The Sea Will Guide the Way Forward

"Leon, please spar with me!"

"Huh?"

"Bro T Bone, what are you doing?"

Leon stared blankly at the stern, zombie-like face before him.

As far as he remembered, T Bone had a pretty steady personality—what was with him acting like Smoker today...

But seeing T Bone's expression wasn't a joke, Leon nodded and agreed to his request.

The three people pretending to train nearby poked their heads out and exchanged glances.

With T Bone on the case, this was in the bag.

Leon already sensed something was off on the field. T Bone's moves were all offense, no defense, and his target seemed to be... Leon's clothes?

"What kind of swordsmanship is this?"

T Bone watched Leon dodge repeatedly, feeling the expectations of his three companions, and swung his greatsword even more fiercely.

Sorry, Leon. I'll control it so I only cut off your bandages...

Backed into a corner, Leon still couldn't figure out T Bone's angle. With some exasperation, he spotted a flaw in T Bone's straightforward sword style, seized the moment, and grabbed the blade with one hand.

The greatsword clanged against Leon's hand with a metallic ring.

"Leon! Are you okay!"

T Bone was horrified—he hadn't meant to hurt Leon.

"I'm fine..." Leon shook his hand, the Armament Haki fading. "But Bro T Bone, is this swordsmanship something you just came up with?"

"Better not use it against anyone else for now..."

Damn it!

Watching T Bone retreat in defeat, his face full of shame.

The three exchanged grim looks. As expected, Leon wasn't so easy to deal with.

Time for Plan B.

Hina stepped forward directly and beckoned to Leon, who hadn't left the field yet, her meaning clear.

"You too? Fine..."

Before Leon could prepare, Hina unleashed a full-coverage Hina's ability, black iron bars binding Leon tightly.

Hina strode quickly to his side, her face still wearing that aloof expression.

"Oops, Hina slipped."

She pitched forward, her hands flailing as if randomly, but in truth aiming straight for Leon's face.

Got it!

The three off-field craned their necks, ready to see Leon's real face.

"Crack!"

Leon flexed his whole body and shattered the bindings.

"Hina, you okay?"

Hina, who had fallen squarely into Leon's arms, quickly pushed him away and stood up, turning and walking off with a blank expression.

Failed again!

Plan C—attrition!

Rosinante immediately pulled some strings, rallying all their peers to take turns sparring with Leon, and set the example by going first himself.

The day's training ended quickly.

A whole crowd lay sprawled on the training ground as Leon yawned and walked out.

What was up with everyone today...

Back at Garp's courtyard, the old man wasn't home—probably off chatting with someone. It felt like Garp was the most relaxed person in the whole Marine Headquarters...

Exhausted from the day, Leon stripped off his clothes, ready to soak in a bath and unwind.

Outside the wall, four sneaky figures huddled together.

Rosinante whispered smugly, "Everything before was just setup. Leon will never expect..."

"That we'll peek at him while he's bathing!"

Smoker's face was covered in black lines. How had he been fooled into Rosinante's rotten scheme...

"Hurry up, Smoker." Rosinante poked him impatiently. "Leon's almost done washing..."

"Sigh..."

Smoker let out a long sigh, his neck turning into a plume of smoke, lifting his head up unsteadily.

The other three didn't dare breathe too loud. Sure, the method might be a bit shady...

But there was no choice—the arrow had already been nocked and had to be loosed!

"Ara ara, what are you lot up to?"

A clear voice rang out, and the four of them all shuddered at once. Smoker's head practically dropped off.

"Ku-ku-ku... Vice Admiral Kuzan!"

"It's Rosinante, and Smoker too..."

Kuzan also recognized the companions beside Leon, so even though their behavior was highly suspicious, he didn't strike immediately.

Rosinante stepped forward at once, explaining to Kuzan with animated gestures.

"Oh?"

Kuzan tilted his head and thought back carefully.

"Now that you mention it, I don't think I've ever seen Leon-kun's real face either..."

"If it's all right, can I join in?"

"Huh?"

After a brief silence, five hands clasped together.

With a Vice Admiral joining, this was absolutely foolproof now!

Leon seriously suspected that he had somehow offended some enemy without realizing it, or that some mysterious person who had eaten the Luck-Luck Fruit was deliberately targeting him.

Over the past few days, whenever he went out, he either ran into people fighting and got caught in the crossfire while watching from the sidelines, barely escaping thanks to his agile reflexes. Or else he'd get inexplicably splashed with dye, or hail would suddenly fall from the sky out of nowhere...

After finally winning a hot spring ticket from shopping, just as he was about to enter, he heard that a perverted pink-haired woman had been caught peeping in the pool...

After a few days of this, Leon simply asked Zephyr for leave and stayed holed up in his room, refusing to go out.