January 7, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion woke up early in the morning, a little before sunrise.
He got up quietly, and after eating a few pieces of fruit for breakfast, he left the small house in the middle of the forest and began his morning swordsmanship training.
He had maintained this routine for years, and it was a habit that had become ingrained in his bones. Whenever the situation allowed, he would try to train daily and gradually increase his swordsmanship level.
Right now, he had 2008 SP, which was enough to increase his swordsmanship level once more. However, Orion didn't plan on doing so, or at least not for now, as that would consume all the points he had earned with so much effort.
If a situation arose where he absolutely had to increase his swordsmanship level, then he would do it; otherwise, he would continue trying to increase his level naturally. Although his talent wasn't on the same level as a genius like Gion, he felt he had a certain aptitude for the sword, and his development speed could be considered above average. If he continued to progress steadily, he could surely advance to the next level in about ten years.
While he was training, the summer sun began to rise over the horizon.
Yesterday, after the system issued the two new missions, he had decided to stay in Baterilla for the next six months.
Although he missed his family and was worried about Giolla, completing the system mission was more important. Only by completing one mission after another could he quickly increase his power and feel a certain sense of security in this crazy world.
When he asked Roger if he could stay here for a while, he stopped laughing, and his entire aura immediately changed.
Orion could clearly remember the feeling of oppression the pirate king caused him even now, after many hours had passed.
Roger looked at him silently, seriously, for a few seconds, and Orion stood firm under the pirate's piercing gaze. In his eyes, which were too deep to be those of a mere child, there was no doubt or ulterior motive. It was simply an honest and firm gaze.
Roger appraised him silently for a few moments, then laughed like a child again and told him it was no problem, patting him in the shoulder in a friendly manner.
Rouge simply sighed at the scene and questioned him about his situation.
She asked him if he didn't have a family to return to, and Orion answered honestly about his parents and younger siblings.
When he tried to give them a reason for wanting to stay in Baterilla, however, Roger stopped him before he could advance, saying it wasn't important and that a man had to make his own decisions. This caused Rouge to hit him hard on the back of the head once more and scold him, while Roger simply accepted his beloved's rebuke with his classic carefree laugh.
Afterward, both Roger and Rouge had decided to throw a welcome party for Orion, and they ate and drank until late at night. If his body weren't so used to waking up at this hour to train, he'd probably be sleeping right now, just like Roger and Rouge.
When he finished training with the sword, Orion began practicing his hand-to-hand combat techniques. Even though the sword was his main weapon, he wanted to be versatile. He wasn't worried about becoming a "jack of all trades and master of none," since the existence of the system ensured that this wouldn't happen. He simply had to work harder in the future to gain more SP, and his progress in his various skills would never stagnate.
The sun had already risen when the door of the small house opened, and Rouge, dressed in a white dress, came out, stretching lazily and enjoying the warm sunlight.
Orion stopped his training and approached to greet her.
"Good morning, Rouge! Thank you for letting me stay at your house. I promise I won't be a bother to you!"
"Haha, why are you so polite? I already told you yesterday it was fine. To tell you the truth, I think it's for the best. At least Roger will have someone new to tell his pirate stories to. Even though I've heard them several times before, I have to admit they're very interesting!"
Rouge smiled and stroked the little boy's head in a friendly manner.
Orion, on the other hand, heard Rouge's words and his eyes lit up. That was the reason he had decided to stay; the mission of the system was to stay with Roger and learn as much as possible from him. Thinking that he could finally gain information about this world, Orion's heart began to beat rapidly.
However, he quickly calmed down. There was something he had to take care of before he could fully focus on the mission.
He looked at Rouge seriously, and said to her
"Rouge, I'd like to send a message to my parents. They must be worried. Is there any way I can send them a message from this island?"
"A message?" Rouge placed her index finger on her chin and raised her gaze in a thoughtful pose. She knew that Orion's parents lived in Pacific Town, a little town located on a remote island about 2,300 km from Baterilla. Orion had mentioned his home and his hometown during the big party they'd had the night before.
