June 5, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion descended from the sky with a violent strike aimed straight at Vergo.
"Thirty-Six Styles, Moonfall Blade!"
Vergo sensed Orion through his Observation Haki before the attack became unavoidable, giving him just enough time to coat his arms in Armament Haki and block Orion's strike.
Even so, although his use of Armament Haki surpassed Orion's, he lacked a weapon to channel it properly, so he couldn't avoid taking damage upon receiving Orion's attack. If not for the difference in their levels of Haki control, his arms would have been severed by Orion without him being able to do anything to prevent it.
After all, Orion's weapon was the cutlass of Pirate King Roger, one of the few Supreme Grade swords in the world—something that simply could not be overlooked in a death match.
Although his initial strike had been repelled by Vergo, Orion did not falter, since he knew taking down the pirate wouldn't be that easy. His current combat level was similar to Vergo's, which made him a formidable enemy to face.
Even so, Orion held the advantage in this fight. Not only because the pirate was still somewhat injured from his battle with Gloriosa, but also thanks to the terrain. Right now, they were in the middle of the sea, and Orion—who possessed far superior mobility thanks to his varied abilities—was obviously in a better position for combat.
Vergo dove into the water, trying to get as far away from Orion as possible. He knew it wasn't necessary to defeat his opponent right now; he only needed to hold out long enough for Doflamingo to kill Vidar Lund and come to his aid.
For that reason, he didn't choose a confrontational stance when Orion arrived and instead focused entirely on buying as much time as he could.
However, Orion would not allow him to escape, nor did he intend to waste too much time on him, since with every passing second the chances of Vice Admiral Lund being killed by Doflamingo increased.
Using Geppo, Orion dashed across the air and plunged into the sea to pursue Vergo, who had already swum to a considerable depth in a short time. Then, using his excellent swimming ability, he quickly closed the distance and activated his Gigantification skill, causing his body to grow until he became a massive giant.
Extending his hand, Orion managed to seize the slippery Vergo, and squeezing him tightly, he leapt out of the sea, using Geppo once again as he soared upward.
The sight of Orion in his giant form sprinting through the air at full speed was truly incredible, although no one was present to witness it.
Orion squeezed Vergo with all his strength and delivered a powerful punch with his free hand, intending to crush him like an insect in an instant. However, Vergo's strength was far greater than he had expected, and the pirate managed to escape his grip at the last moment after kicking and breaking one of his fingers.
Feeling a sharp pain in his hand from the broken finger, Orion cursed with great irritation and dispelled his giant transformation. He then used Geppo again to rush after Vergo, who was plummeting through the air after breaking free from Orion's grasp.
"Electro!"
Orion's attack exploded against Vergo's body, but the pirate endured the electricity surging through him and delivered a powerful blow that struck Orion square in the torso, cracking one of his ribs.
It was truly impressive that even under such unfavorable circumstances, the pirate could still keep fighting and attempting to escape Orion, proving that his level was far above that of an ordinary pirate.
Despite taking damage from Vergo's attack, Orion had no time to waste, so he chose to ignore the pirate's assaults and counterattack immediately. His sole objective was to eliminate Vergo as quickly as possible and recover the Ope Ope no Mi, and for that he had decided to sacrifice his defense and go straight for a clash of blows!
Only the one who could endure more of the enemy's attacks would emerge victorious in this confrontation, and Vergo tacitly accepted Orion's challenge, hurling himself fully into the offensive.
Bang!
A kick from Vergo struck Orion, who didn't even bother defending himself and instead unleashed several Shigan in rapid succession, tearing through the pirate's Armament Haki defenses and inflicting multiple shallow wounds across his body.
Even so, that wouldn't be enough to eliminate him, so stepping forward in midair, Orion ignored the blows Vergo landed on his face and pressed both fists against the pirate's torso.
"Rokuogan!"
Bang!
