"Thank you very much, Sanji!!!"
Orin hadn't expected that casually wandering around the sea would lead him to meet his adopted son. In a good mood, he smiled and waved at him.
Sanji, on the other hand, wasn't just happy—he was ecstatic.
Though his body had grown thin and weak from long-term hunger, at this very moment, for some reason, a surge of strength burst out of him.
He jumped with joy, smiling brightly, waving his hands at Orin with all his might.
"Father!!!"
By now, even "adoptive father" had been skipped altogether. He just called him "father."
The way he shouted—one would think Orin was his real dad.
Beside him, Zeff blinked. Due to prolonged starvation, even though he was a fairly strong pirate, he was weak and sluggish now.
He opened his mouth slightly, his pupils trembling in disbelief.
Wasn't this the Black Emperor… Black Gun from years ago?
He's this blond brat's father???
Orin leapt up and landed in an instant on the isolated island surrounded by the sea.
Because the waves had smoothed the rocky edges all around, it was impossible to fish or swim away. The two of them had probably been trapped there for two or three months.
Orin wasn't stingy. Nowadays, every time he went to sea, he carried plenty of delicious food. Even without supplies, he could always catch a Sea King to snack on.
He placed down a large bundle of food. Sanji didn't even have time to say anything before grabbing whatever he could and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Orin-san…"
Many years ago, Zeff had met Orin once, but he wasn't sure if someone of Orin's status would still remember someone like him after all this time.
"Well… long time no see. Last time we met was on the Grand Line, right?"
Of course Orin remembered him—he had even been a guest aboard the Cook Pirates' ship once.
Seeing Zeff instinctively swallow hard, Orin chuckled.
"Go ahead and eat. Think of it as my thanks for taking care of this kid."
Tears streamed down Sanji's face as he devoured the food, muttering incoherently between bites.
"Mm… so good…"
Orin gently patted his dry, messy hair. It was clear he'd been starving badly—he even choked several times and had to pound his chest just to swallow.
Hearing Orin's words, Zeff froze for a moment, then smiled gratefully and began eating as well without holding back.
After eating until his belly was round, little Sanji collapsed onto the ground, a blissful smile spreading across his face as his bright eyes looked up at Orin.
"Hey, Father, why are you in the East Blue?"
Even at a young age, Orin had left a deep impression on him—he'd even saved his mother's life.
Even though Zeff had sacrificed his leg and all the food to save him, deep down, Orin still ranked higher in Sanji's heart.
In a way, both men were his fathers.
"Me, huh…"
The sea breeze blew gently, Orin's long hair swaying as a faint smile crossed his handsome face.
"Just traveling, I guess. Visiting some old friends."
Before Sanji could ask more, Orin continued:
"So, how's your mother doing these years?"
Pure gold froze life itself, so Sora had likely remained in a frail state all this time—but not any worse.
"Yeah!!!"
Sanji nodded with a big grin, recalling something that made him happy, his teeth flashing.
"Mom hasn't been feeling well these years, but she's doing okay. Nothing bad has happened."
Sitting on a stone, Orin chatted with Sanji and Zeff for a bit before getting ready to leave.
"Sanji's childhood was tough. I'll be counting on you to look after him, Zeff."
Orin wasn't fond of taking care of kids, so he entrusted Zeff with the task—it was only right.
"Eh???"
Sanji and Zeff both froze.
He's leaving???
What about us???
But Orin didn't really plan to abandon them. If events didn't follow the story, and no ships came by for months, that'd be a problem.
He tore off a small piece of his Vivre Card and handed it to Sanji, then called Sammi to send a ship.
"Take care of yourself from now on, Sanji!"
"Yes!!!"
"See you~"
...
Orin wasn't in any hurry. He leisurely toured the East Blue—the lowest of the low seas—but still a pleasant place.
After all, many of its landscapes were beautiful in their own simple way.
The East Blue was full of ordinary people, its weather gentle, its life plain yet peaceful. That kind of simplicity had its charm.
Holding an enormous island-sized skewer of grilled meat—almost as tall as a person—Orin occasionally perched atop the Seagull King's back to enjoy the breeze and gaze down at the vast ocean below.
...
Meanwhile,
Music Kingdom, Elegia.
"What a magnificent opera hall."
Leading the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks adjusted the straw hat on his head and looked up at the glittering golden hall.
The rough, pirate-like Red-Hair crew—apart from Uta—looked completely out of place here.
Soon, a hunched old man with a smile approached them.
"You must be the guests recommended by Orin-sama~"
"Oh???"
"I am the manager of the Elegia Opera House. Please, this way…"
For the first time, the Red-Haired Pirates were being welcomed not as pirates, but as VIPs.
The crew dispersed, exploring curiously.
Shanks accompanied Uta onto the stage, where she was shown sheet after sheet of music. His face carried a helpless smile.
"No matter how you look at it, this is a bit too enthusiastic, huh?"
When he saw over a hundred music sheets laid out before Uta, sweat ran down his temple as he scratched his head.
"Are you sure you're going to perform all of these, Uta?"
But Uta was full of excitement.
"It's fine! I've been training under Orin-san recently—my body's in great shape now!"
A good singer needed strong lungs—and a strong body, too. During his free time, Orin had acted as her mentor for a while.
Now, Uta wasn't exactly a monster, but even when fighting young Luffy, she could hold her own easily—despite being a girl.
Shanks could only smile helplessly.
He had no idea that the strength of the Song Demon King, Tot Musica, also depended on the physical power of its host.
Uta displayed astonishing singing talent, and the people of Elegia begged her to stay.
But soon after, a strange sheet of music also appeared before her.
"Damn, I thought I'd make it in time… looks like I was delayed on the way here."
Orin scratched his head, watching what seemed to be a tougher-than-expected battle. Shanks looked unusually serious, and Orin couldn't figure out why.
Not that it mattered much to him anyway.
He snapped his fingers.
The black blade, Ace, slowly materialized in Orin's hand.
His calm eyes gazed at the raging Song Demon King, brows lifting slightly in thought.
Even though he was far away, hovering over the sea, the eruption of terrifying Conqueror's Haki Infusion and shattered space caused the war-torn Elegia to freeze for an instant.
Terrifying black-red lightning and spatial distortion coiled around the obsidian blade.
"One slash should do it…
Hopefully, it won't take Uta down with it, huh?"