April 23, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Orion looked at the Eternal Pose Effilée had given him, confirming they were moving in the right direction.
A few days had passed since he had said goodbye to Galette, Poire, and the rest of her family, and now they were heading toward the island near a Marine base.
He had safely returned Poire to her family, and none of them had even noticed the girl's absence, except for Effilée, who seemed aware of the situation although she didn't say anything about it.
The sensual woman in command of the ship simply smiled when she saw Poire appear on deck to see Orion off, who had 'coincidentally' returned, claiming he had forgotten to ask Galette something.
Galette and her twin sister hugged him goodbye and made him renew his promise for the future.
Orion had no choice but to swear once more that he would return to find them and take them as wives, and he couldn't help but sigh at the thought that the number of Charlotte family wives had suddenly doubled.
Still, looking at Effilée, he thought it wouldn't be bad if it tripled. He had a soft spot for provocatively dressed women.
Effilée had told him she hoped to see him again in the future, although he knew that, given the favorability shown by the system, her words were little more than a formality.
Nevertheless, he brazenly told her that he would come to visit her in the future and they could have a romantic date, to which Effilée responded with a laugh, and for the first time he saw her display such a strong expression, as she usually remained calm and without pronounced changes in her emotions.
Effilée had looked at him, wiping away the tears that had flowed from laughing so much, and had said,
"Thanks for that. I haven't laughed that much in a long time."
To which Orion simply replied that it wasn't a joke, and that the offer still stood.
Effilée accepted his proposal and told him that the next time they met, if he still felt the same way, she'd have no problem going on a date with him.
She probably believed Orion was just saying it in the moment, without thinking too much about it, and that in the future he'd surely forget about it. But she didn't know that Orion had actually thought about going on a date with her at some point.
There was nothing he could do; Orion had a soft spot for women who dressed sensually!
"This is the first time someone has had romantic intentions toward me. I never thought it would be from a boy," Effilée said bitterly, ending the conversation with Orion that time.
As for the rest of Galette's siblings, they hadn't paid much attention to him. Smoothie didn't even appear while Orion was saying goodbye to the twins and Effilée. She had suffered great humiliation at his hands the last time, and she had sworn she would get even for it in the future, although she knew now wasn't the time to confront Orion.
There would be time later to make the odious boy know his place in the world: Beneath her feet!
The relationship between Smoothie and Orion was far from a closed chapter, though they would have to wait until they saw each other again to find out how it would continue.
After saying goodbye to the Charlottes, Orion began sailing toward the island marked by the Eternal Pose. He had been sailing for days without encountering a single island, only the sea stretching out before him toward the horizon, as if it would never end.
Orion saw Kalifa sitting nearby, happily reading a book, as she usually did, and he snuck up on her. Then, with a swift movement, he removed her glasses and covered her eyes with his hands.
"Ahh!" Kalifa cried out in surprise, finding herself completely blinded by Orion's actions.
"Hahaha, you scare too easily, Kalifa. You need to improve your courage if you want to be an agent in the future!" Orion joked with her.
"Hmph! It's normal to get scared if you attack me by surprise!" the girl said indignantly, but she didn't try to escape his grasp.
"Besides, I don't want to be an agent anymore. I want to be a teacher now!" Kalifa added, puffing out her cheeks angrily.
"Really? It's a shame, and I was thinking of offering you the position of chief of all the agents in my future kingdom," Orion said, sighing exaggeratedly.
Kalifa's ears perked up like antennae at the new information she was receiving, and she immediately began to fidget, saying, "Really? You're not lying?"
"Of course not. In the future, when I have my own kingdom, I'm going to need someone I can trust to lead my intelligence agency. Wouldn't the genius Kalifa, who is part of a long line of spies, be the best candidate?" Orion said, still playfully, though his words weren't lies.
It was something he'd definitely thought about more than once, but since it was something that would happen in the distant future, he hadn't made any specific plans yet. However, Kalifa might have enough talent in that area to fulfill that role someday.
Kalifa remained silent for a few moments, her eyes still covered by Orion's hands, and only her restless movement indicated that she hadn't fallen asleep.
Finally, she said hesitantly.
"But… my goal of becoming a teacher…"
He saw the internal struggle taking place in the girl and decided it was best not to push it.
"Don't worry too much, Kalifa. This is something that will happen a long time in the future. Besides, couldn't you do both? You're a genius after all, aren't you? Although I'd feel bad for exploiting you so much, haha."
Kalifa opened her mouth in surprise and raised her hands, still unable to escape Orion's control. Then she said happily:
"That's true! I can do both. If I set a strict schedule, there won't be any problem!"
She wasn't worried about the possibility of having to do two jobs at the same time because these were things she was interested in doing in her daily life. She maintained a strict study regimen even after escaping Guanhao with Orion.
