One Piece: Global improvement system

April 30, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle.

Following the attack of the Freedom Fighters on the Sorbet Kingdom, the royal family led by Bekori was successfully overthrown. In just a single day, the forces under the command of Monkey D. Dragon had managed to eliminate all opposition and bring an end to the tyrannical reign of the former monarch.

Then, they began the task of establishing a new leader for the kingdom, and judging by how efficiently they operated, it was obvious they had experience conducting similar actions. Of course, the Freedom Fighters were an organization that had spent years fighting the system and had learned how to move their forces in the most effective way over time.

At the church where Kuma and Ginny lived, in the southern region of the kingdom, a colorful group of people had gathered to discuss the future.

"So… you made Bekori absorb the negative energy I expelled from your body?" Kuma asked in surprise, trying to confirm what Orion had just told them.

Orion grabbed one of the chicken legs on the table—recently cooked by Lucky Roux—took a big bite, and nodded.

"That's right. I wanted him to experience a little of the suffering the people of his kingdom have had to endure daily under his rule. Maybe that way he'll understand the suffering of others, right?"

Moments before Dragon and the others reached the throne room, Orion had infiltrated the area on his own and taken down all the royal guards. He hadn't killed them, since he didn't know how many were truly despicable and how many had simply been coerced into obeying orders.

However, when it came to Bekori, Orion had shown far less mercy. The tyrant had caused too much pain to the people of this kingdom, and it was only fair that Orion gave him a taste of his own medicine. The large sphere of negative energy that Kuma had expelled from Orion's body had been used to teach him that lesson.

Orion had to admit that, despite having no combat ability whatsoever, Bekori had impressive physical endurance, since he managed to survive the absorption of such a massive amount of negative energy. That said, he had been left in a pitiful state.

"We'd like to take custody of Bekori. He might be necessary to stabilize the kingdom," said Dragon, arms crossed as he stared directly at Orion.

"Of course," Orion replied, and with a small motion of his hand, opened a door in the air. He then reached into his Pocket Dimension and "fished out" Bekori, who had been stored there the day before.

Orion dropped the still-unconscious Bekori at Dragon's feet, and the serious man simply nodded.

Suddenly, an awkward silence filled the room. On one side, Orion and Lucky Roux were casually eating chicken, while Christina Kelly sat upright with a stiff posture.

On the other side, Dragon remained silent with his arms crossed, and Kuma glanced nervously between Orion and Dragon, worried that another confrontation might arise between them—just like yesterday.

Yesterday, in the throne room, when Lucky Roux had mentioned that Dragon wanted to recruit Kuma and Ginny, there had been a tense moment between Dragon and Orion. Thankfully, nothing came of it, ending anticlimactically without either of them saying a word.

Still, Kuma feared that another, more serious clash might erupt. If that happened, he would, of course, side with his friend Orion—but deep down, he really hoped it didn't happen. He greatly respected Dragon for his work with the Freedom Fighters and didn't want to oppose him.

Seeing Kuma's nervous expression, Orion couldn't help but sigh and finally decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. He stopped eating, wiped the grease from his face with a napkin, and spoke up.

"Dragon, I want to talk to you about the future."

Dragon raised an eyebrow but didn't reply, letting Orion continue.

"Regarding Kuma's recruitment…" Orion began, but Kuma quickly interrupted.

"Orion! There's no need to discuss this. I already promised I'd join your kingdom, so I can't accept Dragon's offer," the priest said, fearing a conflict would arise if Orion rejected the invitation on his behalf.

Then he turned to Dragon and bowed.

"Sorry, Dragon, but I can't accept your proposal because I'm already committed to another cause. Thank you for the invitation—"

"Hold on, hold on, don't be so quick to decide, Kuma. Let me finish talking first," Orion interrupted, and Kuma fell silent, looking at him curiously.

"Dragon, regarding Kuma's recruitment, I think it should happen!" Orion said seriously.

"But Orion…" Kuma said, confused by Orion's sudden change of opinion.

Orion smiled at the kind priest and said, "I'm not done yet. Let me explain."

He turned to Dragon with a firm look and continued, "I'm sorry, Dragon, but Kuma is already officially part of my kingdom! Still, I think it would be good for him to join your cause. That's why I propose that Kuma join your organization as my kingdom's representative!"

Dragon uncrossed his arms and looked at Orion thoughtfully, trying to understand his reasoning.

Orion didn't stop there and continued with even more explosive declarations.

"And also… I want to join your cause too!"

Even Lucky Roux and Christina reacted in surprise, as none of them would've expected such a proposal.

