December 19, 1502, Age of the Sea Circle
A month passed quickly, and Orion continued managing the affairs of the kingdom while also returning to his usual training and spending time with Ginny during the final months of her pregnancy.
During this month, the increase in his talent brought about by his SP investment became apparent, and he had successfully improved several of his physical abilities. Except for Shigan, Geppo, and Soru—which were already at Level 7 and more difficult to raise—he had managed to increase all his other Rokushiki skills by one level, including Rokuogan, which now stood at Level 3.
In addition, a new development had appeared over the past month—a new entry on the system's "Hints" screen.
This feature had proven quite useful to Orion over the years, as it offered suggestions regarding various matters related to him and to the kingdom.
Although the hints were often vague, they always turned out to be helpful in the end. If Orion had one complaint about this function, it was that the hints usually pertained to minor matters and never to truly significant events.
For that reason, even though he managed to gain benefits from following the system's "hints," they never produced monumental changes.
However, this time the hint was quite relevant, touching upon something he had struggled with for some time—the whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi.
While the system hadn't revealed the precise location of the Devil Fruit, it had provided a clue to help him track it down. What he needed to do was travel to the West Blue and personally investigate a mercenary company called Green Kamakiri. If he did that, he would be able to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Orion had been torn about whether to depart immediately in search of the Devil Fruit he so desperately needed—not only to cure Toki's condition but also to possibly treat other people such as Whitebeard or Ina, who still bore the scars from the burns she had suffered as a child, scars that even Ivankov's hormone-based healing techniques had been unable to completely erase.
However, after giving it careful thought, Orion decided not to leave for the West Blue just yet. Ginny was very close to giving birth, and he didn't want to leave her alone at such a time.
As much as Orion desired the Ope Ope no Mi, nothing stood above his wives and family. He wanted to stay by Ginny's side, and that meant he couldn't travel to the West Blue to investigate as the system suggested.
Still, he hadn't remained entirely idle—he had asked the Western Army, under Kuma's command, to help investigate the mercenary organization and see if they could uncover the fruit's location.
Fortunately, although Orion had decided not to go to the West Blue right away, the hint remained fixed on the system's recommendations screen. That made it obvious that he still had time to follow it later, and that the advice was still valid.
With that in mind, Orion focused on his daily life, and finally, today, the wedding between him and Ginny was held.
He had originally intended to organize a grand ceremony similar to the one planned by Dressrosa's royal family, but Ginny had dissuaded him, as her status as a Revolutionary leader could cause complications in the future.
Although Orion wasn't concerned about that, she had been adamant in her stance, leaving him with no choice but to give in. Even so, a small private ceremony with their loved ones was held to make their union official.
Even Kuma had come all the way from the distant West Blue to offer his congratulations to the happy couple, smiling from ear to ear throughout the entire ceremony.
In a way, Ginny's marriage had been a relief for him, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't that he was heartless or anything of the sort—he had simply felt responsible for a long time because Ginny had once proposed to him, and he had always refused.
In his mind, he believed he had been delaying Ginny's wish to form a happy family simply by existing in this world. Of course, such thoughts were extremely harsh toward himself and far from true, but in the gentle revolutionary's mind, that was how things were.
That was why he had taken the initiative to ask Orion to take Ginny as his wife and make her happy by giving her a family, believing that in doing so, both the beautiful revolutionary and his friend Orion could find happiness.
At no point had he been selfish enough to think about his own happiness, something that had been true ever since his mother's death many years ago. Even so, fortunately for him, Orion had no intention of ignoring Kuma's happiness and would work twice as hard to ensure that the kindhearted revolutionary would have a bright future.
Neither of them knew it yet, but the future had a great surprise in store for them—and it was not far away.
In addition to Kuma, the Southern Army revolutionaries were also present at the ceremony, and although the other founding members, Dragon and Ivankov, did not attend the wedding, they called to express their best wishes.
In truth, Dragon and Ivankov were busier than ever with their duties in the Revolutionary Army, though their activity would stabilize considerably over the next year, allowing them to move with greater freedom.
Under the light of the winter moon, Ginny and Orion kissed at the altar before their family and friends, officially sealing their marriage.
Curiously, even though they were now husband and wife and would soon have a child, they had yet to enjoy a truly passionate night together. After all, Orion had been unconscious during the conception of their baby, and Ginny had been so out of herself that she barely remembered anything about it.
For that reason, the two of them still had a true night of passion pending, though it would have to be postponed for several more months.
…
Lying in the bed of Ginny's room in the royal residence, Orion gently embraced his wife as she happily spoke with her hands resting on her belly.
"If it's a girl, I want to name her Bonney, and if it's a boy, his name will be Sam. What do you think?" said Ginny, lifting her gaze and looking at Orion tenderly.
Orion felt his heart ignite as he saw his adorable wife looking at him like that, and placing his hands over her belly as well, he said,
"I think that's a great idea, they're both good names."
Orion had no objection regarding the names since he was terrible at coming up with them, as anyone could tell by paying attention to his companion beasts, Nibble and Foggy. Even the Tree of Knowledge, which was his third "companion beast," was simply called Tree of Knowledge, without any embellishment at all.
