December 1, 1500, Age of the Sea Circle
Three days after the arrival of Orion and Kuma at the base of the Northern Army, everything was ready for the assault on Avalo Pizarro. During the previous days, Dragon had given Orion more specific details regarding his role and the attack plan.
Essentially, what they were planning was a blitz attack, since this was the best way to ensure the safety of the people living on the island under Pizarro's rule. The reason was that the tyrannical monarch had eaten the Shima Shima no Mi, turning him into an island man.
This ability was truly troublesome, because Pizarro had the power to control the entire terrain of the island at will. For this reason, the people of his kingdom were practically hostages in his hands, as he could attack anyone at any time, and he could also maintain strict surveillance over any suspicious movement.
The only reason Dragon and the revolutionaries had been able to successfully plan this attack was because of the limitations of Pizarro's Devil Fruit. Despite being extremely powerful, there was a limit to the amount of terrain he could cover and possess.
For this reason, Pizarro had divided the island where his kingdom stood in two. At the center of the kingdom, where the capital and the largest population were located, Pizarro held absolute control. He had built a massive artificial island at the heart of the realm, which he ruled with an iron fist.
On the other hand, the rest of the kingdom outside this central island, although also oppressed by his tyranny, was in a far better condition. It was there that the revolutionaries had begun to organize the people to rise up in rebellion, and one should not underestimate the number of people living outside the central island. Even if they did not have great combat power, there was strength in numbers.
Dragon's plan was that he himself would take care of Pizarro, while the rest of the revolutionaries, aided by the rebellious inhabitants, would handle the remainder of the troops. Since Pizarro's power made him especially vulnerable to attacks imbued with Haki, Dragon was without doubt the most suitable person for the task, as he was the one with the greatest mastery of Haki in the entire Revolutionary Army.
Pizarro could turn any part of the island into a part of his own body; that was his strength but also his weakness. Against ordinary attacks, exposing a portion of his body was not a problem at all, since the damage was simply limited to the buildings and terrain he controlled. But when struck with Haki, the situation changed, as the damage reached directly to his true body.
It was for that reason that this revolutionary assault would focus on Dragon, who would use his Haki attacks to strike at the unprotected and colossal Pizarro in his island form.
The only problem was the inhabitants of the kingdom, who lived on the central island. If Dragon and the revolutionaries initiated their attack, Pizarro would not stand idly by, and it was highly likely that the lives of those innocents would become the perfect bargaining chips for Pizarro to negotiate with the revolutionaries.
Holding the lives of thousands of hostages in his hands, Pizarro undoubtedly had a certain advantage over Dragon, whose goal was not merely to destroy him but to liberate the people of this kingdom.
And that was the purpose for which Orion had been called on this occasion. Dragon did not expect him to join the battle against Pizarro; rather, his task was simply to use his spatial powers to secure the people on the central island, thus preventing the monarch from using them as hostages.
At this very moment, everything was ready for the assault on the central island, and they were only waiting for Dragon's order to act. They were positioned in open sea, at a short distance from Pizarro's kingdom. From there, Kuma would launch them directly into the battlefield, catching Pizarro and his troops by surprise.
Kuma had already scouted the terrain beforehand, before going to fetch Orion, so he had no problem using his ability to transport the entire Revolutionary Army a short distance.
The reason they had sailed to the vicinity of Pizarro's kingdom instead of simply having Kuma use his powers to transport them from the Northern Army base was because moving a large number of people was mentally exhausting for Kuma, especially when the distance to be traveled was great.
To solve that problem, they had sailed here at full speed, aided by the powers of Dragon's Devil Fruit, which allowed him to control the wind.
"Orion, are you ready to go? You'll go first," said Dragon, looking at Orion with his usual austerity.
"Of course, you can count on me, Dragon!" Orion replied with a smile, flexing his bicep in a slightly comical pose.
The contrast between the personalities of these two founding members of the Revolutionary Army was apparent to all those watching their interaction nearby. While Orion was very serious when fighting or when circumstances required it, the rest of the time he tried to maintain a carefree attitude, since that was his way of keeping himself from going insane.
If Orion had to remain stoic all the time the way Dragon did, he believed he would definitely end up collapsing. In his mind, seriousness was just another tool he could use, not his natural state of being. Although that also depended on who was the one judging him.
For example, Roger had told him again and again that he needed to loosen up much more and not take things so seriously, and this was because Roger's personality stood at the very opposite extreme of Dragon's. To someone like Roger, who lived at that end of the spectrum, someone like Orion, standing in the middle ground, still felt far too rigid.
There was also something else Orion hadn't noticed, and it was that his personality had shifted slightly over the years. It wasn't a dramatic change, but if one were to compare his current self with the one from years past, they would definitely notice the difference. This wasn't only due to the experiences he had gone through in this world, but also to the influence of his other self… the little Orion.
Although they were the same person, the way they experienced the world was different, and the events they lived through impacted their psyche differently as well. Orion knew that his adult mind influenced his child self, which was why even when the adult mind was asleep, little Orion behaved in a way far more mature than what was normal for a boy of his age.
