One Piece: Global improvement system

August 12, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion was doing push-ups inside the large cage located in the cargo hold of the big ship owned by the mercenaries who had abducted him half a month ago.

He had been journeying under these conditions with a large group of captives, who were apparently going to be sold as slaves to a particular noble. This group of mercenaries was called the Green Lotus, and they handled all sorts of mid-level jobs, never turning down a chance to make money—no matter how immoral the work might be.

Such was the life of mercenaries. In their world, there was no room for things like morality or empathy. Any job was accepted for the right price, and any day could be their last.

Fortunately, even though the mercenaries were transporting a group of slaves, they hadn't gone overboard in their behavior. Apart from the occasional insult, they hadn't caused any real trouble during the voyage.

If this group of mercenaries had included members as depraved as the pirate Blake—who took pleasure in raping his captives—Orion would have had no choice but to intervene, even if it meant losing the opportunity to find Nico Robin through the system's suggestion.

Orion finished the last of his push-ups and sat down to stretch his muscles. Although his body was naturally stronger than a normal person's, he never skipped his training. He always aimed to perform as close to his maximum potential as possible.

An elderly woman sitting in the same cage looked at him with a smile, saying he reminded her of her grandson, a soldier in some kingdom Orion had never heard of.

During the time spent with these people, Orion, who was quite sociable, had become friends with them. It was not unusual for him to engage in long conversations with the old woman who was now speaking to him, or with the other prisoners.

Suddenly, the door to the storage area where they were held opened, and a mercenary entered carrying a box, which he dropped lazily onto the floor, and said:

"Here's your food for today. Share it fairly and don't cause trouble. If I have to come back because you didn't listen, I'll knock out all your teeth!"

The captives said nothing in response to the mercenary's threats. He left with a self-satisfied smile, thinking he had some sort of authority over the prisoners.

Once the mercenary was gone, Orion took the supply box and threw it into his Pocket Dimension, then pulled out some of the food he had stored in his inventory and shared it with the others.

This had become part of the prisoners' daily routine during the trip. They had been quite surprised by Orion's ability at first, but had grown used to seeing him perform such feats repeatedly. They never asked too many questions and simply enjoyed the meals Orion provided every day.

Orion opened the system interface with the intention of calling Shyarly through their mental link, but before he could do so, a notification popped up, and a new marker appeared on the map!

*VIP Named Character Nico Robin is within the identification zone*

Orion clenched his fists in excitement, thinking that after months of wandering through the West Blue, he had finally found this mysterious girl pursued by the World Government. He immediately checked her exact location and prepared to go find her.

Before leaving the mercenary ship, however, he looked at the rest of the prisoners and offered to free them, and of course, they all gladly accepted. Orion brought them into his Pocket Dimension and disappeared without a trace. It would be hours before the mercenaries discovered with horror that the cargo they were transporting had vanished, leaving behind nothing but a room full of empty cages.

Orion traveled a fair distance, and once he was out of sight from the mercenaries, he pulled a ship from his inventory and began sailing toward Nico Robin. He left the rescued people inside the Pocket Dimension, telling them he would drop them off at the next inhabited island. However, nearly half of the prisoners had no home to return to, so Orion simply offered them the chance to join his kingdom, making it clear that it was on the other side of the world in the South Blue.

If there was one thing that united people from all four Blues and the Grand Line, it was that their lives were marked by tragedy and constant danger. So, they didn't hesitate long before accepting Orion's offer. If it meant a better future, they were willing to go anywhere.

Meanwhile, on an island in the West Blue, Robin was sitting at a luxurious table, having lunch with the mansion's owner, the noble Claus, who was also the governor of this small island.

"Robin, you must try this pâté, it's exquisite!" said Claus as he brought a bite to his mouth and placed a hand on his cheek in delight.

Robin watched him warily but didn't move a muscle to touch the carefully arranged food in front of her.

She had been on this island for almost two weeks, hiding in the slums until she was eventually discovered and brought to Governor Claus's mansion.

She had assumed the noble would immediately hand her over to the Marines and was prepared to fight to the bitter end. However, after meeting with the governor, he told her he had no intention of turning her in. According to him, he didn't need the bounty money, which he considered a trivial amount.

Moreover, after learning she was being pursued by the World Government, he had offered her shelter and protection, claiming it was an injustice for a young girl to endure such suffering.

