September 29, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
At last, Orion agreed to Shanks' request to look after Uta. After all, even though he was always complaining about how irritating the red-haired pirate could be, he still held a certain regard for him.
Perhaps his constant irritation with Shanks came from the fact that, in a way, Orion and Shanks were quite alike, or perhaps it was due to some unseen force in this world that seemed to push them into overlapping roles within its history.
Just as Orion had "stolen" two of Shanks' subordinates in the original timeline without even realizing it, and had even taken one of his women, perhaps in the future he would continue to have these kinds of secret clashes with the redhead, all because of those unseen forces that moved this world as if they were laws of physics.
Even so, for the moment Orion held no grudge against Shanks, and he hoped that would not change in the future.
After the red-haired pirate left his adoptive daughter in Orion's care, he and his crew departed immediately, clearly in a hurry. Although Shanks hadn't really reproached Orion for his delay in arriving, and had only made a passing joke about it, Orion could easily tell that the group of pirates had been impatiently waiting for him to arrive so they could finally set off to do whatever it was they needed to do.
As for what they planned to do during that month of absence, Orion didn't ask. He knew that if Shanks had wanted to share it, he would have done so from the start. The fact that he had kept it secret meant it was probably sensitive information, something they did not want spreading around.
Since Shanks and his crew had left, more than two weeks had already passed, and during that time Orion had remained constantly by the great lake without moving on, caring for the little baby.
For Orion, who had been traveling with the intent of meeting the Kuja, this was nothing more than a complete pause in his journey, and he had no choice but to accept it and make the best of it. For that reason, over the past two weeks Orion had been training relentlessly, much to the dismay of his subordinates, who had been dragged into training with him.
Taking advantage of being on solid ground, Orion experimented further with his new gigantification ability, confirming that the total time he could maintain his giant state was about three hours. If he exceeded that limit, the fatigue became so overwhelming that his adult mind would lose consciousness.
Although three hours was not an especially long time, Orion was rather satisfied with the result. After all, three hours were more than enough to take on one of the warrior women of Elbaf… and of course, also for regular battles against his enemies
Even so, Orion had no intention of using this ability during combat, since he considered that increasing the surface area of his body vulnerable to enemy attacks was too much of a disadvantage for him, especially as he still didn't have very solid control over his Armament Haki.
"Orion, I'm tired, can I stop?" Lily said with a pitiful expression and puppy eyes, trying to evoke pity from Orion so that he would call off the training.
Over the past weeks, she had come to understand the terror of being subordinate to someone as obsessed with training as Orion. Despite being a warrior of Elbaf, she had never in her life undergone rigorous training, so at first she had seen it as something novel and interesting.
However, as the days went by and the intensity of the training did not lessen, her fatigue began to build up, and what had once been interest quickly turned to aversion. Finally, after a week, she came to understand the very same expressions Lucky Roux and Gab had shown at the beginning, when Orion had cheerfully declared that they would undergo a "little" one-month intensive training session.
Perhaps the only one in this group who felt no aversion to the training was Hototogisu, who always gave her utmost effort to keep up with her husband's pace. It was also for that reason that Orion believed she might surpass the other two prodigies in strength one day, since the motivation and effort she displayed in training were far greater than what the two men could muster.
"You already want to rest? But you've barely gone five hours. Are you feeling physically unwell? You don't look sick, but maybe I should check you over," Orion said, halting the movement of his sword and looking at Lily thoughtfully.
In his mind, a giantess with Lily's physical abilities shouldn't have any problem with this level of training, so he was about to examine her to make sure she was alright.
What he hadn't considered, however, was that the problem was not physical but mental. It was hard to maintain motivation for such monotonous training over more than two weeks without the mind starting to rebel. Especially when it was training imposed by someone else.
"W-Well, I've been feeling a little strange…" Lily said, trying to feign a non-existent cold that would help her escape from the training.
However, with Orion's medical expertise, it was impossible for her to fool him in such a way.
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your physical condition… Could it be a side effect of your Devil Fruit?" Orion said, resting a hand on his chin pensively.
During the last weeks, Lily had spent almost all her time in her miniature form, since she couldn't control her ability well. She had great difficulty reverting her transformation and was in a state of constant activation of her powers, which to Orion didn't seem very healthy.
After all, according to his own personal experience, manipulating Devil Fruit powers consumed a large amount of energy, even though his case wasn't exactly the same as that of a regular Devil Fruit user.
Still, over the last few days Orion had tried to help Lily control her powers, though he hadn't succeeded so far. There had been some progress, as she could return to her original giant form more easily than before, but it was still a process that took considerable effort for the tiny giantess, and something she needed to master if she wanted her ability to be truly useful.