She was quite structured and didn't feel overwhelmed by a busy work schedule; quite the opposite. She felt a kind of calm when she organized her time and distributed it among several tasks, even if they took up a large part of her day.
There were just people like that in the world.
Orion put aside his thoughts about the future and focused on the present. There was a reason why he had suddenly approached Kalifa and covered her eyes. She didn't question his motives and didn't try to wriggle out of his grasp, which demonstrated the trusting relationship they shared.
Looking at the system screen, Orion saw the change that had occurred next to Kalifa's name on the Named Characters list.
*Kalifa(4)*
That's right, today, April 23rd, was Kalifa's birthday!
Although it seemed she had forgotten about it herself.
Orion focused his thoughts on his inventory and took out the surprise he had prepared in advance.
A large birthday cake appeared on the deck of the small boat they were traveling on, although Kalifa didn't notice the changes around her because her eyes were covered.
This cake was the 'excuse' for Orion's return to the Charlottes' boat when he went to return Poire.
He had taken the opportunity to ask Galette for help making this large birthday cake for Kalifa, which he then stored in his inventory to keep it fresh.
Galette was experienced in cooking, as she used to cook for her mother, as did the rest of her siblings. Furthermore, she had the help of her Devil Fruit, the Bata Bata no Mi, which allowed her to do a far superior job than an ordinary cook could.
The result had been spectacular, and Orion had prepared this cake as a birthday surprise for Kalifa.
Orion took his hands away from the girl's eyes, allowing her to take in the scene before her. It wasn't a spectacular display, as he didn't have many tools for festive decoration. After all, they were traveling impromptu in the middle of the Grand Line, and it was quite a feat to have been able to prepare a cake.
Kalifa put her glasses back on and looked at the cake in front of her without reacting. Her mind didn't quite grasp what was happening, and it wasn't until Orion placed his hand on her head and said with a smile, "Happy Birthday, Kalifa," that she realized this was a birthday surprise for her.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and the girl began to cry, under Orion's incredulous gaze. He immediately took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears, somewhat concerned by the girl's abrupt change of mood.
Kalifa hugged his neck and continued crying, while uttering unintelligible words that Orion couldn't understand.
It took her a long time to calm down, and when she finally did, he understood the reason for the girl's abrupt change of emotions.
According to Kalifa, this was the first time anyone had ever celebrated her birthday. The people in her family were distant; more than a conventional family, it was something that resembled an intelligence organization. Blood ties simply ensured a certain unity within the family that functioned as a faction, without any kind of affection involved.
Still, she hadn't grown up in a place isolated from the world. The city where the Medici family was based was a place where ordinary people lived.
It was for this reason that Kalifa hadn't grown up as a robot, and had the opportunity to develop her feelings through contact with people outside her family, even if that contact was quite limited.
Perhaps her family would have preferred her to behave like an unfeeling robot, since that was the mark of an elite intelligence agent. That was why they had never given her affection and even limited the amount of time she could spend with her younger sister, who had been her only companion within her family.
Ultimately, she had been sent to Guanhao to keep her away from people and prevent her from developing too many feelings. In a strange and isolated place, where all the inhabitants were brainwashed recruits, the chances of her personality being influenced by unnecessary feelings would be tremendously reduced.
As soon as her younger sister grew old enough to begin actively interacting with her, the family decided to separate them and send Kalifa to Guanhao, where fate led her to meet Orion, and her future changed forever.
She had seen other children celebrate their birthdays, and knew what this common folk ritual entailed. But until now it had been a privilege she couldn't enjoy, and that was why her emotions had briefly spiraled out of control when she heard Orion wish her a happy birthday and saw the beautiful, majestic birthday cake rising like a tower in front of her.
Now that her emotions had calmed down a bit, she could absorb the entire scene around her more fully.
She looked at Orion, who was looking at her with some concern, holding a small handkerchief in his hand, as if afraid she would cry again. She saw the large cake that looked incredibly appetizing, and she saw the clear sky where the sun shone warmly.
Carefully, methodically, she engraved these memories in her mind. This memory would become a treasure she'd hold dear for years to come, and although she didn't know it, it was the beginning of a profound change in her life, one that would increasingly deviate from its destined path.
In the future, scenes like these would no longer be uncommon in her life, but at this moment, it was undoubtedly a monumental event!
"Thank you so much, Orion!" Kalifa said with a big smile, demonstrating the warmth and joy that a four-year-old girl should have.
Orion sighed in relief at seeing her smile, and with a flick of his mind, he pulled his second surprise from his inventory.
A large book materialized in his hands, and he offered it to Kalifa with a smile.
"This is my birthday present for you, Kalifa."
