August 29, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion crossed the fog and arrived at his hometown.
When he suddenly appeared in the quiet streets of the village, the residents greeted him with great enthusiasm.
He had hidden his wounds so as not to worry the kingdom's inhabitants, taking advantage of the cold winter weather to stay completely covered by a large fur coat.
This time, his injuries had been quite severe, mainly because he had used the Rokuogan, which put great pressure on his body, especially when he was in his infant state, as was the case this time.
Orion arrived home and was reunited with his family, who were eagerly awaiting him. As soon as he passed through the front door, his mother, Lira, rushed over to him and began inspecting his body for injuries.
This time, Orion couldn't hide his current horrendous physical condition, and had no choice but to comfort his worried parents for a long time before they calmed down.
He had lunch with his family and then headed straight to the settlement to see the situation of his fledgling kingdom.
Upon arrival, he was quite surprised to see the significant development that had taken place. Under Giolla's leadership, the settlement had successfully expanded, and a large number of simple houses stretched for a long distance, forming a medium-sized village.
However, the large influx of people Orion had sent from Roux in recent days had made the situation quite chaotic. On the first day, the large number of people, panicked at having been suddenly transported to a strange place, almost causing a major incident
Fortunately, after the initial shock, the situation calmed down, especially because the newcomers realized that this was a safe place, far from the madness that was happening in Roux.
Currently, the kingdom's population was 1,889, with more than 500 people suddenly transported by Orion, saved from certain death as prey during the Native Hunt.
These people learned that their kingdom had been devastated and that they had lost their homes, and they had no desire to return to their homeland. At least not for the moment.
They knew that if they returned to Roux, they risked being discovered by the World Government, which would likely eliminate them as it had done with the rest of the kingdom's inhabitants.
For that reason, they had decided to settle in Pacific Kingdom, which seemed to be a safe, albeit precarious, place.
If there was one thing that cheered them up, however, it was that despite the settlement's precariousness, there was no shortage of food, and the people's spirits were quite high, generating a contagious atmosphere of optimism.
Orion went straight to find Giolla, who threw herself into his arms and kissed him passionately.
Perhaps it was her artistic spirit, but the sensual woman was very passionate, and despite being an established couple, he still felt an uncontrollable attraction to his beloved every time he saw her.
For Orion, who was already a bit lascivious, and also had the system's passive buffs that increased his libido, having a partner like Giolla was a blessing.
He lifted Giolla into his arms, carrying her like a princess, and entered his Pocket Dimension directly. He had learned from the last incident in which Ina had walked in on them in the middle of their passionate encounter, that the safest place for sexy time was undoubtedly his little alternate dimension.
Orion wasn't entirely well physically, so he and Giolla didn't spend too much time expressing their affection and leveling up his 'Marital Bliss' skill. They simply had a good time enjoying their love, with the necessary gentleness so that his wounds wouldn't open and cause more physical problems for him.
Inside the Pocket Dimension, Orion lay on a large bed, holding the beautiful artist in his arms. Giolla's imposing breasts were pressed against his chest, their form yielding to her own weight, creating an incredible sight.
Orion had to take a deep breath and remind himself that he wasn't in any condition to make any big movements, trying to calm his raging emotions.
He focused his attention on the system, where there was one of the rewards he had recently obtained: the Character Improving Card.
Without hesitation, he selected Giolla from the subordinates screen and used this item on her. Giolla was not only his first official partner in this world, but she was also the person who was helping him run the kingdom while he was busy with other things.
Sometimes he felt he was being a little unfair to her by putting so much weight on her shoulders. After all, Giolla wasn't like Kalifa, whose one of her dreams was to work in the government of the kingdom.
Giolla was a romantic, content with a quiet, relaxed life. Her only passion was art, to which she had dedicated her entire life.
If she was now so focused on the kingdom's affairs, it wasn't out of personal ambition or a desire for power, but simply because she wanted to help the man she loved however she could.
Orion had silently accepted her kind feelings and help, but he still felt he was being a little unfair by putting her in such a situation.
Perhaps using this item on her was a way to compensate her for everything she offered him every day without asking for anything in return.
The 'Character Improving Card' was successfully consumed, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*You have used the Character Improving Card on the Named Character Giolla*
*You have obtained the Devil Fruit Ato Ato no Mi*
*Giolla has obtained the ability Armament Haki (Level 1)*
*Giolla has obtained the ability Observation Haki (Level 1)*
*Giolla has obtained the passive ability Healthy Body (Level 5)*
*Giolla has obtained the ability 'Inspiration'*
Giolla, who was in his arms, began to tremble visibly, showing an expression of surprise, while Orion was simply dumbfounded when he read the torrent of notifications on the system screen!
