September 18, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion entered the government office where his uncle Lolo was working together with the rest of the council in charge of the administration and development of Pacific Kingdom. No matter when Orion came to this place, the pace of the workers here always seemed frenetic.
After years of recruiting and training public employees, the number of people working in the kingdom's government had increased dramatically, but that did not mean they had any room to relax, since the speed at which Pacific Kingdom was growing was so great that all kinds of problems requiring solutions kept appearing constantly.
Every month, ships arrived carrying refugees or people who were simply migrating in search of a better future, and it was Lolo's job, along with the others, to make sure everything ran smoothly. Orion generally limited himself to making the important decisions and setting the direction to follow, while his uncle and the rest were the ones in charge of doing the "dirty work."
Fortunately, Lolo enjoyed his role in the government, as it was what he had trained for since childhood. Now that he had the opportunity to once again hold a position of power and leave behind his past life of manual labor on merchant or fishing ships, he felt fulfilled and complete, working with enthusiasm every single day.
Even so, Orion had told him on several occasions to delegate some of his tasks, so that he would have time to take care of his own personal life and perhaps start a family, but Lolo wanted nothing to do with that, as he was a complete workaholic.
Despite the fact that his grandfather Mario had also reproached him on several occasions for not starting a family in order to strengthen the Lysander family tree, Lolo had refused, arguing that with Orion in the family there was no need to worry about the bloodline, since in a few years the dynastic tree would be filled with new branches.
Every time he heard those words, Orion could not help but feel a bit embarrassed, although he had to admit they were true. After all, even though at the moment he only had one child—and another on the way—many of his companions had expressed their desire to become mothers in the future, so it was entirely true that in a decade or two the number of descendants in the family would be quite large.
Orion walked through the corridors of the large government building, greeting with a slight nod of his head every time he crossed paths with one of the high-ranking employees, who were the ones familiar with him.
The newer employees who had joined the institution and held a low or provisional status obviously knew their king, but they did not dare approach him to greet him, limiting themselves to making a respectful bow and continuing on their way without disturbing him.
Finally, Orion arrived at Lolo's office, and after knocking softly on the door, he entered his uncle's study, finding the workaholic buried beneath a mountain of reports on his desk.
Lolo frowned slightly upon hearing the door open without his permission, but the moment he lifted his head and saw that it was his heroic nephew, the displeasure he had felt earlier vanished without a trace, and he jumped up from his chair as if he had springs under him, approaching with his eyes shining.
Seeing his uncle Lolo's expression, Orion involuntarily took a step back, as he knew exactly what that look meant: Lolo would drag him into hours of administrative work.
For a moment, Orion wondered if this was perhaps how Lucky Roux and the others felt every time he dragged them into training to increase their combat level, but he immediately discarded the thought, since logic told him that physical training was far more exciting than the administrative work his uncle made him do.
Orion was also a workaholic, though in a different aspect than his uncle, so their personalities were actually quite similar—even if his uncle did not share in the slightest his nephew's elevated libido.
"Orion! It's good that you've come, there are tons of reports to go over, and I need you to authorize a whole stack of documents!" Lolo said enthusiastically, wrapping an arm around his nephew's neck to prevent him from suddenly running away.
Orion smiled bitterly, but he knew he could not avoid his responsibilities as king. After all, Lolo had been helping him manage Pacific Kingdom for years, and he could not simply refuse to help when he explicitly asked.
For that reason, Orion rolled up his sleeves and said with a determined smile,
"Alright! Let's do it, we'll finish all the reports before nightfall!"
Orion's stance was truly heroic, causing Lolo to clap happily at his nephew's seriousness as he returned with him to the large desk to begin processing the documents. The two sat side by side, working on the kingdom's dull administrative tasks, and Orion focused completely on the task at hand, clearing his mind of any other thoughts.
He had thought they could finish the pile of reports on the desk in a couple of hours, but he was clearly underestimating the volume of work his uncle Lolo handled. Whenever the stack of reports shrank a little, a new employee would enter carrying more to replace them, in an endless vicious cycle.
Finally, as the day was drawing to a close, Orion shook his head in resignation and stood up to leave the place.
"Uncle, I'd like to keep working here with you, but I have something important to take care of," Orion said, having not forgotten that his main objective in coming here was to treat Toki's strange condition.
Lolo did not feel any dissatisfaction at all; on the contrary, he felt quite pleased that Orion had made significant progress on the work he had pending as king. The rest of the tasks could be handled later with more calm, since he knew that Orion planned to stay in Pacific Kingdom for a while, or at least not set out on a long journey.
However, there was a matter they absolutely had to address right now, so before Orion could leave, Lolo pulled a large folder out of his desk drawer and handed it to him.
"Nephew, the attack we planned on the kingdom of Koldara is fully prepared. As soon as you decide, we can proceed with the plan," Lolo said with a solemn expression.
The kingdom of Koldara was the homeland of the Lysander family, before they had been forced to flee due to a major incident that had left only his grandfather Mario, his uncle Lolo, and his father Paul as the sole survivors of the deeply rooted noble family with centuries of history.
