September 24, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
When Orion returned to the capital city of Dressrosa after his fruitless conversation with King Riku, he used his abilities to rescue a large number of people from the fire that was consuming the city. At the same time, he tried to gather information from them, gradually forming a clearer picture of the world in which he currently found himself.
Based on the information provided by the people, as well as a newspaper he had found amid the chaos, Orion was able to determine that he had traveled through time—not into the past, but into the future. The current year was 1510, which meant that this Time Dungeon was unfolding seven years ahead, taking as reference the point in time where he existed in his original timeline.
This discovery caused Orion some concern, since it meant that there was a strong possibility that Doflamingo might be planning a similar attack on Dressrosa in his own world. If that were the case, Orion could not afford to stand by and allow his family to be harmed.
After all, his wife Scarlett was the heir to the throne, and the child growing in her womb would be next in the line of succession to the kingdom of Dressrosa. If Doflamingo truly attacked, Orion's family would be his highest-priority targets.
Until now, Orion and Doflamingo had already clashed several times, and both wanted to completely eliminate the other. However, with this new information, the Warlord's status in Orion's mind changed entirely, turning him into a mortal enemy who needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Even so, those were matters he would have to resolve once he returned to his original world, because for now he needed to focus on successfully completing the Time Dungeon. There were still 67 hours remaining before the Dungeon's time limit ended, and Orion intended to do everything within his power during that window.
As he ran toward the royal castle, Orion reflected on all the information he had gathered over the past few hours, though his thoughts kept circling back to one particular detail: according to the widely known news within the kingdom, Scarlett had died years ago in a tragic accident.
Orion felt a sharp stab in his heart the moment he thought about Scarlett's tragic fate in this timeline, and once again he worried about the future of his own world, thinking that when he returned, he would have to speak with her and convince her to keep one of the women from his harem at her side as a bodyguard.
He did not know exactly what had happened to the Scarlett of this timeline, but he was unwilling to risk his beloved Scarlett suffering the same fate.
At last, Orion reached the castle, intent on thoroughly investigating the incident that had supposedly caused Scarlett's death, while also keeping watch on Doflamingo and his forces from a safe distance.
Now that his spatial abilities had improved—thanks to the increase in his "understanding" attribute—he did not need to worry too much about being detected by Doflamingo, as long as he did not get too close to him.
The moment Orion entered the royal castle, a small toy soldier fell from a high window, fleeing as fast as its toy body allowed. The two missed each other by mere seconds—a fleeting moment that would completely alter the course of events within the Time Dungeon.
Using his espionage skills and his Space Door, it was not difficult for Orion to infiltrate deep into the castle and gain access to the archives kept there. Even so, he was unable to find much information about Scarlett, who, just as the inhabitants of the kingdom had mentioned, had supposedly died in a nautical accident.
The fact that there was no information about the incident in the kingdom's official records made Orion begin to suspect that the situation was likely far more complicated than the official version claimed. Still, with no further leads to follow, he had no choice but to wait for Viola to awaken from her stupor in order to hear the truth directly from her.
After unsuccessfully reviewing the information regarding Scarlett, Orion took advantage of the opportunity to observe Doflamingo and his crew. After all, a clash with the Warlord in the future was inevitable, whether inside or outside the Time Dungeon. Silent as a shadow, Orion began his surveillance.
…
September 25, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
At last, more than a full day passed while Orion carefully monitored his enemies' movements. It was now midday on the second day of his stay within the Time Dungeon, and 47 hours remained before the deadline at which he would have to leave this parallel dimension.
During the previous day, Orion had uncovered several crucial details while analyzing the power levels and abilities of Doflamingo's subordinates.
To begin with, he discovered in horror that a small girl named Sugar, who was part of the Warlord's crew, possessed the ability to transform people into toys. Even more terrifying than the transformation itself was the fact that everyone's memories of the affected person were erased, as though their very existence were wiped away from the world the moment they were turned into toys.
