May 8, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
After stabilizing his physical condition with Law's help, Orion checked on Toki, who was still unconscious. Following a brief physical examination, he concluded that there was nothing wrong with her health and that she hadn't suffered any damage like he had, though in his case it had been the result of remaining in two dimensions governed by different natural laws at the same time.
Activating his Prism Eyes, Orion carefully observed the temporal attribute energy that composed the Toki Toki no Mi, confirming that the amount within the beautiful woman's body had increased exponentially, to the point that every corner of her being was now flooded with that vigorous energy.
Moreover, this temporal energy was in a chaotic state, similar to what he had seen in her years ago, when she had fallen into an "out of time" state from which she couldn't awaken, a situation that had only been resolved once Orion absorbed all the energy that was generating chaos within her body.
For that reason, Orion was prepared to carry out the same procedure once more, hoping to stabilize Toki's condition; however, before he could begin, the temporal attribute energy started to move in a less chaotic manner within her body, until it eventually began to circulate in a harmonious and balanced way, like blood being continuously pumped by a heart.
Orion observed the phenomenon with great interest in real time, and after analyzing Toki's condition once again, he concluded that it was not necessary to absorb the large amount of temporal energy within her on this occasion. According to his assessment, Toki was now perfectly stable, so she would likely awaken naturally once she had rested enough.
Relieved, Orion entered his Pocket Dimension and left Toki resting there, unaware that the time it would take for her to awaken naturally would be far longer than he had anticipated.
…
Meanwhile, on an island near Orion's current position, a green-haired girl wearing large glasses that covered most of her face was diligently organizing a series of files.
Despite being only thirteen years old, she was responsible for managing and recording all the transactions of the massive base that occupied the entire island, which functioned as one of the largest slave markets in the world, and the largest in the North Blue.
It was said that this enormous slave market had connections with a powerful kingdom of the North Blue, and that even the Marines turned a blind eye to its operations, though no one had ever confirmed whether this was truly the case and lived to tell the tale.
Monet, who had once been the princess of a small kingdom called Toret, had been captured by her enemies after her nation lost a brutal war against a neighboring kingdom.
After the kingdom's fall, the royal family led by Monet's father, Toretto, had been captured by their enemies and suffered a tragic fate. To prevent future complications, their enemies had executed much of the former royalty, enslaving the remaining lower-ranking members.
Although Monet and her sister Sugar were also princesses, they were far down the line of succession—54th and 69th respectively—so their importance to the crown of Toret was minimal. For that reason, they had avoided the tragedy of execution by the enemy nation, since at the time of the invasion they had been far from their homeland, serving as political hostages in another kingdom.
Once Toret fell, the value of Monet, Sugar, and their mother—a minor royal concubine—as political hostages disappeared entirely, so the rulers of the nation that had previously been "hosting" them discarded them without a second thought.
The three of them were sold as luxury goods to the most important slave base in the North Blue, because although they had fallen from grace, they were still members of a royal family, and that increased their value in the slave market.
When Monet arrived on the island where she now lived, together with her mother and her younger sister Sugar, she was only eleven years old, and her sister just two. During the nearly three years she had spent on this island, she had come to know the darkest side of humanity and witnessed all kinds of horrors.
On the surface, the island known as "Cape Epstein" appeared to be an ordinary place, though in truth it was a filthy nest of rats where all manner of perversions took place.
Monet's mother had been murdered by one of the "clients" of the underground market, a man who had once been in love with her and had been unable to obtain her. This individual had been completely obsessed with her and had spent all his life savings just to spend a single night with his unattainable love, only to end up strangling her so that no other man could possess her after him.
The deranged man had not even uttered a word when the owners of Cape Epstein's underground market captured and mutilated him as payment for the crime of damaging their valuable merchandise. Afterward, he had been sold as a slave for forced labor, and it was very likely that by now he was already dead, since that kind of slave did not last long unless they possessed an exceptional physical constitution.
Monet had lost her nation, her status as a princess, her freedom, and finally her mother, yet she had not lost everything, because her little sister Sugar was still with her and had not yet been completely corrupted by this cruel world.
Unlike their mother, who had been offered as a high-class prostitute by the people of the underground market, Monet and her sister Sugar had been listed as slaves for sale, and their tragic fate would most likely be to be bought by some pervert with particular tastes.
However, there was one factor that tipped the scales in favor of the two sisters and saved them from such a tragic end: Monet's talent.
Although Monet had no future in the royalty of her kingdom due to being so far down the line of succession, she had received the education of a noblewoman, displaying remarkable performance in academic matters.
At the tender age of eight, she was already known as a young prodigy, and it was the skills she had acquired during her noble upbringing that allowed her and Sugar to avoid being sold as slaves immediately.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Monet had offered her services to the head of staff at Cape Epstein, who at first treated her with skepticism, though he eventually agreed to let her assist with some administrative tasks, wanting to see the supposed abilities of the young prodigy for himself.
