Leo looked up at him and smiled.
He had never expected to win William over so thoroughly, but in truth, he had never concealed any of his actions. Especially from William and Wood—whenever he chatted with Rindou, the two of them stood nearby and had a clear grasp of everything they did.
And that was precisely why William accepted Leo's goodwill.
It was fundamentally different from being forced to submit under the Empress's title as a Shichibukai.
The atmosphere aboard the ship immediately relaxed because of this fishing trip.
William was completely convinced by Leo. He lowered his body slightly in respect and asked Leo, "Is there anything you need me to help with next?"
"No. From here on, you just need to watch." Leo laughed heartily. With William's support, he could finally spread his wings on this ship without restraint.
"Everyone, split into groups! Those who don't know how to fish, hurry over and help! These fish won't taste good once they start to stink!" Leo shouted.
The pirates exchanged glances. Even with their bandit-like nature, they had to acknowledge Leo's favor. Several immediately rose from the railings and headed over, pairing up with the pirates already working to prepare the sea fish.
The rest did not stop. They simply kept fishing with all their might. They could not possibly eat that much fish; some of them were taller than a person. But how could people from the One Piece World, especially pirates of the Grand Line, be afraid of them? A fish nearly bigger than a pig after being caught was enough for over a dozen people to have a meal. With sixty or seventy of them fishing, catching three or four fish was enough to fill everyone's stomachs.
But now that they had finally found something entertaining to do, everyone was having fun, whether they were fishing, hauling in fish, or gutting them. So this wasteful activity did not stop. Instead, it continued until it attracted a gigantic sea beast.
This sea beast looked like a seal, but it was enormous, nearly as large as the ship itself. It leaped up, intending to jump onto the deck and feast, but it had completely forgotten that there were two Sea Kings on the ship ahead.
Though they could not compare to giant Sea Kings, the two Yuda could easily devour a sea beast like this. The two Yuda pulling the ship had never expected a meal to deliver itself to them. They dove into the sea, flicked their tails, and instantly crossed the hundred-meter gap between the two ships, emerging from the water on either side.
Not only were the pirates aboard the pirate ship scared senseless, but the uninvited giant seal, still holding a fish in its mouth, stared blankly at the two suddenly appearing Yuda, its entire body frozen stiff.
The Yuda showed it no courtesy. One bit down on the seal's tail, while the other clamped onto its head. They pulled at the same time, instantly tearing the seal apart. Each serpent swallowed one half, flesh and all. Blood splattered across the ship, making it look as though it had just been drenched in blood. It was terrifying.
The two Yuda were still not full, and their eyes, larger than people, swept back and forth across the ship. Fortunately, Rindou was still aboard. She hissed a few words, and the two Yuda dove back into the sea, returning to the front of the Kuja Pirates' Perfume Yuda and continuing to pull the ship forward.
Only then did everyone in the entire pirate crew finally let out a breath of relief and collapse to the ground.
Leo shrugged helplessly and said to Rindou, "Now you know why I want high-end combat power, right?"
Rindou giggled. She was already firmly at the officer level under a Shichibukai, stronger than ninety-nine percent of the people in this world, so she naturally did not feel the same pressure as the Cutlass Pirates. But if Leo took her into a battle between the Four Emperors, her sense of powerlessness would probably be even stronger than theirs.
In the end, it was still perspective that determined everything. They could not be expected to understand too much.
With the arrival of the Yuda, the atmosphere from earlier vanished completely. Everyone returned to the reality that they were prisoners, and the relaxed, cheerful mood was gone without a trace.
Of course, they had finally understood what Captain Great Bay Blade William had understood long ago: Leo had come aboard their ship, grinning and calling them brothers, entirely because he had the ability, strength, and confidence to do so.
And just because he could do that did not mean they could truly treat him as a weak rookie who had only just come aboard. The faces of those who had egged things on earlier now showed unease, and they worried that Leo might settle scores afterward.
"It's good that you know fear." Leo had somehow climbed onto the railing. Gripping a rope, he shouted loudly.
"Knowing fear and admitting weakness are not shameful."
"Just as I can't beat most of you here, all of you combined can't beat Rindou alone."
"Admitting your weakness means you're still alive and still have limitless potential to grow, rather than dying here and becoming an idiot who dies clinging to pride."
"I like pirates like you."
"Of course, your crimes are utterly unforgivable. Your punishment would require you to be beheaded and hanged a hundred times before you could atone. But at the very least, you have hearts that yearn for freedom, hearts that refuse to yield to tyranny. That is why I did not let the Amazons kill you, and why I think you are still useful."
Leo's words were filled with arrogance and condescension, but under the intimidation of the two Yuda, it was the most fitting kind of arrogance. The pirates scoffed inwardly, yet all of them admitted that Leo's words contained not the slightest exaggeration. This was the world. This was reality.
The fact that they could recognize reality was for the best.
"I plan to reorganize you into a group of well-trained warriors to fight the Marines, like real soldiers. Not only must you possess wills as unyielding as steel, you must also possess the will to keep still even while bleeding."
"I believe you absolutely don't think anyone in this world can achieve that."
"But don't worry. Those who survive will all be reborn." Leo wore a ferocious grin. He had clearly abandoned all illusions about them, abandoned the idea of joining them as an example, and decided to adapt to circumstances and use absolute authority to reshape their bodies and minds.
P.S.: Damn, I thought I'd posted the first update, but it turns out I didn't. I'm dizzy.
P.S. 1: The second update is here
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