One Piece: Global improvement system

April 23, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion looked out at the horizon, gazing at the vast ocean before him. It had been almost two weeks since he received Christina's call informing him that Kuma had been captured by the royal army. Without wasting any time, Orion had immediately set sail along with Ginny and headed full speed toward Sorbet.

This time, the weather was much better than it had been the first time he traveled to that kingdom, so the distance they had covered in these eleven days was significantly greater, and there was only about a third of the journey left to complete.

At first, Orion had been quite concerned about Kuma's well-being. With the priest's combat power, a product of his Devil Fruit and Buccaneer Lineage that made him stronger than a regular person, it was obvious that it would take a group of truly powerful people to defeat him.

Orion had assumed that Kuma had been overpowered by an elite group of soldiers hired by King Bekori or something along those lines, but the reality was quite far from his initial theories.

At the time Kuma had been captured by the royal family's forces, both Lucky Roux and Christina had been occupied elsewhere in the kingdom, so they hadn't been present to help him or witness what had happened.

However, once Orion learned of the situation, he ordered them to investigate it thoroughly to determine the best course of action. As a result, his two subordinates had uncovered information that left him speechless.

Apparently, Kuma had offered no resistance to the royal soldiers!

It wasn't that he had been defeated by enemies stronger than him—he simply hadn't fought back! He had limited himself to passive defense before being taken prisoner and locked up in the dungeon of the prison located in the kingdom's capital.

The only thing that gave Orion some solace was that Kuma hadn't resisted for fear that the defenseless people still living in the southern part of the kingdom might be harmed because of him.

At least he had a reason for not acting, and it wasn't just a result of his extreme kindness.

As for whether he had made the right decision, that was another matter entirely and open to debate. Personally, Orion believed that surrendering to capture didn't help the situation much, since the people living in the southern part of the kingdom would continue to be hunted and abused anyway while he was imprisoned.

Fortunately for Kuma and the people of Sorbet, Orion had the help of Lucky Roux and Christina to keep the situation under control until he could arrive and evacuate the remaining people through the Space Gate to Pacific Kingdom.

As for Kuma, Orion simply ordered Lucky Roux to keep an eye on him with his Observation Haki to ensure he was all right, but not to try to free him. Orion was somewhat upset with Kuma's actions in this instance and with the fact that he had let himself be captured so easily, so he thought it would be best for Kuma to remain in prison until he arrived on the island.

Maybe that way he would have time to reflect on his actions and learn a lesson.

On the other hand, the fact that Kuma was in prison also brought a certain relief, since from his cell, he wouldn't be able to conduct the weekly healing sessions in Orion's absence.

Even though Kuma had said he would no longer hold those miraculous healing sessions each week, Orion didn't know whether he might change his mind upon seeing the suffering of the people nearby, who had grown accustomed to living without pain thanks to the kind priest absorbing it all.

It was difficult for someone to change their nature, especially someone so stubborn in his convictions as Kuma. His desire to help others, even at the cost of his own health, wasn't something that would simply disappear overnight, and the fact that he was now in prison was the best proof of that.

In any case, Orion didn't let his guard down during the journey and continued pushing forward as fast as he could. He hadn't yet recovered from the mental fatigue of transporting the people of Sorbet before he had to face Garp in a brutal fight. Then he immediately set sail again toward Sorbet and had been traveling nonstop for more than ten days, sleeping very little.

Orion's current state was quite bad, but with his passive skill 'Strong Mind (Level 5)' he was able to endure it.

He looked at the sea ahead and analyzed the ocean currents. Without hesitation, he made a decision and approached Ginny, who was sitting off to the side of the ship, watching Orion intently.

When she saw him coming, she instantly knew what he intended and couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

"Is it necessary, Orion?"

He looked at Ginny's reluctant face, which still looked incredibly beautiful even with her furrowed brow and pout.

"It's absolutely necessary," Orion said solemnly, and Ginny sighed and extended her arms to wrap around his neck.