To his surprise, Monet's abilities were far more impressive than he could have imagined. With the girl's help, the island's business became far more productive, and the organization improved enormously, which in turn filled the pockets of the secret controller of the mercantile base even further.
For that reason, Monet had escaped the miserable fate of being sold as a slave, and had instead been working in the island's administration. For nearly three years, she had carried out her work silently and flawlessly, doing her best not to draw attention to herself, though unfortunately this was becoming increasingly difficult, and for a reason she could not control: the development of her body.
It must be said that Monet's mother had been one of the most beautiful women in the North Blue—after all, she had been taken as a concubine by the king of Toret despite being a commoner—and Monet had inherited her mother's fine genes.
However, Monet was not pleased about this, because being too beautiful could be a curse in a world like the one she lived in, where her fate was not in her own hands.
She was about to turn fourteen, and her body had begun to show feminine curves, while her height had also increased considerably over the past months.
To deal with this, Monet had started wearing very loose clothing, trying to conceal her body as much as possible, and had managed to obtain much larger glasses than the ones she had worn before, which covered a large part of her beautiful face.
She had been doing everything in her power to go unnoticed and avoid drawing attention in this underground market filled with perverts, because she was the only support her sister had in this world. For Monet, what happened to her did not matter as long as she could protect her little sister, yet she knew very well that if anyone noticed her blossoming beauty, tragedy would be inevitable.
On the other hand, Monet's direct supervisor, the one in charge of overseeing her daily activities, had been the only one to notice the changes in her, though he had said nothing about it, because he intended to take advantage of the situation personally.
He knew that if he informed his superiors about the girl's physical development, it was very likely she would be sold as a luxury slave, which would make his administrative workload a hundred times heavier, since the young genius handled a large portion of the island's management tasks.
On the other hand, if he kept quiet, not only could he continue enjoying exploiting Monet and living without having to do much work, but he could also take things a step further and enjoy the body of a beautiful woman.
Every time he saw Monet walking with her head lowered, trying not to draw attention, with her troubled expression and loose clothing, the fat man could not help his heart racing as all kinds of obscene scenarios crossed his mind, a lascivious smile spreading across his face.
Even so, he had been restraining his base impulses, because he feared ruining the current situation—which was very comfortable for him—although he likely would not be able to hold back much longer, since with each passing day Monet's beauty became more noticeable.
"Sigh."
Monet, who had been organizing the files with complete concentration, finished her current task and let out a small sigh. Lately she had been feeling a great deal of tension, and the stress had been building up considerably, since she had to work long hours while also carefully controlling every one of her movements so as not to draw attention.
"Monet! If you're done with that, go make me some coffee!" the voice of her boss echoed from the distance.
Monet's body trembled slightly, but she quickly composed herself, standing up and giving a faint nod before leaving the room almost as if fleeing from it, going to fulfill the request of her degenerate superior.
"Hehe, it's definitely not my imagination—her ass still stands out even with such loose clothes… I wonder what she looks like naked… maybe I should pay her a visit tonight?" the obese man muttered as he stared at Monet from a distance.
However, at that very moment, the Den Den Mushi on the desk rang, startling the lecherous man and interrupting his thoughts.
"Hello? Ah! Yes, boss! As you say, I'll prepare it right away!" Monet's supervisor said hastily, trembling with fear.
After a few more seconds of conversation—or rather, one-sided orders coming from the other end—the man ended the call, wiping the sweat that had accumulated on his face and neck with unease.
Just now, he had received a call from the supreme boss behind the trading base, who had ordered him to prepare the sale of the two sisters, Monet and Sugar, since an important buyer had arrived to acquire them. Moreover, his superior had made it very clear that if there were any issues with the merchandise in this transaction, his head would roll without any chance of forgiveness.
A cold sweat ran down his back as he realized he had been on the verge of making his move and "damaging" such valuable merchandise, since he knew very well that powerful men who purchased slaves like Monet usually had a strong obsession with virginity.
He knew that if this call had come just a few days later, he might not have been able to avoid death, and would have had to flee, leaving everything behind in hopes of escaping and hiding in some remote corner of the world.
Soon after, Monet returned carrying a tray with freshly brewed coffee, as well as several pastries she had brought even though her boss had not asked for them.
After working under him for so long, she knew the fat man's personality and tastes well, and she always tried to do her best to keep him satisfied, since after all, her and her sister's fate was partially in this man's hands.
Normally, the obese man would have been very pleased with Monet's servile attitude, and would likely have harassed her lightly, but after receiving that important call from his superior, he did not dare make any ambiguous comments or movements. Taking the coffee, he sipped it with a solemn expression and said,
"Get your things ready. A buyer will arrive soon to take you and your sister."
The obese man felt it was a shame he hadn't been able to enjoy Monet's body, though he comforted himself with the thought that she would suffer a terrible fate in the future. He was a rather despicable man with twisted tastes.
Seeing Monet standing frozen before him, her mouth slightly open in an almost adorable expression of shock, the man felt a strange sense of pleasure, wondering what kind of heart-wrenching expression she was making behind those large glasses that covered much of her face and concealed her emotions.
