The war was over, but the escape had just begun. Leo clutched the precious Straw Hat in one hand, the faint scent of straw and sea salt a beacon of freedom. He sprinted, his combat boots slipping on the blood-soaked ice and magma chunks, his eyes fixed on one thing: Trafalgar Law's Polar Tang.
The massive orange submarine of the Heart Pirates was already beginning to descend, its hatch closing. The Whitebeard remnants were scrambling onto their own ships, and the Marines were slowly reorganizing, their attention finally turning away from the Emperors and towards the fleeing casualties.
Leo saw his window closing. Jinbe and Buggy had managed to ferry the unconscious Luffy and the Fishman onto the deck just as the sub began its dive.
"Hey! Hey! Let me in!" Leo shouted, his voice hoarse from the smoke and exertion. He scrambled over a frozen wave of water, the sheer adrenaline burning through his exhaustion.
The hatch was almost completely sealed. On the deck, Law stood, his dark eyes narrowed. He looked first at the strange, bloodied soldier uniform Leo wore, then down at the Straw Hat clutched in Leo's hand—the very hat of the boy he had just saved. Law remembered the incredible blue flash, the power that had momentarily pushed Akainu back.
"What do you want?" Law's voice was cold, flat, and utterly uninviting.
Leo slid to a stop, panting. "I just want to go far from here! Please, take me! I will be forever grateful!" He held up the hat. "I have his hat! Shanks told me to give it to him!"
Law's eyes flicked from the hat to Leo's face, then to the disappearing plume of smoke where Akainu still stood, burning with frustration. He's strong enough to block an Admiral, even if only for a second, and he's carrying a critical item.
He will be helpful in the future, Law conceded silently. "Get in. Now."
Leo didn't need to be told twice. He dove through the gap just as the hatch slammed shut with a heavy, pressurized thunk.
VVVROOOM!
The sub plunged instantly beneath the waves, the world above dissolving into a muffled roar. Leo didn't even have time to feel claustrophobic. He was safe.
Not quite.
FZZZZT!
A cascade of yellow light particles illuminated the water around the submerging vessel. Leo looked out a small porthole and saw it: a familiar yellow glow, followed by a thick, freezing wave of blue.
Kizaru and Kuzan were launching parting attacks, their Logia powers futilely trying to pierce the strong hull of the submarine.
"Don't worry," one of Law's crew members, Bepo the bear, said nervously, "the Polar Tang is built to withstand deep-sea pressures."
Leo grinned, a genuine, joyful, cracked smile. "I know," he whispered. We are safe. We are finally safe. The realization that he was beyond the reach of the Admirals was the greatest high he'd ever felt.
The Women's Island
The sub traveled for what felt like hours before finally breaching the surface near an idyllic, heavily guarded island.
The first person waiting for them was Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress. She had arranged this emergency rendezvous. Seeing the distraught Empress, Leo chuckled under his breath. Right, Luffy's future wife is here. Another unscripted viewing!
Law immediately got to work, transforming the sub's interior into a makeshift operating room. He was a phenomenal doctor, his skills absolute, and he wasted no time treating the critical internal injuries of Luffy and the grievous wounds of Jimbei.
As the life-saving procedures took place, they said their goodbyes. Emporio Ivankov and the other Revolutionaries climbed aboard a separate ship, Ivankov giving a dramatic wave.
Leo watched them go, his mind finally able to process his situation without the threat of imminent death. He was in the world of One Piece, with a Gamer System, on a safe island.
What should I do next? Leo thought, clutching the Straw Hat. Should I go to a different island and start leveling up on my own? That seemed safer. Or should I be with Luffy and try to stick to the plot?
The intense chaos of Marineford was replaced by the serene quiet of Amazon Lily. After being dropped off by the Polar Tang, Leo found a quiet spot on the beach. Jimbei was focused entirely on stabilizing Luffy, whose raw, traumatic grief over Ace's death manifested in dangerous internal damage.
He looked at the small, feverish rubber boy. Luffy suddenly started thrashing, a raw, tormented scream escaping his lips as he processed the death of Ace even while unconscious. Jinbe, weak but steady, grabbed Luffy's thrashing arm, trying to cool the boy down.
"Forget it," Leo sighed, shaking his head. "Let him cool down first. Then I will think about it."
And Rayleigh should be coming here as well, right now, he is probably swimming through the calm belt.
Leo sighed, "Ok Lets check what my system does for now."
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