"Stop my dream?"
"Yes." Kuzan's voice was cold, but his heart still burned fiercely beneath it.
"You hold the reins of the world in your hands… and you're trying to turn the seas into your personal playground. Then I'll be the one to watch over you."
"If you ever try to do anything reckless to this world, Orin…"
"Even if it costs me everything… I will stop you!!!"
The two locked eyes in silence.
From this moment onward… …there would be no future where they could ever become friends—not like Roger and Garp once were.