March 10, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
After several months of peace within his kingdom, Orion was finally ready to set out on another adventure. Although he wished to remain longer with Ginny and their little baby, who was only two months old, he knew he couldn't keep postponing his departure any further.
The plan was to travel to Dressrosa—not only to marry Scarlett as had been previously arranged, but also to personally oversee the progress of the great agricultural and economic project he had been developing there alongside the royal family and the Tontatta.
They would reach Dressrosa with Kuma's help, as he had come especially to transport them, but he would also serve as the priest at the wedding ceremony with the beautiful princess of the country of passion.
The idea was that after spending a short time in Dressrosa, they would return with Kuma to the West Blue, where Orion planned to go directly to the mercenary organization known as Green Kamakiri. According to the hint provided by the system, there he could find information regarding the location of the Ope Ope no Mi.
In the previous months, the members of the Western Revolutionary Army whom Kuma had sent as undercover agents to investigate the mercenary organization had found no results in their search for the Ope Ope no Mi, managing only to gather minor information related to a few of the mercenaries stationed there.
For that reason, Orion had decided to investigate personally. After all, that had been the system's advice from the very beginning—that if he "went to investigate personally" among those mercenaries, he might be able to find the Ope Ope no Mi.
As for the people who would accompany him this time, Orion had decided to keep their number small—limited to only two people: Yukimura and Victoria.
His other subordinates were occupied with important duties, so there was no need for them to abandon their current responsibilities to follow him to the other side of the world. Only little Kalifa had been fully determined to accompany Orion, but he had successfully persuaded her otherwise—though he had needed to make her a few promises for the future.
Orion didn't want Kalifa to venture into the dangerous outside world yet, as she was still far too young. Her talent was blooming, and her strength had grown considerably, but Orion probably wouldn't take her with him on a journey until she reached adolescence.
As for the two companions who would accompany him this time, Victoria had decided to come of her own accord, since she wanted to visit her parents in the West Blue, and this trip was the perfect opportunity to do so. Over the past year, she had been successfully developing the kingdom's cultural scene, and the first major public theater productions had already taken place, enriching the lives of the people without a doubt.
This had also opened the doors to an entirely new industry, and even many actors—who generally led difficult lives due to the hardships inherent in this world—had come to join the budding entertainment and arts industry of Pacific Kingdom.
Now, Victoria was about to enjoy a well-deserved rest before returning reenergized to continue her work, both on a macro and a micro level. After all, she was still an actress, and although building the cultural foundation of the kingdom was fulfilling, what she enjoyed most was performing on stage.
As for Yukimura, the young man had been personally selected by Orion to accompany him on this occasion, and the reason was quite simple: he was about to reach a bottleneck in his development.
Yukimura had undoubtedly been one of the people who benefited the most from joining Orion's forces, far surpassing his strength from the original timeline of this world. However, he was now showing signs of stagnation, and that was why Orion wanted him to come along—to broaden his horizons and perhaps gain something that could help him take another step forward in his future growth.
Yukimura was a serious and disciplined man. Those were his strengths, but also his limitations. He was too rigid in his thinking, which greatly restricted his progress once his physical potential and basic techniques approached near perfection.
He had spent his entire life in the South Blue, so undoubtedly it would do him good to see the vast world beyond. Orion's idea was for him to participate in the coliseum fights and even face Kyros, who represented the pinnacle of power for someone with Yukimura's level of talent.
Later, when they reached the West Blue, his main role would be to serve as Victoria's bodyguard while Orion infiltrated the mercenary company in search of the Ope Ope no Mi.
…
In an inner courtyard of the royal residence, Orion embraced Ginny and kissed her tenderly. Then, he caressed the cheek of his pink-haired baby, who was sleeping peacefully, before turning around to walk toward where Kuma stood waiting for him.
He had already bid farewell to his other companions and family members, saving the final goodbye for Ginny and little Sam. From a short distance away, Ace watched Orion with reluctance, thinking how wonderful it would be to go on adventures together with him—though he knew Orion would never allow it unless he became strong enough.
The precocious young Ace clenched his fists with determination, silently swearing that he would soon become strong enough to join Orion on his adventures. Perhaps then he could also sail the seas like his father, Roger, and finally understand what kind of man he had truly been.
"See you soon, Orion. Don't do anything reckless while you're away from home," said Ginny with a smile, though her words sounded almost like a threat.
Orion looked away nervously, not daring to meet his wife's eyes, because he knew he couldn't make such a promise. Every time he went on an adventure, he always ended up entangled in all sorts of dangerous situations—and this time would probably be no exception.
"I'll try not to take too long to come back," Orion said, waving his hand in farewell, then added, "Take good care of Sam, and if anything happens, don't hesitate to call me immediately—I'll return without wasting a second."