Orion had learned about his family's story a couple of years earlier, and had begun planning vengeance against the people who had conspired against them and driven them to the brink of ruin.
Now, after years of investigation and the accumulation of power, Orion had the necessary means to deal with the situation and grant the Lysanders the justice they deserved. Orion himself had personally designed the plan of action, although Lolo was the one who had finalized the details.
This time, the move they would make would be quite large, with the great army of his kingdom attacking an enemy nation. It would be the first time they carried out an action of this scale since the founding of Pacific Kingdom, and it was inevitable that Orion felt a bit nervous about it.
However, it was far too late for hesitation. The reason they had been planning for so long was precisely because they wanted to avoid the suffering of the kingdom's innocent people, carrying out a direct strike against the corrupt nobles who had conspired against his family in the past.
The idea was a swift attack and an equally swift seizure of power, in order to minimize complications. As for the main obstacle, it was the presence of lackeys of the World Government in the area.
Orion carefully reviewed the information in the folder his uncle Lolo had given him, and finally nodded.
"Very well, we'll go as soon as I finish my pending matters," Orion said with authority, and Lolo simply responded affirmatively, making a small formal bow before his king.
Even though they were family, that did not mean Lolo behaved informally with Orion at all times. In moments when he was acting as the king of this nation, Lolo had to show the proper respect and solemnity.
Orion patted Lolo on the shoulder and said with a smile,
"The time for your triumphant return has finally come."
Lolo also showed an aggressive smile as his eyes lit up at the thought of the surprised faces of his enemies when they saw the family they had hunted and tried to destroy years ago return to set things right.
…
September 19, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Half an hour had passed since midnight when Orion finally arrived at the chamber where Toki was staying. She had been here for months, ever since Orion had taken her out of his Pocket Dimension for safety reasons.
Although his Pocket Dimension was now much larger and safer than in the past—especially with the spatial segmentation system that separated the combat area from the storage and living area—Orion did not want to take any risk whatsoever of Toki being harmed by an accident.
He used his Pocket Dimension actively during his battles, and he feared that if he were to encounter a very powerful opponent or one with an excessively destructive Devil Fruit, Toki might suffer damage even within the safety of his small personal dimension.
For that reason, he had left her in this chamber in Pacific Kingdom, under the care of his most trusted subordinates, who took turns guarding her. Even now, Gab was watching over the place to ensure that no one approached, and considering the power of this subordinate, it would take a major disturbance to reach Toki.
Inside the silent chamber, Orion observed Toki's beautiful face, which showed no change at all despite the passage of years, since her body existed in a state "outside of time."
She remained in the same condition in which he had found her more than three years earlier, with no need for food or drink.
"The moment has finally come," Orion said as he opened the system screen and activated the process to treat Toki.
Orion did not know exactly how to deal with her condition, even with his new ability, "Room," so he needed the system's assistance to do so. However, a warning notification suddenly emerged on the screen in front of him.
*The level of the skill "Prism Eyes (Level 3)" is too low to perform the procedure*
Orion raised his eyebrows in surprise at the notification and felt a brief surge of irritation at the thought that he would have to invest his SP reserves to automatically upgrade the skill.
Still, that irritation was fleeting, as he immediately comforted himself with the thought that his Prism Eyes ability was tremendously useful, so increasing its level was a good thing regardless.
Orion focused his attention on the system's list of abilities, and with a movement of his mind he invested 600,000 SP to raise the level of that special skill, leaving his reserves at only 70,000 SP.
Ever since Orion's failed attempt to transport himself to Ohara for a mission, he had been stockpiling SP in case of a similar emergency, and this was the first time his reserves had dropped so low.
Even so, Orion did not regret his decision, because the level of his Prism Eyes immediately increased to Level 4, causing the world around him to momentarily light up with all kinds of colors. His Prism Eyes ability allowed him to see beyond the superficial, to the point where he could even perceive part of people's essence, and Orion suspected that once it reached its maximum level, he might even be able to see the very essence of the universe itself.
Once Orion had increased the level of his Prism Eyes, he turned his gaze back to Toki's body, and this time he did notice something strange about her. A mysterious energy, similar to the one that formed the foundation of his system, was violently coursing through Toki's entire body, continuously forming whirlpools within her.
Previously, Orion had not been able to perceive this energy within the sleeping beauty's body, but now he saw it clearly, and he even intuitively knew that he could interact with it. It was a sensation difficult to explain, yet as instinctive as breathing.
Orion extended both hands and placed them on Toki's stomach and forehead, where the energy was most heavily concentrated. Then, murmuring softly, "Room," a small operating area appeared around his hands, expanding until it covered the beautiful woman's entire body.
With great concentration, Orion guided the energy that was spinning uncontrollably within Toki, forcing it to circulate in a far more orderly manner. Even so, the state of the energy was completely chaotic, and there was no way to truly bring it under control. The only way for Toki to improve was to filter the energy out of her body.
