One Piece: Global improvement system 294: Shanks’ Request — Three Devil Fruits

May 15, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle

Shanks explained the situation to Orion in detail, telling him how one of the servants working inside the Figarland mansion had seen Kuma at the mont he escaped the place using the powers of his Devil Fruit, soaring through the skies.

For the proud Celestial Dragons, the fact that soone had entered their territory and stolen sothing that belonged to them—even if it was a worthless bastard in their eyes—was sothing they simply could not tolerate, and because of that, his biological father, Figarland Garling, had ordered Shamrock to investigate the matter, find those responsible, and bring them back to Mary Geoise to be punished.

Now, after several months of investigation, Shamrock had made a certain amount of progress in his search for Kuma, although he still had not discovered his whereabouts, mainly because Shanks had taken the risk of covering the gentle revolutionary's tracks.

Normally, Shanks would never have endangered the entire undercover operation he had spent years building as an infiltrator among the Celestial Dragons, but this ti he felt that Kuma's discovery had partly been his fault, since he had failed to control every variable inside the Figarland mansion.

Shanks knew that if Kuma were captured by his biological family, he would suffer a fate worse than death, and that would inevitably damage his relationship with Orion, creating further complications for his future plans, plans in which he had already calculated Orion's assistance as a favorable variable.

For that reason, Shanks had slowed Shamrock's investigation, though completely stopping it was impossible, and he understood perfectly well that sooner or later Shamrock would eventually find Kuma, which was why he had taken this opportunity to warn Orion about the situation and thus avoid even greater problems in the future.

Basically, Shanks was telling Orion that he had already done everything within his power, and that whatever happened next would depend on him—and on luck.

Orion listened carefully to the red-haired pirate's words, while his mind began operating at full speed, searching for solutions to the enormous predicant that had suddenly appeared before him.

At present, there was no possible way for them to directly compete against a force as massive as the Figarland family and all the worldwide resources at their disposal, so the only remaining option was to speak with Kuma and ask him to limit his movents, remaining as hidden from the rest of the world as possible for a while.

Furthermore, Kuma's presence within the Revolutionary Army could potentially draw Shamrock's attention toward the young organization itself, which was also worrying, aning he would need to discuss the matter with Dragon as well.

After all, one of the main reasons why the Revolutionary Army had been able to operate so freely and expand its power so rapidly in only a few short years was because the great powers of the world did not care much about the activities of this "insignificant" guerrilla group.

However, if Shamrock and the Figarlands began paying attention to them, the situation would beco completely different, and it would bring enormous trouble to Dragon and the others.

Orion considered all of this very carefully, and Shanks did not interrupt his thoughts, since he understood that this was an extrely important matter for him.

After several minutes, Orion finally devised a course of action for the future while taking into account the new variables presented by Shanks, and he prepared to contact Kuma and Dragon imdiately in order to inform them about the situation.

However, before he could do so, Shanks stopped him, since he still had more things to say.

"Wait a second, Orion. There's another matter I want to talk to you about," Shanks said while looking at him seriously.

Orion halted his actions and looked at the unusually serious Shanks, waiting to hear his next words.

"Don't you think Uta is adorable?"

Bang!

A punch crashed directly into Shanks' face, sending him swimming with the fishes of the North Blue once again. anwhile, Orion returned to his own ship and contacted his fellow revolutionaries, holding a long discussion with them during which they decided how to proceed moving forward.

Kuma agreed to remain hidden for a while, while Dragon ordered the entire organization to reduce its activities to only the most essential operations, in an attempt not to attract too much attention. For a ti, the Revolutionary Army entered a period of relative stability, slowing the dizzying growth it had experienced ever since its creation years earlier.

Even so, the universe itself seed to be conspiring against Orion due to the laws of causality within the tiline, which always converged toward major events unless Orion himself changed them through his actions, since he was the only one who could truly alter this world—as an external agent.

Very soon, Orion would once again find himself face to face with Shamrock and the Figarlands in a reunion that would be anything but pleasant, and which would have an enormous impact on the future.

…

"Hey, why are you always so violent, Orion? You didn't even let finish what I was trying to say! You have to give ti to develop the idea!" Shanks complained indignantly after seeing that Orion had finished organizing matters with the Revolutionary Army.

Once the call with Dragon and Kuma had ended, Orion felt sowhat more relieved, and so this ti he did not interrupt Shanks, instead allowing him to "develop the idea."

"As I was saying, Uta is adorable, right? What would you think about having her stay with you for a while? Though if you lay a hand on my precious daughter, I'll have to tear you to pieces," Shanks said with a smile capable of making so low-level pirate faint from fear.

Orion paid no attention to the stupid words Shanks had added at the end, focusing only on what truly mattered.

"You want to leave Uta under my care again? How long are you planning to be away this ti? I should warn you that I'm a bit busy right now, so I can't keep track of your movents for an entire month like last ti."

Orion assud that Shanks was asking him to look after Uta for a short period while he carried out one of his dangerous operations in the seas of the New World, just like before, when he had left her in Orion's care for a month while he went to confront Whitebeard.

