A small skiff moved with furtive intent through the calm waters of the bay, sliding silently toward the anchored Going Merry. Two agile figures, moving with the practiced ease of predators, scrambled up the ropes and onto the deck, their landing barely a whisper against the wooden planks.
"Miss Wednesday, it seems our luck has finally turned," a man whispered to his partner. He was dressed in an absurd frog-themed leotard, a cheap-looking crown perched precariously on his head.
"Yes, Mr. 9," replied the woman, a sharp-featured beauty with her hair tied back in a practical ponytail. Her expression, however, was anything but sweet; it was the calculating look of a seasoned operative. "Stealing food from these pirates is far simpler than trying to hunt that whale."
They had been scouring the area for days. Without a successful haul, the people back at Whisky Peak would face genuine starvation. With practiced caution, they crept toward the ship's galley, their movements silent and precise.
A gnawing hunger in her stomach seemed to act as a divining rod for Miss Wednesday, leading her unerringly to the ship's storage room. She eased the door open, and her eyes widened at the sight. Crates filled with fresh vegetables and neatly preserved meats lined the shelves. It was a treasure trove.
A wave of relief washed over her. She turned, about to signal Mr. 9 to start loading everything they could carry.
But the words died in her throat.
Standing casually in the shadows of the corridor, his massive arms crossed over his chest, was a tall, imposing man. He wasn't scowling or shouting; instead, he looked at her with a mixture of amusement and predatory interest, as if he had been waiting for them all along.
"Ahhh!" Miss Wednesday shrieked, stumbling backward in sheer panic.
"Quiet, Miss Wednesday! Do you want to alert the whole crew?" Mr. 9 hissed, poking his head out from the adjacent doorway.
Leo's expression transformed in an instant. The amusement vanished, replaced by a cold, flat displeasure. His gaze locked onto Mr. 9. A man. On his ship. The one place he considered a sanctuary for his crew, a domain where he was the only male presence allowed.
The violation was absolute.
"Die," Leo said, the word a low, final decree.
In a movement too fast for the eye to follow, he closed the distance. Before Mr. 9 could even process the threat, Leo's hand clamped onto his face. With a contemptuous flick of his wrist, he hurled the man over the railing and into the sea. As Mr. 9 arced through the air, a thick bolt of lightning, crackling with pure destructive energy, lanced down from the clear sky. It struck the falling operative with a deafening crack. There was a brief, bright flash, and then nothing. The body hit the water, lifeless and charred, and was quickly carried away by the current.
"You... you killed Mr. 9?!" Miss Wednesday stammer, her body trembling so violently her teeth chattered. She was frozen in place, consumed by raw terror.
Seeing her absolute fear, Leo's face shifted again, the storm clouds clearing as if they had never been. A calm, knowing smile played on his lips. "Relax, Princess Vivi," he said, his voice dropping to a conversational tone. "I only kill agents of Baroque Works. We'll have a proper talk once I'm finished healing Laboon."
The use of her true name hit Vivi like a physical blow. Her blood ran cold. Not only was this man impossibly strong, but he also knew her deepest secret. Despair washed over her.
"P-please, don't kill me," she begged, shrinking in on herself like a frightened rabbit.
Leo ignored her pleas. He simply grabbed her shoulder. The world around Vivi blurred and twisted nauseatingly. A sharp, involuntary scream tore from her throat as the sensation of being pulled through space overwhelmed her. In the blink of an eye, the dim storage room was gone. They were standing back on the rocky shore, surrounded by the rest of Leo's crew, who looked on with varying degrees of curiosity and surprise.
"Captain, who is this?" Makino asked, her head tilted in gentle confusion.
"What a pretty girl! Captain, where did you snatch her from this time?" Carmen chimed in, her bold eyes appraising the pale and trembling newcomer with open interest.
He kidnaps people too?! Vivi's heart sank even further. She was completely, utterly doomed.
Leo chuckled. "She'll be a new member of the Leo Pirates from now on. Keep an eye on her. Don't let her run off." With that final, non-negotiable command, he summoned a patch of island cloud and soared back toward the massive form of Laboon, leaving a stunned Vivi surrounded by the formidable women of his crew.
The moment he was gone, Vivi's survival instincts kicked in. She had to play the victim. She forced fresh tears to well in her eyes, putting on a masterclass of pitiable pleading. "Big sisters, I'm so sorry! I know I was wrong to steal from you! Please, just let me go this once, I beg you!"
The women exchanged a series of knowing glances. The pieces clicked into place. A thief, and a beautiful one at that, delivered right to their doorstep. It was practically a gift-wrapped present for their captain.
"Little sister, you heard the Captain," Nami said, her voice laced with a mischievous finality. "He was very clear."
Makino stepped closer, her demeanor the picture of gentle reassurance. "But you don't need to be afraid. I promise you, he won't hurt you."
As if I'd believe that! Vivi screamed internally. She had just witnessed him murder a man in cold blood without a second thought. Her fate was likely the same, just postponed. She couldn't just wait for it to happen.
Her eyes darted toward where Leo, Kaya, and Nami were working on the whale. This was her only chance. She had to run, now!
She tensed her muscles, ready to bolt.
But Tashigi was faster. In a fluid motion, the Wado Ichimonji was drawn, its pristine blade glinting in the sunlight, the point hovering mere inches from Vivi's chest. "Don't move," Tashigi commanded, her voice firm.
The other women closed ranks around her. In unison, a familiar darkness crawled up their forearms, coating their skin in an impenetrable black sheen.
Armament Haki?! All of them?! Crocus, who had been observing quietly, couldn't hide his astonishment. This was no ordinary crew.
"Girl, you are outmatched," the old lighthouse keeper said gravely. "Don't make this harder on yourself. Do as they say."
Feeling the overwhelming pressure from the circle of Haki-armed women, Vivi's shoulders slumped. The fight drained out of her. Defeated, she hung her head in resignation.
Some time later, the island cloud carrying Leo, Kaya, and Nami drifted back to the shore. The task was complete. Through their combined efforts, every scar, every fresh wound, and every layer of accumulated damage on Laboon's massive head had been erased. The whale was, for the first time in decades, whole.
A deep, resonant cry echoed across the bay, but this time it was not a lament. It was a roar of pure, unadulterated joy and gratitude. The pain was gone, and with it, the despair, replaced by the hope that Brook was still alive.
"Leo, I cannot thank you enough," Crocus said, his voice thick with emotion as he watched Laboon express a happiness he thought long lost. "This is a miracle."
"Think nothing of it," Leo replied with a casual wave. It was, to him, simply the right thing to do.
He turned his face up to the great whale. "Laboon! You stay here and behave. No more headbutting the continent. I give you my word: I will bring Brook back to you."
Laboon let out another, softer cry, a sound of understanding and trust.
"Well then, Crocus," Leo said, turning back to the old man. "It's time we were on our way."
As the despairing Princess Vivi and the rest of the crew boarded the Going Merry, Leo offered a final wave. The ship's wings unfurled, and with a gentle lurch, it began its ascent into the sky.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Leo!" Crocus shouted from below, waving his hat. "I expect to hear your name ringing across the Grand Line!"
On the shore, the legendary doctor stood beside the healed leviathan. "Laboon," he murmured, a wide grin splitting his face. "Today is a good day."
"Roar~" Laboon agreed, his massive eye fixed on the shrinking ship, full of hope for the future.
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T/N :
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