Leo stood at the bow of the ship, arms crossed, one foot firmly planted, letting the sea breeze whip through his hair. The small boat beneath him rose and fell with the waves, steadily heading toward the slowly rising sun.
Though Leo struck a commanding pose, his mind was elsewhere. Since waking from his faint that day, he had been replaying everything in his memory. Then he remembered the same voice he had heard six years ago when his mother threw him into the sea. Could there be a connection between the two? Thinking of this, Leo's eyes welled up with tears.
But these weren't tears of sorrow—just the result of standing too long under the blazing sun. "Will… Will… oh, little fatty, come help me! My legs are numb." Leo squinted, his legs tingling from the strain of posing heroically.
Will rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Brother… is it morning?" He too was blinded by the dawn's rays and instinctively raised a hand. Through the gaps between his fingers, he saw Leo's silhouette, hair flying in the wind, a golden halo of sunlight framing him like a deity. Will froze. "Brother… you…"
You're talking nonsense! Come help me.
Bang! The illusion burst. Will finally saw Leo's face—twisted, tear-streaked. "Ah? Who… what's wrong, brother?"
With Will's help, Leo slowly sat on the deck. He let out a gentle sigh. "I wasn't careful… Will, take the helm. I need a moment to rest."
"Okay, brother, leave it to me!" Will patted his chest confidently.
"Ahem! Next time you make a promise, just tap your chest," Leo murmured, a hint of sweetness lingering in his words, swallowed to avoid embarrassing his little brother.
Will was thrilled. For the first time in his life, someone depended on him. The feeling warmed him inside, and he didn't want to disappoint Leo. He widened his eyes, staring toward the rising sun.
After a while, Leo felt better. He rubbed his eyes and lifted his head. "My goodness, Will, what are you doing? Where did your focus go?"
Leo grabbed the helm, quickly adjusting the boat's course. "You can't even do this? What use are you?"
Will's eyes were bloodshot, but he struggled to keep them open. When Leo pushed him aside and said he was useless, Will's spirits sank.
"I'm sorry, brother… I'm useless. I can't even handle a little sunlight."
"Stop crying. Why aren't you wearing the sunglasses I gave you?"
"I can't bring myself to… It's my first gift, I want to treasure it."
Hearing this, Leo felt helpless. Seeing him sulking, he softened. "Alright, it's my fault. I shouldn't have snapped at you. That pair of glasses suits you perfectly. If you wear them every day, I'll be happy."
"Really? Then I will!"
They sailed for hours. The sun now hung high overhead, making navigation difficult even for a seasoned navigator.
"Gurgle… brother, I'm hungry. When are we having breakfast?" Will complained in a pitiful voice.
"Hey, little fatty, you just ate an hour ago! Yesterday you nearly finished all my food. This is all we have left—bear with me."
Just as Leo and Will were bickering, a pirate ship appeared, flying a black flag. Its skull wore a colorful headscarf, eyes swirling with spiral patterns.
"Captain Fanny, there's a small boat ahead with a fat man and a child. What should we…"
"Hey, hey, hey, mates! Let's show them the power of the Psychedelic Pirates!" a sultry female pirate yelled.
"Brother, pirates ahead! Run!" Will hid behind Leo, trembling, eyes darting at the approaching ship.
"Don't be afraid, Will. Do you think I'm just anyone? Bring them closer." Leo studied the flag—it was one he'd never seen before. Hmph, just some petty thugs. Bad luck running into me.
Will looked at Leo with admiration. "Brother… you're so cool." He straightened, mustering courage, a fierce glint on his face.
Leo coached him. "Yes, that's it. Your expression should look a little fierce."
On the pirate ship, a sailor lowered his telescope. "Captain Fanny, the enemies are closing in."
"Huh? Are they blind? They can't even recognize a pirate flag?" Fanny nearly laughed. They were reckless, daring to approach her ship.
The small boat neared the Psychedelic Pirates' vessel. Leo shouted: "Hey, what's your bounty?"
Captain Fanny scoffed. "Listen well, kid. I'm Captain Fanny, bounty fifty million Berries. Hand over all your money if you value your life."
