July 6, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion was thrown once more, crashing into a large rock in the distance. The bones in his back rattled, but thanks to his passive skill "Strong Body (Level 3)," he wasn't seriously injured.
However, a trickle of blood ran from the side of his mouth
"What's wrong, Orion? Is that all you can do? At that level, you couldn't survive a week in the Grand Line!" Roger said in the distance. He stood in a relaxed pose, his sword resting on his shoulder, and his other hand on his waist.
Orion stood firm and breathed deeply. He didn't respond to Roger's provocations. The best response was action.
He focused all his spirit on the blade of his cutlass and accelerated at the highest speed possible.
Roger looked to his right, where the little boy had appeared, and slashed at him with his sword without hesitation. However, his attack missed Orion, who immediately changed direction, appearing on the pirate king's left side.
"Thirty-six styles, dragon's meteor sword!"
Orion used an attack that relied on multiple high-speed thrusts, but Roger blocked his attack with a simple move of his sword. He then stepped forward without missing a beat and struck Orion in the forehead with a flick of his finger.
Roger thought the exchange would end there. After several months of training Orion, he was completely familiar with his power level and could adjust his attacks accordingly.
However, this time, things deviated from the living legend's expectations.
Orion withstood Roger's attack, deflecting much of the power with a subtle shift in his center of gravity. Then, taking advantage of the pirate's momentary guard down, he used his secret attack, which he had been practicing for months.
"Kamusari!" Orion shouted, as Roger looked on in astonishment. Roger briefly didn't react and was hit by the attack.
Roger flew off and fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, raising a large cloud of dust. Rouge, who was sitting in the shade of a tree a few meters away, began to laugh loudly and clap her hands with joy at the comical scene.
On the other hand, a bell rang in Orion's mind, and a notification appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*Skill "Swordsmanship" has leveled up*
*You have obtained 500 SP by increasing the level of "Swordsmanship" on your own*
Orion looked at the notifications and felt great joy. Finally! After six months of training with Roger, he had managed to increase his Swordsmanship skill.
Furthermore, he had gained 500 SP in the process!
It was the first time he'd earned points for leveling up a skill, which surprised him quite a bit. In the future, he'd have to try leveling up more skills naturally to see if this was a recurring issue or if it was a situation specific to the Swordsmanship skill.
Roger stood up coughing from the cloud of dust and approached Orion as he began to laugh happily.
"Hey, Orion, you had that attack saved up for me. You caught me by surprise. I never thought you'd try to use an attack whose main power is based on the use of Haki when you can't use it at all! Hahahaha!"
Roger continued to approach while laughing, but suddenly stopped his classic laughter and looked in surprise at the boy he'd been living with for the past six months.
Orion had sheathed his sword and placed it beside him.
And now, he was kneeling on the ground, looking at Roger solemnly.
Looking at the pirate king, who had taught him so many things over the past few months without asking anything in return, Orion couldn't help but feel a warm feeling in his chest.
Faced with the pirate king's astonished gaze, he bowed his head until his forehead touched the ground and respectfully greeted the man he considered his master.
"Master Roger... Thank you so much for all your teachings!"
Roger regained his composure and simply smiled happily, then approached Orion, lifted him by scruff of the neck, and began patting him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Little rascal, you're very good at everything, but if there's one bad thing, it's that you're so formal and polite! A man should be more free! There's no need for so much formality between us."
After spending half a year with Orion, Roger had grown very fond of him, and although he wouldn't admit it, he was proud to have him as a pseudo-apprentice. Although from his point of view, their relationship was more of a friendship.
...............…
The day had finally arrived. Today was the mission deadline, and he knew something would happen before the day was out.
On the table in front of him, there were all kinds of delicacies. It was customary for dinners to be abundant in this house, and Rouge was a truly good cook.
Roger, holding a chicken leg, was laughing and telling stories about his adventures on the Grand Line, and Rouge was cupping her cheeks, listening to him completely enthralled, with the look of a woman in love.
Finally, when the food on the table was about to be completely erased from this plane of existence by the pirate king's voracious appetite, Rouge poured her man more wine and, looking at him with joy, said happily:
"I have great news to share. I'm pregnant!"
Rouge's words were like a bomb exploding in the quiet autumn night.
Roger stopped eating and looked at her in surprise, then hurriedly stood up and took her in his arms, laughing with joy.
Seeing the couple lovingly embracing and celebrating the fruit of their love, Orion got up from the table, intending to leave them alone to enjoy their family moment.
