After spending two days on Granar Island, Leo felt he had gathered enough information and planned to depart.
In the ship's cabin, the two of them huddled over a map, discussing their next journey. Leo pointed at the chart and said, "Lina, the next island is very far. Our ship can't make it all the way, so I plan to take a merchant convoy's tailwind ship."
Lina's interest was piqued. "Oh? Are we going to be guards, or join the pirate hunters?"
Leo Mantou was momentarily speechless. "Little girl, do you know what you're saying? Two ten-year-old kids applying as guards is a joke. Want to be pirate hunters? Even more ridiculous. This is the New World. Do you really think you'd survive even a day?"
Lina rubbed her head, still dizzy from an earlier bump, and looked at Leo suspiciously. "What do you mean? You can't hire them to protect us. Do we even have money?"
Leo had been waiting for her to ask, and he grinned with pride. "Haha, don't forget my skills. I earned our passage on the merchant ship by producing fresh water." Lina's eyes widened in realization, and she gave Leo a meaningful look. "You really are useful."
After breakfast, Leo took Lina to a clothing store. Granar Island was indeed a commercial hub. The store was filled with all sorts of clothes catering to every race: pants three times the length of the shirt for the long-legged, floor-length sleeves for long-armed, studded underwear, and even thongs with tails… Hmm?
Seeing Leo staring at an unusual skirt, Lina immediately frowned. "What are you looking at? Is that skirt nice?"
"Huh? No… I'm just curious how the tail is attached."
Soon, the shop owner approached. "What kind of clothes are you looking for? We have everything here." Leo pushed Lina forward. "Pick something that looks ordinary for her."
While Lina tried on clothes, Leo wandered the store, bored. The owner had excellent taste; the outfits were perfectly suited to the anime-like aesthetic. After browsing a bit, Leo picked out a set for himself and entered the fitting room.
He chose a suit: black pants slightly stacked at the bottom, a sleeveless black vest suitable for movement, a long red hooded windbreaker, and black combat boots.
Dressed, he posed in front of the mirror repeatedly. Feeling something was missing, he tied back his loose blond hair. Now, he looked much better.
Leo left the fitting room satisfied. When he returned to the hall, Lina had already changed. Leo almost thought he'd made a mistake. She wore a loose T-shirt with a cute design, paired with short denim shorts that barely covered her hips, and high-heeled sandals. The ankle straps made her legs look even longer.
Seeing Lina struggling to stand, Leo's mind raced with thoughts of confinement—or worse. He turned to the store owner. "Did you choose this outfit for her?"
The owner, oblivious to Leo's glare, nodded proudly. "Yes, I listened carefully to the customer's wishes and chose the most suitable outfit for this lovely young lady. See? My taste is impeccable."
Leo could only grit his teeth. He praised the owner politely before turning to Lina. "Was this your choice? Do you usually dress like this?"
Lina tugged at her T-shirt shyly. "Once, Susanna caught Uncle Rick reading secretly and asked if he liked this style. I saw a lady on the book cover dressed like this. I thought, since you're Uncle Rick's son, you probably like the same style."
Leo: "..."
Damn it! That jerk of a dad actually had a dark history? And he even broke his legs once? Pushing down his curiosity, Leo had the owner pick a more practical outfit for Lina. At least now she could move freely instead of in those shorts and heels.
With Lina dressed appropriately, they left the store. Just outside, Leo spotted the merchant convoy boss he had arranged with entering a tavern and decided to greet him.
At the tavern entrance, Lina sniffed the air and frowned. "What's that smell? It's awful. I don't want to go in."
"Alright, wait here and don't wander off. I'll be back soon."
About five minutes later, Lina was bored, kicking at the stones outside the tavern, when a cry for help came from a nearby alley.
"Help… help… uh-uh-uh…"
Cautiously, Lina peeked and saw two suspicious men stuffing a young girl's mouth with cloth and shoving her into a sack. One of the men kicked the sack, silencing her cries into muffled whimpers.
Furious, Lina charged. She kicked the man from behind before he could react. Something cracked. He screamed and collapsed like a flopping shrimp.
