"Wait— that's Joy Boy???"
Although he had anticipated it, Orin still hadn't expected this kind of overwhelming pressure. Especially that vast, boundless release of Conqueror's Haki—
Among the Twenty Kings, several users of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits were instantly forced back into their human forms.
That even included Lily, that old schemer.
"Who are you?"
Joy Boy's gaze first landed on Orin. This man was… peculiar. He could hear the Voice of All Things.
It felt as though the entire world was rejecting him.
But Orin didn't answer. He simply swallowed hard, staring at the bizarre group gathered beside this giant—
Mink Tribe, Lunarians, a Mermaid Princess from the Sea Kings' lineage, samurai from Wano, a robot named Emet...
No wonder they could take on the twenty most powerful nations and their kings head-on.
Even Orin had to admit—it really was him.
"I guess... he's not gonna die that easily..."
...
East Blue.
"Ugh... where am I...?"
Appearing high in the sky, the legendary man slowly opened his eyes. As he free-fell, he touched his own body—
Blood everywhere, wounds all over.
The wind screamed past him as he plummeted through the air.
But the sea was always noisy with wind and waves, so nobody noticed the figure descending from the heavens—
Except for one pink-haired, short, stubby boy.
Whether by coincidence or premonition, the boy, who had been mopping the deck, suddenly looked up—
A dark shadow was falling toward their ship at terrifying speed. He froze instantly, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the floor.
His reaction drew the attention of the other pirates nearby.
They grabbed him by the collar, shouting and cursing.
"What the hell are you doing, Koby? Don't think you can fake weak legs to slack off, you little punk!!!"
"N-no, it's not that—it's up there!!!"
Koby stammered, face pale, pointing toward the sky.
"Huh???"
But when they all looked up together, there was nothing— not even a news-delivering seagull.
"You trying to mess with us? You wanna die???"
"I-I'm not lying!!!"
They didn't realize that Koby had actually told the truth. The figure had already vanished—reappearing instantly inside their ship's cabin.
"Just ordinary supplies, huh... Guess they'll do to restore a bit of energy."
Grinning through the pain, Orin didn't care. He grabbed whatever food he could find—apples, bread—and stuffed them into his mouth.
It was like feeding a black hole; their provisions were disappearing fast.
Feeling the transformation of his Conqueror's Haki, Orin still had lingering chills.
Damn it...
That Joy Boy... was that really a human???
That laughter, that way of twisting reality itself as he fought—there was simply no way to approach him.
And that Haki...
Orin had barely managed to hold his ground, but Lily had completely collapsed—kneeling, trembling, drenched in cold sweat. Hardly the look of a "ruler of the world."
Still, that was enough. Even without leaving descendants, Orin had earned his name among the Twenty Kings—had taken part in history itself.
As for all that "Celestial Dragon" nonsense... Orin didn't really care.
What mattered was power.
After the Great Ancient War, he had finally reached the quasi-first tier.
Even without using the tactics, he could now wrestle on equal footing with Rocks or Lily.
Thinking of that, the pain in his body suddenly didn't feel so bad anymore. Totally worth it.
Crunch...
Crunch...
After being scolded, Koby crept back to the storage room, sniffling, just wanting a break.
But when he looked up—he froze.
A blood-covered man was sitting there, devouring their food nonstop. Judging by the pile of empty crates, more than half of their supplies were already gone.
Panic surged through him. Without thinking, Koby threw himself forward, spreading his arms to block Orin.
"H-hey!!! Are you out of your mind?!"
"This is Captain Alvida's ship! If she finds out you ate all her supplies, you'll be killed—no, we'll both be killed!!!"
(￣～￣)
Still chewing, Orin looked up at the little thing in front of him. He was about to flick him away with a finger—then suddenly realized something familiar.
That mop-like hair... those small, anxious eyes... that timid expression...
"Hey, what's your name?"
Orin kept eating, his tone calm and casual.
"H-huh? I... I'm Koby."
"Thought so."
Orin chuckled, but didn't stop eating. To him, Koby wasn't even worth acknowledging.
Faced with such an enormous, terrifying man, Koby didn't dare move. Seeing how badly injured Orin was, he assumed the stranger was just starving to death. Pity overtook fear.
He could only clutch his head, despair etched on his face.
"It's over... Alvida's definitely going to kill me this time!!!"
As for Orin, he had already recognized where he was—and who these people were.
Especially Koby and Alvida.
The former—"The Runaway Guy"—Orin knew him well. But he wasn't planning to kill him now. He still wanted to have some fun with this timeline later.
As for the latter—Luffy's very first small-time boss, one of Buggy's old crewmates. After eating a Devil Fruit, she actually became quite the looker.
"Hey!!! Koby!!!"
Right then, a loud, coarse female voice barked.
Orin, still eating, turned curiously.
Hmm. She looked like a mix between Big Mom and an ice cream cone.
"Who the hell are you, daring to eat all my supplies?!"
Red-faced with fury, Alvida hefted her giant spiked club—but compared to Orin's towering figure, she didn't look intimidating at all.
If anything, his calmness made her lose confidence.
"Hey... this guy looks familiar..."
"Yeah... I think I saw him on a wanted poster..."
Unease spread through the pirates. Even the hot-tempered Alvida froze for a moment, intimidated by the man's terrifying wounds and massive frame.
But Orin didn't react. With a single glance, he froze all of them in place.
"I don't have time to play with you right now. Let me finish eating first."
Under normal circumstances, meeting story characters like these would have amused him.
But right now, in this half-dead state, he wasn't in the mood.
And none of these East Blue weaklings had the faintest idea what kind of existence they were facing—or what kind of storms his arrival would soon unleash upon the sea.
...
"Goodbye, everyone!!!"
"I'm setting sail!!!"
As the rope slipped loose, in the year Sea Circle Calendar 1520, a man named Monkey D. Luffy—
Unaware of what awaited him in the future—
Began his journey, right after punching the Sea King into the horizon.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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