Ever since he'd landed a solid punch on that old geezer Garp a few days ago, Leon had rarely seen him around.
On the rare occasions they crossed paths, Garp always seemed to be in a hurry. Over the past few days, Garp's adjutant, Bogard, had been teaching Leon some things about the Navy.
Bogard had been at Garp's side since Roger's time. He was a taciturn swordsman, and his strength was unknown.
He hadn't lifted a finger even during a fierce battle like the one on Hachinosu. Leon wondered if Oda had simply forgotten about him...
The Silver Fiber Bandage he'd asked Kuzan to have custom-made was finally finished, and Kuzan had personally brought it over.
Feeling the bandage's considerable weight in his hands, Leon knew that with it, he could block most of the nuclear radiation his body gave off. He'd be able to join the Navy without any reservations.
Kuzan had turned out to be pretty reliable, but he hadn't left a single piece of the Pure Gold Jewelry Leon had given him...
Leon had learned just about all there was to know about the Navy. With his worries taken care of, he decided to pay a visit to the Navy's renowned instructor, Admiral Zephyr.
Zephyr's home was next to Garp's. Like Garp, he lived alone, so there was no need for much fuss.
Leon went straight over the wall and leaped into the courtyard of Zephyr's house.
Zephyr happened to be in the courtyard, with a tall, blond boy standing in front of him.
"Leon! You ill-mannered brat! How many times have I told you?"
"Use the front door!"
Zephyr's roar rang out before Leon had even landed properly.
Leon nodded, unconcerned.
"Mr. Zephyr, you get visitors here too? That's a rare sight."
After spending the past few days with Leon, Zephyr had gotten a good read on his character.
Another ill-mannered, rule-breaking bastard just like Garp. No wonder Garp thought so highly of him.
Leon walked up to Zephyr. The blond boy beside him was tall, but rather thin, and looked like an easy target.
"Hello, I'm Leon."
Leon held out a hand wrapped in Silver Fiber Bandage. The blond boy smiled warmly and reached out his right hand too.
"You..."
The blond boy suddenly toppled to the ground.
"Honestly..."
Zephyr rubbed his forehead.
"His name is Rosinante. He's Sengoku's adopted son, and he'll be joining the Navy with you."
Rosinante, huh...
The boy's face gradually blended with that of the second-generation "Heart" of the Donquixote Family, the man with the flamboyant makeup.
So this was that gentle man...
Leon took Rosinante's stubbornly outstretched right hand as he lay on the ground.
"Pleased to meet you."
Using the momentum, Leon helped Rosinante back to his feet.
Rosinante said awkwardly, "Sorry. I've always been like this. I'm so careless..."
Zephyr watched the two of them get along surprisingly well despite just having met, and nodded with satisfaction.
"Since you've both decided to join the Navy, go register at the recruitment office together."
"I'll give you one last warning: Navy training is exceptionally brutal. Don't come crying that you regret it!"
Leon nodded. Rosinante immediately gave a loud assurance.
"Mr. Zephyr! I've been ready for a long time. Please believe me, no matter how grueling the training—"
Rosinante showed no sign of stopping. Leon sighed and turned to leave.
By the time Rosinante had talked himself hoarse and needed to catch his breath, he turned around to find Leon's figure nearly out of sight.
"Hey! Leon! Wait for me!"
Rosinante took off running.
"Caref—"
Zephyr hadn't finished speaking when he saw Rosinante trip over the doorstep and crash hard to the ground.
"—ully."
"Honestly..."
At the Navy recruitment office, the sailor in charge of reception looked over the forms the two of them had filled out.
"Name: Rosinante."
"Age: 15."
"Place of birth: Unknown."
"Relative: Sengoku."
"..."
The sailor fell silent at the prominent name in the relatives section and picked up the other form.
"Name: Leon."
"Age: 16?"
"Place of birth: Skull Island."
"Relative: None."
"..."
His supervisor had already told him that the two people in front of him came from powerful families with connections. But the young sailor still couldn't help gripping their forms tightly.
Sengoku's son was one thing...
But this kid named Leon had left more than half of a simple registration form blank...
He could even tolerate that.
What he couldn't understand was why Leon had put a question mark after his age!!
The young sailor looked at Leon, who was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with only his eyes showing as he stared back in silence. Then he looked at Rosinante, who stood beside Leon, pointing things out around the recruitment office and talking nonstop.
For the first time, the young sailor experienced the darkness within the Navy.
Damn connections!
But he was only a low-ranking sailor, and he didn't have the courage to challenge his superiors. All he could do was pick up the stamp and slam it down on their forms.
"All right. Congratulations, you're now proud members of the Navy..."
"Thank you!"
Leon couldn't help marveling at how efficient Marine Headquarters was!
The two changed into the Navy uniforms they'd just been issued. As seaman recruits, they weren't allowed to wear their own clothes under Navy regulations.
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