One day later.
In a certain expanse of the sea in the East Blue, aboard a bizarre-looking ship.
"A newspaper, please!"
Lena stood on the deck and waved at a News Coo flying low overhead.
Upon hearing her, the News Coo immediately flew toward Lena, squawking, "Caw, caw, caw..."
Then, with a very human-like gesture, it pulled a newspaper out of the pouch it was wearing. Lena took the paper, then placed 50 Belly into the pouch. "Thanks a lot."
The News Coo flapped its wings a few times and flew up toward the sky, squawking, "Caw, caw, caw..."
Lena turned and began walking back, glancing over the front page as she went—and suddenly, her pupils constricted violently.
...
Inside the ship's training room, the sound of air being violently split echoed in steady succession.
Wind! Wind! Wind...
Leo was bare-chested, gripping one end of a massive dumbbell and swinging it repeatedly in front of him. Every time it came down, the entire ship trembled, and the wind generated by the swinging dumbbell whipped the sweat from his body right onto a towel.
"This is bad, this is so bad, Leo!!" Lena's panicked, terrified voice rang out from the deck.
"Huh?" Leo wondered, perplexed. His Observation Haki hadn't picked up any enemies.
Tap, tap, tap...
The sound of rapid footsteps approached, and then—
Bang!
The door of the training room was rudely shoved open, and Lena stood in the doorway, clutching the newspaper and looking frantic.
Leo stopped swinging the dumbbell, turned, and tilted his head to look at her.
Lena took a deep breath, then said word for word: "You've gone famous!"
What?
...
"The World's Greatest Swordsman, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, 'Hawk-Eye' Dracule Mihawk, personally acknowledged in the East Blue that a bounty hunter known as the 'Ghost Man' possesses the qualification and strength to challenge his status. The two engaged in a fierce battle in the East Blue seas, ending in a stalemate... A new Great Swordsman has emerged in the East Blue. Will the global balance of power face unknown shifts? Who is responsible for turning the East Blue into the weakest sea?... For the latest news, please follow the World Economic Journal."
Bam!
Leo punched the wall of the training room, lowering his head in silence.
"Hey, hey, whoa!"
Seeing Leo's extreme reaction, Lena immediately tried to comfort him: "Leo, you—hey, don't be too upset. So what if you're famous? We can..."
"Heh heh heh, hahahaha..." Leo suddenly let out a laugh he could no longer hold back, laughing more and more recklessly.
Lena froze completely, dropping the newspaper without even realizing it, and her voice grew even more panicked: "Oh no, Leo's lost his mind!"
"You're out of your mind. I'm just a little happy." Leo stood silently in place, his eyes half-drooped as he gave Lena a speechless look.
Lena's eyes went wide with incomprehension. "Huh? You're famous, you know—globally famous! How can you possibly laugh?"
"Isn't this a good thing?"
Leo picked the newspaper up from the floor, unfolded it, and read it himself. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, a smile curving across his face.
Lena stepped back a few paces, looking at Leo as if she were seeing him for the first time.
"B-but you always used to say things like tall trees catch the wind and you didn't want fame! You even wore a mask when you were a bounty hunter. And didn't you say you hate trouble the most? Once you're famous, you're going to have endless trouble! Who knows how many people will come after us? We'll have to fight every day, and our safety rating is going to plummet!"
The more Lena talked, the more agitated she became. She had never spoken this much before, seemingly hoping to knock some sense into Leo.
Leo smoothed back his hair and wore a helpless expression. "You're way too cowardly, Lena. Don't you know our strength by now? We kill one if they come, two if they come as a pair. We'll be fine. Besides, fighting every day is even better—my Executioner's Blade can hardly wait. The more people I kill, the stronger I get."
"Y-you, but..." Lena still wanted to argue.
"There are no buts. It's already a done deal, so there's no use talking about it."
Leo folded the newspaper and placed it in Lena's hands, then turned his back and walked toward the dumbbells, shaking his head slightly. "The only flaw is that the photo came out way too blurry. I almost didn't recognize myself. What a shame."
