March 29, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
In the end, Orion ended up spending one more week in Dressrosa, accompanied by his beautiful new wife Scarlett. After enjoying this period of honeymoon with the princess, he decided it was time to depart toward the West Blue, where he still had unresolved matters waiting for him.
During the past week, besides keeping Scarlett company and supervising the development of the kingdom's pharmaceutical business, Orion had been training his subordinates, which now included the newly arrived Gab and Lucky Roux.
To his surprise, the year they had spent sailing as pirates alongside Shanks had truly polished their skills, and the combat power of both young men was now similar to his own, even if Orion would still emerge victorious in a serious fight.
Even so, these two youngsters remained a force that could not be ignored, and the overall level of his subordinates rose simply through their presence.
For example, Kyros—who had spent the last ten days beating up Yukimura to help him raise his combat level—was stunned to discover that the two newcomers far surpassed his own strength.
At first, he had believed that the level of Orion's subordinates was indeed high but nothing overly astounding, since he assumed Yukimura was Orion's strongest subordinate.
However, with the arrival of the two young men in Dressrosa, Kyros quickly understood that Yukimura could only be considered the baseline of power among Orion's main subordinates
This notion was fully cemented when Orion used his new Space Gate anchor point to travel to Pacific Kingdom and return, bringing other people with him.
Orion's inner circle had come to take a look at the famous nation that existed on the other side of the world, and even Ginny had been able to visit the kingdom of passion along with her tiny baby Sam, who immediately won Scarlett's affection thanks to his adorable appearance and his pink hair, just like hers—making the princess's desire to be a mother surge with great strength, and during the following days Orion found himself having fervent nightly encounters with his beloved wife, who overflowed with passion.
When Kyros met this colorful group of people, he immediately understood the magnitude of Orion's forces. What surprised him above all was the fact that so many individuals possessed great talent that was still developing.
At present, Orion's subordinates were not yet a force capable of shaking the world, but what would happen in a decade or two, once all these monstrous geniuses in his kingdom completed their growth?
Kyros had no answer to that question, but he simply sighed in relief that Orion was an ally and not an enemy. Moreover, with the magical ability that allowed him to travel almost instantly between the two kingdoms, one could say that the defenses of Dressrosa and Pacific Kingdom had effectively doubled.
If, in the future, either kingdom was attacked by an enemy, they could employ the combined forces of both realms to defend themselves, and even if they could not win, they would always have an escape route to whichever kingdom was not under attack—something truly incredible in Kyros's eyes.
Of course, Kyros was not the only one excited about the applications of the new anchor point that had appeared after Orion took Scarlett as his wife, since the happiest person—without a doubt—was Orion himself.
Throughout the last week, he had successfully traveled several times between the two kingdoms without any problems, and without that hateful red-eyed entity appearing to bother him. This allowed Orion to relax a little, and after several days of tests, he began traveling with his subordinates between both realms.
All the people who had needed to remain in Pacific Kingdom during this period visited Dressrosa and enjoyed the unique culture and beauty of the place. Likewise, Orion's family also came to meet the royal family, and his grandfather Mario ended up becoming good friends with King Riku.
Additionally, Riku, Viola, and Kyros also visited Pacific Kingdom—although Scarlett could not do so, since otherwise they would not have been able to return to Dressrosa using the anchor point linked to her position—and they observed with great interest the young kingdom overflowing with vitality and joy.
There, Riku saw an atmosphere similar to Dressrosa's, where despite the lack of great material wealth, people lived happily. This made him once again reaffirm the kind of person Orion was, and he was finally able to relax completely, knowing that his daughter Scarlett would not suffer in the future by staying at his side.
But beyond using the new anchor point for these visits, Orion had begun discussing with his uncle Lolo and King Riku the possibility of employing this method for the development of both kingdoms' economies.
With the possibility of near-instant transportation between two opposite points of the planet, generating profit through the export of products unique to each region became a very real possibility. Orion was already distributing the medicine produced in Dressrosa through the Central Revolutionary Army, so he could simply take advantage of this channel to add other goods produced in Pacific Kingdom.
Furthermore, Orion included Nayana—the leader of the merchants in Pacific Kingdom—in the conversation, in order to incorporate part of Dressrosa's pharmaceutical production into the commercial routes they had established throughout the South Blue during previous years.
In broad terms, the possibilities that opened up with the use of this Space Gate anchor point were truly exciting, although it could only be considered an extra rather than a cornerstone of his future planning.
This was because the requirement for executing the travels between both kingdoms was that Orion needed to be physically present to do it, and it was well-known that he was usually busy with all kinds of matters, so he wouldn't always be there to perform these transportation maneuvers.
Even so, even if they could only be carried out once or twice a year, it was still a valuable addition for both kingdoms in their future development plans.
Finally, the last thing Orion did after obtaining the ability to travel back and forth between Pacific Kingdom and Dressrosa was to transport a small group of Tontattas who were willing to emigrate and found a new colony in the South Blue.
