September 1, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Four days had passed since Orion had received the system notification indicating the presence of an energy source nearby. It had been a long time since Orion had come across a Devil Fruit with high compatibility with the system, so he immediately postponed his journey to meet Shanks, intending to make a small detour to secure this energy source and increase his power.
Although Orion was not one hundred percent certain, there was a strong possibility that the Devil Fruit categorized by the system as an "energy source" had properties related to space or time, since that had been the case with all the previous ones.
Every time Orion managed to obtain one of these fruits, he gained tremendous benefits, usually acquiring new abilities while improving others of the same type that he already possessed. For that reason, he could not resist the temptation of going after this fruit, even if it meant making Shanks wait a little longer.
After all, the annoying redhead had practically decided on his own that Orion should come see him, without even asking for his opinion! It was already generous enough that Orion had agreed to his request, regardless of whether he delayed a little longer. Or at least, that was how Orion rationalized the matter.
Navigating the waters of the Grand Line was never an easy task, and even a short distance could become endless due to the countless weather phenomena that appeared suddenly to make things difficult.
In recent days, Orion had been traveling with complete focus, since he feared that if he took too long, someone might discover the Devil Fruit and consume it before he arrived. And this concern had only deepened yesterday, when a marker indicating the presence of a Named Character appeared in the very area where the energy source was located!
The name of the person who had suddenly appeared, and who was closer to the energy source than he was, was "Lily Enstomach (60)." The fact that an elderly woman was navigating the waters of the Grand Line meant that she was no ordinary person, although it was also possible that she was traveling in the company of others who ensured her safety.
Considering that this person was a Named Character, Orion leaned more toward the first option, and that was why he was so anxious to reach the energy source as quickly as possible. If he had to come into conflict with a veteran pirate or someone of similar stature, things could get complicated.
Completely focused, ignoring Lucky Roux devouring cakes by his side and Hototogisu clinging to his back trying to seduce him, Orion held the ship's course, pushing forward at full speed toward his objective.
…
September 5, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
At last, four days later, Orion arrived at the location where the system had marked the energy source. Looking at the island before him, riddled with gigantic volcanoes, Orion could not help but sigh, for he had not managed to arrive before the elderly Named Character.
Even so, the energy source still appeared on the system's map, although yesterday Orion had received a notification that its power had weakened. He was not entirely sure what had happened after the Named Character had arrived on the island, but the fact that the amount of energy in the source had decreased indicated that she had come into contact with the Devil Fruit.
Regardless, now that he had come this far, Orion had no choice but to press on. If he could obtain a weakened energy source, that was still better than nothing. He only needed to remain alert to the presence of the woman named Lily in this place.
If she turned out to be a reasonable person, Orion planned to try to recruit her, as was his custom whenever he encountered a Named Character. The problem would be if she was not reasonable, since in that case he would probably be unable to avoid a conflict over the Devil Fruit.
Being in the Grand Line, Orion was far more cautious than usual about the sudden appearance of Named Characters, since the level of power in this sea made any conflict potentially lethal. Even so, Orion was not afraid of clashing, because after years of training he was quite confident in his current strength.
Although it was true that he was still far from the level of the most powerful, he was strong enough to face the vast majority of pirates he might encounter in this first half of the Grand Line. If he wished to avoid conflicts, it was not out of fear but rather to spare himself unnecessary headaches. After all, he was not a battle maniac like Hanafuda.
Orion and his companions disembarked from the ship onto the rocky coast of the island. The area where they had landed had no beaches, only cliffs. Even so, Orion was too lazy to look for another path, and simply decided to enter the island from there, using Geppo to leap to the top of the cliffs and storing the ship inside his inventory with a single thought.
"Orion… where are we going?" asked Gab, glancing around with curiosity.
The atmosphere on this island was distinctly tropical, with a vast jungle in the distance filled with colossal trees. Moreover, the numerous volcanoes visible across the landscape gave the impression that they were standing on a prehistoric island—at least to Orion, who still carried the memories of his past life on Earth.
Knowing the fantastical world he now inhabited, Orion would not have been surprised if dinosaurs suddenly appeared on this island.
"We're here to find a Devil Fruit, it's a little further ahead," said Orion, his eyes fixed on the position marked on the system map.
"Still, stay alert. We're not the only ones here. There could be trouble up ahead," Orion added.
"Orion, there's only one other person on this island," said Lucky Roux suddenly, munching happily on some candy.
Hearing that, Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You can sense the entire island with your Observation Haki?" Orion asked, genuinely astonished.
