Were the strong made strong by Devil Fruits, or were they already strong, with Devil Fruits merely making them even stronger?
Leo had pondered that question for a long time.
In the end, he arrived at an answer: the strong would remain strong even without Devil Fruits. There was no need to mention martial arts masters like Garp. Even Akainu, deprived of his Magma-Magma Fruit, would still be able to sit firmly among the Three Admirals with his formidable Haki alone.
And taking a step back, a seemingly useless Fruit like the Paw-Paw Fruit, which could not reveal its true potential without powerful martial arts skills, became an almost invincible ability in Bartholomew Kuma's hands.
On the other hand, there were those who possessed Logia Devil Fruits and were still complete trash: Caribou, the Swamp-Swamp Fruit user; Caesar, with the Gas-Gas Fruit; and Monet, with the Snow-Snow Fruit. Each was more worthless than the last.
Then there were those with outrageously powerful Paramecia abilities: Silver Fox with the Slow-Slow Fruit, Sugar with the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, and Bolva with the Munch-Munch Fruit. They were practically crippled.
So the final answer was this: one's own strength was more important than a powerful Fruit.
And could Leo be considered a powerful warrior?
In battle, he appeared steadfast, courageous, decisive, intelligent, and full of leadership.
But he knew perfectly well that he was just an urban petty bourgeois who had never even fought before. He had spent twenty years steeped in the influence of New Oriental, yet had never even gotten into an argument with anyone!
Before transmigrating, he had never cared about fighting, brawling, or anything of the sort, because his country had never needed them to learn how to fight!
That battle aboard the Great Bay Blade Pirate Ship had been his