"East Blue, huh… this time I definitely won't get it wrong."
"But which direction is Foosha Village again? The kingdom it belongs to… was it called Goa?"
Orin held several Eternal Poses in one hand and an East Blue map in the other, rubbing his chin as he tried to figure out the direction.
Tired from swimming, he decided to drop the act altogether, sitting cross-legged on the surface of the sea as if walking on solid ground.
After walking for a while, Orin's Observation Haki picked up an island in the distance.
"Whatever, I'll rest there first and grab a bite to eat."
Though it was possible to catch some Sea Kings from the depths and roast them right on the ocean, Orin had never cooked before — so the taste could easily be imagined.
He learned Observation Haki incredibly fast, but cooking? That was something he could never bring himself to care about.
It had been the nth day since he started missing sailing together with Hawk Eyes.
Walking across the sea, Orin teleported several times in quick succession, rapidly closing the distance. His figure flickered like a phantom as he walked toward the island, hands in his pockets.
...
At the same time, on the coast near Shimotsuki Village.
A green-haired child with an arrogant look was wandering aimlessly around, glancing left and right — looking almost exactly like Orin earlier.
With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth and both hands resting behind his head, he took a casual glance toward the sea.
That one glance nearly made his eyes pop out. He rubbed them furiously with the back of his hand.
"Nani!!??"
Just now, for a split second, he thought he saw someone walking on the surface of the ocean?!
But when he rubbed his eyes again, that person had already disappeared.
"Must've been my imagination… or maybe I'm just starving too much?"
The kid clutched his stomach, his face twisting with discomfort.
"But… I don't have any money for food anyway."
"Hey, kid. What's your name?"
The sudden, ghostly voice behind him made the little brat jump so hard he fell flat on the ground.
"Geez! Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Wait a sec… you're that guy who was walking on the sea just now!"
If that was the case… could he really be seeing a ghost?
Despite realizing that, the thick-skinned brat didn't back down. He snatched up two sticks from the ground and glared at Orin through gritted teeth.
"I'm not scared of you, evil spirit!!!"
"???"
Even if you are Zoro, that's one hell of a rude first impression.
Orin's mouth twitched. Of course, he already recognized who the little child was — none other than the future right-hand man of the Pirate King himself, the lost wanderer, Zoro!
Rebellious kids like this… they just needed to experience the Fist of Love.
He knew plenty of brats from the new era, but none of them dared act up in front of him. Zoro was definitely a tough one — but nothing that couldn't be fixed with one good punch.
Szzzt!
A moment later, with a huge bump on his head still letting out a trail of smoke, the little green-haired kid was dangling from Orin's hand as they headed toward the island's center.
With a sweep of his Observation Haki, Orin quickly found a small restaurant in the village.
"Sorry to intrude. I'm here to eat."
Orin's tall, imposing figure immediately drew the attention of everyone inside. He gently set the now-sleeping Zoro on a nearby seat, sat down himself, and picked up the menu.
"Uh… this customer, what would you like to order?"
The owner noticed Orin's refined bearing. Though it was strange he brought in a knocked-out kid, a paying customer was still a paying customer.
Orin flipped through the menu with interest, pretending to ponder seriously.
"I'll have one of everything to start with."
"Alright, one of— wait, what??"
Orin rubbed his aching stomach and saw the restaurant owner frozen in place. His mood immediately soured.
"What are you standing there for?"
"Uh… well…"
Faced with such a bizarre order, the young owner instinctively assumed Orin had come to make trouble.
He even began to wonder if he should run to the nearby Shimotsuki Dojo for help — he'd heard the master there was a skilled swordsman and an honest man who might be able to handle the situation.
Orin could tell exactly what he was thinking. His mouth twitched again — how long had it been since he last spent money? And now that he finally did, someone had the nerve to doubt him?
With a flick of his fingers, a thick stack of high-denomination Belly appeared in his hand, which he casually tossed at the owner's face.
"Keep the change as a tip. Now hurry up and bring the food!"
"Y-Yes, sir!!!"
Scooping up the pile of Belly, the owner dashed into the kitchen. Soon, the sound of frantic cooking echoed throughout the restaurant.
Before long, plate after plate of home-style and specialty dishes filled the table.
They weren't exactly gourmet-level — nowhere near Hawk Eyes's cooking, of course — but compared to his own, they were far better. The aroma was rich, and Orin enjoyed his fried rice with satisfaction, wiping out dish after dish.
Just then—
Sniff, sniff…
A faint sniffing sound came from beside him. Zoro, who had only just been coaxed to sleep, was suddenly awakened by the irresistible smell of food.
The moment his eyes snapped open, they gleamed brightly.
"Smells amazing!!!"
Without caring how he'd fallen asleep or where he was now, the young Zoro immediately started devouring everything in sight.
Orin watched him eat like he hadn't seen food in eight hundred years, smiling faintly and letting him go at it.
The two of them ate and ate — until they had completely emptied the restaurant's entire food stock.
Hiccup—
The little chapter isn't over yet! Please click "Next Page" to continue reading the exciting part ahead!
After a satisfied burp, Zoro was now as round as a ball. To the point that—
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!"
He accidentally rolled right off the chair and onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Orin's stomach looked as flat as ever — his eight-pack abs not even slightly bloated.
"Hey, now that you've eaten, mind telling me your name?"
The ball-shaped Zoro, lying helplessly on the ground, finally realized that the man had treated him to the meal. Only then did he reluctantly answer:
"Zoro. My name is…"
"Roronoa Zoro!!!"
...
"Huh? Old man, are you a swordsman too???"
After the meal, their relationship had grown surprisingly close. When Orin heard that Zoro's goal was to challenge the Shimotsuki Dojo, he smiled faintly and said he was "half a swordsman" himself.
"Then why aren't you carrying a sword?"
"I am. I'm just keeping it hidden on me."
Hearing that, Zoro frowned. He had studied Orin closely earlier — he didn't look like someone who could hide a long sword anywhere.
"Eh, whatever. Anyway, I'm super strong! Since you fed me, I'll protect you from now on!!!"
"Is that so~"
Orin chuckled, amused, and led Zoro toward the dojo he'd sensed earlier with Observation Haki. But then—
Watching the green-haired kid somehow walk in a curve even while following directly behind him, Orin's mouth twitched again.
"Why the hell are you walking crooked even when I'm leading the way!??"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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