One Piece: Global improvement system

October 28, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion, Olive, and Hina descended toward the underground city before them, and after a few minutes, they were already in its central area.

In this place, there were quite a lot of people, and it was by no means a minor settlement. A city of this size in the South Blue would undoubtedly be famous, which made the fact that it was underground all the more surprising.

Orion checked the map and saw that Sharinguru was nearby, so he simply looked at Hina and said,

"Well then, Hina, I suppose this is where we say goodbye. It was a pleasure meeting you."

Orion extended his hand, intending to greet Hina with a handshake, but she simply looked at it without reacting, as if she had frozen for a moment.

Finally, after a few seconds, she reacted, crossing her arms and refusing to take Orion's hand.

"Hina will not thank you for anything. You kidnapped Hina in the first place!" Hina said, as if trying to justify her attitude.

Orion didn't seem angry at her response. He simply withdrew his hand and spoke again with a smile.

"Of course. I wish you the best, Hina. Perhaps we'll meet again another time." Then, without waiting for a reply from the girl, Orion turned around and took Olive's hand, heading in the direction where the Named Character he was looking for was located.

Hina remained in place, watching his back as he grew smaller in the distance until he disappeared completely. Only then did she feel regret for not saying goodbye properly, and she sighed bitterly. In truth, after several days of interaction, she no longer felt the same rejection toward Orion as at the beginning, and she had even begun to appreciate him—though she didn't want to admit it out of pride as a Marine.

In her eyes, Orion was a criminal who had freed Olive from the arrest imposed by the Navy, and she couldn't act too friendly toward him.

Hina looked at the strange and wonderful city around her and headed toward a nearby tavern, intending to find information about the Navy—or at least get a Den Den Mushi to report her situation.

Orion and Olive, on the other hand, walked through the city streets, gazing with great interest at their surroundings. It was the first time in both of his lives that he had been in an underground city like this, and the closest thing had been in his previous life when he had used the subway.

"Look, Orion, there are statues carved into the stone walls," Olive said with great interest, pointing toward one of the main walls of the great underground dome. It had several statues of people carved into it, which reminded him of that famous monument from his past life.

However, as he looked at the statues on the wall, Orion noticed a small detail: their ears were pointed, like the elves in the fictional stories from his previous life.

Orion and Olive moved away from the central area of the city and entered a district filled with forges and artisan shops that sold some kind of combat equipment. It was the first time Orion had seen something like this during his travels. Generally, on the islands he had visited, there weren't entire districts dedicated to a single trade—except for that strange island where people were obsessed with socks.

Orion approached one of the blacksmiths, who was striking a piece of glowing hot metal with a large hammer to shape it into a sword, and watched the process with great interest. When the man finished his work, he noticed the presence of the two of them and came over, wiping his hands with a damp towel he had prepared in advance.

He stopped in front of Orion and removed the curious helmet he had been wearing, revealing a rather unattractive face—and the same pointed ears as the statues they had seen moments ago.

"How can I help you?" the man asked, sounding quite friendly.

"I'm looking for someone named Sharinguru. Do you know him?" Orion said, pulling a few Berries from his pocket and showing them to the man.

"Sharinguru? Of course I know him! He's my nephew. Why are you looking for him?" the man asked, sounding a bit wary upon hearing that Orion was searching for his young nephew.

Orion was surprised, as he hadn't thought such a coincidence would occur. He had only wanted to find the Named Character quickly, which was why he had chosen the blunt method of asking directly. But now, seeing the blacksmith's guarded expression, he found himself in a predicament.

"I came to recruit him," Orion said bluntly, still unwilling to waste much time. As for the reasons for recruiting him, he could always make up a lie if necessary.

However, the man's next words surprised him.

"Oh, I see. Is this about his Devil Fruit again? I told him it wasn't a good idea to eat it, but he wouldn't listen! Sigh So you're with the Navy?"

Orion gathered a great deal of information from the blacksmith's words and immediately shook his head.

"No, I'm the king of a territory. I heard of his talents and came to recruit him in person," Orion replied with half-truths.

"A king? Well, that's new! So far, only Marines, Pirates, and Mercenaries have come!" the man said, raising three fingers.

Orion raised his eyebrows and said,

"Could you take me to him? I'd like to speak with the boy in person."

"I'm busy right now, but you don't need me to go with you—just walk straight ahead and you'll find my brother's shop. It's the one with the red sign," the man said, waving his hand dismissively as he refused to accompany them.

Orion thanked him and turned to leave with Olive, but the man stopped him with a shout.

"Hey, hey! What about my Berries?" he said, holding out both hands.

Orion was taken aback for a moment, then handed over the Berries he had pulled out earlier. The man snatched them up and walked away happily, returning to work at his forge.

