February 1, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion was led to his new room in a nearby building. All the rooms were single-person, and it seemed the world government didn't want the people being trained here to spend too much time together and form bonds. Perhaps it was also a way to maintain control.
"This will be your training schedule, and these are the rules you must follow while on Guanhao Training Island. If you follow orders and work hard, you will have a bright future ahead of you," the man in a suit said as he handed him some papers.
Orion bowed and answered affirmatively, trying not to show too much emotion. He was pretending to have been mentally subdued by the government's brainwashing and had decided to maintain a taciturn attitude to avoid making mistakes and having his lie exposed. After all, he wasn't an actor, and the more emotion he showed, the harder it would be to hide his true state of mind.
"Very well, then we'll leave," the man said, turning around. Before leaving, he added, "Oh, by the way, we've placed your personal belongings in that box. This is a place where we dispense justice as our first priority; we won't take your belongings against your will."
The man pointed to a corner of the room, where a wooden chest stood.
Orion listened to the Cipher Pol agent's words, and his eyes lit up. He wanted to go check the chest as soon as possible, but he remained calm; he had to maintain his austere and taciturn appearance in front of these people.
The group of agents saw that Orion didn't show much emotion at the information they had received, and they immediately lost interest. This child was now simply a cog in the machinery of the world government; there was no need to pay so much attention to him.
Orion watched the group walk away in the distance and slowly closed the door. He then approached the chest and opened it, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. Orion had fainted during his last fight on Beru, and when he awoke, a month had already passed, as the Cipher Pol agents who had kidnapped him had sedated him to avoid problems during the transfer.
When he awoke, he found himself on this island in the Grand Line, and his only possession was a prison uniform.
He had been greatly distressed by the thought that he might lose the gift Roger had given him, one of the twelve supreme-grade swords, his beloved Cutlass Ace.
Now, as he opened the chest and saw his sword, still camouflaged by his "Art Coating" skill, lying intact before him, his eyes clouded with emotion.
In addition, in the chest, he found his Kairoseki Gauntlets, which he had spent a large amount of SP to purchase, and a bag of medicinal herbs.
As for his clothes, they had been in such poor condition that they had been discarded by the agents. On the other hand, he had left his Den Den Mushi and the big Berry bag he had with him in the hands of little Ina.
Orion thought it would be great if the system had an inventory function, which would make his life much easier, but it was just his thoughts, as he had no way to influence the system to add functions.
He could only hope that in the future, the system would provide him with a solution in this regard.
Orion read the papers they had given him, understanding the rules and his training routine. Basically, his day was filled with training. But he had small windows of rest that could be considered 'Free Time,' although they were more of a necessity to avoid destroying the recruits' bodies by subjecting them to a strain far beyond their capacity.
In addition to intensive physical training, a large portion of the day was dedicated to academic matters and other miscellaneous knowledge such as espionage, counterespionage, first aid, etc.
On this island, they weren't training warriors, but secret agents for Cipher Pol, so the training they received was quite varied.
Orion looked at the map he'd been given and memorized the important locations. He also saw which areas were forbidden, and comparing it to the system map, he realized that the Devil Fruit compatible with the system was in one of the forbidden areas, so it wouldn't be easy to obtain it.
Orion looked at the clock in his room and saw that he had little time to attend class. He had a history and geography lesson for the next few hours.
He never imagined he'd have to return to school in this world, but having been a professor and scholar in his past life, he didn't mind having lessons on different areas of knowledge.
Even if the information he received was skewed by government manipulation, he could surely gain something positive from it!
Orion left his room and ran towards the building where his classes were held, hoping to meet some of the Named Characters who lived on this island.
...............
"So, there's no news about Orion?" Doll asked through the den den mushi.
"For now, we don't know anything, but he's probably fine; he's very strong," Giolla said with a smile.
Doll had called almost daily over the past few months to ask about Orion, but every time she got the same answer from Giolla.
She felt very guilty about what had happened, as she knew Orion had put himself in danger just to save her. Finally, he had disappeared without a trace during the battle, and all she could think about was that the worst had happened.
Luckily, Giolla's comforting words always managed to calm her down. The artist had told her again and again that even though Orion hadn't appeared, he was safe and sound. She claimed she had a way to prove it, though she had never told her what that way was.
