Starting as a Roger Pirates Apprentice

"Huh?"

Before Orin could even respond, Buggy jumped up first, smacking his lips in an exaggerated expression.

"Shanks, what are you thinking? There's a limit to showing off! How could you possibly be a match for Orin!?"

As harsh as those words were, even Shanks had to admit it—his current strength was indeed far below Orin's.

They were both thirteen, yet Orin was already approaching the threshold of Conqueror's Haki infusion.

Meanwhile, Shanks could barely sense Haki even when trying his best—let alone actually apply it in combat.

But sometimes, getting stronger means daring to take on a challenge.

"I see..."

Orin gave a knowing smile. Shanks was treating him like an experience booster.

Still, it wasn't wrong. The fastest way to grow stronger was to fight someone a level above you.

You wouldn't gain much from bullying weaklings, but you also wouldn't be overwhelmed by someone far beyond your reach.

"If you've got that kind of determination, then come at me."

Orin looked at the much shorter Shanks, and a mischievous idea suddenly popped into his head.

He remembered the duel they had years ago...

The legendary one—

"Sorry, I don't have a smaller knife."

But now, after rummaging around, he could only find a spear and a longsword. No tiny daggers in sight.

"Hmm..."

After thinking for a while, Orin put his battle wisdom to good use. He finally found a suitable replacement on the laundry line at the back of the ship—

A pair of oversized underwear.

"Orin!"

Shanks took a step forward, gripping his sword with both hands. His voice was brimming with youthful energy. You could really tell he'd become one of the future Four Emperors—he naturally had the courage to challenge someone stronger.

"Accept my challenge!"

Orin didn't pay attention to his hot-blooded declaration. He strolled leisurely to the clothesline, took down a freshly washed pair of his own underwear,

And under the dumbfounded stares of Buggy and Shanks,

He shook them out and twisted them into a rope-like shape. Then—

"Zheng——"

A layer of black Armament Haki coated the fabric!

(Armament Haki: If I'd known I'd be using it for this, I might've just stored it in the body...)

"Sorry, I don't have any smaller underwear."

Shanks had been pumped, mentally preparing for an intense battle, planning how to find Orin's openings—

But when he saw Orin harden a pair of underwear with Armament Haki and get ready to fight with it, he just couldn't hold it in.

"Y-You bastard!"

"Orin, you asshole!!"

"At least show some respect!!!"

Last time it was a tiny dagger—now he was using underwear!? Not even pretending to take it seriously!

After living and fighting together for five years, Shanks knew exactly how powerful Orin was.

Whether it was markmanship, hand-to-hand combat, swordsmanship, Haki... Orin was a master of them all, with deep expertise.

Against different enemies, he always seemed to instantly choose the most optimal fighting style.

Even unarmed, Shanks had seen Orin coat his fists in Armament Haki and punch through hordes, constantly learning from the ship's martial arts masters.

And now, when it came to him, Orin just grabbed some underwear?

Shanks took a critical hit straight to the soul.

Was it Orin's twisted sense of humor?

Or did he actually think underwear was the best way to deal with him?

What a joke!

Even if you don't use your precious markmanship or monstrous strength, at least use the longsword at your waist, damn it!!!

Shanks tightened his grip on his blade. As if to prove something, he unleashed the swordsmanship he'd inherited from Roger. His sharp eyes no longer belonged to a mere child.

After all, Roger had once praised him as the "Future of the Next Generation." He might not be as insane as Orin, but he was still a standout among his peers. A faint sword aura began to form on his blade—

A sign of an emerging swordmaster.

"Not a bad technique."

Orin didn't even move his feet. He didn't activate Future Sight either. He simply watched Shanks charge in, relying purely on battle instinct.

His casual stance gave Shanks an illusion—

That he could hit him!

That he had a chance to win!

Even Orin wasn't completely invincible!!!

Clang——!

A metallic clash echoed across the deck. Under Buggy's wide-eyed stare, Shanks's fierce slash landed squarely on...

Uh...

The underwear.

Shanks's confident expression suddenly froze.

When did he block it?

Even Buggy, spectating from the side, hadn't seen it coming.

Shanks's mouth hung slightly open. He looked up at Orin with a serious expression, only to see a sly grin and an amused glint in Orin's eyes.

"Whew, that was close. Almost didn't react in time."

Orin grinned with his usual wicked sense of humor.

Shanks's eyelid twitched violently.

"Shanks, it's no use. You're no match for him," Buggy called out helpfully at just the wrong moment. It was hard to tell if he was trying to persuade Shanks to give up or just fanning the flames.

Sure enough, Shanks turned even redder with anger.

Veins popped on his forehead. Even his blade began to emit faint traces of black Haki. He turned again and slashed at Orin.

Clang——!

Another metallic clash. Orin blocked it again—with the underwear.

And then came a flurry of similar sounds. Orin fought while retreating, calmly using his "Supreme Underwear" to block every blow.

...

With Armament Haki coating it, it technically counted as a "black blade" now—

The kind used in battles against the Four Emperors.

Compared to Orin's relaxed attitude, Shanks was practically unraveling.

He couldn't even cut through a pair of underwear—was his Armament Haki fake!?

He threw out every sword technique he'd learned, his flurry of strikes slicing the air with deadly precision.

But against that constantly moving pair of underwear, everything became a joke. He couldn't land a single clean hit.

His blade even started to chip.

The underwear, on the other hand, remained perfectly intact—like it could last until the end of time.

Gradually, his rage gave way to helplessness. Even though he'd broken through his limits in the heat of battle, he still couldn't touch Orin.

Until Orin's stomach let out a growl—

Guuu...

"Sorry, let's call it a day for now."

Shanks hadn't even processed what was said when Orin suddenly vanished before his eyes. A gust of wind blew from behind.

No way...

Don't do this...

"I don't want to get knocked out by underwear..."

Shanks resisted with all his heart, but he was powerless to stop it. A black rod made from twisted underwear was flying straight at the back of his head with a crisp smack!

Unfortunately, he didn't get to finish his sentence—Orin's black club had already made contact.

Under Buggy's stunned gaze,

Shanks was once again lulled to sleep by Orin.

A large red bump swelled up on his head. Just looking at it made Buggy wince.

This guy...

Sure, Shanks had made real progress under pressure. But the cost?

A lifetime of humiliation.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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