July 22, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
One week after the marines' arrival on Jewel Island, the investigation mission of the newly discovered mineral deposit under Vegapunk's supervision was nearing its conclusion.
Over the past week, Vegapunk had carried out numerous experiments across the island under the watchful eyes of the marines, compiling extensive reports on the possible applications of the Dyna Stones and their future potential.
Meanwhile, Orion had continued fulfilling his role as Suzanne's assistant, without any of the marines present noticing anything strange about him. Naturally, there were exceptions to this, as both Borsalino and Z were aware of his "true" identity as a vice admiral belonging to the secret marine group known as Spear.
Aside from maintaining his routine as an assistant, Orion had made no particularly bold moves, nor had he yet had the important conversation about his true identity with his girlfriend Suzanne, the leader of Jewel Island.
He was waiting for Vegapunk and the marines to depart before doing so, since if she were to refuse to help him steal the Dyna Stones from the hands of the World Government, he would find himself in serious trouble if exposed as a traitor while Kizaru and Z were still present on the island.
Even so, after spending nearly a month alongside Suzanne, Orion believed he knew her well enough to anticipate her reaction upon discovering his secret identity, and he was almost certain that there would be no major issues between them.
After all, Suzanne was not part of the World Government, nor did she feel any affection for the so-called rulers of the world. The only reason she had reported the discovery of the new mineral deposit found on Jewel Island was because she did not want to risk being accused of treason in the future and destroyed by the Celestial Dragons.
Suzanne was not an ignorant woman when it came to the political situation of this world. She and her family had emigrated to Jewel Island when she was still just a child, yet she still remembered the terror embodied by the despotic Celestial Dragons.
Before the group of scientists had emigrated to Jewel Island, they had been part of a large kingdom near Mary Geoise, where the Celestial Dragons frequently appeared, committing all manner of atrocious crimes.
In this world, no one who had come into direct contact with the Celestial Dragons could possibly feel any fondness for the World Government, and Suzanne was no exception.
Furthermore, she was also an ambitious scientist, much like Vegapunk, and if Orion were to offer her the possibility of monopolizing fifty percent of the Dyna Stones for her own research, she would undoubtedly be fully on board with the idea.
Orion planned to recruit the scientists of Jewel Island, or at the very least Suzanne and her talented son Isaac. As for her young daughter Jeanne, she did not possess the same talent for science as her mother and brother, but she showed great aptitude for politics and governance, which would also make her an excellent addition to the forces of Pacific Kingdom in the future.
…
"This tea is truly delicious," Orion said with a look of delight after tasting the high-quality brew Zephyr had offered him.
"Indeed. I don't have many luxuries in my life, but tea is one of my passions. My students know this, and that's why they always bring me high-quality leaves whenever they visit," the former marine admiral replied warmly.
Over the past week, Orion had developed a friendship with this elite marine instructor. Although Orion still maintained his assistant façade in front of the other marines, there was no need to do so with Zephyr, as he was fully aware that it was merely a cover.
Zephyr had not asked Orion about the reason for his presence on the island, assuming it was a secret mission, and had simply interacted with him as he would with any other marine.
As they spent time together, they discovered that they got along remarkably well, and that their views on justice were quite similar. In addition, Orion had heard the tragic story of this former admiral, and how he had ended up in his current position as an instructor.
According to what Zephyr had told him, he had risen to the rank of marine admiral at a relatively young age, but unfortunately, a pirate attack had claimed the lives of his wife and young son. After that moment, he lost all desire to live and attempted to leave the marines altogether.
However, he had been persuaded by other high-ranking officers to remain within the organization, who argued that if the marines were to lose someone as strong as him, the pirates who had murdered his family would be the ones to benefit.
This argument was deeply cruel to Zephyr, who was in the midst of grieving the loss of his family, yet it was impossible to deny the truth contained within it.
For that reason, Zephyr chose to remain in the marines despite everything, though he resigned from his position as an admiral and focused instead on guiding the new generation as an elite instructor.
As the years passed, he began to realize that the marines were not the organization he had believed them to be at the beginning. The marines were riddled with corruption, and at times seemed even worse than a pirate crew. Gradually, he lost his faith in the organization entirely, but that only drove him to work harder.
