One Piece: Global improvement system

August 23, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle

Splash!

Orion felt the cold temperature of the seawater and involuntarily swallowed a large amount of it.

He hadn't expected to suddenly appear in the middle of the sea, as his Space Gate's arrival point was located at the very center of his kingdom.

With some difficulty, he surfaced and pulled a small sailboat from his inventory. He then jumped aboard and lay down on the wooden floor, completely soaked from head to toe and breathing heavily.

He touched the deep wound on his chest, which had missed his vital organs by only a centimeter, and cursed Shanks for being so harsh in his acting. He would teach him a lesson the next time they met!

Although... he hoped he wouldn't run into him anytime soon.

Orion bought a Health Brownie from the system store and consumed it immediately to increase his recovery speed. He then sat down with difficulty, treated and bandaged his wounds. His left arm had been severely injured, and the bone in his forearm had been broken, making it even more difficult to treat his injuries.

Once he regained some composure, he checked his location on the system map and found that he was quite far from Pacific Town, but at least he was still in the South Blue, and hadn't been randomly transported to the Grand Line or another similarly dangerous place.

Orion recalled what had happened moments before and sighed.

When he entered the portal after attacking Shanks, he didn't immediately teleport back to Pacific Town, but instead began to "fall" through a space-time tunnel.

This was a characteristic of the "Space Gate" ability. The greater the distance from the destination point, the longer one had to remain within this space-time tunnel, although the duration was quite short even for long distances, taking at most a few seconds to travel.

However, this was the first time something like this had happened. As he was passing through the tunnel, a large wave of Haki impacted the Space Gate, causing the tunnel to shift slightly and the return point to change drastically.

A small deviation within the space-time tunnel could make a huge difference in the point of arrival, and he was lucky to have ended up relatively close to his original destination.

This experience, however, had taught Orion that he couldn't blindly rely on his Space Gate ability. Previously, he had considered it his trump card for escape if the situation got complicated, but now that he knew of the existence of this huge problem, he would have to carefully consider when to use it.

If he were to use it in the presence of a powerful enemy who could affect his Space Gate with an attack, he could end up in an extremely dangerous or deadly place.

Orion tried to open the screen that had appeared when the Celestial Dragon's Native Hunt began, but found it impossible to do so. The screen was locked and impossible to enter. On one side, there was a small inscription that read:

*It has been detected that you have left the competition area. Please return to the indicated area to continue the event.*

Orion frowned and simply closed the system screen in great frustration.

It was impossible for him to return to the Roux Kingdom, not only because he would be doomed to be destroyed by Shamrock and the Marines if he did, but also because it was too far away!

Even if he wanted to return, it would take several days to do so, and it would all be over by then.

Orion felt a great deal of bitterness when he thought of all the people left behind whom he hadn't been able to rescue from the hands of the vicious Celestial Dragons. But he knew it was illogical to want to save everyone. At least at his current level of power, that was an impossible dream.

Orion shook his head to clear his mind of negative thoughts and activated his 'Space Gate' ability, intending to return home as soon as possible. But to his surprise, the ability didn't activate, and a notification appeared on the system screen.

*The 'Space Gate' ability is temporarily disabled. An error has been detected in its spatiotemporal information.*

*Beginning data restoration. Progress 0.1%*

On the system screen, the repair progress was stuck at 0.1%, and it didn't look like it would change anytime soon, so Orion simply gave up on using the portal home.

He took out his Den Den Mushi and called Giolla to inform her that he was fine and would be back soon. He also exchanged a few words with Lucky Roux, who thanked him for keeping his promise to rescue his family.

Once Orion ended the call, adjusted the sail and began navigating back home while thinking about his plans for the future.

There were more and more things to do, and he felt a little overwhelmed. Luckily, he had Giolla's help managing the newly founded kingdom, although he knew it wasn't a long-term solution for the beautiful artist to handle everything on her own.

Orion sailed for a couple of hours, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. He was exhausted after everything that had happened in Roux and needed a good rest. So he simply stored the small boat in his inventory and entered the Pocket Dimension to rest.

A journey of several days back home awaited him.

...............

August 25, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion looked at the information that had appeared on the system screen a moment ago.

