One Piece: Global improvement system

299: Drake’s Goodbye — Hawkins’ Recruitment

May 26, 1504, Age of the Sea CircleThe ship carrying Orion and his companions finally arrived at Gourde Harbor an hour later, and with a wave of his hand, he opened a door in the air, allowing Law, Mitsu, and Perona to step out from inside the Pocket Dimension into the outside world.

The three of them had grown fairly close ever since Law joined Orion's forces nearly two months earlier. Perhaps it was because they were around the same age, or because their personalities were different enough to fit together in a strangely harmonious way, but they now formed a rather peculiar group of friends, and Orion was curious to see how his little apprentice—who constantly tried to act cool—would interact with the other children his age who were part of his forces in Pacific Kingdom.

"Master, I checked on Miss Toki, and her condition remains stable without any changes," Law said as he quickly approached Orion to deliver his report.

Over the past few months, Orion had been teaching Law everything he knew about medicine, and the young genius's brain was like a sponge, rapidly absorbing every bit of knowledge and making it his own.

If he maintained his current pace of learning, Orion estimated that Law could reach his level in only two or three years, which was quite astonishing considering he was only nine years old.

Orion was genuinely pleased with the progress of his young apprentice, though because they had been traveling throughout the North Blue, Law had not had many opportunities to put the knowledge he learned from Orion into practice.

For that reason, Orion had placed him in charge of monitoring Toki's condition during the past several weeks, and Law had taken his new responsibility with the seriousness and professionalism worthy of a great doctor.

Even so, Toki's condition was perfectly stable, since Orion had observed through his Prism Eyes how the temporal-attribute energy within her had begun flowing harmoniously, no longer causing the internal problems that had occurred many years earlier in Wano, when he had needed to use the system's assistance to stabilize the chaotic energy inside the beautiful woman.

Now, Toki was in perfect physical condition, and her temporal powers also appeared stable, so Orion was not entirely certain why she still had not awakened from her coma. Even so, for the time being he was not overly concerned about it, though that would change if she remained in that comatose state for several more months.

"Perfect, thank you for your hard work, Law," Orion said, placing a hand atop his apprentice's head in a friendly manner.

However, Law felt somewhat embarrassed being treated like a child by his master, since he always wanted to appear mature in front of others, though in the end he did nothing to pull away from Orion's hand, because he did not wish to disrespect his teacher.

"Now that I think about it, Shanks also knows Toki, doesn't he? Maybe I could've asked for his help regarding the matter with Wano and Kaido," Orion muttered as he recalled that Toki had traveled aboard his teacher Roger's ship for a time, meaning the red-haired pirate should remember her.

Orion had spent an entire week with Shanks and his crew, but during that time he had completely forgotten about the connection between the pirate and Toki. Since she always remained inside his Pocket Dimension, and Law had been the one entering the parallel dimension each day to check on her health, Shanks had never had any opportunity to see Toki.

Now, for some reason, that thought had suddenly surfaced in his mind, and he could only conclude that he had unconsciously been avoiding letting Shanks see Toki. Was it because he did not want them to come into contact out of jealousy?

After all, Toki was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, possessing an elegant, mature, and somewhat ethereal beauty, while Shanks was recognized throughout the world as the fantasy of countless women who admired pirates, so it was not entirely unreasonable to think that he had unconsciously avoided allowing them to meet.

However, there were other, far less pleasant possibilities, such as the chance that the same forces controlling the timeline were influencing him without his awareness.

Orion silently contemplated the matter for a moment, but ultimately concluded there was no point dwelling on it now, since Shanks had already departed. In any case, it was likely the red-haired pirate would not have agreed to help him fight Kaido over Wano, since he had his own important matters to attend to.

Furthermore, Kaido was entrenched within Wano, and confronting him there was no simple matter. Even Whitebeard, who was considered the strongest man in the world, had chosen not to act against Kaido despite the tragedy suffered by his friend Oden, instead telling Orion that he would only participate if Orion managed to establish a favorable situation for his crew.

It was not that Whitebeard was cowardly or lacked loyalty toward his friends, but simply that he could not afford to participate in a massive war that would decimate his crew, since he was responsible for maintaining peace across countless territories through the strength of his enormous pirate fleet.

Orion had never felt any contempt toward Whitebeard for refusing to act against Kaido, because he himself was a king, and he understood what it meant to carry the responsibility of protecting your people on your shoulders. The only reason Orion could involve himself so freely in all kinds of dangerous events was because his nation was hidden away in a corner of the South Blue, and there would be no repercussions upon it due to his actions in the outside world.

In any case, Orion thought that later on he should inform Shanks about the situation and request his assistance with the attack on Kaido in Wano. Even if the red-haired pirate could not contribute too much, having his support, even in small amounts, would still be valuable.

Furthermore, Orion thought about Whitebeard and the fact that he still had an unfinished mission related to him—which consisted of curing the fatal illness that weakened him day after day—so he decided that during his journey to the Grand Line this year or the next, he would also visit Whitebeard and see whether his current medical knowledge was enough to heal his strange condition.

