November 8, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion descended from the treetops like a bird of prey, and without a single word began his assault on the slavers.
*Ding*
*You have eliminated a threat to the people of this area. You have obtained 50 SP.*
*You have obtained 42 SP.*
*You have obtained 34 SP.*
(...)
The notifications began piling up on the system's screen as Orion destroyed his enemies one after another.
This group of slavers was large and well-organized, having terrorized countless people over the years. If Orion hadn't appeared now to purge them, they would no doubt have gone on to harm many more, as evidenced by the amount of SP Orion was earning with each kill.
The SP the system awarded was not directly related to the strength of the person eliminated, but rather to the danger they posed to innocent people and the amount of harm they could cause if left in this world.
It could very well happen that a person with very little combat power but incredible influence—or someone in a position of authority—would yield far more SP than a formidable opponent, since such an individual represented a greater danger to society itself.
Of course, generally speaking, the more powerful a person was, the more dangerous they tended to be, but this was not always the case. For example, right now, although these slavers were not all that powerful, the amount of SP Orion was obtaining from them was much higher than what he had gained from pirates of the same level in the South Blue, and that was due to the scale of their organization and activities in the Grand Line.
Gab watched in astonishment as Orion "danced" across the battlefield like a god of death, harvesting the lives of the invaders who had been suppressing them just moments ago.
Obviously, the situation hadn't been completely reversed yet, as many slavers hadn't even noticed Orion's presence, but for the natives of this island—who had been on the verge of defeat—his sudden appearance did not go unnoticed.
Orion opened a door in the air, and Olive emerged like a tigress, brandishing a pair of pistols and leaping into battle. She had been shouting from inside the Pocket Dimension, demanding the chance to participate, and Orion had no reason to refuse her help. She was a formidable pirate, and although not on Orion's level, she could hold her own and help him deal with the crowd of enemies.
What Orion did not expect, however, was that when Olive emerged from the Pocket Dimension, Hina and Sharinguru also seized the opportunity to escape and join the fight!
Hina couldn't stand idly by while witnessing the injustice of the slavers attacking the island's natives; and though she wouldn't admit it, she was worried about Orion and wanted to help him, even if just a little.
Sharinguru, on the other hand, simply wanted to show his gratitude to Orion for saving his parents—on top of the fact that they needed the people of this island to lift the curse on them—so he could not allow these slavers to prevail.
Both were the same age, and both were Devil Fruit users, so their arrival on the battlefield had an immediate impact.
Hina rushed forward at full speed using Soru, while simultaneously restraining enemies with her iron bars.
Sharinguru, by contrast, was far more brutal in his fighting style, using his Devil Fruit to spin his arms and legs at high speed, building up massive amounts of energy before unleashing devastating strikes on the slavers. It was not uncommon for the sheer force of his blows to completely shatter much of his enemies' bones, leaving them in a tragic state.
However, the situation was not entirely favorable. Sharinguru had no combat experience and hadn't possessed his Devil Fruit for long, so he couldn't control it as well as Hina could. He was in a state of "full power" continuously, and was reaching the limits of how long he could sustain himself in battle—while many enemies still remained around them.
A similar problem was happening with Hina, who, despite being a prodigy, was still very young and lacked stamina. After restraining nearly a hundred enemies, she was visibly exhausted and breathing heavily, though she refused to stop, determined to help Orion until the very end.
The one having the least trouble was Olive, who, with her vast experience and superhuman strength, was wreaking havoc among the enemies while also keeping an eye on the two youngsters to make sure they didn't get hurt and jeopardize her beloved's fight.
Orion saw that Olive was watching over Hina and Sharinguru's safety, and he smiled in relief, focusing entirely on the battle against the slavers.
"Thirty-six Styles—Dragon's Meteor Sword!"
Orion's blade began to move at incredible speed, creating afterimages as if a true rain of silver meteors were descending upon the enemies, who, despite their best efforts, could not withstand the attack, falling gravely injured or dead.
Suddenly, one of the slavers shouted in anger, and his body began to grow rapidly, changing shape at the same time. In an instant, he transformed into a massive pig—or rather, a wild boar.
"Damn it, a Devil Fruit user!" Orion muttered, somewhat annoyed at the appearance of yet another troublesome opponent.
In this world, Devil Fruits were definitely not common, but in large organizations like this one, it was usually possible to find at least one user among their ranks.
Looking at the boar-man wearing dark sunglasses and with tusks protruding from his mouth, Orion couldn't help but think that this guy looked suspiciously similar to a certain meme from his previous life—one that referred to a very particular group of people.
Once his mind made that association, it became impossible not to find him a little funny, though that didn't mean he underestimated his power.