Orion had offered them protection and a place where they could develop in peace, on the same island where Pacific Kingdom was located—which was truly massive—and they had accepted, thrilled at the idea of finally leaving their confinement in Green Bit.
It wasn't that they were dissatisfied with living in Green Bit, but simply that everyone in the world longed to explore new horizons, and the Tontatta were no exception. The only reason they had limited themselves to staying in their current nation was because they knew that if they ventured into the sea, they would be enslaved immediately, just as had happened to their ancestors.
However, with the guarantee of Orion protecting them in the South Blue, they felt confident going there and forming a new colony in those distant lands. Curiously, if Orion had had bad intentions, they would have ended up enslaved once again, just as their ancestors had.
The Tontatta, who were incredibly gifted at cultivating plants, immediately settled in an uninhabited area of the island and began modifying the terrain, planning the development of plantations and flower fields.
Moreover, Orion had placed them near the great Tree of Knowledge—which was one of his "companion beasts"—hoping that the presence of the Tontatta would help its development be completed faster.
Although the Tree of Knowledge was already growing at an incredibly fast rate, it would probably take a hundred years to reach a state similar to the one it had when Ohara was destroyed, so perhaps the presence of the Tontatta could help reduce the time at least a little.
…
Now, Orion was prepared to leave the country of passion and travel to the West Blue with Kuma's help.
This time, in addition to the original group composed of Yukimura and Victoria Cindry, two new people had joined: Lucky Roux and Gloriosa.
As for Gab, he had decided to return to Pacific Kingdom, since he feared that if he didn't go home, his girlfriend would dump him and look for someone else!
After all, Gab had been away from home for two years, and he missed his beloved. Besides, he had duties as a shaman in his community, so he needed to return home and take care of several matters he had neglected for a long time.
On the other hand, Lucky Roux had no concerns whatsoever. Even though his family was waiting for him in Pacific Kingdom, he felt no need to interrupt his current adventure to go back home, and his family wouldn't worry much about him as long as he returned safely at some point.
The chubby boy's only concern was finding new and delicious foods to try, so when Orion mentioned he would go to the West Blue, he immediately decided to accompany him and see what that Blue had to offer!
As for Gloriosa, her thinking was much simpler: she wanted to be by Orion's side all the time, no matter what.
She had missed Orion deeply over the last few years, despite being busy with her own adventures. For that reason, now that she had finally reunited with him, she had no intention whatsoever of separating from her fiancé!
If Orion hadn't forbidden her from sticking to him all day long because he found it a bit annoying, she would have even followed him into the bathroom.
Now she had the chance to travel with Orion and have adventures with him, so she obviously wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Besides, with the girl's tremendous combat power, Orion had no problem letting her come along, and she could even be helpful if they encountered a dangerous enemy.
Thus, with the joyful Gloriosa, the gluttonous Lucky Roux, the elegant Victoria, and the utterly battered Yukimura—he had truly learned a lot from Kyros during this visit to Dressrosa—Orion departed for the West Blue, after bidding farewell to his beloved Scarlett with a passionate kiss.
With his Space Gate, he could return to Dressrosa whenever he wanted, as long as Scarlett was here, so this time his farewell was much more carefree than on previous occasions.
After his four companions entered the Pocket Dimension, Kuma slapped him with force, and they began the trip to the West Blue, where after a small stop at Count Cindry's home, they would head directly to the base of the Green Kamakiri mercenary company.
…
April 20, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
"Look at these cards and cry," said one of the mercenaries cheerfully as he placed a pair of kings on the wooden crate they were using as a table.
However, his joy didn't last long, because Orion showed a mocking smile and revealed his pair of aces.
"Looks like I win again," Orion said as he stretched out his hands to take the bet money, though before he could do so the mercenary stood up abruptly, drawing his sword with bloodshot eyes.
"You damn bastard! You're cheating! There's no way you could have that hand!" the enraged man shouted, trying to impale Orion with his sword.
"Bah, if you don't know how to lose, then it's better if you don't gamble in the future," Orion replied indifferently, not paying attention to the man's sword as he lunged at him aggressively.
"Mppf! How dare you bother my man?!" Gloriosa's voice suddenly echoed as she appeared like a specter and kicked the mercenary in the face, knocking him out instantly.
The other mercenaries who were present and watching the conflict with great interest immediately looked away, not daring to provoke this beautiful pink-haired girl.
"The next time I see any of you bothering my man, I'll break all three of your legs!" Gloriosa said imposingly, crossing her arms with her legs spread in a triangle, in her classic tomboy stance.
"Gloriosa, come on, I'm going to treat you to something delicious for dinner," Orion said from the doorway, ignoring Gloriosa's actions.
They had been in this place for a few days, and during all that time, the previous scene had repeated itself several times.
After Orion and his companions left Dressrosa, they had arrived at Victoria's homeland thanks to Kuma's help. Once there, the gentle revolutionary had left almost immediately, since he had to return to his post as leader of the Western Revolutionary Army.
