March 21, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
The waves crashed violently against the hull of the massive pirate ship, slicing through the waters of the New World like a knife. The pirates aboard were fully focused on controlling the navigation, ensuring they maintained maximum speed—if they didn't, they would never reach their destination on time.
Gloriosa, standing with her arms crossed and legs wide apart forming a triangle with the deck, stared impatiently at the horizon, wishing she had wings to fly straight to where Orion was. Suddenly, a voice came from the side, interrupting her thoughts.
"No need to be so tense. We're not going to go any faster just because you're making that constipated face."
Gloriosa turned toward the red-haired pirate wearing a straw hat and the famous scar over his left eye—Shanks.
"Why don't you just shut up and make sure we actually get there on time?" Gloriosa snapped, her irritation flaring at Shanks's carefree attitude.
In this world, there were generally only two ways to react to Shanks's personality—you either really liked him or you really didn't. And in Gloriosa's case, it was safe to say she leaned heavily toward the second option.
That was because Shanks was always joking about things she considered serious, maintaining an infuriatingly relaxed attitude as if nothing in the world truly mattered.
Their encounter had taken place almost a month earlier, when, after two long months of sailing through the New World, Gloriosa had finally tracked down the red-haired pirate's whereabouts.
Unfortunately, things had not gone her way. As soon as she confronted Shanks, he flatly refused to give her any information regarding Orion's location, claiming that he couldn't be sure she wasn't a World Government spy sent to kill him.
Of course, Shanks didn't actually believe that, but he found that excuse far more entertaining than simply giving Gloriosa what she wanted. At first, she had introduced herself as Orion's fiancée, and considering she was quite a beautiful young woman, Shanks thought it would be amusing to mess with Orion by preventing Gloriosa from finding him.
The most famous rookie of his era—and future Yonko—was, at that time, quite fond of pulling such little pranks on Orion, which said a lot about the kind of personality he had.
When Shanks refused to give her any information about Orion, even though it was obvious he knew something, Gloriosa immediately resorted to violence. As a prodigy who had usually been stronger than those around her, she was used to solving problems with her fists—in fact, she preferred them even over her highly practical hypnotism ability.
Unfortunately for her, there was probably no one in the world who could rival Shanks when it came to prodigies, and without any real suspense, the red-haired pirate utterly crushed Gloriosa in hand-to-hand combat, laughing cheerfully the entire time.
Gloriosa even tried using her hypnosis on him, but it had absolutely no effect—the man's mental resistance was through the roof, rendering such a weak technique from the pink-haired girl completely useless.
Utterly frustrated, Gloriosa began to cry, hoping to manipulate the stupid man's emotions. After all, back in Guanhao, she had been taught that a beautiful woman's tears were the perfect way to sway men's hearts.
But once again her expectations were dashed, as Shanks simply watched her cry while picking his nose with a finger and wiping the snot away with an expression that would make anyone who saw him want to punch him in the face.
Completely defeated, Gloriosa threw a tantrum, demanding over and over to know Orion's whereabouts, until finally Shanks grew tired of her, tied her up, gagged her, and tossed her into one of the ship's holding cells—then promptly stopped paying her any attention.
Shanks never intended to harm Gloriosa, since he knew exactly who she was. He knew she had escaped from Guanhao with Orion and was probably his woman, so actually hurting her would only enrage Orion—and that was the last thing he wanted.
In truth, refusing to tell Gloriosa where Orion was had been part of a much bigger prank he was planning for him.
Thinking about the information he had learned—that Orion was planning to marry Scarlett in about a month—Shanks grinned broadly, imagining all sorts of hilarious scenarios, and altered the ship's course slightly toward the Kingdom of Passion.
He even confiscated the Den Den Mushi from both Gab and Lucky Roux to prevent them from warning Orion in advance of his movements. He would definitely give him quite the surprise the next time they met!
...
Now, Gloriosa was pushing Shanks's crew to their limit, pressuring them to go faster and faster so they could reach Dressrosa—the place where Orion was about to marry some hussy who was trying to steal her man.
After spending some time locked in the brig of Shanks' ship, the red-haired man had eventually let Gloriosa out, even telling her that he had obtained information about Orion's whereabouts, changing his previous policy of keeping his mouth shut and refusing to mention anything about him.
Gloriosa had been a little suspicious at first, thinking Shanks was plotting something, but since she had no other leads, she decided she might as well go to Dressrosa and take a look, just in case the pirate was actually telling the truth.