Orion lifted her into his arms, feeling her sensual curves press against his body, and had to force himself to think about the Fibonacci sequence to prevent his body from reacting involuntarily.

Truth be told, Orion would have preferred not to hold Ginny like this, since with the system buffs, it was hard for the situation not to get awkward. However, she had insisted that he carry her, not wanting to go inside the Pocket Dimension and instead preferring to enjoy the view while flying through the sky.

The reason Orion had lifted Ginny into his arms at that moment was to use Geppo and avoid the unfavorable sea currents ahead. This was something he had never done during his many voyages, but in this case, as he was trying to travel as fast as possible, he had no choice but to use such small tricks to maximize his speed.

Ginny clung tightly to him and buried her head in his chest, making it impossible for Orion to see her expression. Meanwhile, Orion jumped into the air, storing the sailboat in his inventory. Then he used Geppo to move at high speed through the air, also relying on his Pocket Dimension to help with the movement.

After a few minutes, Orion descended to the sea once more, retrieved the sailboat from his inventory, and continued forward at maximum speed.

Upon landing on the ship's deck, Orion let Ginny out of his embrace, and she simply turned away with her head down, not saying a word. Orion didn't think much of it, as his mind was too tired, and he assumed she was just exhausted or in a bad mood. After all, they had been traveling nonstop for so long that anyone would be in a bad mood.

Orion readjusted the sailboat's course, fully focused on his task, while Ginny sat down again and kept watching him from afar.

"Mpfh, idiot," she muttered without taking her eyes off him.

From her perspective, Orion was just as foolish as Kuma, who had allowed himself to be imprisoned just so no one else would suffer. Similarly, Orion had been sailing nonstop and using Geppo over and over again just to reach Sorbet as quickly as possible to prevent harm from coming to the people there.

Why did she always end up dealing with this kind of men? Ginny thought bitterly, feeling that advancing so fast wasn't worth it if Orion had to exhaust himself so much to do it.

......

April 29, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

The ship moved forward, breaking through the waves and approaching the island where the Sorbet Kingdom was located. On the ship's deck, a large number of people were preparing for their imminent arrival at the aforementioned kingdom.

"The information we managed to gather indicates that the state of Sorbet is truly critical at this moment. The newly crowned King Bekori has enacted an absurd law declaring that the southern half of the territory no longer officially belongs to the kingdom.

He's done this in order to reduce the amount of tribute he has to pay the Celestial Dragons in taxes.

The southern half of the kingdom is where the poorest and oldest population is marginalized, those with the least labor capacity, so King Bekori considers them an unnecessary burden.

Furthermore, the king has authorized the northern citizens to treat those from the south as people without rights, since they are no longer part of the kingdom and can no longer enjoy the rights of the other citizens. This has led certain people, especially from the wealthier classes, to begin harassing the southern inhabitants, committing various crimes ranging from simple bullying to forced sexual exploitation and even outright slavery."

The man holding a folder with all the information gathered about the Sorbet Kingdom, which they were nearing, finished his brief report and solemnly looked at his leader, whose green cape fluttered in the strong wind.

"Very well, you may go," said the leader without turning around, and the man who had given the report replied affirmatively and left to join with the rest of the crew.

Only a gigantic figure remained with the leader.

"That's the kind of monarchs we need! …Or not! Yehaaaw!"

The leader sighed lightly at his companion's words but didn't respond, knowing full well that this was just his bizarre personality.

"No matter where I go, the same tragedies repeat themselves over and over again. Could it be that human nature always leads us to the same result?" the leader said, sounding a bit disheartened.

"Don't feel bad, darling! We just need to jump into action and change everything! Yehaaaw!" said the massive figure while starting to do a pelvic dance.

Dragon shook his head slightly again, but his mood had improved a bit. Ivankov was right—wasn't that the reason they were fighting so hard? To change everything? There was no time to feel disheartened, especially when they were about to reach their destination.

"The people you mentioned are here, right?" Dragon asked, interrupting his partner's erratic dance.

