April 29, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion listened to the report about what was happening in the Sorbet Kingdom from Lucky Roux, who was using his Observation Haki to gather as much information as possible.
Even though his subordinate didn't know who the people that had suddenly appeared were, Orion was sure of their identities the mont he saw Dragon and Ivankov among them: the Freedom Fighters!
The fact that this famous military group that opposed the World Governnt had appeared out of nowhere and begun attacking the royal army was clear proof that they intended to intervene in the affairs of this kingdom to help the people oppressed by the tyrannical King Bekori.
Orion's mind began to work at high speed, and in an instant, he decided on his next actions.
"Kuma, change of plans. You don't need to stay in prison any longer," Orion said with a smile.
In his original plan, Kuma was going to remain in prison until he had finished transporting the people from the south to Pacific Kingdom using his Space Gate. The reason he hadn't thought of freeing Kuma imdiately was because he didn't want to draw too much attention from the royal forces of Sorbet.
He couldn't just free Kuma and leave the rest of the innocent people who had been imprisoned to their fate, because without the presence of the gentle giant, these unfortunate people would have no way to defend themselves from the soldiers if they wanted to harm them.
On the other hand, Orion didn't want to free all the prisoners prematurely and alert Bekori, since that might complicate the evacuation in the south.
That's why his original idea was for Kuma to stay in prison for a few more days, and once he had finished evacuating the southern part of the kingdom, he would co back to release Kuma and the rest of the people in the dungeon.
However, the presence of the Freedom Fighters had changed everything. Now was the perfect opportunity to release all the captives, as the king's forces would be too busy defending themselves from Dragon's assault to pay attention to what was happening in the prison.
Orion even believed that with the strength of the Freedom Fighters, it was likely they could completely crush King Bekori's forces and free the kingdom from his tyranny. After all, the forces led by Dragon weren't just so group of amateurs like Roux's forr resistance. They were an elite force capable of taking over a small kingdom like Sorbet without much difficulty.
"What are we going to do, Orion?" Ginny asked excitedly. She was a woman who loved action, and the chance to help bring down the hateful King Bekori thrilled her.
"For now, we won't interfere in the conflict. I want to see what the Freedom Fighters are capable of," Orion said with a smile, shaking his head slightly.
"Freedom Fighters? They're here?" Kuma asked hastily.
The kind priest was a great admirer of Dragon and his military group that traveled the world helping people and opposing the World Governnt's power. He had dread countless tis of eting Dragon in person, the legendary figure leading the Freedom Fighters, so upon hearing Orion ntion them, Kuma couldn't help but feel restless and excited.
"They're fighting the king's forces, which gives us the perfect opportunity to act without drawing too much attention," Orion said, nodding.
Ginny stepped forward and grabbed Orion's arm firmly, pressing her ample breasts against him, causing him to lose so of his charismatic aura imdiately, as his muscles tensed involuntarily and his expression turned stiff.
"Orion, what do you want to do? Give your orders!" Ginny said, looking at him intensely. Her face was just a centiter from his, and he could feel her warm breath on his skin.
Orion looked at her soft pink lips and swallowed hard. Then he slightly pulled his face back and replied,
"That depends on what you two want. My plan is to go directly after Bekori, to make sure he doesn't escape. You can either co with or join Lucky Roux, who's still in the city, and help the Freedom Fighters fight the royal army."
"I want to go with you!"
"I want to help the Freedom Fighters!"
Ginny and Kuma answered at the sa ti, though with opposite responses. Ginny had chosen to go with Orion, while Kuma wanted to see the Freedom Fighters in action.
However, hearing Kuma's answer, Ginny hesitated for a mont and finally let go of Orion's arm and said in a low voice:
"I'll help the Freedom Fighters too. If I go with you, I'll just be a burden."
Orion nodded slightly, although he felt a little disappointed by Ginny's answer. No longer feeling the wonderful touch of her body against his, he couldn't help but sigh with bitterness, though the emotion passed quickly.
"Very well then. I'll evacuate the prisoners into my Pocket Dinsion, and then I'll go deal with Bekori. You go and et up with Lucky Roux—he can help you navigate the battlefield more easily."
Ginny and Kuma nodded, and Orion imdiately opened a door in the air, allowing the prisoners to enter his Pocket Dinsion, where they would remain safe until the ongoing conflict between the king's forces and the Freedom Fighters was over.
anwhile, in the center of the city, the battle between the Freedom Fighters and the royal army was reaching its climax.
"DEATH WINK!!"
Swish!
A huge gust of wind blasted out as Ivankov blinked his long, thick lashes. The gust rushed forward, sending a large group of enemy soldiers flying through the air. So of them crashed to their deaths after suffering severe injuries from the impact. It wasn't strange for several of them to have their necks broken by Ivankov's bizarre attack.
