May 9, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
A great commotion was taking place at the Donquixote Pirates' base in the North Blue.
After Doflamingo had begun gaining power over the past few years, establishing himself as a prominent figure within the black market and smuggling world, as well as one of the most notable pirates in the North Blue, not many people had dared to oppose him anymore, and everyone who had tried had ended up eting a terrible fate.
Little by little, the future Warlord had beco increasingly arrogant in his behavior, reinforcing the recurring belief in his mind that he was a god standing above the inferior humans who inhabited this filthy world to which he had been exiled by the Celestial Dragons because of his father's actions.
However, today sothing would happen that would abruptly restore a sense of humility to him, giving him a much-needed dose of reality: the arrival of the most famous rookie pirate of the latest generation in the Grand Line, the red-haired Shanks and his crew.
BANG!
A massive explosion echoed throughout the area, and one of the towers of Doflamingo's base collapsed, crashing down over several low-ranking mbers of the crew whose nas their captain did not even know.
"Hold it right there, youngster! I won't let you continue damaging our base! G!"
Lao G, who had been awakened from his afternoon nap by the sound of the explosions, stepped out of his room only to discover that they were under attack and that a large portion of the base had already been reduced to ruins.
Because of that, without thinking too much about it, he imdiately charged toward one of the invaders—a young man with dreadlocks who was wreaking havoc using nothing but a revolver, almost as though what he held in his hands was not a small pistol, but a cannon.
"Oh, a decent enemy. I was starting to think this crew was made up of nothing but fodder," Yasopp said with a grin, and after pointing his revolver at Lao G, he fired three shots.
"Wha—?" Lao G began to say when he saw Yasopp's powerful attack hurtling toward him at trendous speed, but he never managed to finish the sentence, because the projectiles slamd into his body, leaving him on the verge of death.
"Tch, I guess I was expecting too much. More fodder," Yasopp remarked disinterestedly as he reloaded his revolver with fresh ammunition and continued demolishing Doflamingo's base with a sowhat languid attitude.
anwhile, Lao G collapsed onto the ground with both of his legs destroyed by Yasopp's bullets and a severe wound in his abdon that could easily claim his life if it was not treated soon.
Red-Haired Shanks' crew had arrived at Doflamingo's base only ten minutes earlier, yet in that short amount of ti they had already nearly destroyed the entire place, clearly demonstrating the overwhelming gap in level between the most famous pirate crew of the era and a pirate band that was only beginning to erge as a force within the distant North Blue.
Lao G was not the only victim of the red-haired pirates' assault, because every one of Doflamingo's core crew mbers had already been defeated and rendered unable to continue fighting.
Only the captain of the crew and his mute brother Corazon still remained standing, though probably not for much longer, because Red-Haired Shanks himself was now standing directly before them.
"If you tell what I want to know, you can avoid suffering," Shanks said with an icy, expressionless gaze that would have shocked anyone familiar only with the cheerful side he usually showed.
"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I AM DONQUIXOTE DOFLAMINGO, A GOD—ugh!"
Doflamingo began screaming like a maniac, but before he could finish his clichéd declaration, Shanks struck him directly in the sternum with the hilt of his sword, causing the proud pirate to lose his breath and collapse to his knees on the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
No matter how powerful Shanks might have been, Doflamingo would never have accepted the idea that he could be forced to his knees before him with a single blow, and because of that he could not help feeling utterly confused by the situation.
In reality, Shanks had infused a small amount of Conqueror's Haki into his strike, so it was obvious that soone at Doflamingo's current level would not be able to withstand more than a single attack without being driven to his knees. After all, the difference in power between the two of them at this mont was truly enormous.
"I don't want to hear your yapping. I'm only going to ask you one more ti. Do you have any information about this Devil Fruit?" Shanks said as he pulled out a drawing from inside his clothes, one that clearly depicted the Gomu Gomu no Mi that he and his crew had been searching for tirelessly over the past several years.
Doflamingo trembled with rage and humiliation, and as he abruptly lifted his gaze to continue the arrogant speech he had been about to give monts earlier, he looked directly into Shanks' eyes—and at that instant a chill ran through his entire body, while the aggressive words he had been preparing beca lodged in his throat, leaving him unable to say them aloud.
At that mont, Shanks was looking at him in exactly the sa way Doflamingo himself looked at the insignificant humans who inhabited this inferior world, as though he were trash, or so worthless insect.
