October 22, 1500, Age of the Sea Circle
Another week went by quickly, and Orion's situation with Makino had not changed much. He continued visiting the tavern every day, bringing gifts in his attempts to win the favor of the young girl's family, although the tavern keeper stubbornly refused to show him even the slightest hint of goodwill whenever he saw him.
Still, Orion had made a bit of progress, since Makino's father had come to realize that he would not attempt anything extreme with his daughter and that, at most, he would just show up every day to hand her presents. He even suspected that if Makino herself were to ask Orion to stop bothering her, the bothersome child would immediately agree.
And his suspicions were correct. Orion was very passionate in his pursuit of Makino's love, but if she truly felt uncomfortable and asked him to stop, he would not continue with his efforts. After all, he had no desire to become a vulgar stalker.
The truth was that Makino herself did not quite know how to react to Orion's open declarations. She did not feel disgusted, yet she was somewhat embarrassed to look him in the eyes when he gazed at her so intensely, so she simply accepted his gifts every day without giving any sign of rejection or acceptance toward his feelings.
In truth, she rather enjoyed the gifts Orion gave her, as they were varied and creative. He had brought her paintings, drawings, sculptures, homemade food, poems, and had even offered her an energizing medicine—though that last one was thrown straight into the trash by her father, who imagined all sorts of nightmarish scenarios involving drugs.
At this moment, Orion was sitting at one of the tavern's tables, having once again failed in his confession. However, unlike other times, he was not sitting there alone; instead, he shared the table with Shanks and his crew.
Over the past week, Orion had interacted with them quite a bit and had discovered that they were all very likable. He even had to admit—albeit reluctantly—that Shanks was a rather decent fellow. Their relationship, however, was somewhat complicated because of the way they had first met and because of their statuses as partial heirs to Roger. In a sense, their relationship resembled that of two brothers who simply did not get along very well.
Even so, little Orion was not nearly as reserved in dealing with Shanks as his adult self would have been, since his way of analyzing things was different, owing to the cognitive gap between them. Little Orion was far simpler in mind and still lacked the training to grasp certain subtler social perceptions.
Had his adult self been in control, perhaps the relationship with Shanks would have appeared much more harmonious, but there would also have been an unbridgeable distance between them, a distance that did not exist now thanks to little Orion's stance.
As for the reason why adult Orion would have kept his distance from Shanks, it was simply because the red-haired pirate was far too mysterious. He had been part of Roger's crew, yet he had also appeared alongside the Celestial Dragons, clearly being one of them. Orion could never fully trust him, and that was why he would have maintained a cautious and diplomatic distance.
"Hey Orion, you should join our crew!" said Ben Beckman, first mate of the Red Hair Pirates.
"No! I don't want to be a pirate!" Orion immediately replied, holding a chicken leg in his hand.
During the week following their duel, Orion had been invited several times to join the red-haired crew, and even Shanks himself had extended the invitation once. However, his answer had always been the same: a resounding and concise "No!"
"Why not? Being a pirate is the best there is! Nothing compares to living free on the sea!" said Yasopp from the side, already quite drunk.
"I don't care, I have no interest in being a pirate!" Orion insisted firmly, leaving no room for the lively pirates to continue their attempts to persuade him.
"Guys, just leave it. How many times have you asked him already? It's obvious he won't accept," said Shanks, sitting lazily at the head of the table with a carefree posture, drinking his beer.
The other pirates listened to their captain's words and stopped pressing the matter—at least for a few minutes. Once enough alcohol had run down their throats, they completely forgot Shanks's warning from moments earlier and launched into yet another round of recruitment attempts.
Orion, growing slightly irritated from having to repeat the same answer again and again, simply began ignoring them or changing the subject whenever possible. Still, little Orion never revealed much about himself. He did not mention his homeland, that he was the king of a kingdom, or his clashes with the Marines and the World Government.
Even though little Orion was more straightforward in his way of thinking, he was not stupid, and he did not want to give away more information than necessary and end up in unnecessary trouble.
Finally, after a couple of hours of eating and drinking merrily, the red-haired pirates stood up, bade farewell to the tavern keeper and Makino, and began walking in disorderly fashion toward the port, for today was the day they would be leaving Windmill Village.
Only Shanks and Orion remained in the bar, and after the redhead bid farewell to the people inside, he looked at Orion and said,
"Walk me to the ship."
He then began walking without waiting for Orion. With no other choice, Orion had to quicken his pace to catch up, and soon the two of them were walking side by side, slowly heading toward the port.
"Do you really not want to come with me? With your current level of power, you're in great danger if the World Government finds out more about you," Shanks said seriously.
Orion shook his head slightly.
"I have my own journey to make! I can't follow someone else!" Orion replied with great certainty, looking Shanks in the eyes. Even at just ten years old, little Orion had a gaze fitting of someone with Conqueror's Haki.
Shanks smiled faintly and didn't insist again. That would be the last time he invited Orion to join his crew.
