"D... Lily?"
When Orin heard that name, a strange sense of familiarity surged in his mind. Especially after hearing the surname Nefertari—
Wasn't this the traitor among the Twenty Kings?
A descendant of the D clan, loyal to Joy Boy at heart, yet in the final moment... betrayed him.
Seeing Orin fall silent, Lily—whose appearance was strikingly similar to Vivi's—smiled lightly, just as she was about to speak, Orin interrupted her first.
"The alliance of the Twenty Kingdoms, huh?"
"Interesting..."
Orin lifted his foot slightly, and in the blink of an eye, appeared upon the royal carriage of Alabasta, sitting right beside Lily.
"My name is Orin, merely an ordinary traveler."
"Orin, huh? I can tell... you're not nearly as simple as you claim to be~"
As one who had walked out of the flames of war, a queen who ruled a nation, her bearing and composure did not lose to Orin's in the slightest.
And just like that, Orin found himself accompanying Lily on her way to the gathering of the Twenty Kings.
"You should know very well what kind of war we're heading into."
Orin sat at the edge of the great ship, the sea breeze brushing past him. Beside him sat Queen Lily of Alabasta, speaking to him as an equal.
"Mm..."
Her blue hair fluttered in the wind, her expression calm, unwavering.
"I understand. After all, our enemy is Joy Boy himself~"
She was one of the founders of an era, one who stood among the world's greatest powers. From what Orin could see, not a trace of rebellion flickered in her expression.
But that didn't really matter.
With his long hair dancing in the wind, Orin took a slow drag from his cigar, lost in thought.
The Great Kingdom versus the Twenty Kingdoms—this would be a war unlike anything in the history of the world.
He had to be there.
More spectacular than the Summit War, grander than the God Valley Incident, surpassing even any "movie version" of this world's chaos—this was the ultimate event.
Perhaps only what he had planned—the [Dark Sun God · Joy Boy]—could compare to it.
And maybe, when the time was right, the final [Twelve-Man Summit] would come close.
Everything else? Just petty skirmishes, nothing worth mentioning.
Even the weaker Emperors could die outright in this battle. After all, even Joy Boy—the ultimate ceiling of power—had been slain.
Lily continued to converse with this mysterious man named Orin, discussing ideals and beliefs—
Was it divine authority he sought, or freedom?
This would determine whether he was an ally... or an enemy.
Orin's expression remained calm, unreadable.
But in his heart, he had already made up his mind.
He didn't particularly care for the Great Kingdom or Joy Boy. The alliance of the Twenty Kings—now that interested him.
And since Lily was the one who had rebelled, leaving only nineteen kings in the Holy Land...
He, Orin, might as well take the spot as the Twentieth King.
...
"Ha..."
"Ha..."
"Ha..."
In the New World, on Whitebeard's territory—
Two figures panted heavily, standing across from one another. After five days and five nights of intense battle, they finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
"Your name's Ace, right..."
Lying on the ground, Jinbe rolled over, gasping for breath, and spoke to the man who had fallen beside him.
"Didn't expect you to have eaten a Devil Fruit already..."
"Yeah... what about it?"
Ace frowned curiously, looking toward Jinbe.
For this equally matched member of the [Shichibukai], Ace held a deep respect.
Hearing that, Jinbe struggled to stand, his massive frame swaying as if at its limit.
Ace, of course, wouldn't be outdone—he gritted his teeth, forcing himself upright with a smirk.
He wanted to see what Jinbe was going to do.
The fish-man reached into his robes, fumbling for something, and solemnly pulled out a small chest, handing it to Ace.
"This treasure chest was entrusted to me by Orin-sama before he left."
"Orin-san?!!!"
Hearing that name, Ace's eyes widened instantly.
"He told me to give this to you—if he hasn't returned within five years. And he also instructed..."
Jinbe's expression turned grave as he locked eyes with Ace.
"If he still doesn't come back, then this chest must not be opened until three years later!!!"
"..."
Ace frowned, but eventually accepted the chest, nodding slowly.
"Now I'm really curious... a box Orin-san would personally entrust to me..."
He grinned.
"But since that's his will, I understand. I won't open it for three years."
Seeing Ace's genuine resolve, Jinbe nodded in relief.
He didn't know the reason, but if Orin had arranged it so, there had to be a purpose behind it.
After all, he had personally seen what Orin placed inside that small chest—
A dark-purple Devil Fruit.
...
Through many twists of fate—
In Orin's absence, Ace eventually walked the same old path.
"Old man!!!"
Everyone welcomed Ace's arrival with open arms. In no time, he was promoted to the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
And one day, while casually chatting about the former division commander—Kozuki Oden—
...
"Kaido, huh? I went to cause him trouble once too."
Sitting with his crewmates, Ace recalled those distant memories.
... (One Piece flashback begins)
"Where's Kaido?! He's been imprisoning all those children! We're here to put an end to it!!!"
Landing on Onigashima,
The Spade Pirates launched their assault, swiftly overwhelming the local pirates.
"Fire Fist!!!"
Wreathed in flames, Ace blazed through the island—until a shadow fell upon him.
A woman stood before him, wielding a round-headed kanabo, dressed in a black formal suit.
She swung the club straight toward him.
"Conqueror's Haki Infusion · Thunder Bagua!!!"
"Boom—!!!"
Facing her full-powered strike, Ace didn't back down. Thanks to Orin's early teachings, he had long since learned to use Haki.
"What a troublesome woman!!!"
His palm slammed into her stomach, flames bursting forth, sending her crashing into a row of buildings.
"Intruder! Get him!!!"
Enemies swarmed toward Ace.
"Out of my way! I'm here to take down Kaido!!!"
He grit his teeth, frowning at the endless stream of small fry—until he noticed the woman again, her style strangely familiar.
"You! Who the hell are you?! Name yourself!!!"
The woman shouted fiercely, and Ace froze for a moment.
"I'm Yamato—known as Orin!!!"