December 6, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Once they arrived at his room, Orion offered Toki a cup of tea, and then sat down with her on one of the comfortable armchairs he had there.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Toki?" Orion asked curiously, looking intently at the beautiful woman in front of him.
Even though nearly four years had passed since Orion had first met Toki, her physical appearance had not changed in the slightest.
This was due to the side effects that the powers of her Devil Fruit had had on her body after Orion stabilized her condition with the help of the system to prevent her from dying.
After Toki had used her powers to send her son and his guardians into the future—something Orion did not know had happened—she had lost control of her abilities as a result of overexerting herself by sending so many people forward in time.
Because of that, the powers of her Toki Toki no Mi had begun to run wild within her body, threatening to take her life within a matter of minutes.
Fortunately for her, Orion had appeared just in time to stop the rampant energy that was wreaking havoc inside her, thus successfully saving her life, although not everything had gone perfectly, as she had fallen into a deep coma that lasted several years.
Although Orion had been able to prevent Toki's death, he had not been able to fully contain the effects of the Toki Toki no Mi on the beautiful woman's body, as the Devil Fruit's energy had permeated her being at a cellular level.
It could be said that she had become one with her Devil Fruit—in a state similar to Awakening—but without being prepared for it. This had led to her being unable to maintain consciousness, as her very existence was caught in a constant temporal displacement, as though she were attempting to travel to the future while remaining in the present at the same time.
Orion had eventually been able to solve the problem once he obtained the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi, by extracting most of the Toki Toki no Mi's energy particles from Toki's cells and absorbing them in the process—which had led to the emergence of the new ability "Time Dungeon"—although it had proven impossible even for him to completely remove every trace of that energy from her body.
At present, Toki had fused with the Toki Toki no Mi to such an extent that Orion was no longer certain the Devil Fruit would even be reborn into the world if she were to die. It was a fascinating case, one that produced unique effects on Toki.
Now, although she was no longer in a state of temporal displacement as she had been while unconscious, she still did not age, having obtained a form of immortality and eternal youth that anyone would kill to possess.
This ability was very similar to Orion's special ability "Frozen Time," which allowed him to slow the aging of the women registered in the system as his companions; however, the main difference between the two cases was that Toki had completely halted her cellular aging, whereas Orion's ability only slowed it to an extreme degree.
While she could still die if she suffered a severe injury or fell ill, her cellular aging had completely stopped, meaning that her current appearance was identical to how she had looked four years ago, when Orion had first found her.
He had even been studying Toki's condition in detail, hoping to create a new medicine that could extend human longevity, although so far he had not achieved much progress in that endeavor.
Even so, Orion was not discouraged, as he knew that his medical abilities still had plenty of room for growth. He believed that once his "Medicine" skill level increased, he would be able to make a breakthrough in his research on longevity, which was why he had recently begun dedicating more time to studying medicine.
"Orion, I want to go to Wano," Toki said, her gaze filled with determination.
Orion let out a soft sigh before replying,
"So you were finally able to remember your past?"
After Toki's condition had been stabilized by Orion, she had eventually awakened from her coma, but unfortunately, she had lost all memories of her past and did not even know her own name.
At first, it had been Orion who told her what her name was, although he had not given her any further details about her past, even though he knew part of it.
The reason Orion had chosen to remain silent about her past was that he did not want her to suffer unnecessarily.
He knew that Toki's husband had died at the hands of Kaido and Orochi, and although he did not have confirmed information, he suspected that her two children had suffered the same fate, as the Kozuki castle had been attacked by the pirate, burned down and completely destroyed.
During his time in Wano, Orion had gathered information about the recent events in that isolated land, and according to what he had been able to investigate, Toki's two children had died in the fire at the hands of Kaido.
In reality, Toki's son had been sent to the future by her, while her daughter had been saved by one of Oden's retainers and taken to a safe location far away. The reason Orion had been unable to find the markers of these two children on the system map was because Momonosuke was not there, and Hiyori was outside the system's detection range.
Naturally, Orion was unaware that both of Toki's children were still alive, which was why he had chosen not to mention their existence to her, in order to spare her unnecessary pain.
However, over the past few months, Toki's memory had begun to return very slowly and in fragments. First, she remembered her name, and then some faint memories of her life many centuries ago.
Now, she still had not recalled her life alongside Oden or the existence of her two children, but she clearly remembered one thing—a goal that echoed insistently within her mind: go to Wano!
She did not quite understand why, but her entire being told her that she had to go to Wano, that something important awaited her there. For that reason, now that Orion had returned to Pacific Kingdom temporarily, Toki decided to make her request before he left once again on one of his long journeys away from home.
