"Are you guys pirates?!"
This was the first time Orin had met the protagonist of this world—
Monkey D. Luffy.
Wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and red shorts, Luffy currently had a large bump on his head, likely the result of a certain "Fist of Love." He was standing there carefreely in front of the pirate ship.
This was, of course, the Red-Haired Pirates.
Within Orin's vast Observation Haki range, he could sense that behind the village, in the mountains, two kids—one with black hair and one blond—were fighting a bear together.
"Well, well... isn't that Ace? Been a while—you've grown sturdy!"
Orin skipped right over Luffy.
This time, since his mother was still around, Ace hadn't been handed off to the bandits by Garp. Instead, he lived like an ordinary single-parent child, leading a quiet life in the woods.
As for the other kid beside him—that was naturally Sabo, who'd been dragged into Ace's life.
The arrival of the Red-Haired Pirates didn't bring much disruption to this peaceful village. The bickering and friendship between Uta and Luffy amused the adults.
"When we were kids, we used to fight and argue like that too~"
Orin walked through Foosha Village with Shanks and his crew—and the ever-curious, clingy Luffy tagging along behind them.
"Yeah, I remember the first time we met—we were only nine years old," Shanks said with a grin. The three scars over his eye didn't hurt his charm one bit.
Back then, fights and squabbles were common—but most of them were between Buggy and Shanks. Both of them knew that once Orin got involved...
There wouldn't be any "squabble" at all.
It'd just turn into one-sided bullying.
"Let those two play."
Shanks didn't worry too much. Luffy was naturally outgoing and, before long, was laughing and getting along with the entire Red-Haired crew.
At one point, Luffy turned his curious eyes to Orin and asked,
"Orin, your hair's so long—doesn't it strangle you when you sleep?"
"You don't get it, kid. It's called style~"
Orin had always worn his hair long and black since childhood—but this was the first time someone had ever asked such a stupidly innocent question.
He lightly knocked Luffy on the head.
Thunk—
"Owww, owww, owww!!!"
He hadn't even used much force, but Luffy felt a familiar kind of pain.
"Why does that hurt so much?! Just like Gramps!"
Orin chuckled and didn't bother explaining.
That damn Garp—was he seriously teaching his grandson Armament Haki discipline methods?
The group linked arms and headed to Makino's bar, where they drank happily. Sitting at the counter, Shanks tried chatting up the beautiful bartender.
Meanwhile, Orin sat beside him, watching the younger man clumsily trying to flirt.
He smiled faintly and rose from his seat.
"Excuse me a moment."
Shanks and Makino both paused as Orin stood up, only to see him grin and snap his fingers.
Boom—
A heavy chest packed full of Belly and gold coins suddenly thudded to the floor beside the counter with a deep, solid sound.
"This… this is way too much!!!"
Makino was stunned. She'd never seen so much money before. A whole chest filled to the brim with Belly and gold coins—she'd believe you if you said it was worth a billion. Even selling the bar wouldn't cover that much.
"No… it's not just for the drinks. It's also to thank you for taking care of Miss Rouge and her son all these years."
Orin's handsome face softened into a smile as he nodded at Makino, making her blush slightly.
Faced with so much money, she didn't even know how to respond. But before she could insist on refusing it, Orin's figure vanished into thin air.
Makino opened her mouth but couldn't find any words.
Orin's last words kept echoing in her mind.
He knew Miss Rouge and Ace?
And he knew about her connection with them?
Her thoughts spun endlessly, and she didn't even notice Shanks still trying—unsuccessfully—to flirt beside her.
...
Elsewhere—
Orin left Makino's bar without a word. He wasn't curious why Shanks hadn't followed.
After all, looking after Miss Rouge and her son was his own responsibility.
In the original timeline, he didn't believe for a second that Shanks hadn't realized Ace was Roger's son. Yet, Shanks's reaction had always been… restrained. Even during Marineford, he'd prioritized the greater balance over saving Ace first.
His personal relationship with Ace had only existed because of Luffy.
Orin wouldn't criticize the Roger Pirates for their detachment—
But he himself would act according to what he believed was right.
Walking through the forest, Orin swept his vast Observation Haki across the area, instantly locating his targets.
Miss Rouge was at home cooking. As for Ace...
Orin slipped his hands into his pockets, smiling as he walked forward.
Deep in the woods, atop a tall tree, two kids were plotting something.
"Perfect! Once we sell that bear pelt, we'll have even more treasure!"
"Yeah! Soon we'll have enough to buy our own pirate ship! Then we can sail the seas!"
Sabo adjusted his top hat, looking slightly hesitant after hearing Ace's words.
"But… Miss Rouge will never let you go out to sea when you're this young."
"Yeah, yeah, you shouldn't be running off like that~"
"???"
"!!!"
Boom—
Standing on the branch, Ace reacted instantly, swinging the iron pipe in his hands on reflex.
But when it struck Orin's body, it felt like hitting a wall of iron—his wrist throbbed from the impact.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Sabo recovered quickly, stepping back with Ace as the two took fighting stances against Orin.
Orin brushed some dust off his shoulder where he'd been hit, then looked at the black-haired boy whose features resembled a young Roger almost perfectly.
"Relax, will you? You don't want Miss Rouge to—"
Orin spread his hands, about to finish with "You don't want Miss Rouge to get angry, right?"
After all, he'd saved their lives. If Miss Rouge found out Ace was being this rude, she'd definitely be upset.
But the hot-headed Ace, hearing only the first half of Orin's sentence—and his mother's name—saw red instantly.
He lunged forward in a blind rage.
He and his mother had always depended on each other. She was his whole world. He wouldn't allow anyone to so much as mention her disrespectfully.
Leaping high, eyes blazing, Ace raised his pipe overhead and swung it down hard.
But Orin simply sidestepped with an easy twist of his body, watching the boy like an angry little beast.
Then, with an amused smile, he snapped his fingers.
"That should help you cool off a bit."
The next moment—for reasons Ace couldn't understand—
His shorts vanished.