Under Cade's bombardment, the entire warship was nearly totaled, its back half caved in completely.
Surveying the devastated scene, Lena asked, "Is he dead?"
"The moment you say those words, I know he isn't." Leo replied with absolute certainty.
Combine that line with the Law of Surviving Smoke, and that bear-luggage was going to be just fine.
"Roar—!"
Sure enough, right as Leo's voice trailed off, a sudden, furious roar shook the ocean into a frenzy.
The pile of rubble exploded with a loud *bang*, sending wood splinters and debris flying everywhere. Standing amidst the ruins was a bear-man drenched from head to toe in his own blood, bowing at the waist, panting heavily, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.
Leo was startled for a moment, looking down at Cade from his superior height, and offered sincere praise: "As expected of a Zoan Devil Fruit, thick-skinned and seriously tough to cut."
Lena thought to herself: *That's sarcasm, definitely sarcasm.*
"Roar... Though I don't know how you dodged that, it doesn't matter anymore. The power granted by the Brown Bear Fruit! The more damage I take, the higher my attack power becomes!"
Transformed into a bear, Cade was brimming with confidence, completely devoid of his previous panic. Even covered in blood, his voice remained vicious:
"Taste this—the damage you inflicted!"
"Fierce Bear: Chaotic God Strike!"
His bear paws radiated an eerie, fierce light, his thick arms bulging even larger than before. He pulled his arms back, then fiercely lashed out with a claw strike. Five crimson claw shadows materialized in the air and hurtled straight toward Leo.
The wind...
"Personal Style: Ghost Assault."
Leo reached out to grip the Executioner's Blade, turned his body slightly, and then fiercely drew his blade to slash at the claw shadows. With a *bang*, every single claw shadow was shattered.
He narrowed his eyes, sized Cade up, and voiced the question on his mind: "Not a regular Zoan. Ancient or Mythical?"
"Kill you... Kill you!"
"Roar—!"
Roaring once more, his eyes turned an eerie, bloodshot red, devoid of any trace of sanity, as if he had gone berserk. He ignored Leo's question because:
At that moment, all he wanted was to kill the person in front of him, to crush his body to pieces. That single thought occupied his entire brain, making it almost impossible for him to think.
Thump, thump, thump...
"Fierce Bear: Roar!"
He beat his chest violently, then took a massive gulp of air, creating a swirling vortex of air around him as his chest puffed out like a giant bullfrog.
Then, opening his gaping maw, with a deafening *bang*, a white-current shockwave blasted straight out of his mouth. A massive "white pillar" surged toward Leo at blistering speed, radiating dazzling light.
"A bit blinding."
Leo squinted slightly, but his hands moved without delay. He raised the Executioner's Blade and brought it down in a vertical chop. A flash of blade light appeared—
"Ghost Assault."
*Whoosh!*
A dark red blade flash flickered, and the "white pillar" was cleaved right down the middle, deflected outward to either side of Leo and shooting straight into the sky, where it finally exploded in the high altitude with a muffled boom.
Thump, thump, thump...
It was the sound of Cade beating his chest again, and he was even letting out weird cries, looking completely mentally unhinged.
It made Leo curl his lip in disgust, speaking in a dismissive tone: "Devil Fruits even come with side effects."
"Not all Devil Fruits are like this!"
Having flown up into the upper air right as the battle started, Lena stood up for Devil Fruits.
"...That was just my inner monologue, you don't have to reply to every single thing I say." Leo silently muttered to himself.
*Bang!*
Cade leaped up from the bottom of the ship, jumping more than ten meters high, his hands clasped into a hammer shape. His landing point was precisely where Leo stood.
"ROAR!!!"
"Count yourself lucky that you get to let me send you to hell with my own hands." Raising his head to lock eyes with Cade, Leo's eyes flashed with a hint of crimson.
The Executioner's Blade at his waist was gripped tightly by his fingers, slanted back behind him as he slowly chanted the name of his technique:
"Personal Style: Ghost Slash."
