"But you see, Orin, Vegapunk is also a scientist of the military. He can't keep spending all his time on your matters. The government has its own plans and considerations as well."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Saint Saturn's expression was utterly calm.
Face-to-face, perhaps it wouldn't have been obvious, but through the phone, his brows curved in that infuriating way that made anyone want to hit him.
It was only because he was speaking to Orin that his tone carried even a trace of negotiation.
The name "Vegapunk" carried great weight even in Imu's presence.
Even the "Mother Flame" and the annihilation weapons drew Imu's attention—another deadly trump card in the hands of the World Government.
"Vegapunk, one of the conditions for proceeding with the treatment is that Bartholomew Kuma must abandon his own will and consciousness, and become a human weapon of the World Government."
Saint Saturn turned his command toward Vegapunk.
At those words, sweat instantly formed on Vegapunk's forehead. He spoke, visibly angry.
"But doing that… isn't that the same as killing him, Saint Saturn?!"
"Is it because the other Shichibukai haven't been following the government's orders? If you do this, then Kuma will just become a robot!"
Listening to Vegapunk's protests and questioning, Saint Saturn's tone grew colder and firmer.
He might let things slide with Orin, but Vegapunk was a government asset—he had no room to object.
"You have no right to protest. You're a scientist under the military's jurisdiction," Saturn said icily.
"Besides, Kuma has a criminal record with the Revolutionary Army. If the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit and his own strength were turned against the World Government, it would be disastrous. By turning him into a human weapon, the Government will gain a new, powerful force…"
Knock, knock—
Just as Saint Saturn was getting into his speech—painting a grand vision of a future army filled with human weapons— a hand resting lazily under its owner's chin tapped the table twice.
The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly cut through Saturn's analysis and halted his thoughts.
He looked toward the Den Den Mushi.
The scarlet eyes staring back at him were calmer than his own.
Silence fell.
Everyone turned toward the man sitting at the table, his chin resting in one hand—Orin.
"Vegapunk has no right to object, but I should have some, shouldn't I~?"
"Saint Saturn, the members of the Shichibukai were all nominated and formed by me. So tell me… are you dissatisfied with the Shichibukai themselves, or—"
"Are you dissatisfied with me?"
Orin spoke each word slowly, his tone not cold, but the meaning beneath it was sharp enough to cut.
It was as if he weren't speaking to one of the highest powers in the world, but to some old man of no importance.
"..."
At that, the one who fell silent wasn't Vegapunk anymore—it was Saint Saturn himself.
"I didn't mean it that way…"
"If you're dissatisfied with me, then I'll just hand back this title of Celestial Dragon. Worst case, I'll go back to being a pirate—beat up some Marines, take over a few territories. But if that happens, we'll be enemies… won't we, Saint Saturn?"
Orin's words came out light and casual, but his eyes shifted toward Borsalino.
The Admiral, who had been spectating the exchange with a smirk, suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.
He was just supposed to be the messenger—how did this end up involving him?!
"..."
As Orin's words grew bolder—more extreme—cold sweat began to trickle down Saturn's temples.
He hadn't expected Orin to push this far!
At first, when he'd learned that Vegapunk planned to turn Kuma into a human weapon, he'd been intrigued.
A Buccaneer of Kuma's strength would make a fine asset, especially since the Government had leverage over him through Vegapunk.
Did he consider Orin's involvement? Of course.
He knew Orin had been staying in Vegapunk's lab for a while now, and that the Shichibukai—though officially under Government control—were, in truth, Orin's private forces.
Theoretically, the Government should've sought Orin's consent before touching the Shichibukai.
But the issue was Orin's long silence over the years—his withdrawal from the world stage.
So they decided to "test the waters" by targeting someone like Kuma, a marginal Shichibukai.
But he hadn't expected such a violent backlash…
After a moment of silence, Saint Saturn considered the consequences if Orin truly turned against the World Government.
And in the end, he relented.
"…Well, in any case, the Shichibukai are your subordinates. Just… don't get too close to the Revolutionary Army, Orin. If you don't agree to this matter, then forget it."
It had been just a casual maneuver on his part.
If it ended up spiraling out of control, even answering to the other Elders would be one thing—but if it reached Imu-sama's ears… that was another story entirely.
With that, Saturn ended the call.
Click.
As the sound of the receiver being placed down echoed, everyone in the room froze.
Their eyes widened as they stared at Orin, who had remained utterly unfazed throughout the entire exchange.
For the first time, they truly understood the weight behind the name "Black Gun."
It was unimaginable—if Orin hadn't been here, then before a Celestial Dragon like Saint Saturn, one of the Elders holding supreme power in the world, neither Vegapunk nor Kuma would have been able to resist in the slightest.
If they wanted to save Ginny and her daughter, obedience would have been their only option.
Which meant Kuma's death would have been certain.
But with just a few words, Orin not only stopped a cruel and inhuman transformation experiment, he also allowed Kuma's family to remain together—alive.
Realizing how close he had come to losing Ginny and Bonney forever, Kuma was overcome with emotion.
He laughed and cried all at once, his face full of gratitude.
"Thank you… Orin-san!"
Orin didn't seem particularly moved. He had only acted because Saturn's attitude irritated him.
Even Imu wouldn't get a pass if Orin didn't like their tone—he lived exactly as he pleased now.
So when Kuma thanked him tearfully, Orin merely waved a hand.
"If you really want to thank me, just keep an eye on things for me later. Places like the Sabaody Archipelago and so on."
"Yes! Of course!!!"
Kuma quickly left to check on Ginny's condition, leaving only three people in the room.
Orin turned his gaze toward Borsalino, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Feeling that look, Borsalino's whole body went rigid.
A faint trace of black and red lightning flickered around his hands.
He quickly put away the Den Den Mushi and scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.
"Oh my~ Orin-sama, I just remembered there's a ton of work piling up at Marine Headquarters. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now~"
Orin didn't believe a single word of it.
That lazy schemer—
If he didn't have business to discuss with Vegapunk right now, there's no way he would've let the guy slip away so easily.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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