One Piece: Global improvement system

June 19, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

Standing on the deck of his small sailboat, Orion exhaled the air he'd been holding and relaxed all his muscles, feeling a tingling sensation spread through his entire body.

*Ding*

* The skill 'Iron Body (Tekkai) (Level 2)' has increased by 1 level*

He opened his eyes and nodded in great satisfaction, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked his skills screen. Even though his physical abilities were leveling up more slowly as he progressed, his advancement was still quite fast thanks to his passive skill 'Strong Body (Level 7)', which tremendously reinforced his physique.

Orion looked into the distance and spotted an island on the horizon.

"Ohara… I've finally arrived."

He had spent almost two weeks sailing around the surrounding waters, and after obtaining a map of the region, he had come directly to this island to observe its current state.

He knew Nico Robin wasn't here, but before beginning his search, he wanted to visit Ohara to check the place out and see if it triggered any reaction from the system.

After all, he still had a mission that required him to study in the great library of Ohara. That mission remained active, despite the fact that the Tree of Knowledge had been burned down and the books taken far from there.

Dragon had told him that when he had come to Ohara, he'd encountered a group of giants who had taken the books to protect them from the World Government. So it was very likely that Orion wouldn't find any trace of the famous library mentioned in the system mission.

Orion couldn't help but feel it was a shame he'd arrived a bit too late. Otherwise, he could have taken the books himself, brought them back to Pacific Kingdom, and replicated Ohara's library in his own territory.

That idea was no longer possible, though he did want to eventually seek out the giants Dragon had mentioned, to see if he could convince them to give him the books. After all, what use could such small books be to giants who couldn't even read them? They'd clearly be much more useful in the hands of a human like him.

Orion slowly approached the island, but before making landfall, he stored his ship in the system inventory and entered his Pocket Dimension. Dragon had told him that there were Marines stationed on the island, as well as Cipher Pol agents, so he had to be cautious if he didn't want to draw unwanted attention.

Using his usual combination of Geppo + Pocket Dimension, Orion reached the beach of Ohara and successfully set foot on that legendary land.

He remained alert and moved carefully toward the center of the island, where the remnants of the great tree, destroyed by the Marines during the Buster Call, could still be seen.

Just as Dragon had said, Orion found several people wandering the island, though their levels weren't very high—something that immediately put him at ease. Lately, he had been running into incredibly powerful people one after another, and it was nice to finally be surrounded by cannon fodder and not have to worry about ending up in a desperate situation.

Orion advanced without resistance to the site of the great tree and saw that the lake Dragon had mentioned—where the books had been kept—was completely empty, just as expected. Now that he had seen it with his own eyes, he could rest assured that he wasn't missing out on some hidden treasure.

Orion reached the ruins of the great tree and sighed in deep disappointment at the devastation wrought by the Marines. For an institution that claimed to uphold justice, their actions were quite arrogant and ruthless—even the most die-hard Marine would have to admit it after seeing Ohara's current landscape.

Orion wasn't a very religious man, but even so, he sat in the place where the great Tree of Knowledge had once stood just months ago and said a prayer for the spirit of the tree, wishing it could rest in peace.

Then he got up, intending to go check out the village ruins. But just at that moment, a bell rang in his mind, and a new notification appeared on his system screen.

*Ding*

*A compatible entity has been identified. Do you wish to form a bond with this entity? Yes/No*

Orion didn't think twice and selected yes. A loading screen appeared, and although it was progressing rapidly, it would probably take at least an hour to complete.

Orion decided to use that time to take a look at the village ruins and headed there immediately, making sure not to be noticed by the enemies on the island.

He explored the ruins, searching through the rubble for anything useful, but after an hour, he found absolutely nothing and gave up the effort.

It was obvious. After receiving an attack of the magnitude of a Buster Call, everything that had once existed here had been destroyed. Only a few structures, like stone roads and the ruins of some houses, remained as remnants of the intellectual society that had once inhabited the island.

Just as Orion was mourning the loss of a place like Ohara, the bonding process finished, and new notifications popped up on the system screen.