Orion had witnessed the process with his own eyes when Sugar began turning several of King Riku's soldiers, who were being held prisoner, into toys, and he had been fortunate that the system reacted actively to the girl's power.
At the very moment when his memories of the man who had been transformed into a toy were about to disappear completely, the system reacted violently, as if his mind itself were under attack by an enemy. Then, through the use of 1000 SP, Orion had been able to prevent those memories from being erased, allowing him to understand the workings of Sugar's powers in detail.
Even so, spending 1000 SP to preserve memories of complete strangers was a total waste in Orion's eyes, so after the first case he no longer invested any more System Points into it, allowing his memories of the soldiers of Dressrosa who were loyal to King Riku to fade from his mind.
Although he could no longer recall the true appearance of the multitude of toys present there, he clearly remembered the process that had unfolded before his eyes, which allowed him to infer the identities of the toys in that place.
After witnessing such a terrifying scene, Orion decided that Sugar was the greatest threat within Doflamingo's crew, and resolved to eliminate her both inside this Time Dungeon and in the real world.
Once he returned to his original dimension in a couple of days, the very first thing he would do would be to contact the Northern Revolutionary Army under Karasu's command, requesting a detailed investigation into the composition of Doflamingo's crew.
Considering that Sugar was only a child, it was possible that Doflamingo had not yet recruited her in the real world, though Orion could not be completely sure. If she was already among the Warlord's ranks, Orion would have to eliminate her as soon as possible to prevent future problems, and it would even be ideal to seize her Devil Fruit.
On the other hand, if she had not yet been recruited, Orion would need to find her and prevent Doflamingo from recruiting her, while at the same time locating her Devil Fruit so that the Warlord could not simply create a replacement.
Orion had spent only a few days of peace in his kingdom alongside his loved ones and he was already thinking about setting out once again for the North Blue to deal with this matter; however, all of that would have to wait until the following year, since he at least wanted to be present for the birth of his second child, whose delivery was expected in the first days of January.
Aside from Sugar, Orion also gathered information about the rest of Doflamingo's crew, assessing their power levels and threat potential. Without a doubt, the most dangerous were the three top executives named after the suits of a card deck, though the woman known as Monet was also quite powerful thanks to her Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities.
As for the rest of the crew, they were at a decent level, but Orion believed that he was perfectly capable of eliminating them if he so desired, though Doflamingo's presence made doing so far more complicated.
For now, his primary objective was to deal with Sugar, because if he allowed her to freely use her power in Dressrosa, she would be capable of enslaving the entire kingdom given enough time, erasing any chance for its inhabitants to ever reclaim their lost freedom.
Just as Orion was planning the best moment to eliminate Sugar, he felt Giolla calling out to him from within the Pocket Dimension, so he opened a door in the air and stepped into the small parallel dimension, where he found that Viola had finally awakened.
The beautiful princess of Dressrosa was still somewhat dazed after waking from a long stupor, though she knew she had no time to rest now, as the memories of what had happened before she lost consciousness flooded back into her mind the moment she awoke.
"Your name is Orion, right?" Viola said, looking at him with a complicated expression.
She had seen the memories of this mysterious man who had suddenly appeared to save both her and her father from Doflamingo's attack, only to discover that Orion came from a completely different world.
In that world, he was Scarlett's husband and the official prince consort of Dressrosa. Just thinking about Orion's memories, where he had spent countless nights creating an heir to the throne with her older sister, made Viola's cheeks flush, the redness spreading all the way to her adorable ears.
Naturally, Orion had no idea what was going through Viola's mind at that moment, because he was completely focused on a single thing: obtaining information about Scarlett.
Letting out a sigh to calm his agitated emotions, Orion took Viola by the shoulders, causing the girl to blush even more as she gave a small, adorable hop, startled by his sudden movement. Then, looking her straight in the eyes, he asked,
"Viola, I've been investigating the situation in the kingdom a bit while you were unconscious… Is it true that your sister Scarlett has died?"
