June 7, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
"Catch the beast, it went that way!"
"Hurry! Don't let it escape again or we'll be punished by King Judge!"
A group of Germa 66 soldiers was relentlessly pursuing a snake through the most remote area of the Vinsmokes' artificial island. This snake was none other than Shesha, whom Orion had been using as a decoy to distract Judge and his men from his presence within the kingdom without land.
Three days earlier, Orion had finally reached the limit of what he could tolerate regarding the abuse Sanji suffered at the hands of his three brothers, so he had used his Conqueror's Haki to knock them unconscious and prevent them from continuing to hurt his precious apprentice.
However, that had thrown all of Germa 66 into a state of alert, because after all, the Vinsmoke princes were Judge's most prized "possessions," the ones in whom he had invested all of his resources and hopes for the future.
The fact that they had suddenly been attacked without warning, and that nobody had any idea who the enemy was, had enraged Judge and led him to order an investigation into the culprit behind the incident.
Naturally, the first person they thought of questioning was Sanji, since he had been the only other person present at the scene— at least from the perspective of the three brothers, who had not noticed Reiju's presence there at the time.
Just as Judge was preparing to question his most disappointing son about what had happened, Orion released Shesha into the streets of Germa 66, and the proud snake king used his ability to unleash the Conqueror's Haki he had previously absorbed from his master, attacking a group of Germa soldiers.
In this way, Orion indirectly provided Judge with an explanation for the incident. Upon encountering a creature capable of releasing Conqueror's Haki, Judge immediately became consumed by greed, thinking that if he could use such a marvelous specimen in his experiments, he might discover a way to replicate the phenomenon known as Conqueror's Haki, thereby making his troops even stronger and bringing himself one step closer to his ultimate goal of conquering the entire North Blue.
Thus, the game of cat and mouse between Shesha and Germa 66 began. Over the past few days, Shesha had appeared several more times, causing all the soldiers on the artificial island to mobilize in pursuit of him, though they never managed to capture him, because he had Orion's assistance, making it impossible for Germa 66 to succeed.
Now the soldiers were once again chasing the mysterious snake, and Judge had already been informed of the situation, leaving his laboratory to personally join the effort to capture him, though he was destined to fail once more.
Moving at great speed across the Vinsmokes' artificial island, Shesha reached one of its outer edges and, under the frustrated gazes of the soldiers, threw himself into the sea just as he had done countless times over the previous days.
"What are you waiting for?! Jump into the water or it'll get away!" Judge shouted from the distance as he watched the snake he so desperately wished to capture escape yet again.
However, when the soldiers dove into the ocean following their king's orders, they could not find the slightest trace of the snake, because Orion had used his "Summoning" ability to transport Shesha directly to his side inside the Pocket Dimension.
Shesha materialized out of nowhere in midair, landing on Orion's shoulder and coiling around his neck like a scarf while preparing to go to sleep.
However, Orion frowned slightly and, patting his snake companion, said,
"Shesha, you're soaking wet. Go dry yourself off before coming over here."
Orion was currently focused on Reiju's treatment, using his Room to perform delicate and precise work on the girl's brain, so he paid little attention to the snake's condition, which immediately caused Shesha to become indignant toward his master.
"Hisss, hisss."
Shesha gave him a deeply offended look, displaying expressions that seemed almost human while repeatedly hissing as though he were carrying on a conversation with Orion; and, to be honest, he actually was.
Orion's snake companion possessed a remarkably high intellect and could communicate with him mentally, although he was not yet capable of conveying actual words. Instead, he could only transmit general emotional states, which he accompanied with his hissing.
This was because Shesha was still in the infant stage of his development and had not yet "learned how to speak." Although his overall intellect was considerably higher than that of a human baby—one who was already capable of speaking—Shesha had not yet developed spiritually enough to communicate clearly with Orion through telepathy, though he could make himself understood in a rudimentary manner.
At the moment, the proud snake king was complaining about the fact that Orion had once again sent him out to act as bait, and above all, he was complaining about having been forced to dive into the freezing sea, something he did not enjoy in the slightest.
Shesha possessed the highest pedigree a beast could possibly have, rivaling—and even surpassing—that of the legendary dragons, and as a result, he also possessed an exceptionally strong innate sense of pride. Even though he was extremely obedient and loyal to Orion, to the point that he would never refuse an order, he also had a strong personality and made sure his master knew that he was far from satisfied with the job he had been assigned over the past several days.
Normally, Orion would have taken his time to calm the agitated emotions of the proud snake king, but at the moment he had reached the final stage of Reiju's treatment, so after telling his snake companion to go dry himself before curling up around his neck, he stopped paying attention to him.
