December 1, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
Finally, after sailing for almost two weeks, Orion returned home, together with his grandfather, his uncle, and the rest of the people he had rescued from Rum Wolf.
The ship pierced through the fog in the bay, entering directly into his territory. The Mysterious Fog was an item with a duration of only 100 days, so he had to renew it several times a year, consuming his precious SP.
He could also wait for the fog to recharge naturally, but during that time, it would be deactivated, leaving his kingdom completely defenseless against the threats of pirates plaguing the South Blue waters.
Orion was trying to speed up the training of soldiers, as well as the installation of a defensive line to repel pirate attacks, but it wasn't something that could be done immediately.
He knew that keeping his territory isolated from the outside world wasn't a long-term solution, especially because each time he recharged the usage time of the Mysterious Fog, it consumed greater amounts of SP.
His plan was to maintain the fog for at least half a year more, and then reopen to the world and let the item recharge naturally.He estimated that the frenzy caused by the death of his master Roger and the search for the One Piece would slightly decrease in the coming months, and then it wouldn't be so dangerous for his small kingdom to be exposed.
It was obvious that the pirate era had just begun and would continue for many years, but the number of pirates roaming the seas was decreasing with each passing day, the first wave was subsiding.
When Roger died, countless people took to the seas and began committing all kinds of crimes. It had happened abruptly and massively, but with the passing of months and years, the situation was stabilizing, until finally reaching a new balance.
Orion directed the men aboard the ship, reducing speed as they approached the small port.
One of the tasks on his to-do list was to build a new, much larger dock, as it would be necessary for his kingdom's expansion.
His kingdom didn't have the means to be self-sufficient, nor was that a path Orion wished to pursue. The best approach would be to establish healthy trade relationships with the other settlements and kingdoms in the region, and for that, the minimal necessary infrastructure was essential.
He could personally take care of traveling to other places and send large quantities of resources via his Space Gate, and perhaps he would do so on occasion. But the kingdom couldn't depend so heavily on him.
He was the king, and he had to ensure his kingdom could function even when he wasn't present—especially since he wouldn't be a regular monarch who remained in his territory continuously.
In the future, it would be inevitable for him to embark on all kinds of journeys, just as he had done so far, and he would likely have to spend long periods away from home.
The ship docked at the port, and Orion disembarked along with the rest of the people.A small crowd had come to see his return, with people from Pacific Town and others who had joined his kingdom more recently.
If there was one thing all the people on this island shared, it was their admiration for Orion, who had become in their minds a near-legendary figure.
He didn't know it, but all kinds of stories circulated among the people of his kingdom. They were the seeds of his legend, which would one day spread across the entire world.
Orion walked through the crowd, greeting the people who had come to welcome him joyfully, and in the distance, he saw his family, who had been eagerly waiting for him.
His two younger siblings, Dante and Sophia, immediately ran to hug him, and he picked them up in his arms, tossing them into the air and making them laugh with joy.
His father Paul quietly approached, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the elderly, white-haired man. Mario seemed to have aged decades since Paul last saw him, even though only three years had passed.
Mario wasn't that old, but after being subjected to intense labor in extreme conditions at Rum Wolf, his health had deteriorated significantly, and his appearance was far older than it should have been.
Luckily, during the journey back home, Orion had not only fed them spectacularly, but also given them Health Brownies to boost their physical condition, and prepared several medicines to strengthen their health.
If Paul had seen the state in which Orion had found the two men when he rescued them from the Grand Bridge, he would have wept uncontrollably like a child.
"Dad… Welcome home," said Paul, struggling to control his emotions.
He wasn't very good at expressing himself, especially when it came to feelings, so those words were the only way he had to show how much he had missed his father.
"Why are you crying?! You're a grown man!" said Mario, and his voice cracked at the end of his sentence.
During their time as prisoners at Rum Wolf, they had thought about death on multiple occasions. Living as slaves on the Grand Bridge wasn't simple, and they suffered immensely every day.Many times, they had wanted to give up, and it had been the hope of one day returning home that gave them the strength to go on.Now that they were finally back home, the emotions they had been suppressing burst forth, and Mario could no longer maintain his austere facade.
Mario embraced his younger son Paul, and both men cried with bitterness—and with relief.
Paul was too young to remember his true home, before they emigrated to Pacific Town, but his brother Lolo could remember it clearly.
