A massive snail warship docked at the port. Soldiers escorted the royal family down the ramp as Vinsmoke Judge surveyed everything before him—not impressed, but not disappointed either.
Dressed in his combat suit with a stern expression, he was followed by several brightly colored "little monsters."
Sora, whose health had long been frail, hadn't come along. Sanji had already run away—and Judge didn't bother to consider him part of the family anymore.
So now, these monster-like children, plus Judge himself, made up the entire royal family.
"If it weren't for the protection of the [Black Gun], Germa could conquer such a weak nation in a single day!!!"
Though he said that, Judge knew Duramos was simply lucky. All he could do was vent a little.
Still, deep down, he wished that among his children, one might become a monster like Orin—someone capable of bringing true glory to Germa.
His sons showed little reaction to the surroundings, indifferent as always.
Only Reiju, the one who still retained her emotions, looked around curiously. She remembered what Sanji had once told her—that his foster father was named Orin.
And this place… this was the territory of [Black Gun] Orin!
...
Not long after, the ship from Alabasta also arrived.
Bringing with it Princess Vivi and King Cobra, they set foot upon this land.
Soon after, the soldiers accompanying them were ordered to return to the ship—they were to attend the banquet alone.
Vivi, arriving in this unfamiliar land, held tightly onto her father's hand, her heart filled with nervousness and curiosity as she watched the soldiers depart.
In recent years, Alabasta had been plagued by turmoil and internal strife, destabilized by the influence of mysterious forces. Though young, Vivi had heard plenty about such unrest.
"Aren't they going to protect us?"
She tugged on Cobra's hand and asked softly.
"There's no need," Cobra said with a gentle smile, patting his daughter's head. "Here on this island, we are absolutely safe."
He gestured for her to look around. Many other nations and factions had also sent representatives—but none had brought guards.
That was reputation. That was status.
Even when attending the World Government summit at Mary Geoise, kings would never go without guards.
But here in Duramos? No one needed them.
"All of this is thanks to Orin-san's name. Even just his name alone is enough to terrify every pirate in the world!!!"
"Orin-san..." Vivi blinked her wide blue eyes, repeating the name under her breath, thoughtful.
Could someone truly frighten all the pirates in the world?
...
Meanwhile, a ship from Fishman Island, flying the same Black Moon flag, surfaced from the depths of the sea.
A massive sea beast pulled the vessel as it arrived in the New World, docking at Duramos.
The giant mermaid girl peered out in curiosity, nervous and shy. But Queen Otohime comforted her gently.
"Don't be afraid. Orin-san likes you very much. He will make sure we are all safe."
"Orin-san..."
She had heard that name ever since she was little—Orin, the great hero who saved Fishman Island.
Though there were also rumors claiming he'd done harm to their people, Shirahoshi had never seen him again since then.
To her, Orin was like a hero from a fairy tale—someone who protected merfolk from harm.
So when Queen Otohime mentioned his name, all her fear and tension about setting foot on land for the first time vanished like mist.
Her eyes sparkled with light as she looked up adorably at her mother.
"Really? I can really meet Orin-sama??!"
"Of course you can," Neptune replied with a hearty laugh.
It was clear that he cared deeply about strengthening relations with Orin—especially since Orin seemed to have a soft spot for Shirahoshi.
Even though Orin had once dragged Fishman Island into the conflict while dealing with the Sun Pirates, could they really hold a grudge?
Of course not.
Whitebeard was already old now. To keep that Black Moon flag flying over their island, even if it meant pretending, he'd act like Orin's most loyal subordinate.
With floating bubbles surrounding their waists to let them walk on land, the group headed toward the center of Duramos—toward the royal palace, the true heart of the nation.
Even among kings, one man here stood out—the ruler of this country and one of the most respected figures on the seas, the great pirate Dotor Keek.
He was there, personally awaiting the arrival of every guest.
...
When everyone had gathered, the representatives of the World Government arrived as well—some from CP, some government officials, and others...
Celestial Dragons.
"I knew it," Saint Rosward said, glancing at the crowd of ships. "With so many vessels rushing here from the Sabaody Archipelago, something big must be happening."
He looked upon the gathering masses with disdain, completely unbothered.
But the CP0 agents beside him were pale with fear, trembling as they whispered urgently,
"You must not cause trouble here, Saint Rosward! This is Orin-sama's territory!!!"
"Orin-sama?"
Rosward blinked. The name rang a bell—he often visited Sabaody, and he remembered hearing it before. Wasn't Orin one of the Celestial Dragons from the Holy Knights?
"It's fine," he said arrogantly. "I'm not going to harm another Celestial Dragon. The rest are just lowborn trash anyway."
Among Celestial Dragons, it was rare for one to act against another.
If a Celestial Dragon ever attacked one of their own on behalf of commoners, the Holy Knights would always punish the one who sided with the lowborn—just like how Saint Garling would one day execute Saint Mjosgard.
"That's..."
The CP0 agent's face twitched. He knew far more than Rosward did.
Orin-sama was not someone who could be compared to a normal Celestial Dragon. Even the captain of the God's Knights wouldn't dare execute him.
If anything, it was more likely Orin-sama would execute an ordinary Celestial Dragon instead.
But Rosward wasn't listening. He simply walked forward, basking in the bows and salutes from the World Government officials.
Even the kings of allied nations lowered their heads as he passed.
"Celestial Dragons are here too?"
"It makes sense, doesn't it? Orin-san himself is a Celestial Dragon."
Even the Marines assigned to "maintain order" were uneasy.
Leading the detachment was Admiral Kizaru, who watched the Celestial Dragons stroll by, his expression lazy but wary.
"How terrifying~ Even the Celestial Dragons are here. Let's hope nothing troublesome happens~"
"Rear Admiral Doll, I'll leave the rest to you~ Keep an eye on things, alright~"
Rear Admiral Doll saluted, secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of Orin, while also praying nothing would go wrong.
But fate rarely cared about prayers.
"Ooooh!!! What a magnificent mermaid girl! CP0, I'm going to catch her and put her in my fish tank!!!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo