All of Them Had Their Reasons

"You lot, go grab that Marine."

Panther didn't want to waste any more ammunition. He casually picked out a few pirates and sent them to test the strength of this strange Marine.

"Us?"

The pirates he'd singled out, cowed by Panther's might, reluctantly took their battered weapons and prepared to go into the water.

Just then, Leon suddenly stood up on the small boat and jumped straight into the water.

What was going on?

Panther stared at the calm water, unable to make heads or tails of it.

Had that Marine jumped in to drown himself?

Leon, submerged beneath the surface, had already dived beneath the pirate ship at incredible speed.

Panther sensed something was wrong and ordered a quick retreat, but in the very next second, Leon burst out through the bottom of the ship.

In midair, Leon quickly zeroed in on the burly man in front of him, who was built like an iron barrel. He was clearly the strongest person aboard the pirate ship.

Leon launched a flying kick. With his opponent caught off guard, he was confident he could snap the man's neck with a single blow.

The attack landed exactly where Leon had intended, striking Panther squarely, but the result was beyond his expectations.

Panther's cylindrical neck made Leon's foot slip, and the blow failed to deal its full damage.

Come on, man, did you grow up eating steel pipes?

Born with a natural gift, reincarnated as an iron barrel—you never have to worry about getting choked, huh?

Panther, who had narrowly escaped the blow, was also drenched in a cold sweat.

This young Marine, wrapped from head to toe in bandages, was actually this strong. No wonder he'd dared to come after them all alone...

Too bad for him, Panther wasn't some pushover either. He'd use the Marine's blood to make his name feared across these seas!

"Men, attack!"

At Panther's command, the dozens of pirates aboard hesitated. It was obvious this Marine had come looking for a fight.

They were fine with easy victories, but a job that could get them killed...

"Move it! What are you waiting for, you useless fools?"

Panther had already drawn his signature weapons: a pair of enormous meteor hammers forged from solid iron. Under his blatant threats, the pirates finally mustered their courage and charged at Leon.

"Kill him!"

The pirates' cries as they swarmed forward made for an intimidating sight.

But to Leon, this bunch of all bark and no bite might not even be as strong as Bulu, whom he'd rented in Water 7...

Leon knocked the pirates forming a ring around him flying, one after another.

A vicious glint flashed in Panther's eyes as he watched from the side. He'd never expected this rabble to beat Leon. All he needed was for them to keep Leon occupied and create an opening for him.

Panther swung his meteor hammers so fast that they blurred in the air.

This is it!

Panther attacked. The spinning meteor hammers mowed through the pirates in their path like lawnmowers, mercilessly reaping their lives.

"Hm? You don't care about your men at all. Are you trying to kill me with one blow?"

Leon, who had the fight well in hand, had been watching Panther's movements the entire time.

A smug smile spread across Panther's face.

"I'm Double Hammer Panther, with a bounty of thirty million Beli!"

They were just the lives of a few weaklings. As long as he killed this Marine, his bounty would surely rise by a huge amount.

Then he could recruit more men, and becoming Pirate King wouldn't be such an impossible dream!

"So you're not a Devil Fruit user. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Leon reached out and caught the meteor hammer flying toward him with his bare hand.

"What?!"

Watching his killer move get so easily countered, Panther gaped in shock, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Nice hammer."

The spinning meteor hammer's tremendous force seemed to have no effect on Leon whatsoever.

Leon had never encountered a weapon like this at the Marine training camp. Grabbing one end of the meteor hammer, he swung it in a sweeping strike.

With Leon at the center, every pirate in the circle was instantly wiped out.

The pirates who'd survived by sheer luck lost all will to resist. They didn't even dare look at Leon, who stood on the deck like a demon. Instead, they cried and jumped into the water.

Leon walked toward Panther one step at a time.

Panther retreated again and again, shoving the Yellow Tooth Pirate, who had been hiding behind him, toward Leon.

The Yellow Tooth Pirate dropped to his knees, eyes closed, and waited in despair for death to come.

But Leon simply walked right past him.

"Hey, Panther! Don't you have a bounty of thirty million?"

"Fight me! You might even win!"

Leon tried to rouse Panther's fighting spirit, but Panther dropped straight to his knees.

"P-please... Don't kill me... I'm willing to go back with you and face trial..."

Leon shook his head.

"Then, Panther, do you know what the Marines need to collect a bounty?"

"Do they need the whole body, or just the head?"

"..."

Damn Marine. You think you've already got me beat? Panther kept begging Leon for mercy, but a trace of madness flashed in his eyes.

Closer. Just a little closer.

At last, Leon reached Panther.

"Please, Marine! Don't kill me... Don't kill me..."

"Die!"

Panther suddenly sprang up and pulled out his last secret weapon—a finely crafted pistol!