One Piece: Global improvement system

April 12, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle.

Orion slowly opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. His mind was still in a dreamy state, and it took a few moments for him to fully wake up. Finally, after a few seconds, the memories of what had happened the day before started to flood into his mind like a great torrent.

Orion immediately sat up in bed and checked his body, sighing in relief when he discovered that, aside from a few minor wounds, his physical condition was good.

He opened the system screen and saw several new unread notifications. These notifications had started appearing during his battle with Garp the day before, but he hadn't had time to check them then, so now he could finally see what they were about.

*Your skill 'Strong Mind (Level 4)' has increased by 1 level*

*You have obtained the skill 'Conqueror's Haki (Level 0)'*

*You have changed the future of VIP Named Character Portgas D. Ace. You have obtained 5000 SP*

*You have completed the hidden mission 'Respect of the Powerful'*

*Hidden Mission – Respect of the Powerful

Description: It is your actions that define you, and those same actions shape the opinion others have of you.

Objective: Earn the respect of at least three highly influential figures at the level of VIP Named Character

Reward: SP, Random Skill Upgrade *

*You have obtained 1000 SP*

*Your title 'Protector' has been upgraded*

Orion looked at the notifications one by one, and his expression grew more incredulous. These rewards were truly great!

This time, he had obtained a large number of benefits thanks to his fight with Garp.

To begin with, his 'Strong Mind' skill had increased by one level, which pleased him quite a bit, since it was a skill he had no idea how to improve naturally, and he also felt it would be a waste to spend a large amount of SP to level it up through the system.

The next notification was one he had been waiting for a long time: the acquisition of Conqueror's Haki!

Ever since Orion had obtained the small seed years ago, he had dreamed of this moment. Little by little, he had nurtured the small seed that fed off his spirit and actions, and he had finally made it grow enough to reach its final form and consume it, which he had done during the fight with Garp.

In reality, Orion didn't remember everything that happened during the fight very clearly, since his mind had been overwhelmed by the extreme exhaustion he was feeling at the time. The memories of the battle with Garp came to him almost like a dream, even though he knew it had all happened just the day before.

Orion didn't even remember the final attack he had performed when he awakened his Conqueror's Haki; otherwise, he probably would have been even more excited by the amount of power he had demonstrated in that moment.

What he did remember was the seed growing enormously in an instant, then returning to its tiny original state. Almost instinctively, he had consumed it, finally obtaining the ability he had longed for.

What he never expected, however, was to unlock Conqueror's Haki before Armament Haki, which made him sigh a bit in frustration at the difficulty he had been having learning how to use Armament Haki, even with his passive skill 'Haki Talent.'

Orion continued reviewing the notifications, momentarily setting aside his great joy over finally obtaining Conqueror's Haki.

As for the change in Ace's future, Orion was almost certain it was because he had prevented Garp from taking him away. Until now, something that had always bothered him about Ace was that his name had never appeared among his subordinates, even though he was clearly a citizen living in his kingdom.

Orion had been worried about this for a long time, but now he understood that it was probably because Garp had been coming to take him elsewhere. This gave Orion significant insight.

For starters, the system could predict what would happen in the future—or perhaps there were a series of predetermined events that were destined to occur unless he intervened to change them. Clearly, the system could determine when those "fixed" events had been altered, triggering a shift in the overall future.

This was probably the basis the system used to calculate rewards, and Orion believed that the amount of SP awarded was definitely an indicator of the magnitude of the change or impact that had occurred.

Similar situations had happened several times. For example, Giolla's future had only changed after they became a real couple in body and soul, and only then had the system granted SP as rewards and acknowledged the change.

Another example was Ace's birth and Rouge's safety. Orion had treated Rouge during her delivery complications and ensured she didn't die; only then had the system issued rewards and noted a change in the future.