A tremendous explosion resounded through the area, and Vergo's body—already in free fall—was blasted with great force toward the sea, crashing violently against the water's surface and leaving a trail of blood behind. The power of Cipher Pol's ultimate technique, when combined with Orion's monstrous strength and Armament Haki, was capable of causing devastating damage.
Vergo's body, even with all his defenses raised, couldn't withstand the impact of the Rokuogan, and several of his internal organs suffered severe injuries.
Even so, Orion had not finished his assault.
Descending at full speed, he dove back into the sea and closed in on Vergo, who was floating while blood poured from his mouth. Without hesitation, he readied his cutlass Ace and approached Vergo to deliver the final blow.
However, at the very last instant, Vergo—who just a moment before had been floating completely defenseless—twisted halfway in the water and launched an attack with all his remaining strength straight toward Orion's head. The angle he had chosen was quite tricky, and it would undoubtedly connect before Orion's own strike could land.
If that attack hit his face, Orion would definitely suffer serious damage due to his low defenses at that moment. Unfortunately for the pirate, Orion had already predicted his movements beforehand, and just before Vergo's blow could reach him, he opened a Space Door and vanished without leaving a trace.
Vergo's attack missed entirely, leaving him completely exposed to Orion's next move.
Another door opened once more, and Orion emerged from his Pocket Dimension in his natural form. Extending his hand, he placed it against the pirate's body and activated his ability.
"Age Change."
Before Vergo's astonished eyes, his body shrank rapidly until he became a child of about ten years old. Then, without being able to defend himself in any way, he watched as Orion's cutlass closed in at full speed, cutting through the water around him.
The last thing Vergo saw before dying was the image of his own decapitated body floating motionless in the sea.
*Ding*
*You have eliminated the Named Character Vergo, positively altering the future of this world.*
*You have gained 300,000 SP.*
*Extra rewards have been obtained for eliminating one of the most dangerous criminals on the system's bounty list.*
*Your ability "Armament Haki (Level 2)" has increased by one (1) Level.*
*You have obtained the unique item "Marine Insignia (Vice Admiral)."*
Orion saw several new notifications appear on the system screen, but he paid no attention to them for the moment, as he had no time to waste right now.
Swimming to Vergo's decapitated body, he searched through the pirate's clothes and finally found the Ope Ope no Mi he had been seeking for so long.
Without losing a second, Orion focused on the new notification that had appeared on the system screen, asking whether he wanted to absorb the energy source, and he selected the positive option.
The Ope Ope no Mi vanished without a trace, and the system began the purification and absorption process of the Devil Fruit. Once it was completed, Orion was finally able to breathe in relief, shooting up from the sea at full speed with the intention of returning to the island where Doflamingo and Vidar Lund were fighting.
However, the moment he emerged from the water, he couldn't advance even a single step, as he found himself face-to-face with Doflamingo, who had just arrived, swinging toward the area on his threads.
Orion focused his gaze on the pirate and saw that his body was covered in several light wounds, and his appearance was noticeably disheveled, clearly having undergone a difficult battle against the vice admiral. Even so, the pirate was in relatively good condition—better than Orion, in fact, who had fought Vergo only moments earlier.
"At last, I caught you, little rat," Doflamingo said with a macabre and delighted smile, imagining the satisfaction he would feel once he could finally torture Orion at his leisure.
"Look, I brought you a little gift," Doflamingo added with a mocking expression as he pulled out the severed head of Vice Admiral Vidar Lund.
Their fight had been brutal but brief, ultimately ending in the defeat of the noble marine, who, just as he had promised, had been willing to sacrifice his life to protect the world's peace and his ideal of justice.
Seeing the serene expression on Vidar Lund's face even in death, Orion let out a bitter sigh, thinking that truly, it was always the noblest people who met the harshest ends. At the very least, in this case, he had not sacrificed himself in vain, as Orion had managed to acquire the Ope Ope no Mi, keeping it out of Doflamingo's hands.