What he hadn't considered, however, was that the experiences of his child self were also affecting his adult self, even if only slightly. Especially after the two occasions when he had used "Berserk Mode" and little Orion had been in control for a long period of time.
Orion knew that once his body in its natural state reached sufficient development, little Orion would disappear—or rather, they would both merge into one. Yet perhaps this merging would also bring about some subtle changes in him, though that was something to be confirmed only when the moment arrived.
"All right then, I wish you good luck. We'll be right behind you at all times to cover your back, so you can focus on your mission without worries," Dragon said, showing a smile so faint it was almost imperceptible.
Orion nodded with a smile of his own and looked at Kuma, who stepped forward and pulled off one of his gloves.
"Good luck, Orion," Kuma said.
"Don't worry, Kuma, let's finish this quickly so we can head to the cabaret!" Orion said jokingly with a grin, while Kuma blushed slightly.
Pop!
Kuma slapped Orion, and immediately he went flying through the air thanks to the powers of the Devil Fruit. Right away, Orion shed his smile and shifted into his "serious mode," since his current mission was both important and delicate.
The safety of the innocent people on the central island of this kingdom depended on him, and Orion had no intention of letting his guard down for even a second, fearing to cause unnecessary losses.
Suddenly, while he was flying toward his target, a bell rang in his mind, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*New Mission Available*
*Mission 19 – First Steps
Description: The Revolutionary Army is taking its first steps into the world to change history and correct injustices. This is your first mission as a member of the organization, and a positive outcome could mark the beginning of a brilliant path.
Objective: Secure the safety of the civilians on the central island of the kingdom.
Reward: SP, increase in skill level, slight increase in the talent of current Revolutionary Army members.
(The reward will vary depending on the number of people saved)*
Orion read through the mission's details and then opened the system's map, where a large number of markers had suddenly appeared. These markers indicated the location of every person he needed to evacuate and keep safe this time.
The number was truly overwhelming, especially because he had to accomplish it quickly and while trying not to attract the attention of Pizarro, who had eyes everywhere. Still, Orion did not let himself be discouraged; instead, he was grateful that the system had provided him with the precise locations of the people he needed to rescue. That would make things at least a little easier for him.
Orion focused his gaze on the distance, and with his Prism Eyes he saw the central island, which he was approaching at an incredible speed. He scanned the streets in search of soldiers' presence and tried to identify Avalo Pizarro's whereabouts.
However, the tyrannical monarch had fused with the island itself, which meant he was everywhere at once.
Realizing he was about to reach his target, Orion drew in a deep breath and prepared to carry out his mission. Just before arriving, he opened a door in the air and stepped into the Pocket Dimension, moving silently through the alternate space before reappearing inside a house. There, he simply extended his hands and dragged the people living there into the Pocket Dimension without giving them a chance to react.
Once again, it was time to relapse into his old addiction of kidnapping people, and although he was clearly doing it for their own good, Orion feared that the system might one day grant him a title for his numerous abductions over the years.
If the system were to assign him a title like "Legendary Kidnapper" or something of the sort, he wouldn't know quite how to feel about it, though he had to admit such a title might be useful for recruiting people…
Inside the Pocket Dimension, Orion shook his head vigorously, pushing aside those useless thoughts, and focused entirely on his current task.
This time, he didn't need to engage in combat, since he had come in a supporting role. Dragon and the other revolutionaries would handle Pizarro and his men. Orion had only one goal, and that was to protect the civilians. Still, Orion didn't see this as something negative, since he enjoyed helping people more than clashing in battle against Pizarro.
He wasn't a battle fanatic like Hanafuda, and the reason he trained every day was simply because he knew that sooner or later he would have to fight in order to reach his goals.
In that sense, although he trusted Dragon enough to leave Pizarro in his hands while he secured the civilians, Orion would never think of placing his own goals and ambitions on someone else's shoulders.
Even though he had now chosen to adopt a supporting role in this mission, Orion would never resign himself to a secondary role permanently. He was flexible enough to adapt to what the situation demanded, as he was doing now, but also ambitious enough never to give up his position as a leader for good.
Especially after his Conqueror's Haki had awakened, there was something within his being that simply drove him to climb to the very peak of the path he had chosen.
And since his Conqueror's Haki had sprung from his desire to protect, it resonated particularly strongly at this moment, when he was trying to save as many civilians as possible.
Orion emerged once again from the Pocket Dimension inside another house, and quickly abducted everyone present. As much as it pained him to admit it, Orion had perfect skills for kidnapping, and that was precisely why Dragon had called him to participate in this operation.
He could move through the Pocket Dimension without alerting Pizarro, and get civilians to safety quickly. However, if he kept doing it for too long, eventually the tyrannical monarch would notice something was wrong.
After all, Pizarro could "feel" everything that happened on the island, since his body itself was the island. The disappearance of a few people might go unnoticed, but if the number grew too large, Pizarro would definitely detect Orion's movements.
That was why Dragon and the rest of the revolutionaries didn't take long to follow Orion and descend upon the central island with their surprise attack.
