One Piece: Global improvement system

110: Perona’s Tragic Life

September 2, 1498, Age of the Sea CircleOrion reached the group of fishermen and dropped the gigantic fish he had been carrying on his shoulders onto the ground. The fish landed with a thunderous thud, drawing surprised looks from the group. No matter how many times they saw it, the scene never ceased to be impressive.

After treating Perona's injuries, Orion had decided to stay in the village until she recovered, before attempting to continue his journey toward the Medici base. He was unsure whether to stick to his original plans or wait until the system and his adult mind were fully restored.

He feared that, without access to a large portion of his abilities, he might run into trouble if he carelessly went to the Medici base. Robin agreed, and so the two of them had decided to temporarily postpone the trip.

Now, Orion was earning some money using his superhuman abilities to fish in the nearby waters and selling his catches to the local fishermen, who were happy to pay a decent price for the enormous fish he managed to catch.

This type of fish wasn't easy to come by, so their meat was considered a rare delicacy and could fetch a high price. Of course, the fishermen didn't pay Orion too much—in fact, one could say they were swindling him—but Orion was happy to gather money that way, as catching such fish required little effort on his part.

Once again, Orion received his payment and walked away, whistling a cheerful tune. He passed through the market and bought various ingredients, returning to the inn ready to cook something delicious. The inn served food, but Orion had been cooking on his own, intent on recovering his culinary skills; it had become almost a matter of pride.

Over the past two days, his skill had greatly improved, and many of his cooking movements had become natural and unconscious, as if his mind were accessing his skills passively, without his active control.

Orion reached the room they were renting and found Robin writing something in her journal. When she saw him enter suddenly, she stopped and closed the book with flushed cheeks.

Little Orion completely ignored her, not caring in the least about what she had been writing. Seeing his indifferent expression, Robin felt a little indignant at his lack of curiosity, and created a small hand on the floor, grabbing Orion's foot and making him trip.

"Hey, Robin! What are you doing? I almost fell!" Orion complained indignantly.

"It's to see if you're alert. If it had been an assassin, you'd have lost your leg!" Robin said, crossing her arms.

Orion started arguing with her, and for several minutes they had an intense back-and-forth, which as usual ended in the small genius's victory. There was no helping it—Orion's argumentative level couldn't compete with Robin's dialectic skills. As she triumphed once again, she looked at Orion's frustration and smiled happily.

Lately, she had greatly enjoyed her interactions with little Orion, which felt different from how they had been before. Prior to the fight with Moria, Orion had treated Robin like a little sister, with the affection of an adult toward a child, but now that he himself was in child form, the way he interacted with her was as someone on equal footing.

"How was Perona today?" Orion asked, changing the subject.

"She's still pretty much the same," Robin answered, glancing at Perona, who sat on the bed completely expressionless.

The small girl they had found in a pitiful state not only had physical issues but clearly wasn't mentally well either. During the first day, her gaze had been empty and lost, and although over the next two days her expression had improved slightly, she still didn't respond when they tried to communicate with her.

Robin didn't know who this girl was or why Orion had been looking for her, but she didn't question his actions and did everything she could to help him care for the new addition to their small group. What she didn't know was that the only thing Orion knew about Perona was that she was a Named Character.

However, that wasn't the only reason he had sought her out. After defeating Moria and forcing him to flee, the system had informed him that a change had occurred in Perona's future, meaning she would have had some connection with Moria if Orion hadn't intervened. That's why he had proactively searched for this Named Character and checked on her condition.

Orion started cooking with great interest, and after half an hour, he had prepared a delicious stew. He first served a plate to Robin, who thanked him with a big smile, and then brought another plate to Perona, feeding her slowly and patiently.

The girl mechanically opened her mouth and ate everything Orion offered her, without changing her expression. When the plate was empty, Orion gently wiped Perona's mouth with a napkin and stood up to eat.

However, as soon as he stood, he noticed a change in Perona. Her pupils, which until now had remained fixed, finally moved to follow his movements. Orion immediately sat back down and tried to talk to her, but got no further reaction.

Even so, he wasn't discouraged, because at least there had been a tiny sign of progress, proof that she wasn't completely broken.

Orion sat down to eat, while Robin took on the role of entertainer, trying to interact with Perona using the stuffed bear they had found with her. Orion had washed it, and it now looked clean and smelled of lavender.

Suddenly, Robin closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her expression had turned solemn.

"Orion, those people are spying on us again," she said, feeling a wave of negative emotions in her chest. If there was one thing she hated, it was being watched and pursued.

Orion tilted his bowl, finishing his stew in one gulp, and then extended his Observation Haki, spotting a woman beneath the window, watching their room intently. According to Robin, this woman had been watching them since the day they found Perona and had returned several times over the days they stayed at the inn.

"Don't pay her any attention. As long as she doesn't try anything funny, there's no need to worry about her," Orion said, withdrawing his Observation Haki.

He knew that this woman was Perona's mother—or rather, her stepmother. After she had first appeared spying on them, Orion had investigated her with Robin's help. It hadn't been difficult, as she was well known in town.

Apparently, Perona's father was a local merchant who had married a young noblewoman, fulfilling the dream of many to rise into the upper class. However, his wife had died giving birth to Perona, dashing his hopes of social climbing.

The family of Perona's late mother was not united, and after her death, internal factions ensured Perona was excluded, which deeply embittered her father for losing his shot at rising in status.

That resentment had turned into indifference toward his newborn daughter, now deemed completely useless.

The man remarried—this time to someone of his own status—and Perona's stepmother began abusing her, mistreating her at every opportunity.oo far!

After all, an incident of this magnitude couldn't be hidden.

He therefore activated Soru and appeared beside Robin, surprising her as he swept her into his arms along with little Perona.

"We have to leave, Robin. I don't want the authorities to come and find us here, or we'll be in all sorts of trouble!"

Robin nodded, and Orion used Soru again, speeding away toward the forest. It was time to abandon the village.

...

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