February 2, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
In the calm of the silent night, Orion raised his gaze and looked up at the distant stars, enjoying the gentle summer breeze. A few hours earlier, a grand banquet had been held to celebrate his birthday, and although Orion had already withdrawn, some people still remained in the great hall of the royal palace, celebrating cheerfully.
"Fourteen years have already passed…" Orion murmured as he reflected on everything that had happened over the past years.
Although fourteen years might not seem like much time, for Orion it had been a long journey, one he had walked with difficulty, achieving victories and steadily advancing toward his goals. Perhaps because he had possessed his adult mind from the very beginning, those fourteen years felt far longer than they would have for a normal adolescent.
Even so, there was still a long road ahead, and Orion was ready to embark on a new adventure: his journey to the North Blue.
After receiving Princess Maiara of the Samba Kingdom as a guest, not many significant events had taken place, and he had continued with his usual routine.
His training had been progressing well, and he had managed to raise the level of his abilities "Sniper (Level 1)," "Electro (Level 1)," and "Herbalism (Level 5)" by one level each. In addition, he could feel that his "Hand-to-Hand Combat (Level 6)" skill was on the verge of leveling up, which was something very positive for him.
Beyond his personal improvements, Pacific Kingdom had continued to progress steadily, and its inhabitants enjoyed their usual peace. Perhaps the most notable development had been that his uncle Lolo had begun courting Princess Maiara persistently, even though the capricious blue-haired princess continued to reject him mercilessly.
Maiara felt an irrepressible attraction toward delinquents and rogues, as it was something that excited her. For that reason, she had completely ignored the gentle Lolo over the past two months, instead trying to make her childhood friend Galus "take responsibility" for what he had done to her years ago.
As for what Galus had actually done, Orion and the others had learned it directly from the mouths of those involved in the incident, although the pirate and the princess had differing versions of the story.
Apparently, Galus and Maiara had grown up together, since Galus's father was a member of the royal guard, and had he followed his original path, Galus would have fulfilled the same role in the Samba Kingdom.
However, when Galus and Maiara were sixteen years old, an incident occurred that caused him to flee the kingdom in terror and become a pirate: he had accidentally seen Maiara naked while she was bathing in the hot springs of one of the mountains.
Galus was quite a lecherous type, and during those early years of adolescence he had begun to show a marked interest in the opposite sex, which had led him to commit all kinds of questionable acts that had put him at odds with his strict father more than once.
One of young rogue Galus's favorite pastimes was going to the mountain hot springs to secretly watch the beautiful women of the kingdom while they bathed. He had succeeded many times in this dubious activity, until the fateful afternoon when he accidentally spied on the princess.
That afternoon, Galus was discovered by one of Maiara's guards and captured before he could escape. When the young princess realized that it was Galus who had been secretly spying on her, all her anger and indignation were replaced by a strange sense of pride, since for years she had lost to Galus in every competition they engaged in.
In her mind, she had finally managed to subdue Galus, and she had done so with her irresistible beauty, something that caused her ego to swell uncontrollably. Moreover, she had always held a positive opinion of Galus, although she had never dared to say anything due to her shyness.
Now that Galus had shown interest in her, it was obvious that the next step would be for them to form a relationship, and even if her father opposed their union, she would fight tooth and nail to ensure that her relationship with her childhood friend was recognized.
However, what in Maiara's mind was a beautiful love story between childhood friends was, for the young rogue Galus, an absolute nightmare.
Although during her childhood and adolescence Maiara had been far less overbearing than she was as an adult, she had already been a rather capricious little tyrant, and Galus knew that if he truly ended up in a romantic relationship with the princess, he would live oppressed for the rest of his life, unable to lift his head.
He was one of the strongest young talents in the kingdom and could defeat Maiara with a single blow, but the balance of power between them was not about physical strength, rather it was about their personalities.
It was something difficult to explain for someone who had never experienced anything similar, but Galus found himself in a passive position before Princess Maiara, and it was a matter of personality more than strength or status.