"Sigh, fine whatever. I'm going back to my room." Looking thoroughly convinced, Lena let out a sigh and left the room.
Click!
The door was locked.
Leo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of trash talk, though he still couldn't help muttering a few choice lines: "Hawk-Eye, go screw yourself!"
Sigh...
Things had reached this point, and no matter how much he cursed that cowardly bastard Hawk-Eye, it was useless. He had better figure out how to survive this period.
What he'd just said to Lena was entirely meant to turn up the heat on her by using his newfound fame. Lena had been living way too comfortably; without a bit of pressure, she'd never strive to improve, and her skills were simply too trashy.
After all, even Leo couldn't relax. That battle with Hawk-Eye had basically turned up the heat on him, forcing a chronic slacker like him to start exercising in the morning.
And now it was even better: with this news breaking, Leo's days of slacking off were completely over.
Damn it all, that report! The whole world now knew that "an East Blue swordsman comparable to Hawk-Eye had appeared"—that was pure nonsense.
If he were truly on par with that bastard Hawk-Eye, would he need to be this nervous? He wouldn't have to worry about a thing.
Well... though it was a bit exaggerated, it wasn't far off.
...
While Leo was complaining, that piece of total garbage journalism had already spread to every corner of the world. Some people sneered, dismissing the report as mere sensationalism; others felt astonished, marveling at the vastness of the world; and still others couldn't care less, viewing it as none of their business.
...
In the New World, aboard a ship shaped like a giant whale.
"Pops, there's something new and interesting in the paper."
A pineapple-headed man with deadpan eyes held out a newspaper, handing it to the massive, powerful man sitting in the main seat, whose body was hooked up to multiple IV lines.
The tall man took the newspaper, glanced at it casually, and tossed it aside as he burst into hearty laughter: "Gurarara, it's news about that brat Hawk-Eye! To think he actually ran off to the East Blue and stirred up such an embarrassing piece of news."
The man chuckled for a good while before saying to the pineapple-headed man, "Give it to Vista. He should be interested."
The pineapple-headed man didn't answer immediately, instead letting out a sigh. "There's still no word on Ace, Pops."
That man was none other than the Strongest Man in the World, Whitebeard!
A flash of pain crossed his eyes, but then he let out a bold, hearty laugh. "It's fine. That guy Ace is my son, after all."
His grand, booming laughter seemed to echo across the entire expanse of the sea.
...
In the New World.
Inside a tavern on a certain island.
A large group of people were sprawled out in all directions, shirts open and chests bare, the air thick with the smell of alcohol.
"Ahahaha, ahahaha, keep drinking, keep drinking!" A red-haired man laughed, holding a mug in one hand.
At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a grey-haired man puffing on a cigar tossed a newspaper directly at the redhead.
"Puff... An interesting newspaper." He blew out a wisp of white smoke and casually sat down.
"Hiccup, what is it?"
The redhead let out a drunken hiccup and picked up the paper. When he saw the contents inside, he perked up considerably. "It's Hawk-Eye! Oh, hahaha, that pirate's going to have a hard time."
"You think it's true?" the grey-haired man asked.
The redhead stood up, smoothed the newspaper out on the tavern table, and chuckled. "I know Hawk-Eye; that guy isn't one to lie. Some of it might be exaggerated, but the part about his terrifying strength should be true."
The grey-haired man shook his head and pointed at the paper. "I don't want to worry about all that. That's not why I had you look at it—look at the corner of the cover."
"Hmm?"
At those words, the redhead looked over and spotted a figure in the corner. It was blurry and indistinct, but a Straw Hat stood out remarkably, instantly shocking him. "This is... Luffy!?"
The redhead's voice wasn't low, and the others crowded around as soon as they heard:
"What, what? Is there news about Luffy?"
The redhead held up the newspaper and laughed loudly. "Ahahaha, don't rush! That really is Luffy—he's set out to sea."
"Hahaha, that brat's gone to sea too."
"Whoa! To celebrate Luffy setting sail, let's have a banquet!"