Seeing that his master was ignoring his complaints, Shesha hissed repeatedly and climbed down from Orion's shoulders in indignation, leaving the clinic where he was treating Reiju and heading toward the kitchen area, where Sanji was happily practicing his culinary techniques.
Curiously, Shesha had grown quite close to Sanji over the past few days and had even granted him the privilege of allowing him to sleep on his shoulders on one occasion.
It had to be said that, due to the cobra king's proud nature, Shesha did not usually interact much with the people close to Orion, making it rather unusual for him to show such favor toward Sanji, whom he had only recently met.
The only exceptions Orion had observed were his wives and his two children, whom Shesha treated with the same respect he showed Orion himself. Orion suspected that this was due to the bond that existed between him and his wives, one that had been formalized even by the system itself.
As for his children, they were simply even closer to him than his wives according to the system's standards—since they were born with a bond already established through the system—and therefore it was even easier to understand why Shesha behaved favorably toward them.
On the other hand, aside from formally taking him as his disciple, Sanji had no particular connection to him, which made it rather curious that Shesha felt so much favorability toward the young Vinsmoke prince. However, there was a similar precedent that allowed Orion to make some guesses regarding the reasons behind the snake's behavior, and that precedent was his master Roger's son: Gol D. Ace.
Over the past few days, Orion had been thinking about what Ace and Sanji had in common, wondering whether it might be related to their status as Named Characters (VIP), though he eventually discarded that theory, since Shesha did not display the same degree of favorability toward Kuma or Robin, who also met that requirement.
In the end, Orion focused his attention on another unique trait shared by both boys, one that set them apart from the rest of his subordinates: their talent for Conqueror's Haki.
Both Sanji and Ace possessed the potential to develop Conqueror's Haki in the future, and Orion conjectured that perhaps this was the reason Shesha behaved more amicably toward them. After all, his snake companion was deeply connected to Conqueror's Haki, being capable of absorbing Orion's and releasing it through his attacks in a rudimentary manner.
Even so, Shesha was incapable of absorbing the Conqueror's Haki of anyone other than Orion, so he did not believe the snake king was being friendly because he wanted to absorb Haki from the two boys, who, on top of that, could not even use Haki yet.
His theory was that Shesha could simply perceive the tremendous potential of the two children, naturally causing him to hold them in high regard. After all, to the proud king of all snakes, only those who possessed the same potential to become kings of the world were worthy of his friendship.
…
After working for a couple more hours on Reiju's treatment, Orion deactivated his Room and let out a sigh of relief, having finally finished correcting the girl's abnormal condition, something that had required two weeks of meticulous work.
Now, she was no longer under the complete control of her father Judge and was finally free to make her own decisions instead of being forced to obey the king of Germa 66 like an automaton devoid of will.
Even so, both Orion and her mother Sora had instructed Reiju not to disobey Judge's orders over the next few days so as not to attract attention, since Orion was only a few days away from completing his infiltration mission within Germa 66 and did not want to fail at the very last moment because of a careless mistake.
Although Reiju was currently only seven and a half years old, she was extremely mature for her age, perhaps because she had grown up in a rather hostile environment, forcing her to adapt quickly in order to survive and avoid being discarded by her father.
Reiju was a very conscientious girl, and so she had followed her mother Sora's instructions to the letter, keeping both Orion's existence on the island and his treatment to free her from Judge's mind control an absolute secret.
Even so, she was still a child and did not yet fully understand the magnitude of the favor Orion had done for her by freeing her from Judge's control. After all, in her daily life, she was rarely compelled to obey her father, since he seldom gave her orders outside of training hours.
To her, it was simply somewhat unpleasant that she could not control her own body whenever her father gave her a command, but she had not yet been able to grasp with her childish mind just how severely her freedom had been restricted.
After finishing Reiju's treatment, Orion awakened her from the sedative-induced sleep she had remained in during the operation, and the young girl slowly opened her eyes, looking around her with curiosity.
"We've finished your treatment, Reiju. How are you feeling?" Orion asked with a smile as he helped the girl sit up.
"Mmm, I feel... lighter. Like I can think faster, or more clearly!" Reiju said seriously as she raised both fists excitedly, trying to explain the sensations she was experiencing.
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise, as he had not expected such an answer from her. After all, he had simply asked how she felt in general following the operation, and he did not think Reiju would notice any major change in her condition immediately, since the results of the treatment would only become apparent once Judge gave her an order.