Before those moments, the destinies of these people so dear to him were probably still anchored to their original path, part of the One Piece story that Orion didn't know. He didn't really know what the future held for Ace or Giolla, but he was happy to have changed their fates, because he felt it was a way to destroy the determinism in their lives and forge a new path that they would build together, free from the limits of the original story.

Orion kept analyzing the notifications and saw the rewards from the hidden mission he had completed. He had also started to notice a pattern with these hidden system missions. Apparently, this type of mission was always related to the people he came into contact with and how they perceived him—or at least that had been the case so far with the four hidden missions he had encountered.

In addition to earning 1000 SP for completing this hidden mission, he had also received a second reward: a 'Random Skill Upgrade.'

Upon reviewing the information for this new item, Orion discovered with great joy that it could be used to level up his skills—and could even improve more than one!

Orion immediately selected this reward with his mind and used it without hesitation. Now that he had obtained the 'Conqueror's Haki' skill, Orion finally felt it wasn't a waste to use system items that upgraded skills. He still had a 'Skill Upgrade Card' that he had been saving until now and could finally use it!

A giant die appeared on the system screen and began spinning rapidly. It was numbered from 1 to 6, though Orion didn't know exactly what the numbers meant or whether it was better to get a high or low number.

The die gradually slowed down until it stopped, showing the number 5. Immediately, a new notification appeared on the system screen.

*Congratulations! You have obtained upgrades for five (5) of your skills at random*

Orion's mouth opened involuntarily in surprise, and he immediately reacted, feeling great joy.

"Fuck! This item is amazing!" Orion said out loud, unable to contain his excitement. After all, leveling up a single skill was quite difficult, but now the system was telling him that five of his skills would be improved!

This was simply one of the best rewards he had ever received!

Still, something did worry him a bit: the fact that the upgrades were random…

Currently, he had 33 skills with levels that could be improved using this item. Of course, special skills like Art Coating or Age Change, which he had obtained through special means, weren't included in this list.

The problem was that not all of his skills were useful. He had skills that were practically useless, like 'Squirrel Cheeks' or 'Watering Plants,' so if any of these got upgraded, it would feel like a huge waste.

"Although Ginny would probably like it if I leveled up 'Squirrel Cheeks,'" Orion shook his head forcefully, setting those absurd thoughts aside, focusing on the system screen, where a new die had appeared.

This new die had only four faces, and after spinning for a few moments, it stopped at the number 1. Immediately after, five notifications appeared on the system screen.

*Your skill 'Swimming (Level 4)' has increased by one level*

*Your skill 'Finger Pistol (Shigan) (Level 2)' has increased by one level*

*Your skill 'Shave (Soru) (Level 3)' has increased by one level*

*Your skill 'Tempest Kick (Rankyaku) (Level 1)' has increased by one level*

*Your skill 'Haki Talent (Level 1)' has increased by one level*

Upon seeing the five notifications, Orion couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The improvement to his 'Swimming' skill could be considered a waste, since it wasn't a very useful skill, and even the SP cost to upgrade it wasn't very high.

On the other hand, three of the remaining four improved skills were part of Cipher Pol's Six Techniques. That was also a bit disappointing, since these physical skills were the ones he could level up most easily, and he'd probably have no trouble reaching max level with a few years of training.

The only good news was that his Haki Talent had increased by one level, which was very positive, since this was a passive skill that directly influenced his perception and use of Haki. Maybe this boost would make it easier for him to learn to use Armament Haki in the future.

Orion shook his head and put aside all negative thoughts. Instead of complaining about the results, he had to consider this a sudden power-up thanks to a reward and be grateful for the opportunity to further increase his combat level.

Finally, Orion reviewed the last reward he had received after yesterday's battle with Garp. It was the upgrade to his title 'Protector.'

* 'Protector' (title): When fighting in your own territory, your physical abilities increase by 40%*

Previously, the boost provided by this title had only been 20%, so it had doubled after the upgrade!

He hadn't noticed the title's effect during yesterday's fight with Garp, but that was only because he hadn't been in the best mental condition.