*The Roux Kingdom Native Hunt has ended*

People saved: 554

Enemies eliminated: 12 (mid-rank Marines)

Total score: 4/10 *

*You have received 1228 SP*

*The Global Improvement system has been updated*

*An unusual link between the System and a Named Character has been detected. Recruitment action is now available. Cost: 5000 SP. Do you wish to proceed? Yes/No*

He finished reading the information and sighed when he saw the system's final evaluation.

After two days, the macabre competition was finally over, and he could only imagine the horror experienced by the poor people left behind.

For a moment, the image of Shanks appeared in his mind, and he wondered how Shanks could have possibly participated in such a disgusting event. Although, judging by the red-haired young man's attitude, it was obvious there was an ulterior motive behind his actions.

His gaze fell on the latest system message, and he hesitated over whether to spend 5,000 SP to recruit the mysterious Named Character.

Finally, after hesitating for a few moments, he decided to invest that amount of SP.

Named Characters were generally very talented, and adding one more to his subordinates would surely be a positive thing. Probably, the value of recruiting this type of person would be much higher than just 5,000 SP.

Orion selected the affirmative option, and his SP reserve dropped back to 11,000. Then, a new notification appeared on the system screen.

*The Named Character could not be recruited because the 'Space Gate' skill is disabled. Recruitment will be completed when the skill is operational.*

"Damn!" Orion snapped in great frustration.

He had invested 5,000 SP, but now the system was telling him he had to wait an indefinite amount of time. Why hadn't it warned him beforehand?!

Looking at the progress of the Space Gate skill's reset bar, which was at 0.5%, it was obvious it would take a while until this recruitment could be completed.

Orion lay on his back on the floor of the boat and gazed at the azure sky with some laziness. His injuries were still quite serious; although with the help of the Health Brownie, which increased his healing speed, they had improved somewhat.

Suddenly, he received a video call from Shyarly.

He spoke to the little mermaid daily, and she was probably the only person who had always been by his side, even if not in physical form.

No matter what situation he was in, whether he was locked in a cell in Guanhao, crossing the Calm Belt, or simply sailing back home like now, Shyarly had always been there to keep him company, and the weight she held in his heart was immeasurable.

"Hello, Orion! How are your injuries?" said the little mermaid, whose image was projected on the system screen.

"Hello, Shyarly, I'm a little better now! Nothing a little rest can't cure; these minor injuries are nothing to someone as great as me!" Orion replied with a smile, putting on a funny face and feigning narcissism to amuse the mermaid.

"Hmph! You're always getting hurt in your battles! Your greatness is nonexistent!" Shyarly said mercilessly, with a reproachful tone.

Ever since she had been able to see Orion's image live, she grew very worried every time he appeared badly hurt during their video calls. However, there was nothing she could do but worry from a distance.

Sometimes she wished she could be with the person who mattered most in the world to her, but she knew it was just fantasies, and she consoled herself with the fact that at least they had a special connection and that she could see him no matter where she was in the world.

"We've talked enough about me. How's everything going over there? Have you adjusted to living with your half-brother?"

The smile on Shyarly's face disappeared, and her expression turned somber and depressed. This happened every time the topic of conversation arose about her older half-brother, who was her guardian.

They had a terrible relationship, and the little mermaid had told him many times that her brother scared her.

It was common for Orion to have to comfort the little mermaid every time she tearfully told him that she no longer wanted to live in her current home. The siblings' relationship had been very tense from the beginning. She had been living with him for almost a year now, and the dynamic of their relationship hadn't changed.

In Shyarly's words, her half-brother Arlong was aggressive, temperamental, and easily irritated. She had lived in fear of angering him and causing him to lose his temper, even though in reality Arlong had no interest in her and probably couldn't experience anger over anything she did. He cared so little about her that nothing she did could ever bother him.

Either way, Shyarly's dream at the moment wasn't to explore the surface and see the sun, but simply to live away from her half-brother.

"Same old, same old... He hangs out on the streets. I think he's formed a group or something, and they're saying they're going to do something big in the future."

Shyarly looked at Orion and said in a low voice.