When he used this item, he didn't expect to obtain so many benefits, so he was caught off guard by the impressive result. However, when the initial surprise passed, all he felt was great joy that Giolla had obtained so many good things.
Orion then reviewed the description of the new skills.
"Healthy Body" was similar to his passive skill "Strong Body," except it didn't affect the body's strength, but rather its health. With this passive skill, Orion didn't have to worry about the beautiful artist suffering from some strange illness in the future.
While she wasn't completely immune, her health level was now impressive. Even her ability to recover from injuries had been incredibly increased.
This was probably the best reward obtained through the "Character Improving Card," or at least that was the case in Orion's mind, as all he wanted was for Giolla to always be healthy and happy, even if she never stepped on a battlefield.
As for her fighting ability? Obviously, that was something he appreciated as well, but he didn't care as much about it, since in his mind, he didn't plan on letting Giolla go into battle for him in the future.
The other skill, 'Inspiration,' was geared toward her artistic inclinations, although it wasn't limited to that field. This was a skill that reinforced her creative thinking in all areas, and it could be said that by using it, Giolla would become a master of lateral thinking.
Giolla's body finally stopped trembling, the exhaled deeply, relaxing every fiber of her being.
Suddenly, she felt better than ever, and noticed that drastic changes had taken place in her.
Giolla looked up, her eyes filled with tenderness. She leaned over Orion and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then, she nestled against his chest and said,
"Thank you, my love."
She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she was sure it was something Orion had produced. She knew Orion was a mysterious man, with all sorts of strange and powerful abilities, and although she never inquired about it, she was convinced of her lover's extraordinary abilities.
Orion didn't explain anything, because there was no need for it with Giolla. He simply smiled and retrieved the Ato Ato no Mi from his inventory.
As soon as the Devil Fruit appeared in his hand, a new system notification appeared:
*A power source compatible with the Global Improvement System has been found: Devil Fruit, Ato Ato no Mi. Do you wish to absorb it? Yes/No*
Orion selected the negative option without hesitation and extended his hand, offering the multicolored fruit to the naked woman in his arms.
"This is a gift for you, Giolla. I think it's very compatible with you."
Giolla was quite surprised to see the sudden appearance of the Devil Fruit, but she immediately smiled happily and took a bite without hesitation.
If her lover told her that this fruit was good for her, then there was no reason to doubt it. Even if Orion offered her a poisoned fruit, she would gladly eat it, and would die for him if it came to that.
Not because she was his slave or anything of the sort, but because she blindly trusted that Orion would never ask her to do something like that without a reason.
If the time ever came when she truly had to do something like that, she would do it with the confidence that everything would be all right in the end.
Many might say she was truly stupid, but she didn't think so. She was simply a woman in love, who trusted the person she had chosen as her life partner.
Giolla ate the fruit and gained the powers of the Ato Ato no Mi.
Immediately, she sat up in bed, completely naked, openly displaying her sensual body. She walked over to a desk in the corner of the small Pocket Dimension and picked up a paintbrush that was there.
Then, she began to use her great artistic skill to create all kinds of paintings, which began to come to life and escape from the canvas. The beautiful artist's ability 'Inspiration' activated, and she began to create all kinds of fantastic and wonderful creatures and scenes.
Orion watched Giolla, who was completely naked, dancing around the Pocket Dimension while creating all kinds of wonderful creations. Her face held a big smile, like that of a little girl who had discovered the most fun toy.
Seeing her so happy, Orion felt a great sense of satisfaction, and he had no doubt that using the 'Character Improving Card' on her had been the right decision.
Just at that moment, a bell rang in his mind, and a new notification appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*The compatibility of the Named Character Giolla has increased. She can now be designated as a secondary wife in the system*
Orion was pleasantly surprised to read this notification and immediately turned his attention to one of the system's screens, labeled "Companions." There, all the women with whom he had a romantic relationship were registered; however, for now, the only name that appeared was Giolla's.
Next to Giolla's name was the label the system had given her when he registered her as his partner: 'Concubine'
When he focused his attention on the label, the system offered the option to change Giolla's status to 'Secondary Wife', warning him that the number of wives he could register was limited. However, it didn't give him a precise number as to what the limit was.
In any case, Orion didn't worry too much about that point and simply changed Giolla's status to Secondary Wife.
Upon doing so, new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*Giolla has been registered as a Secondary Wife*
*The bond with your wife is strong and healthy, providing you with additional benefits*
*You have obtained the special skill 'Canvas Realm (incomplete)' *
*The skill 'Art Coating (incomplete)' has been improved*
He hadn't expected to receive a reward for binding Giolla as his wife, and it was definitely another pleasant surprise!
