August 30, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
A couple of hours went by quickly while Orion treated Whitey Bay's wounds, thus marking the beginning of a new day in the pirate base. However, unlike the calm atmosphere inside the Pocket Dimension, the situation among the crew of the Ice Witch was utterly chaotic.
After Galus reported that their captain had disappeared together with Orion, the entire crew had mobilized to track down Whitey Bay's whereabouts, yet they had been unable to find any trace of the beautiful blue-haired pirate.
Moreover, since Orion and Mitsu were also nowhere to be seen in the base, many of the pirates in the crew believed that Whitey Bay had been kidnapped by the recent arrivals.
Although the vice-captain and several pirates who had dealt with Orion years earlier did not believe this to be the case, many of the new recruits were convinced that such an explanation was the most reasonable one, and, spurred on by the star rookie Galus the Charmer, they were prepared to set off in search of the supposed kidnappers and punish them severely.
"We can't allow that damn fuckboy to take advantage of our beautiful captain! Let's finish him off, boys!" shouted Galus, raising his rapier above his head in a valiant manner while inciting the group of enraged pirates to act hostilely toward Orion.
Even though Whitey Bay had the reputation of being frigid and the Ice Witch, she was still an extremely beautiful woman, and many of the pirates in her crew were hopelessly in love with her, even if it was a purely platonic love and they would never dare behave disrespectfully toward their captain.
The only member of the Ice Witch's crew who had ever dared to openly try to seduce her was Galus, and it was precisely for that reason that Whitey Bay found the presence of the rookie pirate somewhat interesting, even if she had no real interest in him or his romantic proposals.
The vice-captain simply crossed his arms and shook his bald head, which reflected the pale light of the moon, thinking that the chances of their captain having been kidnapped by Orion were nearly nonexistent, yet knowing that, no matter how hard he tried to convince the angry mob of pirates, they would not listen.
Just when the situation was becoming increasingly tense, a door opened in the middle of the air, and Orion appeared with an exhausted expression, carrying the unconscious Whitey Bay in his arms like a princess.
He had been working for hours to heal the severe wounds of the pirate captain and had needed to maintain the use of his new ability, "Room," throughout the entire process. This new ability was the one that consumed the greatest amount of mental energy among all his skills-besides Door Collapse- which was why he now found himself at his limit, on the verge of collapsing from fatigue and letting his teenage self take control of his body.
When the pirates present saw the two figures appear so suddenly, they all involuntarily held their breath, creating a somewhat strange silence. However, almost immediately, Galus charged forward like an enraged bull toward Orion, intent on freeing his future wife from the clutches of that damned outsider.
Orion frowned, thinking that Galus was truly troublesome, and just as he was preparing to repel the attack of the famous rookie pirate, a small figure moved at great speed, solving the problem for him.
Mitsu, who had been watching the entire "soap opera" unfolding in the outside world beyond the red membrane of the Pocket Dimension while Orion treated Whitey Bay, knew perfectly well what was going on, and for that very reason she moved to help Orion, who was exhausted at this moment and unable to fight with his full strength.
Bang!
Galus's rapier collided with Mitsu's small fist, generating a powerful shockwave that affected the weaker pirates nearby.
Even though Mitsu had not yet received training from the Marines to bring forth the full extent of her power, she was a genius in the use of Haki, standing even above the famous Kuja warriors. She was currently only eight years old, yet she was already capable of using Armament Haki better than people who had been training for years, such as Yukimura, for example.
In Orion's eyes, Mitsu's talent for Armament Haki was on the same level as Lucky Roux's gift for Observation Haki, which made her a little monster with an enormous potential for the future.
Even so, she currently did not have the ability to compete with the famous rookie pirate Galus, and after a brief stalemate she was sent flying several meters by the sheer force of his attack.
Mitsu's small body rolled across the ground several times, although she did not suffer any injuries to her skin despite the rugged terrain around them, since her body had been genetically modified by Vegapunk to be more resistant than that of a normal person.
