September 20, 1496, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion woke up to find it wasn't dawn yet. He got out of bed, washed his face, and prepared to begin his morning training routine.
It didn't matter that he wasn't home; whenever he could, he tried to maintain his training routine, as that was the only way he could continue advancing his skills.
He still had one system quest to complete, which required him to increase one of his combat skills to level 3.
Right now, his Swordsmanship skill was the closest, but advancing the last necessary level wasn't easy.
Orion left the Harewood house, trying not to make too much noise so as not to wake anyone.
The day before, they had held a celebration for the reunion of both families, and they had been up late. His father, Paul, and Robert Harewood had gotten drunk and ended up hugging and singing.
Now, it was still early morning, and everyone was asleep. Especially his parents, who were also tired from the trip.
Although it had been a short, trouble-free trip, his parents had been on high alert for the entire duration, for fear of encountering any problems along the way. Maintaining that level of alertness for several days was tremendously stressful, so their minds needed a good rest. Now that they felt safe in their friends' house, they could finally sleep peacefully.
Orion left the house, but he hadn't advanced a few meters before the door opened again, and Gion came running out, hurried and somewhat disheveled.
"Orion! Why didn't you tell me you were going to train? I can train with you!" Gion said reproachfully, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
"I didn't mean to bother you. I didn't know if you were still practicing daily or not," Orion replied, scratching his head.
"Hmph! I've been practicing every day. Do you want a sparring match so you can see I'm not lying?"
Orion looked thoughtful for a moment, then accepted Gion's proposal.
He wanted to know the current level of this swordsmanship genius. Had she progressed faster than him?
It shouldn't be possible, right? After all, he had trained with Roger for half a year, and his skill had increased dramatically.
Gion took her wooden sword and got into a fighting stance. But she quickly realized that Orion didn't have a wooden sword to fight with.
He only had the two cutlasses at his waist.
Orion saw the familiar wooden sword, which he had given her on her birthday, and felt a warm feeling in his heart. From the appearance and condition of the sword, it could be seen that Gion treated it with great care and affection.
"Orion, your wooden sword..." Gion said with some uncertainty.
Yesterday, the children had been so happy to be reunited that they had been chatting about various things and enjoying each other's company. She hadn't paid attention to the swords Orion was carrying.
Now that she noticed the boy's appearance, with his two swords, she realized that Orion looked much stronger and more imposing than before. It wasn't entirely a visual issue, but rather a sensation that was somewhat difficult to explain. It was as if all her senses were telling her that Orion was very strong.
"After the pirates attacked Pacific Town, I started using the cutlass as my main weapon, and I also use it for training. It's been a long time since I've used the wooden sword," Orion said with a smile.
Gion felt that her best friend had changed without her noticing, and that she no longer knew everything about him as she had when they lived together years ago. This realization filled her with bitterness, and she thought it would be nice if she could return to her old home.
But she knew that was impossible. Her family had already settled in this place, and they wouldn't emigrate again unless there was some force majeure.
Orion saw that Gion looked a little downcast and guessed what the girl was thinking without much difficulty.
He stepped forward and placed a hand on her head, stroking her soft hair.
"What are you thinking about, Gion? I see you keep letting your imagination run wild as always. I hope you know that no matter what happens in the future, we will always have the same relationship. We may change over time, but our bond will remain strong forever. I promise you."
Gion heard her best friend's words and her cheeks reddened. Then she nodded, not daring to look him in the eyes. From the girl's perspective, Orion had made a confession of love. Although in reality, he was just trying to make her feel better.
"We can use my cutlasses for the practice match. Although you're not used to using that type of sword, a genius like yourself shouldn't have any problems, right?" Orion said with a smile, handing her the cutlass he used regularly.
Gion felt the weight of the sword, which was completely different from his wooden sword, and nodded.
The two assumed their combat stance and began trading blows.
Gion was eager to show Orion how much she had improved since the last time they met. So, from the start, she attacked with all her might, while Orion took a stance of observing and understanding Gion's level.
The little girl moved at high speed and swung her sword, slashing upward. Orion identified the direction of the attack and used his sword to slightly deflect it, causing Gion to lose her balance for a moment, and her stance was broken in an instant.
Gion raised her eyebrows in surprise, but she didn't give up. She began to attack using all the techniques she had learned at the Shimotsuki dojo, but Orion was like a large, immovable rock; all of her attacks were easily negated by Orion with minimal movement.
Finally, once Orion was able to determine Gion's level, he made a swift attack, and the cutlass flew from the girl's hand, who froze in surprise at the attack.
It had been a crushing defeat!
Gion, who was proud of her skill and wanted to boast about her progress in front of Orion, realized that her childhood friend had left her far behind in terms of skill.