However, Orion concluded that perhaps she was perceiving something on a subconscious level, because after all, it was true that he had altered her brain structure. In the end, the connection between mind and body remained something rather mysterious even to him, despite already being among the finest doctors in the world.
Looking at his watch, Orion realized that it was almost time for him to go prepare dinner in Germa 66's kitchens, and both Reiju and Sanji also had to return to their daily routines—which consisted of a great deal of military training.
"Alright, it's time for us to leave. Tonight I'll tell your mother that I've finished your treatment. I'm sure she'll be very happy," Orion said as he gently stroked Reiju's pink hair in a friendly gesture.
Reiju smiled when she heard Orion mention her mother Sora, and after staring at him for a moment, she asked,
"Mr. Orion... are you my mom's boyfriend?"
Orion froze upon hearing the sudden question, and looking at Reiju, who was staring at him with a blush on her face, a bright expectant smile, and sparkling eyes, he avoided her gaze while attempting to dodge the question as well.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"My mom always talks about you whenever I go visit her, and she always smiles happily and blushes whenever I ask if Mr. Orion is her boyfriend.
She doesn't want to admit it, but you're dating, right? You're in love? Am I going to have a new little sibling soon? I'd like a sister this time!"
Reiju launched a barrage of questions while simultaneously making a request regarding the future gender of a sister who did not yet exist, something that caught Orion completely off guard. Most of all because she did not seem opposed to the situation at all; on the contrary, she appeared entirely supportive of such a development.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Orion asked cautiously,
"What about your father? Don't you think it would be wrong if your mother were my girlfriend? It would completely ruin their relationship..."
This time it was Reiju's turn to look confused. Tilting her head slightly, unable to understand what Orion was trying to say, she answered,
"My father? Aren't they only husband and wife in name? My father is the evil king who keeps her prisoner, and you're the brave knight who comes to save her and falls in love with her, right?
And then there's that thing called 'forbidden love,' and they have babies after taking off their clothes, kissing, and her arriving somewhere, though it never says where. Right? Right?"
Reiju was visibly excited while describing this particular scenario, and Orion raised an eyebrow, sensing that there was something behind the remarkably specific plot the girl had constructed in her mind.
"You... where did you get those ideas from?" Orion asked while staring at Reiju.
The moment she realized she had said too much, she seemed to deflate like a balloon, avoiding his gaze and saying nothing, as though she had been caught committing an illegal act.
Orion did not press her for an answer. Instead, he simply looked at her silently for several seconds until Reiju finally surrendered under the weight of the silent pressure. Reaching into one of the inner pockets of her dress, she pulled out a small pink book.
"I-It's what happens in this book... The heroine is a queen who lives unhappily with her evil husband, and a knight falls in love with her and they have children..."
Orion looked at the title of the book in Reiju's hands, which read The Cuckolded King of the North Blue, and he had no idea what expression he should make, because he had read this book a few years ago, and it was an erotic novel!
Although it was marketed as a romantic novel for noblewomen and its scenes were not particularly explicit, Orion still believed it was not something a girl Reiju's age should be reading, as it was more geared toward teenagers.
He had obviously read that novel—and many others like it—for purely anthropological reasons...
And definitely not because of its sensual plot...
"Where did you get that book?" Orion asked as he extended a hand to take the small pink book, though Reiju quickly hid it behind her back, protecting her precious treasure.
"It belongs to my mom. She has a huge library full of books like this. They're very interesting stories about people in love, and there's always an evil king and a knight, or something similar!"
Reiju's eyes lit up once more, and it was obvious that she genuinely enjoyed this type of literature, though Orion still thought it was inappropriate for her.
In any case, it came as quite a surprise to him that Sora possessed a large collection of books similar to this one, because that meant she... had an extensive collection of erotic novels in her possession!
"Truly, a woman of culture... Ahem! I mean, Reiju, you shouldn't be reading those books. They're not appropriate for children."
Orion let those thoughts slip out in a murmur too quiet for the girl to hear, though he immediately regained his composure, managing to preserve both his dignity as a responsible adult and his "decent" image in the eyes of his new girlfriend's daughter.
"Eh? But my mom said I could read them! She said these are the stories all princesses read, and that she grew up reading these romantic tales and dreaming that one day she would meet her destined knight!" Reiju argued passionately, unwilling to yield an inch when it came to her literary convictions.
Orion slapped a hand against his forehead upon hearing the girl's words, thinking that although Sora appeared to be a noble, elegant, and reserved woman, she was actually quite carefree and wild at heart, possessing a rather erotic side. Then again, he had already experienced that side much more directly when she had kissed him on her own initiative and even proposed that he make her his woman and take her back with him to live in Pacific Kingdom.