"He's been saying bad things about humans. The other day, he said all humans hated us and thought we were monsters."

The little mermaid's eyes were filled with tears, and it was obvious she was trying not to cry, though her pouting mouth indicated her efforts were nearly useless.

Orion didn't try to argue with Arlong's claims. He simply looked tenderly at the little mermaid and said,

"Well, to me, you'll never be a monster, Shyarly. You are one of my most precious treasures in this world, and I am always grateful that you have been there for me."

The girl blushed slightly, and her mood suddenly improved. For a moment, she forgot all about her half-brother Arlong and the troubles with the human pirates that occurred daily.

No matter what was happening in the world, as long as Orion still considered her precious to him, she didn't care about anything else.

The two talked for a long time, and finally, Orion ended the video call and focused on sailing back home.

Now that he was done with his business in the Roux Kingdom, there was something else he had to attend to.

It was the quest he had received a while back:

* Quest 13 - Blood-soaked Bridge

Description: In this world, there are great secrets that only the powerful know, while the weak can only bow their heads and do their bidding in ignorance.

Objective: Go to the great bridge under construction, 'Rum Wolf,' in the South Blue, and decide what course of action to take.

Reward: SP, ??, ??

(The rewards for this quest will be determined by what choice you make in 'Rum Wolf') *

This quest had come up when his father, Paul, was telling him about the disappearance of his grandfather and uncle. He didn't believe there was such a coincidence; he would surely find something related to his lost family when he arrived at the location where this quest was taking place.

The fact that this quest was so vague, and that even the rewards weren't predetermined, made Orion wonder even more about the nature of the system.

From the beginning, the system had been giving him missions, which he believed were aligned with his desires. So Orion didn't think this occasion would be any different.

However, the fact that the mission explicitly stated that his objective was to make a decision made him think he was likely to encounter a complex situation.

What kind of decision should he make? Would he find himself at a crossroads where he would have to compromise his values, or would he have to choose between two options equally dear to him?

The formulation of this mission statement made him a little uneasy, and his anxiety to return home as soon as possible grew.

Orion closed the system screen and navigated as quickly as he could back to Pacific Town.

.................

Meanwhile, on the Grand Line, Marine Headquarters.

A group of recruits were training hard, under the watchful eye of an austere instructor.

Julia, sweating profusely, collapsed onto her side, unable to endure the arduous training under the intense sun.

Doll, who was doing the exercises next to her, looked at her with concern, but didn't stop her training movements, knowing it would only make things worse.

The instructor approached Julia and looked at her with a reproachful look.

"Recruit Korn, you're disrupting everyone else's training again. If you don't have what it takes to endure this training, leave this place right now and don't waste my time!"

Julia uttered a string of curses under her breath, but didn't dare show even a grimace of disapproval in front of the austere instructor. With great effort, she stood up, and still swaying a little, she resumed her fighting stance and said,

"I can still continue, sir!"

The instructor saw that Julia was struggling to keep up, and nodded slightly. It wasn't so important that she wasn't talented enough, but a recruit from Headquarters had to have enough conviction to persist to the end.

That way, even if she didn't become an elite soldier, she could fulfill a role within the Marines, even if her contribution wasn't that great.

The Marines were a gigantic institution, built on the presence of millions of ordinary people. Monstrous entities were very few in the ranks of this organization, and what these fierce instructors valued most was not talent but determination.

Unfortunately for Julia, she had neither the talent nor the determination to succeed in the Marines.

She had joined following her best friend Doll, but now that she had to undergo such torturous training, she felt like giving up every moment.

The only reason she persisted in her attempts until now was because she was afraid that if she were expelled from the Marines, she would have nowhere else to go.

She knew that Doll was destined to become an important figure, since she had been recognized by the highest authorities in the Marines, who had high expectations for her.

Julia just wanted to stay with Doll and be able to enjoy as relaxing a life as possible. She knew that now she had to endure this torturous training, and once they entered service, she could slack off all she wanted!

The training session ended almost an hour later, and Julia collapsed on the ground, sheltering from the sun in the shade of a building.

Doll approached worriedly and gave her a bottle of water, but Julia was so tired she couldn't even lift her arm to take it.