"Young master, everything is ready for disembarkation," Monet suddenly said as she returned to the deck of the ship after speaking with the harbor authorities.

Although Gourde Island appeared to be a rather disorganized settlement at first glance, the port maintained very strict security, and that was because of an incident that had occurred several months earlier, in which several children from the island had been kidnapped by slavers posing as ordinary merchants.

For that reason, Monet—in her role as Orion's self-proclaimed maid—had handled all the formalities herself, speaking with the local authorities to secure access to the city without any issues.

"Perfect," Orion said, and with a thought, he took out a bag full of Berries from his inventory and handed it to Monet.

"It's better if we don't stay here for too long, so we'll have to divide our tasks.

I'll go see Basil Hawkins, the person we came here to determine whether he's worth recruiting, while the rest of you take care of buying supplies for our journey.

Also, I want you to buy every exotic fruit you can find on this island. We'll regroup at the ship in one hour," Orion concluded.

Originally, Orion had planned to take his time on the island, and after meeting Hawkins perhaps remain here for a day or two to enjoy the local culture, but after hearing Shyarly's premonition, he had developed a bad feeling, so he decided to speed things up.

Even so, he did not want to miss the opportunity to obtain new exotic fruits for his vast reserve, which he could later use during battles against Devil Fruit users in order to attempt stealing their powers.

"Understood, young master, I won't disappoint you!" Monet replied, bowing in a formal and professional greeting as she called Sugar and the others over so they could accompany her and allow Orion to handle his business alone.

Monet departed with the peculiar group of four children to purchase supplies just as Orion had instructed. Meanwhile, only one other person remained behind: Drake.

"I suppose this is where our paths separate," Orion said with a kind smile, extending his hand toward the boy for a handshake.

"I-I'm grateful that you brought me here," Drake said somewhat nervously as he extended his own hand and lightly shook Orion's.

"Even so, I still think it's a shame you won't come with me to my kingdom. I'm certain you could help far more people by my side than in the Marines."

"Sorry, but my decision won't change. My dream is to join the Marines and help the weak," Drake replied, his gaze filled with genuine determination, completely unlike the timidity and nervousness he had shown before.

Orion shook his head with resignation and pulled a Den Den Mushi from his Pocket Dimension.

"In any case, if you ever change your mind, or if you need help with something, you can contact me with this Den Den Mushi," Orion said as he handed the snail over to the boy.

Drake was about to refuse Orion's offer once again, because his strong conviction made him believe he would never change his mind, but before he could do so, Orion pushed the Den Den Mushi against his chest and firmly told him, "Just take it," causing the young dreamer to swallow the words of rejection he had been about to say.

After all, Orion's gaze contained a determination utterly incomparable to that of the young Drake, who had only recently begun to recover his spirit after spending years living beneath his father's heel, never daring to pursue his childhood dreams.

It could be said that Orion's spirit overwhelmed Drake with a single look, and the boy had no choice but to accept the snail Orion was giving him, even though he still believed he would never use it in the future.

"Well then, I hope you achieve your goals. Perhaps we'll meet again someday if fate wills it," Orion said as he raised a hand, and without wasting another moment, he used Soru and departed from the area.

Drake sighed in relief upon seeing that Orion had left, and clutching the Den Den Mushi in his arms, he hurried toward the center of the city. Now that he was free, he needed to travel to the nearest Marine base in order to enlist. A new future was about to begin for him, and he could not help but feel a great sense of anticipation about it, though fate had other plans in mind, because at that very moment, a small boat was arriving at the shores of Gourde Island unnoticed by anyone.

…

Following the location marked on the system map, Orion used Soru and reached Hawkins's location within just a few minutes. The port city they had arrived at was fairly large, and Hawkins was located in one of the more remote districts, an area filled with all kinds of suspicious-looking market stalls.

As Orion walked through the chaotic alleyway he had entered, he saw stalls selling voodoo dolls, others offering palm readings, others brewing love potions, and the gallery of strange businesses stretched onward for quite a distance.

The sight reminded Orion of the time, in his previous life, when he had visited a tourist city famous for those kinds of attractions, where he had been scammed several times by con artists.

"Maybe this is simply part of this place's culture," Orion thought as he observed the many occult-related stalls, smiling faintly while imagining that Shyarly probably would have found this place fascinating.

Unfortunately, he did not have much time to waste, nor could he afford to leisurely explore the area, since he needed to meet Hawkins as soon as possible and return to the ship so they could get back home.

Orion continued deeper into the alley, ignoring the calls of the various vendors around him, until he finally reached a secluded corner where a blond young man with silky hair and a somewhat indifferent expression was laying tarot cards across a small table with intense concentration.

Activating his Prism Eyes, Orion carefully observed Hawkins, analyzing both his talent and morality, quickly confirming that he was someone worth recruiting.

The young man before him—who, according to the information displayed by the system screen, was the same age as Orion, though in reality about half a year older—possessed a neutral morality, typical of someone who had not yet truly embarked upon his path in life, making this the perfect time for him to join Orion's forces.