Moreover, she could only switch from her miniature state to her giant state, unable to adopt any other intermediate size. From Orion's perspective, Lily's ability didn't have many applications, at least in its current form. If she could at least choose the size she wanted to adopt, the situation would improve considerably.
Just as Orion was thinking about Lily's problem, Uta began crying loudly in the distance. At once, Orion sheathed his cutlass, and looking at his subordinates who were training with great discipline, he said,
"Guys, let's take a break. Roux, can you prepare lunch?"
Gab, Lily, and Lucky Roux showed radiant smiles, raising both hands in celebration, and the chubby boy turned into a sphere and rolled away into the distance, shouting,
"Of course! I'll make something delicious! Hahahaha!"
"He always looks happy when food is involved," Orion said with a smile, walking toward the cradle where Uta was.
This cradle had been created by Orion with his Art Coating ability, since the little girl simply slept wherever she could while aboard Shanks' ship.
As he approached the cradle, he saw that the child was crying inconsolably after waking up completely soaked in her own urine. Uta was a "normal" child, and unlike other kids who had atypical development at a very early age, she showed the common progression of any child her age.
She still wore diapers, and unfortunately it wasn't unusual for her to wake up covered in her own pee. Whenever that happened, the girl would burst into furious tears, wailing inconsolably, which to Orion still felt very "interesting."
In his previous life, he had been a single dog and obviously had no children. And although in this new life he had younger siblings, he hadn't been around for large periods of their early development, and even when he was in Pacific Kingdom, he hadn't taken care of them.
That was why he had no experience whatsoever raising a baby of almost two years like Uta. The first time he had ever changed a diaper had been during these two weeks, and it was also during this time that he had witnessed for the first time the behavior of an infant transitioning from babyhood into early childhood.
Unlike a baby, Uta could already speak to communicate, so she didn't cry like a small baby would. Her tears came from the frustration of not being able to control her bladder. The little girl was learning not to wet the bed, so every time she failed, her frustration led her to tears.
"Hey Uta, don't cry, your uncle is here," Orion said tenderly, lifting the little one and changing her diaper with great dexterity.
Obviously, the diapers the little Uta used weren't disposable like in his previous life but made of cloth. Still, Orion had no intention of washing and reusing them, so in practice they were disposable.
After half a month of taking care of the girl, Orion had developed great affection for her, and he could somewhat understand why Hanafuda and Shanks had acted like complete maniacs and threatened to kill him at the mere thought of him laying hands on their little daughter.
Right now, perhaps Orion would also react in the same way if some brat tried to get too close to his little Uta, and he'd have no choice but to banish him to the realm of shadows. In his role as uncle, Orion was discovering a side of himself he didn't know he had, and he couldn't help but wonder if, in the future, when he had daughters of his own, he would behave exactly like Hanafuda… though he hoped not to fall that deep into the abyss.
After a few minutes, Uta finally calmed down, and looking at Orion with an adorable pout, she raised both hands, saying,
"Music! Music!"
Even though she couldn't speak fluently, she had no problem making herself understood, and the word she could currently pronounce best was music.
Before leaving, Shanks had told Orion that Uta loved music, and that it was the only thing that could calm her when she was upset. That had been the case ever since she began sailing with them, and that was why the redhead's crew's musical skills had improved greatly over the past few months.
Orion had bought an Evaluation Card from the system shop and had used it to see the basic information of the girl, discovering that her talent for music was truly terrifying. It was the first time Orion had seen an "SSS" evaluation for a skill, and he suspected it was probably the highest rating possible in the system.
Once Orion confirmed the girl's immense talent, he decided that during the month he would be with her, he would try his best to develop that talent. Simply for the pleasure of watching a genius bloom.
Orion not only had the skill "Musical Talent (Level 3)," but during the past years he had also dedicated a small portion of his time to learning how to play the guitar and violin, since he considered it would be a waste of that passive skill otherwise.
Currently, his ability with both instruments had been recorded in the system, and both stood at Level 4, equivalent to a low-level professional musician. With these two skills, Orion had quickly formed a bond with Uta, who adored music.
Because of Uta's age, she spent most of the day asleep, around sixteen hours a day divided into two blocks. For that reason, every time the girl was awake, Roux, Gab, and Lily celebrated happily, since Orion would focus all his attention on the little one, freeing them from the torture of training.
"Do you want to play or listen to music?" Orion asked, setting Uta down on the ground.
The girl looked thoughtful, as if she were making a very difficult decision, and finally said with an adorable expression,
"Listen!"
Orion nodded and pulled his violin out of the Pocket Dimension. He immediately began to play a complex song, which made Uta clap with great joy, listening to the music with pure delight.