"Hmm, there really isn't a good way to send a message. Don't your parents have a Den Den Mushi?"
Orion shook his head.
Actually, there was a Den Den Mushi in his small town, but he didn't dare call. After the Marines had suddenly appeared on the deserted island to capture Galette, he strongly suspected they had a method to intercept communications. So he didn't dare call his parents and risk putting them in a dangerous situation. He'd recently had a conflict with the marine, and he didn't know if he was wanted or what the situation was. It was best to keep a low profile and be cautious. Right now, he didn't have the ability to confront a powerful institution like the marine, and if his family were implicated because of him, he'd never be able to forgive himself.
Seeing the boy's solemn refusal, Rouge realized something and didn't ask any more questions.
She continued to think, and finally, her face lit up. She immediately grabbed Orion's wrist and began running at high speed toward the small port town in the distance.
Because Roger was a globally wanted person, they had chosen to live in a small house in the woods. The town of Baterilla was about a half-hour walk away, but running at Rouge's speed, it would probably take them half that time.
Orion, still running, asked
"Rouge, where are we going in such a hurry?"
"One of my friends is a merchant, and if I remember correctly, she was leaving on a trading trip through the South Blue today. She could deliver your message to your parents! But we have to hurry because I don't know exactly what time she was leaving."
They ran until they reached the small town's port, where they found Rouge's friend, who was about to set sail.
"Nayana!" Rouge shouted, waving her arm vehemently.
The young woman looked up in surprise and saw her friend running toward her.
After a friendly exchange between the two women, Rouge explained the purpose of her visit, and Nayana agreed to deliver the message to Orion's parents.
Orion borrowed some paper and ink and wrote two letters, one for his parents and one for Giolla. Then, he hesitated for a moment and asked Nayana, who was chatting with Rouge to the side.
"Excuse me, miss, I'd like to know if I could deliver one more letter, but it's on another island, and I don't know if you'll be passing through."
"Which island is it? If it's on my trade route, I have no problem delivering the letter for you. After all, you're a friend of Rouge's!" Nayana said with a big smile.
Orion wanted to send a letter to Gion, with whom he hadn't had contact in a long time, but he didn't know the name of the island. On the system screen, Gion's location had been a fixed point in the dark mist of the unexplored territory.
Orion asked for a map and immediately found the island in question. It was Goruta Island, near one of the marine bases in South Blue.
"You're in luck, I'll be passing by that place too, so I can deliver your letter."
Orion felt great joy at the thought of little Gion's surprised expression upon receiving his message, and began to write a third letter.
Just as he was about to finish, a woman approached carrying a small baby who was crying loudly, and handed it to Nayana.
Rouge saw the baby and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Then, as she touched the baby's soft cheeks, which had calmed down the moment it was hugged by its mother, she said,
"Are you taking little Yadoya with you? Isn't she too young to go out to sea?"
Nayana sighed.
"There's no other option. You know the situation at my house. She's already turned one anyway, and it's not that dangerous to sail at this time of year. Besides, she should get used to life on the high seas as a child; one day she'll have to take my place on this merchant ship."
Rouge didn't comment on the matter and simply nodded. Every family had its own problems, and she didn't intend to pry into other people's private lives.
Orion finished writing the last letter and handed it to Nayana, who, after hugging Rouge goodbye, set sail for the horizon with the rest of her small crew.
Orion took a deep breath and felt the worry that had been weighing on him disappear. Although he couldn't stop his parents from worrying, at least receiving this letter would reassure them that their son was still alive. For now, that was the best Orion could offer. When he returned home in half a year, he would accept his parents' reproaches without question.
But for now, it was time to focus on his mission!
...............
March 13, 1496. Age of the Sea Circle
The two figures collided at high speed, producing loud booms that disrupted the peaceful atmosphere of the quiet forest.
