"So… now you can finally tell us your true identity, right?"
The lively banquet was still going, but the moment Rayleigh spoke those words, everyone—whether they had been drinking, eating meat, or chatting—fell silent.
With eyes full of curiosity, they all turned to stare at Orin, who was still devouring food like a madman.
At this moment, Orin had already calmed himself down, no longer overly emotional.
Instead, he just kept eating, replenishing his nearly depleted stamina.
When he noticed everyone's gaze on him, he shrugged, then looked at Roger and Rayleigh, who both had thoughtful expressions.
"Well… even if I don't say it, you guys can probably guess a little already, right?"
The mention of this made the Roger Pirates rack their brains for a while, but with heads filled with nothing but battles, they couldn't figure it out at all.
So naturally, they all turned to Roger… and to the man beside him, Rayleigh.
When it came to brains, Rayleigh was the best. Next would be Gaban. Roger was dead last.
Rayleigh rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and then prepared to boldly guess.
"Orin, your identity should be—"
"I've got it!!!"
Just as everyone was focused on listening to Rayleigh's analysis, Roger suddenly stood up, blocking Rayleigh with his arm before he could speak.
Rayleigh was instantly choked off mid-sentence, his face twitching, but he could only stare helplessly at Roger.
"Since you say you know, then go ahead, let's hear it."
Rayleigh folded his arms, expression sour, watching the overly excited Roger. He was ready to listen, though clearly doubtful.
Roger just chuckled.
One hand on his chin, a grin on his lips, eyes closed as if he were a detective about to reveal the grand answer…
Everyone watched Roger expectantly, thinking he was about to deliver some shocking revelation. Even Orin himself raised a glass of juice with interest, waiting to hear it.
And then—
"Snore…"
After closing his eyes for literally one second, Roger's mouth hung wide open as he started snoring where he sat, a snot bubble inflating and deflating on his nose.
"…"
He fell asleep!!!
"Pfft—"
Orin had just taken a sip of juice, only to spit it all out in a spray.
Rayleigh, who had just been interrupted, now saw Roger asleep and instantly popped several veins on his forehead. His sharp tongue ready, he drew his sword despite the bandages around him, prepared to slash this idiot captain—if not for the other crewmates holding him back.
"Don't stop me! Roger, you idiot captain!!!"
The atmosphere instantly turned chaotic and lively, with everyone shouting and laughing.
"Hahahahahaha…"
Orin, holding a bottle of juice, watched the rowdy, cheerful crewmates around him. He couldn't help but burst out laughing.
But as he laughed, his eyes grew moist.
"I thought… I'd never see this scene again in my life. It's so good… seeing everyone together once more."
Even though Orin knew this wasn't truly the Roger Pirates he had once joined, in this moment, he had still seen Captain Roger alive again, and the crew together, not yet scattered apart.
It made him truly happy. Tears glimmered in his eyes for a brief moment before vanishing.
"Being able to gather once more… it really is wonderful…"
Then, with a smile tugging at his lips, he joined the chaos, trying to mediate.
"He's the captain—you can't beat him…"
The noisy bickering continued until Roger's snot bubble popped. He rubbed his eyes and saw everyone in chaos.
"Nani? What are you all doing~"
"You bastard, Roger!!! We were all waiting for your guess, and you went and fell asleep again!!!"
Gaban clenched his teeth, grabbing Roger by the collar and shouting furiously, shaking him as he yelled.
Roger just let himself be shaken, wearing a wide, goofy grin.
"Hahahahaha, is that so? I actually fell asleep, huh~"
The noise went on for a while before the group finally settled down again. Roger cleared his throat.
"Well… my Divine Departure, a marksmanship even stronger than Petermoo's… Fishman Karate with hints of Sunbell's style… black hair… an Ace identical to me… and you know us so well…"
The answer was obvious. Orin's lips curved in a small smile.
"That's right…"
"You must be… a fan of the Roger Pirates!!! You used that weird ability to stalk us and study us!!!"
"Eh???"
Orin froze mid-sentence, his face going blank.
Bang—
Rayleigh couldn't take it anymore. He raised his hand and smacked a lump right on Roger's head. Roger's head tilted to the side, a puff of smoke rising from the bump.
"You idiot! There's a limit to how far you can joke around!!!"
"This guy is clearly your son!!!"
"Ah???"
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Orin was completely petrified, his face utterly dumbstruck.
Such a ridiculous statement… yet Roger immediately believed it. He slammed one fist into his other palm, eyes wide, face full of sudden realization.
"I see!!!"
"But why are you called Orin? Shouldn't you be called Ace? I mean, they do sound kinda similar though…"
Several veins popped up on Orin's forehead. He was about to retort, but then suddenly froze.
...
He seemed to sense something unusual. His gaze turned toward the distant sea.
"Hey!!! Orin, is Rayleigh right? Are you really my son? What are you looking at…"
Seeing Orin's silence as he looked far away, Roger and the others were confused for a moment. Then their eyes also flickered with red light.
"So~ enemies are coming, huh…"
Orin's Observation Haki range was broader than anyone else present, so he was the first to notice something was wrong.
After leaving the Island, the Oro Jackson had been drifting across the New World seas. Unexpectedly, now they had run into a formidable enemy.
As the strongest among them grew serious, even the dullest crewmates could tell something had happened—something bad.
Like an omen, the once-clear sky suddenly grew overcast. Huge dark clouds gathered above, faint images of sinister laughing faces staring down at the Roger Pirates.
Thunderclouds rumbled, bolts of lightning crackling and crashing into the sea. The ocean itself raged, waves rolling wildly.
Before the massive tsunami, the Oro Jackson rocked like nothing more than a drifting leaf.
In the distance, enormous warships were closing in, surrounding the Oro Jackson.
The markings on them were obvious—ones Orin knew very well.
He tugged at the corner of his lips, smiling with interest.
"The Rocks Pirates, huh?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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