With the arrival of Sabo, the smooth-talking, scheming boy who could make friends with anyone, the group's bond deepened. Determined to "steal" Orochimaru away, Sabo shamelessly dragged him out every day, declaring, "You're Luffy's younger brother! We should stick together, not waste time on that old hag Dadan, who thinks she's a man!"
Without Orochimaru to cook, Dadan's household grumbled incessantly. It's easy to grow accustomed to luxury, but going back to basics is hard. While Orochimaru's cooking wasn't exceptional, it was far better than anyone else's, and he even helped with chores. Compared to the other three troublemakers, Orochimaru—aside from his aloofness and occasional lapses in composure—was practically an angel.
In the mountains behind the house, Sabo and Ace sparred fiercely, while Luffy threw a tantrum on the ground, demanding another round. Orochimaru, eyes closed, balanced upside down on a tree branch, circulating his Chakra to simulate combat.
After the sparring session, Sabo tallied the results on a chalkboard. "Luffy lost 50 matches to Ace and me combined. Ace and I are tied at 24 to 26. And we each lost 50 matches to Orochimaru. He really is as strong as Luffy says... Damn it!"
As for Luffy versus Orochimaru? Orochimaru dismissed the idea. "There's no point until you two can beat Ace and Sabo first."
"Just you wait! When I turn ten, I'll knock you all flat!" Luffy declared, puffing out his cheeks.
Ace scoffed. "By then, we'll be thirteen! And Orochimaru's practically the same age as you."
Luffy glared, his face turning red.
The harsh environment of Mt. Colubo was toughening them up day by day. Occasionally, they could even hold their own against Orochimaru. Though he remained mostly silent, Orochimaru had somehow acquired a metal pipe.
Some time later, Luffy, Ace, and Sabo sneaked into the Goa Kingdom for a dine-and-dash. They were discovered, and Sabo's father found out about it too. They scrambled back to the mountain in disgrace.
The mountain was eerily silent. Ace and Luffy confronted Sabo. "Are you hiding something from us?" Ace demanded, pinching Sabo until his eyes rolled back in pain.
"Fine... fine, I'll tell you!" Sabo gasped.
"Before you do... isn't there something you want to explain to me?" Orochimaru's icy voice hissed from behind Ace. A cold snake tongue flicked out, and his serpentine body coiled around the three boys, tightening steadily. By now, the others knew Orochimaru's true abilities.
The terrified trio huddled together, trembling.
"W-what...?"
"So, you three went behind my back to eat ramen, huh? Is my cooking really that inedible? Did you have to sneak off and dine and dash?" Orochimaru asked, his voice laced with mock disappointment.
The three boys shook their heads frantically. Luffy, uncharacteristically quick-witted, blurted out, "Orochimaru was cooking for Dadan today, and we really wanted ramen, so we went to the kingdom to get some."
The other two nodded vigorously in agreement.
Uh-huh! Uh-huh!
Satisfied with their plausible explanation, Orochimaru relented, resuming his usual aloof demeanor as he leaned against a tree. "Alright, Sabo, you can continue."
"I'm the child of nobles," Sabo declared.
Luffy and Ace picked their noses, completely ignoring Sabo's noble status, which earned them a furious roar from him. "You're the ones who asked! What's with those faces?! Nobles! Nobles!"
Sabo continued, recounting his past. "If I can't marry into the royal family, I'm worthless. I'm just a burden to my family. As much as it pains me to say this, even with parents, I'm completely alone. I refuse to waste my life trapped in that stifling society, having my future decided for me."
"Ace! Luffy! Orochimaru! We have to leave this country and roam free! I want to see the whole world and write a book about it for everyone to read!"
Ace swore he'd keep winning forever, proving his existence and making everyone who doubted him eat their words.
Luffy roared, "I'm gonna be the man who becomes King of the Pirates!"
After their declarations, the trio realized something was off. They circled Orochimaru, who had been watching them with amusement.
"Orochimaru... you got anything to say?" Ace demanded, his face inches from Orochimaru's. "We've all spilled our guts. You're the only one left. You're not Luffy's real younger brother, are you? You don't look anything like him!"
"And your training style is completely different from ours," Ace continued, "your clothes and habits are weird! Plus, Luffy was all excited about you being a ninja... ninjas are just legendary characters from storybooks!"
Orochimaru tilted his head innocently. "Ehehe~"
"Ehehe my ass!! Spill it already! Or I'll shove bugs down your throat!" The familiar throat-grabbing scene threatened to repeat itself. Seeing Orochimaru unfazed, Ace turned to Luffy.
"Hey, Luffy! Doesn't this guy have any weaknesses? Anything he doesn't want to talk about? Think hard!"
Luffy's little brain whirred. Suddenly, he slammed his fist into his palm.
"Got it! When Orochimaru was five... Grandpa..."
To be continued...