For that reason, throughout the past week she had been pressuring the members of Shanks' crew to keep moving without rest, and now they were finally about to arrive at Dressrosa—just in time for Orion's supposed wedding to that slut named Scarlett.
Gloriosa was more than ready to teach that bold woman a lesson, and Shanks could barely contain his grin at the thought of Orion's face when that moment came.
In fact, he had already been thinking about visiting Orion around this time ever since he'd received word of his wedding to Scarlett, and the idea of using the jealous Gloriosa as an extra prank had only occurred to him after the pink-haired girl had shown up before him nearly a month earlier.
The red-haired pirate's ship continued cutting through the sea at full speed, and on the horizon, the great island that housed the Kingdom of Passion was already coming into view.
Gab and Lucky Roux exchanged uneasy glances, thinking that Orion would probably punish them with more training—or something worse—for not warning him about Shanks' plans, but there was nothing they could do, since defying the powerful pirate was out of the question.
It could only be said that the strong acted on whims while the weak had to bear the consequences. Though, calling Gab and Roux "weak" would be a bit of a stretch—unless one compared them to a monster like Shanks.
…
In the heart of Dressrosa's capital city, a grand banquet had been prepared to celebrate the wedding between Orion and Princess Scarlett. Furthermore, the entire ceremony was being broadcast via Den Den Mushi, which projected every moment inside the royal palace to every corner of the kingdom.
The idea was to make the princess's wedding a national celebration, so that all citizens could joyfully partake in this historic event.
Inside the great hall of the massive castle, Orion stood at the altar dressed in his most elegant attire, while Kuma stood before him in priestly garments, ready to officiate the couple's union according to the rites of the religion of the Sun God.
To Orion—who retained memories from his previous life—Kuma's garments and overall air resembled those of Christianity, yet the faith he practiced was completely different, centered around the god Nika.
Orion had read the Bible that Kuma always carried as a treasure and had to admit that the religion practiced by the gentle revolutionary differed quite a lot from the ones of his past life—or at least in its particular combination of beliefs—though it was true that it shared certain similarities with several religions he had once known.
Still, Orion wasn't a theologian and only knew the basics of the most famous religions from his previous world, so he couldn't state with complete certainty that Nika's faith was entirely unlike those of his past.
Suddenly, the doors of the great hall swung open, and Scarlett entered the chamber, wearing a white dress adorned with red flowers that matched her pink hair.
Seeing her walk toward him with such a radiant smile, Orion couldn't help but puff out his chest with pride, thinking that he was about to marry such a beautiful woman. They had been waiting for this moment for more than a year, and the long-promised day had finally come.
Scarlett reached the altar, and under the watchful eyes of her family and all the citizens of the kingdom, she officially took Orion as her husband. Fortunately, the ceremony concluded without incident, sealed by a passionate kiss from the pair of lovers.
Immediately afterward, a great celebration erupted throughout the entire kingdom, as the people of Dressrosa declared a national holiday just to celebrate for a full day.
With the nation's economy much improved, Dressrosa's citizens had greater freedom to spend on recreation, and nearly everyone spent at least a small sum of money to take part in the grand festivities held across the country.
Though many sectors held more private parties, most of the populace joined in enormous community celebrations, truly massive gatherings. Alcohol, good food, and music filled the kingdom's streets, and fireworks soon illuminated the skies above the Kingdom of Passion.
Everything was proceeding smoothly, and in the royal palace, Orion and Scarlett were enjoying a delicious dinner with the royal family and wedding guests. However, the sudden arrival of a certain red-haired pirate would soon turn the situation upside down.
A soldier rushed in hastily, and approaching King Riku, shouted:
"Your Majesty! A group of pirates has landed at the port and is heading toward the palace at full speed!"
King Riku raised his eyebrows in surprise, not expecting such a report out of nowhere, though he didn't quite understand the urgency in his subordinate's tone. With Dressrosa's military strength, were they not capable of handling a few pirates?
"Pirates, you say? Deal with them! Don't let them ruin this special day for Scarlett," said Riku, not giving the matter much thought. However, the soldier's next words finally made his expression turn solemn.
"Your Majesty, the pirate crew that has arrived belongs to Red-Haired Shanks—the most famous rookie of the era. I'm afraid we lack the strength to stop them with our current forces. They'll reach the palace at any moment."
King Riku frowned, wondering why this notorious pirate who had been shaking the world lately had come here—and at such a time, no less. Yet before he could order Kyros to take care of the situation, Orion stepped forward with a somewhat irritated look, and after sighing, said:
"Father-in-law, this pirate is an acquaintance of mine. I don't think he's come with ill intentions. Just let him through—I'll talk to him."
