"Oi, Leo… let me drive this shark boat… when will it be my turn…?" Luffy lunged for the controls, and Leo resisted, the struggle making the boat jolt violently as it threatened to flip.
"You idiot, you don't even know how to drive this thing! You'll break it and we're both Devil Fruit users. What if we sink?" Leo shoved him back with all his strength.
"Don't underestimate me! I'm the future King of the Pirates. I'll just try it for a bit and give it back. The weather's clear, the sea's calm, what's the worst that could happen?" Luffy grinned.
He had been pestering Leo since last night to let him drive this boat.
Leo scanned the horizon, the sky was clear, the sea calm with no sign of Sea Kings. Letting out a reluctant sigh, he gave in.
"Fine… just press this pedal to control speed, and keep the steering steady. Don't use too much force."
"I know, I know—I'm not a kid," Luffy shot back, already swapping seats.
"Wohhh—Yahhhh! It's fast… but not fast enough!" Luffy slammed the pedal down. The shark sub-ski roared forward at full speed, skimming the surface, cutting through waves, diving and leaping across the water.
"Stop, you idiot!" Leo tried to pull him back, but Luffy held on tight, laughing wildly.
"Enough! The whole thing's creaking, give it back!" Leo grabbed him again, but Luffy's body stretched, his hands gripping the controls firmly.
"I'll give it back when we reach the next island!" Luffy shouted, taking a sharp turn with a gleeful laugh.
"That's not what we agreed on! And how are you even going to reach the next island? You don't know how to navigate, move!" Leo snapped, coating his fist with Armament Haki and smacking Luffy on the head.
"Ow! Don't hit me with that, it hurts!" Luffy complained, immediately jerking the controls in retaliation and turning back to face Leo.
Leo's expression darkened as he saw what had happened.
During the sudden twist, Luffy's hands hadn't let go and the entire steering mechanism had come out.
"You idiot… you broke it." Leo shoved him aside and grabbed the wheel, trying to fix it, but it was already useless.
"Ahhh… I broke it? No, you hit me, it's your fault!" Luffy argued.
Ignoring him, Leo turned his attention to stopping the boat only to realize there was another problem.
Luffy had already broken the speed-controlling pedal that's why they had been racing forward uncontrollably for the past few minutes. With his abilities sealed by sea prison cuffs, Leo could do nothing but wait for the boat's power to run out.
"Damn it, Luffy! I can't fix anything unless we stop first. I swear, the moment we reach the next island, I'm throwing you off," Leo snapped, already regretting the day he ever decided to help this walking disaster. Ever since crossing paths with this family, his life had turned upside down.
The boat suddenly spun into a wild 360-degree turn, throwing everything into chaos—treasure, Leo and Luffy crashing into one another within the cramped space, while the small wooden boat Luffy had tied behind them was left far behind, lost from sight.
Before they could recover, the vessel plunged beneath the surface, diving deep into the sea. Both of them scrambled, pushing against the controls, barely managing to tilt its nose upward. Through the glass, they saw fish scattering and then a massive shadow looming above the water.
Instead of stopping, the reinforced frame tore straight through the shadow, it wasn't a sea creature, but the hull of a ship. The shark boat ripped through it from below, bursting up onto the deck and smashing into the cabin, leaving destruction in its wake.
Leo forced open the hatch, and both he and Luffy tumbled out, coughing and gasping for air as they sprawled across the wrecked deck.
"Damn it, Luffy… I've had enough of you… cough… cough…" Leo wheezed, still catching his breath.
"It's your fault!" Luffy shot back immediately.
"You already broke the pedal! Don't lie to my face!" Leo snapped.
The two glared at each other, foreheads colliding as their argument escalated right until a furious voice cut through them.
"You brats… how dare you damage my precious ship! I'll skin you both alive and feed you to—…eh?" A large woman stopped mid-rant looking at Leo whom she had been searching for the past 2 days.
"Shut up, you loud hag," Luffy shot back without hesitation, stepping away.
The entire crew froze in shock.
"Hey," Leo added coldly, glancing at the damage, "fix that hole in your hull. We're borrowing this ship until we reach the next island."
The woman's face twisted in fury. "What did you just say to me? The nerve! Speaking like that to the great and most beautiful pirate, Alvida! I'll make you my slaves and—"
She swung her iron mace down at Leo's face but before it could land, Leo caught it with his armament haki coated hand.
A faint metallic sheen coated his hand as he tightened his grip. With a sharp crack, the mace shattered into pieces that clattered across the deck.
"I don't have time for your delusional nonsense," he said flatly.
Before she could react, his fist coated in Armament Haki drove forward, striking her squarely in the face.
The impact sent her flying across the deck, smashing through the railing, her figure shrinking to a dot as she crashed into the distant sea.
"Oh… man, you sent her flying pretty far…" Luffy shaded his eyes, watching Alvida vanish into the horizon.
Leo cracked his knuckles and glanced at the stunned crew. "What are you standing around for? Fix the ship or do you want to follow your captain?"
"Yes, we'll fix it!"
"Don't hit us, please!"
"Good," Leo muttered. "And you pink hair boy, bring some food and water for me. Also, tie up this idiot wearing straw-hat before he sinks this ship too."
He moved to the front, leaning against the long swan neck of the vessel, scanning the horizon.
The damage to Alvida's ship wasn't catastrophic, the crew managed to patch the hole quickly. Soon, the ship steadied, no longer sinking in water.
The pink-haired boy returned with food and drink for Leo, then tried to tie Luffy up, only to end up tied himself, as Luffy cheerfully questioned him instead.
'He broke both fins and bent the boat's nose…' Leo thought, glancing at his battered shark boat. 'If my abilities weren't sealed, I could fix it instantly. Now I'll need the proper materials.'
He could have abandoned it, but it was a reliable escape method, needed now more then anytime since his abilities were sealed.
Besides, from his previous life, he'd always loved unique vehicles. Owning one had been a distant dream but now, as a pirate, he had a new goal: to collect rare ships.
After half an hour, with the hull patched and leaks sealed, Leo walked back toward Luffy and the pink-haired boy.
"Hey, Leo! His name's Coby and he wants to become a great Marine! Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.
Leo studied the boy, fear and determination mixed in his eyes.
"A Marine, huh…? You've got guts saying that in front of pirates," Leo said. "But it's good to have a dream."
He turned to the crew. "Listen up, you deck rats, I don't know where we are thanks to a certain idiot. Take us to the nearest inhabited island."
Soon Luffy wandered off and Coby stepped closer.
"I overheard you talking about repairing your boat. There's a Marine base town nearby, you'll find what you need there. But… are you sure you want to go? Your face is already in the newspapers."
Leo shrugged. "I'm not afraid of Marines. A base town just means better supplies." He paused, then added, "We'll drop you there and you can start working on that dream of yours."
Coby straightened, grateful. "Thank you… really. Because of you and Luffy, I am finally free. But there's something else, you should be careful of. There's rumors of someone dangerous there… a man known as Roronoa Zoro. They call him the Pirate Hunter. He's never lost to a pirate in the East Blue."
"Sounds interesting." Leo passed him.
Coby watched him walk away, unsure whether to feel relieved or worried.
'Am I overthinking this…? He did send Alvida flying with one punch…' With that, the ship sailed steadily toward the Marine base town.