If the marines were such a corrupt organization, then it was his duty to do everything within his power to improve the situation. In order to protect innocent people from the threats posed by pirates and other criminals roaming this world, it was necessary for the marines to exist and to be able to carry out their role as effectively as possible.
For that reason, Zephyr devoted himself body and soul to forging the young talents of the marines, teaching them not only techniques and increasing their strength, but also instilling in them his own sense of justice and altruistic way of thinking, in the hope that his disciples might one day bring about a beneficial change from the very heart of the organization.
Although for the moment his dreams were still far from being realized, several of his students had already officially joined the ranks of the marines, gradually spreading his teachings and philosophy.
Eventually, Zephyr's training unit came to be known as one of the most prestigious, a place where all the most talented marines aspired to go in order to learn under his guidance.
At present, the unit under Zephyr's command consisted of forty-eight elite recruits, divided into four squadrons. These were the youths he was training with the hope of bringing about a great change in the marines and in the world itself, and they were his pride.
Upon hearing the former admiral's story, Orion could not help but feel great admiration for him. After all, despite everything he had been through, Zephyr remained standing firm, doing what he could to create a positive change in the world, and even if many people might see his efforts as futile, Orion did not view them that way.
In fact, it was precisely the presence of people like Zephyr within the marines that made Orion believe that the monstrous organization was not entirely irredeemable.
Greedy as he was, Orion wanted to invite the amiable former admiral to join his own forces, as he believed that a man like him could never truly shine within the marines. However, he knew that extending such an invitation was impossible at this time, as the moment was not right.
Although Zephyr was disappointed in the marines and harbored serious doubts about the organization, he had not yet reached the point of committing treason to join Orion's forces. If Orion were to invite him to join his cause against the World Government, there was a chance Zephyr would react negatively, and in that case Orion would lose any possibility of recruiting him altogether.
Moreover, at present Orion was focused on his mission related to the Dyna Stones, and he did not wish to create additional problems for himself. There would be another opportunity in the future to recruit Zephyr, and for now Orion merely intended to improve their relationship as much as possible, paving the way for a potential recruitment proposal down the line.
"Professor, we're ready for the sparring session!" a girl suddenly said, appearing in front of Zephyr and Orion.
"Very well, organize the groups. I'll be there in five minutes," Zephyr replied, nodding.
The girl saluted formally and ran off the way she had come.
"That's Ain, one of my most talented students. In the future, she will be one of the pillars of the marines," Zephyr said, his voice filled with pride.
It was obvious that he felt great affection for the students he was training with all his heart, and that he longed to see the future they would build.
…
July 24, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
At last, Vegapunk departed Jewel Island after completing his reconnaissance work and drafting the necessary reports. In addition, he took a sample of the Dyna Stones with him to use in his experiments, though it was only a small quantity, as he could not risk other scientists attempting to manipulate the mineral and uncover the falsehoods in his reports to the World Government.
Along with the scientist, Borsalino and Zephyr also left the island, beginning their return journey to Marineford. They had come solely to serve as Vegapunk's bodyguards, although Zephyr had used the excuse of accompanying his unit on military exercises on Jewel Island as a means of preventing the marines from attempting to assign him similar missions in the future.
Although the majority of the marines withdrew together with Vegapunk, a small group remained on Jewel Island to "protect" the inhabitants from the threat of pirates, though whether that was truly their mission was something Orion found difficult to believe.
Even so, Orion did not dwell on it too much, because now that the two heavyweights—Kizaru and Z—had left the island, he would finally have the freedom to act and complete his mission.
It was true that Vice Admiral Prodi and several marines under his command had remained on the island, but Orion did not consider them a threat to his plans. He was far more concerned about the Cipher Pol agents, who, unlike the marines, had not withdrawn and were scattered across the island.
These agents had not revealed themselves openly at any point—something entirely consistent with their status as spies—so Orion did not have a clear grasp of their intentions. Even so, he intended to investigate the matter over the coming days, taking advantage of the fact that he no longer had to worry about being discovered by Kizaru and Z.
Orion even entertained the bold idea of eliminating some of these elite Cipher Pol agents if the opportunity presented itself, with his attention particularly focused on Spandine. After all, he had been one of the main figures responsible for Robin's suffering, and it would be deeply satisfying for Orion to exact revenge on her behalf.