*The entity "Tree of Knowledge" has been successfully bonded*

*You have obtained the item "Tree of Knowledge (Seed)"*

Orion checked the information for the new entity he had bonded with and was quite surprised by the details:

* Tree of Knowledge (Seed): This is a seed containing the spirit of the Tree of Knowledge of Ohara, which has been bonded with the system. If planted in your territory, the tree will reincarnate and grow rapidly. This entity is categorized as a 'Companion Beast'. *

Orion looked at the small seed emitting a warm light and immediately felt a connection with it.

He didn't know if the tree had special powers or why it had a spirit capable of bonding with the system, but he was still glad that at least the Tree of Knowledge hadn't completely died—even if it now lived as a tiny seed.

He looked at the seed in the system and thought with determination that he would definitely plant it in his kingdom when he returned.

Moreover, he wouldn't allow the World Government to destroy it again. Even though it was now just a small seed, this tree would one day become a mighty giant recognized across the world!

In that sense, both the Tree and Orion were in a similar situation—for now, just seeds full of potential, needing time to grow into towering trees.

Orion stopped focusing on the little seed but thought about the system's description of this "entity." The Tree of Knowledge had been registered as a "Companion Beast," the same category as Nibble, who was currently sleeping peacefully inside the Pocket Dimension.

Similarly, the little beast specialized in excavation was still in its infant state and needed time to develop. Orion couldn't help but think that all the entities he bonded with in this way—if there were more in the future—would likely follow the same pattern.

He also wondered if he'd someday obtain something like a fully developed legendary dragon, though he figured that was probably too much to ask..

Still, he hadn't lost all hope—after all, he still had the "Mysterious Egg," which was in the incubation period and would eventually hatch into a guardian beast for his kingdom.

That creature would probably have a similar bond to Nibble or the newly acquired Tree of Knowledge, so he couldn't completely rule out the possibility of a legendary dragon emerging from that egg!

Orion took one last walk around the island and left without alerting the people stationed there. He now had to decide which direction to take in his search for Nico Robin, and he finally chose to go in the opposite direction from where he had arrived.

...........

July 25, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

"Kairos! Table two is waiting for their order!" shouted the chubby tavern owner as he took money from another customer with a servile smile.

"On it, boss!" replied Orion, walking out from behind the bar with a tray full of beer and food, which he carried with one hand raised above his head to avoid bumping into the many people crammed into the small tavern.

It had been over a month since Orion had departed from Ohara in search of Nico Robin. However, after sailing the seas for a week, Orion realized that finding the little girl wouldn't be easy, even with the help of the system that indicated the presence of nearby Named Characters.

It had been half a year since the destruction of Ohara, and in that time, Robin could have traveled a great distance, making it very difficult to track her. He had gathered a few clues about some of the times she'd been betrayed by those who sheltered her and handed over to the Marines for the bounty on her head. But that trail had gone cold, and Orion couldn't find any further leads on the fugitive girl. Clearly, she was becoming more cautious, and her tracks were no longer so obvious.

With no other option, Orion had to resort to one of the system's functions: the suggestion screen!

This was a fairly useful feature. Normally, the system would issue certain recommendations to help him improve the world and gain SP. These suggestions didn't appear constantly, and even when they did, Orion could choose to ignore them if he wished—though most of the time, he accepted the system's advice. After all, it was a good way to earn SP.

However, a new function had been added to this screen during the latest system update: the ability for Orion to actively request suggestions to achieve a specific goal.

So Orion could simply think of a target like, "I want to hire a bricklayer with a high level of proficiency," and the system would suggest a way to reach that goal.

Orion had only used this feature once, when testing how it worked, and hadn't used it again since. The reason was that it was very costly, and the way the system presented its recommendations was… peculiar.

On that occasion, the suggestion had been to visit a specific brothel every night for an undetermined period. Of course, Orion did it—strictly to test the system's outcome… However, it took a month before he finally encountered a man who was being extorted by the mafia that owned the brothel. Just when they were about to cut off the man's fingers, Orion stepped in and saved him, earning his gratitude.

If that man had been the skilled bricklayer Orion was looking for, the system's suggestion would've seemed pretty effective. But the man turned out to be a regular laborer with no particular talents.

