One Piece: Global improvement system

June 5, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle

Orion reached the location where the marker on the system map indicated the presence of the Named Character Vasco Shot, who was his target on this occasion.

Until now, he hadn't attempted to approach this person, as the information he had learned about him made him feel a great repulsion, and he wanted to avoid coming into direct contact with such a disgusting depraved individual.

Furthermore, Vasco Shot's movements were quite erratic. During the five days Orion had been in this kingdom, this Named Character had moved throughout the kingdom, appearing one day in one area and the next on the other side of the map. On one occasion, he had even briefly left the island.

On this occasion, Vasco Shot was located south of the Roux kingdom, near the mines where Lucky Roux worked. There was a small village here, which, like all the others in this kingdom, was extremely poor and desolate.

Orion walked slowly through the deserted streets of the small town and came to a house where loud noises could be heard: music, screams, moans.

It seemed like a huge party was taking place inside this house, although with his understanding of Vasco Shot, this probably wasn't a party in the usual sense.

He opened a door in the air, entered his Pocket Dimension, and walked through the house's walls. The scene unfolding inside appeared before his eyes.

Vasco Shot, a monstrous, imbecile-faced giant, was completely naked, lying directly on the floor. Around him were a large number of naked women in various situations. Some were dancing as if in a trance; others were unconscious, with obvious bruises and 'suspicious' marks on their bodies; many others were asleep in their own vomit; and still others were obediently 'serving' Vasco Shot.

Orion walked within his sphere, separated from the common spatial plane, slowly approaching the drunken giant while surveying the room.

In the room were not only women, but also men, most of whom were dead or unconscious, with large wounds on their bodies, as if they had been tortured for long hours.

The conscious men stared at Vasco Shot with bloodshot eyes and gritted teeth; it seemed they were the only ones in this place who weren't intoxicated by alcohol.

Orion knew that Vasco Shot was a Devil Fruit user and had consumed the Gabu Gabu no Mi, a fruit with powers related to alcohol.

The prince in front of him was a famous drunkard, and it was clear that one of the side effects of his powers was his continued intoxication. However, Orion didn't believe that justified his atrocious behavior, which had harmed countless people in the Roux Kingdom.

He drew his cutlass and continued advancing until he reached the edge of the Pocket Dimension, which was right in front of Vasco Shot. Then, without a second's hesitation, he opened a door and burst forth at full speed, intending to decapitate the intoxicated prince with a single blow.

The blade of the cutlass zoomed towards Vasco Shot's neck, but just as it was about to decapitate him, the drunk hiccuped, narrowly dodging the attack with an involuntary movement of his body.

Orion, who had failed his attack at the last minute, cursed inwardly and prepared to try again. But Vasco Shot had already noticed his presence and immediately got to his feet and ran out of the house, crushing two unfortunate women who stood in his path, killing them instantly.

Orion used Soru and pursued the prince, who was surprisingly swift and agile despite his bulky frame and clumsy appearance, though his movements were rather erratic, and he staggered slightly as he moved forward.

"Thirty-six styles, Roaring Dragon Sword!"

Orion attacked again, taking advantage of Vasco Shot's turned back, but once again his attack failed at the last moment. The filthy drunkard stumbled, allowing him to avoid the attack that was about to take his life.

This time Orion stopped and did not continue launching a new attack at the naked drunkard, who was writhing pathetically on the ground after stumbling and falling flat on his face.

That Vasco Shot had dodged his first surprise attack by chance was possible, but that he had done it twice was suspicious. There weren't that many coincidences in this world, and it was most likely that the matter wasn't as simple as the mere luck of a clumsy drunkard.

The degenerate prince saw that Orion hadn't attacked again and was instead standing nearby, watching him closely, and a grim, disgusting smile appeared on his face.

He jumped up, staggering slightly as he took a swig from a small liquor bottle he'd brought with him despite being completely naked.

"I didn't expect you to stop, hahaha. You have good instincts, don't you?" said Vasco Shot.

