July 15, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
The scientists of Jewel Island welcomed the marines without any incident, and after a few diplomatic formalities, they led Vegapunk directly to the site of the new mine from which they were extracting Dyna Stones.
The location was situated right in the central part of the island, and they had not yet established a proper town there; only a small, precarious settlement existed, made up of several large tents and a handful of improvised huts.
It was here that the island's leader had spent most of her time lately, trying to oversee the excavation of the mine and the extraction of the strange mineral.
Due to the difficulty involved in handling Dyna Stones, the amount of resources they had managed to gather in the few months since the discovery of this deposit was quite low. Even so, the samples they had prepared were enough for Vegapunk to carry out a detailed analysis of the mineral, just as the World Government had requested of him.
For that reason, after inspecting the mining site along with the marine authorities, Suzanne had personally guided Vegapunk to the storage building where they kept the few Dyna Stones in their possession.
The moment Vegapunk laid his hands on the mysterious stones, his gaze lit up, and all the reluctance he had shown toward participating in this mission vanished without a trace. With his exceptional mind, he had immediately grasped the true nature of these stones, as he had previously encountered a similar theoretical formulation.
For some time now, the main focus of his research had been an incredibly powerful energy source, one used by the ancient civilization that had existed before the Void Century. Now, upon placing his hands on the Dyna Stones, he knew instantly that he had found a clue on the path toward replicating that energy source!
Completely exhilarated, Vegapunk asked Suzanne to show him all the data from her research, and paying absolutely no attention to the marines or the Cipher Pol agents, he devoted himself entirely to the task of studying this new mineral.
On the other hand, the marines had already been prepared for such a situation, so they immediately deployed throughout the area, establishing a secure perimeter that no outsider would be allowed to enter.
Only the scientists who had welcomed the marines were present on site, and most of them were being questioned by the ever-proactive Dr. Vegapunk.
However, one member of the local group was different from the rest; he was not a local scientist at all, but rather Suzanne's personal assistant, the one who handled all administrative tasks for the beautiful island leader.
This young man was the very same person who had caught Vegapunk's attention a few hours earlier during the reception of the delegation sent by the World Government, and he was, of course, none other than Orion, who was currently disguised using his Distorted Future ability.
Even though this ability did not allow him to transform into absolutely anything he wanted, it gave him a rather wide range of plasticity. Essentially, he could transform into any future version of himself he could imagine, which meant he could even copy another person's appearance if he imagined having undergone a specific plastic surgery—something not too difficult for him given his extensive medical knowledge.
Furthermore, he could combine this ability with Age Change to alter his age and even transform into a child, although that required far more energy, and Orion preferred not to do it unless strictly necessary.
Generally speaking, as long as he transformed into an adult man, he had considerable freedom in choosing how to alter his appearance. On this occasion, for example, he presented himself as a young man in his early twenties, with a gentle and somewhat nervous expression, wearing large glasses to enhance an intellectual air.
Additionally, thanks to his "Acting (Level 7)" skill—which he had obtained during his mission involving his wife Victoria Cindry—he was capable of turning himself into a completely different person with near-perfect precision.
If one added to that the espionage abilities he had acquired during his time in Guanhao… Orion could genuinely compete for the top position in the world when it came to direct infiltration within an organization.
This time, he had made contact with Suzanne, the island's leader, and after earning her favor—largely thanks to the passive buffs that improved the favorability of people of the opposite sex—he had begun to work as her assistant while he analyzed the best way to complete his current mission.
After spending some time on Jewel Island, Orion had integrated seamlessly into the local society and had begun to form relationships with the island's scientists.
Surprisingly, despite none of them being Named Characters, Orion discovered that many of them possessed remarkably high talents in fields that were incredibly important to him: science and technology.
The scientists residing on this island truly had the most advanced and forward-thinking mindset Orion had encountered during his travels, and although their technological level was still quite low, at least their attitude and passion for scientific progress were decidedly positive.
Two people stood out particularly among the island's scientists: Suzanne herself, and her teenage son Isaac.
Orion had been genuinely surprised when he saw the great potential the boy possessed, according to the evaluation he had made with an Evaluation Card, and he had immediately decided to recruit him into his forces.
Moreover, Orion also intended to recruit Suzanne, and if possible, the rest of the island's scientists as well.
However, that was something to consider later on, since for now he was solely focused on completing his mission of preventing the Dyna Stone deposits from falling into the hands of the World Government.
He had been preparing for the arrival of the inspection commission sent by the World Government, but he never could have suspected that they would send such a powerful force!
Observing the system map—covered with markers indicating the presence of Named Characters—and spotting even the famous Dr. Vegapunk, who was a Named Character (VIP), Orion felt a slight headache as he realized that the situation would become more complicated than he had initially expected.