For that reason, when the princess declared that he would have to take responsibility and marry her after seeing her naked, Galus refused outright, and going even further, fled the kingdom in terror, abandoning his former life and throwing himself into a pirate's life at sea.
For a decade, Galus enjoyed the freedom of being a pirate, never once imagining that he would have to face his past again, or the terrifying Princess Maiara, although the twists of fate—or Orion's actions—had placed him once more in a complicated situation.
In truth, the reason Maiara liked rogues so much was precisely because of what had happened with Galus, an event that had marked her for life. She had been unable to accept the vehement rejection of her childhood friend, and because of that, she wanted to find a man who was a rogue and subdue him.
Now that she had encountered Galus again, she had no intention of letting him escape once more, and so over the past months a rather strange scene had taken place in Pacific Kingdom:
Maiara tirelessly chased after Galus, demanding that he take responsibility for his actions, while the pirate fled from her with all his might, wanting nothing to do with such a tragic fate. Meanwhile, Lolo—who had fallen in love with the princess at first sight—continued to openly declare his love to Maiara, who rejected him mercilessly, clearly annoyed by his persistence.
Over the past two months, this had become a sort of strange routine for the three of them, and Orion had even decided not to intervene, choosing instead to let them resolve the situation on their own.
Truth be told, his grandfather Mario was the one most concerned about the matter, since Lolo had previously refused to seek a partner and continue the Lysander bloodline, arguing that Orion would take care of that himself.
After the conquest of Koldara, Lolo had finally decided to look for a wife, much to Mario's relief, although in the end he had fallen in love with a capricious and unstable princess like Maiara, who was already in love with another man and actively pursuing him.
Mario had shared his concerns with his grandson, but Orion ultimately told him that he could not interfere in his uncle Lolo's personal affairs, and that all they could do was wait for time to resolve the situation.
...
On the other hand, leaving aside his uncle Lolo's complicated romantic situation, Orion had finally become a father for the second time.
Scarlett had given birth on December 25, 1503, bringing into the world a healthy baby boy with pink hair, whom they named Carmine.
The baby had been born healthy and without complications, and over the past month both Orion and Scarlett had been fascinated with this child who represented the fruit of their love. For Scarlett, who was a first-time mother, the fact that her baby had been born without issues and was growing healthily was the greatest blessing.
For his part, Orion could not help but notice that both of his children had pink hair, something they had inherited from their mothers. Sam had already turned one year old, being eleven months older than his brother Carmine.
In addition, Orion had noticed another peculiarity: the babies' talent.
Using his Prism Eyes, Orion could perceive people's innate talent, and because of that, he could see that the newborn Carmine possessed monstrous potential, placing him at the level of his most powerful subordinates, such as Lucky Roux.
On the other hand, when he tried to assess Sam's talent, it was impossible to obtain accurate information, as his situation was special. His firstborn had absorbed part of the system's energy during his conception—due to Orion's abnormal state at the time—as well as part of the space and time attributes contained within the system.
For that reason, the baby who was now one year old was an enigma to Orion, as he could not determine his potential even when using his Prism Eyes. At first, he had even feared that the energies of different attributes within the child's body might be harmful to Sam, although over time those concerns faded, as the pink-haired boy showed no issues in his development.
Even so, Orion could see that the space and time attributes within his son's body were active, and on a couple of occasions Sam had used them involuntarily. Once, while crying from colic, he had teleported a few meters away, fortunately being caught by Ginny before he could hurt himself, and on another occasion he had slightly altered his size—his age—during a fit of laughter.
It was clear that Sam could use the attributes that resided within his body and were part of him, which gave him powers similar to those of a Devil Fruit user, but without the inherent disadvantages that such abilities entailed.
However, the most surprising thing about Sam was that he had absorbed the energy that made up the system, although that energy was of a much higher level than the space and time attributes, and Orion could not perceive its movement within the small child using his Prism Eyes.
Orion did not know it, and it would be quite some time before Sam told him, but the pink-haired boy had been able to see a small transparent screen since he became aware of the world. It was a screen similar to Orion's system, though much more rudimentary and containing fixed information about his current physical state.