However, he couldn't slip away because two hands grabbed him like pliers. One large, calloused hand, and the other smaller, more delicate one.
"Where are you running off to, Orion?! You won't be able to leave until dawn today! It's time to celebrate!"
Orion saw the couple bursting with joy, their hands firmly on his shoulders, and he felt part of this small family. He wasn't a stranger here; he had earned his place in this warm home.
...............
July 7, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion looked at the stars in the clear autumn sky.
The night was cold, but it didn't bother him too much.
They had finished celebrating the news of Rouge's pregnancy, and now the couple was finally alone together, talking about their future.
Orion knew that certain events were inevitable. The pirate king would die, ushering in a new era of pirates. The protagonist of the story, Luffy, would set out to find the treasure Roger had hidden.
This was knowledge he had from his previous life, which he had supplemented with the information Roger had given him over the past few months.
It's worth noting that no matter how much Orion asked about the treasure known as One Piece, Roger never said anything to him about it. He simply replied that he was very formal and needed to be more free in the future. He then advised him to go out into the world and explore, and perhaps one day he would discover the One Piece and its mysteries.
Orion had no intention of going in search of the One Piece, as his hands were full trying to improve the world. And while he did plan to go on adventures in the future, the search for such a great treasure was an undertaking that would require him to focus completely on it, and that was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Still, Orion had thought that in the distant future, when he had enough power, he could fund explorers to search for it for him. He had even flirted with the idea of finding Luffy and helping him however he could in his search for the One Piece.
Of course, these were just thoughts and fantasies for the moment. No one could know how events would unfold in the future, and he firmly believed in taking things one step at a time, without getting too lost in a point too far in the future.
Perhaps it was because of that same pragmatic attitude that his master, Roger, refused to give him information about the One Piece and wanted him to explore it on his own. Perhaps the pirate king believed his little apprentice should live his life more romantically.
The door of the house opened, and Roger's figure appeared in the quiet autumn night.
He walked over to where Orion was sitting and sat down next to him.
Then, looking up at the starry sky, he said:
"Orion, I've decided to leave today."
Orion wasn't surprised; he knew, thanks to the system mission, that the deadline had arrived. Nevertheless, he continued the conversation.
"Where will you go, Master Roger?"
"I'm going to give myself up to the marine. My life is coming to an end, so I want to leave with as much noise as possible! Haha."
Orion smiled slightly. This was classic behavior for his master.
He stood up, his gaze level with Roger's, who was sitting.
Then, he said with complete seriousness:
"Master, I will protect your family. I give you my word that I won't let anything happen to them!"
Roger looked into his eyes without saying anything for a few moments. The silence remained in the autumn night, but it wasn't an awkward silence. The two of them were communicating without speaking, through their gazes.
Finally, Roger smiled carelessly, as he often did, and placed his hand on his apprentice's head, ruffling his hair vigorously.
"Hahaha! Then I'll thank you in advance, Orion. Thank you for your efforts!"
Orion didn't say anything else. He simply swore in his heart that he wouldn't let anything bad happen to his master's son in the future. If he couldn't even protect a little boy, how could he possibly improve the world?
Roger stood up and slapped his butt with his hands to dust off his pants.
He looked at Orion and said,
"Come with me to the coast."
Orion nodded silently, and they began walking together toward the coast.
Along the way, Roger was the first to break the silence.
"I've already spoken with Rouge and told her I was going to surrender myself to the marine. I didn't want to put it off too long, otherwise it would make it harder to say goodbye. I think it's best to just leave right away, and let the last memory she has of me be the happiness of this night."
Roger, despite appearing to be a carefree guy who didn't think much about things, had a certain complexity that he rarely displayed.
All the way, Orion remained silent, listening attentively to Roger's words, who talked nonstop as usual. He spoke of his traveling companions and told him that if he saw them in the future, he should say hello for him.
He told him about some of his adventures, and even though Orion had heard these stories before, he listened attentively and with interest. Roger always had something new to share; even when he was telling a story he already knew, he could always learn something new.
Chatting and walking slowly, they reached the shore, where Roger had a small boat ready to depart. Perhaps he'd been planning his departure for some time, but he hadn't decided to leave until today, when Rouge broke the news of her pregnancy.
Roger, who had been walking with his hands behind his head and talking about his adventures, finally stopped in front of the ship and turned around to see the little boy following close behind him.
However, seeing Orion's eyes brimming with tears, he couldn't help but be surprised.
During the six months they'd spent together, he'd never seen Orion cry or appear so vulnerable.