It was clear that the World Government was extremely interested in the Dyna Stones, so Orion would have to keep a low profile for now and act decisively later on to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
The best-case scenario would be for the marines to withdraw after the inspection, leaving behind only a small unit to supervise the situation. If that happened, Orion could make his move and perhaps complete the mission successfully. However, he still needed a way to obtain the Dyna Stones safely—something he had yet to figure out.
Even so, he already had a plan in mind, though he would need to make several preparations first, and he would also need Suzanne's active cooperation.
Thinking about the soft lips of the beautiful scientific leader—lips he had tasted for the first time the previous day—Orion resolved to have a serious conversation with her once the marines left the island. For now, he could only wait.
…
When night fell over the Dyna Stone excavation area, the scientists began winding down their activities, and despite Vegapunk's great enthusiasm, they prepared to return to the capital city, intending to come back the next day to continue their work.
If there was one thing these scientists of Jewel Island possessed, it was great discipline and very clearly defined work and rest schedules. This was because many years earlier, when the scientific colony had just been founded, all kinds of social problems had arisen due to the unorthodox lifestyle of the pioneering scientists.
Over time, they had been forced to develop certain basic rules—not only for work, but also for their social life—in order to function properly as a society.
Naturally, Vegapunk was not accustomed to this kind of routine, as he usually spent his days working on his scientific projects until he collapsed from exhaustion. Even so, the renowned scientist had not behaved in an overbearing manner, simply accepting the locals' arrangements and agreeing, reluctantly, to retire to his quarters.
While the scientists were finishing their work for the day in the excavation area, Orion walked among the high-ranking marines present, offering them tea and snacks, after having been instructed by his superior, Suzanne, to do so.
At this moment, he was fully immersed in his role as an assistant, performing it flawlessly and trying not to draw attention from any of the Named Characters around him—although unfortunately for him, there were a pair of eyes he could not fool.
Orion approached the place where Suzanne and Vegapunk were standing, handing the island's leader a detailed report of all the main events of the day—not only here, but throughout the island. After all, she was the leader of this place, and her duties were not limited to what was happening here with the newly arrived group of marines.
Despite feeling a great curiosity about this famous scientist whom Dragon had told him about in the past, Orion did not spare him so much as a glance, as he did not want to attract the attention of the marine genius.
Even so, Vegapunk focused his gaze on Suzanne's young assistant, and taking a sip of the coffee in his hand, he said:
"How long have you two been a couple?"
Vegapunk's voice echoed powerfully across the area, even though he had spoken in a normal tone, and the surroundings fell into sudden silence.
Several scientists turned their heads at incredible speed, fixing their eyes on Suzanne, who had flushed slightly and was beginning to panic.
On this island, Suzanne was definitely the most famous woman, and due to her striking beauty and her status as a widow, many men were utterly in love with her and fantasized about holding her in their arms someday. For this reason, when they heard Vegapunk's sudden words, they felt their hearts tighten painfully, and they held their breath as they stared inquisitively at their leader.
Suzanne did not know how to respond to Vegapunk's abrupt question, and she opened her beautiful mouth several times without uttering a single word. Finally, just as she was about to invent some excuse, Orion stepped forward, and with a flawless, polite smile, he replied:
"The matters of our private life aren't something that should be openly discussed in public."
Even though Orion's stance was polite and gentle, it was obvious to anyone who observed him carefully that there was a silent strength within him impossible to ignore, a strange charisma that caught people off guard.
Kizaru, who was standing in the distance, narrowed his eyes with an interested expression, but made no move. On the other hand, Vegapunk ignored Orion's words entirely and said:
"I don't see what the problem is, love is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Or is it that you're hiding something embarrassing?"
Orion maintained his unchanging smile without answering the scientist's words, which was in itself a form of reply. Suzanne, for her part, regained her composure, and after hesitating for a moment said:
"I-It was recent… Only a few days."
The scientists around them felt their hearts shatter with just those few words from their leader confirming her relationship with Orion, and many regretted not having had the courage to act earlier, now being suddenly defeated by a newcomer like Orion.
Moreover, considering Orion's age… They couldn't help feeling even more frustrated, thinking that they had lost to a brat who barely had any hair on his crotch!
In reality, Orion was using his Distorted Future ability to adopt the appearance of someone around twenty years old, so compared to Suzanne's thirty-five years, it was definitely something that could make certain people raise their eyebrows in surprise or reproach.
Even so, if they knew that Orion's natural body age at this moment was only thirteen, they would probably have been completely shocked. Though perhaps the one who would be most surprised and devastated would be young Isaac—Suzanne's son—who had become friends with Orion over the past weeks and was only fifteen.
Orion hadn't planned to start an affair with Suzanne, but after spending about ten days with her, things had developed naturally. After all, his lustful nature made it difficult for him to resist when an opportunity arose to have a romance with a beautiful woman like the scientist.