Even so, the girl stood back up, shaking her numb hand while pouting with teary eyes, forming an image capable of moving even the cruelest of hearts.
Unfortunately for her, Galus was blinded by jealousy at the sight of Whitey Bay in another man's arms, so he had no time to worry about the little girl's condition and simply raised his rapier once more, prepared to launch an even stronger attack.
The aura surrounding the famous rookie pirate was so sharp that even the exhausted Orion was forced to pay attention, thinking that he could not allow Mitsu to clash with him again, since she might truly end up hurt if she did.
Fortunately for both sides, before the conflict could worsen, the bald vice-captain of the Ice Witch's crew descended from the skies, gallantly brandishing his two axes, and said with solemnity —and a hint of irritation—
"Enough! Galus, lower your weapon right now!"
This was a direct order from the second-in-command of the crew, and with Whitey Bay unconscious at this moment, he was the one who held the greatest authority over them, so Galus had no choice but to halt his hostile actions and sheathe his rapier once more, glaring warily at Orion, with flames practically bursting from his eyes.
If looks could kill, Galus would undoubtedly have slain Orion a thousand times over in just a few brief seconds, simply for daring to lay his hands on his future wife.
Orion, on the other hand, simply ignored the passionate pirate's murderous stare, and with a somewhat tired smile he said to the bald vice-captain of the pirate crew:
"Whitey Bay needs to rest, her uterus is still in a fragile state. Even though I did my best to make her suffer as little as possible, it was hours of localized tension in her uterus, so she's completely exhausted."
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence after Orion's words, and even the vice-captain of the pirate crew stared at him with his mouth agape, revealing his immense surprise.
No, what the hell was Orion saying right now? On top of having had a marathon sex session with the captain, he still dared to comment on it so casually in front of a group of agitated pirates hopelessly infatuated with the beautiful Ice Witch?
The bald vice-captain began sweating profusely while his gaze ran across the faces of the surrounding pirates, who had clearly misunderstood Orion's ambiguous words and were now releasing a murderous bloodlust!
He knew he could not remain idle or the situation would spiral out of control, so he immediately stepped forward and hurriedly said:
"O-Orion, what do you mean by that? Could you be more specific?"
He knew it was probably all a misunderstanding —or at least he very much hoped so— therefore the only way to avoid a conflict was for Orion to clarify things.
"Mm? I performed an operation to treat Whitey Bay's injuries. The most severe ones were in her uterus, so I had to carry out a major intervention. She's fine now, but she is very weak and needs to rest. She'll probably recover with bed rest in about two weeks," said Orion, explaining the situation in greater detail.
The oppressive atmosphere that had lingered only moments earlier dissolved completely after Orion's words, which made the bald vice-captain let out a sigh of relief. Then, with a broad smile, he approached Orion and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you for treating the captain, Orion," said the robust and battle-hardened pirate with a gentle smile that did not match his rough appearance in the slightest.
"There's no need to thank me —it was something I wanted to do," replied Orion, showing a faint smile and nodding his head. His exhausted expression at that moment had been completely reinterpreted by the surrounding pirates, who now realized that they had been mistaken earlier about what had happened between Orion and their captain.
It was not that Orion had kidnapped the captain and had sex with her for hours until she collapsed from fatigue, but rather that he had been treating the severe injuries she had suffered months earlier at the hands of Catarina Devon.
Immediately, the pirates breathed in relief, lowering their weapons and regaining their composure —or at least most of them did.
Galus, however, had no intention whatsoever of letting Orion walk away freely and remained determined to at least give him a beating. Although he was grateful that Orion had treated Whitey Bay's injuries, he simply could not stand the fact that he had been in such close contact with the woman he loved.