"Hey, hey, no need to cry! If we're going to say goodbye, let's do it with a smile!" Roger said happily.
Orion wiped his tears with his shirtsleeve and said once again firmly, "Master Roger, thank you for everything."
Roger simply continued to smile and patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Well, it's time for me to go, Orion. The next time you see me, it'll probably be in a newspaper!"
Then, he took his Cutlass "Ace" from his belt and placed it in Orion's hands, who looked up in surprise, with a confused expression.
"Don't look at me like that, this is a small gift from me! Even though you don't have the slightest talent for Haki, your tenacity and swordsmanship are very good. I'm sure you can put this sword to good use. Although it would be best if you didn't use it in public, at least until you have enough power to take on the marine. Otherwise, you could get into trouble."
Orion felt the weight of the Cutlass in his hands, one of the 12 supreme-grade swords, and his heart began to pound. "Did he deserve such a precious object?" he wondered.
"Master Roger, this sword… It's too valuable…"
"Bah! You're an excellent boy, but if there's one thing wrong with you, it's that you're too formal and polite! A man must move forward decisively! Accept my sword; it will surely help you achieve your goals in the future. Didn't you have a grand goal of changing the world and making it a better place? Consider this my contribution!"
Orion tightly clenched the hands that were holding the sword and nodded firmly.
"Thank you very much. I promise to train and be worthy of this sword—ouch!"
A blow from Roger interrupted his solemn promise.
"I already told you to stop being so formal!"
Roger laughed and jumped into the small boat. Then, without another word, he began to sail toward the horizon.
Orion watched him leave in the small boat, and only when his figure disappeared over the horizon did tears flow from his eyes again like a waterfall. This would be the last time he would see the living legend, the king of the pirates, his teacher and friend, Gol D. Roger.
Even with a powerful system, there were some things he couldn't change. Death was an inevitable part of life, and Roger was heading toward his foretold demise without him being able to do anything about it. Still, he took comfort in the fact that Roger would surely face his final hour with a smile, and would leave this world as he had lived his entire life, in a flashy and grand manner.
*Ding*
*Mission 06 - Living Legend, has been successfully completed. Do you wish to receive the rewards now? Yes/No*
Orion accepted the reward, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*You have obtained 2,000 system points*
*You have obtained the passive skill "Haki Talent (Level 1)"*
*Your innate talent has increased by one level*
Orion calmed his emotions and looked at the rewards he had received this time.
Undoubtedly, the reward he needed most was the talent for Haki. During these six months, no matter how hard he had tried, he hadn't been able to register the ability "Haki" in the system. He couldn't even sense the mysterious force at all!
Now that he had this ability, it would probably be easier to learn how to use Haki in the future.
As for the increase in innate talent, it was something of a mystery. He didn't know what his current innate talent level was, but every time it increased, he could sense the difference. It was as if his understanding had been strengthened, and he could achieve the same results with less effort. Most importantly, his innate talent seemed to affect all of his skills, so in theory, his ability to learn to control Haki should have increased twofold with the two new buffs he'd received.
As for SP, it was truly necessary for him at this point. During the six months he'd spent in Baterilla, he'd used almost all of his time training and learning about this world, so he hadn't earned much extra SP from performing miscellaneous tasks, as he had done before, back in Pacific Town.
Currently, his SP stood at 4,588. The highest amount he'd ever accumulated. However, he wouldn't be able to hold onto it for long.
Orion focused his attention on the mission screen and saw the information for the mission he'd received two months ago.
*Mission 08 - Saving a Mother
Description: There are few things purer than a mother's love for her children. However, in this dark and distorted world where the innocent are persecuted and oppressed by the powerful, even a mother's love can have a tragic end.
Rouge plans to use her willpower to delay the birth of her child, which will ultimately result in her tragic death.
Objective: Use your special ability "Frozen Time" to stop the growth of the fetus for one year, thus preventing Rouge's death. (Special permission has been granted to use the ability on a character not attached to the system.)
Rewards: Increased physical attractiveness, system points, Devil Fruit*1*
"Now that I've completed Roger's mission, I finally have the points needed to use the ability on Rouge!" Orion said, clenching his fists.
Using the ability "Frozen Time" cost him 10 SP for each day it was activated. So, to stop the growth of the fetus in Rouge's womb, he needed 3,650 SP!
This was a huge sum for Orion, but luckily he had managed to secure the necessary amount before it was too late.
No matter what happened in the future, he would never break his promise to Roger. He would protect Rouge and their baby, even if he had to die in the process!