Now that the system had established a new anchor point for his Space Gate ability at Ginny's position, he would be able to return to her side instantly, no matter where he was.
Ginny raised her hand and waved goodbye with a gentle smile. Kuma stepped forward, nodded once, and gave Orion a powerful slap, making him vanish without a trace. Then, Kuma used his ability on himself, and both men began their journey toward the New World. Dressrosa awaited them.
…
March 16th, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
After flying through the skies for nearly a week, Orion and Kuma finally arrived at Dressrosa. As soon as they landed, they were received by the royal family at the palace, and Orion was reunited once more with the beautiful princess who had been waiting for him for over a year.
After so long apart, Orion found her even more beautiful than before—her breasts had even grown a full size! Naturally, Orion was delighted with Scarlett's "progress" over the past year and could hardly wait for their wedding night, though he would still have to wait five more days until the spring equinox.
Victoria, on the other hand, introduced herself to the royal family of Dressrosa as Orion's wife, which caused no issues whatsoever since they already knew about her— as Orion had mentioned her from the very beginning.
Scarlett and Victoria, being girls of similar age and both of noble birth, quickly became friends. The princess even spoke to her in a low voice about intimate matters between her and Orion.
Scarlett was deeply curious about the act of love that awaited her on her wedding night and took the opportunity to resolve several doubts she had long carried, coming to regard Victoria as an older sister after receiving her guidance.
Another thing that bonded the two young women, besides their love for Orion, was their artistic talent. Although Scarlett couldn't act at all, she was an expert dancer, and she found common ground with Victoria, who—thanks to her experience on stage—was also quite skilled in the art of dance.
While the two women were building their friendship, Orion and King Riku visited the medicinal herb plantations and the production facility, where the first basic medicines had already begun to be produced a few months earlier.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the harvest of the rarer herbs to create the truly powerful potions that would become the cornerstone of the kingdom's future pharmaceutical business.
The Central Revolutionary Army, under Ivankov's command, had taken charge of distributing the products during this initial stage. Although it wasn't an ideal arrangement, it was efficient enough for the current scale of the enterprise. In any case, Orion still needed to find a long-term solution and was already planning to act against Umit Shipping as soon as possible.
Even so, with the production of medicine over the past half year, the kingdom's economic situation had already improved considerably, and the people looked much happier than they had during his previous visit.
Dressrosa had always been a lively and joyful nation, even during difficult economic times, so now that the economy had improved, all kinds of cultural activities were flourishing throughout the kingdom. This greatly impressed the young actress Victoria, who planned to take inspiration from the developments here and apply them in Pacific Kingdom once she returned.
Still, the most popular "cultural" activity in the kingdom remained the coliseum. The people now flocked there in even greater numbers than before, making the great arena practically full every single day.
After inspecting the plantations and the medicine factories and seeing that everything was proceeding smoothly, Orion and King Riku went straight to the coliseum to enjoy the spectacle taking place there.
From the royal family's private box, Orion watched the matches between gladiators with great interest—until it was finally Yukimura's turn to enter the arena.
The young man had been sent there by Orion himself, and with the help of a few words of recommendation from King Riku, he had been authorized to participate immediately.
"This young man looks quite serious, Orion," said King Riku, admiring Yukimura's firm posture as he stood at the center of the battle platform, ready for the fight to begin.
"That's true—his seriousness is definitely one of his defining traits, but perhaps he's becoming too rigid. That's why I asked him to take part in the coliseum this time. Maybe that way, he can learn one or two new things," replied Orion, watching Yukimura from the royal balcony above.
Kyros, who was also present, remained silent, simply observing attentively. He wanted to gauge the level of Orion's subordinates—the king of a distant land and fiancé of Princess Scarlett.
…
On the platform, Yukimura looked at the warrior in front of him with a touch of arrogance, convinced that he would defeat him easily and earn respect for his king by demonstrating his strength.
After years of training in Pacific Kingdom, Yukimura's combat ability had risen tremendously, to the point that he believed himself far above ordinary soldiers.
In Pacific Kingdom, his shine was often dimmed by the overwhelming number of monstrously talented individuals gathered there, but compared to a regular soldier, he truly stood on a different level.
However, in battle, one always had to remain alert to any possible change—too rigid a mindset could certainly become a problem.
The coliseum announcer declared the start of the fight, and the warrior facing Yukimura rushed toward him at full speed, trying to take him by surprise. Yet the difference in their levels was significant, and Yukimura easily intercepted his advance with a simple sword strike.
Although Yukimura was an expert swordsman, his attacks were neither flashy nor complex, but rather the most basic moves any swordsman learned when first picking up a blade. He had drilled these motions until he collapsed, turning the simplicity of fundamentals into his most powerful weapon.