Of course, Nico Robin wasn't convinced by his motivations and hadn't let her guard down for a second. In the past six months, she had been betrayed so many times she had lost count and could no longer trust people as she once had.

The only reason she remained in the mansion without attempting to flee was because Claus controlled the entire city, including the port—the only possible escape route. She didn't want to provoke him into reacting badly if she tried and failed, so she was delaying her escape until she could ensure success. Only then would she leave, though she remained constantly alert in case Claus revealed his true nature and tried to take advantage of her.

Since the tragedy of Ohara, Robin had wandered through various islands in the West Blue and encountered all sorts of situations. Most people who offered to help her eventually tried to turn her in for the bounty on her head, but that wasn't the only danger she had faced.

During her journey, she had seen the darkest sides of humanity—people who wanted to hurt her, some who had tried to abuse her despite her being a child, and even a repugnant maniac who had tried to cook and eat her.

After everything she had endured over the last six months, it was no surprise that her faith in humanity had almost entirely vanished. So, when Claus approached her with a kind smile and offered his help, Robin accepted without hesitation—but also without dropping her guard for even a second.

She was a child prodigy, able to read Poneglyphs on her own, but it wasn't until she fled her homeland that she learned to read people as easily as she read books.

Until then, she had been a scholar. But now, her ability to judge people was nearly as sharp as her academic talent.

"Sir Claus, I don't have an appetite. My stomach still hurts," said Robin, her eyes filled with tears. Her expression was truly pitiful and could make any empathetic person feel bad.

"Still? You've been feeling unwell for days. Could you be sick?" asked Claus with a concerned expression, though his eyes betrayed absolute coldness.

Robin didn't answer the noble's question and simply stood up from the table.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit. I'm not feeling well."

Without waiting for Claus's response, she turned and walked away without looking back.

Once Robin had completely disappeared, Claus's expression turned grim. He immediately rang a small bell on the table, and a butler appeared instantly.

"Felix, have you found out why the World Government is after this girl?" asked Claus, drumming his fingers on the table.

"No, sir. We've used our informants in the Marines and even contacted the Medici family, but we've been unable to obtain precise information. It appears there's a gag order in place to prevent the spread of details about Nico Robin," replied the butler, Felix.

"Aargh! What a pain in the ass. How can I take advantage of this situation if I don't have the information?! Why do we pay so many bribes to those useless fools if they can't get the most basic info?!" roared Claus, slamming his fist on the table in frustration.

He had been investigating Robin and the reason for her pursuit for some time. From the moment the girl appeared before him, he had decided to exploit the situation for maximum benefit.

Of course, collecting the bounty wasn't his goal. He hadn't lied when he said that amount of money was meaningless to him. What he wanted was to use the girl to negotiate with the World Government and gain real benefits. But for that, he needed to know exactly what Robin's status was and her value as a bargaining chip. The fact that a little girl had such a high bounty meant there was something important behind it—and he wanted to know what that secret was.

Claus sighed, calming himself, and said:

"Felix, keep an eye on Nico Robin. We can't let her escape due to negligence. I want constant patrols at the port. And keep her under surveillance 24/7. I don't want her vanishing and hiding like a rat in some sewer."

Felix nodded and left the room, leaving Governor Claus alone. The man kept talking to himself.

"No matter how long it takes, I will uncover the secrets behind this brat. And when I do, I'll extract as much value as possible from her existence! Heh, even a repulsive animal like that girl has worth that can be exploited. It's just a matter of patience!"

Claus raised a glass of wine to his lips and continued speaking aloud, as if trying to convince himself of his own words.

Meanwhile, under the table, a small ear that had sprouted from the wood without anyone noticing silently dissolved into thin air.

..........

August 14, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

"Hurry! She went that way, bring the dogs!" shouted one of the soldiers impatiently, pointing toward an alley.

"We have to find her or we're dead men!" added another soldier, pale at the thought of failing their mission.

The soldiers split into three groups. Two moved into nearby alleys, while the third returned to the port behind them. They were all looking for the young fugitive Nico Robin, who had just attempted to assassinate Governor Claus moments earlier.

Everything had happened when Robin tried to escape on a merchant ship leaving the port. She had used her Devil Fruit powers to sneak aboard and hide among the cargo. It was the same method she had used many times before, and up until now, it had always worked.

However, this time Claus had imposed strict control measures to prevent Robin from escaping his grasp. Before the merchant ship could set sail, she was discovered by Claus's soldiers and brought back to the mansion. Once there, Claus lost his patience and finally dropped his good Samaritan act, intending to torture Robin and extract the truth directly from her mouth.

