October 12, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
The auction unfolded with complete normalcy, without a single incident. The first "items" to be sold were of low quality, so Orion—who had altered his appearance with "Distorted Future" and now looked rather ugly—was auctioned off almost immediately.
His buyer was a fat Celestial Dragon who seemed only slightly less idiotic than his peers, although he still looked far more foolish than any ordinary person.
After being purchased, Orion was not immediately taken away. Instead, the staff of the slave house placed him to one side of the large platform, where he would wait until the auction ended, at which point the merchandise would be handed over to their respective owners.
From a corner of the platform, Orion calmly watched the auction unfold without making a single move. He still did not know this place well, so he was temporarily limiting the use of his abilities.
His plan was to make a few small tests once the auction ended and they were transported. At that time there would be fewer people and probably less security, and Orion could try to test the waters to see what kind of surveillance existed within the sacred land of the Celestial Dragons.
In the best-case scenario, security here would not be so strict, and Orion would be able to use his abilities freely for the mission. In the worst-case scenario, he would be discovered immediately and forced to flee.
Although Orion remained perfectly calm and motionless on the surface, inside the situation was entirely different. Not only was his mind racing, quickly drawing up all kinds of possible plans of action for the near future, but also the sight of human degradation through slavery, coupled with the perversion of the Celestial Dragons, made his emotions boil.
Nevertheless, Orion was capable of maintaining his composure and knew it was not the time to act on impulse. There would be an opportunity to act later, but for now he needed patience. With clenched fists and a tranquil expression, Orion continued watching the auction unfold, which was progressing much faster than he had expected.
Even so, the entire process would still take several hours, given the sheer number of slaves up for sale on this occasion. For the Celestial Dragons, whose lives were exceedingly dull, any form of competition among themselves was welcome, and of course, in this auction, they were openly competing to see who would claim the best spoils.
During the auction, Orion's gaze landed countless times on the cage at the very front, where the three Kuja sisters were being held. To his surprise, the dark-haired girl whom Orion believed to be a crucial piece in this special mission had also glanced in his direction several times, their eyes meeting.
At first, Orion thought it was mere coincidence, but once the glances became more frequent, he realized that the girl had likely noticed his persistent gaze. After all, she was not an ordinary child, and it was not strange that she could feel Orion's insistent eyes on her, even while terrified by what was happening around her.
Seeing the panic on her face softened Orion's heart, and he could not help but break his own rule and "do something," even if only a small gesture. Without making a sound, Orion slowly formed words with his lips that the girl could easily understand even from a distance: Don't worry, I will protect you.
Obviously, the girl showed no relief or any such reaction to Orion's words, since a boy imprisoned just like her could not possibly inspire any sense of security. She even thought Orion must be an idiot, or had lost his mind, and the number of times she looked his way decreased as a result… though it never completely stopped.
Finally, the auction reached its climax, and the salmon-skinned Fish-Man was purchased by a man with strikingly long mustaches, who loudly proclaimed he would test just how much endurance a fish with a human body could withstand, while the surrounding Celestial Dragons clapped and cheered animatedly.
As for the three sisters, the most prized goods of this occasion, the competition was fierce. Every Celestial Dragon present wanted them; to obtain even one of the girls would have brought great joy to any of them, since it was a way to flaunt their superior status by claiming the most precious merchandise of the auction.
However, the arrival of a single individual would seal the fate of the three sisters in an instant.
From the large platform where Orion stood, it was impossible to see the entrance to the square where the auction was taking place, since the sea of people blocked the view of any possible doorway. Yet suddenly, the crowd began to part in two as if it were the Red Sea, creating a path for a solitary figure to walk through.
Orion fixed his gaze on this newcomer but could find nothing in him remarkable enough to justify such a reaction from the other Celestial Dragons. The man in question was middle-aged, with long, messy blond hair; his face was marked by pronounced dark circles, and an unkempt beard betrayed his lack of personal care.
In addition, his clothes were dirty and wrinkled, as if he had just been lying in a ditch a moment ago. The man slowly approached the front of the crowd, right where the platform stood, while the other Celestial Dragons muttered with a hint of unease.
Orion could sense that the man wasn't walking in a straight line, and he seemed to be… drunk, which only deepened his doubts about the scene unfolding before his eyes.
The blond man looked at the three girls inside the cage with an intoxicated gaze, and an unpleasant smile spread across his face, revealing several rotten teeth.
"Perfect, perfect! This is exactly what I needed!" the man said, speaking to himself with wild, manic eyes.
