One Piece: Global improvement system

310: Treating Sora — The Second Apprentice

May 23, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle"Orion, I need twenty more side dishes, and there are another ten fish orders waiting," said one of the veteran cooks from Germa 66's kitchens, the man in charge of the section of the kitchen to which Orion had been assigned.

Even though Orion was undoubtedly far more talented than this cook, he was still a newcomer in Germa 66's kitchens and had yet to become fully familiar with how the kitchens operated or with working alongside other chefs. That said, over the past two weeks he had improved tremendously, to the point that he could already lead his own group of cooks if he wished.

"Yes, Chef," Orion replied firmly as his hands immediately began moving at full speed to fulfill the order the cook had given him.

Ten days had passed since his first meeting with Sora, meaning Orion was now nearly halfway through the time required to complete his mission in Germa 66. Even so, he was not doing very well at the moment, because he was completely exhausted.

It was not that his work as a cook was so demanding that it left him in such a state—although it was certainly a difficult job, mainly due to the limited number of cooks available to prepare food for so many people—but rather because he had been treating Sora's illness for the past ten days. In order to do so, he had needed to use his Room for long periods of time every night, which consumed an enormous amount of mental energy.

His daily routine essentially consisted of cooking during the day to complete the system mission and treating Sora's illness at night, leaving him with almost no time whatsoever to rest and recover.

Fortunately for him, tonight would be the final session of the emergency treatment for the beautiful Queen of Germa 66, because after ten days of operating on her with his Room, he had finally managed to bring her out of danger, even if her treatment was not yet complete.

Previously, her condition had been so critical that it was a genuine miracle she was still alive, and it had taken Orion ten full days just to pull her out of that state. To accomplish this, he had used his Room to manually repair Sora's internal organs, which had been damaged after years of suffering from the effects of the poison she had taken during her pregnancy, in order to save her children.

That poison was incredibly potent and aggressive—being a secret technique of the clan to which Sora belonged—and over time it had fused with the very blood of the beautiful queen, making it impossible to remove through conventional methods and causing every one of her organs to be affected.

It was only natural that she believed there was no cure for her condition, because in truth no doctor would have been capable of treating her. Only Orion, with the abilities granted by his Room, could do so, which meant she had been fortunate that he had arrived in Germa 66 at precisely the right moment.

Feeling the heat of the kitchen while he cooked without taking a single break, Orion felt his eyes beginning to close. Only when he felt the burning steel of the pot he was working with brush against his skin did he manage to snap back to attention and refocus on what he was doing.

Even so, it was obvious that he was completely exhausted, because he was literally falling asleep on his feet. For Orion, who thanks to his passive abilities did not need nearly as much sleep as an ordinary person, his current condition was the perfect indication of just how drained he was. If he had needed to continue Sora's emergency treatment for several more days, he would not have been able to do so without collapsing during his work in the kitchen.

Eventually, lunchtime in Germa 66's dining halls came to an end, and the cooks under Cassius's command sighed in relief after successfully making it through another rush hour.

"Orion, how are you feeling? You don't look well. Have you been sleeping properly? If keeping up your current routine is too difficult for you, I can speak with the chief personnel administrator and ask him to reduce your workload, at least until you've adjusted to the pace of life in Germa 66," Cassius said with a concerned look as he patted Orion on the shoulder.

As always, the head chef of Germa 66's kitchens was incredibly benevolent and kind, making Orion feel fortunate that someone like him was in charge during his mission. Otherwise, the entire situation would have been far more stressful.

Furthermore, he had already decided that he would definitely recruit Cassius and his family once his mission was complete, although first he would have to discreetly investigate the good-natured chef's opinion on the matter.

After all, if Cassius was truly happy living in Germa 66, Orion could not simply kidnap him. However, considering the interactions they had shared over the past two weeks, he believed there would be no problem convincing the chef to follow him back to Pacific Kingdom.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Cassius, but I'm fine. I've just been having some trouble sleeping lately, so I haven't been getting enough rest. I'm sure things will improve once I finish adapting to my new home," Orion replied with a smile.

He could accept Cassius's offer to reduce his workload, but doing so would require his boss to request authorization from the administrators responsible for overseeing the kingdom's personnel. That would place him on the radar of those occupying the highest ranks beneath Judge himself, something Orion had no desire to do, since he did not want to attract attention and jeopardize his mission.