Walking through the streets of the northern city while watching the sun sink toward the horizon, Orion thought that the time had finally come to lay all his cards on the table with his girlfriend, Suzanne. The future of his plans depended on the outcome of this conversation, yet even so, he did not feel nervous.
…
Orion arrived at Suzanne's house once the sun had already set, and after knocking on the door, he was greeted by Isaac, who looked surprised to see him visiting at this hour of the night.
Although Orion and Suzanne had established a romantic relationship, it remained a secret from her two children, and Orion had never come to visit outside of working hours.
"Isaac, I came to see your mother. Could you let her know that I'm here?" Orion said with a smile.
"Ah! Of course, come in, come in. I'll call her right away," Isaac replied hurriedly as he let Orion inside and closed the front door.
He then excused himself and ran off to inform his mother of Orion's arrival. Judging by the frantic nature of his actions, Orion surmised that the teenager had misunderstood his presence, thinking that he had come to see his mother because of some kind of emergency.
"Orion, look at this drawing I made!"
Orion turned to look at the small green-haired girl who had suddenly appeared, and extending his hand, he rested it gently on the child's head.
"It's a very nice drawing, Jeanne. Is it a dog?"
Jeanne was Suzanne's youngest daughter, and she was only eight years old at present. Over the past month, Orion had interacted with her quite a lot, as he often came to Suzanne's house to have lunch. She was a very cheerful, giggly child, capable of softening even the grumpiest man's heart.
However, after hearing Orion's question, the girl lost her big smile, and looking at him with watery eyes while pouting, she said,
"It's not a dog… It's a dolphin."
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise and wondered how the strange creature on the paper—which lacked any particularly coherent shape— could possibly be a dolphin. Still, he said nothing further so as not to hurt the girl's feelings, and instead, putting on an intentionally crafty smile, he replied,
"Of course I know it's a dolphin, I was just joking with you!"
Jeanne opened her mouth into a small, adorable "o," and immediately lunged at Orion, beginning to hit him with her soft little fists while complaining about his terrible sense of humor.
Just as Orion and Jeanne were engaged in one of their usual exchanges, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, and Suzanne appeared, looking slightly flustered.
She had been called by her son Isaac, who had told her that Orion was looking for her because of an emergency, and so she had come running. However, upon seeing Orion's relaxed posture as he played with her daughter, she could not help but feel confused, thinking, "Where's the emergency?"
"Suzanne, there's something important I need to discuss with you," Orion said, winking, which caused the scientist to misinterpret his intentions and blush as she imagined all sorts of obscene scenarios.
"Will today finally be the day we take the final step?" Suzanne thought nervously, and after a brief moment of hesitation, she suppressed the bubbling feelings inside her and turned to look at her two children with a serious expression.
"Isaac, Jeanne, I have something important to discuss with Orion. You should go to bed, it's already late."
The scientist gave her orders, and her two children nodded without thinking too much about it. Isaac, who was fifteen years old and already considered practically an adult in society, thought it was strange that his mother was sending him to bed, but he simply justified it by assuming that she did not want them to overhear her conversation with Orion.
If Isaac had known that his mother was actually imagining spending a passionate night with her lover and that this was the reason she had sent them to bed, he probably would have felt a bit uncomfortable. After all, since the death of his father nearly a decade ago, his mother had never again behaved intimately with another man, instead devoting herself entirely to her scientific work and the governance of the island.
Jeanne gave her mother a kiss, then hugged Orion tightly to say goodbye. Isaac, on the other hand, simply said good night and took his little sister's hand to lead her to bed. He would probably have to read her a story for the restless girl to fall asleep.
Only Orion and Suzanne remained in the room, and with her cheeks lightly flushed, she said,
"This isn't a good place to talk. Let's go to my study."
Orion nodded and followed the beautiful scientist, who walked ahead of him, swaying her seductive hips from side to side. Orion was not entirely sure, but it seemed to him that she was walking in a more sensual and provocative manner than usual.
Even so, at the moment Orion's mind was not concerned with romantic matters, as he had come here to confess his true identity and to ask for her help with the extraction of the Dyna Stones.
