January 6, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion slowly opened his eyes.
The summer sun streamed through the white curtains that adorned the small window in the room.
His confused mind didn't react immediately; he was still half-asleep.
He saw a person sitting on one side of the room, and her figure reminded him of his mother Lira.
"Mom?" he said, somewhat confused.
The woman, who was writing something at a nearby desk, heard the little boy's voice and turned around in surprise. Meeting Orion's gaze, she flashed a big smile, stood up, and walked over to the side of the bed.
Orion saw the woman approaching, and he could see her face clearly as the sun shone on her face.
This woman wasn't his mother Lira. Although she was a young woman who must have been about the same age as his mother, her face was completely different. Her features were beautiful but sharp, giving off a sense of oppression that wasn't present in her mother. In addition, she had a large number of freckles clustered on her cheeks, making her appearance a little more distinctive.
"You've finally woken up! For a moment there, I thought you were going to sleep forever!" the woman said with a smile.
Orion looked confused by the young woman's words. Had he been asleep for a long time?
Immediately, his mind cleared, and the memories of what had happened before he fainted returned to him.
"Where am I? How long was I asleep?"
"You're in Baratilla, and as for how long you were asleep… Hmm, maybe about three weeks?"
Hearing that he had been in a coma for three weeks, Orion felt his heart skip a beat. That meant it had been over a month since he had set out to sea, leaving Pacific Town behind!
If he didn't hurry back, Giolla might become even more unstable, and who knows what she might do in a moment of madness!
Orion got out from under the covers and tried to sit up, but the young woman stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from standing.
"Hey, hey, hey, you just woke up from a long coma. Your injuries were terrible when you arrived, and they still haven't fully healed. Don't be careless, and take your time before getting up," the woman said, somewhat concerned by the little boy's abrupt actions.
Orion calmed his mind after the woman's reminder and began to inspect his physical condition.
The wounds he had sustained during the battle with the marines had almost completely healed, and only the sea serpent bite on his shoulder still needed some time to heal; the beast's venom had likely delayed the healing of that particular wound.
After all, the passive skill "Strong Body," which was at level 3, boosted all of his body's stats, including, of course, his stamina and wound recovery speed.
Seeing that his body's condition wasn't serious, Orion sighed in relief and, looking at the woman, said, "It seems my injuries are almost healed. Thank you for your concern, but there shouldn't be any problem with me getting out of bed."
The woman was surprised by the little boy's well-articulated speech and logical analysis; the contrast with his innocent face produced a discordant feeling in her. Nevertheless, she smiled and took the boy's words seriously.
This boy had been brought by Roger, so he probably wasn't an ordinary child.
"Very well, if you're sure, then I have nothing to say about it. By the way, what's your name? And how did you meet Roger? Oh! I'm Rouge, nice to meet you!"
Question marks appeared above Orion's head. Roger? He didn't know anyone by that name.
"My name is Orion Lysander, nice to meet you! As for Roger... I don't know anyone by that name."
Rouge froze for a few seconds, and her smile didn't disappear, but it became strange. Watching that smile, Orion couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine, and a sense of danger enveloped him.
Rouge patted him affectionately on the shoulder and said
"I understand, you don't have to say any more. Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any injustice under my roof!"
And with that, she strode out of the small room, without closing the door behind her.
Orion looked through the door and saw a man with a striking mustache sitting at a small table reading a newspaper. Rouge approached him aggressively and hit him on the back of the head with a hard slap, causing the man's head to shoot forward, crashing into the table.
Then Rouge grabbed him by the collar and began shaking him violently while saying,
"You! You bastard! You kidnapped a little boy and brought him to my house?!"
Roger didn't understand what was happening and could only passively beg for mercy while his lover shook him.
On the other hand, Orion immediately understood that it was a misunderstanding, but he didn't rush to clear things up. He could see that Rouge wasn't seriously attacking the man named Roger, and it seemed more like they were flirting in a strange way.
He took advantage of this moment, when he was alone, to check the system screen.
He noticed Galette's favorability rating, which was above 90, and he wasn't surprised, as he had the memories of his childhood self's actions. Regarding what happened that day at the beach, he had mixed emotions.
On the one hand, it was positive that his childhood self had managed to establish a connection with the Charlotte family and had even acquired a direct method of communication. But on the other hand, the marriage promise his other self had made so casually was a real headache.
Charlotte Galette wasn't an ordinary person in this world, and it was obvious at a glance that her family was powerful. If her family opposed their marriage, he would need immense power at his disposal to face them. And if he didn't keep his promise to make her his wife, he risked offending her and incurring the hostility of her formidable family anyway."
The only good thing about the situation was that Galette was only 6 years old, so there was still a long way to go until the day they would fulfill their promise of marriage. They had to wait until she was at least 18, right? That gave him a 12-year window to increase his power, and in that time, he could probably rise to a fairly high level in the power echelons of this world.
