September 23, 1500, Age of the Sea Circle
Although Orion hadn't planned to spend much time infiltrating this place, the perfect opportunity to strike Orochi never presented itself. So, he had no choice but to continue undergoing samurai training under the supervision of Hotei, the leader of the special samurai division.
More than a month had passed since Orion and Hatsume arrived at the royal palace, and only now would he finally get a chance to eliminate Orochi. After a month of training, the instructors from both groups had conducted a second selection round, leaving only the most talented candidates.
Obviously, both Orion and Hatsume had advanced to the next cut, as their talent was the highest among all the recruits. Orion was severely limiting his powers to avoid arousing suspicion. Even so, it wasn't difficult for him to maintain a level of performance that put him on par with Hatsume.
Curiously, although Orion hadn't intended to gain anything during his infiltration, the samurai training had helped him improve his Swordsmanship. While his style was completely different from a katana user, some of the basic principles he had learned had caused a qualitative change in his understanding of swords and his own techniques.
Although the skill level hadn't increased on the system's skill panel, Orion could feel the improvement. He knew he was only a small step away from leveling up his Swordsmanship, which, of course, made him very happy.
This was an unexpected gain, and he had achieved it without facing major difficulties. His "Swordsmanship" was one of the hardest skills to improve, second only to his Haki abilities, so Orion felt great joy at this unexpected development. He even considered traveling to various nations with different sword cultures in the future to broaden his experience and deepen his understanding of his own techniques.
During his time infiltrating the palace, Orion hadn't dared to use his special abilities for fear of being discovered by Kaido, who was almost as paranoid as Orochi. Therefore, he hadn't interacted with Maria for a month, though he had sent her messages via small notes.
The Pocket Dimension had the unique characteristic of allowing one to observe the outside from within, although the vision was somewhat distorted by a red membrane separating the spatial planes. Orion had simply written notes to communicate unilaterally with Maria.
"Orion, are you ready?" Hatsume asked, entering his room without knocking. Over the past month, they had spent most of their time together, and Hatsume felt completely comfortable in his presence, treating him like an older brother.
Orion looked at Hatsume, who was wearing a mask over her mouth and her hair tied in two pigtails. In her orange kimono, her appearance was completely different from the shy girl he had met a month earlier. The katana on her back, which almost touched the ground due to her short stature, gave her a more aggressive look and made her seem less gentle.
Her current appearance was a personal choice, though she wore the mask to cover her mouth because she felt it was ugly. This was due to several other female recruits who constantly made fun of her mouth whenever they had the chance. Orion had beaten them up on more than one occasion, but they were stubborn and kept mocking Hatsume.
In truth, there was nothing wrong with the girl's mouth, although one of her fangs protruded slightly from her lips. From Orion's perspective, there was nothing wrong with it; it actually made her look more adorable, like a unique personal mark. Still, the girl had decided to hide her mouth, and Orion hadn't been able to convince her otherwise. He didn't see it as a major problem, since they would be leaving soon, and she would no longer be bullied.
"Hey, Hatsume, you should knock. What if I'd been naked?" Orion said, finishing adjusting his outfit. He was dressed in classic samurai attire, with a katana at his waist, looking quite cool.
"What's the problem? It's not like I haven't seen it before!" Hatsume said, crossing her arms and staring stubbornly at Orion's crotch.
A vein throbbed on Orion's forehead. For a moment, he felt the urge to discipline her to prevent her from developing bad habits. However, given the importance of the situation, he gave up the thought and made a mental note to teach her how to behave like a young lady once they left this place.
After a month of training together, Orion had realized that Hatsume's personality wasn't that of the shy girl he had first met. She was a lively and impetuous girl, somewhat of a tomboy. In a way, she reminded him a little of Gloriosa.
Thinking about his roommate from his time in Guanhao, Orion wondered if she had managed to reach Amazon Lily and if she was doing well. He had asked the Revolutionary Army to keep him updated if they found any trace of her, but he had received no information at all about Gloriosa.
Orion took a step forward and flicked Hatsume on the forehead. She immediately grabbed her head with both hands, complaining about his cruelty with fake tears. Then, seeing that Orion was ignoring her, she jumped on his back and bit his shoulder with her canine fang in resentment. Of course, with Orion's passive ability, he didn't feel a thing from such a weak attack. Still, he pretended to be in pain and begged for mercy to appease the restless girl.
Hearing his surrender, Hatsume climbed down from his back with a triumphant expression and began walking beside him toward the conference hall. Today, they would have their first audience with Orochi. The two leaders of the special samurai and ninja groups were bringing the most talented recruits to show Orochi their progress in creating an elite force.
Orion, who until that moment had not had an opportunity to get close to Orochi, would finally be able to try to eliminate him.
Although these were not the most favorable conditions, since several child recruits and the two group leaders would be present, Orion had decided to act this time instead of waiting any longer. As long as Kaido wasn't present, Orion considered his chances of success to be quite high. According to the information he had obtained, Orochi did not have great combat power, though he was apparently a Devil Fruit user. However, information about his Devil Fruit powers was nonexistent, so Orion was also prepared to face a surprise and did not dare to lower his guard against Orochi.
