Chapter 503: Chapter 503: God Valley Arc — Only Mechanisms Can Fight Mechanisms

"T-This... this..."

"They’re fighting!!!"

Orin’s kick was heavy and powerful. Although he didn’t use his full Haki or Devil Fruit ability, relying only on sheer monstrous strength was already enough to kick a Sea King flying. Even with Kaido’s oni race physique being extremely tough, that kick still made his head ring.

"Hey!!! Didn’t you get enough of fighting just now?!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Whitebeard gritted his teeth as he spoke, the look on his face clearly showing a headache.

"Even among newcomers, there are differences..."

The young Shiki held a cigar in his mouth and said with a grin, enjoying the spectacle.

"Kaido!!! Stop looking for trouble with Orin already!!!"

Linlin stood even more decisively on Orin’s side this time and scolded Kaido. She still wanted to use Orin, a seed whose physique could rival his, to make herself pregnant with the future king of the world.

"Damn it..."

Kaido spat out a mouthful of blood, gritted his teeth, and lifted his head from the ground to look at the black-haired young man in military uniform who wasn’t much older than him. He felt unwilling, but when he met the other’s gaze, even he, the strongest newcomer, couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. Compared to before, that young man who had remained calm even when facing the encirclement of many Rocks Pirates captains was now brimming with killing intent. He had to suspect that if he really had done something to Keek just now, then...

Kaido became well-behaved. No matter what he thought in his heart, at least on the surface he neither said nor did anything anymore. With a black shoe print still on his face, he went off to drink. In the pirate world, it’s never too late to take revenge. He was still young and still had a long road to grow stronger.

...

After previously subduing Charlotte Linlin, injuring Whitebeard and the Golden Lion, and then giving Kaido that kick, Orin, this novel and unfamiliar "newcomer," completely planted the impression among these unruly pirates of the Rocks Pirates that he was an absolute monster who must not be provoked.

"Hey!!! Newgate, Orin seems a bit different, huh..."

Shiki, with twin swords at his waist, walked over to Whitebeard and casually struck up a conversation.

Whitebeard wasn’t very fond of him. He took a gulp of wine and answered offhandedly,

"Gulp gulp gulp..."

"This isn’t something we should worry about. That should be for Rocks to have a headache over."

Shiki didn’t mind his attitude. After all, Newgate’s ability surpassed his in certain respects. He bared his teeth and laughed.

"Looks like the Rocks Pirates are about to gain another captain. Having to split the treasure into another share is really annoying~"

He was just saying it, though. True powerhouses always appreciate each other, and Orin had already shown strength worthy of his respect.

At this moment, Orin was sitting on the ship returning with the Rocks Pirates, facing the sea breeze, when the burly man Keek came over.

"Lord Orin, why did you stand up for me? In the previous battle they almost killed me..."

"Could it be that we’re related? After all, the surname Dotor isn’t very common!!!"

Orin’s care for him could be said to be completely out in the open, with no attempt to hide it. Keek was both excited and puzzled.

Orin’s reply was,

"Don’t ask. I’ll tell you in the future."

Keek, who believed that "whatever the strong say goes," never asked again after that. He just quietly left his original formation and moved closer to Orin.

As for Orin, he was actually quite interested in this era. Captain Roger sometimes told them about that pirate age where heroes rose together, and one name that couldn’t be avoided in this era was Rocks.

Suddenly thinking of how the old man seemed to be Rocks’ number-one die-hard fan, he couldn’t help but smile and ask,

"Um..."

"Captain Orin, just call me Keek."

Although Orin wasn’t a captain yet, Keek felt it was only a matter of time, because he was even stronger than a captain.

"..."

Orin’s mouth twitched, but he continued to ask,

"You... what do you think of Rocks?"

Keek clearly hadn’t expected Orin to ask this, but then his eyes lit up.

"Oh!!! You mean Captain Rocks!!!"

He didn’t know if it was just Orin’s imagination, but whenever that man was mentioned, there seemed to be a light in the old man’s eyes that felt strangely familiar to him. This...

He remembered.

Wasn’t it just like Bartolomeo looking at Luffy?!!!

"Captain Rocks—he’s the most domineering man I’ve ever seen. Even these captains, every single one of them monsters among monsters..."

When it came to his admiration for Rocks, Keek could talk endlessly. Unlike most of the Rocks Pirates’ underlings who both feared and respected him, Keek’s feelings were pure longing and worship.

Perhaps the more one lacks something, the more one longs for it. Keek’s physical talent wasn’t particularly high; he could only be considered a bit stronger than an average person, which made his progress in Haki and martial arts very slow. His current strength was probably only about on par with Bellamy two years later. He did have two types of Haki, but if he ran into someone a bit stronger in Haki, he’d be knocked down with one punch.

In a situation where he couldn’t get stronger, he naturally developed yearning and attention toward those true monsters and powerhouses. And in the world as it stood, the strongest person in the open was undoubtedly Rocks, who thus became the highest peak in Keek’s heart. That was why he went to such lengths—even if it meant being just an ordinary combatant on Rocks’ ship, he still didn’t want to go back to the four seas or the first half of the Grand Line to bully small fry as a so-called expert.

Seeing the old man like this, Orin more or less understood why, after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, this burly man lost all his drive and in his later years turned into a small, thin, withered old man. Once a person loses their ideals and spirit, not only can their strength not be preserved, but after entering old age they will lose more than half of it, and their appearance will change drastically. The turning point for all of this was that war one year later.

The God Valley War.

It shattered the Rocks Pirates.

It also shattered the hot blood and dreams in old Keek’s heart.

After all, having seen someone like Rocks—such a revered overlord—reduced to a monster dominated by black bricks, how could the old man’s resolve not be crushed?

Imu...

A mechanism monster... he also knew a bit of the other side’s background.

Orin sighed and showed a knowing smile.

Since he was here, then he would give this world’s old man a new spiritual anchor.

A grandson who, in the future, would be no weaker than Rocks.

How about that?

After all, only mechanism monsters can restrain mechanism monsters.