The swords clashed, producing small sparks, which were like fleeting flashes that continually appeared and disappeared.
Suddenly, a loud sound resounded in the forest, and one of the figures flew forward at high speed, crashing into a tree and destroying it in the process.
It was Orion, who stood up with some difficulty, rubbing his aching body.
As always, Roger had sent him flying.
Even though the pirate king was using a tiny portion of his power, Orion found it difficult to stay in combat for more than a few minutes. Their level wasn't even in the same universe. If Roger wanted to, he could eliminate him in less than a second, and he couldn't do anything to prevent it.
Thinking that this was the power level of the strongest people in this world made Orion feel a little depressed. Only now, knowing the pinnacle of power in this world, did he realize how far he was from reaching it. At the rate he was going, he would probably never achieve that level of power. He needed to increase his speed as soon as possible if he didn't want to be wiped out by some existence beyond his comprehension in the future.
It had been two months since he had decided to stay in Baterilla with Roger.
And only in this last month had they begun to have practice fights.
Roger hadn't been able to bear Orion's incessant requests and had finally agreed to help him train.
During these two months, he had learned a tremendous amount. Roger had told him about his travels around the world, and in the process, he had taught him many things that could be considered "basic knowledge" of this world, things that he, living in a very small and remote village, had never known.
He learned about the political power structure of the One Piece world, slavery, celestial dragons, the marine, and pirates. Every time he conversed with Roger, he learned something new about the world, as if he were some kind of living encyclopedia.
Now he understood why the system had issued a mission specifically requesting that he spend more time with him.
The gains he had made in these two months were immeasurable.
In addition, he had learned a little about the techniques and powers that could be found in this world. In addition to the Devil Fruit powers, which he already partially understood, Roger told him about one of the key points for any serious fighter: Haki.
As soon as he learned about Haki, Orion immediately knew he had to learn how to use it as soon as possible if he wanted to have even the slightest chance of making an impact in this world.
That was partly why he had been so insistent on training with Roger; he wanted the Pirate King to teach him how to use Haki. But unfortunately, it hadn't worked out well.
After a week of trying to learn how to use Haki, Roger had stared at him and said,
"Your aptitude for Haki sucks! You'd better focus on the sword, hahaha!"
Roger's direct words had hit him hard. He knew Roger hadn't meant it maliciously, but his words had still caused him great harm!
He had a system! It didn't matter if he wasn't a genius; if he kept working hard, there was nothing he couldn't accomplish! Surely he could master Haki, it would just take a little more time!
However, time was what he didn't have. Roger had told him he was dying and didn't have much time left. So he proposed to help him with his swordsmanship training first, where he at least had some talent.
Now, Orion knew why the system had set a six-month deadline for the completion of this mission; Roger probably couldn't hold out much longer.
Seeing the man laughing joyfully with his classic carefree laugh, Orion couldn't quite convince himself that his life was coming to an end. Could someone laugh like that when facing their own death?
The respect and admiration he felt for Roger increased every time he thought about it. Perhaps this was the charisma that only a living legend could possess.
Orion didn't stop his training to use Haki. After all, if he managed to reach level 0 and register the skill in the system, he could then use SP to increase the level, and he could give the talent the middle finger.
However, during all this time, he hadn't made any progress in his use of Haki; it simply seemed as if such a force didn't exist within him, even though Roger had told him that all beings possessed that latent power within them.
His progress with the sword, on the other hand, had been exceptionally rapid.
It was incredible how much of a difference there was between training alone and training alongside someone of Roger's level.
Roger, like him, used a cutlass, and their styles were compatible, so he had received a lot of useful advice from the pirate king.
At the rate at which his swordsmanship was advancing, he might be able to reach level 2 before the mission time was up!
That showed the incredible difference training with Roger made. Reaching the next level would have taken a decade, but now the time had been reduced to six months thanks to the good fortune of having Roger as a mentor.
