May 2, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion finished his daily exercise routine and exhaled.
He was in his adult form, his muscles tense from the exertion he'd been putting in over the past few hours, beads of sweat running down his bare torso, which looked as if it had been carved from stone.
Whitey Bay, who was sitting aside watching him, licked her lips nervously, feeling a certain restlessness she wasn't used to.
She was called the "Ice Witch" for a very specific reason: She had never had a romantic relationship in all her 25 years of life.
Originally, the nickname had been a derogatory way for men she'd rejected to get back at her, but Whitey thought it sounded good and embraced the epithet, thwarting those pathetic men's attempts to humiliate her.
The reason she'd never had a romantic relationship wasn't because she was frigid, or because she was a lesbian, as many people thought, but because she'd simply never met a man she considered worthy of her, or who even stirred a shred of desire in her.
This was partly due to her past experiences. She'd grown up alongside Shirohige, who was currently considered the strongest man in the world, and had been surrounded by a monstrous crew of incredibly strong men.
It was obvious that she couldn't possibly feel any interest in ordinary men after being in contact with the most powerful men in the world for so long, not so much because she discriminated against ordinary men, but because interacting with her was practically impossible for them.
No man below a certain level of power could remain calm around a powerful pirate like her, much less consider having a romance with her; thus, a relationship with such people was virtually impossible.
On the other hand, most of the men she had met who were powerful enough to have a chance with her were her enemies, and the rest were practically family, like Whitebeard and his crew.
All of the above put her in a very precarious position when it came to love and desire, and despite having the physiological needs of a normal woman, she had never been able to find someone to love.
However, now, for the first time, this had changed.
It had been at her moment of greatest weakness, when she was about to be seriously wounded and fall into the hands of the Marines, that a mysterious man had taken her in his strong arms and carried her away from all danger.
Not only that, that day, when Orion saved her, he took her to her ship to reunite with her crew. Before she could thank him for his help, Orion opened a door in the air again, allowing the crew members he had silently rescued—who had been held prisoner at the Marine Base—to emerge and reunite with their astonished companions.
This series of 'hits' had unsettled the powerful pirate captain, and before she could regain her composure, Orion had delivered the final blow.
If she closed her eyes, Whitey Bay could still recall the scene that unfolded that night:
Her savior had removed the strange sock he used as a mask, revealing a handsome face that was perfectly in keeping with her personal tastes. He had then looked at her with blazing eyes and proclaimed his love for her at first sight.
Whitey Bay had never experienced anything like this, and immediately her heart began to pound; a feeling she'd never felt before spread throughout her body, sending shivers and goosebumps through her skin.
It had taken all her willpower to maintain her composure, and she finally managed to muster a smile and calmly express her gratitude.
After that day, the handsome man named Orion traveled on her ship as an honored guest, and every day he professed his love for her in various ways. Paintings, songs, poems, solemn declarations—during these days, the Ice Witch's heart had been bombarded countless times by the actions of this passionate boy; all that was missing was a small push for her to surrender completely and accept his proposal.
Now, she was watching him train with great interest. Although this man's power couldn't compare to hers, she felt a great thrill seeing him covered in sweat, and her hormones raged beyond control. For the first time, the Ice Witch had fallen in love.
Orion wiped his sweat with a towel under Whitey Bay's watchful eye, and looked at the system screen, confirming that they were still moving in the right direction.
A few days had passed since he had arrived on the Ice Witch's ship as a guest.
That night, after absorbing the Modo Modo no Mi, new notifications appeared on the system screen:
*The small source of power has been successfully absorbed*
*The ability 'Age Change (incomplete)' has been enhanced*
*The ability 'Frozen Time (incomplete)' has been enhanced"
*A new ability has been synthesized. You have obtained the ability 'Distorted Future (incomplete)' *
*The remaining power has been transformed into system points. 446 SP obtained*
This time, the Devil Fruit he had absorbed wasn't as powerful or compatible as the previous sources of power, so the benefits hadn't been as pronounced. However, he had obtained a new ability and two enhancements to existing abilities, thus the reward for taking the risk of infiltrating the Marine Base hadn't been bad at all!
The improvement "Age Change" had gained was quite good; there was now no limit on the ability's use, and it didn't consume any SP.
Basically, he could now remain in his adult form without any problems for several days, although it was quite tiring to have the ability activated all the time, so in the future he planned to continue using his natural form most of the time.
Either way, during these days on Whitey Bay's ship, he had been continuously in his adult form, and that was because he was trying to seduce the pirate captain!
He could see that Whitey had a good impression of him, and that if things continued to develop in the direction they were going, there was a good chance he could make the Ice Witch his wife.