Following the directions given by Sharinguru's uncle, they quickly found the place. The shop belonging to Sharinguru's father was much larger and more imposing than his uncle's, with the forge located inside.

As soon as Orion stepped in, he found two Marines there, speaking to a teenage boy with pointed ears and small dark glasses—similar to the kind Lucky Roux had started wearing.

The sound of the door made the two Marines turn around. At the sight of Orion, they showed little interest, but when they laid eyes on the beautiful and alluring Olive, their expressions lit up instantly. An almost instinctive urge to grab her seemed to spark within them.

Orion hadn't spent much time with Olive yet, so he didn't realize this was the usual reaction men had when they saw her. She, on the other hand, was already well accustomed to lustful stares, unwanted advances, indecent propositions, and even aggressive attempts from men who wanted to take her by force.

Being a beautiful woman in a world where the law was dictated by the strong was no easy task, but she had learned how to handle it—and to use her beauty to her advantage. She could wrap any man around her finger, and it wasn't difficult for her to manipulate foolish men who wanted to possess her into doing exactly what she wanted. She had been doing it since she was only fourteen years old.

The Marines eventually tore their gaze away from Olive and returned to their conversation with the boy, who simply shook his head and refused their offer to join the Marines.

Ever since eating a Devil Fruit and gaining powers, several groups had come to recruit him, and the Marines had been the most persistent.

It was usually hard to refuse the Marines, as their status allowed them to act without scruples. Many people joined out of fear of retaliation, but Sharinguru had no such concerns—this underground city was one of the main weapons suppliers for the World Government, and the Marines would never dare touch them so long as such a powerful entity backed them.

The reason lay in the fact that this underground city was home to a lineage of master blacksmiths going back centuries. In exchange for the World Government's protection, the people here produced high-quality weapons from the rich mineral deposits mined across the island.

In fact, this vast underground city had itself been a mine many centuries ago—now it was the island's capital.

The Marines eventually left in frustration, annoyed by the boy's refusal but unable to do anything about it. They headed toward the door, but when they saw Olive again, they couldn't resist and approached her, their eyes gleaming with lust.

"Hey, gorgeous, want to have a good time? I promise I'll make you see stars," one of the Marines said with a vulgar grin, reaching out to grab Olive's butt.

Olive was ready to dodge the Marine's claw-like hand and employ her usual tactics—diplomatic yet firm, always keeping a safe distance while ensuring she came out unscathed.

But before she could make her move, a broad back appeared in her line of sight—Orion stepped in front of her, shielding her from the two Marines.

Orion reached out and grabbed the Marine's arm as if it were a dry twig. Then, with a slight squeeze, the sound of a bone breaking echoed inside the shop.

Crack.

"Aaaghhh! What the hell, you basta—"

The Marine screamed, dropping to one knee and clutching his broken arm with his other hand, tears welling in his eyes. But before he could finish his words, Orion kicked him in the face, shattering his teeth and jaw.

The man passed out from the pain instantly, collapsing to the floor without another sound.

The other Marine immediately raised his weapon at Orion, rage and fear written across his face.

"You bastard! Hands up right now! Move a muscle and I'll put a hole in your chest!"

Orion took a step forward, frowning in irritation, fully intending to teach this Marine a lesson as well. He couldn't tolerate anyone disrespecting Olive—his companion and concubine. If he allowed any street dog to try and bite her in front of him, how could he ever be worthy of her love?

The marine saw that Orion had no intention of surrendering and, without hesitation, pulled the trigger, aiming to kill. Orion simply waved his hand in the air, and the bullet vanished. Then, as if by magic, it reappeared—only this time traveling in the opposite direction—piercing the marine's leg. The man collapsed to the floor alongside his companion, writhing in pain.

Orion didn't bother speaking to this low-ranking marine; he simply kicked him, sending him into unconsciousness just as he had done with the first one. Inside the shop, Sharinguru stared at him in shock—though with a trace of respect—while the boy's father, who had appeared at some point, watched him warily, afraid Orion might cause more trouble in his store.

Olive, who had been observing the whole situation in wide-eyed surprise, snapped out of it and immediately threw herself into Orion's arms.

"My love, you didn't have to beat them up like that. I'm already used to this sort of thing—I could've convinced them to leave me alone with a few tricks," Olive said, not wanting Orion to get into more trouble with the Marines because of her.

"I know you could've handled it, Olive, but I can't stand anyone disrespecting you like that. From now on, if anyone treats you that way when I'm not around, you have my permission to destroy them without mercy, and I'll deal with any problems that come from it. And if it's someone you can't defeat, call me, and I'll teach them a lesson for you!" Orion said in a imposing tone.

