February 14, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle
It was pouring heavily in this region of the South Blue. On the coast of the trade city of Trattoria, a Marine ship had dropped anchor.
"Garp, according to the intel I received, the person we're looking for is here," Bogard said, reviewing some documents.
"All right! Let's go find her!" said Garp as he jumped off the ship and dashed straight toward the city in the distance.
Bogard shook his head slightly and sighed.
"How are you going to find the person if you don't even know who you're looking for?" muttered the Marine, who served as the right-hand man to the Marine hero Garp.
Garp had a habit of acting without much thought, relying on instinct, though he could behave more seriously when he chose to.
This time, like many others, he had thrown himself in without much preparation because he knew Bogard was there to take care of the finer details.
After working together for so long, they had gotten used to each other's way of doing things.
Right now, they were searching for a merchant named Nayana, who ran a small trading company and usually traveled from island to island selling goods.
The reason they were searching for her was because, according to eyewitnesses, she had been present in Baterilla during the time when Roger's wife lived there, and seemed to have a friendly relationship with her.
Of course, the people of Baterilla had no idea that Rouge was the Pirate King's partner, as Roger had taken great care never to be seen by the island's inhabitants.
The reason Garp and Bogard knew about the relationship was because Roger had asked his rival to protect his son, giving him the location of the mother.
As soon as Garp could travel to Baterilla without raising suspicion, he went looking for Rouge and the baby, but only found an empty house in the middle of the forest.
Using their information network, they discovered that the former occupant of that house was friends with a merchant named Nayana. That's why they had come here—to speak with her and try to find out Rouge and the baby's whereabouts.
It had taken them a while to track Nayana down since she had no fixed residence and typically did business on the road across a wide area.
They had also paused the search for a brief period a month earlier, responding to a distress call from Captain Christina Kelly. Unfortunately, they hadn't arrived in time on that occasion.
By the time they landed on the island, Christina was gone, and the only thing left behind were the corpses of the pirates, completely massacred.
If they had arrived just one day earlier, they would have found not only Christina, but also Orion, Rear Admiral Nakamura, and his men.
But there are no "what-ifs" in the world. They missed their chance to meet Roger's disciple and spent another month chasing leads to find Rouge's whereabouts.
Bogard walked in the rain, following the path Garp had made as he rushed like a whirlwind straight toward the city tavern.
Bogard suspected that rather than investigating, his superior just wanted a feast now that they were on solid ground. After all, food on the ship wasn't very varied, since they couldn't keep a lot of fresh ingredients on board.
When he reached the tavern's door, Bogard peeked inside and saw Garp already stuffing himself happily at a table.
He entered calmly and scanned the area. The place was full of people, likely hiding from the rain. Some looked like mercenaries, and others were clearly pirates.
Bogard didn't pay much attention to the lowlifes and simply walked to Garp's table. When he arrived, he noticed a woman sitting across from the Marines hero, and she was none other than the person they were looking for: Nayana!
"Hey Bogard, this girl's really nice, she paid for my food while I waited. Can you pay her back?" said Garp with cheeks full of food.
Bogard sighed once again at Garp's uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. He had found the person they were looking for without even trying.
"Of course," Bogard replied, pulling a stack of Berries from his pocket and handing it to Nayana, who took it with both hands, relieved that the two Marines hadn't tried to avoid paying the debt.
It wouldn't have been the first time Marines extorted her. As someone who made a living trading goods, she was used to bribing the Navy and even factored it into her variable costs for the year.
"Miss, we'd like to ask you a few questions," Bogard said as he sat down and pulled a photo from the file he was carrying.
"Do you know this woman?" he asked, showing her a picture of a young Rouge, smiling cheerfully.
Nayana's pupils contracted, and her palms began to sweat.
The fact that two high-ranking Marines were looking for her friend Rouge couldn't mean anything good.
She didn't want to say anything, but feared that if she refused to talk, she'd be tortured into confessing.
In this world, few things were scarier than a Marine inquisitor.
Bogard saw how nervous she had become and smiled gently, trying to appear more friendly. He was naturally quiet and reserved, not exactly skilled in dealing with civilians.
"We don't mean any harm, we're only looking for her to protect her," Bogard said softly.
