"This… this is…"
Cold sweat poured endlessly from Diamante's forehead as he involuntarily staggered back several steps.
What kind of monster is this?!
The most critical thing wasn't even that terrifying aura, but that appearance — that look.
Isn't this just…
"So what truly stands above time and space… is rules, huh?"
Ignoring the countless painful, suppressed gasps around him, the towering figure walked up to Diamante.
"O–Orin… Orin-sama!!"
Staring at the existence before him that looked almost identical to Orin, Diamante's pupils trembled uncontrollably.
Under the oppressive presence and Haki of an absolute higher lifeform, he couldn't even think of resisting — he could only watch helplessly as a massive hand grabbed his head.
A flash of crimson light passed through his eyes. The tall, black-haired figure froze for a moment, then his eyes widened instantly.
"Two years after the Summit War? Dressrosa?"
"So it really is you… me, after eating the Warp-Warp Fruit."
As light slowly shone in from outside the dark passage, a somewhat weary young man appeared before Kuina.
"You're… Orin-sensei?!"
Kuina's mouth fell open, shock written all over her face.
"No… I'm not that guy. Though you could say I'm also that guy… in a way."
Under the light stood a black-haired young man in a black military uniform, rubbing his forehead helplessly as he muttered,
"What kind of reason is that… Probably because peak Golden Lion was way too overpowered, so after thinking it over, they swapped him out for me, right…"
By probing Diamante's inner thoughts just now, "Orin" had already understood everything — and immediately pieced it all together.
This had to be the "me" who appeared before his own birth — the one who dug a pit for himself.
Relying purely on his understanding of himself, he could even guess why he had been summoned here.
A hint of helplessness surfaced in his crimson vertical pupils.
It could be said that if not for the interference of [Black Gun], his original life trajectory should have been identical to [Black Gun]'s.
But because of the landmine the other party planted for him during the God Valley period, he had been forced to expose himself to the monsters' field of vision far earlier than planned.
And Linlin…
Even with his absolute numerical strength, before reaching his peak, dealing with her was still extremely troublesome.
Fortunately, for reasons unknown, whether it was the World Government or those great pirates of the seas, they all seemed to harbor misgivings about making a move against him, allowing him to grow all the way to this point —
And even earn the title of "the world's strongest creature."
"Even though I do have some grievances toward that other me… no matter what…"
The black-clad young man sighed, recalling how Old Keek would light up every time he mentioned "Orin," his face full of excitement and pride.
Especially Orin's legendary experiences at God Valley — he'd heard them so many times his ears were practically callused.
"Since back in God Valley, the old man received a lot of care… I'll give you this much respect."
For Old Keek's sake,
Youth Form · Orin (Azure Dragon Fruit user), stepped out from the arena entrance at this moment.
Beside him were Kuina and a deeply shaken Lucci — the three of them were the defenders of the ring in this duel.
Pink dragon on the left, yellow cat on the right.
Though he didn't have the kind of lineup from the old man's stories — Rocks with his "left Azure Dragon, right Whitebeard" — it was still more than sufficient.
After all, they were only facing a group of newcomers.
"Tap…"
As that noble and towering figure stepped out from the entrance, the instant his foot touched the arena floor—
"Crack crack crack crack crack—!!!"
Power mixed with Conqueror's Haki, along with an overwhelming aura like that of a superior being, instantly pressed down on everyone's hearts.
Even though he was only eighteen or nineteen, this was still a true "higher lifeform."
"O–Orin?!"
Under that terrifying pressure, Luffy cried out, clenching his teeth as he resisted.
"What's going on… this presence?!"
"And those eyes!!"
Feeling that aura, Kuina sensed a familiarity as if from the same origin, her body trembling with excitement.
"I'm going in!!!"
With a sudden burst forward, she drew the Wado Ichimonji wrapped in Armament Haki and slashed straight at Zoro.
Zoro flung away his shattered sunglasses and hurriedly drew Yami Karasu to block.
The two locked into a stalemate, black-red lightning crackling as it wove a net of Conqueror's Haki in midair, faintly clashing with Azure Orin's Haki.
"Is this the Haki stored by this world's version of me?"
Azure Orin narrowed his eyes, feeling both familiarity and pressure — power that only his peak self could possess.
In the worldline of the younger Orin, Zoro and Kuina shouldn't even have been born yet.
Everything before his eyes felt novel to him.
As the two Orins' disciples crossed blades in a contest of swordsmanship, Rob Lucci, standing beside Azure Orin, looked at Luffy with barely concealed excitement.
An old rival.
And now, he would wash away his past humiliation.
"Prepare yourself, Straw Hat~"
Lucci slowly transformed into a leopard-man beast form, faint wisps of smoke-clouds beginning to take shape around him.
"As long as Orin-sama and I are here, you have no chance of winning!!!"
He charged forward immediately, entangling himself in battle with Luffy.
Azure Orin's crimson vertical pupils shifted slightly as he glanced at Lucci.
Huh~
Who would've thought he'd see him here.
Just how much has this world been twisted by [Black Gun]…?
Facing Azure Orin directly, Ace and Sabo were under immense pressure.
"What is going on here…"
"I don't really get it, but looks like we're about to fight him!!!"
As Zoro and Kuina exchanged slashes, Zoro grit his teeth and looked toward the two of them.
"That looks like he when he was young. I saw him at Sabaody Archipelago. He didn't have dragon traits back then, but overall it's very similar!!!"
Zoro recalled what had happened two years earlier — when Orin had been struck by Bonney's Devil Fruit ability and briefly reverted to a youthful form.
"That's right…"
Azure Orin curled his lips upward, uncharacteristically performing the kind of self-introduction he had never understood in the Pirate King world before.
"I'm an Azure Dragon Fruit ability user. I'm not the Orin you're familiar with — but I'm close enough…"
If there was anything specifically different, it was the style.
Azure Orin possessed an absolutely powerful body, overflowing with Haki and arrogance, scorning everything.
Unlike Orin's absolute mechanics, Azure Orin had absolute numbers — so he feared nothing and shattered everything with a single punch.
Though young, he still didn't place the three brothers of his own age in his eyes.
"Come at me together. I'm on a tight schedule."
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