At last, they reached Suzanne's study, and the two of them sat down together on a large sofa that stood there.
Suzanne was feeling a little restless, her legs rubbing against each other in a nervous and expectant manner. However, Orion's words brought her back to reality, and she realized that he had truly come to have an important conversation.
"Suzanne, there's something important I need to tell you. In truth, I haven't been completely honest with you."
Concern suddenly flooded Suzanne's mind as she imagined all kinds of scenarios, and with a trembling voice she asked,
"What do you mean by that…?"
She held her breath while waiting for Orion's response, who simply dispelled the effects of his Distorted Future ability, returning his appearance to that of his normal adult self, which was only influenced by his Age Change ability.
The beautiful scientist opened her eyes in surprise as she saw Orion's face change so suddenly, and soon her cheeks flushed once again, since he was now far more handsome than before.
Orion possessed a passive ability called Charm Halo, which caused women to increase their favorability toward him, but this ability did not function the same way at all times. For example, if he adopted a particularly repulsive form using his Distorted Future ability, the effect was greatly diminished.
For that reason, although he had maintained a normal appearance while working as Suzanne's assistant, his Charm Halo had lost much of its effectiveness, since it worked best when he was in his natural form, which was far more attractive.
Suzanne felt her heart pounding involuntarily, affected by Orion's Charm Halo, yet she knew this was not the moment to give in to her hormones. Thus, adopting a serious expression with the dignity of a ruler, she asked,
"What does this mean, Orion? What is your objective?"
Although she was not feeling hostility toward him at this moment, she found herself in an emotional limbo. Orion's next words would determine the stance she would take toward him.
Orion showed a gentle smile and said calmly,
"Let me start from the beginning. Would you listen to my story?"
Suzanne nodded, and Orion slowly began to recount the experiences of his life, from his origins in the South Blue, to his joining the Revolutionary Army and his conflict with the World Government. It would take a long time before he finished his tale, but throughout it all, Suzanne listened attentively to every detail, her eyes shining brighter and brighter.
…
Meanwhile, in the West Blue, a cargo ship had just arrived at the port of one of the most prosperous kingdoms in the region. The sailors aboard the massive freighter began working frantically to unload the merchandise at the port, while the local staff cooperated with the logistics.
Suddenly, the door of one of the metal containers opened on its own as if by magic, surprising one of the workers nearby, who leaned in to look inside.
The moment he glanced into the container, he could not help but show an expression of shock. There was a large amount of food scraps scattered all over the place, and on top of that, an unbearable and repulsive stench that made him want to vomit.
Looking down at the floor, he could see a large amount of human feces everywhere, and it was clear that someone had been using the place as a bathroom. No, someone had been living inside the container!
Just thinking that someone had traveled across the sea locked inside a container while eating and shitting in the same place made the port worker feel slightly nauseated. Still, he could not ignore the situation, so he immediately reported the issue to his superiors.
All the personnel on site began searching for a possible stowaway, and they even closed the exit from the port to the city. They were not making a fuss without reason, since both the shipping company and the city had interests in capturing the individual who had secretly traveled inside a container.
For the company, it was a way to avoid accusations regarding missing cargo and damage to the rest of the food products in the container, and for the city, it was simply a way to prevent the arrival of criminals or patients with contagious diseases, who often used this type of illegal transportation to travel.
Even so, after a thorough investigation of the area, they found absolutely nothing and were ultimately forced to abandon their efforts.
What they did not know was that no matter how much they searched, they would never be able to find the culprit, since the mysterious illegal traveler was literally invisible!
On one of the main streets of the port city, there was a large billboard announcing the premiere of a new theatrical play, and on the promotional poster one could see a beautiful and sensual blonde woman with a wide smile.
The air in front of the billboard began to distort, and a skinny, ragged man appeared as if by magic. His eyes were glowing and seemed to contain small hearts, and he felt an erection inside his filthy pants as he gazed at the beautiful woman on the theater poster: Victoria Cindry.
"Ha! This must be my lucky day! It's not very often that I get to find such a beautiful woman… I must make her mine…" the disgusting man was panting with excitement, and with an obscene expression, he vanished once again without leaving a trace.