"Protect her? From what?" Nayana asked cautiously.
"I'm afraid it's not appropriate to talk here. Maybe we could go somewhere more private," Bogard replied, still in a low voice.
Nayana hesitated briefly but eventually nodded.
"I have a small shop nearby. We can talk there if you'd like."
"Perfect. Let's do that," Bogard said, standing up.
Nayana rose as well, and the two of them headed for the door, while Garp continued eating without a care. However, in his eyes, there was a serious look fixed on a drunkard slumped in a corner, drowning himself in alcohol.
A long time passed before Garp finished his mountain of food and left the tavern, patting his stomach with satisfaction.
Without wasting much time, he walked out to see if Bogard had already gathered the necessary information.
Inside, the drunkard who had been relentlessly drinking finally set his bottle down and tried to calm his trembling hands.
For the entire time Garp had been eating there, this man had been completely terrified by the Marine hero's presence and hadn't dared make a sudden move for fear of drawing attention.
If Orion had been there, he would've immediately recognized the filthy, dumb-looking drunkard.
...
"Happy Valentine's Day!" rang Giolla's voice through the Den Den Mushi.
"Happy Valentine's, my love! I miss you," Orion replied with a warm smile.
Orion didn't know if this world had a holiday like Valentine's Day from his previous life on planet Earth. However, he believed celebrations like that could be precious to people, so he had included some of them in the official calendar of his kingdom.
Just as the people of Pacific Kingdom celebrated New Year's with a big party, they also celebrated February 14th as Valentine's Day, thanks to Orion's initiative.
Now, far from his wife Giolla, Orion had no choice but to talk to her through the Den Den Mushi, though he would've certainly preferred being at her side to train the skill "Marital Bliss" more diligently.
Christina Kelly, who was sitting to the side on the ship's deck, overheard Orion's affectionate conversation and was quite surprised. She had never seen that side of him before.
"Kairos is married?" she asked curiously to Lucky Roux, who—as usual—was busy eating a lunch he had prepared hours earlier.
"I guess," Roux replied, not paying much attention.
Christina didn't continue the conversation with the chubby boy and instead focused her gaze on Orion, who was speaking animatedly, saying all kinds of romantic lines.
She had noticed a change in Orion—or rather, in how she perceived him.
The first time they met, she had a positive opinion of him thanks to his personality and strength, but felt no physical attraction.
She wasn't someone with a high libido, and it was normal for her not to be interested in the opposite sex, no matter how attractive they were. If she were to have a future partner, it would likely be due to a spiritual bond rather than physical attraction.
Or so she thought.
Something had changed a month ago when Orion had come to her aid against Maro's pirates. Ever since, every time she looked at him for more than ten seconds, her mind would involuntarily fill with scenes that made her blush.
She had no experience with love, but she understood enough about human physiology and psychology to conclude that she had likely fallen in love with him after he rescued her from danger.
What she didn't know was that her changing perception was only partially due to Orion's actions. The other reason was the effect of his new passive skill: "Charm Halo."
The skill didn't have miraculous effects that made women fall for him at first sight, or at least not at its current low level. But when combined with the admiration Christina felt for him after he saved her without hesitation, the effect was amplified, causing her favorability to spike.
Christina watched Orion speak with his beloved through the Den Den Mushi for a long while and couldn't help but sigh with a hint of disappointment, realizing he was already in a relationship and there was no chance for her.
Finally, Orion finished the call with Giolla and turned his attention to the system screen.
After almost a month of sailing in less-than-ideal conditions due to the season, they were close to reaching the location of a large group of Named Characters, including a VIP named Bartholomew Kuma.
Orion had agreed to help Christina Kelly contact a non-corrupt Cipher Pol agent so she could present her case and try to save her Marine career.
Currently, Christina's status was complicated. She was listed as missing in action, but if she returned to the base near Pacific Island, she wouldn't escape Rear Admiral Nakamura's grasp.
To be honest, Orion didn't think Christina had much of a chance of reclaiming her former post—at least not without support from someone outranking Nakamura. And in the South Blue, there was only one such person: the Vice Admiral overseeing the entire region.
Even so, Orion didn't want to discourage her. He knew she was stubborn, and if he didn't help, she might try something far more dangerous—like exposing Nakamura on her own or confronting him directly, which could only end in tragedy.
