"Ho! Ha! Ah!"
On Naval Square, tall swordsmen were drenched in sweat as the sound of blades cutting through the air echoed nonstop.
Nearby, a young officer lay lazily on a chair, basking in the sunlight. He stretched and said casually,
"Hey, Brother Ryan, it's break time already. Aren't you going to rest for a bit?"
"Huff… huff…"
E. Ryan, now far more muscular than he had been two years ago, replied while gasping for breath,
"No. I still need to work harder if I want to catch up to Brother Leon Fang."
"You still haven't given up on that unrealistic dream?"
The young officer sighed helplessly.
"Boss Leon Fang is a monster among monsters. Ordinary people like us could train our entire lives and still never catch up. All we can do is follow behind him and cheer."
Seeing that Ryan paid him no attention, he continued,
"Brother Ryan, reality is just like this. You have to learn to accept it. In this world, it's not scary when others are more talented than you—what's terrifying is when people who are more talented than you work even harder."
"Take Boss Leon Fang for example. Do you think his training is even something a human can endure? Tempering his body in the deep sea, honing his endurance in magma, sharpening his will in glaciers, comprehending nature in thunder, standing firm in raging winds, and learning to control his power in swamps."
"Tell me—does that sound like something a normal human would do?"
"You said it yourself," Ryan replied calmly as he swung his sword again and again, his gaze unwavering.
"If a genius like Brother Leon Fang works that hard, then someone ordinary like me has even less reason to stop."
"Heh… you're not exactly ordinary either," the young officer muttered helplessly.
Just then—
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"
A Marine ran over in a panic, panting heavily.
"Captain Gregory! Lieutenant Ryan! Major Kung Fu T Leon Fang has been captured!"
"Pfft!"
Gregory, who had been leisurely drinking tea, spat it out in shock.
"Are you joking? Even a monster like Boss Leon Fang got captured? What was it—some great pirate who returned from the New World?"
"No, no!" The Marine shook his head violently.
"It was the vice-captain of the Giant Ship Pirates!"
Gregory's eyes widened. Ryan stopped swinging his sword entirely and muttered,
"The vice-captain of the Giant Ship Pirates? That nobody with a bounty of twenty-seven million Berries? Even if there were a hundred of them, they wouldn't be a match for Brother Leon Fang."
"Honestly," Gregory spread his hands in disbelief,
"I really don't think there's a single pirate in the first half of the Grand Line who could trouble Boss Leon Fang."
"Those pirates aren't strong," the Marine said hurriedly,
"but they're despicable. They threatened innocent civilians. To save them, Major Leon Fang bound his own hands and feet with Seastone cuffs and became their hostage. He's already been taken away from Sunset Island."
"Seastone… binding his own hands and feet?"
Ryan's expression changed drastically.
"Oh no! Even Brother Leon Fang can't break free under those conditions!"
He immediately began packing his weapons.
"Quickly! Send a squad to follow them!"
"Calm down, Brother Ryan," Gregory said steadily.
"I don't know why Boss Leon Fang made that decision, but you should trust him. He's never fought a battle he wasn't confident of winning. In the end, it'll only be those pirates who suffer."
"Besides," Gregory added calmly,
"you know how terrifying the boss's physique is. Even pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million could use every trick they have and still wouldn't hurt him."
Ryan's expression eased slightly, but he kept walking.
"That may be true… but I still can't ignore this."
"Heh. Who said you had to?"
Gregory laughed.
"Just get ready to welcome him back. Leave the rest to me."
As he spoke, Gregory's body suddenly expanded. His eyes sharpened, his nose extended into a hooked beak, and blade-like wings burst from his back. He let out a sharp, resonant cry.
"It's Captain Gregory's ability!" the Marine exclaimed with envy.
"The Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Golden Eagle—one of the world's rare flying abilities!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Gregory shot into the sky like an arrow.
Ryan stopped and looked up, murmuring softly,
"That's right… With Gregory around, Brother Leon Fang will definitely come back safely."
…
"Hahahahaha!"
Scarface Bart clutched the treasure map in his hands, laughing wildly, his face flushed with excitement.
"I've got the treasure map of the great pirate Hobit! Soon, I'll become one of the most powerful pirates on this sea!"
"The great, wise, and mighty Captain Bart will surely lead us through the Grand Voyage!"
A pirate hurriedly flattered him before asking cautiously,
"But Captain… what should we do with that Marine? He's an important figure. If we kill him, we'll gain fame—but we'll also be placed on the Navy's absolute kill list!"
Bart's expression shifted repeatedly before a sinister grin spread across his face.
"As if there was ever a chance of reconciliation with the Navy. We've raided towns and even kidnapped a Marine lieutenant commander. We're already doomed to be hunted."
Inside, Bart cursed bitterly.
If that useless fool Goliath Kroll had just run away, they could've thrown him out to appease the Navy. There would've been no need to tear everything apart like this.
"Captain… what should we do?"
The pirates nearby were visibly shaken.
"Use him as a stepping stone," Bart sneered.
"Once we make a name for ourselves, heroes from all directions will flock to us. Maybe we'll even rival the Navy one day!"
With a cruel grin, Bart led his men toward the island's temporary prison. He intended to use the blood of that legendary Marine major to cement his authority.
But—
The moment he opened the prison door, the sneer on his face froze.
On the ground lay two familiar pairs of Seastone handcuffs.
Leon Fang stood calmly, stretching his body, while the pirate assigned to guard him lay motionless in a pool of blood.
"Y-you… you… you…"
Bart felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to his heart. His blood and soul froze solid, leaving him utterly speechless.
"Oh?"
Leon Fang smiled gently.
"You want to ask how I broke free of the Seastone handcuffs?"
Bart nodded blankly, his mind completely shattered.
"It's very simple," Leon Fang said calmly.
"Like this."
His arms suddenly writhed like venomous snakes, bones audibly shifting as they shrank visibly before the naked eye—the legendary Bone-Shrinking Technique.
"Aaaaaaah!"
Bart screamed in pure terror.
"A monster!"
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T/N:
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