Ordinarily, Doflamingo would have felt imnse humiliation if soone dared look at him that way, and he would have imdiately responded with hostility, but after eting Shanks' gaze, all Doflamingo could feel was overwhelming terror, and his entire body trembled involuntarily.
Finally, seeing that Shanks was beginning to look impatient, he answered the famous pirate's question in a hoarse voice.
"I don't know anything about it… I've never seen or heard of that Devil Fruit."
Shanks stared at him carefully for a few seconds, confirming through his monstrous Observation Haki that Doflamingo was not lying, and imdiately lost all interest in him.
If Doflamingo could not provide him with information about the Gomu Gomu no Mi, then he held no value whatsoever to Shanks.
"Sigh, I guess coming here was a waste of ti," Shanks said, sowhat disappointed by the outco.
They had co to see Doflamingo because he was currently one of the largest Devil Fruit traffickers in the world, yet in the end they would have to leave empty-handed, without obtaining any information regarding the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
Shanks lightly shook his head, setting aside his disappointnt and trying to remain optimistic, because as long as the World Governnt did not find the Gomu Gomu no Mi before he did, there would not be any major problems, even if it took him a little longer to locate it.
Then, he looked once more at Doflamingo, who was kneeling before him and trembling in terror like a child, and began releasing an enormous amount of Conqueror's Haki that crashed down upon the pirate's body like a tsunami of energy.
"Ugh!"
Doflamingo felt as though a mountain had suddenly been placed upon his shoulders, forcing him to bow his head before the man standing in front of him, yet his pride would not allow him to humiliate himself any further before his enemy, and so he used every ounce of his willpower to remain conscious, gritting his teeth while staring directly at the terrifying red-haired man before him.
Shanks was unmoved by Doflamingo's struggle, and with a sowhat mocking smile he said,
"You, earlier you were saying sothing about being a god or whatever, right?"
Doflamingo, drenched in sweat and with veins bulging across his head and neck from the effort of enduring Shanks' monstrous Haki, could not answer the question, and rely clenched his teeth even harder while blood began flowing from his wounds and dripping onto the ground.
"To , you're nothing more than an insect I could crush at any mont. It's amusing that a pariah expelled from Mary Geoise thinks of himself as so omnipotent god.
What are you planning to do? Play dictator by oppressing the weak? Does that make you feel bigger? More powerful?
In my eyes, you're nothing more than a clown, a speck of filth on the ground that I have to be careful not to step on by accident.
I hope this ti you learn your place in the world, because next ti I won't be so kind."
Then, showing an aggressive smile, Shanks suddenly increased the amount of Conqueror's Haki he was releasing, completely crushing Doflamingo's will and causing him to collapse onto the ground paralyzed, though he still remained conscious, because after all his spirit was far stronger than that of an ordinary person.
In truth, it was not that Doflamingo was weak—he even possessed Conqueror's Haki himself—but simply that Shanks was far too powerful, to the point that if Orion had not known that Luffy was the MC of the One Piece story thanks to the system, he would have believed Shanks himself was the protagonist of the story.
"What do we do with them, Shanks? Kill them all?" Benny Beckman asked, appearing beside his captain while casually smoking a cigarette.
"No, this guy is hostile toward Orion, and right now he's stronger than him. He'll make for a good challenge for him in the future. Just take all of his treasures and let's continue our journey," Shanks replied, turning around without paying Doflamingo any further attention.
On the other hand, Doflamingo was still conscious, and after hearing Shanks' words, the na "Orion" caused imnse indignation to rise within him, though at the mont he could not express it because he was completely paralyzed by terror.
Even so, he understood that Shanks had a good relationship with Orion—whom he already hated for killing Vergo, among other things—and inwardly swore that one day he would rcilessly crush Orion, before later seeking out Shanks again to make him pay for the humiliation he had suffered today.
It seed Doflamingo's arrogance could not be cured, even after being crushed so thoroughly by Shanks.
…
May 10, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
A few minutes past midnight, Orion was lying in his cabin, staring thoughtfully at a Devil Fruit he held in his hand.
During the Dungeon in the city of Opla, he had encountered three pirates possessing Devil Fruits, and as a result he had tested the thod he had planned beforehand to obtain those fruits.
By using a large container in which he stored every kind of fruit he had managed to gather throughout his travels so far, Orion had hoped to acquire all three Devil Fruits from his enemies with a bit of luck, but in the end the result had not been what he expected.