Orion looked at the notifications he had received while unconscious and quickly located the one indicating that he had completed the mission.
*Mission 05 - "A Unique Opportunity" has been successfully completed*
*You have helped Charlotte Galette escape the clutches of the World Government, slightly changing her future. As a result of your actions, you have managed to establish a partial relationship with some members of the Charlotte pirate family. This will undoubtedly help you on your path to global improvement!*
*Do you wish to claim the rewards now? Yes/No*
Orion selected the affirmative option, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*You have obtained the "Cooking (Level 1)" skill.*
*You have obtained 2000 SP.*
*Favorability with all members of the Charlotte family has increased by 30 points.*
*Charlotte Galette's favorability has surpassed 90 due to the efforts of the host and cannot be raised further through the system. As compensation, an extra reward of equivalent value will be granted*
*You have obtained "Wish Coupon*1" *
Orion saw the rewards and felt great happiness; his SP, which had been almost completely reduced to 0, was now abundant again!
The amount of money in the bank was the confidence of any man in his previous life, and in this life, he felt secure if he had enough SP in reserve!
After all, he never knew when another life-or-death situation might arise, and SP was always a great help in those moments.
The cooking skill was also a nice addition. Although he would have preferred to obtain a combat skill, having different types of skills gave him more versatility.
Life wasn't all about combat and improving the world. He also wanted to live his life enjoying beautiful things. That's why he was happy drawing with Giolla and would do so even if he didn't have a quest related to it, and that's why the cooking skill he had obtained now seemed good to him.
Who didn't like eating delicious food? He had been a foodie in his past life, and he had to admit that since coming to this world, his meals had been much more bland. Perhaps now he could satisfy his desires in that regard.
The third reward was something magical. The fact that the system had the power to alter the perception that everyone in the Charlotte family had of him, gave him an idea of the terrifying power the system had to affect events in this world, and it made him hopeful about the future and the potential benefits he might gain down the line.
He looked at the favorability screen and confirmed that the scores had varied, although not as uniformly as he had expected.
*Charlotte Galette: 93
Charlotte Compote: -20
Charlotte Smoothie: -40
Charlotte Broyé: 0
*
Compote had been the only one who had gone from the original -50 to -20, after the system buff. But the other two sisters… Smoothie was at -40, which meant her initial favorability of -50 had dropped 20 points before being affected by the buff.
Remembering the haughty little girl who had abused his younger self, Orion couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger and think,
"Why the hell are you the one who lowered your favorability towards me? I should be the only one outraged by the situation! Arrrgh, wait until we meet again, and I'll be sure to repay you for the humiliation!"
That day, Orion adult mind had woken up just as the deranged girl was absorbing the life force of his terrified, childish self, who was completely defenseless against her. When he took control of the body, his childish self's emotions affected him as well.
The terror little Orion felt that time had been burned into his mind like an indelible mark, and it infuriated the adult Orion. He probably wouldn't be able to shake off his younger self's trauma toward Smoothie unless he found her and suppressed her unquestionably with a landslide victory.
Broyé's score, on the other hand, surprised him quite a bit. It was the opposite of Smoothie's; she had actually increased her favorability toward him before being affected by the buff. This confused him quite a bit, as he couldn't recall having any interaction with her that would justify such an increase. It couldn't be that she had a higher opinion of him because he had nearly sliced her younger sister into two equal halves, right?
Perhaps she was the only reasonable person in the family, and her favorability had increased as a result of saving Galette from the marine.
Finally, Orion focused his attention on the last reward, the item called the Wish Coupon. A description appeared on the system screen.
*Wish Coupon: Can be used to refresh the shop's items. An item the Host wishes to appear in the shop can be designated for purchase.
Warning: If the requested item is far beyond the Host's capabilities, or does not exist within the One Piece world, the coupon will be consumed without any effect. It is recommended to be cautious when using this coupon. *
Orion checked the accessory shop and saw that it was completely empty. Using this coupon could be very useful in the future, but for now, he wouldn't use it. He would have to think carefully about which item to request to be added to the shop, trying not to waste this great opportunity to obtain a specific item he needed.
Once he finished looking at the rewards he had obtained for completing the quest, Orion glanced at the system map. While he was unconscious, the map had expanded quite a bit. Evidently, the man named Roger had transported him from the beach of that uninhabited island where he had met the Charlotte sisters to this distant island.
The distance Roger had traveled to get here had been a little over 2,000 kilometers, and Pacific Town was about 2,400 kilometers away from the island he was currently on.
Seeing the marker that appeared next to his position on the map, which read "Gol D. Roger (53): Named Character (VIP)," Orion couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. This was the second VIP he had encountered. The first had been the Freedom Fighter Dragon, which he had learned about from newspaper reports and had never seen in person.