However, going against that mafia had led to a bounty being placed on Orion by the city's criminals, which in turn prompted Orion to purge the entire city of its criminal syndicates. That last action caused a talented bricklayer—who had been exiled due to a conflict with the mafia—to return to the city, and only then did Orion achieve his original goal.

Clearly, the situation would've been simpler if the system had told him to go directly to where the exiled bricklayer was. Instead, it had guided him along a much longer and more complicated path.

Regardless, with no other options to locate Nico Robin, Orion spent 2,000 SP to get a personalized suggestion from the system.

The suggestion was to go to a specific island and apply for a job as a waiter at a tavern. That's why he now found himself here, serving orders to tables filled with all kinds of people, from merchants to pirates.

After two weeks of working as a waiter, a merchant invited him to join his trade expedition across the West Blue. This man was a regular at the tavern and had seen Orion working day and night without rest, so he decided to try recruiting him. A worker with such a strong work ethic wasn't easy to find.

Of course, the real reason Orion spent nearly the whole day at the tavern was out of fear of missing the opportunity he was waiting for. After all, he knew the job was merely a means to his ultimate goal of meeting Nico Robin, and he had to wait for something to happen while working there that would bring him closer to her.

So when the merchant offered him a job aboard his ship for a trading expedition, Orion thought this might be the opportunity he had been waiting for, and he accepted the offer without hesitation. He set sail with a big smile, hoping to meet Nico Robin soon.

However, after sailing for only an hour, a notification appeared on the system screen, suggesting he return to the tavern and ask for his job back.

"Damn it!" Orion cursed and vanished from the merchant's ship without a trace, leading the crew to believe he was a malevolent spirit. That rumor soon spread and eventually became a classic story to scare children in the area for years to come.

After returning to his waiter job, Orion continued working nonstop, waiting for the event that would finally lead him to Nico Robin—and today, that event would finally arrive.

Orion placed the loaded tray on the table and skillfully distributed the orders. Then, as usual, he asked the customers if they needed anything else—and the response caught his attention.

One of the men sitting at the table threw an arm around Orion's neck as if they were close friends, then looked at him with a crafty smile and said:

"Hey buddy, think you can do me a favor? I'll give you a nice tip."

Orion's intuition kicked in instantly, and he knew this might be the opportunity he had been waiting for!

"Sure, how can I help you?" Orion replied, his eyes sparkling, showing more enthusiasm than the man had expected and catching him off guard.

Still, the man quickly regained his composure and pointed toward a table in a corner of the tavern.

"See that group of people over there? They're my friends."

Orion looked in the direction the man was pointing and saw a large group of people dressed in armor who looked like mercenaries.

"That big blond guy is my best friend. We have this tradition—we like to prank each other for fun. It's something we've been doing since we were kids," the man continued.

Orion looked at the man in question. He was a huge guy, comparable in size to Kuma. He wore worn-out armor and didn't have a very friendly expression. With a scowl on his face, he drank beer in silence while his companions spoke quietly among themselves.

"What I want is for you to help me with a little prank. Don't worry, once he sees me, he won't be mad at you—we have an unspoken agreement about this."

The man pulled a wad of Berries from his pocket and shoved it into Orion's hand, not giving him the chance to refuse.

Orion ended the conversation with a smile and walked directly to the mercenaries' table without hesitation. He had spent a month working in that tavern waiting for the event that would lead to meeting Nico Robin, and he couldn't take it anymore.

In his previous life, he had also worked as a waiter during his student years, and in both lives, customer service sucked!

Orion reached the table where the target was seated, and the angry-looking blond man stared at him impatiently, questioning his presence with his eyes.

Orion completely ignored the mercenary's piercing look and simply picked up a mug of beer from the table and poured it over the man's head, who opened his eyes wide in surprise at Orion's suicidal actions.

The man didn't react immediately, as if unable to process what had just happened. Orion then grabbed another mug and dumped it over his head again—this time, the man exploded like a volcano.

He stood up abruptly, flipping the table and sending everything on it crashing to the ground. He reached out to grab Orion by the neck—but Orion dodged easily.

Orion watched him with a calm smile, waiting to see how the situation would unfold and lead him to Nico Robin. But then, a system notification appeared, and Orion's smile froze.

