The Marine prisoner ship didn't linger long after dropping Leo at Baratie. He was, however, annoyingly followed by Alvida but ignored her, more curious about the commotion surrounding the floating restaurant.
He tied his repaired Shark Sub-Ski beside a strange, goat-shaped boat and entered from the rear, avoiding attention. Better to check things out first just in case trouble was already inside.
If it was pirates causing chaos, he wouldn't mind stepping in.
A few days of free food and rest after nearly a week at sea sounded like a fair deal, but it seemed his luck hadn't changed.
"Hey, future Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy… what the hell are you doing washing dishes?" Leo blinked watching Luffy break more plates than he cleaned.
'He's terrible at this… Did Garp teach him anything besides fighting?' Leo thought, staring for a moment.
"Aha—! That voice… It's Leo!" Luffy lit up instantly, grinning as he rushed forward hugging him tightly.
"So, how's your adventure been? Found any crewmates besides Zoro?" Leo asked, glancing back with curiosity as they separated.
Luffy's ears perked up again.
"Yeah, It was great! After we split, I met a girl named Nami, she's an amazing navigator! Then I met Usopp, the best sniper I have ever seen."
"You should meet him, he is too funny! And here I met a blonde guy… he's really strong and an amazing cook, but he won't join my crew." His excitement faded slightly at the end.
'Sounds like the cook's got a brain,' Leo thought.
"Hey, Leo…" Luffy suddenly pointed behind him. "Is that lady part of your crew?"
"What? No. She's a headache," Leo snapped, turning. "Stop following me, or I'll throw you into the sea." But instead of shouting back Alvida flushed, turned and ran off.
Leo paused thinking, '…What a mess.' He sighed and looked back at Luffy.
"She's the fat pirate I punched, the one who had Coby captive. She found a Devil Fruit later and her appearance changed like that."
"Ohhh!" Luffy nodded, impressed.
After chatting a bit more, Leo asked, "By the way… why were people running away earlier?" Luffy scratched his head recalling.
"Uhh… oh yeah! The cook I'm trying to recruit fed a really weak but dangerous pirate and let him go. Everyone thinks he'll tell his boss and come back to attack this place." He grinned.
"But if he does, I'll beat him up! Maybe that'll reduce my one-year punishment!" Leo stared at him for a long second.
"Good luck with your work and hope you recruit the cook."
With that, Leo headed toward the main dining area, hunger finally catching up to him.
As he stepped inside, he spotted a familiar face…
Zoro, sitting at a table with an orange haired girl and a long-nosed boy, seemingly arguing with a blonde waiter.
"Hey, Zoro… long time no see." The restaurant was already half-empty but at Leo's voice, everyone's heads turned toward him.
"Was there really a need for another criminal? This place is doomed!"
"We should inform the marine base and get out of here!"
The remaining customers hurled unnecessary curses at him, as though he was some kind of psycho killer.
"What is with the ruckus?" Leo said as he neared Zoro's table but the blonde man came near him glaring at him.
"Hey you are disturbing all the guests, didn't you read the sign outside, handsome men are not allowed in this restaurant." Sanji the cook said threateningly while Leo chuckled.
"I read that hungry people are allowed so i entered but why is everybody so afraid of me?" Leo asked, confused because their reaction was something over than usual.
"Didn't you read yesterday's newspaper?" The orange haired girl seated on the table handed him the newspaper where on the first page there was an article about him.
[Portgas D. Leo, a wanted criminal, killed a marine captain in cold blood and freed the ship full of pirates and dangerous criminals in east blue near Tequila Bridge on whose head there is a bounty of 50 million berries but only if captured Alive.]
"That is pure bullshit, the government ship was full of innocent civilians not criminals but I did kill the marine captain." Leo looked carefree and noticed his poster had changed once again.
In the previous poster his image was a little dark due to all light effects at the club but now his image was clear, only his upper body was visible holding the white dagger in reverse grip with his hands bound in cuffs, his blue eyes shining.
"This image is better than the previous one." Leo muttered while Nami sitting next to him snatched the newspaper.
"How can you be so relaxed? There's a bounty of 50 million berries on your head. Marines, pirates, bounty hunters everyone will be after you. And why would you kill someone who is a Marine…" Nami stopped mid-sentence, glaring at Leo as she realised her words weren't having any effect on him.
"That 'innocent' marine captain was planning to sell me on the black market, did you notice how they want me alive and not dead," Leo replied, his eyes drifting over the menu ordering a bunch of food items even paying in advance. "A man does what he must to survive."
"Very well, I'll feed you," Sanji said. "But if you so much as bother another beautiful lady like Nami, I'll personally throw you out." Clearly annoyed at the attention Leo was getting, he turned and headed back to the kitchen.
"I'm Leo. Nice to meet you all. So, you've all joined Luffy's crew? How's that going?" Leo asked, glancing across the group.
"You know him, he's as reckless as ever," Zoro replied simply.