"You know, I really thought leaving Roger's sword in your hands was a waste," Shanks began to say in a low voice, and Orion immediately tensed up, fearing the redhead might once again try to steal his master's memento. However, after a brief pause, Shanks continued with a cheerful smile,
"But now I'm not so sure that's the case. At the very least, I think I should give you the benefit of the doubt. I hope that next time we meet, you can at least force me to draw my sword! Haha."
Orion relaxed his muscles and nodded, thinking that after all, Shanks wasn't so unpleasant on some occasions.
Finally, after walking for several minutes, they arrived at the redhead's ship, where the rest of the crew had gone into "serious mode" and were busy preparing everything to set sail.
"This time we're going to the Grand Line," Shanks said suddenly.
"There are some important things I have to do there, so I can't keep staying in this peaceful corner of the world," the pirate added, his voice carrying a note of resignation and reluctance.
In Orion's eyes, Shanks was also a man with a mission. Although he didn't know what kind of mission it was, he could sense that it was something tremendously important to the redhead.
"If we're lucky, we might meet again soon. If you're ever on the Grand Line, don't hesitate to call me if you want another sparring match!" Shanks said, pulling out a Den Den Mushi and handing it to Orion with a smile.
Orion took the snail and gave a slight nod. He looked Shanks straight in the eyes, ready to formally bid him farewell, but at that moment, someone came running from the horizon, covered in blood and gasping for breath. It was the bartender, Kolino!
"Shanks! Shanks! Help! Something terrible has happened!"
Kolino collapsed to the ground as soon as he saw Shanks, crying out from afar with great anguish. Shanks rushed toward him, but Orion had been even faster, and was already beside the badly wounded man.
Examining his injuries, Orion quickly analyzed the situation using his medical knowledge. Not only had he clearly suffered slashing attacks, but he had also been poisoned, and the poison used was quite potent. If it wasn't treated soon, he wouldn't be able to survive much longer.
Orion immediately got to work. He bought a "Health Brownie" from the system shop and shoved it straight into the bartender's mouth. For a moment, the man tried to spit out the brownie to keep speaking, but Orion stopped him, firmly telling him to swallow before talking.
As the bartender swallowed the brownie with some difficulty, Orion had already pulled out a syringe and an antidote he had crafted himself and kept stored in his inventory. Orion didn't spend his days only training combat techniques—he also dedicated time to honing other skills.
Medicine and herbalism were two of the abilities he invested the most time into besides fighting. Not only did he have several kinds of antidotes prepared, but also all sorts of medicines, some even for treating rare and complex diseases.
Makino's father paid no attention to Orion's actions, and after swallowing the brownie he continued his desperate plea.
"Shanks! You have to help me, Makino's been kidnapped by the mountain bandits! You have to rescue her, please! I'll pay you everything I have!"
The bartender was nearly in tears, completely distraught over his little daughter, who was the most important thing in his life. If he had to lose everything to get her back, he had no problem doing so.
However, Shanks would never ask for a reward to take care of something so simple. After all, even if Orion didn't want to admit it, he was a good man.
Shanks placed a hand on the bartender's shoulder and was about to agree, but before he could say anything, he saw Orion dart off at full speed using Soru, heading toward the mountains.
Somewhat surprised, he unleashed his monstrous Observation Haki, then smiled. Patting Makino's father on the shoulder, Shanks spoke with a voice full of confidence,
"Don't worry, Kolino, Orion's going to bring Makino back safely. He might not look it at first glance, but he's very strong."
Then, seeing that the situation here was under control, he simply bid farewell to the stunned bartender, boarded his ship, and set sail toward the Grand Line without looking back.
He knew that with Orion handling the situation there would be no problems. Now he had to focus on his mission in the Grand Line, for the time appointed by his father Roger was approaching, and he had to go retrieve the Gomu Gomu no Mi as soon as possible.
On the other hand, Orion was sprinting at full speed, completely furious, heading straight toward the marker indicating Makino's position. In his mind, a bell suddenly rang, signaling the presence of a new notification, but he ignored it completely.
He had no time to read notifications right now, as his mind was filled with a single thought: saving Makino and destroying her captors.
He had already ignored three consecutive notifications, and he probably wouldn't read them until Makino was safe. Fortunately, he had managed to give the bartender the antidote before hearing that Makino was in trouble, because otherwise the unfortunate man might not have survived until Orion returned with the girl.
In a cave in the mountains, one of the many groups of bandits in the area had their base. They were the second largest group in numbers, but in raw strength they ranked first. They had been planning an attack on the bartender for some time, though they had been unable to act because of Shanks' presence.
Shanks had not only dealt with the threat of pirates in the surroundings, but had also wiped out a great number of mountain bandits, declaring that no one could act arrogantly in his territory.
The redhead did not actively pursue bandits and pirates, nor did he restrict their free movement in the area, but everyone knew that if they caused trouble, they would be annihilated by Shanks. Perhaps the only people who didn't know this were those near the capital on the other side of the island, but the bandits from that region never ventured here, since there was nothing of interest to them in this part of the island.
