November 2, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
In the middle of Flower Hill, Orion was enjoying some time alone with his beloved wife Scarlett.
After spending three days inside the Time Dungeon, Orion had returned to the kingdom of passion accompanied by the surprising additions of Rebecca and the Scarlett from the other timeline, causing a great stir within the Riku royal family.
The sudden appearance of Scarlett and her daughter had left everyone confused, but with the help of the powers of young Princess Viola's Devil Fruit, it had been possible for those who had not experienced the Time Dungeon to understand the situation.
Viola had reviewed the memories of the new Scarlett, and together with Orion and Giolla's explanation of what had happened, King Riku and the others had finally been able to accept the bizarre existence of this new Scarlett and her young daughter.
Once King Riku understood the situation, he immediately felt a deep sense of closeness toward the new Scarlett and Rebecca, since, after all, they were still his daughter and his granddaughter. For that reason, he welcomed them into the royal family with open arms, allowing the two of them to remain in the castle and live in peace.
Naturally, the first few days had been rather strange for everyone who interacted with the new Scarlett, since the situation itself was quite fantastical. Still, as the days passed, people gradually began to grow accustomed to it, and after the span of a month, the new Scarlett and Rebecca were already fully integrated into the Dressrosa of this world.
Although the life of the Scarlett from the other timeline had been different for nearly a decade—due to Orion never having appeared in her life in that world—the previous sixteen years of her life had been exactly the same as those of the Scarlett from this world, so she did not feel like a stranger in this Dressrosa.
While it was somewhat strange for her that her sister Viola and her father were now seven years younger, in her mind it was simply as if she had traveled back in time to reunite with them.
Even so, the Dressrosa of this world was quite different from that of her own, or at least it was on an entirely different path, due to Orion's appearance in this place. Unlike the other timeline, the situation of the kingdom here was far better, since the large-scale medicinal cultivation project that had begun not long ago had already changed people's lives.
The Dressrosa of this world was far more prosperous and secure than the one she had known, and its inhabitants lived much fuller lives as well, which made the new Scarlett's opinion of Orion even more positive than before.
The new Scarlett had obtained the memories of what had happened in this timeline after Orion's arrival—using the powers of Viola's Devil Fruit—so she understood the situation here perfectly and felt excited about the prosperous future of the kingdom of passion.
In her view, with the protection of Orion's forces and the great economic progress of the kingdom, Dressrosa would become an incredible place in the future, and her young daughter Rebecca would be able to grow up in peace and freedom, making her decision to come to this different world truly worthwhile.
At present, five weeks had passed since Orion had returned to Dressrosa to keep his wife Scarlett company during her pregnancy, and although he wanted to remain by her side until the birth of their baby—at the end of December—he could not do so.
Orion was a very busy man, with a great number of unresolved matters waiting to be dealt with, and so, even though he wished to continue accompanying Scarlett, the time had come for him to depart once more.
Even so, he would not be gone for long, intending to make short trips to complete his pending tasks, at least until the birth of his child. Once the baby was born, Orion planned to remain relatively inactive for two or three months, before heading to the North Blue for a more extensive mission.
If there was one thing he had learned during his time in the Time Dungeon, it was that peace was extremely fragile. At any moment, something could happen that threatened to destroy everything he had built over the years, and for that reason he could not afford to sit back and wait for events to unfold. He had to be proactive.
Going to the North Blue was imperative for Orion, since he needed to prevent Doflamingo from increasing his power too much. He had already decided to put an end to the future Warlord, and even if he currently lacked the strength to do so, he had to at least do everything within his reach to limit the pirate's growth.
However, that was something to be considered only several months from now, because at the moment he had another important matter to address: the invasion of the Lysander family's original kingdom.
"Are you all ready for the operation?" Scarlett asked with a gentle smile as she caressed the hair of her beloved, who was lying beside her on the grass.
They had spent a month enjoying each other's company, immersing themselves in a world of tenderness and love as their small baby grew within her womb. During this time, it was only natural for the pair of lovers to spend their days peacefully, basking in the sunlight and the beautiful scenery of Dressrosa.
"Yes, everything is already prepared. The army of Pacific Kingdom and the forces of the Southern Revolutionary Army are already in position. They're just waiting for my arrival," Orion replied as he rested his ear against his wife's belly, feeling the movements of their baby.
"Then you should go. Don't keep them waiting too long. Don't worry about me, I have the company of my two sisters and my niece."
Scarlett wore an expression of deep satisfaction as she spoke about her family, which had recently grown in number.
With the arrival of the new Scarlett in Dressrosa, there had been several days of confusion about how to interact with her, especially for the original Scarlett of this world. After all, it was very strange to see someone who was essentially the same person, yet several years older.
The Scarlett of this world was currently eighteen years old, while the one who had arrived with Orion from the Time Dungeon was twenty-five, making her seven years older.
