The sudden silence from Silvers Rayleigh felt heavier than any explosion at Marineford. Luffy, having satisfied his immediate hunger, continued to chew with singular focus, his eyes on the legendary figure. Jinbe and Hancock watched intently, waiting for the 'Dark King's' verdict on the two boys.
Rayleigh finally took a long, slow draw from his mug, the look in his eyes ancient and knowing. He observed Leo with an almost unsettling focus, his gaze penetrating Leo's very core, searching past the surface layer of fear and ambition.
"Your eyes, boy," Rayleigh finally said, a slight, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips. "They've seen too much death for someone so young, and yet, they are hiding a terrifying kind of clarity. You talk about wanting to be 'free,' but your movements are those of a soldier following orders, a man desperately clinging to a new mission."
Leo swallowed hard, his posture instinctively tightening. Holy hell, the 'Dark King' is too perceptive! This man is danger defined.
"You are not like this boy, Luffy," Rayleigh continued, gesturing with his meat-bone towards the rubber boy. "Luffy's ambition is simple, pure. Yours is complicated by what you carry. I sense regret, I sense power you don't fully understand, and most of all, I sense a deep, desperate need to control the unmanageable chaos of this world."
Rayleigh looked away, his eyes drifting toward the sea. "I have always believed in finding the future on the waves. He fixed his gaze back on Leo. "I like the ambition I see. I will trust my instinct, and I will not let another great spirit fall due to a lack of preparation."
Rayleigh finished his drink, slamming the mug down with a decisive thud that echoed the finality of his decision.
"Very well. I will teach both of you."
Leo's inner world erupted in celebratory confetti, instantly drowning out the residual fear. The Dark King himself! I am so lucky! This is the ultimate plot armor, the perfect grind spot!
"But first," Rayleigh announced, pushing himself up, the movement effortless and powerful, "we have to go back to Marineford."
Leo blinked, his memory, powered by years of fandom, clicking into place. The ritual. The burial at sea. The message.
Rayleigh turned to Luffy, his voice dropping to a solemn, serious tone. "You need to send a message to your crew. A clear signal that they can understand. They need time to get stronger, and you need to heal and train."
Luffy, now standing and understanding the gravity of the separation, nodded grimly, his face reflecting the heavy price of becoming a top-tier pirate. "Two years."
"Exactly," Rayleigh confirmed. "You will tell them to reunite in two years."
Rayleigh looked at Leo. You will need to spend this time growing. You wanna come with us, Leo? This is a dangerous journey, but it's necessary for Luffy's resolve, and it will give you time to solidify your purpose."
"Let's go together!" Luffy chimed in, suddenly energized by the shared mission.
Leo hesitated, the logistics of the 'Great Divide' chapter running through his mind. Me? Standing on the ruins of Marineford, next to the future Pirate King, sending a worldwide signal? That will definitely be in the newspaper. It'll paint a giant target on my back. He glanced at his System screen. Authority Points: 500. I need 1000 for my first summon. Being publicly associated with Rayleigh and Luffy is the fastest way to notoriety and Authority Points.
He threw his shoulders back, the familiar, rigid resolution of a soldier hardening his jaw. "Okay. Count me in, Mr. Rayleigh. I'll go with you. I need the training, and I need the notoriety."
Later that day, the Navy ship stolen by Empress Boa Hancock's forces cut through the waves. The sun was setting on the horizon, casting long, bruised shadows across the ocean. The air was crisp, carrying the taste of salt and the strange, metallic odor of residual war. Luffy, fully committed, was already resting, focused entirely on healing and recovery. Jinbe was at the tiller, silently guiding them back into the nightmare.
Leo sat near the bow, watching the massive waves. Silvers Rayleigh moved from the stern, settling beside him.
"Young man," Rayleigh's voice was low, cutting through the tense air. "That shield. The way it appeared and the force it deflected. It was no ordinary Devil Fruit. What is your power?"
Leo knew this was the moment. He needed a lie that was both believable and crazy enough for the New World. He put on his best, most reckless grin, shrugging slightly.
"Ah, that?" Leo said, laughing lightly, the sound a little ragged. "You caught me. I ate a Devil Fruit, alright. It's the Gēmu Gēmu no Mi (Game-Game Fruit)."
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, a rare look of intrigue crossing his face. "Game? What kind of ability is that?"
Leo lied smoothly. "It lets me summon items, and occasionally gets a one-time use shield that stops an Admiral's attack." He gave a rueful chuckle. "Pretty sweet, right? The massive downside is that everything I use has a cooldown, which is why I was left defenseless when the real fun started."
Rayleigh looked at him for a long moment, then let out a low, rumbling chuckle that eased the tension. "A fruit that brings valuable items. You truly are a man of the new age, Leo. An intriguing power indeed."
He bought it! Leo celebrated internally, his relief so profound he almost sagged. It's a perfect lie—vague enough to cover everything, and ridiculous enough to be believed in this world.
Leo regained his composure, looking up at the Dark King. "I'm thinking," Leo admitted, "that I was a fool to think I could simply live a quiet life here. This world is too big, and the people here are too strong. My old life, my soldier's discipline—it was weak. It broke instantly against a true Logia user."
He turned his focus inward to his System HUD, a constant, silent presence in his peripheral vision.
NOTIFICATION: Host is accompanying Silvers Rayleigh and Monkey D. Luffy to Marineford. Potential for *Authority Points* increase: HIGH. Authority Points: 500
The grind is on. I'm going to need to rob a celestial dragon at this rate, Leo mused, a dark, dry humor replacing his panic. Marineford was the tutorial—now it's time for the first high-level side-quest: the public declaration.
He looked up at the vast, uncaring ocean, then ahead toward the faint, dark shadow of the ruins. Ahead lay the ghost of the greatest battle in history, and Leo knew this return trip—this ritual—was the true start of his new life as the Devil Fruit Gamer.
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