"Hey, slave, these three girls are mine, send them to my house immediately!" the man ordered, paying no attention to anyone else around, and then he turned on his heels to leave, almost cheerfully.
"Y-your holiness Figarland, the auction is still ongoing…" said the slave who was acting as host, knowing that if he didn't speak up now he would be executed, yet also knowing that if he offended this lunatic, he might meet an even worse fate.
Figarland Vespasian stopped in his tracks instantly and turned around with a dark, terrifying expression. Then, without a word, he pulled out a pistol and executed the insolent slave on the spot.
"Auction? Do you think I care about something so trivial?" Vespasian said, addressing the corpse of the host, whose forehead now had a gaping hole.
"Does anyone have a problem with me taking these slaves?" Vespasian asked, staring with bloodshot eyes at one of the Celestial Dragons nearby.
The Celestial Dragon was quite young, and he was just about to burst out in insults against Vespasian, but before he could, his father covered his mouth with a hand and answered the lunatic in his son's place.
"There's no problem, Vespasian, take them," said the middle-aged Celestial Dragon reluctantly, clearly holding back his emotions as best as he could.
"Heh, just as I thought, a bunch of pussies," Vespasian said, putting away his pistol, and then he added:
"Send them to my house immediately!"
The blond man they called Figarland Vespasian began to walk away slowly, just as he had arrived, all the while muttering the same words insistently over and over again:
"Hehehe, what will that stupid Garling think when he sees I've got three Kuja while he couldn't get even one? Hehehe! Finally, I'll prove to him who the real prodigy of this family is! Hahaha, he'll see, he'll see! HAHAHAHA!"
Orion could hear the erratic words of the man as he moved away, and he couldn't help but frown, sensing that things had just gotten more complicated.
The name "Figarland" was not something he wished to come into contact with, although perhaps this time he wouldn't have another choice.
…
October 16th, 1501, Age of the Sea Circle
Four days had passed in the blink of an eye. After the auction, although Orion hadn't been "bought" by the same person as the three Kuja sisters, he had been fortunate that his current location was not too far from theirs.
At present, he was within the most central and private area of Mary Geoise: the Domain of the Gods.
Once the auction had ended in an anticlimactic manner—for the Celestial Dragons—all the slaves had been transported to the territory of their respective owners.
At first, Orion had been very worried about ending up separated from the young Kuja sisters by a great distance, but fortunately, the area where the Celestial Dragons resided was not as vast as he had initially feared.
From his current position, although he could not observe the three girls with his Observation Haki, he could use his ability "Un Fleur" to keep watch over them and make sure they did not suffer too much, thanks to the fact that the range of "Un Fleur" had increased significantly after he had consumed the Maxi Maxi no Mi.
As for why Orion was willing to openly use his special abilities, it was simply because, after a little experimentation, he had come to the conclusion that this place was not under strict surveillance, which was a great relief for him.
Moreover, Orion had confirmed that, despite being in the very heart of power of the enemy faction, the forces stationed here were not as great as he had first feared.
He had expected the God Knights to be present here, taking charge of surveillance, but that was not the case—or at least not in the way he had initially thought.
Although the presence of the God Knights was not completely absent, they did not actively patrol the Domain of the Gods. Instead, they were tasked with protecting specific high-ranking individuals among the Celestial Dragons, while also serving as a nominal institution that maintained order.
In practice, however, the God Knights were not to be found patrolling the streets of this city, and they might not appear at all unless a major incident broke out. Furthermore, from what Orion had been able to gather, many of the God Knights often went out into the outside world to carry out special missions.
This made the security in this place far less strict than Orion had anticipated, and although he still had to be cautious with his movements, he had a certain margin to act and accomplish his objectives. Perhaps a greater danger came from the CP0 agents, who could indeed be found in a more active surveillance role here.
Even so, Orion had enjoyed a fair amount of leeway over the past few days, and he had made great progress in understanding Mary Geoise and the power dynamics among the Celestial Dragons.
The man who had purchased Orion had no intention whatsoever of using him as a personal slave, since Orion was considered far too insignificant to even qualify as an amusing toy in the eyes of that particular Celestial Dragon. For that reason, Orion had been sent with the other common slaves of the mansion to work on the most basic maintenance tasks.
Curiously enough, in this place, the more ordinary a person was when taken as a slave, the better their chances of avoiding great tragedy. On the other hand, exceptional individuals—such as powerful pirates or beautiful women—were the prime targets of the depraved inhabitants of these lands.
