January 31, 1492 of the Age of the Sea Circle.
Pacific Town, Pacific Island, South Blue.
Orion was in the backyard of his house, sitting in a small hammock eating a fruit similar to an orange.
It had been almost two years since he had arrived in this world. Tomorrow, February 1, was his second birthday, and his parents had already prepared a birthday cake and a party for their only son.
During the two years he had lived in this world, Orion had had a good time. For most of the day, his adult consciousness remained asleep, and he could only stay awake for about five hours a day, although not consecutively, as that placed a great strain on his not-yet-fully-developed brain.
Although his adult consciousness was asleep for most of the day, each time he woke up, memories of his "child self," his natural state when he didn't have memories of his past life, mingled with his own experiences and became part of him.
One might think that his childhood self and his adult self were different people, but he didn't think so. His childhood self was simply the same, with no memories of his past life, but it was still his same soul.
Orion felt the sweetness of the fruit he was eating and closed his eyes in delight. Perhaps because his body was that of a child, he enjoyed sweet things much more now, compared to his previous life in Athens.
Two years of his life had passed in the blink of an eye, and he still didn't know much about the world he found himself in. He was almost certain he wasn't on planet Earth, because there were no traces of the technology he was used to seeing in his everyday life. It wasn't possible for his people to be so technologically backward, no matter how isolated they were. After all, their small village didn't even have electricity!
Right now, he was considering two options. He had either been reincarnated on planet Earth in the distant past, or he had been reincarnated in a strange and unknown world.
Of course, he leaned more toward the second option, or at least he hoped that was the case. He still held out hope for one of those worlds where magic existed, and he still dreamed of becoming a sorcerer in the future. Now that would be an interesting life!
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and continued eating the orange. The summer sun was especially strong today.
He longed to find out more about the world he found himself in, but unfortunately, so far, he hadn't been able to find any valuable information. There wasn't a single book in his house, which spoke volumes about the cultural level of his beloved parents.
Furthermore, due to his young age and the fact that his adult consciousness spent most of its time asleep, he hadn't been able to gather much information about the town where he lived. He only knew that it was a small village with not many inhabitants. The people seemed to be happy and lead peaceful lives in this place.
Normally, living in such a place would be a great fortune, but if he'd learned anything from his years of reading manga and novels, it was that those peaceful places were the first to be destroyed. If he had truly been reincarnated in one of those magical worlds depicted in works of fiction, perhaps it wasn't so good to be in a place that clearly had no defenses against potential attacks from beasts or enemy factions.
Something else worried him, too. It was something related to the system.
That's right, the system. It had been a year since the system had been activated, but so far, it hadn't been of any use.
During this entire year, he hadn't received more than a single notification from the system. He hadn't received any quests, or rewards, and he didn't even have an inventory or a status screen!
The system, so far, had been completely useless.
As for the notification he'd received, it was something that had really made him start to worry about the future.
It had been about two or three months ago, at the end of last year. The message he'd received from the system was still present in his message history and could be viewed.
*A native hunting competition will be held on Soruka Island, in West Blue*
*You are very far from the competition location. You have 24 hours to come within 500 kilometers of the competition, otherwise you will not be able to participate*
These were the messages he'd received a few months ago from the system, and he had no idea what the competition meant. Was it a competition run by the system? Or was it a competition that existed in the world and he was invited to participate?
The name "native hunting" didn't appeal to him very much. Thinking about this message from the system, and the helpless people living their daily lives peacefully in this small town, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Besides, how would he know where this Soruka Island was if the system didn't even provide him with a map? Even if he knew its location, it would be impossible for him, barely a year old, to travel to a place that was at least 500 kilometers away from his home.
Orion finished eating the fruit and thought about his future. Right now, his life wasn't any different from that of an ordinary child; the only difference was that for a few hours a day, his adult mind would wake up and analyze the things around him. But he was still a little boy who couldn't read yet and whose body was weak and still developing.
His current situation was nothing like that of those protagonists in novels, who were reincarnated through a system and by the time they turned two, had a harem and were launching gigantic fireballs using complicated spells.
The gate in the courtyard fence, which led to the sidewalk, suddenly opened, and a beautiful woman entered carrying a small girl.
It was his neighbor, Mrs. Harewood, who had come with her little daughter, Gion, who was the same age as him.
In reality, strictly speaking, little Gion was almost a month older than him and had already turned two three weeks ago.