Lucky Roux had always possessed exceptionally powerful Observation Haki, but being able to cover an island this massive required far more strength than he had demonstrated before.
"Yes, although I can't sense everything with perfect clarity when I extend my range that much. Still, I'm almost certain there's only one other person on this island besides us," replied the chubby boy, tossing a handful of candy into his mouth.
Orion sighed, realizing once again that geniuses were truly different. The daily training Lucky Roux underwent was not focused on improving his Observation Haki, since Orion felt there was no need to focus on a skill he already mastered so naturally. Instead, Orion preferred the boy to train his physique, combat techniques, and Armament Haki.
Yet Lucky Roux had once again managed to improve his Observation Haki, something that could only be attributed to his immense natural talent. Orion couldn't help but wonder whether he too might achieve such a feat if he raised his passive skill "Talent in Haki" to higher levels, and just how far he would have to push it in order to reach the kind of development Lucky Roux displayed.
"The spirits of the island say that this person is not aggressive," Gab said suddenly, after briefly closing his eyes to communicate with the spirits around him.
No matter how many times Orion witnessed the use of Gab's abilities, they never failed to amaze him. The fact that Gab could communicate with the spirits of nature was something incredibly novel to Orion, who showed a deep interest in that kind of power and wondered if one day the system might grant him a similar ability.
The presence of these two subordinates with such immense talent truly gave Orion certain advantages on his journey, since they were able to contribute in ways he himself could not. On the other hand, Hototogisu was simply walking at his side, holding his hand without a care, and seemed more like the group's pet than a combatant.
Of course, Hototogisu was not weak. After years of training, she was already at the level of an elite CP9 agent, even at only fifteen years old. Not only was she capable of using the Six Techniques (Rokushiki), but she could also wield both Armament and Observation Haki at a basic level. In addition, she had knowledge of espionage, hand-to-hand combat, spear fighting, firearms, and assassination techniques.
In the eyes of any ordinary person, Hototogisu was a prodigy. Yet, when standing next to monsters like Lucky Roux and Gab, she almost seemed normal. The only fair conclusion was that there were different ranks among prodigies.
Perhaps in the future, Hototogisu might grow strong enough to surpass the other two, with enough effort. But for now, her natural conditions were far behind those of Gab and Roux.
Orion and his companions made their way across the rugged terrain near the coast and ventured into the jungle, walking at a leisurely pace for almost an hour until they reached the area where the energy source he sought was located.
The place was a clearing in the jungle, where several trees bore strange fruits. Orion had never seen this type of fruit before; they resembled cherries in shape, with two fruits joined at the same stem, always appearing in pairs.
Even so, the size of these fruits was far larger than that of a cherry, being closer to the size of a melon.
Scanning the area with his Observation Haki, Orion noticed two things. The first was the location of the Devil Fruit he was searching for, which radiated a special energy distinct from the rest. The second was the presence of a tiny person hidden among some nearby bushes.
This person was undoubtedly the old woman Lily Enstomach, yet Orion would never have imagined her to be such a diminutive being, small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of his hand.
Could she be some kind of fairy, or a member of another fantastic race? Orion wondered.
His master Roger had often told him stories about incredible races he had encountered during his travels. For example, the Tontatta, a race of dwarves who lived in Dressrosa and were regarded by the locals as fairies.
Now that Orion had encountered a tiny person, he began to wonder if she might not be a member of one of those exotic races native to this magical world.
Although Orion was very intrigued by the little old woman hiding in the bushes, his main objective in coming here was to obtain the energy source for the system. For that reason, after signaling to his three companions not to move from their spot, he approached the Devil Fruit and placed his hand upon it.
Immediately, the system reacted to the Devil Fruit, issuing new notifications.
*Ding*
*A power source compatible with the Global Improvement System has been found: Devil Fruit, Maxi Maxi no Mi. Do you wish to absorb it? Yes/No*
Orion read the contents of the notification and accepted without hesitation.
*The Devil Fruit Maxi Maxi no Mi has been absorbed. It will be refined to remove its impurities. The process may take some time…*
At once, the Devil Fruit that had just been in his hand vanished without leaving a trace, and a loading screen appeared on the system interface, displaying the progress of the absorption process.
Once Orion secured the energy source, he broke into a wide smile, relieved that he had not lost the chance to reap great benefits. Then, pensively, he glanced at the stem that remained after the system had consumed the Devil Fruit completely.
On this occasion, the Devil Fruit had the same form as the surrounding fruits, which meant it must have been composed of two fruits joined together by a single stem. Yet Orion had never heard of such a thing, and even his master Roger had told him that every Devil Fruit was individual and could only be eaten by one person at a time.