*Get beaten up by mercenary leader Leo Murphy*

"Fuck! What kind of shitty suggestions are these?!" Orion thought indignantly, but he didn't dare disobey the system—right now, it was his only lead to Robin.

The mercenary saw that Orion had dodged his grab and grew even more enraged. Once more, he reached out to grab his neck, and this time, he succeeded.

Immediately, he pulled back and threw a punch with all his strength directly at Orion's face. Orion simply stood still and took the hit.

Bam!

The sound of the mercenary's fist colliding with Orion's face echoed through the tavern, alerting the nearby patrons, who immediately began making a racket—some cheering, others booing.

The mercenary felt a slight pain in his hand, as if he had punched a concrete wall instead of a person. Meanwhile, Orion hadn't taken any damage at all!

This mercenary was so weak that even if Orion stood there and let himself get beaten, he probably wouldn't take any real damage. The passive buffs from his abilities were enough to nullify the mercenary's attacks entirely.

However, the system had told him to get beaten up. If he just stood there without taking any damage, wouldn't he fail the requirement that sounded so simple?

Orion's mind raced, and he finally made a decision: it was time to put on a show!

The blond mercenary was staring at Orion's indifferent expression, and sweat began to run down his back. After years on the battlefield, he had learned to recognize dangerous people. He was about to apologize to Orion when suddenly the young man's expression twisted in pain, and his head shot back in an exaggerated motion.

The mercenary stared with his mouth open as Orion's face shifted into an expression of agony. He looked confused. Could it be that his punch had a delayed effect and only now his opponent was feeling his monstrous strength?

"Look! The captain's punch was so strong it had a delayed effect on the waiter!" shouted one of the blond man's subordinates in awe.

Everyone present had seen that the punch hadn't done anything at first, but now they thought it had been so powerful it took time to kick in!

The mercenary leader seemed energized by the admiring gazes around him and threw another punch. This time, Orion went flying, crashing into several tables and creating a huge mess.

However, he had miscalculated the speed of the punch and had jumped too early, flying off before even being touched!

A woman suddenly stood up and pointed toward the direction Orion had flown, shouting in admiration:

"Look, the leader's power is so great that he sent him flying without even touching him!!"

"Oooohh!"

"Incredible!"

People began shouting all kinds of exclamations, and the blond man looked down at his fist in disbelief. He had never realized he was so powerful!

Suddenly, the blond man's subordinates stood up from the table, and one of them said:

"Boss, you don't need to waste your energy on a little bitch like this—let us handle it!"

Without waiting for a reply, the mercenaries rushed over to where Orion lay and began kicking and stomping him hard. Meanwhile, Orion had no choice but to pretend he was being hurt, though his expression grew darker and darker. Internally, he was cursing the system, which had such an unnecessarily roundabout way of giving suggestions!

"Ahhh ahhh, that'll teach him a lesson!"

"Aaah aaah, is he still alive?"

The mercenaries were completely exhausted after stomping on Orion for ten minutes. They spoke through gasps, panting heavily. They looked down and saw Orion was covered in shoe prints but completely conscious and wearing a terrifying expression that made them take a step back.

Orion took a deep breath and decided he couldn't let all this be in vain. So once again, he called on his acting skills. Under the mercenaries' stunned eyes, he began to convulse as if his body was being hit by invisible attacks, and then he collapsed unconscious.

Silence filled the tavern, and then the whole place erupted into deafening exclamations.

"Holy shit! I didn't know Murphy's mercenary company was that strong!"

"Did you see the effects of their attacks? It must be the delayed-impact technique their leader used earlier!"

The mercenaries looked somewhat surprised at Orion, now lying unconscious on the floor, and then curiously at their own feet, which didn't seem any different than usual. Inside, they were thinking:

"I didn't know my kicks were that powerful!"

The mercenary leader approached Orion, and seeing him unconscious, gave a wicked smile and said:

"Boys, load him onto the ship. We're going to give him as a present to Governor Claus!"

The mercenaries responded quickly, picking up the unconscious waiter and leaving the tavern without anyone daring to stand in their way.

Meanwhile, Orion sighed in relief, thinking that finally, things were set in motion—and hoping he would get to meet Nico Robin soon.

....

Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my patreon.

P@treon/CrotoWN

Your support helps me keep writing and sharing more chapters!