While Orion was busy rescuing—or rather, kidnapping—the civilians, Dragon descended from the skies together with Kuma, Karasu, and the others. Unlike Orion, who had concealed his presence before arriving through the use of his Pocket Dimension, Dragon's arrival immediately alerted Pizarro and his men, who, sensing the presence of hostile intruders, began a violent counterattack.
Kuma and Karasu—who was now the new leader of the Northern Army after Thomas had fallen in combat during a previous mission—led their men forward and began clashing with Pizarro's soldiers. Meanwhile, Dragon rose into the air amid gusts of wind and launched an attack with his powerful Armament Haki, striking directly at the gigantic face that had just materialized before him.
"Ah! Fuck! That hurts, you damn bastard!" Pizarro howled, feeling the force of the Haki strike crash into his face so powerfully that he nearly fainted from the pain.
Dragon didn't reply to his words and simply followed with another attack, though this time Pizarro had learned from his previous mistake and didn't try to confront Dragon head-on. Instead, he abandoned the materialization of his face, letting the island return to its natural state.
Dragon's blow landed against a cluster of houses, shattering them completely and wreaking great destruction in the area. Fortunately, they had coordinated their attack well, and Orion had already evacuated that part of the island before they arrived.
Dragon and the rest of the revolutionaries could now fight without restraint, knowing their attacks wouldn't harm any civilians, since Orion had already secured them.
Because of Avalo Pizarro's abilities, it was impossible to fight him without causing damage to the area, and the Revolutionary Army's plan even included destroying the central island that the tyrant used as his base. This was because it was the only way they could defeat him.
As long as Pizarro remained fused with the central island, it was difficult to harm him unless he "materialized," so their only option was to destroy the central island he relied on and force him to appear. Moreover, the Northern Army was positioned outside the central island together with the kingdom's rebels, preventing Pizarro from escaping.
Right now, Pizarro was completely trapped within the central island, and what had once been his advantage had now become his prison. If he tried to fight directly, he would have to face the mighty Dragon in a battle he was destined to lose.
If he tried to wait it out, he would be exposed like a rat once the central island was destroyed, and his fate would be even more tragic. And if he tried to escape, he wouldn't be able to do so quickly enough, with the rebel forces lying in ambush.
Even the possibility of defending himself by taking civilians hostage had been stripped away by Orion, who, while Pizarro was clashing with Dragon, worked tirelessly and at full speed to kidnap civilians with remarkable skill.
In simple terms: Pizarro was screwed.
Deep within the earth, Pizarro's consciousness, which was fused with the central island, was starting to panic, unsure of what to do. His first instinct had been to fight, but he was certain he was no match for that hateful man with the three-diamond tattoo on his face.
Suddenly, Pizarro felt a strange sensation, and as he focused his perception on the soil of the central island, he saw that a gigantic creature had appeared, digging at incredible speed and "erasing" the ground of his island.
"What the hell is that?!" Pizarro snarled in irritation, materializing a massive fist to crush the strange beast.
However, before he could strike, the creature vanished without leaving a single trace.
Bam!
A great tornado pierced the underground space the creature had carved from the surface. Dragon suddenly appeared and launched a strike with his Haki against Pizarro's gigantic face, which had been hiding beneath the earth.
Pizarro immediately fled to another part of the island, but he couldn't avoid taking heavy damage from Dragon's attack.
Meanwhile, another door opened underground, and once again Nibble began to "Consume" the earth as he dug new tunnels.
This time, Orion had given him the order to harass Pizarro as much as he could, always making sure to stay safe. After all, Nibble didn't have much combat power, and if he were directly attacked by Pizarro, he would surely be gravely injured. However, with Orion's support to protect him, there wouldn't be too many problems as long as he acted prudently.
As for why the soil seemed to vanish when Nibble dug, it was because he had spatial attributes. Orion had discovered this only recently, and he suspected it was the reason the system had granted Nibble to him as a companion beast. After all, Orion's system powers revolved around the concepts of space and time.
Orion, now at the edges of the central island and finishing the evacuation of the last civilians, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Using Observation Haki, he activated his Prism Eyes to watch Nibble in the distance and make sure he was safe.
Activating his Space Door ability so many times in quick succession was quite exhausting, but since Orion didn't have to focus on combat as in other situations, his current condition was much more bearable compared to past missions, despite the mental strain of using his special abilities.
Little by little, the sounds of battle between the two armies began to fade, replaced by the victorious cries of the Revolutionary Army. By the time Orion had successfully evacuated all the civilians, only a few of Pizarro's soldiers were still standing, and it wouldn't take long before his allies subdued them.
Orion exhaled a breath and fixed his gaze into the distance, where Dragon was fighting Pizarro hand-to-hand. The tyrant had abandoned the use of his Devil Fruit powers, as they proved to be more of a disadvantage than an advantage against Dragon.
Watching Dragon beat Pizarro down with great ease, Orion showed a weary smile and murmured,
"Looks like this time, the mission is a success."
...
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