If Loa had appeared somewhere remote and quiet, like Foosha Village in the East Blue, he might have openly admitted who he was. Then he could have traveled, trained, gathered followers, and slowly fought his way to greater strength.
Even if powerful people coveted his abilities and came after him, that would only happen much later, once he had made a name for himself. It was a standard Xuanhuan plot.
But life offered no such what-ifs. The moment he appeared, he met Momonga, and that cemented his decision to join the Navy.
In the One Piece World, innocent souls like Straw Hat were rare. Even Red-Hair, the very model of a good guy, had a crew of fierce pirates. Lucky Roux might look chubby, but once a fight started, he would put a bullet through an enemy's head without hesitation. They were just more selective about their targets and less reckless than other pirates.
So Loa had joined the Navy. And he had no intention of admitting he was not a Devil Fruit User.
Sengoku would never agree to Loa's proposal, either. Whether Sengoku wanted to or not, if he actually tested Loa that way, Zephyr—who was recovering and preparing to have the Smash installed—would come after him!
Besides, someone else had stepped forward.
It was the last person Loa or any of the other senior officers expected. Before he stood up, they had all thought it would be a blessing if he simply refrained from kicking Loa while he was down, let alone spoke up for him.
Watching the figure in red step forward and draw everyone's attention, Loa narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Akainu. Sakazuki."
The man who had stepped forward was Akainu, one of the Three Marine Admirals!
He gave Loa a long look, then said to