Orin crossed his arms as he sat across from Vegapunk.
Facing the scientist's utterly horrified expression, his own face remained calm, almost as if he were lost in thought, eyes closed.
For a long while…
Vegapunk swallowed hard, seemingly waiting for Orin to say something shocking again.
But when Orin finally opened his eyes and looked at him, he said quietly,
"More importantly... it seems your island has other guests."
"???"
Vegapunk almost fell to the floor, the corner of his mouth twitching nonstop.
What could possibly be more important right now than the two godlike beings before him?
And that name—Joy Boy...
But seeing that Orin had no intention of answering further, merely gesturing toward the outside, Vegapunk realized he had no choice but to obey.
He gathered his things and started walking out.
Orin put away what he'd brought and followed behind.
There were government agents stationed here, of course, but none of them seemed surprised by Orin's presence.
After all, the Elders had long known that Orin and Vegapunk were in contact ever since Orin first asked him to modify a gun.
They knew—but could do nothing about it.
They simply assumed that this young man was fascinated by Vegapunk's advanced inventions.
So aside from Mother Flame and the Seraphim, they didn't impose too many restrictions on Vegapunk's research. In fact, they even provided funding.
After all, Orin was far richer than they were. If Vegapunk ever decided to defect and work with Orin instead, they would be the ones in trouble.
Even in the original timeline, Vegapunk possessed a degree of autonomy—commanding robots and weaponized cyborgs under his own authority.
Now, with Orin backing him, that independence had only grown.
He no longer feared the Marines or even the World Government.
...
When they arrived at another laboratory, they encountered Kuma—along with the young Sentomaru, who was also present.
"Oh!!! What a magnificent physique! May I study your body?!"
Since Orin had told him to handle the situation here first, Vegapunk didn't press Orin for answers. Instead, his scientific curiosity immediately latched onto the giant before him.
Kuma, stunned by Vegapunk's enormous head, stiffened as a knocking sound came from the massive box strapped to his back.
He opened it, and from inside emerged a short-haired woman—cradling a child in her arms.
Setting Ginny gently on the ground, Kuma pointed to the crystalline growths on her face.
"Are you the one who's ill?"
"Yes… though it might have spread to my child as well."
Ginny's complexion was poor—gone was the lively vigor of the former East Army commander.
Now, she radiated only tenderness as she looked down at the peacefully sleeping baby in her arms.
Once, the only person she cared about was Kuma.
But now, there was another precious life in her world.
Fortunately, Kuma didn't mind—he was only grateful for her safety.
"It hasn't spread too far."
Vegapunk observed the crystalline patterns on her face with a neutral expression.
That alone gave them hope.
"Can it be cured?" Kuma asked, his voice trembling.
"Of course," came the reply—but not from Vegapunk.
Standing before Ginny, Orin's tall figure blocked the overhead light.
He stroked his chin, gazing—not at Ginny—but at the little baby in her arms.
"Eh!!! Orin-san!!!"
Ginny hadn't even processed his presence yet, but Kuma was already flustered, his hands moving unconsciously. Clearly, Orin's sudden appearance had startled him.
Once Ginny realized who stood before her, her eyes lit up.
She grabbed Orin's hand as he reached out to tease Bonney, her expression overflowing with gratitude.
"I heard from Kuma! You were the one who saved me, weren't you?! I don't know how to thank you… even though we were complete strangers, you still helped us so much!"
In truth, this wasn't Orin and Ginny's first meeting—their paths had crossed once before, during the God Valley War.
Vegapunk seemed to recall that as well, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Perhaps you two already know each other then?"
...
And so, Kuma temporarily settled on Egghead Island.
Orin didn't leave either.
He occasionally asked Vegapunk whether he needed any materials or assistance for his experiments—whatever was required to achieve his goal.
And from time to time, he would tease little Bonney.
Orin was famous for liking to play with children—but never to take care of them.
In other words: "Let me play for a bit. If the kid cries, I'll give them back to you."
One day, Orin was drinking juice and chatting casually with Vegapunk, watching Kuma teach Bonney to speak.
At that moment, the laboratory door opened.
"Oh~ quite a lively scene here~"
Orin turned his gaze toward the newcomer, straw still between his lips.
He showed no reaction—clearly, he'd sensed the man long before he arrived.
He even knew exactly what he was about to say.
As Orin's Observation Haki continued to evolve, his glimpses into the future extended farther and farther—approaching the true future itself.
If two people were to foresee the future simultaneously, while countless possibilities existed, Orin's version would be the one closest to reality.
"Long time no see, Borsalino."
"Oh~ even Orin-sama is here~ my deepest apologies~"
Despite his words, Borsalino's perverted grin didn't waver.
He didn't seem the least bit surprised.
Orin didn't bother with small talk. Instead, he snapped his fingers lightly.
A special Den Den Mushi instantly appeared in his hand.
That single motion finally broke through Borsalino's calm façade—his perverted smile faltered, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his cheek.
He patted his coat. Sure enough, the Den Den Mushi he'd been carrying was gone.
Right in front of everyone, Orin lifted the receiver.
He showed no hesitation at all as he stared into the eyes of the person on the other end.
...
Elsewhere—in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise—
Saint Saturn sat upon his chair.
He had expected to deal with Orin someday, but he hadn't thought their first direct call would happen like this.
"Long time no see, Saint Saturn."
"Orin… indeed, it's been quite some time. But I actually called today to speak with Vegapunk."
Toward Orin, Saturn's tone was notably restrained—none of the superiority or arrogance he displayed toward others.
Had it been Vegapunk or Borsalino on the line, his voice would've been entirely different.
"You're looking for Vegapunk? About the cyborg project, perhaps?"
"…"
Saturn froze.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Was the World Government's secrecy leaking that badly?
"If that's what this is about, then it might be a little troublesome," Orin continued casually.
"Because Vegapunk's already promised to work on something for me—and it's quite the heavy research burden."
Saturn stared silently at Orin, wanting to know exactly what he was having Vegapunk create.
Only Vegapunk himself knew the truth of their exchange—and the sweat pouring down his face said everything.
Because what Orin was referring to...
Was a masterpiece powerful enough to shake the very throne of ultimate authority—a creation so terrifying that even Imu-sama would tremble in fear!