In the end, the solution the two Scarletts had reached was to consider each other sisters. Just like twins who were practically clones, they would be twin sisters with an age difference. In this way, Scarlett gained a new older sister, and a small niece whom she adored.
Over the past month, in addition to spending most of her time with Orion, Scarlett had spent as much time as possible with the other Scarlett and Rebecca. In just one month they had grown very close, to the point that even now, while Scarlett and Orion were enjoying a moment of romantic intimacy, the other Scarlett and Rebecca were also present, albeit a short distance away to give them privacy.
Finally, Orion stood up with some reluctance, ready to head toward the battlefield. Scarlett leaned against his shoulder and stood beside him, then stretched out both hands to adjust Orion's armor.
Although Orion usually fought without any armor at all, simply wearing his normal clothes, on this occasion he would be going as king and commander of the army, so his uncle Lolo had asked him to wear formal armor to appear more imposing before both soldiers and enemies.
The armor he was wearing had been a gift from his father-in-law, King Riku, and had been slightly improved by the group of scientists led by Suzanne, optimizing its functionality to suit Orion's fighting style.
Under the midday sun, Scarlett gazed at her handsome husband clad in the elegant armor that made him look even more imposing, and she could not help but feel her body temperature rise slightly.
With a sensual smile, she wrapped her arms around Orion's neck and kissed him tenderly in the middle of the vast flower field atop Flower Hill. It was yet another day in which the pair of lovers freely expressed their love.
From a distance, the mature Scarlett was weaving flower crowns together with her daughter, and she could not help but notice the passionate kiss shared by her younger sister and Orion. Involuntarily, she touched her own soft lips as she watched the lovers from afar, feeling a twinge of envy.
After all, she too was a woman of the nation of passion, and her feelings were quite fiery. Although she currently had no intention of seeking a partner and only wished to focus on raising her daughter, she could not help but feel a faint desire to have a lover who would kiss her the way Orion was kissing her sister.
Finally, after a few minutes of tender intimacy at a distance, Orion walked over to where the mature Scarlett and Rebecca were, taking his wife Scarlett by the hand.
"It's time for me to leave. I'm counting on you to take care of my beloved wife. Whatever happens, don't hesitate to call me immediately and I'll return in an instant," Orion said, looking at Scarlett with love in his eyes.
The mature Scarlett felt a slight irritation at seeing the couple display their affection, and crossing her arms, she said while turning her head away,
"A man who only knows how to spend all day with his wife without doing anything else is not worthy of respect. If you have responsibilities to attend to, then go! I'll take care of my sister."
Orion showed a bitter smile at the words of the mature Scarlett, since, as usual, she was treating him rather "coldly." Even though more than a month had passed since they had left the Time Dungeon, she still seemed upset that Orion had "kidnapped" her.
In any case, Orion was not worried about the mature Scarlett hating him, since her favorability on the system screen was above 80, which was incredibly high. That was the level of a romantic partner, although Orion did not want to think too much in that direction, because otherwise he would not be able to stop himself.
What he didn't know was that the mature Scarlett had also been having similar thoughts about him, and that was partly why she treated him with a certain roughness. If Orion had been a single man, she would have been true to the proactive spirit of the women of Dressrosa, but the problem was that Orion was her sister's husband, and the official prince consort.
She could not allow certain embarrassing feelings that were beginning to sprout within her to complicate the situation too much. After all, she had been welcomed with open arms by the people of this world, and she did not want to cause trouble.
"Uncle Orion! Can you take me with you?" Rebecca said as she hugged Orion's leg and put on an adorable expression.
"I'm sorry, Rebecca, but this time I'm going to a dangerous place. The next time I take a trip somewhere calmer, I'll take you with me, how about that?" Orion replied as he gently stroked the girl's pink hair.
"Okay! It's a promise!" Rebecca said, raising both hands in the air in a victorious gesture.
"I suppose it didn't even occur to you to ask me for permission," Scarlett suddenly said from the side, still wearing her "offended" expression.
Orion scratched his head and replied,
"Of course, I'll only take her if you give your permission."
Rebecca immediately turned to look at her mother with indignation, puffing out her cheeks to look as pitiful as possible, which made the mature Scarlett smile at her daughter's manipulation tactics.
"Alright, alright, there's no need to make that face. If you pout too much, you'll end up getting wrinkles," the mature Scarlett said as she pinched her daughter's cheek.
"Bah! I'm not going to get wrinkles, my aunt said that was a lie!"
Both Scarletts laughed warmly at Rebecca's adorable appearance, and Orion could not help but feel that the scene unfolding before him was quite astonishing. In particular, the imposing chests of the two princesses, which swayed as they laughed and created great waves, made it impossible for Orion to take his eyes off such a wonderful sight.