"What a strange attack," said Lucky Roux, who was sitting on a nearby rooftop, eating and watching the battle with great interest. Although Ivankov's move was odd, perhaps soone who literally turned into a human ball and hurled himself at high speeds didn't have much right to judge.
"Hold your positions! Don't let them into the royal pala—AHh!" One of the commanding soldiers collapsed with a deep slash across his torso, struck by one of Dragon's n.
Even though the royal army outnumbered the Freedom Fighters, they were being easily overwheld. It was only a matter of ti before Sorbet's defenses collapsed entirely. In fact, many of the soldiers who weren't fully loyal to Bekori had already dropped their weapons and surrendered to the relentless enemy that had suddenly appeared.
Dragon, who was in the center of the battlefield, glanced to the side and spotted a strange boy eating a piece of at in the distance. He frowned slightly, but seeing that Lucky Roux had no intention of fighting and didn't seem to be an enemy, he ignored him and continued attacking the royal army.
"Uff, what an intense guy. He almost made choke on my food," said Roux, relaxing his muscles that had tensed involuntarily.
Suddenly, two figures appeared in front of Lucky Roux, who had been waiting for them there.
"Roux! How's the battle going?" Ginny asked, looking at the battlefield from a distance.
"The king's forces are about to be wiped out. I don't think they need our help," Roux replied nonchalantly.
Orion had told them to assist the Freedom Fighters, but seeing the current situation, it probably wasn't necessary—and might even be counterproductive if they got in the way. After all, the forces under Dragon's command were well organized and operated naturally with a clear understanding among themselves.
If Lucky Roux, Ginny, or Kuma jumped into the fray, they'd likely just get in the way.
Kuma didn't approach the battlefield and instead watched everything with great emotion. His fists clenched, overwheld by what he felt. He wasn't a man prone to violence, but in his mind, the Freedom Fighters' actions were bathed in sothing special: justice.
The battle didn't last long, and in less than an hour, the Freedom Fighters had defeated the royal army, erging victorious without much trouble.
Ivankov, who had been fighting energetically, suddenly turned and ran toward Roux and the others, startling the round boy, who instantly adopted a spherical form, ready to hurl himself at the bizarre enemy with the enormous face, just in case.
"Relax, Roux, he's not an enemy," Ginny said with a big smile, stepping forward and hugging Ivankov joyfully.
"I'm so glad you're all okay! It's been a while since we last t! Heehaaw!"
"Ivaaa!" Ginny exclaid, hugging him tightly.
She and Ivankov were childhood friends and had gone through many things together. Now that she saw him again after all these years, it was inevitable to feel moved.
"Hey Kuma! Man, you've grown! Though you've still got that sa expression—it's not hard to recognize you, hahaha!" Ivankov said while hugging Ginny and looking at Kuma fondly.
"It's good to see you again, Iva," Kuma said in his usual calm tone, approaching the flamboyant Ivankov.
"Hey Dragon, co here! These are the people I told you about!" Iva shouted loudly, making Ginny cover her ears in slight annoyance.
"Ivankov, you're too loud. You don't have to yell for to hear you," Dragon said as he approached the lively group.
"Nice to et you!" Kuma said, stepping forward and extending his hand to Dragon, who looked at him seriously and shook it firmly.
"Likewise. Ivankov spoke highly of you," Dragon replied with a faint smile.
"What are your plans now? Are you going to take down the royal family?" Ginny asked curiously from the side.
Dragon nodded and replied, "Yes. The state of this kingdom is deplorable. The current king is unfit to rule, so it's ti he stepped down. Only then will the people have a chance at better lives."
Kuma nodded firmly, showing his approval of Dragon's words, while Ginny watched the exchange silently. In her eyes, Dragon was a figure similar to Orion. They acted similarly, at least in so respects.
However, for so reason Ginny couldn't quite explain, Dragon didn't seem as good as Orion. It wasn't that the Freedom Fighters' leader wasn't powerful or charismatic enough—it was just that sothing was missing. She didn't know what, but that missing thing was what made Orion seem far better in her eyes.
She had been influenced by Kuma's dreams and had also wished to et the famous Dragon and join his cause. But now that he was standing before her, Ginny felt he wasn't as great as Orion, and if she had to choose soone to follow, it certainly wouldn't be the stern man in front of her now.
This realization confused her, as she hadn't noticed before that she had changed a bit since eting Orion. His influence on her during their ti together had not been minor, as they had beco very close.
It was even possible that Orion had influenced Ginny more than he had influenced Kuma, though for so reason, the system hadn't made any ntion of it to Orion.