There were actually two reasons why Giolla knew Orion was fine. The first was that she felt a kind of connection with her beloved. She thought it was the power of love, but it was actually the bond the system had established between them when she was registered as a concubine. Currently, the system wasn't fully developed, and this connection wasn't of much use, but at least it allowed her to feel that Orion was fine.
The second reason was much simpler: the presence of the fog in the bay in front of Pacific Town. She was the only one in town who knew the fog had been placed there by Orion's mysterious powers, and he had told her that no one could pass through it without his explicit permission.
She had gone to Beru to look for little Ina and returned to the village without any problems, so Orion was undoubtedly alive; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to cross the fog!
Giolla was very happy to be the only one who knew about Orion's magical powers, because it made her feel special, and although her beloved hadn't told her all his secrets, she knew he trusted her completely.
Doll, on the other side of the Den Den Mushi, sighed and said in a sad tone:
"This will be the last time I can communicate. Could you give Orion a message for me?"
Giolla looked surprised, but didn't ask her about it. Doll hadn't elaborated on her reasons for not calling again, and she didn't know her well enough to inquire into her personal affairs.
"Sure, no problem, Doll. Give me your message, and I promise I'll give it to him without fail," Giolla said in her gentle voice.
"Thank you, Giolla. Please tell him I'm very grateful for what he did for me, and that I'll never forget it. In the future, I promise I'll repay him even if it's the last thing I do!" The elegant girl's voice held an unusual firmness.
The two women said their goodbyes, and the last call Doll would make ended.
Giolla packed the Den Den Mushi in her clothes and left her cabin in the mountains. Outside, the summer weather was very nice, and little Ina was sitting under a tree drawing.
She had asked her to teach her how to draw, and the artist had happily agreed.
Ina spent her days drawing, trying to improve her technique, to reach Orion's level. As for the reason, it was the four portraits she had carefully kept in a small notebook.
Those portraits had been painted by Orion when they were traveling together, and they were portraits of her family: her three brothers and her mother.
Orion had painted them based on the girl's descriptions, and they were quite accurate.
For her, who had lost her family, these drawings made her feel like they were still with her, even if only in her memories. She would no longer have to fear forgetting their faces in the future, as had happened with the face of her father, whom she had loved so much.
Giolla looked at the girl who was focused on her work and didn't interrupt her.
She simply looked up at the sky and thought it was nice to have someone with a passion for art around her. She missed her husband, though she wouldn't do anything drastic like go out to sea to look for him. She would simply stay here taking care of the people who were important to him.
"It's finished!" Ina said, jumping up with a piece of paper in her hand.
Giolla looked curiously at the girl and asked, "Ina, what are you doing?"
She held up the paper in her hand, showing the drawing she had made. It wasn't very good, but at least it was much better than when she first started learning to draw.
In the drawing, a large castle wall could be seen, with smiling people holding hands on top of it. A huge sun shone brightly in the clear sky, its presence giving the drawing a warm feeling.
"Oh? It's quite good. You've improved quite a bit, Ina. Congratulations!" Giolla said, stroking her head, not really paying much attention to her apprentice's drawing. However, Ina immediately held up the drawing and said with shining eyes.
"This isn't just any drawing; it's the symbol of our future kingdom!" Ina said happily, twirling around in place. Then, seeing Giolla looking at her in confusion, she added:
"Orion told me that in the future he was going to make a kingdom where people would be happy and safe! My family died because of pirates, but the king never helped us!"
"I think kings are all bad, but Orion told me that in the future he was going to be a king and build a good kingdom, and that I could help him. But I don't know how to do anything, so I thought I could at least design a flag for the kingdom."
"If the people who are sad because of their bad lives could see this happy flag, do you think they would feel that this could be a good kingdom?"
Giolla listened to the little girl's innocent words, and her heart softened with tenderness.
She had personally gone to find Ina on Cobani Island, where the city of Beru was located. She still remembered the terrified look of the girl covered in bandages, who looked at her like a small wounded animal.
Now, Ina's wounds had healed, but her body bore large scars from the burns she had suffered.
Still, this little girl, who had been through so much, was able to smile with joy and hope for a better future.
Giolla thought that people were truly resilient, and then she thought how lovely it would be if Orion could create a place like the one Ina described with her childlike innocence. It didn't need to be perfect; it simply had to be a place where people could live peacefully and happily.
The smile on Giolla's face grew wider, and she lifted the little girl in her arms and tossed her into the air.