Orion felt his hair stand on end, and confirmed that his instincts were right. Vasco Shot was definitely pretending to be vulnerable, and had he continued to attack without thinking, it would probably have ended very badly.

Suddenly, Vasco Shot spat a pillar of fire from his mouth, trying to take Orion by surprise, but he failed, as Orion simply opened a door in the air, causing the pillar of fire to enter his Pocket Dimension.

It was a shame that the furniture and belongings he had stored there were destroyed by this attack, but Vasco Shot's sudden attack had left him no choice. The depraved man was undoubtedly dangerous, but the level of danger he'd demonstrated so far shouldn't have prompted the system to issue a special warning. This Named Character's danger was definitely not limited to what he'd shown so far.

In any case, Orion wasn't planning on retreating. He hadn't used all his cards either, and he wanted to try and eradicate this pest here and now, if possible.

He believed that if the situation became even more dangerous, he would have a chance to successfully escape. After all, he could use the Pocket Dimension if necessary.

Vasco Shot looked at him with great interest, taking another sip of liquor, while Orion focused his thoughts on the system inventory and took out his Kairoseki gloves.

That's right: Kairoseki gloves.

Originally, the item he had purchased from the system store had been Kairoseki gauntlets, which made it impossible for him to use them while wielding his sword, and forced him to choose between fighting in close combat or with his sword, greatly limiting the versatility of his fighting style.

However, he had used his "Art Coating" ability to modify these gauntlets and turn them into gloves. They no longer covered his fingers and weren't rigid, allowing him to use his sword simultaneously and exponentially increasing his fighting prowess!

The new design of his gloves essentially consisted of a pair of kairoseki knuckles, with a flexible mesh added so they could be worn like gloves.

It's worth noting that he was able to change the design of the Kairoseki gauntlets because the strange stone was concentrated only in the knuckles of the original design, allowing him to modify the rest of the gauntlet.

He had discovered some time ago that he couldn't change the shape of Kairoseki using his Art Coating ability, though he didn't know if this was a characteristic inherent of the skill or simply because it wasn't powerful enough yet.

While the Art Coating skill had no levels, the system screen displayed the clarification "(Incomplete)" next to the skill's name, so perhaps if he could improve this skill, he could use it to change the shape of objects made with Kairoseki.

Orion had planned to steal several Marine vessels and then use the large amounts of Kairoseki coating their hulls to create all sorts of weapons with which he could arm his army in the future, but the limitations of his Art Coating ability had put an end to those fantasies.

Fortunately, the original design of the Kairoseki gauntlets was such that he didn't need to manipulate and reshape the part made from that material, and could simply manipulate the rest of the gauntlet, modifying it to his liking. Had the gauntlet been made entirely of Kairoseki, he would have had no way of altering its shape.

Orion used Soru and approached Vasco Shot at great speed. Arriving in front of his enemy, he used Geppo and soared through the air, approaching the grotesque giant's face.

The drunkard seemed to get dizzy from Orion's rapid movements; his eyes began to spin wildly, while his body lost its balance and fell backward.

Had Orion launched his attack a second earlier, it would have been dodged again. But this time, Orion changed his strategy. Instead of attacking him directly, he entered his Pocket Dimension and quickly appeared behind Vasco Shot, in his blind spot.

With his Kairoseki gloves, he delivered a precise blow toward the back of his enemy's head. This time, the enemy was unable to dodge the attack and fell to the ground clutching his head and squealing like a pig being slaughtered.

Orion didn't immediately continue his attack; instead, he looked at the grotesque man writhing on the ground, thoughtful.

Although he had managed to connect his attack, Vasco Shot had moved at the last moment, making the damage he received much less, perhaps almost zero.

In that case, the fact that he was now writhing on the ground and feigning great pain felt like a mockery of Orion and his efforts.

But could it be possible that this grotesque, imbecile-faced prince was capable of such delicate thoughts?

Orion stepped forward, intending to attack Vasco Shot, but the prince suddenly sat up and swung both arms, sending a large pillar of liquor flying toward him.