To develop Uta's musical talent, Orion had focused on different points. To begin with, he played the guitar or violin, always trying to perform different songs for her. But beyond that, he had also started to teach her music in a rudimentary way.
Uta was a normal child in every other aspect except music, so she didn't yet have the cognitive or motor development to formally learn to play an instrument. However, Orion had given her a xylophone he had built himself, so she could start making music on her own.
In addition, Orion played little games with her, where she had to identify sounds with her perfect pitch and reproduce them on her tiny xylophone.
Overall, during the past week, Orion had immersed himself in music and in teaching Uta, and both he and the little girl were enjoying the process.
On the lakeshore of this quiet uninhabited island, a harmonious scene was unfolding. Lily and Roux were cooking together, though the tiny giantess didn't help at all and only tried to steal ingredients, Gab was meditating with his eyes closed, trying to communicate with the spirits of the lake, and Hototogisu was still training, even though Orion had told them they could rest.
Meanwhile, Orion was playing the violin cheerfully for Uta, who clapped joyfully with a big smile, completely in love with the sound Orion produced.
However, a sudden variable appeared, destroying the peace and harmony of the moment.
"Oh? Who are you? Where is Shanks?" a voice resounded, alerting everyone present.
Even Lucky Roux, who constantly had his Observation Haki active, couldn't perceive the arrival of the person who had just spoken, which showed how abnormal this individual was.
SKRIT
The abrupt sound of the violin stopping echoed in the air. Alerted by the mysterious newcomer, Orion immediately stopped playing, and using Soru he appeared next to Uta, taking her in his arms and making sure she was in no danger.
Meanwhile, Orion's other subordinates watched the man who had just arrived with sharp alertness.
"Why are you so frightened? I have no intention of entering into conflict with you. I only want to know where Shanks is," the man said calmly, not moving from where he was standing by the lake.
Orion looked into the red eyes of this individual and at once remembered the red eyes that had hounded him again and again whenever he used Space Gate. Those piercing eyes filled with mysterious power, which he had first encountered during his first meeting with Shanks and his twin brother.
However, that sensation was fleeting, and Orion quickly noticed the differences. Even though the mysterious man who had appeared without warning also had red eyes, they were different from that being's. In them, Orion couldn't sense the same strange power he had perceived before, though it was true there was still an apparent similarity between them.
"Why are you looking for Shanks?" Orion said, regaining a bit of composure but still on guard.
It didn't matter that this person wasn't as terrifying as the red-eyed entity, Orion could see plainly that this man was a formidable enemy, one who stood at a level far superior to his own. He was probably on the same level as Shanks, which was to say, at the second tier of power in this world and on the verge of reaching the summit.
But above all else, what worried him the most was the marker that had appeared on the system's map, revealing the identity of this stranger: Named Character (VIP) Dracule Mihawk (24)!
"We had agreed to duel in this place. He told me to come here," Mihawk replied with complete calm.
Hearing those words, Orion couldn't help but curse Shanks in his mind, since the red-haired man hadn't told him anything about such a dangerous individual coming to this island for a duel with him. Yet, considering Shanks's personality, Orion guessed that he had probably just forgotten.
"Shanks isn't here right now. He'll be back in about two weeks," Orion said honestly.
Mihawk didn't seem to be lying; in fact, someone of his level had no need to bother with such a thing. If he truly had hostile intentions and wanted information, he could easily torture them to get it.
With that in mind, Shanks had probably told him to come for a duel and then left without any consideration for the other party. That being the case, Orion didn't see any problem in telling Mihawk the approximate date of his return.
Perhaps someone of Mihawk's level could even beat Shanks to a pulp, which Orion found rather intriguing.
When he heard Orion's words, Mihawk let out a visible sigh and, shaking his head, said,
"As usual. He's a man who can't be trusted in the slightest."
"Exactly! That bastard is the least trustworthy of all!" Orion added, nodding vigorously, having found someone who shared his view of the world.
Mihawk paid no attention to Orion's words and simply walked toward a cave in the distance.
"I'll wait here then. There's no need to concern yourselves with me," said the swordsman as he walked away without looking back.
Orion saw the enormous sword Mihawk carried on his back, and a strange urge to fight him welled up inside. However, when he looked at little Uta in his arms and at his subordinates, who were still somewhat tense, Orion shook his head, dismissing those thoughts.
This mysterious Named Character would remain on the island for a while; there would surely be a chance to interact with him later, perhaps even the opportunity for a sparring match. But for now, it was better to calm his companions.
"Alright, everyone, it's time for lunch!" Orion said, walking toward the grill where Roux was cooking large amounts of meat, Uta still in his arms.
A new member had joined the group awaiting Shanks's return.