The families of both children were neighbors and good friends, so it was only natural that the two little ones played together daily, and it could be said that they had practically grown up together. However, Orion knew that the adults in both families were not encouraging a sibling relationship between the two, but rather hoped that in the future the two children might end up forming a couple.
Little Gion was too young to understand what was happening, but Orion, with his adult mind, was aware of his parents' intentions. He remembered that his parents and the Harewoods had discussed holding a formal engagement ceremony in the future to make the union of the two families official.
Now, looking at the little girl, barely two years old, who had been designated as his future wife, Orion couldn't help but feel mixed feelings. In his previous life, he hadn't managed to get married or even have a stable partner despite having reached 42 years of age, yet in this life, he already had a wife secured before he was even two years old. The distribution of natural resources was truly unequal!
Perhaps influenced by his adult mind, which knew this was his future wife, his childhood self didn't have some of the unpleasant bullying or harassing behaviors that several of the boys exhibited in his previous life. On the contrary, the relationship between the two children was extremely harmonious, much to the relief of their parents, who were even more confident in their decision to pair their children off.
Mrs. Harewood placed Gion beside her, greeted him with a big smile, and briefly stroked his head. Then, she walked over to a corner of the courtyard where his mother, Lira, was sitting in the shade, sipping iced tea and watching her son from a distance.
Gion approached, smiling happily, and gave him a small piece of candy she had in her hand. She had evidently prepared it specially for him, perhaps at Mrs. Harewood's instruction. Orion took the candy and put it in his mouth, experiencing the sweet taste that was irresistible to his childish taste buds.
Seeing that Gion had sat down on the ground beside him and was looking at him with great anticipation, Orion decided it was time for his adult mind to go to sleep. It was strange for a grown man to play like a child with a little girl; it was best to retreat and let his "child self" take care of the rest.
For a long time now, he had been able to voluntarily "go to sleep," and he actively decided the times of day when he would be conscious with his adult mind or his child's mind.
The little boy's gaze, which until a moment ago had been profound, and totally unsuitable for an innocent child, changed completely in an instant. Now, his gaze was pure and crystalline, filled with curiosity and a desire to explore the world. He saw his little friend Gion, who was sitting next to him, and took a ball out of his pocket.
Both children began to play happily under the beautiful summer sky. Their mothers, sitting at a table under the shade of a large tree, sipped iced tea and watched them happily, wishing this peace would last forever.
.........
A feeling of déjà vu washed over Orion as he saw the familiar scene once again. In front of him was a birthday cake with two small lit candles, surrounded by his parents, joyfully singing a birthday song.
The only difference from last year's scene was the presence of the little girl sitting next to him, waiting to blow out the candles.
Orion closed his eyes and made a wish again. Once again, he asked for an upgrade to the system. He was simply testing to see if a miracle would happen, like on his previous birthday, when immediately after making the wish, the system activated for the first time.
He opened his eyes and waited, but nothing happened.
"Indeed," he thought, "It's impossible that-"
A sound in his mind interrupted his thoughts.
*Ding*
*The global improvement system has been successfully updated.*
*A character relevant to the story of this world has been detected nearby.*
*Named Character detected: Gion*
*System information has been updated.*
Orion saw these messages that had appeared one after another and couldn't help but feel a great deal of excitement. It had happened! It had really happened. The system had been updated and had stopped playing dead!
Orion reviewed the new information that had appeared on the system's introductory screen.
*The global improvement system is operational.
The goal of this system is to improve the world and lead it to the best possible outcome.
The system has not been fully unlocked.
Currently, the system has no activated functions.
New functions will be enabled after an indeterminate period of time.
The system recommends that the Host strive to improve the world in any way he can think of.
There is a chance for the Host to earn system points for performing actions that improve the world.
The system points can be used to obtain various benefits from the system.*
*Recommended actions for the Host: Produce offspring with Named Character Gion*
*Named Characters are important figures within the story, and generally have the blessing of the world. The genes of these people are especially good at producing good offspring.*
*The Host is encouraged to produce as many offspring as possible with the Named Characters he can find. A large number of excellent offspring can help build a better world*
Orion gaped at the new information that had appeared, then looked at little Gion, who was happily eating birthday cake next to him, and his surprise didn't diminish one bit.
He had to produce offspring with Gion? Well, he wasn't against it; after all, she was the wife his parents had arranged for him. But that would be many years in the future; he'd have to wait at least 20 years to complete this task, right?
So, in the meantime, the system wouldn't generate any other benefits for him?