Orion barely had time to react; at the last moment he managed to open his Pocket Dimension and avoid the torrent of alcohol from hitting him directly.

He didn't know much about Vasco Shot's abilities; he hadn't known he was capable of generating his own alcohol and launching it as an attack!

Up until now, the filthy drunkard had been behaving erratically, and it was difficult to predict his movements. Orion, whose fighting style relied on logical analysis of his opponents, had great trouble facing these types of enemies. Even with his Observation Haki, he had difficulty reading Vasco Shot's intentions and movements, who was becoming more dangerous with each passing minute.

Orion used Soru again and sped toward Vasco Shot, who was grinning with his stupid expression. He then launched several successive attacks with his sword, but the drunkard dodged them with slight movements of his body.

It was clear that Vasco Shot could read his movements, and his movement speed was increasing as well!

Orion took a step back, trying to put some distance between the two, but just then, his surroundings began to spin, and he lost his balance, almost falling to the ground.

Vasco Shot began to dance joyfully, clapping his hands as he downed large amounts of liquor with his tongue sticking out.

Meanwhile, Orion's heart skipped a beat.

A notification appeared on the system screen:

*Ding*

*You have suffered mild alcohol poisoning. It is recommended not to consume more alcohol.*

Orion's brow furrowed, considering the information this notification presented to him. Had he suffered alcohol poisoning? But he hadn't received any of Vasco Shot's attacks directly!

Orion looked at the Named Character, who, despite his stupid expression, stared at him with intoxicated eyes, creepily, like a predator scrutinizing its prey.

Orion, whose mind had begun to cloud from the alcohol building up in his system, felt a fire ignite in his chest, and he exploded in anger.

"Damn! You think you can beat me that easily?"

He spent 5,000 SP and increased his Soru skill level to level 3. He then charged forward at full speed, appearing in front of Vasco Shot, who this time didn't have time to react, and bore the full brunt of Orion's sword attack.

"Kamusari!"

A large slash appeared on Vasco Shot's torso, sending him flying backward from the force of the blow, while his blood exploded into the air, violently raining down on Orion.

Orion, who was already quite dizzy, lost his balance and fell to the ground, while numerous notifications appeared on the system screen, alerting him to a sharp increase in his alcohol level!

The Age Change ability was undone, causing him to revert to his original child form, and the effect of the alcohol on his body to become even stronger.

He began to have trouble breathing and tried to open his Pocket Dimension to temporarily retreat from the battlefield, but the ability didn't work.

Orion couldn't think clearly and didn't fully understand what was happening. He only felt great discomfort, caused by the enormous amount of alcohol in his body.

What Orion completely ignored was that he had been at a disadvantage from the beginning of the fight.

Vasco Shot's Devil Fruit ability was quite versatile, and despite his stupid appearance, the depraved prince was very sinister and calculating. Like a wolf in sheep's clothing, or better yet, a pig's clothing.

From the beginning, Vasco Shot had tried to make Orion lower his guard, using his stupid appearance and his erratic drunken movements.

He truly had that ridiculous expression, and he truly was drunk, which made his plan work with great success. He wasn't faking it; he was simply using his personal characteristics as an additional factor in the battle.

He had spread an invisible fog composed of tiny particles of alcohol, which were completely invisible to the human eye, but which he could perceive thanks to the powers of his fruit.

While inside this fog, Vasco Shot was able to perceive any movement made within it, so he could anticipate what attacks Orion would launch, as if he were using advanced Observation Haki.

Clearly, this technique had its limitations, since if Orion were much faster, perceiving his movements wouldn't matter if he couldn't react to them in time.

Unfortunately for Orion, Vasco Shot had speed and strength far superior to that of a normal human, and even superior to Orion's with his passive ability "Strong Body."

He had been able to anticipate Orion's attacks and manage the pace of the fight, and if Orión had been in his right mind, he would have realized the trick and done something about it.

However, the invisible alcoholic fog had a second, more dangerous function. It was capable of getting people drunk!