Solemnly, the two men in charge of training the children advanced through the palace corridors, followed by their respective apprentices. Finally, they reached imposing, gigantic doors. After being announced, the doors opened, and the two groups entered with great solemnity.
Once inside, Orion took in the entire hall. There was a lavishly adorned throne where Orochi was seated, wearing a forced expression of disinterest that he thought made him look more noble. Two beautiful women stood at his sides, serving him with dedication and total submission.
Orion didn't dare to use his Observation Haki to avoid alerting his enemies and simply observed his surroundings carefully, searching for any hidden guards who might intervene. However, luckily for him, it seemed there were no guards inside the room. For a cowardly and paranoid man, Orochi was showing great bravery by not having guards at his side.
However, looking at the map on his system screen, Orion realized the reason was that Kaido was in the adjoining room and would likely take only a second to arrive in case of an attack.
Orion shook his head bitterly, thinking the situation was truly complicated, but he had no intention of regretting his decision to eliminate Orochi. Just as the audience was about to begin and Orion was preparing to strike, his "Prism Eyes" involuntarily activated. For a brief instant, Orochi's head seemed to multiply, generating strange, overlapping residual images.
Orion immediately closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, everything had returned to normal. Luckily, no one present had noticed the fleeting activation of his ability, or the last month of infiltration would have been wasted.
The two instructors stepped forward and began reporting the situation, presenting the recruits one by one. Finally, Hotei called Orion to step forward. The moment to act had arrived.
Orion nodded his head gracefully and walked to the front of the group with a smile, his eyes fixed on Orochi.
"Lord Orochi, this is our most talented recruit..." Hotei said with his classic lazy attitude. However, before he could finish his words, a great change occurred inside the grand hall.
With a wave of his hand, Orion opened a gate in the air. Maria, who had been waiting for this moment, pushed half her body out of the Pocket Dimension, hugged Hatsume, and yanked her inside the alternate dimension in one pull. The gate closed again, and both girls disappeared completely.
At the same time, Orion used his "Age Change" ability to take on his adult form and pulled his cutlass from his inventory. Then, using Soru at his maximum speed, he vanished from his spot and appeared in front of Orochi, who opened his eyes wide in fright at the strange scene before him.
However, Orion had acted very quickly and caught everyone by surprise. None of those present could interrupt his attack, and Orochi, who did not have great combat power, could only watch in terror as the shining blade approached him.
All of this happened in less than a second. Before the astonished eyes of everyone present, Orochi's head went flying through the air, and a great amount of blood gushed from his neck like a fountain.
Orion wasted no time and immediately activated his Space Gate, intending to withdraw after achieving his objective. However, before he could step through the portal, a massive spiked metal club struck the Space Gate head-on. The Space Gate began to show cracks across its surface at a great speed.
Before Orion had the chance to leap inside, the portal exploded violently, generating a shockwave that destroyed much of the grand hall.
It was the first time Orion had encountered a situation where his Space Gate was destroyed before he could use it. But it was also the first time he had faced someone at the very pinnacle of world power, besides Garp, who had never intended to truly harm him.
Orion tried to activate his Space Gate once more, but a gigantic man with horns on his head emerged like a demon from the adjoining room and once again destroyed his portal. This time, Orion felt a strong discomfort and vomited a mouthful of blood. Evidently, the destruction of his ability had generated adverse effects on his body.
Kaido walked slowly, his eyes showing great anger at Orion's audacity in trying to eliminate his pawn, Orochi. He took his massive club, which he had imbued with Conqueror's Haki and thrown at the Space Gate, and rested it on his shoulder, staring at Orion with interest. Now that he had secured Orochi's safety, he wanted to have some fun teaching a lesson to the little rat that had dared to step into his territory.
Orion breathed heavily, his body feeling weighed down. Kaido was pressing on him with his Conqueror's Haki, and although it wasn't enough to make him faint, it put great pressure on him. Orion's mind began working at full speed, trying to find a way out of his current predicament. He had never imagined that his Space Gate could be destroyed with an external attack, and now he was in trouble. With his current abilities, he couldn't face Kaido, but he had no means of escape either!
While Kaido and Orion stared at each other, Orochi's head grew back once more, and the cowardly tyrant began squealing like a pig being slaughtered.
"Eliminate that man right now! Hotei! Fukurokuju!"
The two subordinates immediately stepped forward to deal with Orion but froze the moment Kaido looked at them with hostility.
"Don't interfere. This one is my prey," Kaido said in a foul mood. He then turned to Orochi, who was still screaming, consumed by a nervous breakdown, and with great irritation, he kicked him in the rear, sending him flying through the air until he crashed against one of the hall's pillars.
"Silence. Your voice is irritating," Kaido said, unleashing his Conqueror's Haki once more, which caused all the children present to faint.
Orion looked at Kaido solemnly and knew there was no option left. He had been far too reckless, and now he was on a road with no exit. He let out a sigh and made a decision. If there was no escape, he would at least fight until the end.