She took the book in her hands and stroked the hard leather cover, which felt incredibly soft to the touch.
"I hope you like it. I didn't have many materials, so I did what I could. I wrote the stories in this book, and I also did the illustrations. Not to brag, but I think they turned out great!" Orion said, crossing his arms and nodding with a certain pride as he spoke of his creation.
He had been working on this gift for a while. He had discovered Kalifa's birthday when he reviewed the files on the recruits in Guanhao, and had started planning this surprise even before leaving the training island.
For Kalifa, who loved to read, Orion believed the best gift would be a new book. He had already written one for her personally, in which he had compiled various philosophical texts he knew from his past life.
This time, however, he had decided to go another route.
Instead of writing a book that was merely academic, Orion thought it would be more appropriate for a birthday present to write something more 'fun'.
At one point, he considered writing one of his favorite novels or works of fiction, but discarded the idea because he didn't remember enough of any work to be able to write it in its entirety within a short period of time.
Finally, he decided to write something he knew a lot about: Greek mythology.
He had grown up hearing these myths as a child, in his previous life. He had then studied philosophy and had deepened his knowledge on this subject, so he was able to transcribe Greek myths without difficulty.
He was quite pleased with the final result. Not only were the myths themselves very interesting and fantastic stories, but they also dealt with all sorts of complex themes related to the world and human beings, which the young prodigy Kalifa, with her thirst for knowledge, would undoubtedly enjoy.
As a finishing touch, his illustrations, which were exquisitely done thanks to his high painting skills, made the book even more complete.
Kalifa quickly flipped the pages, scanning the contents, and was immediately immersed in the book's mythological stories.
The girl lost track of time and became deeply immersed in reading, completely ignoring Orion, who stood there smiling at the situation.
With a flick of his mind, he put the cake back in his inventory and continued steering the boat toward the island marked by the Eternal Pose, without interrupting the little girl's reading.
There would be time for cake later. For now, he would let her enjoy her birthday present in peace.
Kalifa continued reading with complete concentration and a cheerful smile, while Orion simply gazed toward the horizon as he steered the boat.
On the system screen, Kalifa's favorability rating had suddenly risen to 93.
............…
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Grand Line,
Two pirate crews were having a confrontation on the high seas.
The captain of one of the ships brandished his two axes and slashed several enemies in succession.
"Hahaha! Damned scumbags, today they'll learn that there are people they shouldn't mess with! I'm Captain Cali!" roared the filthy pirate covered in the blood of his enemies.
On the deck of the opposing ship, a group of people were watching the captain of the enemy crew shout arrogantly, and they commented on the situation with some amusement.
"This guy is quite arrogant, isn't he?"
"Does he know he's facing off against the new recruits?"
"Probably not. After all, pirates with the power level of our new recruits are usually well-known figures in this area, right?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the conversation of the pirates who were watching the fight in the distance.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Our new recruits are being defeated! Get off your asses and get to work!"
"But captain, if they don't experience battles and setbacks, they won't be able to get stronger."
"How are they going to get stronger if they're dead?! Forget it, I'll do it myself!"
The group of pirates watched as the beautiful captain with long blue hair made a great leap from the deck of one ship to the other, landing in the middle of the brawl between the two pirate crews.
"Sigh, our captain is still very gentle with the new recruits."
"There's nothing we can do. She's the kind of person who cares deeply about her subordinates. I don't think that's a bad thing."
"But there was no need for her to handle the situation herself. We were going to intervene if things got really bad."
"No matter, we can't just stand by and do nothing now, or the captain will yell at us when it's all over."
The group of pirates watching the battle between their new recruits and the enemy pirates sprang into action and immediately suppressed their opponents.
Meanwhile, the beautiful blue-haired pirate appeared in front of the enemy captain, her sword ready for combat.
Cali, the two-axe captain, saw the appearance of the beautiful woman who had suddenly appeared, and his pupils contracted.
His body began to tremble, and he immediately lost the arrogance he had displayed moments before.
He was face to face with someone out of his league, and if he insisted on fighting, only death awaited him.
He immediately threw his two axes to the ground and knelt down to beg for mercy.
The beautiful blue-haired woman looked at him with some disappointment, thinking,
"The quality of the pirates arriving at the Grand Line is declining."
Then she sighed and sliced her enemy into two perfect halves with a simple sweep of her sword.
The sword didn't stop after slicing through Captain Cali and continued slicing through the ship, which was also sliced into two halves.
The beautiful woman's crew grumbled that she had made their job of looting the ship much more difficult, but they still began their work of collecting the enemy's loot.
The beautiful woman returned to her ship, tucking a strand of long blue hair behind her ear and looked at the horizon, in the direction the ship was moving.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination: the Marine base where part of their crew was being held captive.