"I'm Usopp! Sniper and temporary shipwright of the crew," the long-nosed boy introduced, puffing out his chest despite the tremor in his legs. "I command 8,000 men, so you'd better not mess with me!"
"Oh? The marine captain I killed had forty years of experience and was a Devil Fruit user, yet he went down easily. I was disappointed, thinking I wouldn't find a worthy opponent in the East Blue."
Leo leaned forward slightly, eyes settling on Usopp. "But it seems I was wrong. What do you say mighty warrior Usopp? A fight after lunch? Our battle would be legendary."
Usopp stiffened, his bravado collapsing. "N-no, let's forget that! I've seem to have caught a rare illness called 'can't fight fellow pirates'," he said, quickly looking away.
"By the way, Leo… I wanted to thank you for beating that captain, Nezumi. He's been tormenting my village for a long time," Nami said, her tone filled with genuine gratitude.
"Oh, I did more than just beat him," Leo replied, taking a sip of water. "And you don't need to thank me, I was just settling things for the same reason."
"What about those cuffs? Were you captured by the Marines?" Usopp asked, eyeing them cautiously.
"Yeah. Got caught on the second day of my voyage, but I managed to escape somehow. These cuffs seal half my strength and completely suppress my Devil Fruit powers. They're heavy as hell too… and constantly itch," Leo said, rolling his wrist slightly.
Usopp stared at him, baffled, trying to comprehend how he had still managed to kill a marine captain under those conditions.
"You said you have Devil Fruit powers, right? What is it? Luffy's got rubber powers, and he's pretty strong," Usopp asked, leaning forward with curiosity.
"Didn't you read the newspaper? Look here." Leo pointed at a single line printed clearly.
'Don't let him touch you!'
The words left Usopp confused.
"With a single touch, I can manipulate anything in my surroundings, living or non-living. I can heal, destroy, repair… just about anything you can imagine."
As Leo's words trailed off, Nami's eyes widened. If he could use that power freely, the problem of the fishmen in her village could be erased in an instant. Hope flickered only to dim just as quickly at his next words.
"But these seastone cuffs…" Leo lifted his wrist slightly, a faint clink sound echoed.
"They're among the hardest, most indestructible materials in the sea. Only a handful of people in the world could break them. Looks like I'll have to try my luck in the Grand Line."
Nami's excitement faded into disappointment, while Usopp's eyes sparkled with awe.
"Wow… that's insanely powerful," Usopp breathed.
"And insanely dangerous," Zoro added, calmly wiping his swords.
"Devil fruit abilities are so strong, I wish I had one…" Usopp asked, already drifting into a fantasy where he ruled the seas, Kaya by his side and a legion of loyal followers at his command.
"Well you could…," Leo said, slipping a hand into his pocket. "I do have a powerful Zoan-type Devil Fruit, the Bear-Bear Fruit. Eat it, and you can turn into a ferocious bear with many unique skills. I doubt even a marine captain could take you down after eating that."
Leo pulled out a small, berry-like fruit, its surface had swirling waves instantly drawing everyone's attention except Zoro's.
"Woah… I've never seen a Devil Fruit before!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed in unison, leaning closer but just as their hands moved to touch it, Leo pulled it back, slipping it into his pocket again.
"Not before you pay me 100 million berries."
Their expressions froze.
"Come on, even if it's real, how could it possibly cost that much?" Nami scoffed, convinced he was joking.
"You might not know this," Leo said evenly, "but in the Grand Line and beyond, even the weakest Devil Fruits sell for 100 million berries. I only showed you because you're Luffy's crew but if you don't have the money, I'll find another buyer."
Nami hesitated as her gaze lingered on his pocket for a moment longer, silently calculating the value of the Devil Fruit.
"Hey, Leo! You've gotta try this Sea King crab stick and beast meat, it's amazing!" Luffy suddenly appeared, already chewing on a massive slab of meat he had clearly stolen from Leo's plate.
"Damn it! Is this how you serve food here? Half-eaten dishes?" Leo shouted playfully, raising his voice just enough to draw attention.
Luffy lunged forward, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Come on, we're friends! Don't do this to me! That old man will make me work another year, I'll buy you another dish!"
"Do you have the money?" Leo raised a brow. "If you had any, you wouldn't be working here in the first place."
"Okay, fine—I'll just borrow it from Nami."
"Absolutely not," Nami shot back without hesitation.
"RUN! It's Don Krieg's galleon, it's heading straight for Baratie! He's here to loot and kill us!" A formally dressed man burst in, shouting at the top of his lungs.
The restaurant erupted into chaos. Customers scrambled for the exits, abandoning half-eaten meals, while some of the cooks began arguing, blaming the blond chef for bringing misfortune on them.
Moments later, a massive shadow of Galleon swallowed the Baratie Floating Restaurant.
Then, two figures entered through the main door of the restaurant.
A towering man clad in a heavy leather coat, exhausted, staggered forward supported by a much smaller companion.
"Please…" he rasped, desperately. "May I have some food and water?"
***
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