Orion had spoken to Christina about it, and she had agreed to become his subordinate if she failed to resolve her issue with Rear Admiral Nakamura.
The Cipher Pol agent they needed to meet was quite far away, so Orion told Christina he wanted to stop by a certain island first to take care of urgent matters. Then, they'd continue their trip to address her issue.
Christina didn't object, after all Orion was helping her for free, and she was grateful. She had no urgency to fix her situation and was willing to make a short stop so her benefactor could handle personal matters.
The ship arrived at the island coast, and Orion opened a gate in the air for his two companions to enter the Pocket Dimension. However, the pirate captain who was inside ran out before they could go in.
The pirate's hands were tied, but not his legs, as Orion didn't think it was necessary. There was no way he could escape Orion, and he was only bound to prevent him from tampering with anything in the Pocket Dimension.
The pirate dashed out and dove headfirst into the ocean. Perhaps he thought he could swim away, but to Orion, it was simply absurd.
He never reached the water. Christina lashed her whip, catching him by the neck and then flinging him violently back through the door floating in the air.
Orion nodded at Christina, who gave a small smile and entered the parallel dimension along with Lucky Roux.
Over the month they had spent together, her relationship with Orion had improved so much that she now considered him her most treasured friend—the only one she had in this cruel world.
Maybe it was due to the sudden increase in favorability or the time spent together, but her mindset was completely different from a month ago.
Orion had even told her his real name, asking her to keep it secret, to which Christina had replied with a smile that, for now, she'd keep calling him Kairos as always.
Once his companions entered the Pocket Dimension, Orion stored the ship in his inventory and used Geppo to fly toward the nearby island.
He landed on the sandy beach and looked around. The island was tropical, unlike Pacific Island's milder climate and vegetation, which resembled Western Europe from his past life.
Orion opened a new door in the air and let Lucky Roux and Christina out of the Pocket Dimension.
"I'm going to scout the area. Want to come along or go on your own?" Orion asked.
"I'll go with you, boss," Roux replied, stretching his arms. After so much time sailing, it felt good to run on solid ground.
"I'll follow you wherever you go!" Christina said solemnly. Then she realized how her words sounded like a vow, blushed, and became flustered, avoiding Orion's gaze.
"All right, let's head that way and see if we can find a town," Orion said, pointing east.
That was the direction where the VIP Named Character was located—the place that interested him most.
The three of them ran at full speed. Orion and Christina used Soru, while Lucky Roux was so monstrously fast he didn't need the technique to keep up.
After nearly an hour running across the desolate tropical island, they reached a small, run-down village. Orion checked the system map but saw no Named Characters in the area.
They walked the streets and noticed most residents were elderly. Only a few people didn't have wrinkled faces.
These elders didn't look too healthy either. Clearly, they lacked proper nutrition, and the village atmosphere was extremely poor.
"The situation doesn't look good here," Christina said, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She had seen this kind of scene countless times during her time in the Marines but could never get used to it or stop feeling empathy for those suffering in silence.
Lucky Roux, munching on sweet pastries, glanced around. The place reminded him of his old kingdom and the slave mines he had once toiled in, though at least here, these people were free.
Orion and his companions walked through the town without any issues. The villagers watched them with curiosity but were too wary to approach.
At the town's edge, Orion heard a bell in the distance and saw many elders heading west as fast as they could.
Curious, Orion asked one of them why there was such a sudden pilgrimage.
The man looked a bit nervous at the sudden approach but replied honestly:
"We're all going to church. The priest is performing healing miracles today, so we're hurrying not to miss the chance."
The man noticed he was falling behind and quickly ended the conversation, resuming his walk toward the church.
Lucky Roux closed his eyes, focusing his Observation Haki in the distance.
"It's true, a large number of people are gathering at a church not far from here," he said, popping another pastry into his mouth.
Orion checked the map and figured the church was likely where the VIP Named Character he was looking for was located.
If this person was performing healing miracles, it was something Orion needed to see for himself.
"All right, let's go take a look," Orion said, turning west.
Christina and Roux nodded, and the three of them headed directly toward the church where Bartholomew Kuma awaited