Orion didn't believe Shanks would be so inconsiderate as to cause trouble on his wedding day, though perhaps he was expecting too much of him. Because while Shanks truly didn't harbor any hostile intent, he had come with a "surprise" that could easily turn into a headache.
King Riku nodded at Orion's words and gave the order to his soldiers not to try to stop Shanks or his crew. In any case, even if they had tried, they wouldn't have been able to halt his advance.
Scarlett approached Orion and clung tightly to his arm, pressing it against her voluptuous chest. Then, with a curious tone, she asked:
"My love, what's happening?"
Orion gave a bitter smile and replied:
"Some acquaintances of mine have just arrived—pirates."
Although Shanks wasn't an infamous pirate—he wasn't known for brutality toward civilians and generally fell into the category of "good pirates"—Orion had no intention of hiding what they were. Mainly because Shanks had gained some fame lately and would undoubtedly be recognized the moment he appeared.
No matter how "good" a pirate was, at the end of the day he remained a criminal in the eyes of the world, and his presence at the wedding of a princess from a kingdom affiliated with the World Government could easily stir up serious problems.
Though Shanks' status was somewhat peculiar, since he was also a Celestial Dragon, Orion had no intention of lowering his guard. Fortunately, the marriage ceremony had already concluded, and they were now at the wedding banquet, which was not being broadcast to the rest of the kingdom.
Otherwise, Shanks' mere appearance could have caused a national uproar. For now, only those present in the palace and the royal army soldiers would know about the red-haired pirate's arrival.
Bang!
The great hall's doors flew open with a loud crash, slamming against the wall, and a figure Orion had not expected to see burst in at full speed.
"Orion! I've come to make you fulfill your promise to marry me!" shouted Gloriosa, who used Soru to cross the entire hall in an instant, appearing before Orion and throwing herself into his arms.
At long last, after years apart, Gloriosa had found her fiancé again. She had so many things to tell him about the years since their escape from Guanhao—everything that had happened while they were apart.
However, after rubbing her face against Orion's chest for a brief moment, inhaling his familiar scent, Gloriosa noticed the presence of the beautiful pink-haired woman in a delicate wedding dress, and her joy immediately turned into anger.
After all, Shanks' words had been true! Orion was being stolen by some floozy in this faraway land—and she wasn't about to allow that.
Orion had been ready to embrace Gloriosa warmly, to reunite with her after so many long years, since he too had missed her dearly. He had even gone searching for her the year before in the Grand Line, before being dragged into a special mission by the system in Mary Geoise, which had eventually forced him to cancel his search for Gloriosa.
However, just as he was about to hold her gently, Gloriosa raised her head with an angry expression and glared at Scarlett with hostility.
"You! You tramp! Trying to steal my husband? How dare you?! I'll teach you a lesson!"
Gloriosa lunged at Scarlett, intent on giving her a beating for trying to steal her man—but before she could strike, Orion appeared in front of her and stopped her fist effortlessly.
"Gloriosa, calm down. Let me explain the situation," said Orion, trying to defuse things, but he was immediately shoved aside by Gloriosa, who was blinded by fury and hell-bent on pummeling Scarlett.
Naturally, Orion couldn't let such a thing happen. For starters, Scarlett had no combat ability whatsoever—she was an ordinary woman—so if she were hit by Gloriosa, she could be seriously injured.
But even if Scarlett had the strength to fight Gloriosa directly, Orion had no intention of allowing such a conflict, as it was entirely unnecessary. Within his harem of companions, there had always been harmony, and he had no intention of letting that change.
After all, according to the customs of this world, practicing polygamy wasn't uncommon, and jealousy-driven conflicts were completely pointless.
The current problem was that Gloriosa had been raised in a rather unusual way—first growing up in the MADS laboratory, then in Guanhao, and finally in Amazon Lily. In none of those places had she ever had the opportunity to develop normally when it came to romantic notions, which was why she tended to act purely on impulsive emotions.
Right now, she believed Orion was choosing Scarlett over her, and that she would lose him if she didn't act immediately, which explained her aggressive behavior.
Even though Orion had clearly told her before that he was already engaged when Gloriosa had declared herself his future wife—and even though she had said back then that it didn't matter—a clear conflict had now emerged on that very point!
What Orion didn't know was that the carefree and hyperactive Gloriosa had either forgotten that conversation entirely or only remembered it partially, so it could be said that the current conflict was rooted in a misunderstanding—and in the fact that Shanks had been "adding fuel to the fire" all week long, trying to stir up some drama as a prank on Orion, simply for his own amusement.