Gion lowered her head, and her eyes filled with tears. Once again, she felt like Orion had gone to a very far away place, where she would never be able to reach him. It was as if they were people from two different worlds!
Orion looked at the girl, who was once again depressed, and sighed.
Gion truly was a swordsmanship genius.
He had trained with Roger, one of the most powerful men in this world, for half a year, and that was why he had been able to advance so quickly in his swordsmanship.
With Roger as his teacher, even a pig could become a master swordsman!
He had even thought several times that a person with such mediocre talent as his wasn't worthy of being Roger's apprentice. It was truly a waste of natural resources, and that made him appreciate his teacher and the time he had spent with him even more.
If a genius like Gion had trained with Roger, how far could she have advanced? Definitely much further than him.
Orion calculated that Gion's swordsmanship skill should be in the upper mid-range of Level 1, using the system's levels as a reference. Therefore, it was only natural that he, with that skill at Level 2, could easily defeat Gion. However, that didn't take away from how impressive Gion was for reaching such a level without the tutelage of a legendary figure.
Gion picked up the cutlass that had fallen to the ground, and tears flooded her cheeks.
She didn't consider herself a crybaby, but whenever the matter arose regarding Orion, she couldn't control her emotions.
Orion patted her shoulder affectionately and said:
"What's wrong, Gion? Since when are you so weak? In my memory, you always got up after every defeat. If you're weaker than me, isn't it a good opportunity to raise your level?"
Gion wiped her tears and nodded firmly.
Orion smiled, and they began another practice match.
The morning passed quickly with both children sparring continuously, and after a few hours, Gion was no longer completely suppressed by Orion and was already showing signs of being able to slightly keep up with him.
"What a monstrous talent," Orion thought with a mixture of pride and bitterness.
Obviously, he wanted her to be as brilliant as possible, but her brilliance reminded him of his own talent, which could barely be considered a little more than that of a normal person.
Now that he had a passive ability that enhanced his talent for using Haki, perhaps there was a similar skill for swordsmanship?
And if that was the case, was there a way to acquire such a talent?
Gion wiped the sweat from her forehead and said happily.
"Orion, we should stop for today, otherwise we'll get too tired and won't be able to enjoy the day!"
Orion nodded and sheathed his sword. He then received the cutlass he had lent Gion and placed it on his waist as well.
Gion was very happy because her swordsmanship, which had been stagnant for months, had finally progressed by leaps and bounds while sparring with Orion.
She loved the feeling her strength increasing, and getting closer and closer to Orion's. Once again, she felt like they were in the same world, and that put her in a very good mood.
"Orion, I have a surprise for you, but I need a little time to prepare it."
"A surprise?" Orion said curiously.
"How long will it take? I could go take a bath in the meantime."
Gion raised her hand and approved the idea. Then, she ran into the house and started cooking. The moment she had been training her culinary skills for all this time had finally arrived!
She had read in a book that the best way to a man's heart was through his stomach, and that was why she was so insistent in her desire to improve her cooking skills.
Gion could be very innocent at times, despite her precociousness.
Orion took a bath, then talked for a while with Doll and Shyarly, and went out to explore the city.
This city was called Gray Harbor, and it was a relatively large city.
It had been a small town until about 30 years ago, when the Marine set up one of its bases on a nearby island.
From that moment on, the number of people moving here in search of safety had increased a little each year, and the small town had transformed into a large city.
Especially in recent years, pirate activity in this area of the South Blue had increased significantly, leading to large waves of immigrants arriving in search of refuge.
The number of people arriving was more than the city could handle, so crime and poverty had increased exponentially.
It was somewhat ironic that the same people who had come seeking greater safety often ended up suffering at the hands of the criminal gangs that populated the streets of Gray Harbor.
The streets of this city were as crowded as those of Beru, where Doll lived, but were much more gloomy and dangerous.
Orion walked through the shops looking for Tone dials, but didn't find any.
However, he was told that he might have luck talking to a group of smugglers based in the slums.
Orion had no intention of going, at least not right away, since he didn't know the place well and didn't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble. He would do some research first and make a decision later.
In any case, he and his parents would be staying for a few more days, so there was no rush.
What he did find, however, was a den den mushi.
However, he didn't expect these little creatures to be so expensive!
The little money he had was given to him by Rouge, and it definitely wasn't enough to buy the snail. So he would have to find a way to make money quickly in this city.
Orion returned to the Harewood house and found Gion waiting for him in a very good mood.
She took his arm and led him to the kitchen, where she had him sit at the table.
Then, she brought a plate with a slice of cake on it and placed it in front of him.