But seeing Leo, she quickly changed her tone. "Keep the money and the people. Lucky kid, from today, you're part of the Psychedelic Pirates."
Her crew, aware of her reputation, started teasing Leo, calling him a gigolo, claiming it was an honor to be chosen by the captain.
Bang! A pirate fell. "Damn it, another pervert trying to peek at my face! All of you, go to hell!" Leo sneered, blowing his nose disdainfully, clearly unconcerned with the pirates.
Fanny froze, then roared: "Look into my eyes, boy!" As she yelled, Leo and Will instinctively looked at her. Fanny's eyes glowed with multicolored spirals. Leo felt his consciousness slowly slipping away.
Fanny was a Devil Fruit user; anyone meeting her gaze would fall into illusions. Carelessly, Leo fell into her trap. His former home appeared before him, Susanna and Rick smiling at the door. Memories enveloped him completely.
Seeing her victims trapped, Fanny spat. "With skills like this, you dare go to sea? Men, tie them up. Today, I'll teach this brat a lesson."
Pirates threw grappling hooks, and seven or eight leapt onto Leo's boat, smirking.
Bang! Will moved. Swinging his fists, he knocked several pirates down.
Fanny gasped, eyes nearly popping. "What? You're not fooled by my illusion?"
Will stood in front of Leo, defensive, repositioning his sunglasses. "Hehe, thanks to my boss's gift," he said seriously.
Fanny studied him, noticing the glasses. "With your skin, no one would notice. Using this to counter my Devil Fruit… dirty trick!"
The pirates regained focus, raising cutlasses to fight Will. He worried about Leo and joined the battle. Despite injuries, he stood firm, protecting his companion, fear overridden by determination.
As Will neared collapse, a hand rested on his shoulder. "Good job, little fatty. Leave the rest to me."
Leo approached, a dark glint in his eyes. "A Devil Fruit user… I was careless."
Fanny laughed. "Hehe, I'm the infamous pirate, Phantom Fanny. Resist me, and today you all die here."
"Oh, this farce ends now," Leo sneered. Dark currents surged, dragging the remaining five pirates into the sea. The currents washed over Leo, turning the deep blue into dark gray.
Fanny, shocked, realized Leo was also a Devil Fruit user. Seeing him drenched in seawater, she ordered her crew to fire.
The attacks were too late; bullets struck his Sea-Prism Armor with sharp clangs. Leo raised his arm, aiming at the pirate ship. Blue star-shaped energy gathered in his palm. "Sink to the bottom, scum!"
Whoosh! Boom! Blue beams obliterated the pirate ship. Pirates fell into the water, dragged under before struggling.
Soon, a water sphere surfaced. Trapped inside, Captain Fanny had fainted. "Will, tie her up, especially her eyes. Five hundred million Berry bounty—enough to last us a long time."
The rest of the voyage was much smoother. At sunset, when the fiery sun sank into the sea, Leo's heart grew anxious. Had the message been a mere hallucination?
But if it wasn't, what did it mean?"The sun will guide you from birth to sunset… the sun… guides the way… could it really be?"
Watching the sun dip below the horizon, a thought struck Leo. He ran across the deck, shaking the boat wildly.
Will trembled. "Brother! What are you doing? Stop rocking the boat, it might capsize!"
After long exertion, Leo was drenched in sweat. He looked back to see Will lying terrified on the deck. "Damn, you're so fat and still lying in the middle! Are you stabilizing the ship's balance?" He wondered why the boat hadn't capsized yet.
"Will, get up and row. I want to flip this boat over."
"Ah… okay… okay."
Captain Fanny was also awakened. She rubbed her blindfold furiously, realizing she was now a prisoner.
But when she opened her eyes, she saw the horrifying scene: one child running around, another rolling on the deck. If they continued, the boat would overturn.
"Stop! Are you trying to commit suicide?"
Leo and Will ignored her, focused entirely on rowing.
"It's over, it's over! If I'd known you two were this crazy, I wouldn't have gotten involved!" Fanny's face turned pale, tears and saliva streaked her cheeks, looking utterly defeated.
Leo's face darkened. He shouted at Will, "Today, I'm taking you to the ends of the earth!"
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