It could be said without any doubt that even though the vice admiral had died at Doflamingo's hands, he had been the true victor of their confrontation, for he had achieved his final goal and died on his own terms.
Even so, Orion couldn't help but feel troubled by the vice admiral's death, and the way he looked at the smiling Doflamingo grew even colder than before.
The warlord before him was truly the kind of criminal Orion hated the most, and once again his conviction to erase him from this world intensified—though today would not be that day.
Once again, Orion took a deep breath to contain his negative emotions, and with a smile meant to mimic Doflamingo's mocking expression, he said:
"Ah, what a coincidence, I also have a similar gift for you."
Then, before the pirate's startled gaze, Orion pulled out Vergo's head, which he had stored in his inventory with the intention of using it to claim any potential bounty.
Orion wasn't sure if there would be a reward for Vergo's head, since after all he belonged to the crew of a warlord like Doflamingo, but he had decided to keep it just in case the World Government did offer one, allowing him to earn some extra Berries.
Upon seeing the decapitated head of Vergo—one of the central figures of his family and someone he cherished deeply—Doflamingo's mind went blank, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing. Even the hand holding Vidar Lund's severed head lost its grip, causing the vice admiral's head to fall into the sea, where it was retrieved by Orion.
Although Doflamingo knew Vergo was likely no match for Orion, he had trusted that he would arrive in time to prevent him from suffering a serious injury. It had never once crossed his mind that, in the short span it took him to eliminate Vidar Lund, Orion might have been able to take down one of his strongest subordinates like Vergo.
Immediately, Doflamingo's expression began to distort as memories of his childhood surfaced, dragging him into a spiral of dark thoughts. To him, his new family was his greatest treasure, and the fact that Orion had killed Vergo was simply the greatest sin anyone could commit.
The sea around them began to churn along with the warlord's emotions, and with a powerful scream, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in its full fury.
The wave of invisible energy surged toward Orion, who had no choice but to release his own Conqueror's Haki to repel the pirate's. The two bursts of energy clashed in the air, producing visible distortions all around, and the waters that had just begun to stir moments before now exploded into massive waves.
Still smiling, Orion raised Vergo's head and said,
"There's no need to get so worked up. Here, you can have it back."
Then, with a swift motion, he hurled Vergo's head toward Doflamingo, who extended his hands to catch it carefully. However, before he could reach it, a hand materialized in midair, piercing the deceased Vergo's forehead with a Shigan.
The pirate's blood and brain matter burst all over Doflamingo, who stood frozen as everything unfolded before him. For the first time in his life, someone was treating him in the same way he had treated countless insignificant people in the past.
Bang Bang Bang!
Three gunshots rang through the air, and Doflamingo formed a barrier of strings to block the three projectiles Orion had fired. Now that his Armament Haki had reached Level 3, he could coat the bullets of his pistol with Armament Haki, although he was still not very proficient at it.
Combined with the fact that he had acquired the skill "Sniper (Level 1)" thanks to Ginny, it was fair to say he now possessed a new and quite useful fighting method in his arsenal.
Of course, against someone of Doflamingo's caliber such an attack was futile, but Orion had fired anyway, hoping to take advantage of the warlord's fragile mental state.
"You… damn—" Doflamingo reacted after Orion's attack, beginning to insult him with great irritation, but before he could finish his words, Orion's next attack arrived.
Using his special ability "Gigantification," Orion enlarged his arm and used it to create a gigantic wave of seawater that he hurled at Doflamingo!
Once again, he was attempting to make full use of his advantage over the terrain, since a Devil Fruit user like Doflamingo was exceptionally vulnerable in open-sea combat.
If he could actually catch Doflamingo using the seawater and eliminate him by offering his life to the sea, Orion had no qualms about doing it.
However, while such a strategy might have worked against a low-level Devil Fruit user, there was no way it would work against Doflamingo, who simply formed a thick rope of strings and coated it in Armament Haki, using it to slice the giant wave crashing down on him cleanly in half.
