Everyone Has Their Difficulties

"You few, get down there and catch that Marine."

Panther didn't want to waste any more ammunition. He casually pointed at a few pirates, ordering them to test the strength of this strange Marine first.

"Us?"

The pirates he'd singled out, cowed by Panther's tyranny, reluctantly grabbed their shoddy weapons and prepared to jump into the sea.

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

What the hell?

Panther stared at the calm surface, scratching his head in confusion.

This Marine—did he just drown himself?

Beneath the surface, Leon had already sped to the underside of the pirate ship at an incredible pace.

Sensing something was off, Panther ordered a quick retreat, but the next second, Leon burst up through the ship from the water.

In midair, Leon quickly locked onto the barrel-like brute before him—the strongest man on this pirate ship.

He lashed out with a kick, confident that with his opponent caught off guard, he could snap his neck clean in one blow.

The strike landed exactly as Leon had envisioned, hitting Panther square on. But the result caught him off guard.

Panther's neck, thick as a pillar, made Leon's foot slip, and the damage didn't fully connect.

Bro, did you grow up eating steel pipes?

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

Panther, having narrowly escaped the blow, broke out in a cold sweat from the shock.

This young Marine, wrapped head to toe in bandages, had that kind of strength—no wonder he dared to come after them alone...

Too bad I, Panther, didn't grow up on soft food either. I'll use your blood to boost my reputation across these seas!

"Boys, get him!"

At Panther's command, the dozens of pirates on the ship hesitated. This Marine was clearly no pushover.

They could handle a fight when the odds were in their favor, but this was a suicide mission...

"Hurry up, what are you dragging your feet for, you worthless scum!"

Panther had already drawn his signature weapons—a pair of massive iron meteor hammers. Under his naked threat, the pirates finally mustered the courage to charge at Leon.

"Kill him!"

The pirates surged forward with a battle cry, a sight that might have intimidated anyone else.

But in Leon's eyes, these blustering cowards probably had less combat power than Bulu, the guy he'd rented a room from in Water 7...

The encirclement the pirates formed was shattered as Leon sent them flying one by one.

Watching from the sidelines, Panther's eyes flashed with cruelty. He'd never expected this rabble to beat Leon—he just needed them to stall, to create an opening for him.

Panther swung his meteor hammers, the speed so fast they left a blur in the air.

Perfect chance!

Panther struck. The spinning meteor hammers, like a scythe, mercilessly mowed down the pirates in their path.

"Huh? Not caring about your own men's lives at all, just trying to kill me in one shot?"

Leon, handling everything with ease, had been watching Panther's every move.

A smug grin spread across Panther's face.

"I'm Double Hammer Panther, with a bounty of 30 million Beli!"

The lives of a few weaklings mean nothing. If I kill this Marine, my bounty will skyrocket.

Then I'll recruit more men, and the Pirate King's throne won't be out of reach!

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

Leon reached out and caught the incoming meteor hammer with his bare hand.

"What?!"

Watching his killing move get effortlessly neutralized, Panther's jaw dropped in shock, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Nice hammers."

The immense kinetic energy of the spinning meteor hammers seemed to have no effect on Leon.

Leon had never trained with such a peculiar weapon at the Marine training camp, so he simply grabbed one end of the hammer and swung it in a wide arc.

With Leon as the center, every pirate within the circle was instantly cleared out.

The survivors, having lost all will to fight, didn't even dare to look at the demon-like Leon on the deck. They screamed and jumped into the water.

Leon walked toward Panther step by step.

Panther stumbled backward, shoving the Yellow Tooth Pirate, who had been cowering behind him, toward Leon.

The Yellow Tooth Pirate fell to his knees, eyes shut, waiting in despair for death to claim him.

Leon, however, walked right past him.

"Hey! Panther! Isn't your bounty thirty million?"

"Fight me—what if you win?"

Leon tried to provoke Panther into fighting, but Panther dropped straight to his knees.

"No, no, no... don't kill me... I'll go back with you and face trial..."

Leon shook his head.

"Then, Panther, do you know what's needed to claim a Navy bounty?"

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

"..."

Damn Navy, you think you've got me figured out? A flicker of madness flashed in Panther's eyes as he kept begging Leon for mercy.

Closer, just a little closer.

Finally, Leon stepped right in front of Panther.

"Sir Navy, please don't kill me... don't kill me..."

"Go to hell!"

Panther suddenly lunged, pulling out his last secret weapon—a finely crafted pistol!