Orion possessed the "Strong Body (Level 7)" skill, which made his physique eight times stronger than that of a normal person, so this kind of Zoan-type Devil Fruit, whose main function was to boost strength, didn't represent as big a threat as other, more abstract abilities.
"One Fleur," Orion said, materializing a Shigan that pierced one of his opponent's eyes.
If the boar-man hadn't reacted and taken a step back at the last second, Orion would have destroyed his brain, ending the fight in a rather anticlimactic way.
"Damn you!! Attack! Attack!" roared the boar as he clutched his eye, which was bleeding profusely.
"Olive!" Orion said.
"On it," Olive replied, already understanding what Orion wanted with just one look. It was strange, but ever since their first passionate night together, she had felt as if there was an invisible connection between them.
Olive dashed toward Gab and the other shamans, and without any warning, hurled them into the Pocket Dimension through a Space Door that Orion had just opened.
This was the most advanced group of people, and they were stuck in the middle of the battlefield unable to help, so Orion decided to simply get them to safety and prevent them from being used by the slavers as hostages or something worse.
"Haaa… haaa… Hina is tired," the little Marine said, pausing to look at the countless slavers she had captured in her iron bars.
"Hina, Sharinguru, get into the Pocket Dimension," Orion ordered, even as he was being attacked from all four sides by slavers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several gunshots rang out in quick succession, and a large number of enemies dropped dead after being struck by the very same bullets they had fired—bullets Orion had turned against them.
A sword pierced through Orion's torso while he was distracted, slicing his body in two and making the enemies cheer in delight. But their joy was short-lived, for his body instantly dissolved into a pool of ink, revealing its true nature: Canvas Realm + Art Coating!
And the surprises didn't end there—at that exact moment, Orion released the Art Coating he had used on several explosives, causing them to detonate instantly. A large group of slavers was caught in the blasts, screaming in terror before entering the cycle of reincarnation.
The slavers stopped their attack and looked around. Their allies were being completely overwhelmed, and the only reason they could still fight was their sheer numerical advantage. However, if things continued like this, they feared that sooner or later they would be wiped out entirely.
Desperate for something to cling to, the slavers turned to their leader—the boar-man—who was charging toward Orion with a massive club, ready for close combat. What they saw next, however, plunged them into utter despair.
Orion was quite exhausted from the battle. Having to use countless abilities one after another was draining all of his mental strength. It wasn't easy to wield such powerful skills simultaneously, and the effort was starting to take its toll. He had begun to feel a bit dizzy, but he clenched his teeth and endured, knowing he couldn't afford to show any weakness.
The moment the enemy realized he was starting to tire, they would regain their fighting spirit and crush him with sheer numbers before he could do anything about it. That was why he had to remain strong—and that was why he would remain strong.
Orion saw the boar-man approaching aggressively, feeling the weariness in both his body and mind. He took a deep breath and stepped forward with resolve. Nothing else mattered—right now, the only thing he had to do was take down this damned pig!
Orion didn't know it yet, but within him lay a dormant power that had been stirring with his emotions, and at the moment he stepped forward with the intent to end his enemy, that power awakened like an enraged beast, erupting like a volcano.
Swish!
An invisible wave of energy burst out from Orion's body, freezing all the enemies around him in fear. Then, the weaker ones began collapsing to the ground unconscious, their eyes rolling back into their heads.
The boar-man didn't faint, but his body was completely paralyzed, unable to move a single finger as Orion leaped over his head and came down on him like the god of death.
The slavers who were a little farther away were not affected by Orion's Conqueror's Haki, but they saw their comrades collapse unconscious without anyone touching them, dropping like flies. Then, in utter despair, they watched Orion make a great leap and descend upon their leader, slicing his body into two perfect halves!
That was the moment fear took over them, and without anyone giving an order—simply following their most basic instincts—the slavers began to run for their lives. They fled toward the coast at full speed, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the monstrous entity that had suddenly appeared before them, eliminating nearly half their forces.
In the Grand Line, one had to know when to flee, and these slavers certainly knew when to listen to their survival instinct.
Orion watched the slavers running in panic but made no attempt to chase them. In his current state, this was the best outcome he could achieve, and if he tried to finish them all off, he would likely end up in unnecessary danger. It was a shame Ivankov wasn't here, as this would have been the perfect opportunity to wipe out this group of individuals who made their living by enslaving others.
The island's natives looked on in great astonishment, unsure how to react. They had been in a desperate situation, suddenly attacked by foreigners, but in the blink of an eye, the situation had been resolved by the help of another foreigner.
Their people did not have the strict isolationism of Wano, but it was true that they never took the initiative to leave their lands or interact with the outside world, meaning it had been a long time since they had interacted with outsiders.