The Executioner's Blade was infused with an overwhelming killing intent, emitting an ominous aura.
Then, just as Cade began to fall toward him, he swung the Executioner's Blade from bottom to top, producing a crisp tearing sound in the air—
*Shing!*
A dark-red blade wave instantly rose from the ground, filling Cade's vision in an instant.
*Squelch!*
The slash struck squarely against the falling Cade, hitting him dead center in the torso and embedding deeply.
*Whoosh—*
The entire bear was carried upward by the flying slash, flying a full dozens of meters before the slash finally dissipated.
Cade then fell in free fall from the high altitude, slamming into the stern of the ship with a heavy *thud*, leaving a massive indentation and remaining motionless as blood pooled into a small puddle.
He was dead.
...
Job done, time to pack up.
Leo strapped his sword back onto his back and patted his clothes. Lena immediately descended to his side, resting her chin in her hand as she pondered: "I feel like something is off with him. Perhaps that wasn't because of a Devil Fruit."
"Why do you say that?" Leo walked forward, speaking without looking back.
Lena flew along to keep up, explaining: "I observed closely. That was just a very ordinary Zoan. It shouldn't be enough to turn him into a bloodthirsty monster. It must be external interference."
Lena's voice was heavy.
Leo was silent for a moment, then shook down his head and said: "...Perhaps you're right, but it's none of our business. Since they're from the Grand Line, it's not our place to manage it either."
"True." Lena nodded upon hearing this, then asked, "So, are we leaving?"
"Let's go. Find a Marine base to cash in the bounty, let's get those thirty million first." Leo walked to the outer edge of the warship, facing The Wanderer and stretching.
Hearing the word "bounty," Lena immediately smiled: "Right, right, bounty."
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"Wait! Your Excellency Ghost Man and Lady Angel!" It was Budoli's voice.
The two turned back to look, only to see Budoli standing at the outer edge of the cargo ship, looking at them.
"Need something?" Leo crossed his arms.
"Angel? Me?" Lena pointed at herself in surprise.
Budoli's attitude was sincere as he bowed in gratitude: "Thank you both so much for saving my life. My name is Budoli Bell, from Shajeton in the Grand Line, one of the governing ministers. Please do not refuse my token of appreciation."
Oh!
Leo and Lena exchanged glances, their eyes hiding boundless joy.
Leo dropped his crossed arms, letting his hands fall naturally: "Of course I won't refuse."
Why isn't he playing by the rules?!
Budoli was momentarily at a loss for words: "Uh..."
Got it.
The two exchanged glances once more, their eyes filled with utter disappointment.
"If you've got nothing to say, speak up."
Leo shook his head in disappointment: "Let's go, Lena."
"Wait! Your Excellency Ghost Man!" Budoli called out to stop Leo again, shouting to retain them: "Old man here is in a state where I can't pull out a reward right now, but if you can accompany me back to Shajeton, I will definitely offer a heavy reward."
"Cut to the chase, you just want us to escort you back, why beat around the bush so much?" This time it was Lena who spoke up, floating beside Leo with a disdainful expression.
"Ahem, well..." Even though Budoli had witnessed many grand scenes, having his inner thoughts exposed right on the spot by a young person still dealt a minor blow to his composure.
"Not going." Leo said.
"......Ah?" Such a decisive refusal left Budoli barely able to react.
"Didn't you hear clearly? Not going." Seeing Budoli's expression, Leo frowned, deeply impatient.
Deference to elders was something reserved for his past life and the village he was born into. As for out on the ocean—
Forget it.
Leo stepped onto a raised wooden plank, lifted his chin slightly to look at Budoli, and stated resolutely:
"You guys? I just happened to run into you. That guy just happened to be blind, and I just happened to help you out. It's all a coincidence. You don't need to thank me, and I won't give you my address, even though I don't have a fixed home."
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