In reality, without the help of this title, Orion might not have survived Garp's first attack. After all, it wasn't easy to face the hero of the Navy while completely exhausted.

Orion got out of bed, stretched his arms lazily, and got dressed using clothes from the wardrobe. He was currently in Giolla's room, and since he often stayed there to spend the night with the beautiful artist, of course there were spare clothes he could use.

He went to the bathroom and washed his face, looked in the mirror, and saw that his wounds had been carefully treated. Luckily, Garp had controlled his strength well during the fight and hadn't caused serious harm.

After freshening up, Orion left the room and found the house completely empty. He immediately used Soru and headed to the small port in Pacific Town, where a medium-sized Marine ship had been anchored since the previous day.

As soon as he approached the ship, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of him. It was Bogard, who, with his usual seriousness, said:

"I see you've finally woken up. Garp wants to speak with you."

Orion nodded and followed him aboard the ship, walking to the command cabin where Garp stood with his arms crossed, looking out at the horizon—or so it seemed, because when Orion got close enough, he realized the Marine hero was actually sleeping standing up!

This man was quite bizarre, and it was hard for Orion to reconcile the aggressive and powerful man he had fought yesterday with someone so… goofy. But perhaps that was part of the inherent complexity of people.

Bogard approached Garp and lightly tapped his shoulder with the hilt of his sword, which caused Garp to wake up abruptly, looking around in confusion and completely losing the imposing aura of the Navy legend.

Seeing Bogard and Orion in front of him, Garp cleared his throat and said, trying to look solemn once more:

"I see you've finally come to see me."

Orion simply nodded and replied:

"I came to confirm the result of our battle. Could it be considered my victory?"

Garp hadn't expected to hear such cheeky words from Orion, so he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, what an insolent brat! But yes, it was your victory," Garp said in his usual lively tone. Then he restrained his smile and looked at him seriously, adding:

"For now, I'll leave Roger's son in your care. But if you can't protect him, I'll have no choice but to come back and take him. After all, I gave Roger my word that I'd look after his son."

"You don't have to worry about Ace. As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt him!" Orion replied firmly.

Garp nodded with satisfaction and signaled to Bogard, who immediately stepped forward with a small chest in his hands, offering it to Orion.

"In that chest, there's a Den Den Mushi you can use to contact me in case of an emergency, though I'm not promising I'll answer. I don't usually pay much attention to calls," Garp said, sticking a finger in his ear with an expression that made Orion want to punch him in the face.

"Don't worry, I'll answer your call if necessary," Bogard added from the side, his serious expression unchanged—though Orion had the feeling that he looked slightly friendlier than usual, as if his eyebrows were 1% less furrowed than normal.

Orion nodded and opened the chest, seeing the little snail sleeping peacefully inside. Then he closed it again and turned to leave the ship. But before he could take more than a couple of steps, Garp's voice echoed behind him:

"Hey, kid, wouldn't you like to join the Marines?"

Orion stopped, turned his head to look at Garp, and said with a smile:

"Over my dead body!"

Then he continued walking without saying goodbye to the pair of Marines, leaving the ship without looking back.

Garp, on the other hand, sighed bitterly and said to Bogard, who stood next to him:

"What a shame, he's a talented boy. Though he didn't have to be so rude about saying no, did he? The youth these days have no respect for their elders!"

Bogard shook his head in resignation, wishing that in the future they wouldn't have to meet Orion on the battlefield as enemies. He had toured the budding kingdom forming on that island and spoken with the locals about their legendary king.

He knew what kind of person Orion was—and people like him usually didn't fit within the grand design of the World Government. In the future, Orion would have no choice but to accept being subdued or be destroyed. There was no third option when the World Government got involved.

Thinking about the terrifying attack Orion had unleashed during his battle with Garp the day before, Bogard could envision a future where the monstrous boy stood against the forces that ruled the world.

