January 13, 1494, Age of the Sea Circle
Over the past few months, Orion hadn't just invested his system points into improving his innate talent, as he had been doing in the beginning.
He had discovered that not all skills required the same number of points to improve. While advancing from level zero to level one in swordsmanship required a large number of system points, other skills like "drawing" could be improved with just five points.
He had discovered this by chance; over the past few months, he had accumulated system points with the intention of increasing his swordsmanship skill level, but even using ten points, the system still indicated that the amount wasn't enough.
Orion, considering it too costly for him to increase his swordsmanship level now that he didn't have a way to earn many system points, gave up and decided to continue with his previous approach, investing all his points into improving his innate talent.
However, just to test it out, he decided to try improving the other skill he had gained besides swordsmanship: his "drawing" skill.
He was pleasantly surprised that this skill only required five points to increase to level 1. So without much hesitation, Orion used some of the points he had saved to increase its level.
When the skill was improved, a wealth of information about art and drawing techniques appeared in his brain, as if he were recalling memories he had lost.
This huge influx of memories exhausted his mental energy, and that day, the amount of time his adult mind could stay awake was less than half of what it normally was.
During the following weeks, he applied his new drawing knowledge, and his art improved dramatically. Right now, he could be considered a prodigy, but just because of his young age, if he were to maintain this same level into adulthood, it would at most be a quality to boast about on a date, and wouldn't cause much surprise among people.
With that incident as a precedent, Orion added a new task to his daily routine: wood carving.
There was a reason for choosing this skill, and that reason was Gion's birthday, which was a few months away. Orion wanted to carve a wooden sword with his own hands for his best friend and future wife.
As for the reason for wanting to give her a wooden sword, it went back to an incident that had happened some time ago. He was practicing his swordplay in his backyard as usual, following his daily routine, and Gion was there waiting for him to finish so they could begin their writing practice.
When he finally finished his daily training, Orion saw little Gion, who was looking at him with her big, pristine eyes and seemed a little bored. She usually came to watch him train and simply waited on the sidelines for him to finish, which was probably a little boring for the three-year-old; after all, his training was repetitive and unremarkable.
Orion then thought that perhaps Gion could train with him in swordsmanship. After all, she was a named character from the original story, so she should have decent talent, right?
With that thought in mind, Orion called her over and gave her his wooden sword. He then instructed her on how to hold it and explained how to perform a basic attack. Little Gion took the sword in her delicate, pink hands, and performed something that left him completely speechless.
In just a few brief moments, little Gion perfected the attacking motion he had taught her, and even improved it!
Watching the little girl dance gracefully with the wooden sword, as if it were an extension of her body, Orion couldn't help but feel a little bitter inside.
The difference in innate swordsmanship talent between the two was obvious. Gion was probably a genius, and if she trained with discipline, she would be very powerful in the future. That realization put a great deal of pressure on his shoulders.
Gion, although they hadn't yet performed the betrothal ceremony, was his nominal fiancée, so Orion had always considered her his future wife. Now that he understood that his future mate was destined for greatness, he couldn't remain behind in his mediocrity; he had to strive to improve himself, or he wouldn't be worthy of her.
Little Gion had loved swordsmanship, and from that day forward, she had joined in his training. The problem was that they only had one sword, and there was no craftsman who could make another one for them in the small village. The sword Orion possessed had been bought by his grandfather from a shop on a nearby island, and the parents of both children wouldn't make the trip to buy another one.
Gion obviously didn't throw a tantrum about it. She was a girl with impeccable character. She simply used Orion's sword when he wasn't using it. But he knew the girl longed for her own sword, just like him, so she could train alongside her childhood friend.
This was the main reason Orion had taken up woodcarving, and after a month of daily effort, he finally managed to produce a carving that the system recognized as valid. The level zero carving skill was registered on the skill screen, along with swordsmanship and drawing.
In the following months, Orion used the few system points he could obtain to improve the carving and drawing skills to level two, which was the maximum he could increase them with the points he had. To increase them beyond that level, he needed at least more than ten points for each, and Orion didn't have enough points at the moment.
Once his skills "carving" and "drawing" had improved, he set about designing and crafting a custom wooden sword for little Gion. It would be useful for her training during her early years, and then, in the future, it could be kept as a memento of their childhood together in the small Pacific Town
Of course, besides wanting to surprise his best friend with a birthday gift, there was another reason he'd decided to give her a wooden sword: System Points!