"No! Let go of me, Orion! That tramp will get what she deserves!" shouted Gloriosa, struggling to break free from his grip.
However, Orion's expression turned stern, and looking at her with solemn eyes, he said,
"Enough!"
Although he was happy to see Gloriosa again, he couldn't allow her to insult his wife on their wedding day. Therefore, he had decided to be a bit harsher with her. Once she calmed down, he could explain the situation and make her listen to reason.
However, contrary to his expectations, Gloriosa stared at him wide-eyed in shock, and her furious expression softened into one of deep sadness. Her eyes welled up with tears as she coated her arm in Armament Haki and, with a sudden jerk, freed herself from Orion's hold.
"So I'm nothing but a nuisance to you, huh! In that case, I'll go away and never bother you again! Waaaah!"
Crying, Gloriosa bolted from the grand hall in an instant. Just as quickly as she had appeared, she vanished again, showing that she still retained the same hyperactive traits she'd had as a child, though admittedly far less extreme now.
Orion sighed bitterly but did not go after her, since this was his wedding day with Scarlett. He couldn't just abandon his bride during the banquet to go console another woman, so he decided to let Gloriosa calm down on her own before going to find her.
In any case, she couldn't get very far on her own, and even if she did set sail for the New World, Orion was confident he could track her down using the system's map and catch up to her before she could disappear from his life once more.
After Gloriosa ran out of the hall in tears, the atmosphere gradually regained its earlier calm, though the guests were left somewhat confused, unsure how to react to what had just happened.
At that very moment, a flurry of footsteps echoed in the corridor, and Shanks entered the hall, followed by his crew.
Noticing the strange looks around him, Shanks flashed a wide grin and said,
"Hey, Orion! You're getting married and didn't invite me to the part—"
Bang!
On reflex, Orion struck Shanks squarely in the face, letting his intrusive thoughts win, and sent him flying across the room until he crashed into a piece of furniture in the distance, smashing it completely and ending up buried under the shattered wood.
For his part, Shanks had foreseen Orion's attack with his monstrous Observation Haki but had chosen not to dodge it, having just witnessed what had happened with Gloriosa and feeling somewhat guilty for having caused the whole mess.
Sure, it had been quite amusing to watch, but seeing the girl run away in tears did make him feel a bit bad afterward.
After all, maybe Shanks wasn't entirely immune to the tears of a beautiful woman—perhaps he was only affected when those tears were genuine.
Still, after taking Orion's punch, Shanks thought to himself that now they were even, and standing up from the wreckage, he grinned and said,
"Hey hey hey! No need to be so rough! Aren't you gonna invite me to your wedding feast?"
Orion shook his head slightly and said simply,
"Just sit down and don't cause any trouble!"
Shanks's crew immediately raised their arms in celebration, and in a messy but cheerful manner, they took seats at the banquet tables, eating and drinking while loudly offering Orion their congratulations on his marriage.
Orion turned toward Gab and Lucky Roux, who were staring down at the floor, too nervous to meet his eyes. Smiling in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes, he approached them and said,
"Welcome back, you two! I've got a special training session prepared for you as a homecoming gift."
The two men visibly trembled but didn't dare protest. They knew Orion was angry because they hadn't informed him of their arrival, and even though it hadn't been their fault—thanks to Shanks—they had no choice but to accept their punishment without excuses.
Once Shanks's pirates began eating and drinking happily without causing further disturbances, the rest of the guests finally started to relax a little. Orion walked up to Scarlett, wrapped an arm around her waist, and kissed her tenderly.
"Sorry for the little commotion, Scarlett," said Orion.
"Don't worry, dear. To be honest, I found it rather entertaining," replied the beautiful princess, who was certainly not so fragile as to be upset by something so trivial.
Then, before Orion could say anything more, she added,
"But shouldn't you go after that girl? She's one of my sisters, isn't she?"
The "sister" Scarlett was referring to was, of course, not a biological one but the way Orion's companions referred to one another. Victoria had explained this to her, telling her quite a lot about life in Pacific Kingdom and the makeup of the royal family.
Orion looked at Scarlett with affection, and after kissing her once more, said,
"For now, don't worry about her. Once the banquet's over, I'll go find her."
Scarlett nodded and, taking Orion by the hand, led him toward the central banquet table, where King Riku and his young sister Viola were seated.
The wedding banquet continued for several more hours, finally coming to an end without any further incidents.