Looking over the Summit War, of course it wasn't only the clash between monsters like Orin.
In fact, far more of it was the countless bottom-tier Marine soldiers and pirate lackeys who died in droves. Yet people's eyes were always fixed on the strong, just like watching a live broadcast—viewers only care about how exaggerated the battles between the Marine Admirals and the great pirates will be, who wins and who loses.
Aside from the families of the Marine soldiers, no one cares how many people die to a single laser beam explosion, or how many Marines are killed when one air-shattering punch flips all of Marineford upside down.
Standing from the standpoint of commonly accepted justice, they were indeed noticed—not just because of their pitiable weakness, but because each and every one of them was a warrior staking their life for their respective camps, a true man.
But not every small figure possesses the qualifications to earn respect.
"What's wrong with that guy..."
A furious roar rang out in front of Orin. It was a short Marine, pink hair tied with a headscarf, his face smeared with snot and tears, arms spread wide as he blocked the black-clad figure.
Strangely enough, that roar actually seemed to work.
Everyone's attention was drawn over, and the beam of light Borsalino had been charging for a long time slowly dissipated into nothingness at that moment.
Sakazuki's pupils shifted downward, and Teach, panting, also looked over at him.
"Cease the war!!!"
Standing before Orin, Koby—who looked barely half his height—spread his arms and shouted.
"Stop fighting!!!"
The terrifying spatial shockwaves in Orin's hand continued to emit a hum that twisted space itself. The tall figure in the black coat lowered his head and looked at that silhouette before him.
Huh???
"You're trampling on lives!!!"
Howling through tears, Koby seemed to have thrown everything away, his expression unbearably painful.
"Every soldier and every pirate has their own family and friends! This war—ever since the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates began fighting—has become harder and harder to rein in!!!"
"Whitebeard is already dead, and the fact that Fire Fist Ace was rescued can no longer be undone. Since the outcome of the war is already decided, yet you still continue fighting..."
"Watching those who can still be saved die without lifting a finger, continuing to increase the number of casualties..."
"Then don't the people fighting with all their might look like complete idiots?!!!"
Facing the furious shouts of this pink-haired Deserter King, Orin merely picked at his ear. The pitch-black spatial wave in his hand didn't disappear—instead, it grew even sharper.
Seeing this, Garp's eyes widened.
"Wait a moment, Orin. Koby is my disciple..."
As a teacher who had witnessed Koby's two-hundred-fold effort, Garp naturally admired him greatly. If the Marines handled Koby from a wartime standpoint, he would have nothing to say.
But if Orin, as a pirate, was going to kill Koby, he had to step in.
"Old man Garp, I already let you keep one grandson. Don't be too greedy."
Orin shot him a glance and snorted coldly.
"Grandson?"
Roger froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something. He immediately stopped that bastard Garp, and the two of them clashed once more.
Orin ignored them and instead looked down at the little thing in front of him.
"Fighting with all their might is the resolve they chose for their own ideals. That word has nothing to do with a deserter like you, right~"
He could, without any hesitation, smash the Deserter King into minced meat with a single punch.
But seeing that unyielding, would-rather-die posture, if he really killed him, the kid would probably think he'd died gloriously for some righteous cause.
That irritated Orin a bit.
...
At the same time, the Seagull King flew out from who-knows-where.
An image appeared on the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Let's run! These monsters are way beyond what we can handle!"
"So scary!!!"
Facing the brutal battlefield, one blond and one pink-haired person muddled through the chaos, even retreating to the rear to hide for a while.
In an instant, this ignited the fury of countless Marines!!!
Some Marines who were gravely wounded and lying on the ground, seeing themselves charging at the front while comrades hid in the back, had their blood surge in rage and died on the spot.
There were also Marine officers who, seeing such soldiers—elite troops from Marine Headquarters no less—felt nothing but humiliation wash over their faces.
These were the soldiers they had brought out themselves!!?
The pirate lackeys who were being beaten into headlong flight didn't forget to sneer.
"So this is Marine Headquarters!???"
"Our Whitebeard Pirates didn't have a single one who ran away!!!"
"The Marines of Marineford are just so-so..."
The ordinary people watching the live broadcast also voiced constant doubts.
"We pay our taxes hoping the World Government's Marines will protect us from pirates!!!"
"Not so you can run away!!!"
For a time, public sentiment boiled over.
Koby, who had been crying just moments before, even forgot to cry. He stood there, stunned.
Everyone was accusing and cursing.
"A mere deserter, questioning pirates who'd stab themselves in both sides for family and loyalty, and Marines who maintain order..."
"Who gave you the courage?!!!"
"I... I..."
At this moment, Koby's face twisted in agony as he collapsed onto the ground.
Without the support of moral high ground, what courage did he have left to stand before the strongest in the world?
Seeing him like this, Orin's gaze sank slightly.
He couldn't be bothered to say another word. The kid wasn't worth listening to.
He lifted his foot, about to kick straight at his head.
And it was at that very moment—
"Bang!!!"
Cold sweat broke out on everyone's faces as they looked gravely toward Orin's direction.
A figure appeared in an instant, blade raised, blocking Orin's kick.
"..."
Even Orin was speechless.
Could it be that there really was such a thing as luck in this world—that some people were just incredibly hard to kill?
Under everyone's shocked gazes, a bearded man in a black cloak and slippers appeared, standing with his sword directly before Orin.
"You did well, young Marine."
"This war has indeed reached a point far beyond expectations. If it continues, it could even drag the entire world into the abyss of war..."
His expression was exceptionally serious. On the face marked by three scars, gravity and ferocity intertwined.
"Orin, no matter what, playtime has to have limits. With such an exaggerated rate of escalation, it will sooner or later trigger a world-scale chaotic war."
"I'm here..."
"To end this war."
Shanks now radiated overwhelming presence. His weathered, mature face was filled with powerful aura.
Orin's eyes grew distant as he looked at Shanks, who had blocked his kick.
"Cease the war, Orin!!!"