Orion's voice cracked slightly at the end of the question, though it was almost imperceptible. Only someone like Viola, who was accustomed to paying attention to even the smallest details, could notice such a subtle change.
Seeing Orion's concern, and recalling all the scenes she had witnessed in his memories, Viola realized that his feelings toward her older sister were genuine, and the last trace of suspicion she held toward him vanished completely.
Stretching out her arm, she placed her soft hand against Orion's cheek and said with a smile,
"You'd better see it with your own eyes."
After that, she activated the powers of her Devil Fruit, transmitting the memories from her own mind directly into Orion's. The entire process lasted only a few brief seconds, and when Viola withdrew her hand from his face, he already had all the information he needed.
Scarlett was not dead! She had been living together with her daughter in a small house far removed from the world, on Flower Hill. As for the reason she was so far away from the capital city and the royal palace, it was because she had faked her death in order to live peacefully and quietly alongside her daughter, Rebecca.
Even so, although Orion felt relieved to know that the Scarlett of this timeline was still alive, there was something wrong with the memories he had received from Viola, and he noticed it almost immediately. It was as if Viola's memories were full of gaps, causing many events to make little sense.
To begin with, why would King Riku have allowed his beloved daughter to go live alone in the middle of the countryside with her baby, even going so far as to fake her death? Was Riku really the kind of person who would put his daughter and granddaughter in danger just to prevent the kingdom from learning about the existence of an heir born out of wedlock?
Orion knew that Riku was not that kind of person, which was why he could not help but instinctively doubt the veracity of Viola's memories. Scarlett, despite her great talent for administration—which was even greater than that of his uncle Lolo—had no combat ability whatsoever, making it dangerous to leave her alone with her baby in a remote place like Flower Hill.
After all, even though Dressrosa was a fairly peaceful kingdom with a low crime rate, that did not mean criminals and degenerates did not exist, since such people were always present in any society.
Moreover, in Viola's memories there was no trace at all of the identity of Rebecca's father, Scarlett's daughter, which was quite strange considering how close the two sisters were.
Clearly, there was something off about Viola's memories, and Orion immediately conjectured that it was the effect of Sugar's powers. He had personally seen how that Devil Fruit worked and knew that the existence of people transformed into toys was erased from the world and from everyone's memories, so Rebecca's father had likely suffered that fate.
Even so, Orion said nothing about it, as he did not want to agitate Viola and Riku at this moment. There would be time later to explain the situation to them in detail, but for now the most important thing was to find Scarlett and keep her safe. After all, Doflamingo's soldiers were already spread throughout the kingdom, tying up every loose end of his invasion of Dressrosa.
"Perfect, I already know where Scarlett's house is. You stay inside the Pocket Dimension while I go get her and make sure she's safe," Orion said as he opened a door and stepped out into the outside world, without waiting for a response.
Although he appeared to be in a normal emotional state on the surface, in reality he was quite agitated by everything he was experiencing in this Time Dungeon. If this invasion had been taking place somewhere unfamiliar to him, the situation would have been different, but seeing people so dear to him going through such a hell filled him with intense emotions.
When that was combined with the fact that there was another Scarlett in this world, living a completely different life and even having a daughter, Orion could not possibly be in a fully stable state of mind. Fortunately for him, both the presence of the system counter—indicating the remaining time of the Dungeon—and that of his beloved wife Giolla, who silently accompanied him, served as perfect anchors to keep him from losing himself in the illusion of the Time Dungeon, reminding him that this was not the real world, or at least not his world.
Orion left the Pocket Dimension behind, and Viola remained there, watching through the red membrane that showed what was happening in the outside world. She had wanted Orion to take her with him to look for her older sister, but she could understand Orion's urgency, given his turbulent emotions.
Even so, it was difficult for her to process that Orion came from a different dimension, though she had no choice but to force herself to accept it.
Lightly striking her cheeks with both palms, Viola encouraged herself, thinking that this was not the time to worry about such complicated matters and that she should instead do everything she could to improve the current situation.