Now that he was nearly halfway through the month he needed to spend in Germa 66, Orion had no intention of wasting the time he had already invested, so the best course of action was to continue keeping a low profile without asking for any special treatment. In any case, today would be the last day he had to stay up through the night using his Room to treat Sora, so over the coming days he would no longer be nearly as exhausted.

"You're a very hardworking young man! That attitude is admirable. Keep it up and you'll undoubtedly take my position before I even realize it! Hahaha!" Cassius patted Orion on the shoulder in a friendly manner as he spoke about losing his position as head chef to him as though it were of no importance at all.

"Cassius, I need to go to Queen Sora's mansion to prepare her lunch," said Orion.

"Ah, of course, don't let me hold you up. Go before you're late!" said Cassius, and then, studying Orion carefully for a brief moment, he added,

"By the way, Orion, would you like to come over for dinner tonight? My wife is going to make an exquisite roast duck!"

Orion smiled when he heard Cassius's words, because over the past few days the head chef of Germa 66's kitchens had invited him to dinner at his home several times. He knew this was because the kind-hearted cook was worried that Orion might skip dinner due to being too exhausted to cook for himself, and it was his way of helping discreetly without asking for anything in return.

"Of course, I'll be there without fail!" said Orion before saying goodbye to Cassius and heading toward Sora's mansion.

It was nice to have someone to share dinner with, since Orion was accustomed to always being surrounded by his family and friends, being a rather sociable person. Even in this corner of the North Blue, he had found people with whom he could share his daily life, and he had already grown quite close to Cassius and his family.

Even his wife Vanessa, who because of the effects of his troublesome "Child Abductor" title had initially held a somewhat negative opinion of him, had changed her view of Orion after interacting with him for a week and having him over for dinner on several occasions, and now treated him just as warmly as her husband Cassius did.

Stretching his arms to loosen up, Orion felt the North Blue breeze against his skin as he fought off the fatigue clouding his mind. The distance between Germa 66's kitchens and Sora's mansion was not very great, so after only a few minutes he arrived at the estate, and after announcing himself to the guards—who, interestingly enough, were also women because Judge was extremely jealous—he entered the mansion and headed straight for the kitchen, where Cassidy was waiting for him.

"Hey, Orion, how are you? You look even more tired than yesterday!" said the head chef of the mansion's kitchen, looking at him with the same concern as her brother Cassius.

"Don't worry, Cassidy, I'm fine. I've just been having some trouble falling asleep, but it'll probably get better before it gets worse," Orion replied, repeating the same excuse he had given Cassius a few minutes earlier.

"Well then, take the opportunity to rest now! You don't need to prepare lunch for Queen Sora today, because Prince Sanji brought her another large box of food."

Orion's smile widened upon hearing the cook's words, and nodding his head, he said,

"Then I'll sleep here for a while before heading back home."

"Alright, don't worry about the other employees and get some rest. I'll tell them you need complete concentration and that they mustn't disturb you while you're cooking."

"Thank you, Cassidy."

"Bah! There's no need to be so formal with me, young man. It's the least I can do when you're practically falling asleep on your feet."

Even though Sanji had brought lunch to his mother, Orion could not simply return home just like that, because otherwise one of the mansion's employees might report to the administrators that he was not doing his job.

After all, not everyone could be as kind as Cassius and Cassidy, and in fact Orion had encountered quite a number of petty and unpleasant people over the past two weeks.

Still, with Cassidy's help, Orion could sleep in the mansion's kitchen, since his supervisor was covering for him and making sure nobody entered the area and discovered him.

"Even so, I have to say I'm very surprised by the lunch Prince Sanji brought. You should have seen it—it was actually edible!

Before, he only brought inedible things that he made by randomly mixing ingredients together, so more than once I worried Queen Sora would end up with food poisoning. But over the past week, it seems as though Prince Sanji has awakened his talent for cooking and is finally bringing normal food!"

Cassidy was both happy and astonished by the fact that Sanji had managed to bring food of decent quality for Sora, and she could not help sharing her enthusiasm with the exhausted Orion. Upon hearing her words, he simply smiled without commenting on the matter and merely said,

"It's good that he's improving. I'm sure Queen Sora must be happy."