Frowning, veins began to stand out on Orion's forehead as he guided the chaotic energy out of Toki's body and began absorbing it with the help of the system, incorporating it into his own reserves.
The moment the energy entered his body and accumulated in a part of the system, Orion perceived its nature: it was the same concept of time that he used in his abilities Age Change and Distorted Future.
Orion had far less control over this time-related energy compared to his control over the spatial energy that also accompanied the system, so the process of extracting this energy from Toki's body was quite slow and cumbersome.
Even so, Orion gritted his teeth and, with great patience, slowly filtered all of the energy out. Finally, after a couple of hours that felt eternal, he completely absorbed the time-attributed energy within Toki's body, leaving behind only a mysterious structure that reminded him somewhat of the system, though it was far more rudimentary.
This structure was one with Toki and could not be separated from her, and although Orion could not explain the reason for his certainty, he knew that this structure was the power of the Devil Fruit she had eaten.
Orion had absorbed the energy that made this power function, but Toki still retained the structure within her, emitting clear signs of life. It was almost as if the power of the Devil Fruit were a living being, fused with her in a symbiotic relationship.
Orion had not killed this existence, but had simply left it completely weakened and devoid of energy, though he believed that in the future this entity—or structure—could likely recover on its own, returning to its normal state.
After finishing the absorption of the time-attribute energy, Orion realized that the process he had carried out manually was the same one the system performed automatically whenever it absorbed a compatible energy source—a Devil Fruit.
For that reason, Orion surmised that the Devil Fruits he had consumed through the system had probably not been destroyed, but merely drained of their power and released back into the world.
Given enough time, those Devil Fruits might recover and re-emerge in the world once more, and in that case… could he absorb them again?
Orion was in a kind of state of mental enlightenment after finishing the absorption process when, suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by system notifications.
*Ding*
*You have observed part of the truths of this world. Your hidden attribute "understanding" has increased slightly.*
*You have absorbed the energy source (partial) Toki Toki no Mi.*
*You have obtained the special ability "Time Dungeon (incomplete)".*
*You have obtained 2400 SP.*
Orion felt a sensation of freshness wash over his mind, and the fatigue that had weighed on him moments earlier due to the complicated simultaneous use of his Room and Prism Eyes abilities lessened somewhat.
Just as had happened when he completed the mission related to Victoria Cindry years earlier, Orion's understanding had increased slightly, and now the world around him seemed clearer than before, almost as if he were just one step away from being able to control the elements themselves.
It was a strange sensation, and it only lasted a few moments before his mind returned to normal, though it now felt sharper than usual.
Orion let out a soft sigh as he felt the changes in his mind, then focused his attention on the new ability he had gained on this occasion.
*Time Dungeon (incomplete): There are countless dimensions layered atop one another. If the conditions are suitable, you can activate a special dungeon, allowing you to interact with these alternate dimensions.*
It was the first time Orion had seen a special ability like this, and he did not fully understand its current use. Concentrating his mind on the ability, he tried to activate it, but simply could not; a notification emerged in the system indicating that the required conditions were not met.
Orion scratched his head in frustration, analyzing the scant information available to him, but he found no solution to the problem of activating this ability. Taking into account the description of Time Dungeon in the system, it was obvious that this was an ability more closely related to the spatial attribute, but then… why was it called Time Dungeon?
A wild theory arose in Orion's mind, but he immediately dismissed it as far too aberrant. In the end, he decided not to dwell on it and to wait until the activation conditions for the ability were met; at that moment, he would understand the purpose of this new power.
What mattered now was that he had finally managed to treat Toki's strange condition, completely eliminating the chaotic energy within her body. Even so, the beautiful woman remained with her eyes closed, immersed in a deep sleep.
Orion activated his Prism Eyes once more and extended his hands to examine her body, confirming that she was in perfect health. Then he placed a hand on her shoulder and, out of curiosity, gently shook her, trying to wake her.
Toki's eyelids trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a confused gaze. Finally, her eyes focused on Orion, who was seated beside her and leaning over her, and an expression of terror flooded her face.
"Kyaaaa!"
Bang!
Toki sprang up abruptly, shoving Orion with both hands and sending him falling back onto the floor with a loud thud. She then took several steps backward, putting distance between herself and Orion, while watching him warily.
Orion simply smiled kindly and got up from the floor, brushing his backside to remove the dust that had clung to his pants.
"You've finally woken up, Toki. Don't be afraid, I don't have any bad intentions," Orion said, raising both hands and showing his palms.
"Don't take another step! Who are you? Where am I? And who is Toki?!" Toki exclaimed as her pupils began to spin uncontrollably, overwhelmed by her confusion.
Orion could understand Toki's first two questions, but the third one was a bit… strange.
Restraining his smile, Orion looked at Toki solemnly and asked,
"You… what is the last thing you remember?"
Toki wore a thoughtful expression for a moment, then one of confusion that was rather adorable.
"Huh? Umm… what was I doing…?" Toki said, unable to remember absolutely anything.
Orion sighed bitterly, thinking that the situation might turn out to be even more problematic than he had initially expected.