"I used to be a petite bourgeois—you know what that means?"
"It's someone who doesn't worry about food or money, who lives better than most people, works a light job each day, watches the news, and rants angrily at the government or anything they find unjust. They live comfortably, complain dramatically, but don't exploit others, nor are they exploited. They simply enjoy an abundance of resources and time—luxuries most people can only dream of."
His words puzzled Boa Hancock at first. But then she thought of the privileged lives of those living in the Sabaody Archipelago. It made some sense. There were indeed people like that in the world. Perhaps the families of World Government officials or Marines stationed in Mary Geoise lived similarly.
"And then… I caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon."
The man sat casually on the floor and yanked a cushion from the bed to place under himself, avoiding the cold stone beneath. His nonchalance made Hancock frown slightly.
But she reclined back, and at some point, a giant pink-patterned snake slithered out from behind the curtain, coiling itself into the shape of a sofa, letting the Empress sit in comfort.
Leo's eye twitched slightly. He recognized that snake from the manga, but witnessing it in real life was a different matter entirely—it was enormous, easily twice his own height. Its speed was stunning; it had appeared behind Hancock before he could even blink.
The top-tier combat strength of this world was even more formidable than he had imagined.
He gave a dry chuckle. "As a fellow slave, you should understand… some of us, for whatever reason, become favored by our masters. People like me… people like you."
Hancock's expression turned ice cold.
For her, the memory of being a slave was a forbidden scar, one that must never be touched. And yet this man spoke of it so openly, as if he'd already tossed aside the fear of death.
Maybe it was because they were both once slaves.
Maybe it was because, for now, they were alone.
Hancock didn't speak. She simply listened in silence, her cold gaze fixed on him. But in her heart… perhaps there was a sliver of resonance. A shared torment from a hell they both knew too well.
She would never speak of it herself. But now, through his words, the pain was given voice.
"So… we were treated a bit differently than other slaves."
"We were slightly freer."
"That slight bit of freedom gave me certain advantages."
"I didn't dare eat a Devil Fruit—it would make me too easy to control. Seastone would leave me powerless, and if push came to shove, I wouldn't be able to escape into the sea."
"So I obediently played the part of the loyal servant. There were times… I even thought, maybe this isn't so bad. Compared to the average person in the Four Blues, I didn't have to fear pirates, or corrupt Marines extorting me. I was weak, but I didn't need strength to survive. In many ways, I lived better than most. Maybe… maybe I could just stay like that forever."
Hancock scoffed with disdain.
Yes, she had once been the most beautiful of the slaves—but she had two sisters, whose appearances were far less appealing. She had seen firsthand how slaves who weren't favored were discarded or separated without mercy. If not for her pleading and protection, her sisters might have been thrown away by the Celestial Dragons long ago.
That kind of favor was fleeting and meaningless.
The Celestial Dragons were like children—worse, even. Their attention span was pitifully short. At first, they found her adorable, and so she was doted upon. But soon, they grew bored. For entertainment, they forced the three sisters to consume Devil Fruits.
And not long after… they grew tired again.
The man's naive hope was nothing more than a pathetic self-deception born in the pits of hell.
Sure enough…
"But because of one incident… I lost their trust."
His face contorted in pain. Veins bulged across the back of his hand.
Whatever that memory was, it clearly wasn't a happy one.
Hancock didn't gloat. Instead, she recalled her own past.
There had been a time when she, too, basked in their favor. It felt like bliss.
But when they lost interest, she was discarded like trash.
His pain was brief but intense—etched deep in his bones.
Yet that agony shattered his illusions, burned away his false comfort, and left behind only resolve.
"So, I escaped. And somehow… I drifted here. To this island. To you."
He lifted his gaze to meet hers.
But unlike the countless men who ogled her and were swiftly turned to stone, this man's eyes held something different.
Something deeper.
"Warlord of the Sea. What is it?" Hancock finally spoke after a pause.
"The Warlords," Leo replied, his black hair swaying slightly as he smiled, "are something I overheard while the Celestial Dragons were speaking with the World Government."
"After the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, died, the seas exploded into chaos. The World Government found itself overwhelmed by the rising number of powerful pirates. So, they came up with a plan—to recruit some of those pirates, and turn them into their enforcers. To have pirates hunt pirates. That's the core idea."
Hancock scoffed at the very notion. "Who in their right mind would become a government lapdog?"
"But what if the deal included immunity from bounties?" Leo raised a finger. "What if you were allowed to plunder legally? What if your land was granted official recognition and guaranteed protection from Marine attacks?"
Each point came with a raised finger. By the fourth, Hancock's expression began to shift.
"So what?" she snapped. "My daughter country lies in the Calm Belt. Why should I fear the Marines? Their conditions mean nothing to me."
She crossed her arms, utterly dismissive of any threat.
"But what if… the World Government has developed warships that can now navigate the Calm Belt?"
Leo raised a fourth finger, his smile deepening.
Since his escape from the Celestial Dragons, he had tasted true freedom. But more than that, he had finally been able to use the vast trove of intelligence in his mind to its fullest. He now had the chance to move freely—and manipulate situations, like the one in front of him.
Hancock furrowed her brow and fell silent.
The Calm Belt was the Kuja Pirates' lifeline, their natural defense.
If the Marines could truly cross it, then Amazon Lily's survival would be threatened overnight.
The nation would be forced to choose:
Submit—or perish.
There would be no third option.