Even so, Orion did not immediately dismiss the idea, since his mind was flexible enough to recognize that there were always exceptions to rules, no matter how rigid they seemed, and this was especially true when it came to the laws of this magical world in which he now found himself.
Thinking back on the state in which he had found the fruit, it was obvious that one of the two components that had formed the pair had already disappeared. And if he connected that fact with the system notification from the previous day, which had indicated that the power of the energy source had been reduced by half, it was not difficult to reach the obvious conclusion: someone had eaten the other Devil Fruit that made up the unusual pair.
And there was only one person in this place besides Orion and his companions…
Orion turned and fixed his attention on the bush in the distance, where the old woman named Lily was trying, utterly in vain, to hide, for she had been discovered the moment Orion had arrived here.
"Madam, you can come out of your hiding place, I have no intention of harming you," Orion said with a kind smile, trying to appear as harmless as possible so as not to frighten the poor woman further.
However, as soon as she heard his words, Lily immediately panicked and bolted at full speed, trying to escape from Orion and the others.
What kind of fool would simply trust the word of someone sailing on the Grand Line? This place was filled with all sorts of monsters!
Lily had been sailing through the Grand Line for almost three years, and she had encountered all kinds of people. Only a very small percentage of them would not take advantage of her current condition to try to harm her, and she was not about to gamble on the morality of a stranger. So the instant Orion asked her to leave her hiding place, she decided to flee.
Gluttonous by nature, Lily had been on this island indulging herself in those delicious grapes with great delight, when by mistake she had eaten one grape that was not ordinary. As a result, her body had shrunk until she became a miniature version of herself, no more than a few centimeters tall!
In this state, she probably would not be able to defend herself against an enemy as she usually did, and she might even be captured and sold as an exotic "product" to those degenerate Celestial Dragons. Just thinking about it sent an icy chill coursing through her limbs, and she had no intention of stopping her flight.
Orion could not see Lily, for her tiny size made her vanish among the dense jungle vegetation, but with his Observation Haki he was able to sense that she was fleeing, although… at a very slow pace.
Lily was running with all her might, yet her body was now so minuscule that the distance she managed to cover was extremely short, making her desperate escape look rather anticlimactic and even pathetic.
With a look of pity for the old woman who was struggling in vain to run for her life, Orion used Soru and appeared before her, extending his hand and catching her effortlessly. At that moment, Lily was the size of a toy doll and fit perfectly in his palm.
Yet when Orion saw Lily's appearance, he was once again taken aback, for she was not an old woman at all!
Lily was a young woman with green hair, large sky-blue eyes, and brown skin. At first glance, she looked to be around twenty years old, and she had nothing at all of the appearance Orion had expected from someone in her sixties!
"Could it be that she used some technique to rejuvenate herself? Or is this the effect of the Devil Fruit?" Orion murmured as he lifted Lily up to eye level to observe her more closely, without realizing that his actions were rather confrontational.
Because of the girl's strange appearance, Orion forgot that he was dealing with a person and became completely absorbed in his curiosity about Lily's current condition, inspecting her with an interest that bordered on the medical or even the anthropological.
Lily's cheeks flushed as Orion lifted her, and since he seemed to be observing her entire body with curiosity, she immediately felt a wave of shame and thought that Orion was trying to humiliate her on purpose, even though that was not the case at all.
Her pride was wounded, and her warrior's blood began to stir under the pressure of her emotions. Suddenly, Lily Enstomach's body began trembling visibly in Orion's hand. Feeling through his Observation Haki that a great change was imminent, he immediately released her from his grasp and stepped back several paces, putting distance between them.
Just a moment later, Lily's body began to grow uncontrollably, and she went from her tiny size of only a few centimeters to a colossal form, as towering as a great mountain.
"Damn you! What do you think you're doing?! I am a warrior of Elbaf!" Lily roared angrily, finally regaining her natural size after being trapped in her miniature form for nearly a whole day without knowing how to return to normal.
Orion used Geppo to leap back even farther from the furious Lily, who had drawn the sword she carried on her back along with a shield, and now looked ready to enter battle.
"Fuck! She wasn't an old woman—she was a giant!" Orion exclaimed with a certain irritation as he realized the mistake in his initial assumption.
Of course Lily looked like a young woman despite being sixty years old—giants had a life cycle entirely different from that of humans!
Watching the enraged Lily with sword in hand, Orion felt a slight headache coming on, but he also thought this was a good opportunity to witness firsthand the power of the famed giants of Elbaf.
...
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