Caught off guard, the other man tried to draw a dagger, but Lina leapt and knee-struck him squarely in the nose. The two men fled together.
Lina proudly raised her chin, humming lightly, and freed the girl from the sack. The little girl, about five, had tear-streaked red eyes. Lina awkwardly untied her ropes. Before she could speak, more men rushed from the alley, likely allies of the ones she had just fought.
The leader's face was dark, and he quickly realized what had happened. Drawing a dagger, he pointed at Lina. "Which little brat dares ruin our business? Want to be a hero? Don't run. Brothers, catch them!"
Meanwhile, after chatting briefly with the innkeeper, Leo left the inn. Once outside, he realized Lina was gone again. Sighing—this was typical Lina—he tried to calm his rising blood pressure. "Don't get angry… Lina's just a child."
Scanning the area, he asked an older man nearby, "Sir, did you see where the little girl who was at the tavern went?"
The man's expression tensed. "Is that girl your friend?"
"Yes, do you know where she went?"
"Go, quickly! I saw a group of human traffickers chasing her toward the harbor."
"Human traffickers?" Leo was shocked. In the world of One Piece, traffickers were among the most detestable people. He hadn't expected Lina to be their target.
Without thinking, Leo ran toward the harbor. As he ran, the man called out, "The biggest ship in the harbor is the slaver ship!"
Leo didn't look back or say thanks, disappearing around a street corner. He didn't notice the man's sly grin as he pointed the way.
Leo ran desperately but couldn't see Lina. He had no choice but to pursue the slaver ship. According to the man, a massive black ship had just left port. "Damn, the traffickers got away!" Leo cursed and leapt into the sea.
The trafficker ship accelerated once at sea. Granar Island quickly became a faint silhouette. On deck stood a fat captain, who shot and killed a subordinate. "You idiots! Can't even handle something this simple, failing to catch two little girls! What use are you?"
"Boss, that girl was quicker than a monkey. We chased her through several blocks before she jumped onto a building and got away."
"Don't make excuses! Do you know how much a skilled girl is worth? My money is gone! How are you going to pay me?" The captain's rage only grew.
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
"What are you doing?!"
"You monster! Don't kill me…"
The fat captain turned, seeing two subordinates lying in pools of blood. "Who the hell are you, showing up out of nowhere and hurting my men? Don't want to live?" He drew a whip and lashed at Leo.
Leo dodged swiftly but was kicked mid-charge by a trafficker. Even blocking with his arms, the force sent him flying into the ship's railing.
"Bind the kid and throw him in the hold! Damn it, what terrible luck!"
Before anyone could act, Leo pressed his palms together—clap! Eight powerful jets of water shot up behind him.
"Devil Fruit user?" The traffickers' eyes gleamed with greed. Capturing him alive would be even more valuable than a Devil Fruit. "Catch him!"
Leo remained calm. The water obeyed his commands, trapping everyone on deck in spheres.
Seeing the fat captain struggling inside a water sphere, Leo showed no mercy. Pressing water against his dagger, he slashed—Deep Blue Blade easily severing the captain's arm like hot knife through butter, blood turning the water crimson. Without stopping, he cut off a leg.
Once done, Leo shrank the sphere, revealing the captain's head. A pig-like scream echoed.
"Hands, legs… damn you, how dare you…"
"Shut up! Say another word and I'll cut off the rest! Now answer me—where are my comrades?"
"Hey… uh… your comrades?"
"A little girl, about ten."
"No, we didn't catch her. If you don't believe me, check the cabins. All the slaves are there."
"Then you're useless." Leo raised his blade.
"Wait! I remember… before departure, my men chased two little girls, but they escaped."
Hmm? So Lina was still on Granar Island. Good. As long as she wasn't captured, she was safe. Leo had to get back quickly; she'd worry if she couldn't find him.
Determined, Leo ignored the fat captain's pleading and slit his throat. By then, the captain's men were already drowned in the water spheres.
That morning, a massive black ship had been pushed ashore at Granar Harbor. People inspecting it found numerous corpses and hundreds of slaves.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "One Piece: Shadows of the Throne" is 30 chapters ahead there