October 11, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Inside the cage, within the dark stone chamber where he was confined, Orion observed his surroundings, activating his Prism Eyes in an attempt to gather more information about his current situation.
At this moment, the system had been completely blocked, preventing him from accessing any of its functions. For that reason, it was impossible to verify whether the words of the agitated man who had entered the room a few minutes earlier were true or not.
Even so, Orion thought there was no reason for the man to lie about it, and it was highly likely that he truly was in the very heart of the World Government's territory: Mary Geoise.
Fortunately, after his previous experiences with the side effects of Berserk Mode—which temporarily caused the system to shut down—Orion had learned how to activate his special abilities without using the system as an intermediary.
Because of that, although the current situation was far from ideal, Orion managed to remain calm, for his trump cards were still available. The only special ability he could not currently use was "Gigantification," and that was simply because he had possessed it for such a short time. His body had yet to learn how to employ such a skill without the system acting as a channel.
In any case, Orion had no intention of using such an ability—one that would so obviously draw more attention—in the very heart of the capital of his fiercest enemies.
Something he had never forgotten was his first encounter with Shanks and his twin brother Shamrock. Although his relationship with Shanks was good now, the same could not be said of Shamrock, whom Orion had humiliated by temporarily trapping inside the Pocket Dimension.
Back then, although Orion had been much weaker than he was now, the gap between his strength and Shamrock's was smaller than the distance separating their current levels of power—or at least that was the case if Shamrock's growth had been similar to Shanks'.
This was because in the magical world of One Piece, it was not unusual at all for people to experience sharp spikes in power when they reached adulthood. At present, even though twenty-year-olds like Shanks and his brother were not yet at the peak of the world, they already stood firmly on the second tier.
By contrast, Orion's development had followed a linear path. While his strength had grown considerably, it could not compare to the explosive increase the two brothers had undergone.
For that reason, what Orion least wanted in this visit to the sacred land of the Celestial Dragons was to encounter Shamrock, for if he recognized him, Orion would have no choice but to abandon his current mission and flee in order to survive.
Orion did not know exactly how this sacred land functioned—where the Celestial Dragons lived, or whether there was a chance of crossing paths with Shamrock—and that was precisely why he did not intend to use any ability that would draw attention, such as Gigantification, even if it were not currently blocked along with the system.
Still, even though Orion could use his special abilities, he had no intention of opening a Space Gate to retreat from this place, for he was in the middle of a mission. Even if the system had not provided him with any information, there was undoubtedly something he was meant to accomplish here, and he did not plan to leave without at least attempting to complete it.
Looking at the people imprisoned in the cages around him, Orion immediately began filtering any relevant information he could perceive through his special ability. Beyond morality, Orion was able to observe a person's talent, but only when it was extraordinary, since otherwise it produced no visible effect his Prism Eyes could detect—at least not at his current level.
On the other hand, at times it was also possible to perceive certain peculiar traits in special individuals, even if Orion could not fully interpret them, much as had been the case with Teach.
This time, Orion wanted to see if he could find anyone out of the ordinary among the prisoners around him, since that would give him a clue regarding his objectives in the mission he had to complete now.
The fact that the system had transported him specifically to this place full of prisoners was no coincidence, and if he could identify someone who seemed like a Named Character, surely the mission would be connected to that person.
With little success, Orion patiently and thoroughly scanned the prisoners with his gaze. Finally, when he was beginning to think he would find nothing, his eyes fell on a cage that stood far away from him, almost on the other side of the vast chamber.
Inside, three young girls were clinging to each other in fear. Their clothes were of good quality, and it was obvious they had not been prisoners for long. With the superior vision his special ability granted him, combined with his medical knowledge, Orion could easily tell that they had not suffered "abuse," and though they were clearly terrified by everything around them, they bore no wounds and had not been humiliated.
Focusing Observation Haki into his eyes, several brilliant colors suddenly flared into view, surrounding the three girls and revealing that they were anything but ordinary!
The intensity of the colors Orion was perceiving through his Prism Eyes was not normal, not even for an ordinary Named Character. Especially the dark-haired girl with pigtails who stood between the other two. Her body was radiating with such a dazzling shade of pink that it nearly hurt Orion's eyes.
"Bingo," Orion murmured as he deactivated his special ability.
After scanning every person in this place, only the three girls in that distant cage had produced a visible effect, so Orion immediately concluded that they were probably the reason he had been sent here, and particularly the one in the middle was of utmost importance.