It could only be said that Sora was generally a graceful and elegant woman, but when it came to romance, she was extremely passionate and fiery—something Orion would come to realize years later was a trait shared by her entire family.
Seeing that Orion had become lost in thought, Reiju assumed that her words had successfully convinced him, so she decided to press her advantage.
"All the princesses in the world read these books! It's a tradition. It's called female literature, and it's the ancestral knowledge of all women!"
Orion did not know whether to laugh or cry at the girl's words, since she was clearly in no position to speak on behalf of all women or the entire history of so-called "female literature."
Even so, he found it somewhat curious that such a term existed in this world, because in his previous life there had been a similar designation for these kinds of stories, which were classified as romance despite often being little more than pornography.
In those books, all kinds of bizarre and exaggerated events took place, such as an immortal being thousands of years old falling in love with a teenage girl, or multiple men fighting to the death over an utterly ordinary young woman, along with even more controversial themes such as infidelity, cuckoldry, and other similar topics. Perhaps such stories truly were "female literature" no matter which universe they existed in.
In any case, Orion still believed that it would be best for a little girl like Reiju to avoid this kind of story, at least until she was mature enough to understand it. Therefore, moving at great speed, he snatched the small pink book she had been protecting behind her back.
"Regardless, I'm confiscating this book for now," Orion said as he deposited the book into the system inventory.
Reiju displayed a horrified expression as she watched the book disappear without a trace, and then her eyes quickly filled with tears while she puffed out her cheeks and lips in a pout, looking as though she were on the verge of crying.
For her, who spent her days being trained as a tool of war, her mother's romance novels were the only thing that brought a little joy into her life, and in her heart they occupied a place similar to the one cooking held for Sanji.
Orion could clearly perceive Reiju's feelings through his Observation Haki, so he quickly pulled another book out of his inventory and handed it to her.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Here, this one is also a romance novel, just a different kind. You can read this one for now, and I'll return the other one later," Orion said hurriedly, afraid that the girl might actually start crying.
Reiju accepted the book Orion had handed her with great interest, and after seeing that it really was a love story, she calmed down somewhat. Even so, she adorably puffed out her cheeks and said,
"Alright, I forgive you, but if this book is boring, you'll have to give me another one!"
Orion sighed in relief when he saw that the situation had calmed down without Reiju bursting into tears, and he thought that later he would have to confiscate all the erotic novels from Sora's library. Perhaps he could even read them himself... purely out of anthropological curiosity and devotion to science...
In any case, the book he had just given Reiju was also a romance novel, but a much more vanilla one, and it was a story Robin liked quite a lot, so perhaps Reiju would enjoy it as well.
Most importantly, there were no bedroom scenes in this book, so Reiju would not have to worry about things she was not yet capable of understanding, such as the mysterious line the heroine repeated during every intimate scene, mentioning that she was going to arrive somewhere—and indeed she did arrive, even if Reiju could not comprehend it.
Finally, Reiju tucked the book into the inner pocket of her dress, afraid that Orion might change his mind about giving her a new romance novel—for her, all romance novels followed the same format anyway—and then looked him in the eyes once more.
"So you really are my mom's boyfriend, right? Take good care of her and make her happy, okay?"
Reiju showed a radiant smile at the thought of seeing her mother happy, something that had become increasingly difficult over the years due to the illness that burdened her. For a girl who had grown up reading the love stories from her mother's library, it was the most natural thing in the world for her mother to have a boyfriend despite already being married.
In fact, in Reiju's mind, the relationship between her two parents was not even that of a couple, because after all, she had never seen them together and certainly had never witnessed any display of affection between them. Sora had been bedridden ever since Reiju was very young, while Judge had completely ignored her for years, making the Vinsmoke family situation utterly abnormal.
Seeing Reiju's expectant smile, Orion could not help but nod firmly as he replied,
"Of course. I promise I'll make her happy!"
Reiju laughed cheerfully and then ran off toward the kitchens, where Sanji was cooking with complete concentration. It was time for the two of them to return to their daily training, while Orion had to continue carrying out his duties as a cook in Germa 66's kitchens.
There were only five days left until the completion of his mission, and the situation within Germa 66 was entering its final stage.
Taking a small vial of medicine out of his inventory—the one his grandmother Bianca had sent through Shyarly that very morning—Orion smiled gently, thinking that he finally had everything necessary to cure Sora, and that tonight he would at last be able to do so.