Unlike his king Orion, who fought in an entirely versatile style, Yukimura had chosen to fight as directly and simply as possible.
Bang!
The opposing warrior was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the platform. Meanwhile, Yukimura used Soru, appearing in front of him and swinging his sword down in a direct descending slash.
Just when it seemed things would end in an anticlimactic way, the warrior lifted his head and spat at Yukimura's face. He had blood in his mouth, and when he spat, his opponent's red blood splattered over one of Yukimura's eyes, causing his strike to miss by a hair's breadth while the warrior rolled away across the floor, barely avoiding the blade.
Yukimura wiped his face with his sleeve, utterly disgusted and enraged by his enemy's vile tactic. To him, there was no honor in such a move, yet the coliseum platform was a battlefield, and these kinds of tactics were not forbidden.
Having lost some of his composure, Yukimura lunged again, but before he could advance much, he saw a sword flying through the air straight toward his face—the enemy had thrown his weapon in a ranged attack.
Yukimura hadn't expected such an unorthodox move, and though he reacted in time to block it, he couldn't prevent his opponent from closing in and trapping him in a hold.
The two men fell to the ground, locked together, and Yukimura felt immense pressure on his arm, which seemed about to be crushed under his opponent's aggressive joint lock.
In that moment, he realized he had lost—by underestimating both his opponent and the battlefield. Still, Yukimura refused to truly accept defeat, believing that losing here would bring shame upon his king.
For that reason, he gathered his spirit, and his arm hardened as it became coated in Armament Haki! With a violent motion, he lifted his opponent off the ground and slammed him into the platform, finally breaking free from the man's relentless grip.
What followed was nothing short of a one-sided beating from Yukimura, who now unleashed his full combat power. Even so, the stern subordinate of Orion felt no joy in his victory, for he had already lost in his mind.
Before the battle began, he had decided not to use his Haki, wanting to fight on equal footing with his opponent. After all, his goal had been to win using only his superior technique and combat experience—and in that regard, he had failed.
Had his opponent been able to use Armament Haki as well, Yukimura would have been easily defeated, and that realization struck deeply at his pride as a perfectionist soldier.
…
From the royal family's balcony, Orion sighed as he watched Yukimura leave the platform with his head down, despite having won. He knew exactly what the young man must have been thinking, and he hoped this experience had managed to teach him something, though he wasn't sure if it would be enough to truly change his mindset.
Perhaps he should let him keep participating in coliseum fights? Although he wasn't certain how much Yukimura could still gain from them.
Suddenly, Kyros's voice echoed beside him.
"Lord Orion, I would like to request permission to have a sparring session with this young man," said the austere commander of Dressrosa's royal army.
He had been observing the situation, and with his trained eye and battle experience, he immediately identified Yukimura's problem—and understood why Orion seemed somewhat disappointed with his performance.
Kyros had long wanted to repay the favor Orion had done for the kingdom, but until now, he had nothing to offer that Orion might actually need.
He knew that Orion would marry Scarlett in a few days, which meant he was practically part of Dressrosa's royal family, and it was only natural for him to invest time and resources into improving the kingdom of his beloved wife-to-be.
Even so, Kyros felt deeply grateful to Orion, for during the past year the lives of the people in the kingdom had improved dramatically. Only someone who had grown up here could truly perceive the depth of this change and grasp the magnitude of Orion's intervention.
To the people of Dressrosa, Princess Scarlett's fiancé was practically a national hero. There were even stories and songs about him—though Orion was completely unaware of them.
For Kyros, who had grown up in poverty, the transformation had been especially profound, and the gratitude he felt toward Orion couldn't be measured or easily expressed in words.
Now, he finally had a way to repay the great favor Orion had done for the people of Dressrosa: by helping his subordinate Yukimura advance to the next level. He was confident he could do so, as he himself had once gone through something similar to Yukimura's current struggle, years ago.
Orion met Kyros's eyes, and seeing his earnestness, smiled kindly and nodded.
"Of course, Kyros. I'll leave it in your hands."
Between people of their level, no many words were needed to reach an understanding. Kyros simply stood up, excused himself, and immediately went to find Yukimura.
In the days to come, Yukimura would be beaten more brutally than ever before in his life, but the progress he would gain under Kyros's guidance would truly be a blessing for someone like him—someone constrained by the ceiling of his innate talent.
…
Little by little, the days passed, and Orion's tour of Dressrosa finally reached its climax. The moment he and Scarlett had been waiting for so long had finally arrived—it was time for the grand wedding between the crown princess and the national hero, Orion.
A magnificent celebration was about to take place in the nation of passion and love!
...
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