The mature Scarlett noticed Orion staring at her chest with shining eyes and could not help but feel a bit of embarrassment… and happiness. Even so, her psychology was still stuck in tsundere mode, so she immediately covered her ample breasts with her arms—which only made her look even more sensual—and said with a hint of reproach,
"Don't stare so much or your wife will get angry!"
The mature Scarlett was trying to put some distance between herself and Orion while also venting a bit of her frustration, but Scarlett's response to her words caught her completely off guard.
"I don't have any problem with it! In fact, I think it would be good if we could share a husband."
Scarlett's words fell like a bomb, creating a long silence. With a crafty look, Scarlett observed Orion and the mature Scarlett, who were both a bit flustered, and thought the situation was interesting.
She wasn't lying when she said those words, since she knew everything her other self had suffered before arriving here. She wanted the mature Scarlett to fully integrate into this world and be happy, and she trusted that only a man like her beloved husband could accomplish that.
Orion already had other wives, so for Scarlett it wasn't strange at all for him to take her other self as a companion, although judging by the expressions of the two involved, such a thing probably wouldn't be possible for the time being.
Even so, Scarlett thought to herself that while Orion was away from Dressrosa over the next few days, she would take it upon herself to do some ideological work on the mature Scarlett, trying to convince her about the matter.
It was curious to play matchmaker for her other self, but also something she found quite fun and interesting. After all, Scarlett was curious and adventurous by nature.
Orion looked at the mature Scarlett, who was glancing at him out of the corner of her eye with a blush, both arms wrapped around her torso and making her breasts stand out even more, and he couldn't help but feel his mouth go dry.
To be honest, he had had thoughts about it, since he was a very lascivious man, but he had no intention of making any move. However, now, after hearing his wife's words… he was thinking that maybe he could try.
"Ahem! In any case, it's time for me to go, they're waiting for me," Orion said as he cleared his throat.
Then he opened a Space Gate to Ginny's position, and after greeting the three people present, he disappeared without leaving a trace.
…
Meanwhile, in Marie Geoise, a large group of Celestial Dragons was preparing to depart for the North Blue, where this year's native hunting event would take place.
All the nobles present were very excited, boasting about the weapons they had prepared and making bets on the outcome of the competition. Even so, they still couldn't depart, because the leader of the bodyguards who would accompany them this time was not present.
Figarland Garling and his son Shamrock were currently in the room of Celestia, Garling's younger sister.
"So you're not going to talk?" said the leader of the God's Knights.
"…"
Celestia remained silent, struggling not to lose consciousness. The disease that covered her body in crystals had advanced aggressively over the past two years, and she was now on the brink of death.
She probably wouldn't be able to endure much longer, so she had to take care of an important matter before the end: her young son, Luffy. She didn't want her son to grow up in Mary Geoise and become a horrible person in the future, so the time had come to set her final plan into motion.
Figarland Garling observed the terrible condition his sister was in, yet he did not feel even the slightest hint of compassion or empathy. To him, his sister was a disgrace to the family. Just as had happened with his own child Shanks, she had spent far too much time away from the Holy Land, which had caused her to develop a strange personality.
For nobles of the World Government like Figarland, that was a far more dreadful "disease" than the crystals covering his sister's body—the sickness of the lower world that corrupted her spirit and stripped away her dignity as a goddess.
"For the last time, who is that child's father?" Figarland said, pointing toward the small boy who was sleeping on a comfortable bed in the distance.
However, Celestia pressed her lips together and refused to say a single word.
"Very well, have it your way. It doesn't really matter—once you're dead, I'll see what to do with him," Figarland said without the slightest emotion in his voice, as he turned around and paid no further attention to his dying sister.
Given Celestia's current condition, this would probably be the last time he saw her alive, yet the leader of the God's Knights felt nothing about it. Celestia's death was simply insignificant to him.
"Call your brother. Now that we'll be away from Mary Geoise, we need a representative of the family here to show our presence," Figarland said as he walked toward the area where the delegation of Celestial Dragons bound for the North Blue's native hunt was gathering.
Celestia watched as her brother and her nephew left without looking back, and she sighed in relief, thinking that at least they had not tortured her to obtain information about her little son. Looking at Luffy, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, Celestia showed a beautiful smile, befitting a loving mother.
"Don't worry, my son. I won't let them take away your freedom," the beautiful golden-haired woman said in a faint voice.
Then, with some effort, she walked to a corner of the room and took out a special Den Den Mushi from a hidden compartment in the floor. Breathing with difficulty, she made the important call.
"Dragon… I can't hold on much longer. You must come and get Luffy… Now is the best time. My brother and my nephew won't be in Mary Geoise…"
Slowly and with great difficulty, Celestia conveyed the crucial information to the man she loved, asking him to come and take their son far away from this terrible place. Once again, the gears of destiny began to turn.