Roger, however, was now just a few meters away from him. This was a key figure in the history of this world, and he could likely bring about a great change in the world if he could influence his actions even slightly. Thinking about this, Orion's heart began to pound. Couldn't he get a huge amount of SP if he could interact with Roger?
Seeing the man being tossed around by the young woman in the next room, Orion's eyes lit up, as if he were seeing a great treasure. This man was a living fountain of SP!
Besides, Rouge's full name was Portgas D. Rouge, and she was also a Named Character, and although she wasn't a VIP, he could still earn points by interacting with her.
Orion got out of bed and headed to the next room where Roger and Rouge were. Seeing him appear, the couple stopped their awkward flirting and focused their gaze on the boy.
"Hey kiddo, it's good to see you're finally awake! Rouge was really worried about you, haha," Roger said in a relaxed manner, laughing with an infectious laugh at the end of his sentence. The charisma that emanated from his body was impressive. It was as if the world revolved around him, as if he were the center of everything.
Orion tried not to pay too much attention to that strange feeling and responded with a smile.
"You were the one who helped me when I was hurt, weren't you? Thank you very much! My name is Orion Lysander!"
Seeing the little boy solemnly thanking him and bowing his head in a polite greeting, Roger simply waved his hand and responded with his classic relaxed manner.
"There's no need for so much formality, a child shouldn't be so serious! Otherwise, you'll get bitter! Hahaha."
Roger was laughing heartily, but Rouge slapped him on the back of the head, interrupting his laughter.
"Don't be rude, Orion just wants to thank you! How can a child be more polite than you?"
Roger didn't get angry at his beloved's complaint; he simply smiled affably and agreed with her. Orion saw Gol D. Roger, the first VIP he'd come into direct contact with, and thought he wasn't what he'd expected. He'd thought Roger would be a despotic and difficult man to deal with, but in reality, he wasn't at all. He seemed like a kind and calm man, and if it weren't for the system's warning and the man's strange charisma, Orion would probably have thought Roger was just an ordinary man.
Evidently, Roger was a very powerful man; otherwise, he wouldn't have so much influence in this world. But that power hadn't corrupted him, and he could laugh like a child while interacting with his partner in a small house far from the world's centers of power.
Orion thought that in the future, if he managed to reach the top of this world, he wanted to keep his feet on the ground and be able to laugh like a child alongside his beloved, without putting on airs. He hoped he could remain humble and not be corrupted by power. Perhaps that was what being "strong" truly meant.
Orion looked at the date in the newspaper on the table and realized that it had indeed been more than a month since he had left Pacific Town. Thinking of his parents, who must be very worried about their young son, and of Giolla, who was still unstable and could do something crazy if he wasn't by her side, he made a decision about his future plans.
Although staying with Roger and interacting with him would give him the opportunity to earn a large amount of SP, he couldn't ignore his feelings. He wanted to return home.
The two islands weren't that far from each other anyway, and it would probably only take half a month to make the trip. He could return home momentarily, and after spending some time with his parents and Giolla, he could return to interact with Roger and Rouge.
Just as he was about to ask Roger if he could lend him a boat to return home, a bell rang in his mind, and new notifications appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*New Mission Available*
*Mission 06 - Living Legend
Description: Gol D. Roger is one of the living legends of this world. His status as the Pirate King is unmatched. A person of this stature, who has come into contact with the deepest secrets of this world, is someone you can learn things from simply by being in his presence. The knowledge you can learn from him will undoubtedly be of great help in your task of improving the world.
Objective: Roger's life is coming to an end. Stay by his side and learn what you can from him for six months.
Reward: Random Skill, System Points, Innate Talent Boost
*
*An extra chain mission has been generated*
*Mission 07 - The Power of Knowledge
Description: Your knowledge of the world is far too limited, making your task of global improvement extremely difficult. Spending time with a legend can help broaden your horizons, but you must still actively seek to expand your knowledge.
Objective: Go to the Tree of Knowledge in Ohara and study there for at least six months.
Reward: Increase of the hidden attribute "intelligence", random increase of a skill already possessed, a new skill related to the type of knowledge you study during your stay in Ohara.*
Orion completely ignored the second mission, which mentioned a place he was completely unfamiliar with, and focused entirely on the first one.
Seeing the description "pirate king," he couldn't help but think about the little things he knew about the world of One Piece from his past life: Mugiwara Luffy was searching for the One Piece, a treasure left behind by the pirate king!
He had forgotten the pirate king's name in the manga synopsis he had read long ago, but now, with the system's reminder, he immediately remembered that the pirate king's name was indeed Gold D. Roger!
Orion saw the man laughing like a child in front of him, and he couldn't help but open his mouth in surprise and curse in his mind.
"Duck! Did I just meet the pirate king??!!"