"You want to join the Freedom Fighters?" Dragon asked with some surprise, but Orion simply shook his head and replied:

"Not exactly. What I want is to form an alliance with you and create a new organization!"

That's right—this was something Orion had been thinking about since yesterday, when he first came into contact with Dragon. He was on a direct path toward confrontation with the World Government, and besides power, what he desperately needed were allies he could trust to face the colossal enemy that ruled the world.

Dragon was a VIP Named Character, a clear sign of his importance in this world. He fought for the oppressed and opposed the World Government. From Orion's perspective, Dragon was probably the best ally he could hope to find in this world, and it would be a shame to waste the chance to form an alliance now that they were face to face.

Dragon remained silent, not responding to Orion's words. Everyone else in the room held their breath, waiting for the silence to finally break. For several long seconds, the tension in the small church room grew to its peak, until Dragon finally looked at Orion and gave his answer.

"I can't accept your proposal."

Kuma's shoulders, which had been tense with anticipation, slumped immediately—but instead of relief, he felt deep disappointment. As soon as Orion mentioned his proposal, Kuma had once again felt a glimmer of hope about joining the Freedom Fighters—only for that hope to be dashed again.

However, Dragon's voice rang out once more.

"At least, I can't accept it right now. I need to discuss it with Ivankov first, and besides, I need proof that you're trustworthy," concluded the stern leader of the Freedom Fighters.

Orion had expected such an answer, so he simply smiled and said, "Of course. I'm prepared to prove my sincerity!"

Time, which had seemed to freeze for a moment, resumed its normal pace. Lucky Roux went back to eating casually, and Orion pulled out a chest from his Pocket Dimension, filled with files.

"This is information I've gathered over the past few years, mostly by chance. I don't know if it'll be useful to you, but at least take a look and see if anything helps," Orion said, pushing the chest toward Dragon, who took one of the folders and began reading its contents, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Where did you get this information?" Dragon asked flatly.

"In Guanhao," Orion answered with a smile. Seeing Dragon frown, he added:

"Let me tell you a bit about my story…"

...........

May 3, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

The last of the people stepped through the great portal, and it disappeared without a trace.

Today, after three days of transporting people, Orion had finally finished sending off all those who had chosen to emigrate to Pacific Kingdom through the Space Gate.

After the Freedom Fighters overthrew Bekori, things had begun to improve in the kingdom. The previous king had returned to the throne, and the people had started to regain hope for a better future.

However, some still decided to emigrate in search of something better. After all, the situation in Sorbet remained complicated, even without Bekori's interference to make it worse.

"We're finally done, Orion," said Ginny with a big smile, hugging him tightly. She was relieved that the exhausting process of transporting people had come to an end and threw herself at Orion, smothering his head involuntarily in her enormous breasts.

Orion began reciting poetry in his mind to distract himself from the wonderful sensations surrounding his head, and managed to endure the ordeal until Ginny calmed down and let him go.

Right now, they were in the first village Orion and his subordinates had visited when they arrived in Sorbet. It was known as "the village of the elderly" because almost all of its residents were old and in poor condition. These were the people who most frequently attended Kuma's healing sessions.

This was the last village Orion had visited to transport emigrants, and all its inhabitants had decided to leave the land behind and head to Pacific Kingdom in hopes of living a better life.

"Let's go see Kuma and the others," Orion said once Ginny had released him from her smothering embrace.

She nodded cheerfully, and together they walked toward the nearby church where Kuma and the Freedom Fighters were waiting for them.

Regarding the proposal Orion had made, the final answer from the leader of the Freedom Fighters had ultimately been positive. After spending several days together, both parties had gained a preliminary understanding of each other, reaching a minimal level of trust.

Additionally, with Ginny and Kuma vouching for Orion's character, the situation had become much easier.

Dragon and Orion had held long discussions in private, eventually agreeing on the nature of their alliance.

To begin with, a new organization would be created, with four founding members: Dragon, Ivankov, Kuma, and Orion—two representatives from each of the allied factions.

On one side stood Dragon's faction, the Freedom Fighters; and on the other, Orion's faction, Pacific Kingdom.

Although Orion's forces weren't especially powerful at the moment, the Freedom Fighters also weren't as established as the world believed. Up until now, Dragon and his subordinates had lived on the brink of disaster, never daring to make bold moves. In that sense, both factions weren't all that different.

The main difference lay in the individual strength of their members, as both Dragon and Ivankov were truly powerful—far beyond what Orion could currently compare to.

This was especially true with Dragon, a top-tier warrior ranked among the world's strongest.

Still, after hearing Orion's story, both Dragon and Ivankov had decided he was worth betting on. This strange eight-year-old child had developed monstrous strength in a very short time, and they believed that once he reached their age, he would likely be even stronger than them.

