Training Days

Did you always speak so bluntly?

Leon only remembered that Smoker had joined the Marines after witnessing Roger's execution in Loguetown. He hadn't expected to run into him here.

At this point, Smoker probably hadn't eaten the Smoke-Smoke Fruit yet.

He had no idea what Smoker had done wrong at Marine Headquarters to end up stationed in Loguetown guarding the gates despite being a powerful Logia Devil Fruit user...

Leon said nothing, and Smoker wasn't much of a talker either.

The sudden sound of footsteps broke the silence between them.

A pink-haired girl in a Marine uniform emerged from the darkness. Female Marines were an exceptionally rare sight.

"Hina is surprised."

Though Hina said this when she saw the two of them, her expression remained cool.

She deftly pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it.

Well, well. A fellow smoker, huh?

"Um, Hina... could you spare me one?"

Hina looked at Leon, who was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, with only his eyes showing. Her expression didn't change, and without a word, she pulled out her cigarette case and tossed it to him.

"Thanks!"

Leon took out a cigarette and tried to return the case, but she refused.

Classy!

For that alone, if you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll be the first to step up!

Unlike Mr. Ding, Leon was a staunch traditionalist.

Seeing Leon toss aside the cigar he'd offered him, Smoker snorted.

But Leon couldn't be bothered with him. The familiar feeling of smoke in his lungs made Leon feel as if he'd been transported to another life.

After enjoying a brief moment of peace, Leon and Smoker were about to leave when Hina spoke up.

"Looks like you two really don't know what this place is?"

"?"

A question mark appeared over Leon's head.

Hina pointed to the camp beside them, shrouded in darkness.

"That way is the Marines' women's barracks. Any male Marine who tries to sneak in will be hung out to dry by Vice Admiral Tsuru..."

"Oh, I see. I was wondering why there weren't any patrols over here."

"That's not it." Hina shook her head. "We have a special women's patrol squad..."

A beam of light swept toward them.

"Men!"

"Catch them!!!"

A deep female voice rang out, growing closer by the second. Leon and Smoker exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity in the other's eyes.

We're dead...

Whoosh!

The two of them exploded into motion and vanished into the darkness.

Hina watched their sorry figures from where she stood, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

"Hina is happy."

After a night's rest and a dose of Sengoku's Secret Treasure Medicine, Rosinante was back in fine form on the training field.

His results were still somewhat disappointing, though, and he barely held on to second-to-last place.

Bringing up the rear, right on his heels, was Leon.

Steely Instructor's furious voice rang out.

"Rosinante! Leon!"

"Are you two even trying!!!"

"You're the worst-performing soldiers I've ever trained!!!"

"Run another hundred laps!!!"

Huff... huff...

Rosinante panted and spoke to Leon beside him. "Le... Leon..."

"You don't have to... go this far... for me..."

"I can... manage..."

T Bone passed the two of them.

"Keep it up, Leon, Rosinante!"

Not a hint of fatigue showed on his corpse-pale face. From how easily he ran, he clearly still had plenty left in the tank.

Encouraged, Rosinante found a fresh burst of energy and surged forward a few steps, but before long, he was back to his old self.

Leon was at a loss.

They've already lapped us twice. What are you surging ahead for...

Smoker had finished the training in first place. He stood off to the side, hands on his knees, and looked at Leon, who was at the back of the pack, with some confusion.

Leon didn't seem like a weakling.

Leon really wasn't holding back. But strenuous exercise inevitably caused the Silver Fiber Bandage wrapped around his body to leak, and the radiation he gave off grew more intense.

He had to control the nuclear radiation inside him with all his might while running, which was why he and Rosinante had become comrades in misery.

By the time the two of them finished running, the others had already moved on to their next training exercises.

Steely Instructor, still by the side of the field, said two words with a dark expression.

"Extra training!!!"

Even so, Rosinante couldn't help letting out a quiet cheer.

Just yesterday, he'd needed Leon to drag him along to finish the exercises. Today, he could complete them on his own. What an enormous improvement!

Li An watched Rosinante's exuberant antics and found it hard to connect him with "Corazon" of the Donquixote Family, the grim-faced man he would become.

He didn't know whether his unexpected arrival would change Rosinante's fate.

But keep working hard, Rosinante!

In this world, only those with great strength could seize the unfathomable threads of fate in their own hands!

When afternoon combat practice came around,

Leon was unsurprisingly paired with Rosinante. They both fought using hand-to-hand combat now, and the two of them were fairly evenly matched.

Rosinante would shout and charge at Leon, only for Leon to dodge him in an apparently close call.

To avoid making Rosinante suspicious, Leon would occasionally hold back and throw a punch in response.