Then, as the little girl screamed in terror at being subjected to the artist's curious display of affection, Giolla told her:
"It's a very good design, Ina. I'm sure Orion will like it."
The little girl's screams turned into laughter, and the two continued with their daily lives in this small, remote town in the South Blue.
............…
On the other hand, after ending the call with Giolla, Doll put away the Den Den Mushi and sat by a window, watching the sky.
The city of Beru had fallen into enemy hands, and even though the pirates had been eliminated by the Marines, her home no longer existed.
The ordinary people of Beru had been able to remain in the city without problems, even after the enemy occupation, but the aristocratic families that ruled the city had had to flee and take refuge in other kingdoms.
Her family's case was no different, and her parents had brought her to her fiancé's kingdom, where they would at least be safe and have the opportunity to start over with the support of the royal family.
Doll had no feelings for her fiancé and didn't want to marry him, but she knew she had no other choice; it was what her parents had determined, and she would obey like a good daughter.
However, something had happened after they arrived in this kingdom that neither she nor her parents had imagined would happen. Her fiancé's father, the king of this kingdom, had fallen in love with Doll at first sight and had decided to take her as a concubine immediately.
She was only 15 years old, and she hadn't expected to marry so soon. Furthermore, the king was an old and decrepit man, which caused her great reluctance. The thought that she would have to become his concubine and spend the next few years humbly serving him made her want to cry.
For this reason, Doll asked her parents not to allow the marriage to the king to take place, but they refused.
While being the prince's official wife would be much more dignified for Doll, they could gain many more benefits if Doll became the king's concubine. After all, the prince was only a prince, and they didn't know if he would be able to successfully ascend to the throne in the future. In the other hand, the king could grant her family instant benefits, which were impossible for Doll's parents to resist, having lost everything when Beru was taken by the enemy.
Doll begged her parents to change their minds, but to no avail.
The elegant girl spent many days in silence, pondering the future, and finally made a decision:
She had decided not to obey her parents! If there was no other option, she would run away and hide!
A feeling of joy and freedom expanded within her when she thought about living her life as she wished in the future.
If she had had her beloved Tone Dial containing the Rock song, she would have listened to it and danced to the music, but unfortunately, her treasure had been destroyed during the pirate attack.
She still remembered the image of the large tree she used as a hiding place, burning in flames, reducing her most prized possession to ashes.
Doll left the note she had prepared on the table, put on some ordinary, unremarkable clothes, and adjusted the scarf around her neck that covered the burn marks Blake had left on her white, delicate skin.
Luckily, the marks on her arms remained hidden under her clothes, although in the future, perhaps she could do something to try to cover the burns, or remove them if possible.
Doll jumped out of the window on the third floor and fled without telling anyone. She ran to the port where two large Marine vessels were docked, and found her friend Julia, who was nervously waiting for her.
"Doll! You finally arrived! I thought you'd changed your mind," Julia said, sighing with relief at seeing her friend appear at the last minute.
"I just wanted to try to contact Orion one last time, but I couldn't find him," Doll said with an elegant smile that looked a little sad.
"I hope he's okay," Julia replied, not delving further into the matter.
"So, which ship is ours?" Doll asked, looking at the two Marine vessels.
She had decided to join the Marines with her friend Julia. As long as she was part of the most powerful organization in the world, her parents couldn't force her to return, even if they learned her location. Besides, it was the only way out of the kingdom available to her right now.
"The one on the right is for new Marine recruits, and the one on the left is where the Impel Down recruits are," Julia replied, pointing at the ships.
"Impel Down? The prison?" Doll asked in surprise.
She had been confined, and she didn't know the prison was recruiting people. It was much harder to join Impel Down than the Marines, and it was the first time she'd heard they recruited the same way the Marine did.
"It's just rumors, but I heard someone made a large 'donation' to be allowed to join Impel Down with privileges, and that this public recruitment is just a cover to hide the fact that that person is coming in through the back door," Julia said, lowering her voice and commenting with great interest on the rumors circulating on the streets.
"Although it's probably just an unfounded rumor, I don't think anyone would have such a strong desire to go to a prison to work that they'd pay a fortune, right?" Julia added.
Suddenly, a shrill, irritating voice resonated in the air.
"I'm going to be the warden of Impel Down in the future!"
The two women looked in surprise at the strange, bare-chested boy boarding the Marine vessel, and without a second's hesitation, they ran toward the ship on the opposite side, as if they were escaping the plague.