Orion felt a bit disappointed at the new information. But he immediately cheered up, thinking that perhaps there would soon be another update to the system, and then perhaps new changes favorable to him would occur.
Seeing the festive atmosphere inside his home, Orion simply let his adult mind go to sleep, leaving his child self to enjoy his birthday in peace.
.........…
August 19, 1492, Age of the Sea Circle
Another six months passed in the blink of an eye, as the development of his small body continued to advance by leaps and bounds. During these months, he was finally able to learn to read the language used in this world. And he gained a bit of information about the outside world.
His paternal grandfather, Mario Lysander, returned from working on another distant island, bringing many gifts. It was the first time Orion had seen the man, who must have been only a few years older than he had been in his past life, and his first impression was that his grandfather was a kind and honest man, and that his body was quite battered by age. At first glance, he seemed much older than he actually was. Years of hard labor had taken their toll on him.
His uncle, Luca, was three years older than his father and was his only brother. His paternal grandmother had died many years ago when the two brothers were still children. When Orion had inquired about the circumstances of her death out of curiosity, his father had simply dodged the question, saying he didn't remember. However, he could see a certain emotion in his eyes, a mixture of fear and reluctance.
The arrival of his relatives, who had been working in distant lands, opened the door for Orion to inquire about the outside world, and he took advantage of his conscious time to ask about it.
This village was located on a small, remote island in the part of the world called South Blue. Apparently, this world had some rather peculiar divisions, and this area was one of them.
Orion learned a lot of information about the world, though nothing too relevant. Most of it was stories about the places his grandfather had worked in recent years. Still, he was happy to be able to definitively confirm that this world wasn't planet Earth. However, there was still no trace of magic or sorcery in his grandfather's stories.
The strangest thing his grandfather had told him was a story about a great sea beast on the high seas that had attacked his ship, leaving him almost unable to return. According to his account, they were saved that time thanks to a swordsman traveling with them, who was responsible for repelling the beast.
In Orion's mind, the fight between a swordsman and a massive, supernatural creature kept replaying itself over and over again. Perhaps this wasn't a world of magic, but of martial arts. Which wouldn't be bad at all.
With the help of the system, perhaps he could become someone famous in the future! Orion fantasized.
Besides learning to read and write, and listening to stories about the outside world from his grandfather, Orion devoted the rest of his conscious time to performing acts that would "improve the world." He wasn't sure what kind of act could be considered an improvement for the world, so he simply did things like helping his parents and grandfather with small household chores. However, these small tasks hadn't generated any response from the system.
There was nothing to do; at his current age, he couldn't do much more. He was under the constant care of his parents and grandfather, and he rarely walked the streets of the town, spending most of his time at home in the company of his fiancée, Gion.
Today, for example, he was pulling out some weeds that had grown in his yard.
When he finally pulled out the last weeds in the garden with his small hands, the bell rang in his mind once again.
*Ding*
*The Host's efforts to help his parents, even if they don't bring about any significant change in the world, are a sign of his desire to improve and help people*
*A system point has been awarded as a reward*
*Congratulations! You have earned a system point. The system will be updated to a new version ahead of schedule*
Orion looked at the system messages with great joy. His efforts these past few months had truly not been in vain! Now that the system was being updated, could he gain some supernatural ability with this point he had earned?
Finally, after a few moments, the system completed its update.
*The system has been updated. New information has been added*
Orion looked again at the introduction to the system he had read on the afternoon of his second birthday, and saw that there was indeed a small paragraph added to the end. Upon reading it, Orion's pupils contracted .
*The Host finds himself in the world of One Piece. This is a world fraught with danger, where any misstep can mean the end.
It is also an unfair world, where the oppressed cannot defend themselves and the fists of the powerful are the law.
If the Host wants to survive and change the world, a long road lies ahead.
System points can now be used. Good luck.*
The world of One Piece?
Orion couldn't help but curse out loud in his childish voice.
"Duck!"
Of all the fictional worlds he could be transported to, One Piece had to be one of the worst. Not because the world itself was bad, but because… He knew nothing about this world!
The only thing he knew about this world was the name and appearance of the main character. But he didn't even know whether or not said character lived in this era, or where he was.
He couldn't help but think bitterly.
"If only I hadn't avoided spoilers, I wouldn't be in such a precarious situation!"
He felt that the time for his adult consciousness to be active had come to an end for today, and before falling into a deep sleep, he clenched his fists and shouted in frustration.
"AAArghh, I shouldn't have avoided spoilers!!"