March 5, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
Ten minutes before Orion finished treating Lami and received Toki's call, the soldiers of the neighboring nation finally managed to traverse the rugged terrain at the border and successfully enter the city of Flevance.
Toki had been trying to contact Orion to inform him of the enemy army's arrival, but so far she had not succeeded, leaving her quite worried about the current situation.
"Ah, why isn't Orion answering right now?" Toki murmured in a complaining tone as she once again tucked the baby Den Den Mushi back into her clothes.
The enemy soldiers had already begun to spread out along the outer perimeter of the city and were preparing to initiate their attack, so Toki could no longer simply wait for Orion to answer her call. Emerging from her hiding place, she ran toward the enemy army.
"Stop! Stop! Don't open fire, the disease affecting this town is not contagious!" Toki shouted as she waved her arms to draw the soldiers' attention. They immediately noticed her presence and pointed the barrels of their rifles toward her.
"Stop right there! Hands up!" one of the soldiers at the front of the army shouted while aiming his weapon at Toki, but before he could continue speaking, his superior officer issued a firm command,
"What are you doing? Do not halt your advance! Open fire and eliminate any infected on sight!"
Even though Toki showed no signs of being affected by ALP, the soldiers could only assume that she had also contracted the disease, since she was, after all, in Flevance, and they believed that all the inhabitants of the city-state were already infected with the terrible epidemic.
The soldiers, who had come prepared to kill unarmed people but had not yet fully come to terms with what that entailed, trembled slightly as they saw Toki running toward them, frantically waving her arms.
This beautiful woman now standing before them appeared completely healthy and harmless, yet they knew they could not afford to show mercy at this moment. They had come prepared to stain their hands with blood if it meant protecting their loved ones back in their homeland from the dangerous disease ravaging Flevance.
The soldiers steeled their hearts, and the trembling in their arms ceased. Without further hesitation, they aimed their rifles directly at the beautiful woman dressed in a kimono before them and opened fire.
Toki froze on the spot the moment she saw that the enemy soldiers had fired at her without listening to her words, and within her mind, an uncontrollable fear of death surged forth.
Since awakening in Pacific Kingdom from her coma, she had never once been in danger, as she had always been under the protection of Orion and his subordinates.
Likewise, she had no recollection of the near-death experiences she had faced in the past, as she was still affected by the amnesia that clouded her memories almost entirely.
For that reason, this was practically the first time she had found herself in such a terrifying situation, with the shadow of death looming over her.
Closing her eyes, Toki braced herself to feel the pain of bullets striking her body, thinking that she had been far too naive to act without thinking. Now, she would only end up dead without being able to help Orion in the slightest, and she would no longer have the opportunity to recover her memories or discover why she so often felt that there was something important she needed to remember.
Indeed, the current Toki was far too naive, as due to her lack of memories, she possessed the mindset of a young girl. She was a kind and trusting person by nature, and without past experiences to shape her understanding of the world, she had returned to a state of primal innocence.
However, fortunately for her, she was not alone against the enemy soldiers, as around her neck was one of Orion's companion beasts: the king cobra, Shesha.
Shesha was not like Orion's other companion beasts, for unlike the others, who specialized in support across different fields, he was categorized by the system as a combat beast.
That's right, unlike Foggy, Nibble, or Oharu, Shesha's purpose alongside Orion was combat, and for that reason, his power was incomparable to that of the other companion beasts.
Even though Shesha was still very young and had not yet developed all of his abilities, he was perfectly capable of protecting Toki from the attacks of ordinary soldiers and their firearms.
The small serpent that had been coiled around Toki's neck like a scarf leapt forward at incredible speed the moment it sensed danger, and moving just as swiftly, it deflected the bullets that were about to strike Toki at the last possible instant.
Then, with an irritated expression at having his nap interrupted, Shesha used his tail like a spring and launched himself into the air, distancing himself from Toki before unleashing his most powerful attack.
The soldiers, who had just witnessed how the mysterious serpent had repelled their gunfire, raised their heads in astonishment as they saw Shesha floating majestically in the air, and before they could react, they felt their hearts suddenly begin to race, as an irrational fear took hold of them.
After a few brief moments, all the soldiers at the vanguard of the army collapsed to the ground unconscious, foam spilling from their mouths, while the rest of their comrades watched the scene from a distance in terror.
Shesha had unleashed an attack imbued with Conqueror's Haki, knocking out every soldier within his range without them being able to do anything to defend themselves.
Of course, Shesha did not naturally possess Conqueror's Haki; rather, he was capable of absorbing his master Orion's Haki, and in truth, he spent most of the day absorbing small amounts and storing them within his reserves to use when necessary.
It was partly for this reason that Shesha was considered by the system to be Orion's combat-specialized companion, as he was capable of absorbing and utilizing his master's Haki for various purposes.