If there was one thing, however, that could be considered a "bad thing," it was the frequency of the nocturnal activity of the couple he lived with.
Perhaps it was due to the imminent end of Roger's life, but the couple had become much more active in the last month, and the sounds were impossible to drown out in the small house where they resided.
Orion was living in a small room on the second floor of the wooden house; it was a kind of loft that had previously been used for storage.
Originally, Orion hadn't heard any nocturnal activity, and he suspected it might be due to its secluded position relative to the couple's bedroom.
But a month ago, the couple had begun socializing every night, for hours, like rabbits!
For Orion, who had an adult mind, the amorous interactions of the lovers were practically torture! If he had been in Pacific Town, he would have gone to find Giolla without hesitation, to execute her without mercy!
Orion was too embarrassed to say anything about it. So he simply did his best to ignore Roger and Rouge's nocturnal, and not-so-nocturnal, activity.
...............…
May 1, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion lay in his bed, trying to ignore the noise coming from the first floor.
It had been almost four months since he'd started living here, and the gains he'd made were incredible.
He could feel that his swordsmanship was about to advance to the next level, and he'd probably achieve it even sooner than the six months he'd previously estimated.
His cutlass, which he'd obtained from a vicious pirate during their attack on Pacific Town, had been completely destroyed during one of his training sessions with Roger.
There was nothing he could do; it was a very low-quality sword, and it had endured much more than he had expected before being destroyed.
Luckily, Roger had given him a new sword he had, and while it couldn't compare to the quality of the Pirate King's sword, it was a sword of considerable quality. Orion was truly happy to have obtained a new sword, as it was something he had been thinking about for a long time.
Having a good sword was essential if you wanted to use the techniques you knew to their full potential.
For example, Roger's cutlass, which was called Ace, was one of the twelve supreme-grade swords, and its power was absolutely mind-blowing. When Roger infused his Haki into the sword's blade, the attacks he could perform were tremendous.
Of course, Roger didn't use those types of attacks in his fights against Orion, because if he did, the little boy would re-enter the reincarnation circle without being able to do anything about it.
On the other hand, the development of his Haki control hadn't advanced in the slightest. Apparently, the Pirate King's assessment had been completely accurate, and Orion had no talent for using Haki.
Regardless, he continued to insist on practicing every day, and wouldn't stop until the skill was registered in the system at level 0, no matter how long it took.
Orion continued to learn a lot about the world of One Piece thanks to the knowledge Roger shared. Thus, he finally discovered the location of the great Ohara Tree of Knowledge. It turned out to be in the North Blue, on the other side of the world and completely out of reach. How would he get there? Wouldn't he have to cross the Grand Line if he wanted to? It seemed like completing the Ohara-related quest wouldn't be easy. At least for now, he didn't know how to get there, and it would probably take him years. So he decided not to think about it too much for now.
Roger had also shown him the geographical layout of this world, which was completely ridiculous, but fascinating!
Orion imagined himself exploring the different strange places in this world, and his sense of adventure was fully awakened.
Until now, he had been very preoccupied with system tasks and how to make the world a better place, but now he had a new wish to add to his to-do list: explore this wonderful world!
He was now in the South Blue, so he would start by exploring this area first, and then when he had enough power to protect himself, he would attempt to head toward the Grand Line and the three remaining Blues.
Orion was fantasizing about his future adventures in the world of One Piece when a shrill cry of pleasure echoed loudly. Apparently, the amorous activities of the besotted couple had reached their climax. He could only cross his fingers and pray they didn't decide to continue all night, or he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
However, in the next moment, a bell rang in his mind, and notifications appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*A Named Character (VIP): "Gol D. Ace/Portgass D. Ace" (fetus) has appeared within 500 kilometers of the host*
*New Mission Available*
*Mission 08 - Save a Mother*
Seeing the contents of the notifications, Orion couldn't help but show an expression of complete disbelief, and then exploded with a curse.
"Duck! Did I just witness a historic event??!!"