Starting as a Roger Pirates Apprentice

"Enemy attack!!!"

Buggy looked up at the pirate fleet descending from the sky, shouting in panic. But his voice was quickly silenced.

A large hand landed on his head. It was Captain Roger.

"Calm down, Buggy. Get ready to fight!"

He looked up and saw Roger's ever-unshakable face.

"Shiki!!"

"Roger!!!"

Among the dozens of warships, at the prow of the lead ship adorned with a golden lion figurehead stood a golden-haired man.

"Now that's a real pirate..."

Just looking from afar, Orin could feel the overwhelming pressure of a top-tier powerhouse.

Former officer of the Rocks Pirates, one of the three overlords of the New World—

Golden Lion Shiki!!!

"How many times have I said this already, Roger!" Shiki exclaimed, his robe billowing and a cigar clamped between his teeth. "Even though we had our share of grudges in our youth, it's time to put them behind us!

"As long as you give me the location of the world-destroying weapon you're hiding, combined with my forces and my plan, we can rule the world together! You'll be my right-h..."

"Bang—"

Before he could finish, Shiki's speech was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.

Who?

Who dared interrupt the Pirate Admiral? They're as good as dead!

The Flying Pirates' grunts broke into cold sweat, hurriedly looking toward the source of the shot.

"Sigh... I figured this wouldn't work." A sigh came from beside Roger.

In the next instant, a pitch-black bullet was embedded in Shiki's Haki-clad face, still spinning until it finally lost momentum and fell slowly into the sea.

Shiki's words were stuck in his throat. A vein bulged on his forehead as his eyes locked onto the figure standing next to Roger.

It was a young man in a military coat with long, disheveled hair. Smoke still curled from the barrel of the long rifle in his hand.

"Bastard!!!"

"You wanna die?!"

Cries of shock and rage erupted from the Flying Pirate fleet. This blatant disrespect had severely violated the Admiral's dignity.

However, the ones shouting didn't last long under Orin's Observation Haki lock-on.

A crimson gleam flickered in his eyes, followed by the appearance of numerous blood-red muzzles.

These future-predicting, Haki-infused bullets could only be dodged by someone whose Observation Haki surpassed Orin's. Otherwise, the only choice was to rely on raw Armament Haki to block them.

Non-officers were taken out in one shot each.

"Hahahahaha!!! That's my answer, Shiki!!"

Captain Roger laughed heartily at the sight.

Clearly enraged, Shiki's aura flared up. "So you're saying I should just kill you all right here, huh?!"

"I'm saying we're going to crush every last one of you!!"

The first shot of war had been fired by Orin, followed by a violent and chaotic battle.

Orin fired off several black bullets. Once the enemy ships closed in, he drew the long blade at his waist and disappeared with a burst of Soru.

Many low-level grunts didn't even catch sight of his movement before they suddenly found wounds slashed across their bodies.

But soon, one of the officers stepped in.

A hulking brute—likely a captain in the Flying Pirates or something—approached. Orin clearly didn't bother remembering unfamiliar faces.

"That little brat actually dares go up against Captain Dark? He's definitely gonna get slaughtered!"

Though the surrounding pirates didn't dare approach Orin, they still hyped up their officer.

After all, the size difference was clear: a 1.6-meter tall brat versus a 4-meter tall giant—just the sight of it looked hopeless.

But the look on Dark's face said otherwise. He could feel a powerful sense of danger from the small boy.

"Victory doesn't exist in your future."

Orin held his black blade one-handed. Though his mastery of Armament Haki wasn't deep due to his age, basic coating was within his grasp.

Seeking thrills and combat was the best way to refine Haki—and to make a name for himself.

Roger's dream for the world? Orin intended to claim it all for himself.

Wealth, fame, power…

"Boom—"

The entire deck quaked and rolled. Countless pirate grunts were sent flying as Dark, fully clad in shining Armament Haki, charged forward with a massive punch.

"Clang—"

As the smoke cleared, the expected one-sided crush didn't appear. The slim figure in military garb stood firmly in place.

With just one hand coated in Armament Haki, Orin had blocked the massive punch.

"Strong, but slow like a damn snail."

Orin's words dripped with contempt. His arrogant tone instantly triggered Dark, sending him into a blind frenzy.

Much easier to handle than expected.

Orin curled his lips into a smirk, clearly pleased.

Future sight always worked best on these types—mindless rage, no technique.

That said, Orin did acknowledge the man's Armament Haki surpassed his own.

So when Orin wanted to fight, he traded blows. When he didn't, he evaded and taunted.

Orin's Haki was still improving with each skirmish.

Meanwhile, Dark was filled with frustration, almost pushing himself to the brink of unlocking Life Return.

He had assumed this was just some brat who'd insulted the Admiral. Deal with him, take credit, avoid fighting Roger's monsters—it should've been an easy job.

But he was way tougher than expected—and infuriatingly good at provoking.

Damn it…

"Ugh...!!!"

Dark threw another punch, and for a second, it felt like he'd hit something solid. A roar rang out—he began to smile, but immediately sensed something was wrong.

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Impossible... That kind of strength? From a brat like this?!

Orin had caught his fist and locked it in place. Dark couldn't even pull away.

His opponent's strength was far above his own!

Dark's eyes were filled with terror. Orin's gaze, by contrast, was utterly bored.

"Your power's too diluted. You'd make more progress getting beaten by Roger than training on your own."

"Trash pirate."

Orin sneered and, using monstrous force, flung Dark into the air. Screams erupted from the surrounding grunts.

Dark gritted his teeth, trying to stabilize himself, but it was no use. He spun through the air until—

With a sudden release, he was hurled onto another ship.

And then...

Well,

Gaban chopped him to the ground with one axe swing.

After tossing the guy away, Orin stopped holding back. Seeing that most of the nearby grunts were cleared, he used Geppo and Soru to head back toward the prow of the Oro Jackson.

Shanks and Buggy were still onboard, standing back-to-back, fending off the incoming enemies.

A black slash cut through the crowd. Orin swung his black blade, carving a bloody path and breaking through to regroup with the two.

"Thank goodness, it's Orin! Orin, get over here!"

The battle was brutal. Even with the Roger Pirates' elite fighting force, the endless onslaught was overwhelming.

The crew couldn't spare the effort to protect all three kids.

Buggy acted tough, but inside, he was panicking.

Now that Orin had arrived, it was like a light had burst onto the scene!

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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