The wave dissolved under Doflamingo's attack, but the situation around them was chaotic enough to conceal Orion's movements.
Believing that Orion would use the opportunity to launch another attack, Doflamingo extended his Observation Haki as far as he could, preparing to continue the battle.
However, Orion's actions once again betrayed his expectations.
In the distance, Orion had opened a Space Gate with the intention of traveling to Dressrosa. Now that he had achieved his goals of obtaining the Ope Ope no Mi and eliminating Vergo, there was absolutely no reason to remain here and engage in a death match against Doflamingo.
Such behavior would be suicidal, and Orion was well aware that he could not win in his current state. Not only was he injured and exhausted from the previous battles, but his power was already inferior to Doflamingo's to begin with.
For that reason, Orion simply chose the most sensible option, staying true to his usual pragmatic nature: escape immediately!
Before jumping into the portal, Orion turned around and waved at Doflamingo with a wide, mocking smile, which made the warlord's temper erupt completely.
Seeing Orion disappear inside the portal, Doflamingo launched ten strings coated in Armament Haki, aiming to destroy Orion's portal—and just as he desired, the strings struck the large gate that still lingered, causing deep cracks to spread across it until it finally shattered, triggering a great explosion in the area.
Even so, Doflamingo was far from satisfied with the outcome of this entire thorny situation; not only had he lost the Ope Ope no Mi, but he had also lost his beloved Vergo!
Driven completely mad with rage, Doflamingo began attacking everything around him, slicing nearby small islands in half and slaughtering every animal in the vicinity. Even so, his turbulent emotions found no solace, and his fury refused to fade.
The enraged warlord spent nearly half a day unleashing a small cataclysm in this corner of the New World, until he finally chose to withdraw, swearing that he would find Orion and make him pay for what had happened here today.
As for Orion, after leaping into his Space Gate, he had begun traveling through the space-temporal tunnel as usual, although he already knew there would be problems due to Doflamingo's actions.
He had experienced this very situation multiple times, so he was prepared for the destruction of his Space Gate and the rebound effect.
Just as he expected, Doflamingo destroyed the portal, forcing the ability into a cooldown period while the system repaired it, and the entire space-temporal tunnel he was traveling through began to tremble.
Orion knew very well what would happen next: he would be expelled somewhere at random with no way to prevent it.
Or at least that would have been the case normally, because today he intended to attempt a change in the situation.
For some time now—ever since his understanding had improved after completing the mission related to Victoria Cindry—Orion had begun to perceive the forces residing within him, and he could vaguely interact with the concepts of space and time that formed the foundation of his system.
Even so, he had never tried to manipulate space inside the space-temporal tunnel he was currently in, because he feared that doing so could lead to catastrophic results—such as ending up trapped in a parallel dimension or something equally disastrous.
However, now that he was about to be thrown out at random once again into some corner of the world, Orion decided to intervene in the space-temporal properties of his Space Gate in an attempt to control his exit point.
If he succeeded, he might further grasp the mysterious concepts that constituted his system, opening the door to new possibilities in the future. On the other hand, if he failed, he would probably end up dead—or worse.
It was clearly a gamble, and Orion had decided to put his hidden attribute, "luck," to the test on this occasion.
Focusing all his mental energy on the tunnel around him, Orion felt as if he could see a thousand superimposed planes. In one instant there was a mountain, the next a meadow, and the next outer space.
Everything unfolded chaotically in his mind, making it difficult to distinguish one image from another. Yet little by little, he began to narrow the area he could perceive, trying to make it more manageable.
Finally, when he was just about to be forcibly expelled from the space-temporal tunnel, Orion opened his eyes with determination and, extending his hand, he tore a small opening in the tunnel wall.
Without hesitating for even a second, he leaped into that small rift just as the space around him collapsed without leaving a trace.
...
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