Gernika, the strongest member of CP0.
At this moment, within the Hall of Power, the Elders all turned their gaze toward their most loyal and sharpest sword.
Unlike someone like Stussy, a double agent of questionable loyalty, Gernika was, in the eyes of the Elders, completely and utterly devoted.
That was why, when they were discussing Orin just moments ago, they did not bother to hide anything from him.
He was dressed in a pure white suit, white hat, and white mask, his shoulders draped in a white coat.
The perfectly standard, yet striking attire of a CP0 agent.
Upon hearing the Elders' inquiry, he immediately dropped to one knee.
His expression was hidden beneath the mask, but his voice was calm and steady as he began his report.
"Reporting to the Elders. After a period of investigation by the CP units, we have discovered…"
Gernika lowered his head, recalling the missions and infiltration efforts he and his subordinates had carried out over these past days.
"It can be confirmed that the group centered around Vegapunk has been conducting a secret research project under the direct orders of Saint Orin."
"The specific location and purpose of this research remain unknown. The targets frequently travel by deep-sea submarine, possess strong anti-surveillance awareness, and have thus far prevented us from making further progress."
The Elders frowned in unison as they listened to his report.
So their secrecy ran this deep?
The more careful and secure this operation was, the stronger the unease that settled in their hearts — because that meant what Orin was researching was even more unpredictable.
"And? What else?"
They did not believe that the most capable member of CP0 would come back with so little information.
At that, Gernika adjusted his white hat with one hand and continued his report.
"However... after extensive investigation into maritime material movements, and reports from spies we've embedded among the major figures of the underworld, we have noticed that this secret research involves a large number of supplies related to nutrient fluids and cultivation equipment."
"We initially suspect that they are conducting some form of biological weapon development."
With that, Gernika's voice faded into silence.
The vast Hall of Power fell quiet for a moment.
Some of the Elders furrowed their brows, others exchanged glances, all deep in thought, feeling somewhat...
Underwhelmed.
Yes — that was the feeling.
Their earlier tension and complexity of emotion eased a little.
"So the Orin who always manages to shake the entire sea... turns out to be doing something like this?"
With his cane in hand, Saint Saturn's gaze cooled, his expression once again becoming that of a supreme ruler who controlled all.
In their view, if Orin had been researching an Ancient Weapon or developing some bug-like power similar to a Paramecia of terrifying proportions — something capable of destroying the world — then that would have been troublesome indeed, worthy of his reputation.
But...
A biological weapon?
Judging by the Elders' collective reaction, that didn't sound nearly as threatening.
Even if it produced some kind of monstrous powerhouse, it would only make things slightly more difficult for the World Government — and that was all.
After all, no matter how fearsome a single combatant could be, could anyone truly surpass the overwhelming deterrence that Orin himself represented?
Even Saint Saturn, the Elder overseeing science, had conducted numerous biological weapon experiments himself — including the creation of Pacifistas modeled after Bartholomew Kuma that preserved his memory and consciousness, and later the [Seraphim・Shichibukai] prototypes based on the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Those weapons certainly possessed formidable individual power, yet compared to Orin, the pinnacle of single-combat force, they were nothing more than parlor tricks.
So no matter what kind of biological weapon Orin developed, it was ultimately acceptable in the eyes of the World Government.
"Even so, CP0 must continue monitoring the situation…"
After a moment's hesitation, Saint Topman Warcury furrowed his brow and issued the order to Gernika.
"After all, this is Orin. No amount of caution is excessive. Until we know what exactly he's producing, we cannot truly rest easy."
"Yes, sir!!!"
Gernika accepted the command respectfully, then retreated from the chamber.
The doors of the Hall of Power slowly closed once more.
...
"So, you're planning to sail the Grand Line all over again, from the very beginning?"
Sitting atop his coffin board, Mihawk adjusted his hat slightly, looking helplessly at Orin beside him.
This tiny boat was barely big enough as it was, and adding someone of Orin's size made everything feel cramped and inconvenient.
But Orin seemed unbothered. With the power of the Warp-Warp Fruit, there was little he ever needed to do personally — not even going to the bathroom.
He gazed toward the distant Red Line, where torrents of water surged upward toward the mountain's summit.
"Well… not entirely. I just feel like there's a lot of interesting things to see."
Orin had already entered a sort of semi-retirement.
After all, the people under him — once young — had now all reached their peaks. He had nothing left to worry about.
If he didn't travel around and find new experiences, he'd lose his passion for life.
And once that happened — if he allowed himself to grow complacent — the only thing left for him would be to return to the Sabaody Archipelago and spend trillions of Belly indulging in the ownership of countless beauties from the red-light districts, living a life of lazy decadence.
The mere thought of it was horrifying…
Interacting with people from the story, whether familiar or not, was far more entertaining — it gave him a sense of participation, of being part of the world.
"Of course, if you get bored, you don't have to tag along."
Hearing Mihawk's remark, Orin realized there were quite a few storylines in which the "Hawk Eyes" played a part.
Keeping him tied down wasn't ideal, so he spoke casually.
But Mihawk's reaction was oddly intriguing.
"No… there's nothing pressing lately anyway. I might as well tag along for a while."
That was true — boredom had always been Mihawk's greatest enemy. He wandered the seas out of sheer restlessness.
Even without Orin, he might have drifted toward the East Blue just for something to do.
And besides...
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
He knew just how terrified Orin was of boredom — constantly seeking pleasure, always chasing new thrills to fill his solitude.
Following this man around...
He might end up seeing a great many fascinating things.
"Then the first stop,"
"Let's pay a visit to one of our old crewmates."