Orochimaru slowly took a deep breath, calming himself down, as if to expel all the pent-up frustration in his heart with that breath.
He had indeed lost control of his emotions just now, and looking back, it seemed to have somewhat ruined his image. Orochimaru's gaze calmly swept over the people around him.
The look in his eyes seemed placid, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made everyone he looked at unconsciously straighten their backs.
"You all didn't see anything just now," Orochimaru's voice was calm yet firm, stating an undeniable fact.
"Mm-hmm Σ(｀Grass´;)!!" A group of pirates nodded hastily; their keen sixth sense told them that this was absolutely not the time to argue.
They didn't want to become the target of Orochimaru's wrath; after all, they weren't close. If even his acquaintances suffered so much... they, being unfamiliar, might end up 'cooked' directly, as in, the culinary kind of cooked.
Orochimaru expressionlessly ignored this group of people and simply dragged Moriah away. The way he did it made it seem as if they were allies. Moriah, at this moment, was so utterly defeated that he was devoid of any will to live, his face ashen as he allowed Orochimaru to drag him away.
Watching Orochimaru leave, Usopp let out a long sigh, his eyes filled with lingering fear as he looked at Luffy and said,
"Luffy... what's wrong with Orochimaru again? Just thinking about Orochimaru's venom-laced tongue sends shivers down my spine. If he ever cursed me, I'd probably be even more negative than if I'd been hit by a Negative Hollow."
Luffy looked left and right, and only after confirming that Orochimaru was gone did he release the hand that had been covering his mouth, taking a relaxed breath. He scratched his head, lost in thought.
"He must be very angry, but I don't know why. Usually, the only one who gets that treatment is Ace. If Ace knew that someone else was helping him share that pain, he'd probably be very happy.
After all, being scolded by Orochimaru is not a pleasant experience. Now that someone is helping him share it, I suddenly feel that Ace and Moriah might actually get along unexpectedly („• ֊ •„)੭"
Everyone's eyes were filled with disbelief. "No way... Ace is such a gentle older brother. Are you sure it's not you who gets scolded?"
Luffy's face instantly turned into a shark's. "What do you mean!! I would never do something that causes trouble for others!!!"
╭(°A°`)╮ Ah... The Straw Hat Pirates all took a step back... They forgot that he was a fool... After a bout of playful banter, a wave of exhaustion washed over them. After all, they had just endured a grueling all-night battle.
Once they relaxed, the sleepiness rushed in like a broken dam, unstoppable. Everyone, tired from playing, collapsed in the courtyard, as if all their strength had been drained. They fell into a deep sleep, sleeping for an entire day.
Meanwhile, Moriah, taken away by Orochimaru, also fell into a deep sleep somewhere else.
Orochimaru looked at the sleeping group of people and let out a soft sigh. He knew in his heart that they would soon be parting ways.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frown slightly. In this New World, they were indeed not strong enough yet.
Thinking back to when he first arrived in this world, this should be the first time he would be separated from Luffy. A strange feeling welled up in his heart. What kind of feeling was this? The reluctance of an old father?
Orochimaru couldn't help but scoff. Could he actually be feeling reluctance now?
He shook his head, trying to shake off this strange emotion from his mind, but it wouldn't go away. The newspaper in his hand directly burned to ashes. Forget it, he should first consider that idiot who was captured, after all, he had a lot of things to do once he rested... Sabaody Archipelago, Marineford War... "I'm hungry, Sanji!!!" Luffy's loud howl broke the silence, and a new day thus began with Luffy's shouts.
Sanji, while tidying things up, responded, "You should gnaw on some cheese first, or go ask Orochimaru for some meat to tide you over." After speaking, he continued with his work.
Luffy gnawed on the cheese, but his eyes were fixed on Orochimaru, who was spacing out. A conflicted expression appeared on his face, as if he was hesitating whether or not to go find Orochimaru.
At this moment, Orochimaru was immersed in his own thoughts.
Orochimaru had his own plans. He wanted Moriah to shine brightly at the Marineford War and retain his Shichibukai title. That way, the subsequent chain of reactions wouldn't happen, right?
In that case, that person might have a new life... that same fool as Jiraiya... the same voice, the same teacher, the same ending, it's truly laughable.
As for Moriah, he was being watched by a snake clone Orochimaru had thrown out, diligently trying to lose weight in a corner. After all, no one here welcomed Moriah.
And Moriah, despite having many grievances in his heart, couldn't do anything... He lost, and his weakness was exposed, with recordings as evidence.
He, Moriah, was so old, why did he have to encounter something like this? Although having a friend with similar ideas was quite happy, wasn't the price a bit too high?
Luffy gnawed on the cheese dejectedly, constantly mumbling, "Just eating cheese isn't enough at all. I can't move with just cheese." His pitiful appearance was like a child who had been wronged.
Finally, Luffy couldn't resist his intense craving for food and cautiously tugged at Orochimaru's sleeve.
Orochimaru looked up from his thoughts, seeing such a cautious Luffy, and a ripple stirred in his heart. He began to reflect on his actions, wondering if he had gone too far.
Luffy had never shown such an expression before. Was it because he had gone too far this time, and hadn't told him the reason for things?
Or was it because his dealings with Moriah made him feel wronged?
Or perhaps Kuma's appearance had put too much pressure on him?
Orochimaru brainstormed, trying to figure out what had made Luffy feel wronged.
Luffy, meanwhile, continued to look at Orochimaru pitifully, finally only uttering one word: "Meat..."
For a moment, the air seemed to solidify, a silence... A moment later, a lump of meat hit Luffy.
Orochimaru's mouth twitched... Sure enough, he shouldn't think too much; having no brains was the mainstream in this world.
Luffy excitedly devoured a large piece of meat in one bite, instantly feeling like he had come back to life.
Sanji emerged from the sunny's kitchen, carrying a huge pot. "Since you have energy now, hurry up and move the dining essentials to the courtyard. The 'Victim's Association' guys don't want to leave that spot, so let's just eat there."
Laura looked at Sanji, a little embarrassed. "Sorry... After all, many of them haven't seen the sun in years. They're crying while enjoying their sunbathing."
Usopp looked at Luffy with a speechless expression. Luffy, like a little hamster, had his mouth stuffed full of meat. Although he disliked cheese, he still held onto it tightly, a sight that was truly amusing.
Usopp shook his head helplessly and said, "Why are you so energetic? It's definitely strange, truly incredible..."
Usopp's tone contained both doubt and a hint of envy.
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