Leo stood his ground, the new Tenseiryū Katana tucked beneath his robe.
Apoo's unique, unsettling gaze was fixed on Leo. "Oh, you- kn-ew I'm a Super-nova? You sho-uld also know my cur-rent bo-unty is 198,000,000 Berr-ies," Apoo shrieked, his voice sharp and scratchy. "Now, give me that sw-ord back bef-ore I ki-ll you!"
"You should try," Leo challenged, letting a dangerous edge enter his voice.
"Hmph. Fool-ish boy," Apoo scoffed. "Then I w-ill play you a lit-tle ditty."
Suddenly, the absurdity of the scene escalated. Apoo began to transform—his jaw clicked and stretched into a giant cymbal, his chest expanded into a drum, and his teeth clicked like piano keys. His long, flat hands became thin, extended flutes. He struck a pose, transforming himself into a terrifying, walking symphony.
Apoo began to play, his limbs and body becoming instruments. The sound was immediate and chaotic.
The remaining bounty hunters had a mixed reaction. One man doubled over, clutching his stomach and laughing hysterically. "Is... is he serious?! He started playing music!" Another started trying awkwardly to dance to the impossible rhythm. A third simply stared, dumbfounded. "Is he dense? Does he think this is some kind of street performance?"
Leo yawned dramatically, stretching his arms. "I thought this was supposed to be terrifying. I might actually fall asleep."
In his mind, however.
Leo's Flashback:Killer's voice, distorted by the sound:"That power works by sound! If you can block your hearing, you can negate the effect!"
In a swift, practiced motion that went completely unnoticed in the chaos of Apoo's music, Leo tore a small strip of cloth from the lining of his robe. He quickly ripped it into two pieces, rolling them tightly, and jammed them deep into his ears.
CLASH! BOOM! POP!
A wave of invisible sound pressure exploded outwards from Apoo. It didn't affect Leo, but it slammed into the alley walls. One of the laughing bounty hunters suddenly screamed, his body slicing open as if struck by invisible blades. The others scattered in terror.
Apoo stopped playing for a brief, jarring moment. "S-s-see?! I t-t-told you!" he stammered, pointing at the wounded hunter. He looked back at Leo, who was standing perfectly fine. "W-w-what?! Why didn't anything happen to you?! Don't tell me you have a Logia fruit!"
Apoo wasn't taking chances. He beat his chest hard, creating a devastating bass drum sound. Another invisible sound wave exploded, hitting Leo full-on. It didn't penetrate the cloth plugs.
Apoo grew visibly irritated. "W-w-why is nothing happening to him?! At least there should be a sign! His body should at least scatter if he is a Logia!"
"Are you done now with your music?" Leo said, stepping forward. "I thought I would fall asleep before you finished."
Leo reached beneath his robe and pulled out the practice sword Rayleigh had given him. He held the dull, long blade defensively.
"Oh, you want to fight me with that?" Apoo scoffed, regaining his confidence. "Fine. But I'll shatter that sword."
Apoo focused his musical power, sending a direct, focused sound wave straight at the training blade.
P-P-PANG!
The sound hit the blade, and the ordinary steel immediately buckled, shattering into a dozen useless pieces. The force made Leo's hand ring with pain.
"What?!" Leo shouted in shock, staring at the useless hilt. He aimed for the sword! That dirty meta-cheater!
Apoo threw back his head and laughed—a loud, screeching noise full of triumph. "H-h-ha! Now you can't fight me!.
Leo said, letting the pieces of the practice sword fall. "You destroyed this normal sword," Leo agreed, his grin cold. "But you forgot, I obtained a more terrifying katana thanks to you! You walking sound system, you!"
Leo didn't hesitate. He focused his will, coating the magnificent silver-blue blade in a thick, dense layer of Armament Haki. The blade instantly turned into a deep, glossy black—a stark contrast to its cosmic-blue shine.
In a terrifying flash of speed, Leo closed the distance. Apoo barely had time to raise his hands before Leo moved past him.
Leo's attack was a thing of terrifying, focused beauty: a simple, practiced horizontal slash, executed with the fluid motion he'd spent a year perfecting against Luffy, and named "Heavenly Star Slash." The swing was silent, clean, and delivered with lethal intent.
Leo spun, sheathing the blade with a crisp CLACK, and turned back to face the Supernova. "Are you done with your music now, Supernova?"
Apoo froze. He looked down, but Leo's eyes were fixed on the ominous sight: a dark line appeared across Apoo's chest, immediately followed by the rapid, dark blood blooming across his ornate musical jacket.
"Heavenly Star Slash," Leo whispered, realizing what he had done.
Apoo tried to speak, but only a gurgling sound emerged.
"I-i-impossible..." Apoo whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief, before his body folded over, collapsing in a heap of broken instruments and heavy chainmail.
Leo stood over the fallen Supernova, the Tenseiryū feeling unnervingly light in his hand. He stared at the blade, which was already beginning to shed its Haki coating.
Leo's face was an absolute mix of shock and terror, his eyes popping wide open. "What is this sword?!" he gasped, his voice thin. "I used only 70 percent of my strength, and it cut him with such ease! Don't tell me this is like Enma!"
He quickly sheathed the blade and spun around, grabbing his discarded robe.
"Let's run! Now! The sound waves and the defeat of a Supernova will gather new bounty hunters and strong pirates here!"
Leo vanished, melting back into the shadows, clutching the sword that had just guaranteed his survival—and his destiny..
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