It was best to let Ginny choose their baby's name, and the ones she had chosen were much better than anything he could have come up with.
"Do you think it'll be a boy or a girl?" Ginny asked, staring off dreamily as she fantasized about their future child.
"Hmm, personally I think it'll be a girl, though I'll be happy no matter what the baby's gender is. After all, it's the fruit of our love."
Orion delivered one of his trademark cheesy lines, but ones that his companions loved to hear. Ginny indeed smiled brightly, hugging him tightly and thinking how lovely it would be to have a little daughter… though having a boy as the eldest sibling wouldn't be bad either.
The newlyweds continued late into the night, fantasizing about their future baby and the glorious feats the child would accomplish someday. Like any first-time parents, they were full of hope for their child's future.
…
December 31, 1502, Age of the Sea Circle
"So I'll need you to pay attention to the matter," said Orion seriously, while Kuma nodded his head.
They were talking about the request Orion had made—to investigate the mercenary company "Green Kamakiri"—and Kuma had just informed him that some of his men had infiltrated the organization to look into the possible whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi.
"I'll personally oversee the matter once I return to the West Blue," said Kuma with a kind smile.
"Thanks, Kuma. I can always count on you!" said Orion, patting the gentle revolutionary's shoulder before adding,
"But let's stop talking about such serious things—today's a holiday! We have to take this chance to drink together until we pass out!"
Kuma showed a somewhat reluctant expression but said nothing in the end, not wanting to spoil Orion's excitement. In truth, he was a rather austere man and rarely drank alcohol, but he could make an exception to toast with his friend on New Year's Eve and celebrate the beginning of a new year filled with adventures and achievements.
After the wedding ceremony with Ginny, which had taken place nearly two weeks earlier, Kuma had stayed in Pacific Kingdom at Orion's insistence, who wanted to celebrate the New Year with him. Since Kuma wasn't as buried in work as Dragon and Ivankov—though he was still quite busy—he decided to accept Orion's invitation.
His plan was to stay only until the next day, when he would return to the West Blue to continue overseeing the operations of the Western Army.
Now, they stood atop a tower in the center of the kingdom, watching the preparations taking shape all around. The New Year's celebration in Pacific Kingdom was a major national festivity, where all the inhabitants of the realm gathered to celebrate life and welcome the coming year in the best possible way.
Even though they had only been celebrating it for a few years, it had already become a tradition for the people living in this kingdom, and one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the year.
Looking over the kingdom he had built from nothing together with his family, Orion sighed in awe, thinking that in the future things would only grow larger and grander. Perhaps in a few years, this celebration would change completely, as his kingdom was expanding so fast that it was impossible to predict how things would develop in the future.
There were certain things only a small kingdom could enjoy—a kind of calm that wasn't present when a community grew too large—but Orion would do his best to preserve the harmony no matter what the future might bring.
Suddenly, while he and Kuma were watching the setup and lighting of the New Year's pyres, Orion noticed someone familiar in the distance — little Ace.
Besides being New Year's Eve, today was also the eve of Ace's birthday, as he had been born on the first day of the year. In just a few hours, the mischievous boy would turn five, and over the past few months, he seemed to have matured rather abruptly.
Orion attributed it to one of those magical occurrences from the world of One Piece, where a person could grow several meters upon reaching puberty or have perfectly smooth hands despite wielding a sword for decades. However, what he didn't know was that little Ace had been sneaking out of the royal palace more often lately, and those escapades had greatly influenced his sudden maturity.
With curiosity, Orion followed Ace with his eyes, watching as he entered a narrow alley near the central plaza. Thinking that the restless child might get into trouble if left alone, Orion briefly said goodbye to Kuma and leapt from the top of the tower, using Geppo to descend gracefully.
Finally, he entered the Pocket Dimension before stepping into the alley, observing what was happening from within his small personal space so as not to draw Ace's attention or that of the people he was talking to.
In the alley, there was a group of children playing happily with marbles, taking advantage of the fact that their parents were too busy with New Year's Eve preparations to keep an eye on them.
Since Pacific Kingdom was a small and peaceful realm, these children could play safely here without encountering any real danger, though sometimes they ended up arguing and fighting, and one of them might return home with a black eye.
At that moment, Ace stood to the side, arguing heatedly with three boys who must have been at least ten years old.
Curious, Orion used his Un Fleur ability to create an ear and sent it outside the Pocket Dimension to listen to the children's conversation.
"I'm telling you, Gold Roger was an evil pirate! My father said the village where he used to live before being taken in by King Orion was destroyed by the pirates Roger sent there!" said one of the boys, who appeared to be the leader of the small group.
"You're lying! I asked my mom about that because you told me those lies last time, and she said it was a misunderstanding!" Ace said, waving his little fist aggressively.
"What misunderstanding? Roger was the worst of all pirates! He started the Age of Pirates, everyone knows that. If your mom told you otherwise, she must be lying—or she's an idiot!"
Bang!