Orion, on the other hand, had accompanied Victoria to see her parents, and after enjoying a brief family reunion with his father-in-law Count Cindry and his wife, Orion had said goodbye to Victoria, leaving her at her parents' home while he continued following the system's lead regarding the Ope Ope no Mi.
Just as they had planned earlier, Yukimura had stayed with Victoria to act as her bodyguard, just in case any unexpected threat appeared.
Even so, the kingdom where the Cindry family lived was quite peaceful, so Yukimura's presence was simply an extra layer of security, allowing Orion to take care of his matters without having to worry about his wife.
After all, with Yukimura's current level, there were few people in the West Blue who could defeat him easily, so he would probably be able to handle any problem that came up.
Once Orion said goodbye to Victoria, he went straight to the base of the Green Kamakiri mercenary company with Gloriosa and Lucky Roux. In total, it had taken them about two weeks to travel from Dressrosa to the island where the mercenary company was located.
Once they reached their final destination, Orion had told Gloriosa and Roux to try to keep a low profile, and without too much trouble, they had successfully joined the ranks of Green Kamakiri.
This mercenary company had no recruitment or counter-espionage protocols, and one could say they weren't very professional. Besides, the company itself wasn't very large, and was composed of people with relatively low power levels.
Even so, Orion had found a Named Character here, and it was none other than the leader's daughter, a girl named Kat who was just fifteen years old, and whose name in the system was "Kamakirigirl."
This wasn't the first time Orion encountered someone whose real name didn't match the one shown in the system, so he didn't pay much attention to it, thinking she would simply acquire a new nickname in the future or something like that.
Aside from this Named Character, the Green Kamakiri mercenary company didn't have anything particularly noteworthy, and was simply an ordinary group of this type, like the thousands that existed in this world.
Even so, trusting the clues supplied by the system, Orion decided to remain in this place for a while, investigating any information he could obtain about the Ope Ope no Mi. After all, even the soldiers Kuma had previously sent to investigate hadn't managed to discover anything, so it was normal for the matter not to be so simple.
During the week they had been in this company, Orion and his two companions had participated in only one minor mission, which consisted of escorting a merchant to an island near the base in order to protect him from pirate attacks.
That mission had been completed easily, without them having to confront any pirates at all, so it had turned out to be quite anticlimactic, especially for Gloriosa, who had been very excited about doing something fun like working as a mercenary for a while.
Overall, Orion had spent the last few weeks playing cards with the other mercenaries and investigating the structure and members of this company that seemed to have nothing out of the ordinary. He had also analyzed the talents of the Named Character he had found here, noting that she had some skill in combat, although nothing particularly remarkable.
Even so, she was far above an average person, and her level was only low in comparison to other Named Characters with combat talent. For that reason, Orion was considering the possibility of recruiting her once he finished his infiltration in this place, although he would have to wait and see how the situation unfolded.
If he ended up in conflict with these mercenaries, recruiting her would be difficult; however, for now it didn't seem likely that he would clash with them, since there was no real reason for that to happen.
"Hey Orion, why don't you just beat up these weaklings? They're always itching for a fight whenever they lose their money," Gloriosa said as she hugged Orion's arm cheerfully.
During the last week, she had enjoyed her time at Orion's side, and except for the moments when she went out seeking adventures because of her hyperactive nature, she had spent the rest of her time with her beloved fiancé.
In contrast, Lucky Roux had vanished the moment they reached the mercenary base, and although he was a member in name, he spent his days wandering through the nearby villages in search of new ingredients for his exotic recipes.
If Orion called him, Roux would come immediately, but otherwise he remained a free agent, fully enjoying this journey to the West Blue.
Orion had no interest in limiting his freedom, since he was perfectly capable of investigating the whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi on his own, so he simply let Roux do whatever he wanted and make the most of his passion for cooking and food.
"Why would I bully a bunch of ordinary people? They're just letting out their frustrations; there's no need to take them too seriously," Orion said with a smile as he walked back to his room, the one he shared with Gloriosa.
After many years, they were once again roommates, although this time the situation was entirely different, since Gloriosa had become a beautiful young woman, and Orion had to gather all his resolve not to give in to his desires and take the final step with her.
For now, he wanted to wait and maintain the current fiancé relationship they had, and there would be time to fully consummate their relationship once they finished their current mission and returned to Pacific Kingdom.
"Mmm, well, I guess you're right. Maybe I'll start doing the same!" Gloriosa said, showing an enthusiastic smile.
Even so, Orion knew it was impossible for the girl to behave like he did, since her explosive personality made it difficult for her to hold herself back.
In fact, they had already had this exact same conversation before, and Gloriosa had said precisely the same thing she said now, although she had still ended up beating up mercenaries anyway.
Orion and Gloriosa walked slowly back to their room, but when they were halfway there, he received a call from the mercenary company's headquarters.
The leader of Green Kamakiri, whom he had not been able to meet until now because he had been away from the island, had finally returned. Once again, the gears of fate were turning, and Orion would soon discover why the system had guided him to this place in order to find the Ope Ope no Mi.