Even so, Shesha's primary function remained that of acting as a multifunctional weapon, much like the serpents used by the Kujas, although the fact that he could use his master's Haki was his greatest trump card.
The only limitation was that Shesha required a long time to absorb small quantities of Haki into his body, and in the previous attack he had expended several months' worth of effort, leaving his reserves nearly depleted. After all, although he was a combat-specialized beast, he was still a growing infant and not yet in a state to fully utilize his potential.
Shesha descended from the sky after unleashing his attack and once again coiled himself around Toki's neck, though this time he did not return to sleep, instead remaining upright and projecting a threatening presence toward the soldiers in the distance.
He possessed enough intelligence to devise plans, and his intention had been to frighten the soldiers with a powerful display, hoping they would retreat without attempting to continue their assault, as he knew that with his current Haki reserves he would not be able to defeat the large number of enemies before him.
And just as Shesha had planned, the attack proved effective enough to cause panic among the enemy soldiers, who no longer dared to advance toward the city and expose themselves to the same mysterious assault that had felled their comrades.
For several minutes, the situation turned into a stalemate between both sides, and Toki breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps they might be able to stop the enemy attack after all. However, the fear the soldiers felt toward the mysterious ALP was far greater than their fear of the enigmatic beast before them, and so they ultimately decided to continue the siege of Flevance.
"Fire the cannons!" the commander ordered, observing that in the distance several people had begun to emerge from the city, drawn by the sound of gunfire.
The soldiers loaded the cannons and opened fire on Toki and the city behind her, intending to destroy everything in their path.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Cannonballs rained down upon the city, partially darkening the sky over Flevance, while its inhabitants watched the enemy assault in panic. None of them had expected to face such a merciless attack, and they were left paralyzed by fear, unsure of how to act.
Shesha leapt once more, separating himself from Toki and, with great effort, intercepting all the attacks aimed directly at her, though he could do nothing against the large number of projectiles directed at the city, which struck with devastating force, killing many innocent people and injuring countless others.
Toki clenched her fists in frustration as tears gathered in her beautiful eyes. She could not bear the sight of hundreds of innocent people being massacred before her, yet she lacked the power to stop it.
In despair, the beautiful woman cursed her own helplessness as she was forced to witness the slaughter around her, remaining safe only thanks to Shesha's protection, who was gradually reaching his limit.
Just when it seemed the situation would descend into an irredeemable hell, a gigantic figure burst forth from the ground, placing itself in the path of the cannon fire—Nibble!
The enormous mole had traveled to the western border alongside Mitsu after dealing with the enemy advance at the northern border. Now, they had arrived as reinforcements for Toki, although the help they could provide was limited, as the soldiers had already advanced into the city to begin a massacre, having realized that their cannon fire was effective in restricting Shesha's movements.
Mitsu leapt from Nibble's back and rushed toward the enemy soldiers, eliminating several of them in an instant, but due to the overwhelming number of enemies, she was soon surrounded and placed in danger, forcing Nibble to come to her rescue by using his mastery over the spatial attribute to break through toward her.
Toki watched as the brutal battle began to unfold and understood that they would not be able to hold out for long with their current lineup, so once again she took the baby Den Den Mushi from her clothes and called Orion.
This time, she succeeded, quickly informing him of the situation before hanging up and attempting to find shelter away from the battlefield. She knew that the best thing she could do now was to ensure her own safety, so that Orion would not have to worry about her when he arrived at the battlefield.
However, she had only taken a few steps when she was surrounded by a group of enemy soldiers, who were determined to eliminate such a dangerous anomaly.
Curiously, she was not worried in the slightest, for she knew Orion was on his way. It was a strange and difficult-to-explain feeling, yet she trusted that everything would be fine now that Orion was coming to help her. No one would be able to lay a finger on her—she was certain of it.
And as if the world itself wished to affirm her confidence, just as the soldiers lunged at her with their swords raised, Orion descended from the sky at incredible speed, crashing into the ground and creating a crater.
The enemy soldiers lost their footing from the tremor caused by Orion's landing and fell to the ground before they could reach Toki. At the same time, Orion used Soru and appeared beside the beautiful woman; wrapping an arm around her waist, he smiled and said,
"Don't worry, Toki, I'm here now."
Toki felt her heart quicken slightly upon hearing Orion's words and sensing the soft yet firm touch of his hand on her waist, and she couldn't help but blush faintly, though she immediately hid her shyness by puffing her cheeks and saying,
"You took too long!" while gently pushing Orion away to slip out of his embrace and put some distance between them.
After all, she had a certain sense of propriety to maintain, and she couldn't allow herself to engage in overly intimate actions with Orion, even if they were something as simple as holding hands or embracing.
Orion showed a somewhat forced smile and said,
"Sorry, I was busy with something," and then, with a motion of his hand, he opened a door in the air, adding,
"For now, go into the Pocket Dimension. Leave this to me."