Orion's firstborn was destined to become a very important figure in the history of this world, although that was a story for the distant future.
…
Orion spent a month in the company of Scarlett and his newborn baby Carmine, but in the end he could delay his departure no longer, as he feared that problems might arise if he did not set out toward the North Blue soon.
Doflamingo was growing stronger with each passing day, and Orion wanted to intervene before the pirate could locate some of the subordinates he had seen during his time in the Time Dungeon.
Moreover, the situation in Flevance was deteriorating rapidly, and according to reports from the Northern Revolutionary Army and the spy organization under Stussy's command—named "Shadow"—there was a possibility of an attack by the neighboring nations against Flevance, driven by their fear that the epidemic ravaging it might spread beyond its borders.
Orion knew he could not continue postponing his journey to the North Blue, and so, after celebrating his fourteenth birthday with his loved ones, he prepared to depart.
On this occasion, Toki would be traveling with him, having accepted his invitation to journey at his side and see the current state of the world beyond Pacific Kingdom, and the young clone Mitsu and Perona would also accompany him.
Mitsu had insisted on coming, claiming that she was Orion's official bodyguard, although in truth she simply missed him, as they had not spent much time together lately. She had developed a certain dependence on Orion, since he was the closest thing to a family she had ever found in her life.
Even so, after Mitsu arrived in Pacific Kingdom, her dependence on Orion had lessened considerably, as she had become a member of the Lysander family, along with the rest of the people Orion had brought to live in the royal palace, forming a rather colorful group.
Still, Mitsu had not been spending much time with Orion, so she had insisted vehemently on accompanying him. Orion had no problem granting her request, as it would be a good opportunity to continue the training of the young clone, who possessed tremendous potential yet to be fully developed.
Finally, Perona had joined the group after winning the "pink lottery." Orion was not entirely sure of the rules or how this lottery functioned, but apparently it was something devised by some of the members of his core group of subordinates and family.
The number of people within his close circle had grown quite large, and would likely continue to increase in the future, so they had created this lottery to decide who would have the chance to accompany Orion on his adventures outside Pacific Kingdom.
It seemed that the female members of the group had been the ones to develop this method, and there were even plans to establish a council and hold votes in the future, something Orion found rather bureaucratic and unnecessary, although his opinion had been mercilessly dismissed by the girls of the group.
In any case, Perona had won the lottery organized by the women of the royal palace, and now wore a wide smile, delighted at the opportunity to accompany Orion to the North Blue. On the other hand, Ace had been quite frustrated, having come in second place in the lottery, although Orion had told him that he would take him along on a future adventure, which had managed to calm the boy somewhat.
In one of the inner courtyards of the royal residence, Orion bid farewell to his family, ready to begin his journey, and finally approached Koala, who was watching him in silence with her large eyes, not daring to say a word.
Although Koala had been living with Orion and his family over the past months, adapting to her new environment and improving her mental state considerably, she still bore traces of her time as a slave in Mary Geoise, and that was not something that could be resolved in a short period of time.
Orion had decided to be patient with her, treating her gently and helping her recover from her trauma, and little by little the girl had improved, though she still had a long way to go before returning to the cheerful young girl she had once been before her enslavement.
"Koala, I'll be away for a while, but don't worry, everyone in the palace is here to keep you company," Orion said, placing a hand on Koala's head. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the friendly gesture from her savior.
In truth, Koala was incredibly grateful to Orion and had already left behind her initial fear of him. After living peacefully in the royal palace alongside Orion and his family, she had come to understand that these people truly wanted to help her, and more than once she had cried tears of joy.
Many of the people living in the palace had tragic pasts like hers, as Orion had also rescued them and brought them to live with him, so Koala had found a place in the world where there were people who understood her suffering and were trying to help her become happy again.
Orion had even removed the mark of the Celestial Dragons from her back—using the powers of his Room—something for which Koala would be eternally grateful.
Here in Pacific Kingdom, she had become a human with rights once more, and little by little she was recovering her smile, which was why, over the past months, she had grown very attached to Orion, to the point that she was now on the verge of tears as she watched him leave.