Despite the enormous number of fruits he had prepared in advance, only one of the three Devil Fruits had been captured by his strategy, while the other two had vanished without leaving a trace, most likely already reincarnated sowhere else in the world.
This showed him that obtaining Devil Fruits this way was not so simple, though he did not feel discouraged by it, because the fact that he had successfully obtained one through this thod proved that he was heading in the right direction. Now, what he needed to do was continue increasing the variety of fruits stored inside his container, thereby improving the chances of success in the future.
As for the Devil Fruit he had obtained this ti, it was the Guru Guru no Mi (Spin Spin Fruit), and although in his opinion it was the weakest of the three fruits the pirates possessed, obtaining it was still better than nothing.
Orion now planned to search among his subordinates for whoever had the best compatibility with this Devil Fruit, in order to grant it to them as a thod of increasing their level of power.
Still holding the Guru Guru no Mi in his hand, Orion opened the system screen and checked the titles section, where there were now two different titles. The first of them was the title "Protector," whose effects had increased after the latest upgrade.
Previously, it granted him a 40% increase in his physical abilities when fighting within his own territory, but after the Dressrosa Ti Dungeon, its effect had improved and now granted him a 50% boost.
On the other hand, the second title was the one that had appeared only a few hours earlier, after his interaction with Sugar and her raisins, and it was a title Orion found rather problematic, because its na was "Child Abductor," and the corresponding system information read as follows:
*Title: [Child Abductor]
Description: "You have demonstrated a peculiar talent for relocating minors without their guardians' consent. While your intentions might be noble, the law (and most parents) strongly disagree. Children find your 'kidnapping' vibes surprisingly charismatic."
Effect: Increase of 10 favorability points with all children. Decrease of 10 favorability points with all parents (-2 extra favorability for every child the parent in question has).*
To begin with, he did not consider himself a kidnapper! Although it was true that on many occasions he had needed to abduct people in order to save them from their environnt, he had never held anyone against their will—though it was true that he and Reira had roleplayed sothing along those lines, since she was a masochist and liked those kinds of gas.
Not only did his new title sound suspiciously bad, but its effects were not very favorable either. After all, he did not need an increase in favorability from children, and in exchange he was receiving a debuff that caused favorability loss with any person who was a parent.
Even so, Orion tried to maintain his usual positive attitude, thinking that with the effects of his other buffs such as Charm Halo and Charisma Halo, the effects of this title would not represent a real problem for him.
What he was forgetting, however, was that his future mother-in-law had a ridiculous number of children, a number that continued increasing even further, which in the future would cause him an enormous headache precisely because of the effect of this title he had just obtained.
Letting out a light sigh, Orion stored the Guru Guru no Mi inside the system inventory and began planning his future movents. Now that he had already recruited Monet and Sugar, weakening Doflamingo even further, he had almost fulfilled all the objectives he had set for himself before coming to the North Blue.
Even so, he still had one more stop to make before he could consider his journey complete, and that was precisely visiting Doflamingo's current base in order to see the present state of his crew with his own eyes, while also attempting to steal his wealth, weapons, and Devil Fruits to weaken him even further.
What Orion did not know was that Shanks had already beaten him to it, crushing the future Warlord and completely emptying his vaults, aning that even if Orion went to the base, he would find nothing left to steal.
Just as Orion was planning his future movents in the North Blue, as well as what he would do once he returned to Pacific Kingdom, the door to his room was gently knocked upon.
Knock Knock
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise, since he was not expecting visitors at this hour of the night, and upon opening the door to his cabin, he found Monet standing before him. The mont she saw Orion open the door, she hurried inside without daring to look him in the eyes, then stopped in front of his bed with a certain nervousness.
"Monet? What are you doing here so late?" Orion asked curiously, noticing the suspicious attitude of the girl, who was wrapped in a large blanket around her body as though she were trying to protect herself from the cold night air.
However, Monet reacted in an unexpected way, because she released the blanket she had been gripping tightly with both hands, allowing it to fall to the floor without any hesitation and revealing what was beneath it: her completely naked body.
Trembling slightly, perhaps from the cold of the night or perhaps from the fear caused by what she was bravely trying to do, Monet attempted to speak in a soft and sweet voice as she said,
"Young master… I-I ca to fulfill my duties as a maid and warm your bed…"
Even though Monet had already ntally prepared herself beforehand for what would happen tonight with Orion, she was still completely nervous, because after all she was still only an innocent girl.