Doll had no choice but to kneel beside her and bring the bottle to her friend's mouth. Julia began to drink greedily and accidentally choked, nearly suffocating on the spot.

The elegant, short-haired girl, who had skin like a porcelain doll, gently patted her friend's back to help her breathe, but she didn't control her strength well enough and almost accidentally sent her to the other world.

Julia felt great bitterness when she saw her best friend, who was incredibly beautiful and graceful like a flower in the desert, but was also incredibly clumsy.

"She would be one of the most popular characters among the boys," Julia thought, recalling certain hazy memories in her mind.

Truth be told, she was a little jealous of Doll, because her best friend was simply perfect! Not only was she beautiful, elegant, and intelligent, but she was also incredibly talented and strong!

"How can the rest of the women in the world hold their heads high in the face of such a perfect specimen?!" Julia howled inwardly, thinking of the disparity between her and Doll.

"Are you okay, Julia?" Doll asked in her sweet, pleasant voice.

"U-Um, yes. I'm fine, Doll, just a little tired," Julia replied in a hoarse voice.

"I'm a little worried about you, Julia. You've been acting strange," said the beautiful, short-haired girl.

Julia's heart leapt, and her pupils began to roll wildly, not daring to look at Doll directly.

"Has Doll discovered my secret?" Julia thought trepidatiously, and trying to sound as calm as possible, she said:

"A-Actin' weird? Me? It must be just this damn training! Hahaha…"

"That's what I mean, you've changed your way of speaking lately. You didn't use to swear before," Doll said with some concern.

She was telling the truth. Julia had grown up by her side, practically being her personal assistant. Doll belonged to a noble family and her status was high, so her education had been superb.

Julia, who had always been by her side, had been trained to maintain a certain decorum and she would never have uttered obscenities in front of Doll.

Doll had noticed the change in her friend's behavior some time ago, but had attributed it to a reaction to the traumatic experience she had suffered during the pirate attack.

At first, she thought it would even be preferable for her to have developed a more carefree and even "vulgar" personality, if it meant she wouldn't be mired in depression or trauma.

However, the girl's behavior had become increasingly strange, to the point where Doll felt she wasn't the same person she had been before.

Julia didn't know how to respond and simply closed her eyes, feigning dementia. If she ignored her, she'd probably give up on further inquiries about her personality, right?

Doll sighed slightly and said,

"Well, never mind. I guess it must be stress, right?"

Julia immediately opened her eyes, as if she had been casually resurrected at that moment, and nodded her head with great enthusiasm.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's stress. Definitely!" she said quickly, as if she were afraid Doll would change her mind.

Doll helped her stand up, and together they walked back to the dorms. Along the way, Doll saw some beautiful red flowers, and her eyes lit up.

Pointing at the flowers, she said,

"Look, Julia, those flowers are beautiful, the same color as the ones we used to grow back home."

"That's true! It reminds me of home… it would be nice to go back sometime."

Doll nodded, looking thoughtful.

Clearly, the flowers they had tended for years were purple, and Julia would never forget something like that.

Perhaps her friend's mind wasn't entirely well yet, and she needed time to fully recover. Doll tried to rationalize what was happening with her best friend, Julia, unaware that her suspicions were more or less correct.

Currently, in Julia's mind, her memories were completely jumbled and in a mess. It was as if she had the memories of two different people, and she couldn't think clearly.

She was still the same as always, but different. A huge change had taken place in her.

With Doll's help, Julia made her way to her bed and collapsed onto it, completely exhausted. Then she closed her eyes and fantasized about a beautiful, relaxing life in the future.

Perhaps she could enjoy the power of the Marines if she stayed together with her friend Doll and seek out some of the hot men who flashed through her mind.

If only she could land a night with that Mihawk guy, how great would that be! Julia thought, drooling a little and wetting the pillow.

Then, before she fell asleep, an image accompanied by a name appeared in her mind.

It was a muscular man with green hair, who was super hot and perfectly suited her tastes! She felt as if she knew him from somewhere, although she couldn't remember where.

Finally, her mind sank into a deep, exhaustion-induced sleep, and a name involuntarily escaped her lips: "Roronoa..."