"That's right! Kuma and Ginny, two trustworthy and skilled people who will surely want to join our cause! We go way back, you know?" replied Emporio Ivankov, wagging his index finger and reminiscing about old childhood memories.

"Very well. This time, in addition to solving the problems in Sorbet, we'll try to recruit them to our cause. We really need more capable people. Our troops are still too limited to bring about true change in this world."

Ivankov fell silent upon hearing Dragon's words, a serious expression on his face. Despite his bizarre personality, he was a dreamer striving to change the world with his own hands. Anyone who thought he was just a joke because of his erratic behavior would be in for a big surprise once he revealed his edge. Freedom Fighters co-founder Emporio Ivankov was not someone to be underestimated.

The ship of the infamous band of criminals most wanted by the World Government, the 'Freedom Fighters,' approached the Sorbet Kingdom at full speed.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Orion had just arrived on the shores of Sorbet Island after more than half a month of nonstop travel.

"Phew, we finally made it back, Orion," said Ginny with a big smile. After spending so much time at sea, it was nice to set foot on solid ground once again.

Orion nodded with a small smile. His face clearly showed his exhaustion, with dark circles under his eyes almost making him look like a raccoon.

"Come on, Ginny. Let's go straight to see Kuma," said Orion, and with a wave of his hand, he opened a door in the air so she could enter his Pocket Dimension.

The fastest way to reach the capital, where Kuma was imprisoned, was for Orion to use Soru to travel while Ginny stayed comfortably in the Pocket Dimension, since she didn't have the speed to keep up with him.

However, Ginny didn't enter the Pocket Dimension. Instead, she stretched out her arms with an annoyed expression and said:

"No, I want to feel the wind. I don't want to go inside the Pocket Dimension."

Orion sighed lightly and had no choice but to close the door he had just opened and let Ginny hug him tightly as he held her in his arms.

Orion began thinking about prime numbers and used Soru to speed toward the capital to retrieve Kuma.

After nearly an hour of traveling at full speed, they finally passed through the gates of Sorbet's capital city, officially entering the kingdom's wealthiest area. Even so, the standard of living in this kingdom wasn't very high, and even in the capital, the situation wasn't great.

Orion was finally able to stop carrying Ginny and sighed in relief. He pulled out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and contacted Lucky Roux, who was also in the city.

"Boss, I see you've arrived, but you seem exhausted. You really need to take better care of your health," Roux's voice said through the Den Den Mushi.

He was currently in a tavern, eating Sorbet's delicious specialties while scanning the surroundings with his monstrous Observation Haki. He had been monitoring Kuma's situation in the prison, and when Orion's call came, he expanded his range and located his boss, who had just arrived in the city completely worn out.

"Roux, how's the situation here?" Orion asked while walking with Ginny toward the tavern where his subordinate was located.

Even though they'd kept in touch regularly, they only called to report truly noteworthy developments.

"Not much has changed. Kuma hasn't had any problems in prison, and he's even helped other inmates by relieving their pain with his Devil Fruit powers. As for Christina, she's in the south causing chaos to distract the king's soldiers. I think she's enjoying it a bit too much, boss," Roux replied, still eating.

Orion talked with Roux a bit more about their plans for the day and then ended the call. Then he called Christina and asked for updates on her end, discussing their next moves.

Orion didn't plan to confront Bekori directly, as he didn't think it was the most practical solution. His plan was simply to evacuate the remaining people in the south, transporting them to Pacific Kingdom, then free Kuma and leave.

Though he didn't rule out beheading the odious king as a final touch. Perhaps that would help the people who stayed behind in Sorbet.

After meeting up with Lucky Roux, the latter gave him specific intel on the prison where Kuma was being held. Orion ordered him to head south to regroup with Christina and assist with the distraction, while he and Ginny made their way to the prison to see Kuma.

It wasn't difficult for them to enter unnoticed, as Orion's abilities were especially effective for infiltration or assassination missions.

In the dark prison of the Sorbet Kingdom, several cells were packed with civilians who had been arrested for opposing King Bekori's tyrannical orders.