Throughout his life, Orion's uncle, who was rather quiet and introverted, had lived under the shadow of those memories. The terror of having no home to return to, the fear of being hunted down and eliminated.
Lolo had spent his entire life sighing in bitterness, wondering why misfortune followed him wherever he went.Even after leaving everything behind and living a normal, peaceful life, they ended up as rightless slaves, awaiting their deaths.
He couldn't understand why the world was such an unfair place. Seeing his father and brother hugging and crying, he clenched his fists, and an emotion he thought long gone returned: for the first time in a long while, he felt deep anger and a desire for revenge.
Paul and his father Mario continued their heartfelt reunion, while Lolo simply watched from the side without approaching.The rest of the Lysander family kept their distance, and only after the two men had finished letting out their emotions did they step forward to join the welcome.
When Mario saw his two young grandchildren for the first time, a wide smile spread across his face, and stepping forward, he picked up the two children in his arms, kissing them and scratching them with his beard.
Dante and Sophia weren't intimidated by the strange man, perhaps because they had just seen their father hugging him.On the contrary, the two children began tugging at his beard and protesting about how itchy it was, which made Mario laugh joyfully, looking every bit like a loving grandfather with his grandchildren.
After the emotional reunion, Orion didn't return home, as he had to take care of settling the rest of the people he had brought with him, who were now his subjects.
He began walking with them toward the settlement, and to his surprise, his uncle Lolo decided to accompany him instead of going home with the rest of the family.
Of course, Orion wouldn't reject his uncle, and readily welcomed him into the kingdom. He had already noticed that every time he mentioned the founding of Pacific Kingdom, his uncle's eyes would light up slightly, showing great interest.
During the journey, they had spoken countless times about his future plans for the kingdom's development, and his uncle had actively participated in the conversation, offering interesting ideas, issues to consider, and other advice.
Orion had to admit he hadn't expected his quiet uncle to be so good at such matters, and during the trip home, they had grown much closer, having previously shared only a weak bond due to Lolo's introverted nature.
Finally, after less than half an hour, they arrived at the settlement, which had grown into a small town.It was incredible how fast the place had developed, and Orion couldn't help but marvel, remembering what this location had looked like just a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Lolo's eyes lit up, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.Only he could know what thoughts were running through his mind.
...............................
December 2, 1497, Age of the Sea Circle
The next day, the new inhabitants of the kingdom had already been installed in some makeshift huts that would serve as their temporary homes.Currently, his kingdom had a population of 2,602, which might not seem like much at a glance, but for a settlement that had suddenly formed out of nowhere, it was quite a large and complicated group to manage.
At least now, after months of work, the vast majority of the people had decent houses to live in, although food supply was still an issue.
Orion had had to invest a large amount of money to purchase provisions while local agriculture expanded enough to meet the people's needs.
Fortunately, the soil on this island was rich and excellent for farming, and it was only a matter of time before the fields they had started planting would feed the inhabitants of Pacific Kingdom.
"Nephew, I need to talk to you about the development of the farming fields," said Lolo, entering Giolla's house, where Orion was having breakfast.
"What's up with the fields?" asked Orion, curious.
He had a general idea about the kingdom's affairs and was the one making the important decisions, so he was aware of the planning regarding agricultural expansion.
"What's up is that the planning you designed is a disaster!" said Lolo, throwing a bunch of papers on the table and quickly sitting down to continue.
"Look, for example, this area here is poorly located, and it'll be hard to expand the urban zone in the future if you place farms there.
Also, I understand wanting to be pragmatic, but people can't live on bread alone. You need to diversify the crops.
On top of that, perhaps consider planting this other cereal—it yields much more and would lower costs.
Also..."
Lolo started talking like a machine gun, and every sentence pointed out a weak point in Orion's planning.
It wasn't that Orion was unaware of some of these problems, but his mentality was to move forward little by little and solve problems as they arose. His uncle, however, took a more perfectionist stance, avoiding problems before they emerged.
Orion didn't have the necessary experience in territory administration to make such clean plans, and he had no system skill in that area of knowledge, so you could say he was an improvisor learning through trial and error.
If you added the fact that he couldn't dedicate all his time to the kingdom's administration, the inevitable result was that a large number of small issues would pile up—and could become a major problem in the future.