Without daring to look Orion in the eyes, Monet remained standing naked before him, waiting for him to take her. Finally, Orion began walking toward her until he stood directly in front of her.
She tightly closed her eyes, and lifting her head, puckered her lips in expectation of a kiss, waiting for Orion to take her innocence. However, the result was not what she had expected.
Pah!
Orion, who had stepped right in front of the naked Monet, lightly struck her on the head with a karate chop, startling the young woman, who imdiately opened her eyes in confusion and was t by Orion's gentle gaze, which did not contain even the slightest trace of lust.
"There's no need for you to do this, Monet. I didn't rescue you and Sugar for this reason. I can warm my own bed just fine!" Orion said as he pulled a very stylish green cloak from his inventory and draped it over the girl's body.
"This is a gift for you, as a welco to our kingdom. From now on, you only need to worry about living happily and taking care of your little sister, so don't think about unnecessary things," he added, placing the sa hand that had given her the karate chop atop her green hair and stroking it gently.
Monet's eyes once again filled with tears, and she had already lost count of how many tis she had cried from happiness and relief since eting Orion half a day earlier.
Even so, everything she had learned in her life as a noble and also during her ti as a slave told her that nothing in this world was free, and therefore she did not dare simply accept Orion's words at face value.
Right now, Orion was the perfect salvation for her and her little sister Sugar, and Monet wanted to make absolutely certain that he was fully satisfied with her, because then he would not discard her on a whim.
Or at least, that was how it seed from the perspective of the suffering young woman, because anyone who had spent more than a week around Orion would know that he would never do sothing like that to soone he had promised to protect.
"But young master… It's my duty as your servant to make sure your needs are taken care of…" Monet tried to argue in a low voice, though her face was already burning red from the embarrassnt caused by her own daring words.
Pah!
Orion once again gave Monet a light karate chop on the head, then spoke in a sowhat sterner and less gentle voice than before.
"Monet, first of all, I didn't recruit you to be a servant, and besides, I already told you not to think about unnecessary things! Go sleep with your sister now. If she wakes up and doesn't find you there, you'll only make her worry for nothing."
Monet looked directly into Orion's eyes and imdiately understood that he was being sincere and not testing her, and so the tears that had gathered in her eyes finally began streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks, causing Orion to feel pity for the young girl who had suffered all kinds of abuse for years.
Orion pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped away Monet's tears until she finally stopped crying. Then, adopting a very professional expression, she lowered her head in a respectful bow and firmly said,
"Young master, I will never forget the benevolence you have shown and my sister."
Then she paused briefly, and blushing slightly, added,
"Besides… It wouldn't be a problem for to beco your lover… On the contrary…"
Pah!
Orion once more lightly karate chopped her forehead and said with a smile,
"Sorry, but I have no interest in little girls. Co back in a couple of years when you're older, and then we can talk about it."
Orion was joking when he said those words, because he did not believe Monet would still offer herself as his lover once she had lived a normal life in Pacific Kingdom for so ti and her mind had returned to normality, but obviously Monet did not see it that way at all, and she would take the words Orion told her today as a promise she intended to collect on years later.
"Understood, young master! Then it's a promise! I'll let you rest now, good night," Monet said with a radiant smile before leaving Orion's cabin without looking back.
anwhile, Orion watched the girl's back as she happily walked away and muttered,
"There's no need for you to call young master."
Though in the end he decided not to say anything else about it to Monet, because after interacting with her for a bit, he had realized she was sowhat stubborn regarding certain matters, and she would probably find a way to insist on using the term she had chosen for him.
In any case, many of his companions and subordinates used all sorts of nas and nicknas to refer to him, so he did not consider it a problem.
What had genuinely worried him, however, was the possibility that the system might use his interaction with Monet as the basis for creating another title with a questionable na and effect, which would have made him curse the system once again.
After all, Monet was about to turn fourteen, and the fact that she had appeared naked in his room was undoubtedly sothing that could have led to the creation of all sorts of negative titles, considering the precedent from the previous day.
Fortunately, this ti the system had made no move at all, allowing Orion to breathe a sigh of relief.
Now, together with his two new companions, Orion continued his journey toward Doflamingo's base, unaware that Shanks himself was heading directly toward him at that very mont after destroying the future Warlord's base.
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