The chubby boy's head snapped backward as blood spurted from his nose.
Hearing the boy insult not only his father but also his mother, Ace couldn't contain his anger any longer and exploded, throwing a powerful punch at the boy's face.
The boy fell flat on his back, but although Ace was very strong for his age, he was still only five years old, so his power wasn't too destructive.
The boy stood up, his nose bleeding and his face full of rage, and swung a punch at little Ace, intending to use his size advantage to pummel the insolent kid before him.
However, Ace's agility was truly remarkable, and within moments he had dodged several punches from the older boy, who, frustrated by his failure to land a single hit, called his friends over to help him beat Ace up.
The group of children responded with the loyalty typical of boys their age, immediately surrounding Ace to prevent him from escaping. Then the leader stood before him, cracking his knuckles aggressively before throwing a punch with all his strength toward Ace's stomach.
Ace realized he couldn't dodge in time and closed his eyes, ready to take the blow. Over the past month, he had been in several fights already and had gotten somewhat used to taking hits like these.
However, before the punch could connect with Ace's stomach, Orion emerged from his Pocket Dimension and gently stopped the weak blow.
Then, with a kind smile, he looked at the group of boys and said,
"It's fine to fight when you're kids, but it's not manly to use numbers to beat someone—and even less if he's smaller than you."
Even so, Orion knew age had nothing to do with it, because Ace wasn't an ordinary child. He would grow up to become one of the most powerful people in the world, while these boys before him would remain ordinary men.
Still, Orion believed it was necessary to teach these kids the basic etiquette of any childhood alley fight. If they were going to gang up on someone, they should at least do it following the rules!
Orion had no problem with children fighting—it was a natural part of growing up—but he didn't want little Ace to be beaten by a group of kids. That was why he had intervened. Moreover, after overhearing their conversation, he realized the serious problem he had on his hands.
He had to pay attention to the matter, or it could have negative effects on little Ace in the future. Considering that the boy would be turning five in just a few hours, Orion concluded that it was time to have a serious talk with him about his father, Roger.
There were things that couldn't be avoided, and Orion knew that Rouge wanted to protect Ace from certain truths about her master, Roger. However, Ace was destined for great things in the future, and the experiences he had in childhood could easily shape his actions later in life in harmful ways.
As Roger's disciple, Orion had no intention of letting his master's son suffer in that manner, and he was even reproaching himself a little for not realizing that the change in Ace's personality might have had something to do with all this. He could only say that lately, he had been too focused on the baby who was about to come into the world.
Still, he had someone right here who needed him at that very moment. To Orion, Ace was almost like an adopted son—though the little boy only saw him as an older brother—and that was why he would take care of the problem personally.
"K-King Orion?!" stammered the boy who had just thrown a punch at Ace's stomach when he suddenly saw Orion appear before them.
In Pacific Kingdom, everyone knew of the legendary king who had founded the realm and saved countless people—and who continued rescuing refugees to this very day. For the kingdom's inhabitants, Orion was almost like a guardian deity, and naturally, the children adored him, influenced by the reverence their parents showed at home.
The boys immediately dropped to their knees in fear, trembling at the thought that they might have angered Orion with their actions. However, Orion had no intention of punishing them or anything of the sort. They were simply behaving like foolish children, and it was normal for someone to get a beating every now and then.
"There's no need to kneel. Today's a holiday—go home and help your parents with the preparations," Orion said, trying to sound as unthreatening as possible.
The boys noticed that he truly didn't seem angry, and they quickly stood up, bowed briefly, and dashed off toward their homes.
No matter how friendly Orion appeared, he was still the king of the nation, and it was natural for people to feel a strong pressure when standing before him—especially children, who had only heard of the legendary deeds of King Orion and saw him as an all-powerful being.
Watching the boys run off, Orion shook his head slightly. Then he looked at little Ace, who was trying to sneak away unnoticed, and said,
"Hey, Ace, did I interrupt your fun?"
Ace froze in place and looked up at Orion with puppy-like eyes.
"Orion, please don't tell my mom I was in a fight."
Even now, little Ace wasn't afraid of being scolded by Orion but by his mother, Rouge.
Orion found it amusing that Ace was so terrified of his mother finding out about his mischief, but then he thought that even the Pirate King himself had been unable to lift his head before his beloved wife when she was angry. At that moment, Orion understood perfectly that there were forces in this world one simply couldn't oppose without being utterly destroyed!
"I'm not going to tell your mom anything, so there's no need to cry," Orion said with a smile, amused by the boy's expression.
Ace jumped up and ran toward him, hugging his leg tightly.
"Thanks, Orion! You're the best! Can we go to the forest to hunt beasts?"
Looking at the bright, eager eyes of little Ace, who was already excited for another adventure, Orion sighed in relief, thinking the situation wasn't as serious as he had feared. At least the boy was still as energetic and cheerful as ever.
"All right, but only for a little while—if I bring you back too late, your mom will get mad at me," Orion said, lifting Ace onto his shoulders before taking to the air with Geppo, while the boy raised his hands gleefully.
...
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