It wasn't an effect that occurred immediately, but in a situation like a battle, where the person was moving at high speed and exerting physical effort, the process was accelerated.

Vasco Shot had been luring Orion into a trap, like a spider weaving a web that gradually restricted his movements, gradually clouding his mind.

Orion had come a long way in recent years, and his power was certainly something to be proud of, but he still didn't have enough combat experience.

It was the first time he had encountered an enemy with such characteristics, and he had paid the price for his inexperience.

His body was gradually affected by the alcohol, without him realizing what was happening quickly enough.

He believed Vasco was getting faster, but in reality, Orion was becoming slower to react, a product of his intoxication that clouded his senses.

Eventually, the alcohol also affected his usually calm temper, causing him to explode in anger and launch a full-throttle attack against Vasco Shot.

That was his final mistake, as the depraved prince's blood was far more alcohol-concentrated than the invisible mist he had been inhaling!

As soon as the blood raining down from the sky like crimson rain came into contact with his body, the outcome of the battle was sealed.

Orion, suffering from the effects of alcohol poisoning, didn't notice that Vasco Shot had silently gotten up. There was a deep cut on his chest that would have claimed the life of any normal person.

He began walking toward the little boy, who was completely incapacitated, while the wound on his chest began to darken and seal, stemming the massive bleeding.

Vasco Shot was using the power of his Devil Fruit to concentrate large amounts of alcohol and 'burn' his wound, cauterizing it.

This method obviously wouldn't heal the wound completely and was tremendously painful and brutal, but at least it would stop the bleeding.

The grotesque prince felt the pain in his chest, and his smile deepened. He was truly a depraved man, with all sorts of unconventional fetishes.

He approached Orion with great joy, contemplating how to torture his enemy over the next few days, unaware of the dangerous look on the intoxicated boy's face, which seemed poised to commit an act of madness.

Orion wasn't the only one capable of letting his guard down during battle, and this time, Vasco Shot would also suffer for his overconfidence.

However, before an event with irreversible consequences could occur, a figure appeared at full speed without making a sound.

It was as if it were a silent shadow, which could appear and disappear next to someone without anyone noticing.

Vasco Shot didn't react in time and could only watch as the stranger who had suddenly appeared took his enemy in his arms and ran at full speed, disappearing over the horizon, powerless to stop them.

Vasco Shot stomped his feet in great frustration at seeing his prey escape, but he immediately pulled out his bottle of liquor and continued drinking. He didn't need to consume alcohol to get drunk, as his body was constantly in a state of intoxication due to the effects of his fruit. But he enjoyed the taste of the liquor he produced himself, and the sensation of drinking, which had been one of his favorite pastimes since before he obtained his Devil Fruit.

Meanwhile, a great distance from where Vasco Shot and Orion's confrontation had taken place, Lucky Roux stopped his rapid pace and dropped the boy to the ground, gasping for breath.

He had great speed, but his malnourished and weak body wasn't ready to use it.

"This time, you were almost in trouble," Lucky Roux said after catching his breath.

"Hmph! If you'd arrived a few seconds later, I would have ripped that fat son of a bitch's head off!" Orion said, shaking his fist like any filthy drunk. In his current childish form, however, he looked quite funny.

Lucky Roux sighed upon hearing the boy's words, because he knew they were true. He could sense that Orion was about to do something big, but he could also sense that it would be a tragedy for the boy. So, they were both right in their respective statements.

Orion began insulting Vasco Shot, very angry about the way the fight was developing, and then fell asleep due to his drunkenness.

Lucky Roux wasn't too worried because he knew Orion was out of danger. As for why the effects of the intoxication had lessened and he could sleep so peacefully, it was simply because of the new skill that had appeared in the system's skill list: Alcohol Resistance (Level 2).

Lucky Roux looked at the boy sleeping peacefully, as if he hadn't been on the verge of suffering a tragedy moments before, and sighed, thinking he would have to have a conversation with Orion as soon as he woke up.