Anyone who saw Orion at this very moment, with the unconscious Ice Witch sleeping peacefully in his arms, would think that they were a couple, and that was something Galus could not tolerate. Thus, even though the misunderstanding had already been resolved, he nonetheless stepped forward aggressively and declared in an imposing tone:
"Orion, I challenge you to a duel for Whitey Bay's love!"
Orion frowned once more upon hearing the pirate's words, thinking that this guy was truly annoying. What he wanted most right now was to find a bed and sleep, so he had no interest in competing with Galus in some pointless duel.
"Sigh… Can't you see that the most important thing right now is to let Whitey Bay rest? Don't be so selfish and capricious," said Orion, somewhat irritated by the pirate's constant aggression.
"Of course the captain is what matters most! But don't you dare try to run from my challenge! Will you accept a fight with me for Whitey Bay's love —or will you cower away?"
Galus crossed his arms arrogantly, lifting his chin and looking down on Orion with disdain as he tried to pressure him into accepting the challenge. However, Orion was far too exhausted to pay attention to the pirate, so he simply said:
"That seems completely unnecessary. Whitey Bay can decide on her own who she wants to give her love to, don't you think?"
Galus clenched his teeth in irritation.
"Ha! So you don't dare fight me? Of course I know that Whitey Bay is the one who will choose her lover, but I don't want her to have to endure the harassment of someone as annoying as you," said the pirate with a triumphant expression.
The rest of the pirates present looked at each other somewhat puzzled, since Galus's description seemed to fit more with his own relationship with the captain than with the relationship between Orion and Whitey Bay.
"If I win the fight, you can never get close to Whitey Bay again or declare your love, and if you win, I will never approach her again!" Galus added, thinking that Orion would agree to his proposal.
After all, he was a member of Whitey Bay's crew, so he had the advantage of always being by her side, which could clearly lead to love blossoming between them. Orion probably wouldn't want Galus constantly next to the woman he considered his, right?
However, once again, Orion's response was not what the pirate expected.
"I'm not interested in that bet. What you do doesn't concern me in the slightest," Orion said dryly.
Orion truly had no interest whatsoever in Galus's actions, since he didn't consider him a threat. He was convinced that Whitey Bay would become his wife in the near future, since her favorability on the system screen was at 86 points, which placed her in the territory of love.
The only reason the pirate woman hadn't accepted Orion's love yet was because, mentally, she remained trapped in the idea that he was a child altering his body to become an adult, and that made her feel great resistance toward lowering her defenses.
Even so, that problem had a very simple solution, and that was the passage of time. It wouldn't be long until his natural body finished developing completely, reaching adulthood according to this world's standards, so Orion only had to wait for that moment.
As for Galus's intentions toward Whitey Bay? Orion had no interest in the matter, since he didn't believe he was capable of stealing the love of the beautiful blue-haired pirate.
Besides, although Galus was an utterly irritating and exasperating man, Orion had already analyzed him with his Prism Eyes, reaching the conclusion that he wasn't a bad guy. He possessed his own honor as a man and as a pirate, and he would never do something like trying to take Whitey Bay by force — and even if he did try, he would probably be unable to defeat the beautiful pirate in combat.
Orion knew that Galus was honorable enough to keep his side of the bet if he truly lost the fight, but he had no intention of competing with him, since the benefits obtained didn't seem attractive enough to take action.
In truth, Orion was trying to cast bait and see if Galus would bite. His real objective was to raise the stakes of the battle, thus obtaining real benefits — and the famous rookie fell straight into his trap.
"Grrr. How about this then: if you win, I'll become your subordinate and follow your orders from today onward!" said Galus irritably.
"Deal," Orion replied immediately, catching the pirate off guard, who then realized he had been tricked by his enemy.
Even so, after a brief instant of surprise, Galus smiled aggressively, thinking that no matter what Orion was planning, he had full confidence in his victory over him in combat!