She looked at him smiling and said, "Orion, I cooked this for you! When you sent me that letter saying you were coming to see me, I was so happy, and I decided to surprise you."
"At first, I couldn't cook anything no matter how hard I tried; it was just so difficult, but I didn't give up. Finally, after a few months of practice, I mastered the culinary art!"
"So... I- I made this cake especially for you," Gion said, blushing.
Orion saw the exquisite cake in front of him, and Gion, who was staring at him intently, waiting for him to try the dish, and he couldn't help but laugh with joy.
With a spoon, he scooped up a piece of cake and brought it to his mouth with great anticipation. After all, the cake looked really delicious, so it must be just as tasty, right?
However, when his tongue came into contact with the cake's spongy surface, his face changed dramatically.
A nauseating taste invaded his taste buds, which seemed to be dying rapidly to avoid further torture from such filth.
An alert sounded in his mind, and a notification appeared on the system screen.
*Ding*
*You have been poisoned. Passive ability "Poison Resistance (Level 1)" has been activated*
Orion's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at little Gion with a strange expression.
"She... She's not trying to kill me, is she?" Orion thought.
"No, no, no. Gion would never do that!" He vehemently denied it.
But then... How could it be that she had given him poisonous food?
She couldn't be so bad at cooking that her food turned out to be poisonous... could she?
"Um, Gion, did you prepare this yourself?" he said somewhat hesitantly, trying to find some hidden reason behind the incident.
"Of course! I put all my feelings into this cake! What do you think? Is it delicious?" the little girl asked, her eyes lighting up, hoping for a positive response from him.
Seeing her in that state, with her eyes shining and full of hope, Orion couldn't tell the truth.
He gritted his teeth, forced a smile, and said
"This is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten!"
Gion raised his arms happily and ran to get the rest of the cake. A few moments later, she appeared with a large tray, which she placed in front of him, and said
"If you like it so much, here's some more. I made it especially for you, you can eat it all!"
"Duck!" he said inwardly, and wanted to slap himself hard for talking too much!
But now he had no choice but to continue.
He picked up the spoon, took a deep breath, and began to eat the cake quickly.
*Ding*
*You have been poisoned*
*You have been poisoned*
*You have been poisoned*
The notifications continued to appear continuously, and Orion doubted whether his ability would increase as a result of eating this cake!
Of course, that didn't happen. Luckily for him, his passive skill was strong enough to counteract Gion's horrible cooking. Although he had to endure the putrid taste anyway.
Finally, he finished eating the entire cake and left the spoon on the table.
He felt a little dizzy, and his mind was tired. Apparently, consuming that cake had exhausted all his mental energy!
Gion happily took the tray and said,
"I'm glad you liked it so much, Orion. I'll cook you another one tomorrow!"
"No!" he cried involuntarily, and seeing that Gion was watching him in surprise, he added,
"It's best if you only cook on special occasions, that way your efforts will have more meaning. Otherwise, it would be like an ordinary meal. Let this be a great memory, and the next time we meet, you can surprise me with a new recipe."
Gion laughed happily and patted him on the shoulder.
"How funny you are, Orion. Don't worry, I'll make you a new cake tomorrow!"
Orion felt like his world was falling apart, and for a moment he thought he might faint.
Gion washed the tray, then approached Orion and took his arm.
"Come with me, Orion. I want to introduce you to someone interesting."
"Her name is Ren Shimotsuki, and she's a geisha!"
Orion heard the word "geisha," and his interest was suddenly piqued.
He had to admit, that word was a weakness for many men! After all, geisha were world-renowned, and he had heard about them in his past life.
Gion walked out of the house arm in arm with Orion, who was doing his best not to faint.
However, he didn't get far before his vision blurred and he lost consciousness.
All the poison he had eaten had eroded his mind and shortened the time his adult self could stay awake.
Orion's eyes lost their depth and became crystalline. Upon receiving the memories of his other self, little Orión couldn't help but shudder at the memory of the horrendous taste of the food Gion had prepared.
Without beating around the bush, he said,
"Gion, your food tastes like garbage. I don't want to eat it again!"
Gion stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked at him with a strange smile. The expression on her face reminded him of his mother's when she was in a bad mood.
His entire body was giving him danger signals, and for a moment, he was tempted to grab the cutlass at his waist to defend himself!
"It's not good to tell lies, Orion. You can hurt people's feelings," said the smiling Gion.
Little Orion felt his hair stand on end.
He bowed his head and apologized for lying.
Then, he promised that he would eat her food again tomorrow.
If his adult self had been present during the interaction between the two children, he would undoubtedly have told him, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
Gion and Orion continued their journey to the Shimotsuki dojo, where they would meet the mysterious Ren.