He had accidentally discovered that the amount of System Points he earned when he helped Gion practice her swordsmanship was far higher than the amount he could earn when he helped her learn to read and write.
He didn't quite know the reason behind this, but he speculated that Gion's role in the original story was more related to swordsmanship than to her academic prowess, so helping her improve her swordsmanship brought about a change in the larger world and therefore gave him more System Points.
Orion looked at the sword, which had been neatly wrapped in a large piece of paper that slightly altered its shape so that it couldn't be seen with the naked eye that it was a sword, and which also had a decorative bow. Then he smoothed down his clothes, trying to look as presentable as possible, and left his house heading for his neighbors' house, the Harewoods, where a small birthday party was taking place for Gion.
.........…
"Gion! Here comes Orion, go open the door for him!" Mrs. Harewood shouted from the kitchen as she saw her little neighbor pass by the window overlooking the sidewalk.
"I'm coming," the little girl replied. Then, she stood in front of the mirror and checked that her hair and clothes were okay. Once she was sure everything was in order, she ran to the front door of her house at high speed, stopping suddenly a meter before reaching it.
She waited a few seconds and finally heard three knocks on the door. She didn't open the door right away; instead she took a deep breath and calmed her heart, which was more agitated than usual. Only when her heartbeat returned to normal did she put on a big smile and opened the door.
Her best friend's face suddenly appeared, brightening the entire room.
She didn't know when it had started, but for some time now, every time she saw Orion, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Luckily, he lived next door and her parents were very good friends, so she spent almost the entire day with him.
Every day was filled with smiles, and the little girl was very happy.
"Hi, Gion! Happy birthday! I brought you a present!" the boy said with a big smile, as he stepped forward and handed the package into her hands.
Gion took the gift from Orion and smiled from ear to ear, her cheeks aching a little from smiling so much.
"Thank you, Orion!" She said in a sweet voice.
"Open it and see if you like it."
Gion began to unwrap the paper carefully, not wanting to tear it apart.
She knew things that Orion didn't suspect she knew.
She was a girl who could be considered a little genius; her thoughts were much deeper than those of a normal four-year-old.
For starters, she had noticed her best friend's personality changes a long time ago. Sometimes Orion behaved very maturely and formally, and other times he was playful and simple. She enjoyed his two personalities; she could spend hours with his serious personality, studying or practicing swordsmanship, and she could spend hours with his more playful personality, playing, talking about the future, telling each other secrets that only they knew.
If she had to choose which of the two personalities she liked more, she would undoubtedly choose the playful personality, not because she disliked the serious personality, but simply because when Orion was in his serious phase, he seemed more distant. On the other hand, when he was in his playful phase, he would hug her affectionately, or take her by the hand to take her for walks around the neighborhood, and he had even said on several occasions that he liked her and that he would be her husband in the future!
These attacks were too direct for the poor little girl's heart, who, despite her precociousness, could only blush and remain silent.
In reality, she knew that her parents had decided to establish an engagement between them, and she was overjoyed at her parents' good idea!
For the past few months, Orion had been working daily in secret. He wouldn't let her near his workshop and used various excuses to keep her away, but despite the boy's best efforts, Gion had learned that he was apparently working on a gift for her. His future mother-in-law had told him, completely betraying her young son's trust, who had told her to keep it a secret.
Gion, knowing that Orion had worked every day for months on a gift for her, felt her heart melt again and again, and prudently stopped asking about his secret work, waiting for her birthday to see the final result.
And now, the day had finally arrived. After so much waiting, she felt the urge to tear open the wrapping paper and see what was inside as soon as possible, but she didn't. She wanted to keep the wrapping paper neatly, and someday in the distant future, she would show it to their children and tell them the love story of her childhood.
Just thinking about it, Gion couldn't help but shout "kyaaa" in excitement inside her mind.
Although Gion was a very well-mannered girl who always tried to maintain an impeccable image in front of Orion, her active and precocious mind was constantly filled with numerous thoughts, ideas, and fantasies.
She finished unwrapping the wrapping paper, and a wooden sword appeared before her eyes.
The sword was carved with skill and care, and one could see at a glance the effort and dedication that had gone into its carving. Roses were engraved on the blade, extending along the blade to the hilt. There, at the top of the hilt, was a small pink rabbit, which looked especially cute.