For Toki, traveling to Wano on her own was practically impossible, but she knew she could likely accomplish it with Orion's help, which was why it was necessary to speak to him about it.
Orion looked at the determined Toki before him and could not help but feel his heart soften. Despite Toki's mature and sensual appearance, her current mindset was that of a woman in her twenties, since her memories were limited to that period of her life.
For Orion, it was difficult to ignore Toki's request, since despite not having spent much time together, they had developed a good relationship over the past few months. Perhaps it was because Orion had a soft spot for beautiful women in need of help, but whatever the reason, he could not ignore her plea.
"Alright, I'll take you to Wano, but you'll have to be a little patient. I can't do it right away because I have other important matters to attend to."
"Yay! Thank you, Orion!" Toki said happily, raising both arms.
Orion saw the joy of the beautiful woman—whom the system indicated as a candidate for Main Wife due to her high compatibility with him—and smiled faintly, grateful that she had not insisted on going to Wano immediately.
After all, although Orion was indeed planning to return to that mystical land to meet Yamato again and see the state of the nation under the control of the ruthless pirate, he was not yet ready to go, as he truly had other matters to take care of.
If Toki had insisted on going at this moment, or worse yet, had attempted to leave for Wano on her own, Orion would have had a serious headache on his hands.
While Orion was sighing in relief at how the situation had turned out, Toki took a step forward and gave him a fleeting kiss on the cheek. Then, taking three steps back like a startled little animal, she said shyly,
"That's your reward for accepting my selfish request. Giolla said the best reward for you was a passionate kiss… However, a passionate kiss is something reserved only for my future husband… so you'll have to settle for a kiss on the cheek!"
As she explained herself, Toki's face grew increasingly red until, finally unable to bear the embarrassment of having done something so bold—by her own standards—she ran out while shouting,
"Don't misunderstand me, it's just a reward for your help! I'll wait for news about our trip to Wano!"
Orion watched Toki run out of his room and touched the spot where the soft lips of the beautiful woman had made contact with his skin just moments ago.
A smile appeared on his face as he thought about how he had managed to receive a kiss from Toki, since during the time they had spent together over the past months, he had discovered that she was rather reserved in her actions.
It was clear that little by little she had begun to trust Orion and had developed a good relationship with him, and the fact that the beautiful woman's favorability was above 70 points was proof of that.
Orion had hesitated about whether to make romantic advances toward Toki, since she was not entirely well after having lost her memories, but after this interaction, he had changed his mind somewhat.
Although he was still not completely certain how he would act in the future regarding Toki, he decided that he would invite her to accompany him on his trip to the North Blue next month. For now, he would try not to think too much about it and let things follow their natural course.
…
December 11, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Finally, after more than ten days of travel, the princess of Samba, Maiara, arrived at the port of Pacific Kingdom escorted by Lucky Roux. The moment the ship docked at the port, Lucky Roux used his prodigious speed and escaped as quickly as possible from the place, since he could no longer endure the capricious princess who had been tormenting him with her complaints for over a week.
Maiara watched Lucky Roux run off at full speed and puffed out her cheeks in irritation as she crossed her arms.
"Stupid fatty, and I was even thinking of giving him a chance to take me out to dinner," the princess said in an offended tone.
Truth be told, after spending ten days with the chubby man who loved food, she had developed a good impression of Lucky Roux, especially after learning that he had once been a pirate.
In the mind of the rebellious princess of Samba, only a fierce and adventurous man like a pirate was worthy of someone as bold as herself, which was why she tended to view men who were pirates or rogues in a favorable light.
If Lucky Roux had not been completely exhausted from putting up with the princess, and had instead tried to seduce her, he likely would have succeeded, since his reputation as a pirate did half the work for him.
Even so, even if Maiara had been offered to him naked in his bed, Lucky Roux would not have dared lay a finger on her, because that would mean forming a lasting relationship with her.
The princess's personality was quite "particular," so not just any man could endure her without dying of exasperation, and Lucky Roux was definitely not the kind of man willing to put up with the capricious princess, as he was one of the most laid-back and freedom-loving individuals in all of Pacific Kingdom.
While Maiara was descending from the ship and stepping onto the dock, Orion stood at a distance alongside his uncle Lolo and other members of Pacific Kingdom's government, there to receive the princess who had officially come on a diplomatic visit.
Naturally, Galus was also present, as Orion had specifically called for him on this occasion. After all, the reason he had invited Maiara to come here was to play a prank on Galus, who for some reason seemed to be afraid of the princess—and Orion believed he knew exactly why.
"Nephew, Aria's rehabilitation has successfully completed its first stage. Galus and Gloriosa managed to dismantle the notions of racial supremacy she had developed due to her years of education in Mary Geoise, and there were no issues with her personality or psyche, although it is true that she is somewhat confused now," Lolo said, taking advantage of his elusive nephew's presence to give a brief report on Aria's situation.