Previously, their fight had been interrupted by the vice captain, which in his opinion had been what saved Orion from defeat. Galus wasn't underestimating Orion, but as one of the most famous pirates of recent years, he had great confidence in his own abilities.
"All right, let's begin!" said Galus, drawing his rapier once more.
"No, right now I'm exhausted and I need to sleep a little. You don't want to take advantage of my bad condition to win, do you? I don't think you're that cowardly…" Orion said with a crafty smile.
Galus clenched his teeth as a thick vein bulged on his forehead, and he simply sheathed his rapier.
"Fine, then we'll do it this afternoon!" Galus said, and then he approached Orion, stretching out his arms.
"What are you doing?" asked Orion, not understanding Galus's gesture. Did he want a hug?
"Don't play dumb! Give me the captain, I'll take her to her room so she can rest!" said Galus, trying to take the unconscious Whitey Bay.
Orion simply kicked him in the chest, making Galus fall backward to the ground, and then said with a smile,
"That won't be necessary, I know the way. I'll take her — you should go train a bit for the fight."
Then, before Galus could react, Orion used Soru and disappeared from the place, carrying Whitey Bay in his arms. Mitsu had also vanished, having jumped onto Orion's shoulders before he withdrew from the area.
Galus felt as if a volcano were about to erupt inside him, but he managed to contain his bad temper and rose from the ground with the elegance that characterized him. He brushed the dust off his clothes and walked away without paying attention to the strange looks the pirates around him were giving him.
He would simply let Orion act arrogantly for a few more hours. When the afternoon came, he would crush him mercilessly and everything would be fine. Everything was going according to his plans!
On the other hand, Orion reached Whitey Bay's room and laid her down on the soft bed there. Then, he took off his shirt and pants and lay down beside her, gently holding her in his arms and smelling the sweet fragrance of her body, while once again thanking the magic of this world for preventing the pirate who spent her life at sea from smelling bad.
"You don't mind if I sleep here with you for a while, right?" Orion said softly with his eyes closed, speaking near the pirate woman's ear.
Whitey Bay didn't react at all, although her cheeks flushed very faintly when she felt the touch of Orion's muscular body.
"All right, I'll take that as a 'yes,'" Orion said as he relaxed his muscles and his fatigued mind.
"Mitsu, please keep watch so no one bothers us. I'll cook something delicious for you later," Orion added in a low voice, before falling into the world of dreams.
Mitsu nodded even though Orion was already asleep, and left the room to stand guard at the door with complete seriousness, while thinking about what delicious delicacies she might ask Orion to make for her later.
Meanwhile, Whitey Bay felt Orion's deep breathing and secretly opened her eyes, looking at the expression of the man sleeping beside her.
She had awakened during the verbal confrontation between Orion and Galus, but she hadn't made any movement out of modesty. After all, she was in the arms of a man in front of her crew. She had the reputation of the Ice Witch — which, although it had been assigned to her with malicious intent, was part of her identity and helped her maintain her dignity as a pirate captain.
She didn't want her crew to see her acting like a young woman in love in Orion's arms, since that would shatter the image the pirates had of her. For that reason, she had simply pretended to be asleep during the whole process.
Obviously, Orion had noticed that she had awakened, which was why he had asked for her permission to sleep in her bed with her. Whitey Bay had felt great embarrassment at Orion's question, so she had decided to simply continue pretending, which had ultimately resulted in the current situation.
Curled up in Orion's arms, Whitey Bay watched him sleep completely defenseless with great interest. With a tender smile, she extended her hand and caressed his face, which still showed a faint grimace of exhaustion. Then, she leaned gently toward his face and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Thank you."
A single word was enough to convey all the emotions she was feeling inside at that moment, although Orion was so deeply asleep that he couldn't hear the pirate's words or see her beautiful and gentle expression.
Silently, Whitey Bay's favorability in the system reached 90 points, while the Ice Witch curled up even more in Orion's arms, willing to share the same dream with her beloved.