The sight of the stolen Navy ship approaching the shattered crescent of Marineford was a deliberate provocation. Every surviving camera crew, every last remaining journalist, was already pointed at the ruins, hoping to capture one final, defining image of the end of the Age of Whitebeard. They weren't disappointed.
As the ship sailed into the plaza, thousands of lenses focused on the group standing on the deck: Silvers Rayleigh, the 'Dark King'; Jinbe, the First Son of the Sea; and the two unknowns—the rubber boy who had crashed the war, and Leo, the man who blocked an Admiral.
The remaining Marines, still reeling from the battle's psychological trauma, reacted instinctively. BANG! BANG! Scattered musket fire erupted from the perimeter, followed by a handful of confused cannon blasts.
Jinbe moved first, his body a blur of Fishman Karate. He punched the air, launching a "Vagabond Drill" that shredded a line of cannonballs into harmless spray. A moment later, Rayleigh simply raised his hand. A silent wave of invisible pressure—pure, concentrated Conqueror's Haki—slammed outward, flattening every low-ranking soldier within a hundred yards and silencing the muskets.
Rayleigh lowered his hand and turned to Leo, his eyes alight with challenge. "They are stunned and broken, boy. It's now or never. Show me what that 'Game-Game Fruit' of yours is actually good for."
"What? No, no, Mr. Rayleigh!" Leo protested, his heart hammering against his ribs. This was not in the plan! My combat skills are from a boring, regular military, not a world-class grinding zone!
Before he could argue further, Rayleigh delivered a gentle yet firm push to Leo's back. Leo stumbled forward, landing on the magma-scorched ground just as a few dazed Marines began to rise, spotting the strange soldier as the easiest target.
"Attack!" an Ensign yelled, raising a scorched sword.
Leo's training instantly took over, overriding his panic. They're low-level mobs. I can handle low-level mobs.
Leo drew his trusty Kukri knife. SHHHING! The cold steel felt familiar in his grip. He moved with the calculated, efficient lethality of a trained operative, weaving between the sluggish, exhausted Marines. A quick slash to the wrist disarmed one; a sharp kick to the knee dropped another.
+5 XP!
+8 XP!
Leo's inner voice cheered, despite the grime and sweat plastering his hair to his forehead. XP! I'm getting XP! This is my first real grind!
But as Leo ducked beneath a bayonet thrust, a group of five more Marines, slightly higher-ranked Captains, burst from behind a pile of wreckage. They surrounded him, their movements more coherent. Leo parried the first sword, but was immediately forced to shield himself against the second, leaving his flank exposed to the others.
Too many! I'm outnumbered! My stats are too low!
Just as a Captain's boot lashed out, aiming for his head, a massive Water Shot blasted the Captain backward. Jinbe stood above them, calm and imposing.
"Nice reflexes, but you let them surround you," Jinbe said with a steady gaze. "You are good for a beginner, Leo. Quick and sharp, like a small viper."
Rayleigh chuckled from the ship's rail. "A viper who needs a much harder skin, it seems."
With the Navy soldiers quickly subdued—not killed, Leo noted, just neutralized—the stage was finally clear. The world was watching.
Luffy, his expression a mask of hardened resolve, stepped forward. He knelt by the gaping, smoking pit left by Whitebeard's attack, the tomb of his brother, Ace. He placed a bundle of flowers in the black earth. Then, guided by Jinbe, he walked toward the colossal Ox Bell, its Silver surface pitted and stained by the war.
DOOONG! The first ring echoed, loud and clear. DOOONG!DOOONG!
Luffy gripped the bell's rope and began to ring it, sixteen times in total. The sound, heavy with grief and promise, traveled across the water, picked up by every sensitive microphone and camera lens left in the plaza. The ritual was complete.
Afterward, as they prepared to leave, the Navy was too stunned and too fearful of provoking another fight with Rayleigh to stop them.
The three figures stood silhouetted against the setting sun before boarding the ship. Jinbe and Rayleigh gave their nods, and they sailed away, leaving the silent, ruined fortress behind.
Forty-eight hours later, the world was in an uproar. Every nation, every island, every hidden corner of the Grand Line was plastered with the same image.
GREAT PIRATE WAR ENDS IN STALEMATE! The headlines screamed.
The image captured on the front page was historic: Luffy standing before the massive bell, his face grimly determined. In the background, clear as day, stood Silvers Rayleigh, Jinbe, and Leo.
On the second page, however, was the real shocker:
THE NEW ALLY: PIRATE LEO
In the quiet solitude of his shipyard retreat, Franky slammed his hands down on the workbench. "That's our captain! He's okay! And… who the heck is that other guy?"
On an exotic island, Sanji lit a cigarette, a relieved smile turning into a frown of confusion as he stared at the group photo. "Luffy's alive! But who is the fourth person standing next to Rayleigh? And why does he have this big bounty already?"
Zoro was the only one who didn't ask, but his brow furrowed as he saw the name Leo. He finally looked at the tiny bounty poster printed on the side. ? The Navy is really taking him seriously.
Leo's picture, taken mid-skirmish, was of a man in an odd, blood-splattered green tactical uniform, his face hard with focused rage, clutching a Kukri knife.
NOTIFICATION: Host Public Identity Established. Authority Points gained: 500
Total Authority Points: 1000 (First Condition Met to summon character)
Leo was officially a pirate, and the grand game had truly begun.
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