With that in mind, she turned to look in the direction where her father stood—who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation between Viola and Orion—and decided that it was her responsibility to explain Orion's origins to King Riku and convince him that he was not an enemy.
Viola knew that her father was in a very fragile state of mind, having been forced by Doflamingo to massacre his own subjects, yet right now both she and the rest of Dressrosa needed their king to remain firm and ready to act.
Relying on Orion's help at this moment was fine, but at the end of the day he was still a foreigner, and he could not shoulder the enormous problem that Doflamingo represented on their behalf.
As members of the royal family of Dressrosa, which had ruled for eight hundred years, it was their duty to stand firm in the face of adversity and confront their enemies, doing their utmost to ensure that the people of the kingdom suffered as little as possible.
Unlike the Viola of Orion's world, who was merely an immature child, the Viola of this world was already a mature woman who had trained for years to become the future queen of Dressrosa. In this moment of chaos, she was the one who could support her father and prevent him from collapsing under the weight of the tragic events unfolding across the kingdom.
…
Orion ran at full speed using Soru, and in less than half an hour he was already standing before the small house where Scarlett and Rebecca lived their peaceful lives. However, the expression on his face was not one of relief at having found them; instead, his brow was furrowed as he scanned the surroundings with his Prism Eyes and his Observation Haki.
After several minutes of fruitless searching, Orion clicked his tongue in irritation and once again opened a door in midair, allowing Viola to emerge.
Along with the princess of Dressrosa, Giolla and King Riku also stepped out. After hearing his daughter's explanation regarding Orion's origins, the king was far calmer than before and no longer showed hostility toward his savior.
"Viola, Scarlett isn't here. Can you use your ability to find her?" Orion said, getting straight to the point.
Viola nodded quickly and immediately activated the powers of her Giro Giro no Mi. Her field of vision changed completely, as if she were gazing down upon the kingdom of Dressrosa from the heavens themselves, like a goddess.
Little by little, she swept across Flower Hill and the surrounding villages in search of any trace of her sister, but as the minutes passed she grew increasingly fatigued. Finally, after nearly an hour of searching, she collapsed to her knees on the ground, breathing heavily.
Although her powers were truly impressive, using them intensively caused severe mental exhaustion. She had been searching for her sister's whereabouts with extreme concentration, which had taken a heavy toll on her mind.
Looking at her with a slightly furrowed brow, Orion asked,
"Were you able to find her, Viola?"
However, the princess's answer was negative. Shaking her head, she said with her eyes closed,
"I couldn't find her. She must be hiding out of fear of being discovered by the enemies. Perhaps she has already come into contact with them."
While Viola's ability allowed her to see everything that was happening throughout the kingdom, it was possible to evade her observation if someone was actively hiding. She could not use Observation Haki to sense people's presence in a location; instead, she had to carefully examine each place in search of Scarlett, so it was entirely possible that she would fail to find her if Scarlett was well hidden.
Orion let out a soft sigh at Viola's response, but immediately followed it with a gentle smile as he said,
"Alright, don't worry. I'll take care of searching the area myself. You rest here with your father and Giolla. Once you've recovered, try again. Don't worry—so long as Doflamingo and his men don't find her, she'll be fine. I promise I'll do everything I can to bring her and her little daughter back safe and sound."
Orion was worried about Scarlett, but right now he had to remain calm and drive the dark thoughts from Viola's and Riku's minds. They had already suffered more than enough from Doflamingo's invasion, and Orion did not want them to endure even more.
Viola opened her eyes and looked at Orion with a bright gaze, understanding at that moment why the Scarlett of the other world had chosen to become his wife. Right now, Orion's passive buffs were affecting the second princess of Dressrosa, who—had she not been so concerned about the state of the kingdom—would probably have acted assertively, like any woman from the kingdom of passion, to seduce him.
After bidding Giolla farewell with a kiss and asking her to look after Viola and Riku, Orion used Soru and began his search for Scarlett. The Time Dungeon's timer continued its countdown, and soon events would accelerate with fierce intensity.