Of course, he wouldn't do anything to stop Orion's growth or prevent that future. They were part of the Marines because they believed it was the only defense civilians had against pirates and other criminals. Both he and Garp disagreed with most of the World Government's actions and wouldn't bother eliminating a future threat on their behalf.

Bogard shook his head and said:

"Garp, there are reports that Dragon was seen in the South Blue. Do you want to go see him before returning to the Grand Line?"

"Bah, why would I want to see that idiot? I feel like punching him every time I see him!" Garp said, raising his fist in indignation.

"All right then, do you want to do something about Christina Kelly and Rear Admiral Nakamura?" Bogard asked again.

During their stay in the South Blue, Bogard had used his network of informants to learn many things about the situation in this corner of the world.

This time, Garp looked thoughtful. However, after a few seconds, he shook his head and said:

"Forget it, Bogard. Let's go home. Let that insolent brat take care of it."

Bogard nodded slightly and began giving orders to the crew. It was time to head back to Headquarters.

Meanwhile, Orion walked to the central plaza of his kingdom and entered the government office, where his uncle and the other officials were working frantically to solve all the problems that had arisen due to their king's sudden decision to transport a large number of people—many of whom were elderly and unable to work.

"Hey, how's it going, guys?" Orion said with a smile, raising his hand—but he was met with a crowd of bloodthirsty glares and had no choice but to open a door in the air and take refuge in his Pocket Dimension.

When he reemerged, he was in a room filled with documents and all kinds of paintings scattered everywhere. It was the office where Giolla used to work when helping with government affairs.

Now that Lolo had taken over most of the work, Giolla's role had become more of a spokesperson for Orion, since as the de facto queen, she had the authority to make decisions in her beloved's absence.

There were two people in the room at the moment. Two beautiful women, each with different traits and personalities, but capable of enchanting any normal man: Giolla and Ginny.

After Orion had lost consciousness the day before, Ginny had introduced herself to Giolla and told her about their return trip through the Space Gate.

To Ginny's surprise, Giolla had been very warm toward her, treating her like a sister and making her feel at home. This had eased Ginny's nerves about suddenly finding herself alone in a strange land.

While Orion had been unconscious, she had been helping Giolla with government matters related to the residents of Sorbet who had just arrived. After all, she felt partly responsible for Orion's decision to recruit so many people so suddenly.

Orion had done it to fulfill Kuma's wish of protecting the people of the kingdom, and she considered Orion to be Kuma's benefactor—and therefore her own benefactor as well!

Orion suddenly appeared in the room, and Giolla immediately pounced on him like a beast. Without caring about Ginny's presence, the beautiful artist wrapped her arms around his neck and greeted him with a warm kiss.

After a few moments, Orion gave her butt a gentle pat, making her lovely rear quiver sensually, and Giolla reluctantly ended the passionate kiss.

Orion looked at Ginny and said with a smile:

"Sorry for leaving you alone like that, Ginny, but it was an emergency."

Sensing the guilt in Orion's voice, Ginny softly shook her head. Then she looked in Giolla's direction and walked over to Orion. She reached him and pinched his cheek, stretching it a bit.

"You don't need to worry. I understand it wasn't your intention to abandon a helpless woman like me in a strange place. But if you want to make it up to me, we can reach an agreement~"

Orion was quite surprised to hear Ginny's words and tone, which was much more playful than usual. It was the first time he had seen her like this, and he had to admit it was absolutely lethal for his poor heart, which began to beat rapidly.

At that very moment, the beast in his pants awoke.

Orion reached into his pocket and pulled out the Den Den Mushi, which was ringing insistently.

When he answered the call, Christina's voice came through.

"Orion, we might have a problem—Kuma has been captured by the king's soldiers!"

Ginny, who was still pinching Orion's cheek with a playful expression, immediately let go and covered her mouth in alarm. Her expression was now one of total concern.

Orion noticed her change and sighed inwardly. He then reached out and took Ginny's hand, squeezing it tightly to reassure her.

"Give me the details, Christina," Orion said solemnly.