However, Shanks' request this ti was different, and the red-haired pirate imdiately clarified the matter.

"I'm not asking you to babysit Uta for a little while. What I want is for her to remain under your care in Pacific Kingdom. I'm sure you could take care of her, right? After all, you're famous for kidnapping people for your kingdom," Shanks said with a grin.

Orion raised an eyebrow in surprise, once again ignoring the pirate's final remark, because the last ti Shanks had left Uta in his care temporarily, he had firmly stated that he had no intention of separating from his daughter.

Now, however, he had clearly changed his mind, and Orion waited for the red-haired pirate to explain the situation in detail.

"Don't look at like that, it's not as though I want to get rid of her," Shanks said with a shrug, and after letting out a soft sigh, he added,

"The problem is that in the future, my crew and I are going to get involved in sothing extrely dangerous, and although I don't know exactly when it will happen, I can't risk Uta being placed in unnecessary danger.

If there were any other option, I would never let her leave my side, but it's simply too dangerous for Uta to stay aboard our ship while we're constantly fighting deadly battles. After all, she's just a normal child, and she doesn't have any talent for combat.

Besides, even if she did have the talent to beco a pirate, I don't want her to follow that path. I'd rather she live a normal and happy life, far away from all the chaos that's coming."

It was unusual for Orion to see Shanks wearing the expression currently on his face, a mixture of resignation and exhaustion. Until now, Shanks had always stood before him either smiling or radiating absolute confidence, but at the end of the day, he was still human and could not escape negative emotions.

Orion imdiately understood that this was sothing deeply important to Shanks, and the fact that he was entrusting him with the care of his daughter was undoubtedly an honor, since it demonstrated the imnse trust he had in him. Because of that, Orion smiled and said,

"Don't worry, Shanks, I promise I'll take good care of Uta. In Pacific Kingdom, she'll be safe from any harm. You have my word."

Orion even struck his fist against his chest as though making a solemn oath, but Shanks' response was not what he expected.

"Uhh?! So you really were trying to seduce my little girl, huh? I'm going to tear you to pieces!"

Shanks grabbed Orion by the collar with an expression twisted by fury, although he wasn't using any actual strength in his grip, so Orion easily broke free before throwing him headfirst into the ground, flipping him over his shoulder like a judoka.

Clearly, Shanks was not being serious, having already returned to his usual "playful" disposition, and Orion could not help but wonder whether this was perhaps a defense chanism the pirate used to avoid showing too much vulnerability in front of others.

After all, for a pirate carrying as many secrets as Shanks—and who was obviously bearing sothing incredibly heavy upon his shoulders—showing any kind of weakness was a luxury he could not afford. That did not an he lacked emotions, rely that he always tried to remain stable.

"Anyway, I appreciate your offer, but I still hadn't finished speaking," Shanks said as he rose from the floor and cracked his neck after burying himself headfirst into the deck of his ship, though he had failed to pierce the hard wood it was built from.

"What I want is for Uta to be happy, so I was thinking of sending her to Elegia so she can develop her musical talents," the red-haired pirate said while gazing fondly at little Uta, who was happily singing together with the crew in the distance.

"Elegia?" Orion asked in confusion, not knowing what Shanks was talking about.

"The Island of Music. It's quite famous throughout the world, so I'm surprised you've never heard of it. You're pretty ignorant, aren't you?"

Bang.

With the imprint of a shoe on his face and a carefree smile, Shanks continued speaking.

"My idea is to send her to Elegia because I know she could truly be happy there and grow up surrounded by the music she loves so much, but the problem is that it's not a particularly safe island, so I can't help worrying about her well-being in the future."

Orion listened to Shanks' words, imdiately understanding where the conversation was headed, and the pirate's next words confird his suspicions.

"That's why I was thinking you could kidnap a huge number of musicians and create your own Elegia inside your kingdom. That way, I could leave Uta under your care without having to worry about her safety. What do you say?"

Orion looked at Shanks' cheerful face and couldn't help wanting to punch him again, though in the end he restrained himself, because he too was a father and understood the worries of the red-haired pirate.

Because of that, Orion simply shook his head lightly and said,

"Alright, but it's going to take so ti to make it happen."

Shanks' eyes lit up the mont he heard Orion's words, and wrapping an arm around his shoulder while patting him repeatedly, he laughed rrily as he said,

"Hahaha! Don't worry, take your ti. I'm not planning to separate from Uta right now anyway. We're talking about the future, the future!"

Then, raising his other hand, he showed Orion his five fingers, rough with calluses from wielding a sword for years, before adding,

"Five years, that's your deadline. So don't stress about it and do it at your own pace. Also, make sure to kidnap the best musicians you can find with your kidnapping skills."

Slap!

Orion smacked away the arm Shanks had draped over his shoulder, freeing himself from the friendly embrace, and with a sowhat irritated expression he said,

"I see you have a lot of demands. It sounds like you had already predicted my answer from the very beginning."

"Of course! After all, you're a good guy, despite being a kidnapper. A good kidnapper?"