"Kuma, Ginny, this ti, besides coming to help with this kingdom's situation, we ca looking for you," Ivankov said, pointing at his childhood friends with his index finger and striking a diva pose with his other hand on his hip.
"For us? What—" Kuma began, but Ivankov cut him off before he could finish.
"Of course! We ca to ask you to join us in our noble cause! Heehaaw!"
Kuma showed a surprised expression, then one of excitent. This was sothing he had dread about—fighting to help free people from oppression. However, before he could say yes, he felt soone tugging on the sleeve of his priest robe, and when he looked down, he saw Ginny's steady gaze.
Imdiately, Orion's image appeared in Kuma's mind, and he rembered he had already agreed to join his kingdom and fight by his side. The excitent on Kuma's face faded, and he looked away from Ivankov, saying,
"Give us ti to think about it."
Ivankov was surprised, as he hadn't expected that response from the gentle priest—but before he could ask anything, Dragon raised a hand to stop him and said seriously,
"Of course, there's no need to decide right away. For now, let's finish what we ca to do."
Then Dragon turned to Lucky Roux, who was eating casually nearby, and said in his deep voice,
"By the way, who's this boy?"
"Oh! Sorry, I forgot to introduce him," Ginny said, rembering Roux's presence.
"He's Lucky Roux, a friend we t recently," Ginny concluded.
"Sup! Nice to et you," said Lucky Roux casually, completely unaffected by Dragon's powerful aura as the leader of the Freedom Fighters stared at him intensely.
"Nice to et you, boy! Friends of Kuma and Ginny are my friends too!" Ivankov said, winking flirtatiously.
Dragon didn't pry much into Lucky Roux's identity and simply ordered his n to continue advancing into the royal palace. Now that Bekori's army had been defeated, only a few guards remained as the tyrant's final line of defense.
Dragon led the way, guiding his troops, while Ivankov stayed a bit behind, chatting animatedly with Ginny and Kuma. Lucky Roux followed silently, though with his powerful Observation Haki, he had already scanned the palace and knew Bekori's exact condition.
Finally, after a few minutes, they reached the palace's central chamber—the throne room. Dragon's expression changed slightly when he used his Haki to sense what was happening inside, and then he kicked open the door, revealing the scene inside the throne room.
A large number of guards lay on the floor, though most were still alive. In the center of the grand room, a man dressed entirely in black was holding another man by the neck, lifting him in the air without letting him stand.
The man being held wasn't moving, and his body showed no signs of resistance. He was completely covered in blood and wounds, and it was hard to tell if he was even alive.
Dragon stepped forward and let out a bit of his Conqueror's Haki—not to attack, but simply as a show of power.
However, the man turned around with a smile, completely unfazed by Dragon's actions, and said,
"Sorry for getting ahead of you. I've already taken care of the king."
"Orion!" Ginny said, running to him and grabbing his arm.
"These are Dragon and Iva! They're the leaders of the famous Freedom Fighters!" she continued happily, ignoring the bloody, unconscious Bekori.
Orion sat the unconscious king on the throne and gave a small bow to greet the new Nad Characters.
"Nice to et you. It's an honor," Orion said with a smile, stepping forward to shake Dragon's hand.
Dragon stared at him for a mont, then nodded and shook his hand firmly.
"Dragon. Nice to et you."
Orion looked at the na on the system screen and confird that his full na was Monkey D. Dragon. So, he imdiately realized he was related to Garp. His master Roger had ntioned that Garp's son participated in the God Valley battle alongside the Marine Hero, though he'd never ntioned his na.
Now, seeing the Freedom Fighters' leader before him, it was obvious this man was the Marine Hero's son!
"What a complicated family," Orion thought, rembering Garp's monstrous strength.
Lately, he had been running into more and more VIP Nad Characters, and although he managed to keep his composure in front of Dragon, the pressure from this famous leader was truly terrifying. Fortunately, Orion wasn't in conflict with him this ti—he'd had enough of fighting opponents way above his current level!
At that mont, Lucky Roux's carefree voice rang out loudly:
"Boss, they want to recruit Kuma and Ginny for their faction."
Orion, who was just about to let go of Dragon's hand after shaking it, squeezed it again—this ti much harder.
Dragon looked at him in surprise, and when he t Orion's eyes, he saw that he was staring at him aggressively. Imdiately, Dragon tightened his grip too, not wanting to be outdone.
The two n shook hands tensely in silence, staring at each other, while those around them watched with curiosity.
Orion, anwhile, was cursing internally.
"Fuck! Why do these damn Monkey D.'s always want to steal the people around ?! This family is definitely trouble!"
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