Meanwhile, his talent appeared to be quite impressive, roughly on the same level as Drake's, who had only recently refused Orion's invitation to join him.

Deactivating his Prism Eyes, Orion approached Basil Hawkins, intending to recruit him directly without wasting too much time. However, before he could even say anything, the young man lifted his gaze from the cards on the table, looked him straight in the eyes, and revealed the faintest smile.

"You're finally here. I've been waiting for you, sir," Hawkins said, inclining his head slightly as he rose from his seat.

Orion raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You were waiting for me? What do you mean by that?"

He had come here on a whim after spotting the marker indicating the presence of a Named Character on this island while traveling with Shanks toward Minion Island a few days earlier.

That was why Hawkins's words had caught him completely off guard, because the blond youth seemed to be implying that he had known Orion would come searching for him.

"My cards do not lie. They foretold the arrival of my savior, and so I am pleased to finally see you standing before me," the young man replied while gathering the tarot cards from the table and placing them into a small box, at the same time collecting the rest of his belongings and putting them into a bag he carried with him.

"Oh? Your cards told you I would come for you?" Orion asked, intrigued by the Named Character's words.

"That is correct. About a week ago, the cards began predicting my inevitable death, and I became deeply concerned because of it. But this morning, I finally obtained a different prophecy through them." Hawkins, having finished packing his belongings, paused briefly while slinging the bag over his shoulder before continuing calmly.

"The cards foretold the arrival of someone whose future cannot be read, and that only by following this person could I escape death. Therefore, I was most certainly awaiting your arrival, sir."

After finishing his explanation, Hawkins showed Orion the tarot card known as "The Fool," the card that represented Orion himself. However, Orion did not fully understand why the boy was showing him that card, and even Hawkins's story itself sounded rather strange.

Still, at the moment Orion did not want to waste much more time in this place, because a growing sense of unease continued to weigh on him. For that reason, he decided it would be better to first invite Hawkins to join him on the journey back home, and later there would be time to properly discuss all the strange things the young man was saying in greater detail.

"So then, if I told you that I came here to recruit you into the forces of my kingdom, would you accept my invitation?" Orion asked.

"Of course. The cards do not lie. The only way for me to avoid death right now is to go with you. Although I must admit, beyond that, another reason I wish to accompany you is because I feel tremendous curiosity toward a person whose future cannot be seen through my divination techniques," the young man answered, abandoning his usual workplace without the slightest hesitation as he walked alongside Orion, awaiting his next instructions.

Orion thought Hawkins was quite strange, but he could sense no malice whatsoever from him. Furthermore, his Observation Haki allowed him to perceive that the young man was speaking sincerely, so he simply shrugged and extended a hand toward the blond youth.

"Very well. This is certainly a rather strange recruitment, but welcome to Pacific Kingdom. My name is Orion Lysander."

The young man extended his hand and shook Orion's, giving a slight nod as he said,

"Basil Hawkins. It's a pleasure."

Having accomplished the objective that had brought him to this island—with far greater ease than he had expected—Orion decided that the best course of action was to return to the ship immediately, reunite with the others, and head back home.

However, at that exact moment, a wave of pestilence invisible to the normal human eye surged through the entirety of Gourde at terrifying speed, crashing directly into every person present and causing them to collapse to the ground while struggling to breathe.

Orion's muscles tensed instantly, and he felt a faint discomfort invading his body, while his physician's mind immediately began analyzing his current condition.

Very quickly, he reached the conclusion that he had been infected by an extremely violent virus, and he realized that Gourde was most likely under attack by some kind of biological weapon, regardless of its source.

Turning toward Hawkins, Orion saw that the serious young man looked even paler than usual, though unlike the people around them, he was still standing. That meant his resistance to the virus they had just been exposed to surpassed that of an ordinary person, which was to be expected, considering he was a Named Character with excellent potential and likely possessed a physique somewhat superior to the average person in this world.

"Step through this door. We need to regroup with the rest of my companions immediately," Orion said as he opened a doorway in the air, allowing Hawkins to enter the Pocket Dimension.

The blond youth did not hesitate for even a second—after all, according to the cards, his survival depended on Orion—and immediately entered the Pocket Dimension following Orion's instructions.

The moment Hawkins disappeared inside, Orion used Soru at maximum speed and rushed toward Monet and the others, an awful premonition tightening inside his chest.

At that exact moment, a chime echoed through his mind, and a notification appeared on the system screen.

…

Meanwhile, in one of the markets near the coast, a sphere of snow had appeared in the middle of the street, protecting Monet, Sugar, and Law, who remained safe from the wave of pathogens that had spread throughout the entire area, though it was impossible to tell how much longer the snow would be able to contain the viral cloud surrounding them.

However, the most alarming issue was that two of Orion's companions were outside the sphere of snow, and they were, of course, Perona and Mitsu, who at that very moment were confronting the gloomy boy with the appearance of a zombie who had suddenly appeared and unleashed a wave of death and pestilence that was now spreading through every corner of the great city.