Even so, they hadn't progressed too far in their relationship, and were still only in the initial stage of infatuation and whim. Beyond sharing a couple of passionate kisses, nothing else had happened between them, and Orion didn't intend to move forward until he told her the truth about himself.
After all, even though he was a womanizer, he didn't want to simply use Suzanne and end up hurting her. If after learning Orion's true identity she didn't want to continue having contact with him, Orion would quietly step back without forcing the situation, though he hoped that wouldn't be the case.
Vegapunk listened to Suzanne's answer, and focusing his gaze on Orion, continued with his questions:
"And how long has he been your assistant?"
At that moment, Orion's muscles tensed slightly, and his gaze sharpened for a microsecond before returning to normal. He had briefly considered escaping, since Vegapunk's words seemed to contain a certain malice, but he ultimately decided to wait and see what happened.
He couldn't simply abandon the current mission—at least not without trying until the end. The situation wasn't yet bad enough to throw everything away.
Orion's tiny involuntary movements, brief as they were, didn't escape Vegapunk's eyes, nor Kizaru's, who displayed a playful smile, as if he had finally found something interesting in this place.
Meanwhile, none of the other people present paid much attention to the matter. The marines were in the distance securing the perimeter, and the scientists were still trapped in the despair of knowing that the woman they loved now belonged to someone else.
Finally, Mitsu and Sentomaru, the two companions—and bodyguards—of Vegapunk, simply ignored the matter entirely.
"Mmm, I think it's been about two weeks since he became my assistant," Suzanne replied after taking a moment to remember when Orion had appeared before her.
Because of her heavy workload, she had trouble remembering events that weren't strictly related to her research, so it took her a moment to recall the exact moment of Orion's arrival.
Thinking that after only two weeks they were already in an ambiguous relationship with the prospect of becoming full lovers soon, she blushed with a bit of embarrassment, realizing she had never behaved so passionately in the past, not even with her late husband.
One could only say that love could manifest in many ways, and that Suzanne's physiological needs, which had been unattended for a decade, had played an important role in how quickly her relationship with Orion developed.
Vegapunk listened to the fact that Orion had arrived only two weeks earlier, and his eyes lit up as a smile appeared on his face. Then, to Orion's surprise, his expression completely relaxed, losing the earlier aggression he had shown, and with a friendly tone he said:
"Ah, so that's the case. I must congratulate you, Suzanne, for obtaining such a proficient assistant!"
Vegapunk simply praised Orion a little, and then ignored the surroundings entirely, focusing on the data about the Dyna Stones stored in the island's archives.
Orion simply withdrew from the place, trying not to show any change in his expression, and the matter ended without any incident. However, that night, when they returned to the capital city to rest, a light knock sounded on Orion's door—something he had already been expecting to happen.
Walking to the entrance of his small apartment in the capital, Orion opened the door and found a small girl dressed in a Marine uniform that was clearly too big for her.
"Hello. Dr. Vegapunk sent me to call you, he says he wants to speak with you alone."
Mitsu simply conveyed Vegapunk's words without saying anything else, then turned around without waiting for Orion's reply and walked back the way she had come.
Orion looked at the small girl's back as she slowly retreated, and wondered why Vegapunk had sent this eccentric child to deliver a message. Even so, he knew he couldn't ignore the scientist's invitation.
After his interaction with Vegapunk a few hours earlier, Orion understood that the scientist had definitely discovered the irregularities surrounding his presence on this island. Even so, Vegapunk hadn't said anything about it, pretending that nothing had happened.
Orion knew this wasn't a meaningless action from the scientist, but a way to pressure him, silently saying "I know your secret, and now you're in my hands."
Orion knew that if he didn't accept Vegapunk's invitation to meet, the scientist would likely cause problems that Orion couldn't afford—not if he wanted any chance of completing the Dyna Stones mission.
Sighing, Orion followed the small girl back toward the large residence where Vegapunk was staying, thinking that it was definitely exhausting having to interact with intelligent people and their particular ways of doing things.
During the walk, Mitsu remained completely silent, and Orion made no attempt to speak with this strange girl. Right now, he was focused solely on the possible reasons why Vegapunk had summoned him for a secret audience in the middle of the night.
Orion was walking calmly through the deserted streets of the capital city alongside Mitsu. However, as soon as they left the central area and entered a region of fields and meadows, a flash of light suddenly appeared in front of him, and one of the people Orion least wanted to meet revealed himself at the scene.
"Ooooh, what are you doing walking around here at this hour of the night? Suspicious~" said Kizaru with an utterly irritating tone of voice, as he raised a finger and concentrated a large amount of energy into it.
The first official encounter between Orion and the future admiral of the Marines was finally taking place at this moment.