Even so, Orion made no sudden move to free himself from his cage or attempt to rescue the girls. The reason behind this decision was not only that he felt he still had far too little information to act, but also that he had the intuition that making a move now would end very badly. In this magical world, intuition was not something advisable to ignore, especially for someone with senses as sharp as Orion's.
Crossing his arms, Orion closed his eyes, waiting to see how things would develop. Now that he knew the three girls were important, all he needed to do was pay special attention to their safety, and for the moment there was nothing more that needed to be done.
Meanwhile, Boa Hancock, who had been trying to comfort her younger sisters, glanced toward one of the dark corners of the vast chamber, where a solitary boy was seated inside a cage. She had felt his gaze a moment earlier, and her Observation Haki had activated, indicating that the boy in question had likely been using Haki as well.
Orion continued with his eyes closed, meditating on his immediate plans in his mind, unaware that his small movements as he watched the sisters had been noticed by the eldest, whose talent for Haki was truly abnormal.
As for his current appearance, he did indeed look like a child, and that was because when the system had been blocked, his transformation through "Age Change" had been undone. Although Orion could now activate his special abilities without the system's help, he generally preferred to use it as an intermediary, since that method consumed less energy.
That was why his transformation had been undone so abruptly when the system shut down, and although he could return to his adult state at any moment if he wished, he chose to remain in his natural child form as a way of concealing his identity. Furthermore, he had taken advantage of the chamber's darkness to alter his features with his ability "Distorted Future," so his face looked completely different from usual.
The only thing he hoped was that his sudden appearance in this place would not arouse suspicion. This was partly why he had kept the form of a child, since it was one that made people lower their guard somewhat.
…
October 12, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Nearly half a day passed before there was finally a change in Orion's situation. The chamber door, which had not opened even once since the man had come earlier to warn them not to make noise after the thunderous sound caused by Orion's arrival, now swung wide open, and a group of soldiers rushed in, beginning to carry the cages out one by one.
Orion watched the three girls who were together in one of the cages closest to the door, seeing how the soldiers carried them out of the chamber. Closing his eyes, he focused his Observation Haki to track their location, thus preventing any possible accident.
At last, the soldiers moved all the cages near the door and eventually reached Orion's section, where the final cages were located. It was worth noting that the arrangement of the cages in the chamber did not seem arbitrary; the more "valuable" prisoners were kept closer to the door, while in Orion's area there were individuals with weaker physiques, or simply uglier in general.
To blend in with that detail, the appearance Orion had adopted through the use of his "Distorted Future" ability was that of someone considerably uglier than his original look. Although still far from the grotesqueness of the Celestial Dragons—who, due to their limited numbers, often practiced incestuous unions that led to all sorts of deformities and repulsive appearances—
The only reason the Celestial Dragons' population had not already collapsed from inbreeding was that they occasionally introduced "fresh blood" through high-value slaves or by personally abducting women from the surface of the planet.
Even so, such unions with slaves were not entirely well regarded, and efforts were made to maintain the purity of the lineage, which had in turn caused the Celestial Dragons to suffer from severe biological issues. It was ironic that the very people who considered themselves perfect gods were, in fact, the most biologically deficient beings on the planet.
The soldiers paid no attention at all to Orion, clearly failing to notice that he had not originally been in that cage, and they carried him through the doorway of the vast stone chamber.
Upon emerging from the confined space where he had remained for half a day, Orion found himself in an underground passage, and after the soldiers climbed the stairs without pause for nearly twenty minutes, they finally reached their destination.
Sunlight at last touched his face, causing Orion to squint for a moment to adjust to the brightness. Once he reopened his eyes, the entire panorama around him was revealed without obstruction.
He was now standing on a large platform, which was loaded with cages full of prisoners. Not only were all the captives he had seen earlier present, but from two other entrances leading to the platform, soldiers were carrying in countless more cages.
The total number of prisoners was far greater than what Orion had previously witnessed, at least three times as many, and it was obvious that the others had been kept in another location beforehand. It was not difficult for Orion to deduce what was happening now, especially with the Celestial Dragons in the equation.
Looking at the great crowd surrounding the platform, Orion could not help but sigh bitterly.
This was the first time he was face-to-face with his true enemies, the actual rulers of the world, the ones he needed to overthrow. Although he had heard stories about the Celestial Dragons, this was his first time seeing them up close in such a direct manner, for the only other experience he had with them had been during the native hunt carried out in Roux Kingdom. But on that occasion, Orion had not had much of a chance to interact with the Celestial Dragons themselves, as his entire attention had been focused on Shamrock and Shanks.