"Of course the Queen is happy! You should have seen her the first time Prince Sanji brought something decent. She ate while crying tears of joy, and for the entire afternoon she sat looking out the window with a huge smile on her face.

If you had seen her, you wouldn't have been able to take your eyes off her. She looked so beautiful and so full of life, as though the illness that has afflicted her for years had suddenly vanished."

Cassidy reminisced about the image she had witnessed that day, unable to stop her cheeks from flushing slightly as she recalled the beautiful appearance of the Queen of the Vinsmokes. She felt no attraction toward women whatsoever, but Sora's appearance was almost like a work of art that had come to life, and it was difficult not to admire such beauty.

After all, Sora was an incredibly beautiful woman, capable of captivating both men and women with her angelic appearance, though unfortunately the illness afflicting her had eroded her vitality and beauty over the years.

Orion made no comment regarding Cassidy's words, because after all he was only a cook and could not openly voice his opinions about the Queen of Germa 66, but in his mind he knew perfectly well just how beautiful Sora was, and the two of them had even shared several ambiguous moments during the last ten days while he had been treating her.

Although Orion had to sedate her each time he used his Room to repair her body, he would converse with the beautiful golden-haired queen before and after every treatment session, allowing their relationship to improve tremendously in a very short period of time.

Curiously, they were incredibly compatible in terms of personality, and Sora seemed to have an interest in him that went beyond simple friendly curiosity. On more than one occasion, she had taken the initiative to make provocative remarks toward Orion, and had even joked about the idea that once she recovered from her illness, they could escape Germa 66 together.

And considering everything Orion had told her about himself and his status as a king in the South Blue, it could be said that such a joke was actually more of an indirect request—or a suggestion. A suggestion that Orion naturally intended to accept, because with his lustful nature it was impossible for him to ignore the presence of a woman as beautiful as Sora, and he had already decided to make his move once she was fully recovered.

Cassidy left the kitchen, leaving Orion alone so that he could get some rest, and he closed his eyes, drifting into the world of dreams for nearly two hours.

After that refreshing nap, Orion woke up feeling considerably more rested, with much of the mental fatigue that had been weighing him down finally gone.

Looking at the time on his watch, Orion saw that enough time had already passed, so he left the kitchen and departed from the mansion after saying goodbye to his supervisor, Cassidy. He would have to return later to prepare Sora's dinner, but for now he had some valuable free time to attend to other matters.

Orion spent most of his days working in the kitchens of Germa 66, while his nights were occupied with treating Sora's illness, meaning he only had a few hours of free time during the afternoon when he had no duties and could enjoy a brief respite.

Even so, Orion had no time to rest, because aside from completing the system mission and curing Sora, there was something else he wanted to accomplish in this place, and in truth he had already begun doing it more than a week ago.

Walking through the streets of Germa 66, Orion used his Observation Haki to detect the presence of people around him, making his way toward a secluded corner of the artificial island without attracting attention, before opening a door in the air and entering his Pocket Dimension.

He then calmly traversed his parallel dimension, simultaneously passing through the artificial island of Germa 66, and finally emerged at his destination without anyone noticing his presence, inside one of the central rooms of the Vinsmoke castle.

"Hey Sanji, everyone at the mansion is talking about your lunches," Orion said, startling Sanji, who had been reading a thick cookbook with great interest.

"Master!" little Sanji exclaimed, setting aside the book he had been reading and running toward Orion. He then threw himself at him at full speed and hugged his leg, before adding excitedly,

"Today I cooked the risotto we practiced yesterday! My mom was super happy!" Sanji said with a huge smile and eyes shining with joy as he remembered the delighted expression his mother had shown after tasting his new recipe.

He had been cooking for his mother for a long time, and she had always praised his food and encouraged him to keep cooking, but it was only after Orion had taken him on as a student and begun teaching him all kinds of techniques that he had experienced the immense sense of pride he was feeling now.

It was difficult to explain, but for the first time he felt as though he was no longer advancing blindly. Instead, he had a path he could confidently follow, and every time he managed to take another step forward by improving his culinary skills, his mother's words of encouragement felt much more deserved.

Even so, Orion did not want to stifle Sanji's creativity, which was one of his greatest strengths, so he had decided not to teach him cooking in a traditional manner, but in a far more chaotic way. He would give him techniques and recipes, yes, but the little culinary genius would also have to think and innovate on his own, because only by doing so would he be able to reach his full potential.