Toki nodded and hurried inside without wasting any more time, as she knew this was not the moment to talk with Orion. After all, the enemy soldiers were still attacking the city, and both Nibble and Mitsu were barely holding back the advance of the opposing army.
Orion sighed in relief upon seeing that Toki had entered the Pocket Dimension and was safe, and then, looking at Shesha, he said,
"Well done, Shesha. You fulfilled your mission. Now leave the rest to me—you can take a break."
The lazy serpent let out a cheerful sound upon hearing his master's words, and with a leap coiled himself around Orion's arm, once again beginning to absorb small amounts of his Haki to replenish the reserves he had spent during the previous battle.
Meanwhile, Orion observed the enemy soldiers, and his expression grew somber. Although they were acting out of fear of the disease ravaging Flevance, he could not simply overlook the fact that they were attacking innocent, unarmed civilians, carrying out a large-scale massacre.
Taking a step forward, Orion released his Conqueror's Haki on a much greater scale than what Shesha had used earlier, for after all, the small serpent was not capable of wielding Orion's Haki as effectively as he could.
The invisible wave of energy struck the soldiers invading the city head-on, rendering them unconscious instantly. It was truly astonishing the difference a single person of Orion's level of power could make in a battle in this world.
Despite the enemies possessing a large number of soldiers, they were all of relatively low level and incapable of withstanding Orion's Conqueror's Haki, so in just a few moments he was able to deal with the vast majority of the enemies present.
Then, Orion looked into the distance, where the commander was ordering the cannons to keep firing, and focusing his remaining mental energy, he employed a combination of abilities especially effective for this situation.
"Un Fleur."
A hand sprouted from the ground beside the enemy commander, to the shock of all the soldiers present, though their surprise did not end there, as Orion used another technique.
"Gigantification!"
The hand began to grow at an incredible speed, transforming into a gigantic arm that towered over the enemies like a mountain.
"Fire! Shoot that arm!!" the enemy commander shouted in utter terror, causing the cannons to shift their aim from the city and focus their fire on the arm produced by Orion.
Unfortunately for them, Orion had already coated the gigantic arm with his Armament Haki, so the enemy cannon fire was incapable of penetrating its defenses—it couldn't even scratch it.
Finally, Orion used one more technique to bring the matter to a complete end.
"Fishman Karate, Hundred Tile True Punch!"
This was the first time Orion had used his Fishman Karate in combat since acquiring the skill months earlier, and remarkably, it was as part of a massive attack combined with two of his other techniques.
The gigantic Haki-coated arm drew back and then came crashing down at tremendous speed toward the enemy cannons. The soldiers operating them saw the massive attack coming and immediately fled in panic, ignoring the shouts of their commander, who was ordering them to continue firing at the enormous arm.
The palm of the gigantic arm came crashing down with tremendous force, crushing the cannons beneath it; yet it did not stop there, instead continuing to drive deep into the ground, unleashing massive destruction and triggering a tremor that was felt throughout the entire city of Flevance.
A great number of rocks were sent flying, crushing some of the nearby soldiers, who could not avoid meeting a tragic end. Although Orion had not intended to kill the enemy soldiers, as they were acting out of an irrational fear of preventing the "epidemic" of Flevance from spreading to their homeland, that did not mean he would forgive them entirely.
Orion had never considered himself a saint, but rather someone pragmatic who tried to keep his actions aligned with a positive direction. At this moment, he had concluded that the most efficient way to end the conflict was to display such overwhelming power that the enemy would completely lose the will to fight, and, staying true to his pragmatic nature, he had carried out his plan without hesitation.
The gigantic arm sank into the ground, creating a massive crater, and then disappeared without a trace, while thousands of petals appeared in the air and fell gently, creating a beautiful scene amid the great tragedy of the battlefield.
Although some enemy soldiers had died in the attack, the vast majority had escaped with only minor injuries; however, the cannons that had been relentlessly bombarding Flevance were completely destroyed by his assault.
The enemy commander witnessed the immense destruction caused by Orion's attack, and his gaze shifted toward the mysterious newcomer. The moment his eyes met Orion's multicolored gaze, enhanced by his Prism Eyes, a chill ran down the commander's spine, and he immediately understood that there was no point in continuing the attack.
In just a few moments since Orion's arrival on the battlefield, they had come to understand one thing very clearly: it was impossible to win this fight.
Resigned, the enemy commander raised his hand and gave a signal; the sound of horns began to echo across the area, indicating a retreat. With his arms crossed, Orion watched as the enemy soldiers withdrew from the borders of Flevance, and after ensuring that they had completely retreated, he ordered Nibble to construct a barrier with his abilities, just as he had done at the northern border.
Once the issue of the neighboring kingdoms' invasion had been resolved, Orion lifted Mitsu onto his shoulder and returned to the hospital where the Trafalgars were. It was time to complete the mission that the system had issued.