Finding herself on the verge of falling victim to the vile noble, Robin used her Devil Fruit powers and blinded Claus by digging her fingers into his eyes, seriously wounding him.

Robin had started using her powers more aggressively and had concluded that the most effective combat style for her was one that targeted her enemies' vital points using the Hana Hana no Mi.

Even so, the little girl who had grown up among books still hadn't gotten used to acting violently, and she couldn't take that final step. Despite the dire circumstances she had faced, she had never killed anyone—and this time was no exception.

After blinding Claus, she could have easily finished him off, but she couldn't do it. She hadn't yet fallen into the abyss.

She simply chose to escape, leaving the governor badly wounded and utterly furious. What followed was to be expected: the enraged Claus ordered that Robin be captured and brought back to him, so he could exact his revenge.

Robin tried to flee again on a ship, but was discovered by the many patrols near the docks, and had no choice but to escape into the slums, where she at least had a chance of staying hidden.

In a dark corner of one of the alleys, Robin hid under a pile of trash, while she kept watch with an eye she had created on a wall near the alley's entrance.

The soldiers were closing in, inspecting the area with their tracking dogs, while she once again had to silently beg not to be found by her enemies. It was something she had done countless times over the past seven months.

At that very moment, on a deserted shore of the island, Orion had just landed after using his classic Geppo + Pocket Dimension combo. He was alone, as he had already said goodbye to the people he'd rescued from the mercenaries.

He opened the system map and saw that Nico Robin's location wasn't far from where he was—maybe a thirty-minute run if he hurried. Without wasting time, he used Soru and rushed toward the girl's location. It had taken some time, but he had finally reached her. Now he just needed to make contact and successfully recruit her, and the mission would be complete.

Along the way, Orion took out his Den Den Mushi and called Kuma, who updated him on his progress over the last month, saying that they had already established the base of the Western Army under his command and were preparing to take action in nearby kingdoms.

Orion told him he had found Nico Robin and asked him to inform Dragon. Then he chatted with Kuma a bit more about personal matters and ended the call as soon as he saw a large city appear in front of him.

This city was surrounded by a tall wall that looked quite imposing from a distance. As he got closer, Orion saw a long line of people trying to enter the city, likely coming from another town on the same island.

However, a group of soldiers was blocking the entrance, and everyone in line had no choice but to wait outside the walls, unable to get in.

Orion quickly investigated the situation and discovered that the local army was looking for a dangerous fugitive hiding in the city. Immediately, the image of the little girl on the wanted poster that Dragon had shown him came to mind, and Orion vanished without a trace.

Using Space Door, he passed through the wall without issue and headed toward Robin's position. Inside the city, a large number of soldiers were patrolling the streets, making it difficult to move unnoticed. Still, with Orion's speed and abilities, even if the soldiers noticed his presence, they couldn't do anything about it. The idea of capturing him was laughable.

Orion crossed the city at full speed, gradually moving into the "uglier" parts of town. The situation here was clearly worse, and it wasn't unusual to find all sorts of ruffians and vagabonds.

Along the way, Orion hadn't seen any civilians, as the soldiers' presence had scared them off the streets. However, in the slums, things were different. The people living there had no respect for the soldiers, which had led to several tragic encounters.

The soldiers had clashed multiple times during their search for Robin and had massacred a large number of unfortunate individuals. Orion didn't have time to get involved in these petty conflicts, fearing Robin might be in danger, so he simply used Soru and his Pocket Dimension to take the shortest path to his goal.

Finally, he reached a dark alley, swarming with soldiers and dogs. As soon as he appeared, all the soldiers turned to him in surprise and raised their weapons, while the dogs growled threateningly.

Orion scanned the area carefully, looking for Nico Robin and completely ignoring the soldiers—but he couldn't find any trace of her.

Still, the system marker indicated she was there, so she clearly had to be hiding nearby.

Orion looked at the soldiers and said in a deep voice:

"I'd like to know—are you perhaps looking for Nico Robin?"

The soldiers instantly felt a chill run down their spines and began to panic.

One of them, who seemed to be the leader, pointed a trembling finger at Orion and shouted:

"Capture him! He's with the fugitive!"

All the soldiers in the narrow alley rushed at Orion, who calmly drew his cutlass, ready to swiftly deal with the situation.

....

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