A bizarre object that could barely be called a ship sailed across the ocean.
Its name was The Wanderer. Its miraculous feature was that it relied neither on wind nor technology; it navigated entirely through the giant wings Lena had crafted using the Paper-Paper Fruit.
The destination of The Wanderer was the nearest marine base, the 133rd Branch—the Marine base in Shells Town, the place where Luffy's dream began.
"I wonder if we'll run into them," Leo leaned against the bulwark, muttering to himself.
Lena was lying on a lounge chair enjoying the sun. Hearing Leo's words, she asked casually, "Run into who?"
"Probably... my childhood idols."
"You're a bounty hunter."
Realizing at once that Lena had misunderstood, but finding it hard to explain, Leo was deliberately vague: "I'm not talking about the Marines. I can't make you understand, so don't ask."
After a while,
The outline of Shells Town gradually came into view, and the traffic of passing ships increased. Passersby cast sidelong glances at the unique design of The Wanderer.
It certainly stood out. After all,
who puts wings on both sides of a ship?!
Wait, the Ghost Man's ship had wings, so...
That's the Ghost Man!!
Shock!!
However, Leo paid no attention to those bizarre, shocked, admiring, and awe-struck gazes. His eyes were fixed on an inconspicuous small boat!
There were only two people on that boat: one wearing a straw hat and looking not very bright, and the other with short green hair and three swords hung at his waist.
This was it—there was no mistake. These two were none other than Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro!
They actually ran into them!
A wave of surprise washed over Leo, and amidst his astonishment, his mind began to race.
Since the plot had just begun, there was plenty of room to maneuver later on. With the relevant storyline in his head, he could completely...
No, too troublesome. Whoever wants to deal with it can deal with it; Leo didn't want to get involved in all that.
Being able to see the male protagonist and deuteragonist of One Piece with his own eyes was already satisfying enough. As for whether to make contact, Leo flat out refused.
Based on his understanding of the plot, stripped of all rose-colored filters:
Luffy was a purebred suicide king, and getting too deeply involved with him was definitely not a good choice.
Consequently, Luffy's little battered boat did not cross paths with them, but sailed away in a different direction.
Lena got up, walked over to Leo, and following his gaze, spotted Luffy and Zoro. She couldn't help asking, "Who are they?"
Without answering her question, Leo said with an air of mystery, "I have a feeling they're going to turn The World upside down."
Hearing this, Lena looked back at the small battered boat. After double-checking, she said in astonishment, "Those two? Are you kidding?!"
Leo withdrew his gaze and walked back. "Who knows."
"Hey, hey, why would you think that?" Lena hurried after him.
"Well, just a hunch."
"Are they pirates?"
This...
Leo hesitated. Luffy and his crew didn't seem to have bounties on their heads right now...
"They will be."
...
The two went ashore at Shells Town, Leo carrying a head wrapped in paper as they headed toward the Marine base.
The purpose, of course, was to cash in the bounty.
Along the way, they met quite a few townspeople. Everyone wore joyful expressions and appeared immensely excited; even the sallow and malnourished ones were the same.
Finding this puzzling, Lena asked, "How come the people here feel so, um... cheerful?"
"Probably because they've been liberated," Leo said casually.
"Oh yeah, I heard the commanding officer here is quite brutal."
"That's the Marines' problem."
...
Chatting back and forth, the two made their way toward the Marine base.
They finally reached the base gates, but the current state of affairs was appalling.
Collapsed buildings were everywhere, and there was even a huge statue lying flat on the ground. Marines hurried back and forth, completely ignoring Leo and Lena standing inside the base.
Lena stood there blankly, scratching her head. "Um, do we still get to cash ours in?"
"I don't know. Let's ask."
With that, Leo reached out and grabbed a passing Marine who was rushing by. "Hey, buddy."
The Marine froze for a second, as if he had only just noticed the two of them, and said, "Huh? What is it?"
It's just like triggering an NPC for a dialogue,
Leo mentally complained, a rare occurrence.
Outwardly, however, Leo explained quite normally: "We're bounty hunters. Look, these are the heads of some wanted pirates."
He handed the head he was carrying to the Marine.
The Marine, however, waved his hands repeatedly. "Ah, well, sorry you two, our base isn't very free right now and we can't help you temporarily. Please come back in a few days."
With that, he walked away.
Leaving the two of them speechless.
Lena stretched. "Oh well, let's stay here for a few days. We've been drifting on the sea..."
"We're leaving right now. Let's find another place," Leo said abruptly, speaking at a rapid pace.
Lena: "?"
Could I possibly tell her that because I'm a transmigrator, I know in advance that Vice Admiral Garp is coming?
Still, Leo wasn't a pirate, so he didn't need to worry about Garp beating him up.
What he worried about was that Garp might take a fancy to his strength, see that his record was clean, and drag him off to become a Marine...
Well, although that sounded a bit absurd, it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, someone once said: If trouble doesn't come looking for you, don't go looking for trouble.
Leo's tone turned unnatural. "Ahem, I feel like the issue of Bellies should be resolved as soon as possible. We should just go straight to the nearest Marine base and cash them in."
Lena was quite a character herself; she bought it immediately. "Fine, but when did you become so obsessed with money?"
"Because I've realized a profound truth: money isn't everything, but without money, you can't do anything!" Leo spouted nonsense with a straight face.
Drip, drop...
Tears welled up in Lena's eyes. They were tears of gratification. Wiping away her tears, she choked out, "It's been three years... you've finally seen the light. Wuwu, I'm so moved..."
Leo: ......
...
The two boarded The Wanderer and set sail once more.
A day later,
An island appeared with a small town named Pozzi Town, which also happened to house a Marine base, the 166th Branch.
They went ashore and headed toward the base. The base commander here was a young white-haired man, and he met with Leo and Lena.
Leo handed over the two heads, which were on the verge of rotting; their outlines were barely recognizable, but the two pirates were still identified.
The commander readily handed over the bounty, and Leo just as readily took the money. The two conversed cordially and later headed to a tavern to drink to their hearts' content.
During this time, Leo noticed that this man was articulate, had been through a lot, and carried a story within him. Buoyed by the alcohol, he asked him, "Brother, why are you a small-time Marine here in the East Blue?"
"I don't want to go out there anymore."
"Why?"
"I have a new life."
...
The two spent a day in Pozzi Town. At noon the next day, they boarded The Wanderer.
On the boundless ocean, Pozzi Town had already shrunk to the size of a fingernail.
"I think that Marine is pretty nice, much better than the other Marines in the East Blue. He actually looks like a decent human being," Lena's voice rang out.
Leo, who was comparing the size of the island with his fingernail, pulled his hand back and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think so too. Wait, is it right for us to talk about him like that?"
"By the way, do you know his name?"
"Um... sounds like Red Time, or something like that. Should be that name."
"Hahaha, it sounds quite a bit like yours."
"What a coincidence. Oh well, let's not think about it anymore."
"Our next destination is..."
With the speed of lightning, Leo whipped out a navigation chart from parts unknown, held it high above his head, and shouted with excitement: "Baratie Floating Restaurant!"
"No!!!"