"Pink Rabbit" was the nickname her parents had given her since she was little, and she, who liked cute and tender things, liked this nickname very much. Now, looking at the sword that Orion had carved and customized for her over months, a wave of emotions surged in her chest.
Before little Orion's surprised eyes, her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision. Orion seemed to panic at the sight of her on the verge of tears. After all, in all the years they had spent together, she had never cried.
Gion suppressed some of the emotion she felt and gave a beautiful smile. Then she said in a pure and joyful voice,
"Thank you so much, Orion. This is the best gift I've ever received!"
And after thanking him, he stepped forward and kissed the surprised Orion on the cheek, whose surprise multiplied several times over at Gion's affectionate action.
Gion kept her expression as elegant as she could, while in her mind she was shouting, "Kyaaa, our first kiss!"
On the other hand, Orion was not only surprised by little Gion's reaction, but also because the moment she accepted the wooden sword, a surprising message appeared on the system screen.
*You have positively influenced the world, changing history slightly. 1,000 system points earned*
.........
March 21, 1494, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion got up early like every morning and began his sword training in the courtyard of his house.
Two months ago, on Gion's birthday, he had earned a massive amount of system points, so it took him a while to realize that he was rich. That's right, for him, who could only earn a couple of points a month, a thousand points was an astronomical figure.
He realized once again the importance of the named characters from the original story. By making changes to the original story and changing the future for the better, he had been able to earn that large sum of points. Obviously, the most efficient way would be to continue using the same resource: find named characters, interact with them, and bring about a noticeable change through small actions. The butterfly effect his actions could have on the history of this world was even more pronounced when he came into contact with characters relevant to the plot.
Thinking about this, Orion wondered how many points he could earn if he came into contact with Luffy and made small changes along the way. It would surely be an unimaginable sum for him at this point, right?
Gion entered the courtyard after he had already begun his training. She was carrying her prized sword, coming to join Orion in his morning training.
"Good morning, Orion!" she said in her usual sweet tone.
"Good morning, Gion. Are you ready for today's training? Are we going to have a practice match?"
"Of course! I've been mentally preparing myself to control my strength and not beat you up!" The girl said cheerfully in a playful tone.
After her last birthday, a barrier seemed to have broken between the two. Now, Gion was much more open with her words and actions, and she didn't hold so firmly to the perfect image she had projected before. Orion enjoyed this more frank and sincere Gion, who seemed more genuine. But he was a little uncomfortable with the fact that the little girl had become much more affectionate than before, taking every opportunity to hug him or kiss him on the face. When that happened, his adult mind immediately fled, leaving his child self to deal with the situation. After all, children understood each other better.
For a few weeks now, they had decided to have practice matches twice a week to practice the moves they trained daily. During those two months, Gion's talent had emerged, and her swordsmanship level had advanced by leaps and bounds. Although he couldn't see the girl's information, he was certain her swordsmanship level must have reached level 1. What a monstrous talent.
If it weren't for Orion using the system points he had earned to increase his swordsmanship skill level, he would have been left in the dust by the little prodigy.
Finally, with a large amount of system points at his disposal, he had been able to increase his fencing skill level. His current level was 1, and he had spent 500 system points to increase that level alone.
The amount of information that had entered his brain upon improving the skill was incredible, and far superior to that of his other two skills. This explained why so many points were needed to improve just one level.
He truly had a long way to go to reach level one from level zero, and if he hadn't used his system, it would likely have taken him years to achieve it. This further put Gion's monstrous talent into perspective, as it had only taken him two months to reach the same level, all through her own efforts.
The difference in talent between the two was clear, and that was why Orion was increasingly eager to obtain more system points and invest them in improving his skills.
As for the remaining 500 points, they were obviously not enough to increase to level 2 in swordsmanship, so he simply used 400 to improve his innate talent, leaving 100 unused, just in case he needed to use them urgently on some unexpected occasion.
The two children finished their basic attack exercises and were preparing to begin their practice match, but at that moment, a piercing scream invaded the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of Pacific Town.
"Help! Pirates! Pirates!"
The bell in the central plaza began to ring insistently, accompanying the piercing scream.
Orion and Gion looked up and saw a column of black smoke appear nearby. The cries for help quickly multiplied, while the bell continued to ring unabated.
Orion gripped his wooden sword tightly, his brow furrowed, and a solemn expression spread across his face.
It had finally happened. The moment he had feared would come was finally here.