"Congratulations, you've finally earned your freedom, hahahaha!" the obese supervisor added, bursting into loud laughter at the new misfortune that had befallen her.
Both Monet and her boss knew that being freed from her current state of confinement in this way was nothing to celebrate, since she would likely face an even crueler fate in the hands of her buyer, which was precisely why the ruthless man mocked her so openly.
Monet left her usual workplace, where she had spent the last three years working tirelessly and trying not to stand out, and returned to her quarters, located in the most miserable area of the island, where the slaves who worked locally resided instead of being sold.
As she walked back to her shack, Monet thought about everything that had happened over the past few years, and she couldn't stop her eyes from filling with tears. Despite all her efforts to prevent herself and her sister from suffering the same tragic fate as their mother, she ultimately had not been able to avoid the outcome she dreaded most.
Just as her boss had informed her, the buyer who would become their new master would arrive soon, and a new stage of her life would begin. She wanted to be optimistic and believe they would be acquired by someone reasonable, but after spending the last three years here and witnessing all kinds of tragedies, she knew that was not something that happened.
After all, good people did not frequent this establishment—or at least not to buy slaves—since they were usually on the other side of the transaction, as merchandise.
Reaching the door of her shack, Monet wiped her tears with the sleeve of her loose shirt and took a deep breath to calm her emotions. Then, forcing a cheerful smile, she removed her large glasses, revealing her beautiful bare face, and pushed the door open to enter her home.
Although the place was very modest, Monet had done her best to fix it up, so at least it didn't feel as bleak, and they could live a relatively "normal" life within that shack.
"Big sis~," said little Sugar as she ran toward her older sister with some clumsiness and hugged her tightly.
Usually, Sugar spent long hours alone at home while Monet worked, and although Monet tried to slip away from her duties whenever she could to come keep her company, the truth was that the little girl spent most of the day alone and confined inside the house. This had caused her cognitive development to lag behind that of other children her age, and she had also become shy and withdrawn around anyone who wasn't Monet.
Even so, Monet knew they were very fortunate not to have been sold as slaves, and it was already a great luxury that Sugar was allowed to live "freely," a privilege Monet had earned through her hard work managing the commercial base's financial transactions.
"Sugar! Look what I brought you," Monet said, hugging her sister tightly for a few moments before handing her a small bag containing some ripe grapes.
"Yaaay! Thank you, big sis! I love you!"
Sugar cheered happily as she took the bag of grapes and ran toward a corner, sitting on her favorite cushion and savoring the treat slowly. Grapes were Sugar's favorite snack, but Monet could rarely obtain them for her, so every time she managed to bring a handful home, it was almost like a holiday for the little girl, who had very few moments of happiness in her lonely daily life.
Monet watched in silence as Sugar enjoyed eating the grapes one by one, savoring each of them, and felt her heart grow even heavier. During the years they had been captive in this place, she had been deeply worried about Sugar's development, fearing that she might develop an abnormal psyche due to her isolation in the dark shack.
Now they were about to leave this place forever, yet she felt no relief or joy at all, which only made her urge to cry grow stronger.
Monet turned her gaze toward the only room in the small shack, a partition she had built out of straw, where the sisters slept.
Walking into the room, Monet did her best not to cry, and eventually reached her bed—which was nothing more than a pile of cloth on the floor—and lay down on her back, staring up at the straw ceiling, where a large hole allowed a view outside.
Through that hole, the first thing one could see were the bars of the cage they lived in, because despite the appearance of a straw hut, it had originally been nothing more than a large cage in which they had been literally confined.
However, Monet had grown accustomed to the presence of the bars and ignored them unconsciously. Her gaze now focused beyond the cage that held them, on the dark night sky of the North Blue, filled with beautiful stars that shone intensely.
As she looked at that distant sky, she thought about how wonderful it would be to finally be free and give her sister a better life, even if she had to pay an enormous price to do so.
She remembered a story her mother had told her many years ago, about a person trapped in hell who suddenly saw a thin thread descend from the sky and climbed it to escape his suffering, only to end up becoming a puppet bound to that thread, and eventually dying when the puppeteer decided to cut it.
Back then, Monet had thought the story was terrible and unfair to the protagonist, who had escaped hell only to lose his freedom and become someone else's puppet, but now her view of the story had changed, because she herself was different.
Now, Monet thought it would be wonderful if someone extended a thread to pull her and her sister out of their current hell, no matter if she had to become her savior's puppet and commit all kinds of crimes. Only from absolute despair could such a fate be seen as a preferable outcome, and Monet was currently in that very state of desperation.
Even so, she knew it was impossible for a thread to fall from the sky to save her, because soon she would be cast into an even deeper hell, one she would never escape.
Lying on her bed of mere rags on the floor, Monet curled into a fetal position, trying to embrace herself, and cried bitterly but in silence, making sure her little sister—who was still enjoying her grapes in the next room—would not hear her quiet sobs.