"Berserk Mode," he said quietly, and the entire world seemed to change in an instant.
His abilities, which had been limited in his original form, exploded with their full potential. His body and mind entered a state of maximum performance, and he felt as though his very spirit was sublimating and merging with the world around him.
His eyes suddenly changed, and his "Prism Eyes" ability activated naturally. The way Orion was looking now was totally different from his normal state, yet even so, there was a black shadow over Kaido, indicating that only certain death awaited him if he tried to fight.
Orion used Soru, and before Kaido's curious gaze, he appeared in front of him and struck with his sword.
"Kamusari!"
Orion's sword clashed against Kaido's club, but he didn't manage to force the pirate to retreat even a single step. He had been able to face Moria using his Berserk Mode, but Kaido was an existence on a level far superior to that of a Shichibukai.
"What is this ridiculous imitation?" Kaido said, clearly unimpressed by Orion's attack. He had seen the true Kamusari, used by Roger, so Orion's attack was nothing but a joke in his eyes.
Orion released his Conqueror's Haki, catching Kaido by surprise. For the first time, Kaido showed a smile. However, Orion could not use Conqueror's Haki in its advanced form, even in his Berserk Mode, so its effect on Kaido was minimal. Even so, Orion didn't stop his attacks.
Spinning on the ground, he unleashed dozens of Tempest Kicks. Then, using Geppo, he appeared above Kaido's head, activating his "Age Change" ability on him. However, the skill didn't affect him much due to the difference in power between them. Orion failed to successfully turn him into a baby, only managing to revert him to his teenage years.
Still, this time Kaido was quite surprised. And although the Tempest Kicks had no effect on him whatsoever, the way he looked at Orion had changed again. Now, in addition to interest, there was something else in his eyes.
Orion launched another sword strike, which was repelled by Kaido, who still didn't take his attacks seriously and only responded defensively. However, Orion was in a flow state thanks to his Berserk Mode and could chain several of his abilities together in harmony.
While Kaido was defending against the sword strike, a hand appeared behind the pirate's neck. Orion had used "Un Fleur" to materialize a hand there and immediately activated his "Canvas Realm" ability, directly altering Kaido's body and creating a hollow within his muscles. Then he pulled a large number of rocks from his inventory, placed them in that hollow, and enduring the great mental strain, he undid the "Art Coating" on the stones.
They immediately transformed into sticks of dynamite ready to explode.
Booom—Booom—Booom!
A series of explosions resounded through the place, and Kaido's body was completely engulfed by the tremendous power of the dynamite blasts. Orion staggered, pulling away as best he could, while blood poured from his nose and mouth. The effort of using so many abilities together was something his body could not withstand, and only Berserk Mode, which increased his body's healing speed, allowed him to remain on his feet.
Orion once again tried to open his Space Gate, but Kaido emerged from the curtain of smoke caused by the explosion, smiling like a maniac, with only slight wounds across his body. Orion's attack had been utterly ruthless, and any normal person would have died a thousand times, yet Kaido could still move effortlessly and laugh cheerfully.
Kaido stretched out his hand to grab Orion by the neck, but at that exact moment, Orion used two abilities simultaneously: Taser Gun and Paper Arts. With precise movements, he managed to paralyze Kaido's muscles for a microsecond with electricity while slipping out of his grasp with Paper Arts.
But instead of fleeing, he moved closer to Kaido's stomach, and before the pirate could react, he pressed both fists against his abdominal muscles.
"Rokuogan!" Orion shouted, spitting a mouthful of blood, while Kaido felt the impact of the attack and suffered internal damage.
Surprised, he looked at Orion's fists and saw that he was wearing Kairoseki gloves, which weakened his body.
"Rokuogan!" Orion said once again, giving Kaido no chance to retreat.
"Rokuogan! Rokuogan! Rokuogan!"
Orion unleashed four more consecutive attacks, and Kaido finally took a step back, clutching his stomach, with blood dripping from the corners of his mouth. He had not expected Orion, whom he considered an insect, to be capable of inflicting so much damage.
Kaido gripped his club tightly, prepared to finally face Orion actively, but before he could do so, Orion collapsed to the ground unconscious, a great amount of blood pouring from his body.
Looking at Orion's body, now in his natural state as a ten-year-old child, Kaido realized that was his true form, and suddenly his mood improved even further. He turned to the ninja and the samurai, who had been petrified watching Orion attack Kaido unilaterally, and said:
"Hey, you two. Treat his wounds, don't let him die, or you'll pay with your lives."
The two men nodded immediately, and even Hotei, who was usually lazy and careless, hurried to carry out the pirate's orders.
"After you heal him, throw him into the dungeon," Kaido said, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, and leaving the place with a slow step.
If there was one thing he loved, it was finding great talents he could break and bend to serve under him, and Orion had just joined that list after displaying such abilities before his eyes.
Orion had used every ounce of power at his disposal in his brief battle with Kaido, but he had never used his Pocket Dimension, because Maria and Hatsume were inside. At that very moment, they were watching the situation through the crimson membrane with tears in their eyes.
...
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