In a single day, they had seen two very different faces of what the outside world represented for most of them: the terror of facing hostile slavers, and the awe of witnessing Orion rescue them with incredible power.
One of the warriors approached Orion slowly, with determination but also a certain caution, gripping his spear tightly from nervousness. He gave a slight bow in greeting and said,
"Thank you for your help… But what happened to our shamans?"
Everyone present had seen the group of shamans, already out of the fight, vanish without a trace after being thrown into a portal by Olive, so they were somewhat anxious about their well-being.
Orion, who until that moment had been watching his enemies' retreat with solemnity, finally relaxed upon seeing they had truly left, and his body lost its balance under the surprised gaze of the warrior beside him.
Fortunately, at that exact moment Olive appeared, wrapping him in her sensual embrace and holding him steady. She would not allow her man to lose the dignity he had just earned over a moment of fatigue.
Without realizing it, Olive had begun to consider these kinds of small details, becoming more consciously aware of Orion and his feelings. The love she was experiencing for the first time in her life was truly a hurricane, just as her late mother had told her it would be.
Orion smiled. Then, with a wave of his hand, he opened a door in the air, allowing the shamans—who had been watching the situation through the red membrane separating both planes—to step out completely unscathed, though exhausted, and reunite with their people.
The warrior saw the shamans reappear beside him and felt a bit ashamed for having doubted his savior, so he immediately thanked Orion again, this time bowing fully with solemnity.
Orion embraced Olive, and after resting for a few moments to recover from his mental fatigue, he walked over to where the island's natives were, to introduce himself and decide on the next course of action.
These people could not remain on this island, at least not without being attacked again by the World Government's forces. Orion didn't know the reason for the Celestial Dragons' interest in them—and perhaps there wasn't even one—but he knew they would not rest until they were enslaved, and that was something he had to communicate so they could make a decision about their future.
Meanwhile, Hina and Sharinguru kept their distance, guarding the slavers who had been captured by the small marine. A large number of them had been struck by Orion's Conqueror's Haki and lay unconscious, but a few lucky ones were still awake, desperately trying to break free from the relentless bars.
The leader of the shamans, who was also the de facto leader of this community, approached Orion along with the small group of shamans to speak with him and thank him for his help on this occasion. Meanwhile, the warriors were freeing the people who had been captured by the slavers and were trapped inside nets.
"Greetings, visitor. My name is Javiero. On behalf of my people, I thank you for saving us!" said the elderly man humbly, bowing with solemnity.
The rest of the shamans followed his example, and regardless of whether they were injured like Gab, not one of them refused to bow respectfully to thank Orion.
"It's no problem, there's no need for such formality. It was simply something I wanted to do," Orion replied with a cheerful smile, which surprised the shamans.
Seeing the violent way Orion had fought against the slavers, they hadn't expected him to be so friendly, and were prepared to deal with a surly, difficult person. But upon seeing his carefree, sincere smile, the shamans felt a bit relieved, and their good impression of Orion grew even stronger.
This was especially true for Gab, who was naturally shy and somewhat cowardly due to his past experiences, and thus preferred to deal with people like Orion, who seemed friendly and easy to approach.
"Even so, if there's anything we can do to show our gratitude, please don't hesitate to tell us. We are humble people and have no wealth, but if you have a request, we will gladly fulfill it," said the elder shaman, looking at Orion frankly—but with a certain shrewdness in his gaze.
He had experience dealing with all kinds of people and had lived a long life full of all kinds of events. He could tell at a glance that Orion hadn't come to their humble community by mere chance, and although he didn't know his purpose for coming here, perhaps there would be some way they could help to repay their debt of gratitude.
Orion did not act hypocritically with them. He simply opened his Pocket Dimension and asked Olive to bring Sharinguru's parents. As soon as the shamans saw the blacksmith couple, covered in veins of dark energy, they reacted with surprise—but not panic.
"To tell the truth, I came here hoping you could help dissolve the curse that is affecting these people," Orion said seriously.
The elder shaman nodded thoughtfully and approached the couple to examine the curse. After a few minutes, he finished his inspection, and with a smile, said to Orion,
"There's no problem—it is possible to dissolve this curse. Luckily, they've been under its effect for only a short time, so it won't be difficult to remove."
Orion breathed a sigh of relief, and Sharinguru—who had appeared at his side as soon as Olive brought his parents before the shaman—felt his eyes well up, and a smile spread across his youthful face.
Gab, on the other hand, was staring at the blacksmith couple lying on the ground. With his innate talent, he could see a dark energy blacker than the night itself, and within that darkness, two crimson-red eyes that seemed to be staring directly at him, as if he were an insect.
No one noticed the expression of horror on the young shaman's face, nor the involuntary trembling of his body.
...
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