Orion wasn't lying when he declared his love for her. The pirate captain was just the kind of woman he liked, and he had fallen in love at first sight. After several days of trying to win her affection, Whitey showed signs that she was about to accept his proposal, and that made him very happy.
Another thing he had discovered during these days was that the progress of his Six Abilities —i.e., Rokushiki— advanced much faster when he trained in his adult form, and some of them were about to level up.
This rapid progress made him realize that although his child body was innately stronger than average, it was still a child's body, and had great limitations when it came to advancing his combat skills.
As for the improvement of his "Frozen Time" ability, the SP cost required for its activation had simply been reduced from 10 points to 1 point! Which was great news for Orion.
Although he couldn't help but sigh at the thought that he had spent a large amount of points to halt Giolla's aging, and there were still 7 months of reserve left, equivalent to 2,100 points that could have been only 210!
In any case, he didn't regret using the ability to stop Giolla's aging, since the sexy artist was his first official partner in this life, and no matter how much SP he had to spend, it couldn't compare to her happiness and well-being.
Lastly, the ability he had obtained this time, "Distorted Future (Incomplete)," was quite interesting and useful.
"Distorted Future (Incomplete): This ability allows you to transform into a 'possible future self.'
The future holds limitless possibilities and isn't set in stone. This skill lets you explore the potential appearances your future might hold. Your physical form will shift based on how vividly you can imagine and how strongly you believe in a specific future possibility for yourself. For example, you could visualize a version of yourself who's a seasoned warrior, a wise scholar, or a charming leader, and your appearance would adapt to reflect that imagined self.
(Note: This ability only alters your external appearance; it does not change your power level, skills, or physical attributes.)*
This ability was simply an incredible tool to complement his espionage skills, providing him with perfect camouflage if necessary. For him, who was being sought by Cipher Pol as a fugitive, this ability could give him the freedom to move around without having to constantly worry about being discovered.
The only drawback to this ability was that it consumed too much energy to activate. Although he didn't need any SP, it was very tiring to stay in his distorted future form for too long, so he couldn't use it continuously, as he could with Age Change.
Whitey Bay, who had been watching him closely, approached with her sensual walk and stood in front of him, smiling.
"Orion, I see you're progressing quickly. It's nice to see someone so dedicated to their training," the beautiful woman said as she tucked a strand of her long blue hair behind her ear.
Her words weren't empty flattery. In fact, it was the first time she had ever seen someone train relentlessly for several days without rest. The pirates she knew were incredibly powerful and obviously trained as well, but none of them had the dedication or discipline that Orion had maintained during his time aboard her ship.
"Thank you for your kind words, Whitey. To tell the truth, I'm trying harder than usual because I want to impress you and make a good impression on you," Orion smiled and stepped forward, taking the Ice Witch's hand in his own.
Although Whitey Bay was a formidable swordswoman, her hands were surprisingly soft and lacked the calluses a normal swordsman should have after years of practice.
This made him wonder if this was a characteristic specific to the world of One Piece, or if it was something specific to Whitey.
The pirate felt the soft touch on her hand, and her cheeks flushed ever so slightly, though she immediately regained her composure and returned to her usual relaxed demeanor.
She was attracted to Orion, but she didn't want to be passive around him. Over the past few days, Orion had been actively courting her, and she had done her best to remain calm and composed, not allowing him to dictate the pace of their interactions.
Obviously, she had no experience in the world of love, so she easily got caught up in the rhythm imposed by Orion, who nevertheless always maintained a respectful distance without making a definitive move.
He knew he couldn't rush if he wanted to win over this powerful woman, and he enjoyed the courtship ritual they had spent their last few days in.
"Well, you can consider me impressed, although you'll have to do a little better if you want to win my heart," Whitey said, touching the tip of Orion's nose with her index finger, openly flirting with him.
Orion smelled the sweet aroma of the woman's perfume, and seeing her beautiful face and explosive body so close to him, he couldn't help but feel his body react involuntarily.
The pirate captain noticed Orion's reaction and smiled triumphantly, knowing she had won the little ambiguous exchange they'd had.
Then, without another word, she turned and left, leaving Orion standing there alone, staring at her beautiful silhouette and her sensual ass, which stood out through the thin fabric of her dress.
Orion exhaled, calming his racing heart. He looked at the system screen and saw that Whitey Bay's favorability rating had reached 78, which was pretty good, considering how little time they had actually spent together.
Most of the favorability he had earned was for saving her from the siege of the four Vice Admirals, but that wasn't the only thing he had gained at that moment.
The notification that had appeared on the system screen when he had saved her that time could still be seen in the system log.