Even so, she knew she could not be a burden to her savior, and so she never considered making a selfish request or complaining in the slightest about his sudden departure to distant lands.
Koala listened to Orion's words telling her to rely on the people in the royal palace, and she nodded, trying to put on her most determined expression.
"As for your mother, for now I can't go and bring her back, but as soon as I return from the North Blue, I promise I'll go to your homeland and bring her here," Orion continued with a gentle smile.
Orion had spoken with Koala about the living conditions in her homeland, Foolshout, and had decided that instead of sending her back, he would try to bring her mother—her only family—to Pacific Kingdom.
After all, based on what Koala had told him about her homeland, the conditions there were far from good, so it would be dangerous to let her remain there, risking being captured by slavers once again.
Koala nodded once more at Orion's promise, her eyes shining with hope and the tears she was trying to hold back, and Orion let out a soft sigh, bidding farewell once again to those present before using Soru to leave the place at great speed.
Reaching the coast, Orion began to walk through the air using Geppo combined with his Pocket Dimension, continuing forward at high speed until he finally arrived at Olive's pirate ship, which was waiting for him a few kilometers offshore.
This time, Kuma had not been able to assist him with his journey to the North Blue, so the beautiful pirate would be the one helping him reach that Blue, flying over the Red Line in her majestic pegasus form.
Landing on the ship's deck, Orion opened a door in the air, allowing Toki, Mitsu, and Perona to step out of the Pocket Dimension, and then, with a smile, he walked toward his sensual wife Olive, taking her by the waist and kissing her passionately without paying any attention to the gazes of those present.
Orion's journey to the North Blue had officially begun.
…
Meanwhile, in the sacred land of the Celestial Dragons, Mary Geoise, Figarland Garling and his son Shamrock were speaking in a luxurious hall within the Figarland mansion.
"Father, all the witnesses present during the slave escape died at the hands of the intruders, so we have no information about their identities," Shamrock said solemnly.
"So there isn't a single witness?" Garling muttered, his eyes narrowing as a dangerous light flickered within them.
"Your brother was present at the scene to handle the situation, wasn't he?" Garling added, exuding an oppressive aura.
"…He says he was too busy containing the slaves' escape and couldn't see the intruders. He only came into contact with the one who attacked our mansion, but according to his description, it doesn't match any of the records we have," Shamrock replied quickly, aware that his father was losing patience.
Indeed, Shanks' account of what had happened was full of holes, and both Garling and Shamrock could see it, although they could not explain why he would want to lie about it.
In the minds of the proud nobles who ruled the world, there was no possible way that Shanks would betray them and abandon his status as a god to help insignificant humans, so they did not even consider that possibility, even though they could tell something was off.
"Very well, it doesn't matter much—only a worthless bastard was lost—but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that someone dared to insult our family by attacking our mansion," Garling said, somewhat irritated.
As he had mentioned, they had no interest in the kidnapping of Luffy, Celestia's son, since to them he was merely a bastard of unknown origin with little value. However, they could not accept that someone had dared to attack their territory, as that was an insult to their dignity as gods.
"Father, although we couldn't find any living witnesses regarding the intruders, one of the servants saw something suspicious. A large man, flying on what seemed to be a sphere of energy shaped like… a paw."
Garling's eyes narrowed even further, and as he stood up, he said,
"Interesting. I believe I remember that power from a previous incident. I want you to investigate the matter. As for your lead, search for the user of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi… Once you find him, inform me. I will personally make his life a living hell. Perhaps I'll destroy everything he holds dear, haha."
In the corridors of the Figarland mansion, the patriarch's sadistic laughter echoed loudly, creating a resonance that would make anyone who heard it tremble involuntarily.
Despite Shanks' attempts to tie up all loose ends and erase any trace of Orion and the others, the universe itself had caused the gears of fate to begin moving once more, attempting to correct the timeline and make it as close as possible to the original.
It would not be long before Kuma—and Orion as well—would have to face another great crisis, and this time, Ginny's well-being would once again be at stake.