Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Farewell, Forever Pirate King...

Orin was startled by his own thoughts!

If you really thought about it from that angle, the possibilities were endless.

Not just those people—even Luffy, Zoro... Akainu, Aokiji...

Or if you extended it further back, Whitebeard, Garp, Rayleigh, Gaban...

Orin shivered.

That was way too twisted...

He didn’t dare imagine any further. He was afraid the train of thought might end up on himself.

Forcefully shaking those dirty thoughts out of his mind, Orin finally sobered up a bit.

No matter what anyone else did,

At the very least, let’s not gender-bend Crocodile.

Orin really liked her current appearance.

Decision made, the clown inside Orin came back online. Now, how should he stop Crocodile from going to Ivankov?

A plan slowly started forming in his mind.

Perhaps noticing Orin’s gaze, the currently female Crocodile furrowed her pretty brows and shot Orin a glare.

But in Orin’s eyes,

If it were the male version, it might have had some intimidation factor. But this frosty beauty glaring at him?

It just awakened a wicked urge to mess with her fate.

Crocodile...

You’re stuck in this form for good now.

Even if Imu-sama shows up, it won’t change a thing. I’ve decided!

Thankfully, this little incident didn’t cause any real disruption.

A few minutes later, a wave of noise came from the distant crowd. Within Orin’s Observation Haki, he once again clearly sensed that man’s presence.

Step... step... step...

With each slow, powerful step, all eyes were drawn toward him.

With two guards holding flags in front and two lines of soldiers escorting him, a burly figure in a crimson captain’s coat appeared, shackled in chains.

His stride was steady and firm, as if he wasn’t walking toward death. His expression was calm and resolute.

"Captain Roger..."

The moment they saw the man, both Buggy and Shanks gaped, overwhelmed with emotion, their eyes locked tightly on the towering figure.

As they watched Captain Roger ascend the execution platform step by step, neither could stop the tears and snot from flowing freely.

Even though they were prepared,

The moment they saw that figure, a tidal wave of sorrow engulfed their hearts.

He was destined to be a legendary figure.

Below the platform, even the most arrogant upstart pirates fell silent. Seeing Roger smiling in the face of death,

They were all silenced and awed by his immense presence.

And Orin?

He just stood there blankly,

His gaze dull as he stared at the man seated on the high platform, about to be executed.

He had thought that after seeing this iconic moment so many times, he’d be immune when witnessing it again in person.

At the very least,

He wouldn’t be sobbing like Shanks and Buggy.

But...

Orin looked at his palm, where sparkling droplets had fallen.

This... wasn’t how it was supposed to feel at all...

"Hey, Orin, you’ll catch a cold if you stay shirtless. Come ashore and buy some clothes with me."

"Hahaha, Orin really gets me. I told you, a little drink never hurt anybody!cough cough cough..."

"Want to infuse your weapon with Armament Haki? I’ll show you. Watch closely."

"As expected of Orin! Let’s throw a banquet to celebrate your increased bounty!!"

"...Thank you, Orin."

Scene after scene replayed in his mind like a film reel. In the face of this final farewell, Orin felt both joy and sorrow.

Joy, because Captain Roger went out in a blaze of glory, chasing his dream, without regret.

Sorrow, because he was about to lose forever the captain he admired, the teacher he owed so much.

With that eternal smile, Roger sat cross-legged atop the execution platform, showing not the slightest fear of death.

He looked every bit like a victorious king!

Before the execution,

Someone finally couldn’t hold back, and shouted that famous line:

"Pirate King! Where did you hide the treasure? You definitely found it, right? The legendary treasure—one of a kind— One Piece!!!"

"Silence!"

The execution soldier barked, but it couldn’t drown out Roger’s final words!

With a wild grin, his booming voice echoed across the plaza,

And thanks to the Transponder Snails, it resounded across the entire world.

"Want my treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Go find it! I left everything the world has to offer... there, on the Grand Line!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the world fell silent and stunned.

No one even noticed the moment the long blades pierced his body and blood slowly began to flow.

The entire world went mad, thrilled by the confirmation that the great treasure existed.

In the roaring ambition and cries to set sail, only three figures silently stared at the fallen man, tears streaming like a flood.

Especially Orin, a relic of the old era.

Someone who knew everything.

He didn’t care who would one day reach Laugh Tale, or who would claim the world’s treasure.

He only knew that the man who once claimed fame, wealth, power... even everything in the world...

Back when he got off the ship for the last time, Roger only carried a small bundle, and moved in with Rouge. He had just one spare pair of pants, and even that captain’s hat he refused to replace after all these years—

Roger, you old bastard...

Orin had heard plenty of criticism about Roger in the past.

Some said that the Great Pirate Era he started caused a surge in pirate numbers, bringing untold chaos to the seas.

But after traveling the world and seeing countless nations for himself, Orin understood—

Even if Roger hadn’t shouted those words, the world would still be filled with war and banditry.

It was the result of 800 years of corrupt rule by the Celestial Dragons and World Government, of kings and nobles oppressing the people, of ambitious villains seizing their chance. A mix of all these factors.

On the contrary, the beginning of this Great Pirate Era—behind all the chaos—might just be the spark that brings forth someone who can inherit not just Roger’s will, but even Joy Boy’s... and liberate the entire world.

Roger may not have been a good man in the traditional sense.

But he was undeniably a great captain. A true hero.

And to Orin, that was more than enough.

...

At that moment,

Dark clouds covered the sky,

As if the world itself mourned Roger’s passing. Rain began to fall in a gentle drizzle.

Shanks lowered his straw hat, silently weeping. Buggy, far more dramatic, cried openly with his mouth wide, devastated by the captain’s death.

Orin slowly looked up at the sky, eyes locked on the clouds above.

The water running down his face could no longer be distinguished—was it rain or tears?

"Dark clouds? You’ve gotta be kidding me!"

His voice trembled with rage, his expression terrifyingly cold.

"Captain Roger’s death wasn’t something to mourn! It was the embodiment of his ideals and conviction!"

His long hair whipped in the wind. Orin slowly drew the blade from his waist.

A surge of Conqueror’s Haki Infusion exploded from him like lightning, shocking everyone present. Countless eyes widened in disbelief at the black-and-red lightning crackling around him.

Buggy and Shanks stood frozen, staring at Orin.

"That sword... it’s Captain Roger’s..." Shanks recognized it.

Orin raised the blade to the sky, just like that man who once defied the world itself—

"Divine Departure!!!"

In an instant, under countless stunned gazes—

The heavens...

Split apart!

Sunlight streamed down once more,

Illuminating the smiling figure as he departed this world,

Bathed in golden light.

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