"Truly a touching scene..."
Orin revealed a knowing smile. After all, old friends reuniting was the kind of thing that made any man happy.
"You think so too?"
Orin slung an arm over Mihawk's shoulder, his face showing not the slightest trace of tension from the war.
Mihawk crossed his arms. He did not respond to Orin's question, only a look of helplessness filling his eyes.
...
On the other side,
Shanks naturally noticed Captain Roger's presence as well, but now was not a good time to disturb them.
Not only because the captain and vice-captain had just reunited, but also because part of the reason was that, at nearly forty years old, he still had not managed to defeat Orin in front of Captain Roger.
That made him feel a bit ashamed.
However, just when he wanted to lower his sense of presence, someone refused to let him.
"What~ ah!!! You bastard, Shanks!!!"
At this moment, Buggy came to Shanks' side. Two split hands grabbed his collar as he vented his fury.
"War or whatever doesn't matter at all, right? After all, we're pirates!"
"So!!! From the very beginning I never understood what the hell you were trying to do, and now you're actually standing against Orin!!!"
Being grabbed by the collar and yelled at, Shanks' face remained calm and unruffled. After all, the pressure of facing Buggy could not possibly be compared to facing Orin.
"Sorry, Buggy. Don't be angry. Time really flies, Buggy~"
Buggy even mimicked Shanks' mannerisms, clowning around exaggeratedly.
"Have you forgotten that all I feel toward you is hatred, Shanks!!!"
Shanks seemed to have forgotten, quietly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb!!!"
Buggy gritted his teeth, furious!!!
"If you hadn't talked to me, how could I have eaten a Devil Fruit?! And how could I have lost the treasure map Orin gave me!!!"
"Did something like that happen?"
But the more calm Shanks acted, the angrier Buggy became.
"It's always this reaction. I've been pissed about this for a long time now... You dare to start fighting Orin the moment you show up. Who cares if you came to end the war or whatever, right now I'd rather fight you myself!!!"
The subordinates following behind Buggy had no idea when they had woken up.
Seeing this scene and hearing these words, they couldn't help swallowing nervously.
Cold sweat covered their faces as they exchanged glances.
"Did you see that?"
"I did..."
"He actually has complaints about that world-destroying clash just now, and now he's treating that Yonko [Red-Haired] like this!!!"
"Doesn't that mean Captain Buggy, even if he's not as strong as Lord Orin, is at least on par with Yonko Shanks?!"
"This is unbelievable. As expected of one of the three legendary apprentice pirates of the Pirate King..."
In an instant, everyone was moved to tears. They were actually following such a man.
"Captain Buggy, we will follow you for life!!!"
All attention was drawn to this group of [remnants] of the Roger Pirates.
...
Only Sengoku, bare-chested and having reverted from his Great Buddha form, suddenly received a Den Den Mushi call.
"Bero bero bero..."
"Click."
Sengoku finally received the call.
Facing so many legendary pirates, not only were the ordinary soldiers of the Marines in despair, even he, the Fleet Admiral, felt enormous pressure.
If the World Government didn't send word soon, he would have to consider whether the Marines should simply wait to die.
"Sengoku..."
The faces of the Elders projected through the Den Den Mushi looked utterly grim.
Within the halls of power,
The five old men, brows tightly knit and faces slick with cold sweat, all stared at the Den Den Mushi.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, holding a long sword, pressed a hand to his forehead and spoke in a heavy tone.
"The plan to directly target Orin is temporarily canceled."
After saying that, he let out a quiet sigh.
There was no other choice. Im-sama had personally given the order.
And that Conqueror's Haki that had swept across the entire sea earlier truly made all of them feel shaken.
That was the kind of pressure they only felt when facing Im-sama!!!
"...I understand."
Sengoku said heavily.
The Elders were also helpless. Watching the Den Den Mushi imitate Sengoku's face, with the corners of his mouth barely being held down, there was nothing they could say.
This wasn't Sengoku's fault. It truly couldn't be fought.
After all, facing so many monsters at once, if a full-scale war really broke out, there would be only one outcome.
Imu-sama personally entering the fray, locking horns with Orin.
Marine Headquarters' top combat forces + the Elders + the God's Knights
VS
The Roger Pirates + the Yonko + the Shichibukai + several overlords of the old era.
If it came to that,
Leaving everything else aside, even if Orin had no intention of opposing the World Government, such a massive spectacle would surely pique his interest.
Just mentioning such a war lineup was enough to make one's skin crawl.
And Orin's vile personality...
These old men had understood it thoroughly over the past decades.
"Orin will never become a friend of the World Government. His reckless actions have already crossed our bottom line. But now is not the right time to start a war with him, so... Let the war end here. Sengoku, I leave it to you."
"Yes!!!"
Sengoku replied solemnly.
But having served as a Marine commander for decades, he knew very well that there was no such thing as the right or wrong timing.
It was simply because Orin's earlier move, that sea-shaking Conqueror's Haki, was exerting its pressure.
Just as the call was about to end, a burst of static crackled from the other side of the Den Den Mushi,
Followed by the Elders' furious shouts, and a faint rumbling sound.
After a brief silence,
"Sengoku, I order you to dispatch a Marine Admiral and have them rush to the Holy Land immediately!!!"
"..."
...
Watching Borsalino disappear beyond the horizon, Sengoku walked to the platform, his heart filled with helplessness.
"Let the war end here!!!"
"Orin, this war... has no reason to continue anymore!!!"
Faced with this outcome, Sakazuki fell silent. He wanted to keep all the pirates here.
But that was simply impossible.
Kuzan fell silent. He knew deeply that the war reaching this point was all because Orin had been pulling strings from behind the scenes.
But as a Marine, his position was bound by many constraints.
Orin suddenly felt bored.
With such a high-level lineup, yet the enemies were disappointing.
Well...
He hadn't really held any great expectations anyway. After all, there would be more good shows later.
Only to see all the pirates present, facing the Marines, turn their gazes toward that black figure.
At this moment, Orin, as the strongest, naturally had the right to decide whether the war would continue.
"Well... if we keep fighting, this island will probably really sink. So I ask everyone here to do me a favor. This war ends here."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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