Placing a hand on Sanji's head, Orion affectionately ruffled his hair and said,

"Well done, Sanji! I'm proud of you. You've improved a lot in such a short time."

"Hehehe." Sanji laughed shyly upon being praised by his master, immediately releasing Orion's leg and taking a step back before asking,

"What are you going to teach me today, Master?"

Orion looked into the shining eyes of the boy standing before him, and taking a white chef's hat out of his inventory, placed it on Sanji's head.

"Today we're going to do some pastry making!" Orion said as he opened a Space Door so Sanji could enter the Pocket Dimension.

"Yay!" Sanji exclaimed, raising both hands and running into the alternate dimension without looking back.

Naturally, Sanji did not have access to a kitchen, since his father had expressly forbidden him from performing something as lowly as cooking. Previously, he had been sneaking into the kingdom's kitchens when the cooks were not there, or even entering unoccupied staff quarters to prepare lunches for his mother.

Now that Orion was teaching him, however, there was no need for any of that, since they could use the fully equipped kitchens inside the Pocket Dimension—as long as the artificial island of Germa 66 was not moving at the time.

After visiting Sora ten days earlier and beginning her treatment, Orion had focused on two additional things: completing the system mission by working as a cook, and teaching Sanji how to cook.

He had decided to recruit Sanji from the moment he first saw him and used his Prism Eyes to estimate his talent, but it was during the following days that he came to genuinely appreciate Sanji and his circumstances.

He had seen him suffer bullying at the hands of his brothers, awkwardly cook for his mother, and give everything he had while maintaining a gentle smile, making it impossible for Orion to turn his back on such a good-hearted boy.

After observing him for just a single day, Orion had decided to help the unfortunate boy, and even if Sanji had possessed no talent whatsoever, he would have helped him anyway and recruited him into his forces, because he felt a great deal of affection for him.

More than a week earlier, Orion had approached Sanji after he had been beaten unconscious by his brothers, and after treating his injuries, had introduced himself as a cook and offered to take him on as his apprentice.

Sanji, who had been trying to learn cooking on his own while the entire kingdom did everything possible to stop him, felt immense joy upon hearing Orion's offer. Even so, he rejected it because he did not want Orion to get into trouble for helping him, just as another cook had in the past.

He was a very kind child, capable of placing other people's well-being above his greatest desire, and that only made Orion appreciate him even more. After all, this world was full of talented people, but finding someone who possessed both great talent and great kindness was far rarer.

In the end, Orion had laughed cheerfully at Sanji's refusal and, opening a Space Door, had thrown him into the Pocket Dimension, revealing his secret without the slightest hesitation.

Anyone else would have thought such a move was completely foolish, especially considering that he was trying to complete an important mission that required him to maintain a low profile for an entire month, but Orion did not see it that way.

To him, it was important that Sanji be able to trust him, and for that to happen, he was willing to trust Sanji first. Only in that way could he form a genuine bond with the young prodigy and truly take him on as his protégé and apprentice.

Sanji had naturally been completely shocked to find himself inside the Pocket Dimension, and when Orion explained the situation, he was even more astonished. Although Orion did not tell him every detail of what he was doing in Germa 66, he told him enough that Sanji could have exposed him in an instant had he wished to do so.

However, Sanji's decision was not to report him to his father—toward whom he could hardly feel much affection after the way he had been treated his entire life—but instead to kneel solemnly before Orion and ask to be accepted as his apprentice.

From that day onward, Orion had been teaching Sanji to cook every day, using the few free hours he had available to do so, and the young prodigy's abilities had grown at an astonishing rate, to the point that he could now prepare normal meals for his mother, who was incredibly happy to see her son shining brighter with each passing day.

"Master! How many eggs does this recipe need?" Sanji suddenly asked, pulling Orion out of his thoughts.

"What does your intuition tell you?" Orion asked as he walked toward the workstation where Sanji had begun preparing a cake using an incomplete recipe that Orion had specially designed to train him.

"Sixty!" Sanji declared with a huge grin, naming a number far above what the recipe actually required.

"I suppose there's still a long road ahead," Orion muttered as he stopped Sanji before he could waste dozens of eggs.