Once Orion had been assigned his tasks, which basically consisted of gardening and maintaining the mansion, he had found himself with considerable freedom of movement. On the very first night, he tested the grounds by using his abilities to see if there would be any negative repercussions, but there was no indication that the enemy had detected his presence.
Encouraged, Orion decided to be a little bolder, directly using his special abilities to move unnoticed beyond the mansion where he was confined, exploring the surroundings. At first, he hesitated about whether he should use his powers so openly, but almost immediately he felt immense relief at his decision, as it allowed him to prevent a great tragedy.
Although the Celestial Dragon who had bought Orion had no interest in him, the situation in the Figarland household was quite different. While exploring the area in search of the three Kuja girls, Orion stumbled upon them at the very moment Figarland Vespasian was about to rape them.
Confronted with such a situation, Orion had no time to hesitate. Activating his "Un Fleur," he materialized a hand behind the depraved man, simultaneously opening his Pocket Dimension and pulling out a syringe, which he immediately used to inject Vespasian.
The Celestial Dragon collapsed to the floor, though he remained conscious. His body, however, seemed paralyzed, and his eyes were unfocused. The drug Orion had used was one he had designed himself, drawing on his knowledge of medicine and herbalism, as well as his expertise in espionage.
The effect of this drug was quite particular: not only did it anesthetize the victim, leaving them in a defenseless state, it also clouded and confused the mind, allowing memories to be "implanted" through suggestion.
It was a rather powerful drug, but until now Orion had never needed to use it, since he usually had no need for such measures when extracting information from someone, and rarely found himself in situations where he had to remain undercover while actively preventing another person from carrying out certain actions.
Once Vespasian fell to the ground, Orion slipped into the room using his Space Door ability, appearing before the three girls who were huddled in a corner, their movements restricted by chains.
To avoid frightening them further, Orion kept the same ugly childlike appearance he had shown during the auction, which they had already seen.
When Boa Hancock saw Orion suddenly emerge after the loathsome Celestial Dragon had collapsed to the floor, her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small "o" of surprise, making for quite an adorable expression.
Since they had also been drugged so they couldn't resist the advances of the vile Celestial Dragon, their movements were extremely limited, and all they could do was watch Orion in surprise, still tense and wary. After all, despite being a slave, Orion was also a man, and therefore he was surely their enemy!
Ever since they had been abducted from the Kuja ship, every man they had encountered had been terrible, and their prejudice against these beasts in human skin was certainly justified, even if it might seem illogical to some.
For the three sisters who had suffered so much at the hands of the men they had met, it was perfectly natural to assume that men were terrible beings. Fortunately for them, Orion had chosen to act recklessly this night, saving them from an even greater tragedy, one that would have undoubtedly made their opinion of the opposite sex a thousand times worse.
"Do not be afraid, I came here to help you," Orion said, approaching the girls, though keeping a cautious distance so as not to frighten them more.
The two younger sisters clung tightly to Hancock, the eldest of the three, trembling with their eyes shut, unable to place any trust in Orion's words. The black-haired girl, however, was far more mature, and as the one responsible for her two younger sisters, she had no time to lose her composure.
"Who are you? Why should we trust you?" Hancock asked, her gaze steady.
"My name… is Kairos," Orion replied, using the old pseudonym he always employed whenever he carried out undercover operations.
"As for why you should trust me… do you have another choice?" Orion added simply.
Although he genuinely wanted to help the three girls, he didn't have much time to comfort them right now, since this was the very first time he was moving so openly within enemy territory, and he wasn't sure he could remain undetected if he lingered here too long. After all, he still didn't fully understand how surveillance in this place worked, and it would take him a few days to grasp the entire picture.
Hearing Orion's reply, Hancock was once again taken aback, since she had not expected such a blunt answer from him. In her mind, if Orion was trying to earn her trust, he should have behaved more gently; yet curiously enough, his dry response caused some of her nervousness to fade.
Hancock drew in a deep breath, calming her mind, and then said,
"How can you help us? What do you have in mind?"
Orion smiled in relief, realizing that the adorable Kuja girl was not stubborn and could adapt well to difficult situations, and he immediately began to explain the plan he had just formulated.
It wasn't the final course of action, but for the time being it would suffice to control the current situation, and afterward they would still have time to think through future ones.
"To begin with, I need you to be prepared to lie about what happened tonight, and you're going to have to act as best you can to convince this man of the lie…"
Orion's voice, explaining the plan in detail, echoed through the small windowless room, and Boa Hancock felt her muscles involuntarily relax the longer she listened to the words of the ugly boy who seemed to be her own age.
For a brief moment, she thought that perhaps not all men were bad.