Olive felt heat rising through her body, rubbing herself sensually against Orion. Seeing him act so assertively—especially for her sake—turned her on immensely.

Still, there was a part of her that didn't want Orion getting into trouble because of her. In the past, she'd used men infatuated with her beauty to gain all kinds of benefits without the slightest remorse, since in her eyes, these men only saw her as an object to satisfy their lust—and she, in turn, saw them merely as tools to achieve her goals.

She would charm them, and even though they gained nothing real—most never even got to touch her—she obtained everything she needed from them, whether resources, connections, or favors. But with Orion, she wanted nothing except his sincere love. She feared that if he had to keep cleaning up her messes in the future, he might not want to stay involved with her.

Without realizing it, Olive's current position was similar to that of the men who had once loved her—only this time she was in a reciprocated relationship with Orion. She wanted to give him everything she had, but didn't want him giving her things, fearing he'd think she was only with him for what she could gain.

She had been with Orion for only a week, but she was already hopelessly in love. Just as her late mother had told her, the women in their family loved with great passion—and the day she met someone she truly wanted to love, she would never be able to let them go.

"My love, really, it's not necessary—" Olive began, but was cut off when Orion kissed her briefly.

"It's what I want to do, so stop worrying so much," Orion said with a smile, caressing her cheek tenderly.

He had seen through her concerns, but in his mind, there was no need to overthink it. In a relationship of mutual love, it was natural for both people to want to give everything they had without expecting anything in return. That's why, when love was one-sided, someone always ended up hurt.

"Honeeey, I love you!" Olive said, clinging to Orion like a koala and kissing him passionately. Orion placed his hands on Olive's firm yet soft ass, making her moan with desire. The temperature between them spiked quickly, and their movements became more and more explicit.

But just then, a voice interrupted them, reminding them they weren't alone.

"Ahem! Ahem! Excuse me, but there are children present!" said a middle-aged woman who had just entered the store alongside Sharinguru and his father.

Orion looked at the three people staring at them with mixed expressions. The boy's mother looked angry, his father seemed uneasy and unsure how to react, and Sharinguru was clenching his fists and watching with great interest, as if expecting to witness a spectacle; behind his small dark glasses, Orion thought he saw the boy's eyes shining.

Olive immediately regained her composure, abandoning the obscene position she'd been in and hastily adjusting her clothes. Orion, meanwhile, simply grabbed a shield from a nearby shelf and held it in front of himself to conceal his excitement, pretending to admire its fine craftsmanship.

The family of three gave them odd looks, and Sharinguru's father was about to ask what they were doing in his store when suddenly his eyes went wide and his breathing quickened.

"What–What is that?!" the man exclaimed, pointing to Orion's shoulder, where little Nibble had appeared, sleeping peacefully without paying the slightest attention to his surroundings.

Orion raised an eyebrow at the man's reaction, and pointing at Nibble, replied,

"This is my pet, Nibble. Pretty adorable, right? Ah, are pets not allowed in this store?" he asked, assuming he'd figured out the source of the man's surprise.

However, Sharinguru's father's eyes widened even more, and he almost screeched,

"Pet?! The sacred beast is your pet?! How is that even possible?!"

The man's family also gasped when they heard his words. Looking closely at Nibble, both let out small cries of shock.

"Dad, that's…"

"Darling…"

The man took a deep breath, managed to calm himself a little, then nodded and said,

"That's right, that little creature is the sacred beast of our village—the Dirt Boss!"

Orion didn't quite understand what was going on, but seeing the family's overblown reaction, he realized they must know something about Nibble's nature, and his curiosity spiked immediately.

In the system's description, there hadn't been much information on Nibble—most of the data was listed as "??." If these people truly had knowledge about him, this was the perfect chance to learn exactly what kind of creature his little pet really was!

Orion picked Nibble up in one hand and held him out toward the family.

"Take a good look—are you sure you're not mistaken?" Orion asked.

"Of course I can't be mistaken!" the man said firmly. "When my people migrated to these lands, it was the sacred beast who built the tunnels where our underground cities now stand! Anyone born here knows the story of the Dirt Boss. Didn't you see his statue on the north wall?"

Orion thought back and realized—yes, among the statues they'd seen earlier, there had been one of an animal. But comparing it to Nibble… the resemblance wasn't exactly strong. For starters, that statue had a miner's pickaxe and a helmet! What kind of legendary beast digs with a pickaxe?!

Nibble, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up when Orion moved him abruptly. He looked around, then jumped down to the floor—only to land on his tailbone and roll over in pain.

Orion watched the little beast glare at the ground in outrage and start kicking it with his hind legs and spitting at it, and thought, "Yeah… these people probably have the wrong sacred beast."

...

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