Now, seeing the stupid, perverted, or arrogant expressions of these individuals who considered themselves gods, Orion could not suppress the impulse to smash his fist into their faces with all his strength. And in this case, it was a truly visceral urge, entirely different from the feeling he got when he wanted to punch Shanks, which was more akin to that of a younger brother annoyed by his irritating older sibling.
The soldiers placed Orion on one side of the platform, where the "worst merchandise" was kept, and withdrew immediately. These soldiers were not part of the sacred land itself; they were merely logistics personnel sent by the slave house to assist with the auction on this occasion.
It was very rare for the Celestial Dragons to descend to the surface to attend auctions, and when they did, it was usually out of whim. However, never was there a massive auction involving thousands of Celestial Dragons held on the surface.
The main reason was that the Celestial Dragons did not wish to descend to the surface too often, but there was also the logistical issue for the Marines, who faced great difficulty in protecting so many distinguished individuals at once.
For that reason, the largest auctions were held in the "public zone" of Mary Geoise, which was like a diplomatic area where filthy commoners were occasionally allowed access for certain specific events, such as these massive auctions, or the Reverie attended by the kings of the kingdoms affiliated with the World Government.
Even so, these soldiers were utterly terrified as they carried out their task, because they knew that if they made any extra movement that drew the Celestial Dragons' attention, things could end very badly.
It was not uncommon for one of the Celestial Dragons attending such massive auctions to become enraged with a soldier for casting his shadow on them, or for some other equally stupid reason, resulting in his execution on the spot—or worse, being added to the merchandise up for auction.
Once the soldiers had successfully withdrawn without incident, a man appeared on the platform, dressed in a formal suit and holding a microphone in his hand. This man was a slave of the Celestial Dragon who had "sponsored" the auction on this occasion, and he served as its host.
"Good morning, it is my honor to stand in the presence of divine beings," the man said with a certain apprehension, marking the official start of the auction.
"This time, Master Saint Manmayer Alexander has gathered for you all manner of rare goods," the man continued without missing a beat, walking across the platform and gesturing toward the "merchandise."
"Not only do we have one hundred renowned pirate captains, but there is also a dozen Tontattas freshly brought from Dressrosa."
Orion looked toward where the auctioneer was pointing and saw several pirates covered in wounds, glaring defiantly and angrily around them. Evidently, even though they were in a precarious situation, they still retained a measure of stubbornness in their spirits—though it would not last long.
The group of Tontattas, on the other hand, was crammed into a tiny cage, gazing around with their innocent eyes, seemingly unable to grasp the gravity of their current plight. This was the first time Orion had ever seen this legendary race, and it was a shame that it had to be under such conditions.
The man went on listing all manner of exotic goods, while the Celestial Dragons clapped like idiots, deciding which product they wanted to buy. Finally, the host reached the front of the platform, where the most valuable merchandise was located, and raising both arms with excitement, he declared—
"Moreover, on this special occasion, we have a high-quality Fish-Man. This Fish-Man is perhaps the strongest we have ever come across, and he could only be captured with the help of a Marine admiral!"
Orion turned his gaze toward the salmon-skinned man inside the cage, kneeling with his head bowed. He seemed drugged and almost unconscious, yet Orion could sense that this was not an ordinary individual, even without resorting to his Prism Eyes. There was simply a different aura surrounding this person, one that immediately led Orion to suspect he had stumbled upon another Named Character.
Obviously, Orion would not dare to use his Prism Eyes in this situation. Even if most of the Celestial Dragons looked like inbred monstrosities, he knew that real monsters prowled within this "sacred land"—monsters even more powerful than Shamrock or Shanks—whose attention he could not afford to draw.
After giving further details about the Fish-Man, the host finally approached the cage placed at the very front. Placing one hand on it, he looked inside at the three girls and, with a depraved smile, declared:
"Finally, on this occasion we have three goods of absolute quality! They are three Kuja, completely virgins and ready to be subdued however you wish!"
"Ooooohh!" roared the Celestial Dragons, their repulsive eyes fixed upon the three little girls, who had not yet begun to develop and whose bodies did not bear even a hint of curves.
Orion exhaled sharply, realizing that the situation this time was particularly troublesome.
Yet, as his eyes fell on the three girls, who stared back in terror at the disgusting Celestial Dragons lusting after their small bodies, Orion forgot entirely about the special mission or about anything else.
In his mind, only one thought remained: to protect these girls.
...
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