Orion listened to his uncle's criticisms and ideas for a long while, unable to take a bite of his breakfast. When Lolo finally finished his long speech, Orion looked at him with some amazement, not expecting his usually quiet uncle to have this hidden side.He had probably spoken more in these few minutes than Orion had heard from him in all previous years!
"Uncle, come with me for a moment," said Orion, getting up from the table and heading to the government department.
Since his kingdom had only recently been founded, there wasn't a palace or anything like that, and this small building in the central plaza was where all official kingdom matters were currently handled.
Here, Giolla, who served as the de facto queen when he wasn't on the island, made the necessary decisions regarding kingdom development.Of course, she had a small group of people Orion had designated to assist her, individuals with some talent for administration and governance.
When they entered, the people present greeted them solemnly, and Orion simply nodded in response.
The two men arrived at a crystal sphere—the 'Appraisal Sphere'—which was recognized by the kingdom's people as a national treasure.Orion indicated for Lolo to place his hand on the sphere, and his uncle complied, somewhat curious.
This was his first time seeing this magical object, and he didn't know its functions. After all, they had only arrived yesterday, and in the past hours, Lolo had been buried in reports about the kingdom's development, projects, etc. He hadn't had time to familiarize himself with everything going on in this place.
Rows of information appeared on the crystal sphere, like a screen, and Orion gasped in surprise.
"A treasure!" Orion thought with excitement upon seeing his uncle's evaluation.
Name: Lysander LoloAge: 34Talents: Administration (SS), Governance (SS), Diplomacy (S+)Skills: Mathematics (Intermediate), Geography (Intermediate), Administration (High), Etiquette (High), (...)*
His uncle's talents were unbelievably rare!
Among the people he had evaluated with the sphere, no one had scored this high.
Of course, his main subordinates weren't in this category, since they had been evaluated using the Insight Card, which provided much more precise and detailed information.
Still, with the talent his uncle Lolo displayed, it was impossible for Orion not to feel immense joy. This was exactly the kind of talent he needed to help keep his kingdom on the right track—and he was family!
Orion was surprised not only by his uncle's talent but also by his skills. Looking at the long list of theoretical knowledge, it was obvious that his uncle had received formal, extensive education.
This was a big difference from his father Paul's abilities, who had little education and was more in line with what was typical for common folk in this world.
Orion recalled his father's words about their family lineage and their settlement in Pacific Town, and he immediately understood why.
It made sense that his uncle Lolo, as the eldest son and heir of a noble family, had received the education necessary to manage the family's territory, while his father Paul, who had been just a baby when tragedy struck the family, had never had that opportunity.
Orion's eyes lit up, and he looked at his uncle as if seeing a treasure, causing the quiet man to reflexively take a step back.
Orion, in his adult form, wrapped his arm around his uncle's shoulders and said cheerfully:
"Uncle, would you be interested in an important position in the kingdom's government?"
Lolo felt there was something fishy in his nephew's smile. It reminded him of the swindlers he used to see in ports, offering a fortune through rigged games of chance.Even so, he nodded and said,
"Yes, nephew. If you give me the opportunity, I can help with the administration of the kingdom. It's something I'm very interested in!"
He wasn't lying. Since childhood, his dream had been to manage his family's vast territory, and he had burned the midnight oil studying with that sole goal in mind.
When his family lost everything many years ago, a part of him had died along with it.
Losing his dream and being forced to live hidden from his enemies' eyes, working minor jobs he hated, had turned him into a quiet and bitter man.
Only now, seeing with his own eyes the ambitious kingdom his young nephew had founded, his spirit had begun to awaken after many years.
Orion's smile grew even wider, and he hugged his uncle with great joy.
"Great, great, great! Then from now on, you'll be in charge of leading the government council, whose power is second only to the king's. I expect great contributions from you, my dear uncle!"
Orion laughed with joy. He had found the perfect person for the position, which would help him immensely in the future.
His uncle Lolo also smiled brightly. He didn't mind working hard, as long as he could contribute to something grand, like building his family's kingdom with his own hands.
What he didn't know, however, was that his young nephew's ambitions were far greater than he could imagine—and that the amount of work he'd face in the future would be completely incomprehensible to his current self.
In the end, his instincts about swindlers hadn't been that wrong after all.