Leo snapped the chest shut and handed it to Ran. His gaze remained fixed on the pirate captain, a complex swirl of emotions in his eyes. "William... why didn't you just eat it?"
"That..." 'Great Scimitar' William pulled off his tattered bicorne hat and scratched his greasy hair, looking sheepish. "This thing is worth at least two hundred million Berries at an auction. Even after the house takes its cut, we'd walk away with a hundred and fifty million. With that kind of money, the boys and I could all head back to our hometowns and finally get married."
Leo couldn't help but chuckle. No wonder they were so cursed. Between getting lost in the Calm Belt, nearly being wiped out by the Spade Pirates, and now running into a Warlord... they had planted so many "death flags" they practically lived in a forest of them.
"I see. Well, for now, we're changing the plan." Leo turned to Ran. "How do we hitch their ship to ours?"
"Don't worry about that," Ran replied, a wide smile on her round face. A quick two-hundred-million-Berry windfall was enough to make anyone's day, and she knew there was likely more hidden in their hold. "We have heavy-duty towing cables specifically for prizes. We just need to hook them to their prow."
Most pirates stashed their long-term savings on remote islands, but they never sailed with empty pockets. The Kuja Pirates survived by plundering the plunderers, and the Scimitar Pirates' ship was now their property.
Even though the pirates weren't being executed, their hold was being systematically emptied. This was a reality William and his crew couldn't escape. Leo had even suggested a "management tactic": instead of killing them, make them carry their own supplies onto the Kuja ship. It kept them busy, drained their energy, and served as a constant reminder of who was in charge.
While Ran and the others thought it was a bit of a hassle, Hancock supported whatever Leo suggested, so it became law.
As the pirates shuttled bags of grain onto the Kuja deck, Leo watched them intently. He was profiling them—noting who worked honestly, who was looking for exits, who was bold, and who was too distracted by the sight of the warrior women.
William stood by, acting as an impromptu tour guide for his own misfortune. He explained that his crew of eighty-odd men used a specialized Carrack-style vessel from the South Blue—built for high capacity and decent firepower. Before entering the Calm Belt, they had been over a hundred strong, but combat, disease, and the Kuja's initial volley had whittled them down.
Their strategy was "The Poor Man's Siege": shred the enemy's sails with grapeshot, close the distance, and board. It saved ammo and kept the target ship intact. It was the tactic of a crew that was both large and remarkably stingy.
With a 40-million Berry bounty, William was a threat to most, but he was no Luffy. He didn't seek the One Piece; he sought a retirement fund. In the vast oceans of the Four Seas, where Marine presence was sparse outside of major bases, a man with a few hundred million Berries could disappear into a quiet village and live like a king.
Leo realized that "ambition" was a rare commodity. Most pirates were just looking for a "big score" to escape their lot in life. By sparing them, Leo had gained more than just labor—he had gained a window into the psyche of the common seafaring criminal.
The Kuja flagship began to move, its twin sea serpents straining against the weight of the towed vessel. The cables hummed with tension. On the Scimitar ship, a ragged cheer broke out. These men had oscillated between hope and despair three times in a single hour.
Now, though they had lost their treasure, their weapons, and their pride, they had gained the only thing that truly mattered in the Calm Belt: the chance to live another day.
They had kept their miserable lives, and for now, that was enough.