It could be said that Orion's participation in this alliance and the formation of the new organization was based entirely on his overwhelming potential.

Orion and Ginny walked slowly back to the church, chatting cheerfully and enjoying each other's company. Orion didn't know if it was because of their high compatibility, but when he was by her side, the world felt at peace, and there was never a dull moment.

Of course, the same was true for Ginny, who had found in Orion the second most important person in her life after Kuma.

After about half an hour, they finally returned to the church and saw all the Freedom Fighters waiting for their arrival. Orion approached, and the church doors opened. Kuma, Dragon, and Ivankov were already prepared for the journey.

This time, Orion had invited them to visit Pacific Kingdom as a gesture of goodwill. On his territory, their alliance would be formally sealed, and a new organization would be born into the world: the Revolutionary Army.

This was a name that Dragon himself had suggested, as he had apparently been planning to form such an organization for some time. He had even designed a flag and written a manifesto.

When Orion joined as a founding member, he saw no reason to change the name or plans Dragon already had. Thus, it was a unanimous vote that led to the name being accepted.

"Are you all ready to leave?" Orion asked with a smile.

"Ready," Dragon replied tersely. He was a man of few words, and only when emotions ran high did he become more expressive.

Kuma looked at the church where he had lived with his family as a child, and later returned to live many more years with Ginny. His eyes filled with reluctance.

It was hard to walk away from a place that held so many memories.

Ginny approached him and took his hand. The two stood silently for several minutes, gazing at the small church. Finally, Kuma took a deep breath and turned around without looking back.

It wasn't as if he would never return.

The church would remain there, always waiting for him, and trustworthy people staying behind in Sorbet had been assigned to take care of it. Now, however, it was time to go and begin a new and exciting journey.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Orion made a gesture with his hand and opened his Space Gate. Then, he looked at the large group and said:

"Go ahead, you may enter the portal."

"Attention! Time to move out—cross the portal!" Dragon commanded, and his troops began to step through the Space Gate in an orderly fashion.

Earlier, Orion had shrunk the ships the Freedom Fighters had arrived on. To the astonishment of Dragon's seasoned warriors, Orion had made their ships vanish—first by shrinking them with his Art Coating ability, then storing them in his inventory.

Once they arrived at Pacific Kingdom, he would return the ships to them so they could continue traveling toward the Grand Line, where the central base of the new Revolutionary Army would be established.

The large group passed through the Space Gate, leaving only Orion behind. He looked one last time at the church where he had lived for months, then stepped into the portal himself, which closed behind him, leaving the place empty and silent.

As usual, Orion fell through the space-time tunnel for a few seconds before finally emerging in the familiar central plaza of his small kingdom.

.........

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in West Blue,

A little girl was hiding inside a barn, trembling from the cold. She had to flee in a hurry after the people who had offered her shelter betrayed her, calling the Marines to have her captured.

How many times had this happened already?

She was tired. Tired of running, always afraid of being found. Tired of being hunted like a criminal when she had done nothing wrong. Tired of people who again and again betrayed her trust.

In this cruel world, there was no one she could trust, and yet she still didn't want to lose faith.

Just as that wise giant had told her, there had to be someone in the world who could be sincere and wouldn't betray her—someone she could feel at peace with. No one was born to be alone!

Nico Robin curled up in a dark corner, shivering as the cold wind hit her skin. Tears welled up, providing a brief warmth that quickly turned into even greater cold.

She wanted to cry, but didn't dare make a sound for fear of being discovered. With eyes full of tears, she covered her mouth and kept curling up in the dark corner. Her shoulders shook rhythmically, but no sound was heard in the silent barn.

Suddenly, she felt something walking over her feet. Turning around, she saw a pair of rats that had come to check if she was dead so they could gnaw on her flesh.

Robin immediately kicked them away, and the rats scurried off, staring at her with shiny eyes from the shadows, as if giving her a silent warning.

Then she heard the sound of galloping horses and gruff voices nearby. She knew it was the local inspectors, mobilized by the Marines to find her.

It was something she had experienced many times in recent months, and she could only be thankful that most of these inspectors did their jobs lazily and without professionalism, giving her a chance to stay hidden like she was doing now.

After about half an hour, the horses and voices faded into the distance, leaving only the strong howling wind outside.

Robin curled up as tightly as she could to conserve body heat and tried to think of happy things that gave her strength to go on.

She imagined a happy family waiting for her at home, a group of friends who were excited to see her, a warm meal and a soft bed. Things that should not be a luxury for a girl her age.

Once again, she cried bitterly and pleaded silently in her heart:

"Please… if you're out there, please come find me."

...

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