In one of those cells was a man who stood out for his massive build. Even in priest robes, it was impossible to hide his imposing physique.

Orion quietly approached while Ginny had obediently entered the Pocket Dimension this time. She knew when she could act spoiled and when to be serious. She didn't want to cause problems in enemy territory, so she didn't argue when Orion told her to wait inside.

When Orion reached the cell where Kuma was being held, the people inside looked at him in surprise. They hadn't expected someone outside the royal army to appear suddenly, and some of them even recognized him, as Orion was a well-known figure among the southern people planning to immigrate to the Pacific Kingdom.

Orion stared at Kuma silently and noticed several wounds on his body. It was impossible for him to have ended up like that from fighting the weak army soldiers. The only explanation was what Lucky Roux had mentioned earlier: he had been using his powers to absorb the pain and exhaustion of other inmates.

Orion clenched his fists in frustration but ultimately said nothing. Instead, he used Space Door to enter the cell.

"Hey Kuma, what are you doing in a place like this?" Orion said with a smile, staring at the priest.

Kuma avoided his gaze and replied in a tired voice:

"I was captured by the royal army."

"Seriously? And you didn't try to fight back? I doubt they could've caught you if you'd gotten serious," Orion said, smiling more, though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"I-I didn't want to hurt anyone," Kuma said softly, trying not to upset Orion. Just like with Ginny, Orion got very angry when Kuma put himself in danger or made decisions that had negative consequences for himself.

Kuma knew it was because they were worried about him, and that's why he couldn't fully justify his actions when facing them, just like now with Orion.

Orion sighed and approached Kuma, placing a hand on his shoulder. The giant priest was sitting on the floor, which made their eyes level.

"Well, it doesn't matter, Kuma. What matters is that you're okay," Orion said with a warm smile, looking at his friend.

For the first time since Orion had arrived at the prison, Kuma could see his face clearly, since the prison's gloom made it impossible to see clearly without being very close.

Seeing Orion's pitiful state—completely exhausted and seemingly about to pass out at any moment—Kuma's eyes widened in surprise, and he instinctively reached out and placed a hand on Orion's chest, causing the negative energy to begin pouring out of his body.

Orion frowned briefly but soon relaxed and allowed Kuma to extract all the fatigue and pain from his body, forming a large sphere of negative energy that took up much of the cell.

Kuma reached out, intending to absorb this energy, but Orion moved faster, using his Canvas Realm ability to encapsulate the huge sphere and store it in his Pocket Dimension.

Kuma looked at him in surprise and asked,

"Orio, what are you—"

But he couldn't finish the question because Orion stuffed a Health Brownie in his mouth, blocking his words.

"Don't make us worry so much, Kuma," Orion said, gently tapping the priest's chest with his fist. Then he smiled craftily and added:

"As for the negative energy, don't think I'm going to let you absorb it. It'd be a shame to waste the opportunity to let someone else enjoy that, don't you think? I'm sure there's someone in this kingdom far more deserving of it."

Kuma looked at him in surprise, never having considered using negative energy that way. He was too kind to use energy extracted from someone as a weapon against another—but Orion wasn't as good or as kind as him.

Orion waved his hand, and a door appeared in the air, through which Ginny came running at full speed, throwing herself into Kuma's arms and hitting him in frustration over his actions.

"Kumachi, why do you always have to be so dumb!" complained the beautiful woman, hitting the priest without any real strength.

Orion silently watched their reunion, waiting for Ginny to finish venting so he could speak to Kuma about their immediate plans, but at that very moment, a powerful tremor shook the entire prison, and shouting could be heard outside.

"Puru puru puru puru"

The Den Den Mushi in his pocket started ringing. Orion answered, and Lucky Roux's voice echoed through the dark cell.

"Boss, a group of people just arrived, and they're openly fighting King Bekori's army!"

Orion raised his eyebrows and opened the system screen. On the map, two new markers he hadn't seen before had appeared:

Monkey D. Dragon (32), Emporio Ivankov (31).