He was about to look at the description of the new skill when suddenly the Pocket Dimension began to tremble, and before the astonished gazes of Orion and Giolla, its size expanded at least threefold!
Orion saw that the size of the small sphere in his possession had expanded considerably, and his eyes lit up.
The Pocket Dimension was one of his most useful skills, and he had wished many times that its size could be a little larger, allowing him to use it more versatilely.
Now, his wish had finally been granted, and a great excitement filled him. He saw the beautiful and sexy artist standing naked near him, her pink lips parted in surprise at the sudden expansion of the Pocket Dimension, and suddenly, a great fire ignited within him.
He used Soru and appeared in front of Giolla, who didn't have time to react, and was taken by Orion and thrown back onto the bed.
The beautiful artist knelt on all fours, intending to get up, but Orion appeared behind her and stopped her movements.
She looked at him with a gaze filled with passion, her eyes glassy and expectant, as she lightly bit her lips.
Orion took her by the hips, and she simply bowed her head, exposing her voluptuous figure to him.
A long time passed before the couple vented their ardent desires.
.................
August 30, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion once again went out to sea. This time, he was heading toward the company where his grandfather and uncle had been working when they disappeared: Umit Shipping.
Mission 13—Blood-soaked Bridge—didn't give him the location of the great bridge called Rum Wolf, so he'd have to find it himself.
He had decided the best place to start his search was with the Umit Shipping company. If he could infiltrate it and access its files, he might be able to discover the whereabouts of his relatives, and consequently the location of the bridge.
Before leaving, he had monitored the kingdom and used the Random Kingdom Building Box he had obtained as a reward for helping the Roux rebels free themselves from the Vascos' control.
Remembering the obese and depraved Roux royal family, Orion couldn't help but think of Vasco Shot, who hadn't been present during the rebellion.
That hadn't been intentional, since he'd clearly been in the kingdom when Orion had begun the attack alongside the rebels.
However, the depraved prince had disappeared without a trace while Orion was busy dealing with the rest of the royal family.
By the time he realized Vasco Shot was missing, he had already left the system's identification area, indicating that he had been actively moving away from Roux at an incredible speed.
Orion didn't know the reason behind Vasco Shot's escape, but he had mixed feelings about it.
On the one hand, he believed it had been a good thing, since with his monstrous combat power, the young prince would have been a major obstacle to overthrowing the royal family.
But on the other hand, Orion felt it was a shame that he hadn't been able to face him once more and eliminate him without allowing him to develop further.
Orion was quite convinced that now that he knew Vasco Shot's combat style, his abilities, and his power level, he could deal with him if he took the necessary precautions.
In his original plan to overthrow the Vascos, he had planned to eliminate Vasco Shot, and had even raised the level of his passive Skill, "Alcohol Resistance," with that goal in mind.
However, there weren't that many 'what ifs' in the world. He would have to wait until their next encounter before he could punish him and take revenge for nearly forcing him to take desperate measures during their last confrontation. The next time he saw him, he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.
After using the "Random Kingdom Building Box," Orion obtained three new rewards:
The first was the classic Kingdom Points (KP), having received 250 of them, which he had saved for later.
The second was defensive cannons. The amount he had obtained was 100, which he had left in Giolla's hands for her to install along the coast.
These cannons would serve as a line of defense once the Mysterious Mist was no longer operational.
After all, he couldn't keep it activated forever, since the amount of SP required to keep it active increased with each renewal.
In the future, he would have to let the Mysterious Mist recharge naturally, and during that time, it was necessary to have defenses against possible pirate attacks. Especially for those times when he wasn't present on the island.
As for the last of the rewards, it was the strangest, and Orion couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
It was a small creature that seemed to be some kind of small rodent, very cute in appearance, that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand.
The system had given him almost no information about this beast, and its description sheet read only:
*Nameless Beast (name)
Category: ??
Potential: ??
Current Form: Infant (Newborn)
Development Time: Slow *
Currently, the little beast was sleeping in his shirt pocket, as the system had recommended keeping it close during its early development. This would not only speed up the development process but also establish a closer bond between the two.
This little beast was bonded to him, making it a sort of animal companion, but its level of loyalty and affection for him was still zero. Mainly because the plump little animal had been sleeping since appearing in this world and had yet to interact with him.
Orion adjusted the course of his ship and continued his journey toward Umit Shipping Company, while in his mind, the words his father had said to him before leaving, about his maternal family, still echoed.