It was precisely Shanks' actions of preventing the bandits from committing crimes that had driven these criminals into a state of extreme poverty. They were desperate and needed a big score, so their eyes turned to the prosperous tavern in the village, which amassed large amounts of Berries every year.
As soon as Shanks decided to leave, the bandits made their move, thinking that by the time their actions were discovered, Shanks would already be sailing and wouldn't pay them any attention.
However, they hadn't counted on the bartender Kolino being stronger than they thought, and he managed to escape their grasp and run for help. The mountain bandits immediately fled back to their lair, afraid of facing Shanks, and planned to head toward the capital to protect their loot.
This time, in addition to a large amount of money, they had kidnapped the bartender's daughter, who without a doubt could be sold for a good price to some perverted noble in the capital.
"Shit! Move faster, we have to leave immediately before Shanks comes looking for us!" said one of the bandits in panic.
"But will Shanks really come? He was about to leave, I don't think he'll change his plans over something so insignificant, right?" said another bandit, who was simply too lazy to evacuate their hideout.
"Is your head full of shit, you son of a bitch?! Who is Shanks?! He's the damn master of these lands! Do you think he's going to let us commit crimes after he gave the order that no one could do so? It's a matter of prestige! If he lets us escape it would be a stain on his reputation!" said the bandit leader, who had been listening from the side while directing the evacuation.
"Then why are we acting anyway? Wouldn't it have been better to wait until he left?" asked the lazy bandit, unwilling to move too much to help carry the group's belongings and clearly not very bright.
Slash!
The bandit leader directly drew his saber and slashed him across the torso, leaving him between life and death. Then he exploded in fury.
"You bastards! Didn't I tell you to wait until Shanks left before acting?! It was you who couldn't wait a couple more hours! Damn it! Move and finish loading the things onto the cart, now!"
The bandits quickly prepared all their belongings and got ready to depart, but at that exact moment, a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave like a specter.
It was, of course, Orion, who had come here at full speed, taking only a few minutes to arrive.
His gaze scanned the surroundings until he finally spotted Makino, who was in the distance, being restrained by two bandits. The girl was terrified, her face completely pale, but she showed no signs of having been harmed, which immediately made Orion breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had arrived in time and nothing bad had happened to Makino. After all, this group of mountain bandits was capable of committing all kinds of atrocities. A defenseless girl like Makino was in great danger the longer she remained in this place.
Who the hell are you, brat?!" said one of the bandits, stepping forward to deal with the boy who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Orion wasted no time speaking to these men, since in his mind he had already condemned them to become SP. However, he didn't want to scare Makino any further or show her a scene that was too violent, so he didn't plan on finishing off these bandits immediately. Knocking them out first would be enough, and later there would be time for other actions.
Orion used Soru, and with a strike to the back of the neck made the bandit who was approaching him collapse unconscious. Then he activated Age Change, and his body transformed into that of an adult. Little Orion usually remained in his natural form, unlike adult Orion, who preferred to continuously use Age Change to stay in his adult body.
For that reason, this was the first time Makino had seen Orion in his adult form, and her eyes suddenly lit up upon seeing him easily taking down the bandits. In her youthful mind, Orion looked like the heroes from the fairy tales she had heard, where the prince comes to save the heroine.
It should be mentioned that with the system buffs, Orion's appearance was much more attractive than Shanks', only that in his natural form it wasn't as apparent because his body was going through a somewhat awkward stage of growth.
Normally, seeing little Orion smiling with his missing teeth while handing her gifts left Makino not knowing how to react, but seeing Orion in his adult form made her eyes sparkle with little stars, and the crush she had once felt for Shanks suddenly shifted, transferring to Orion.
"Fuck! Stop him!" shouted the bandit leader with a hint of panic.
The bandits lunged at Orion with their swords, but Orion danced through the cave with incredible elegance, dodging their attacks and suppressing each of his enemies with a single precise blow.
Opponents of this level posed no difficulty at all for Orion with his current power, so eliminating this group of bandits was nothing more than a formality for him.
Two of the bandits pulled out crude pistols and fired, but the bullets vanished in midair without leaving a trace, making the already terrified bandits feel their legs grow weak from uncontrollable tremors.
One of the more intelligent bandits noticed that Orion's gaze was always fixed on Makino, and immediately inferred that he was here to rescue her. Without hesitation, he grabbed the girl and pressed the blade of his sword against her neck, planning to use her as a hostage to control Orion.
However, these actions did not escape Orion's sight, and it was as if they had touched his reverse scale. Before the bandit could even utter his words of threat, a finger materialized in front of his chest and pierced his heart without resistance.
Orion used Soru and appeared next to Makino, taking her into his arms like a princess. Then he said with a smile:
"Sorry for making you wait, Makino. Now that I'm here, no one will be able to hurt you."
Makino's cheeks flushed, and she felt a feeling she had never experienced before, like butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
...
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