According to Orion's instructions, over the past few weeks they had focused on breaking down the erroneous notion she held of being a goddess above humans—those outside Mary Geoise.
Now, that deconstruction process had been successfully completed without any psychological complications, and they could move on to the next phase of the plan: reeducation through the development of a normal life.
The idea now was for her to begin working in the fields alongside Mario and Bianca—who had joined her husband's routine—tilling the land and gradually integrating into society and her new family.
Orion believed that what was best for her was to remain in the company of her mother Bianca, and Mario had offered to help, since even though Aria was not his biological daughter, he had accepted her as his adopted daughter because she was his wife's child.
"Very well, then let the social reintegration begin gradually. Yukimura and Hototogisu will be in charge of her safety during the process," Orion replied, nodding as he thought that he would have to visit his nominal aunt in the future to see how her rehabilitation was progressing.
Lolo nodded at his nephew's words, taking out a small notebook and writing down Orion's instructions along with his own thoughts on the matter. These notes would later be used by him to create the most efficient execution plan possible.
Once he finished writing, Lolo tucked the notebook into his clothes and lifted his head to look at the woman walking toward them with an air of arrogance, and the moment his eyes fell upon Maiara, his heart began to race involuntarily.
Just one glance was enough for Lolo to feel as though a bolt of lightning had struck his mind, and without thinking, he stepped forward and extended his hand toward the princess of Samba, who had just arrived before them.
"Forgive my boldness, my esteemed lady, but I must say that your beauty is so great that even the heavens themselves could not contain it."
Maiara came to an abrupt stop upon hearing Lolo's words, and after fixing her gaze on the elegant, bespectacled man with a somewhat fragile and intellectual appearance, she wrinkled her nose in discomfort as a look of disdain formed on her face.
"Thanks, I suppose, although I'd be happier hearing those words from a real man," the princess said without the slightest bit of tact, directly attacking Lolo, who did not fit her personal tastes.
Even so, Lolo was not discouraged by the words of the beautiful and rude princess; on the contrary, his gaze only intensified further, as a desire to conquer Maiara began to take root within him.
"Is this how your kingdom welcomes guests? It's rather lacking," Maiara continued, no longer paying any attention to Lolo, who remained to the side with his hand still extended and unanswered, while she focused on Orion and complained about the reception.
Just as Orion was about to respond to the blue-haired princess, Maiara's eyes widened, and her body trembled slightly. Then, like an enraged tigress, she began running toward the crowd gathered nearby, shouting vehemently,
"Galus! You bastard! Get over here and take responsibility for what you did to me!"
Galus, who had been watching the arrival of the ship bearing Pacific Kingdom's flag with curiosity to see what guest had arrived in the kingdom, trembled in terror at the sight of Maiara, but he did not flee immediately, as he had been frozen in place.
Only when the princess fixed her gaze on him and began roaring like a wild beast did Galus react, immediately turning to run in an attempt to escape from Maiara. However, unfortunately for him, Orion wanted to uncover the reason behind Galus's behavior toward the princess, so raising his hand, he awakened the small snake that was coiled asleep around his arm and said,
"Shesha, catch Galus. Don't let him escape."
The small snake let out a faint protest with barely audible sounds as it opened its drowsy eyes, and although it seemed somewhat reluctant to interrupt its nap, it had no intention of disobeying its master.
With a swift motion, Shesha launched itself like a spring from Orion's arm, creating a sonic boom due to its incredible speed, and in the next instant it appeared around Galus's legs, wrapping itself around them while hardening its body with Armament Haki.
Becoming a living shackle, Shesha restrained Galus's legs, limiting his movements and causing the former pirate to fall to the ground, completely unable to do anything about it.
"No! Orion, let me go, I'm in danger!" Galus pleaded, but it was already too late.
Maiara reached him and, with a leap, landed on top of him, glaring down at him like a raging beast as she shouted,
"You dared to look at me naked while I was bathing in the hot springs, and now you don't want to marry me?! What kind of bastard are you, huh?!"
The princess, not content with merely shouting at her childhood friend, began openly beating him, while Galus did not dare to defend himself. It was a rather bizarre scene, since with Galus's power it would have been impossible for an ordinary person like Maiara to subdue him in such a way.
It was clear that there was some reason why Galus was so terrified of Maiara, to the point of forgetting to defend himself and having to endure a beating while begging for mercy.
Orion watched the scene before him with interest, thinking that he would have to ask Galus about it later to learn the full story, but his uncle's voice interrupted his thoughts, and his words caused Orion to show a strange expression.
"Nephew, I'm going to make that elegant woman my wife!"