*Your actions have influenced the Named Character Whitey Bay, changing her future. You have obtained 3000 SP*
Orion read this notification again and saw that there was a '+' sign below it. By focusing his mind on this sign, the notification expanded, providing additional information.
*Whitey Bay would have been stabbed in the abdomen by a Vice Admiral, rendering her sterile, and then captured by the Marines, who would use her to pressure Shirohige and obtain certain benefits. Your actions have prevented her from suffering permanent injuries, preserving her ability to pursue her dream of motherhood, and also indirectly helping Whitebeard.*
Reading this extra information provided by the system, Orion could only sigh, thinking about how a small action at a decisive moment could drastically change the future. His intervention had prevented a tragedy that was about to befall Whitey Bay, and he was very glad he had been able to help her.
As for the extra information, it was a new function that had appeared after he absorbed the Modo Modo no Mi, and it provided him with data on the effects of his actions on the original timeline.
He didn't know if all his future actions that influenced Named Characters would have this kind of extra information about the changes, but he hoped that was the case.
Even if it didn't happen every time, he would welcome any small amount of information he could get. For him, who hadn't read the original One Piece story and didn't know what would happen in the future, this kind of extra information was a true treasure. Not only because it allowed him to see more clearly the impact of his actions, but also because it could allow him to infer and speculate about future events.
Orion sat on the deck of the large ship and placed his hands behind his head, thoughtful. Whitey Bay had offered to take him to Mary Geoise, where he could attempt to travel to the South Blue more safely along the official routes. But Orion didn't want to waste so much time on such a long journey when he could simply go straight through the Calm Belt.
Back when he stole the Modo Modo no Mi from the Marine base, he had also stolen a Marine vessel, which he would use to attempt to cross the Calm Belt. He knew it was dangerous, but with the kairoseki-cloaked ship and the help of his skills, he believed he could make it. Even if they were attacked by the Sea Kings living there, he would be able to hide inside his Pocket Dimension until the danger passed and he could continue his journey.
Orion rejected Whitey Bay's offer, but she still insisted in taking him to the edge between the Grand Line and the Calm Belt; for the past few days she had subtly tried to get him to change his mind and not risk traveling through such a dangerous place. However, Orion had already made up his mind, and he wouldn't change it easily.
Kalifa suddenly appeared, running with joy, and shouted loudly
"Orion, look what I got!" said the little girl carrying two sticks with caramel apples stuck on them.
"Oh? Even on this ship, you're able to get candy, Kalifa?" said Orion, standing up lazily.
"These aren't candy! It's a fruit, so it doesn't count as candy! I'm not a little girl anymore, and I don't eat candy!" Kalifa responded indignantly, puffing out her cheeks, which made her look especially cute.
For some reason, she had the idea that only children could eat sweets, and she wanted to be seen as an adult. Consequently, her line of thinking had led her to refuse to eat sweets, even though she clearly loved them.
Orion had to admit that even though Kalifa was a little prodigy, she could be incredibly adorable and innocent at times.
"You're right, Kalifa, I was wrong. Don't be mad," Orion said, taking one of the caramel apples and taking a bite.
He wasn't much of a fan of sweets, but he didn't want to reject the little girl's kindness.
"Hmph! As long as you know, I won't hold it against you!" Kalifa said, and began eating her apple in small bites like a squirrel.
Orion took a couple of symbolically small bites and waited for the girl to finish her apple before giving her his, which was almost complete.
Kalifa didn't refuse his offer and began eating the second apple with great pleasure.
Meanwhile, Orion unexpectedly picked her up and placed her on his shoulder so she could see the horizon.
"Ahh!" Kalifa cried as she felt her feet lose contact with the ground.
Then, she looked at Orion reproachfully and said,
"Orion, don't surprise me like that! You almost made me choke!"
"Hahaha, a prodigy like you shouldn't be scared so easily," Orion replied, laughing heartily at Kalifa's funny behavior.
The girl simply grumbled a little and continued eating her caramel apple.
The two remained silent, watching into the distance, until Kalifa's voice interrupted the beautiful moment of peace.
"Orion, why aren't you in your original form these days? Is it because you want to sleep with that blue-haired woman? That's sexual harassment!"
Orion felt his legs go weak at the sound of the little girl's words, and he had to force himself not to fall to the ground.
"Fuck! Who taught a little girl these things?!" Orion howled inwardly. Then, trying to sound as calm as possible, he replied,
"It's all part of a grand plan, don't worry about it. Just focus on your studies!"
"But I don't have any more books! Can't you write a new one for me?" Kalifa said, pouting, her attention successfully diverted.
The two continued talking animatedly for a long time, as the Ice Witch's ship continued moving toward the Calm Belt.