Shanks finished his words with a grin, but imdiately noticed Orion's expression darkening, so he quickly gestured with his hand, causing one of his crewmates to approach while carrying several chests.

"Of course I'm not going to ask you for a favor without offering sothing in return. Here, these are the things I prepared for you beforehand," Shanks said, pointing toward the chests now stacked beside him.

Orion looked at the pirate's offering with great curiosity, and upon opening the chests, he discovered they were filled with gold and Berries, and it had to be said that the amount was quite enormous.

With that much money, combined with everything he had stolen from the slave market base, he could make major investnts into the developnt of Pacific Kingdom, and as a result his mood imdiately improved considerably.

However, Shanks' next words irritated him once more.

"With this money, you'll be able to start building a grand music academy similar to Elegia, right? Though it's probably still not enough, this is my contribution to the cause.

After all, having a great music academy is beneficial for you too, isn't it?

I can't finance the whole thing by myself, can I?"

Once again, Shanks noticed Orion staring at him aggressively, so he hurriedly waved his hand again, prompting another mber of his crew to run over carrying three more chests, though these ones were much smaller.

"N-Now don't worry, that's not everything I prepared for you. Here, these three Devil Fruits are for you," Shanks said while pointing at the smaller chests.

Orion raised his eyebrows, setting aside his earlier irritation as he opened the chests to inspect them. Inside, he found the Yuki Yuki no Mi (Snow Snow Fruit), the Hobi Hobi no Mi (Hobby Hobby Fruit), and the Ox Ox Fruit: Model Giraffe.

Leaving aside the last of the three Devil Fruits, the other two were precisely the fruits the system had indicated possessed the highest compatibility with Monet and Sugar, which was why Orion was genuinely surprised to have obtained them so easily.

After rescuing the two sisters from the slave market, he had analyzed their talents, and the system had indicated their extrely high compatibility with those two Devil Fruits. Even so, Orion had absolutely no intention of letting Sugar consu that fruit, because the power it contained seed far too terrifying to him.

Perhaps, following his pragmatic nature, that decision might change in the future, but for now his stance on the matter was quite firm. Furthermore, he did not want Sugar to live burdened by the dangers and implications of her powers, so even if it had been a less terrifying Devil Fruit, he still would not have allowed her to eat it during her childhood.

For that sa reason, he had not given the Buki Buki no Mi to Carla, even though she possessed nearly perfect compatibility with it, and Orion himself currently had the fruit in his possession after stealing it from Doflamingo years before.

Suddenly, Orion rembered Doflamingo, and upon seeing the enormous amount of treasure Shanks was offering him, as well as the two Devil Fruits that, within the Ti Dungeon, had belonged to the two sisters who served the future Warlord, Orion arrived at a conclusion regarding the origin of all these offerings from Shanks.

"You… Where did you get all these things from?" Orion asked directly, without beating around the bush.

"Huh? We stole them from Doflamingo. You're familiar with him, aren't you?" Shanks replied casually, digging a bit of dirt out of his ear with his pinky finger before blowing it away with complete indifference.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill him. You can keep fighting him in the future until you're satisfied," Shanks added with an innocent smile, though his words sounded almost mocking to Orion.

After all, Shanks was basically telling him that if he had wanted to, he could have eliminated Doflamingo without any difficulty whatsoever, but simply hadn't done so in order to let Orion continue struggling against the future Warlord on his own.

It was as though Orion's conflict with Doflamingo was nothing more than a child's ga in Shanks' eyes, and honestly, that was exactly what it was, considering the massive gap that currently existed between their levels of power.

Orion clenched his fists tightly, but what he felt was not frustration, but intense motivation. He had been progressing rapidly in terms of power, and he was convinced that soday he would be able to catch up to Shanks and people on his level, perhaps even surpass them.

Just like Law, who had found his motivation to train hard after getting beaten up repeatedly by Mitsu, Orion was now burning with the desire to increase his strength, so that one day he could look at Shanks the sa way the red-haired pirate currently looked at him and at Doflamingo.

Shanks saw the aggressive smile that had appeared on Orion's face, and inwardly rejoiced, thinking that Orion truly was exactly the kind of person he needed. In the future, Orion would undoubtedly be able to cooperate with the great plan that he had been building over the course of decades, though there was still a long way to go before that mont arrived.

Eventually, Orion stored all the treasures and the three Devil Fruits he had received from Shanks inside his inventory, thinking that later he would give the Yuki Yuki no Mi to Monet, since doing so would greatly increase the strength of his new self-proclaid maid.

Then, Orion let out a light sigh and said,

"If Doflamingo's vaults have already been emptied out by you, then there's no point in going there anymore. I suppose it's ti to return ho."

At last, his journey through the North Blue would co to an end after nearly half a year.

Or at least, that was what Orion believed, because Shanks' next words completely changed his plans.

"There's sothing else I wanted to talk to you about. There's a Devil Fruit I'm searching for," Shanks said with a seriousness far greater than Orion had ever seen from him before.