Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
"Throw PowerStones For my Support. Person with #1#2#3 Will get a chance for extra chapters preview"
Ignore WordCount
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.
"Auntie, good morning!" he called out habitually as he entered the living room.
There was no reply.
The cold morning light streamed in through the large balcony windows, making the pale floor look like a sheet of ice. The TV continued its broadcast to an empty room. On the dining table, a simple breakfast of milk, eggs, and toast was already laid out. A faint scent of violets hung in the still air, but his aunt was nowhere to be seen.
"Out this early?" Leo wondered aloud, but didn't think much of it. He turned and walked into the bathroom.
The bathroom was simple, containing only the essentials: towels, cups, and toothbrushes. Everything came in two sets, one large and one small. Leo, of course, used the smaller set. He'd repeatedly asked for the adult size, but his aunt had always refused on the grounds that he was still a minor.
Leo started washing his face, his reflection staring back at him from the mirror. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and the fair complexion of someone who spent most of their time indoors. The faint trace of youthfulness on his face, combined with the soft sweater and scarf he wore, gave him a slightly androgynous look.
He sighed. It was all his aunt's doing; she had a very particular aesthetic she liked to impose on him. At least he was tall for his age. At sixteen, he'd already cleared 170 centimeters.
Back in the living room, Leo sat down to eat his breakfast, his attention quickly drawn to the news report on the TV. It wasn't a local broadcast, but a feed from the World Economic Journal.
"—The notorious Don Krieg Pirates were apprehended yesterday in the East Blue. Sources confirm the newly promoted Marine Captain, 'White Chase' Smoker, was responsible for the capture…"
"—In other news, rumors continue to swirl around the Warlord Dracule Mihawk's recent activities. Eyewitnesses claim his coffin-like boat was spotted near the Baratie, a floating restaurant known for its… aggressive chefs…"
"—And in Alabasta, citizens have raised concerns over a series of droughts plaguing the nation. The World Government has yet to issue a statement, though Princess Nefertari Vivi has been seen attempting to rally the populace…"
It seemed like every story nowadays was about pirates, Marines, or some other world-shaking event. That was just the way things were.
Leo wasn't surprised. He took a sip of warm milk, the comforting heat spreading through his stomach. "What a strange world," he sighed.
It was true. Leo was a reincarnator.
The how and why of his death and rebirth weren't important anymore. What mattered was the world he'd been born into. A world of incredible, unbelievable power and adventure. He'd learned as much from history books when he was young. This world's major wars weren't fought with simple guns and cannons; they were decided by monstrously powerful individuals, some of whom could shatter islands. Devil Fruits, Haki, Sea Kings… it was all real.
This world was a chaotic mix of incredible technology and outright magic. A place where a single person's ambition could reshape the seas.
But none of that had anything to do with Leo.
For sixteen years, he'd been just a normal kid living a quiet life in Loguetown. His daily routine had never once been disrupted by any supernatural events…
Well, almost never.
There was the small matter of the strange ability he'd suddenly awakened last weekend, on his sixteenth birthday.
By making intimate physical contact with a female and exchanging… fluids… he could temporarily copy any abilities she possessed.
It was simple, direct, and frankly, a bit crude.
Leo had dubbed his power "Parasite." It was the kind of ability tailor-made for a villain or a creep, right up there with hypnosis or invisibility. Of course, Leo had no intention of using it for evil, or for heroics, for that matter.
To be honest, the ability seemed completely useless to him. How did it compare to a Logia-user's elemental body or a Zoan-user's monstrous strength? Was he supposed to ask his opponent to pause a fight so he could go find a girl to get a power-up from? Besides, if the girl was just a normal person, all he'd get was a slight boost in strength.
And for Leo, who'd been single his entire two lifetimes, the so-called super ability was effectively non-existent.
He quickly lost interest in the news and let his gaze wander. It fell upon a wooden shelf next to the TV, filled with photos of him from when he was a baby all the way to his current teenage self. They were all photos of him alone. His aunt never appeared in any of them, not even in the background. She hated having her picture taken.
Leo knew it wasn't because she was unattractive. He would swear on a stack of holy books that his aunt was a world-class beauty, easily rivaling the most famous actresses and models. He'd been with her since she found him as a baby, and in all that time, her appearance hadn't aged a single day. She was a timeless goddess.
"I have to get a photo with her next time," he resolved. "If I'm persistent enough… maybe she'll give in?"
As Leo was plotting, the doorbell rang.
Who could that be?
He frowned. In all his memory, his aunt had never once forgotten her keys.
As Leo walked to the door, and before he could even look through the peephole, a photograph was slipped through the mail slot, landing on the floor.
He stooped to pick it up and froze.
It was an old, black-and-white photo. The faded quality and yellowed edges marked it as a relic from a bygone era. The background showed a war-torn, desolate landscape, likely from a great conflict decades ago.
But what truly shocked Leo, what made his heart pound in his chest, was the person in the picture.
There, surrounded by soldiers in old-fashioned uniforms, was a woman who looked exactly like his aunt.
Under the deep blue of night, the city of Water 7 glowed, its neon lights and canals painting a scene far more dazzling than anything the day could offer.
A golden blur plummeted from a skyscraper, faster and straighter than a bolt of lightning. It shot past holographic billboards suspended a hundred meters in the air before crashing onto the roof of a five-star hotel below.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The impact shattered the rooftop tiles, leaving a shocking crater. At its center, the figure groaned a few times before pushing himself up with the aid of a long, silver sword. His body and clothes were, miraculously, undamaged.
As the cold night wind whipped around him, the dust settled, revealing a pair of bright, dark eyes. He held a longsword in one hand and had a round shield strapped to his other arm.
Leo's expression was one of pure misery. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked down at his… outfit.
The top was a small, form-fitting breastplate of red and gold, leaving his neck and shoulders bare. It even had a distinct structure clearly meant to accommodate… assets he did not possess. The bottom was a dark blue skirt, short enough to make even the most daring fashionista blush, leaving a scandalous amount of thigh exposed above his golden knee pads. A pair of silver bracelets adorned his wrists, and a silver, star-emblazoned circlet was settled on his forehead.
It was an outfit so revealing that any woman would feel self-conscious wearing it, let alone a man. And Leo was most definitely a man.
"What in the hell is happening to me?"
He wanted to cry. Just that morning, he'd been an ordinary high school student, convinced that supernatural phenomena were things that happened to other people. Now, he'd become… this.
Before Leo could even begin to process his situation, the air began to thrum.
Whump! Whump! Whump!
The buzzing roar of rotor blades filled his ears. A Marine patrol airship approached, its powerful searchlights sweeping across the rooftops and locking onto him. The powerful downdraft from the propellers made Leo acutely aware of the breeze between his legs, and he instinctively tried to pull the tiny skirt down.
But there was no time for modesty. If those Marines got a clear picture of him like this, he'd have to leave not just the city, but the entire island, maybe even the whole Grand Line.
"Damn it all!"
Leo gritted his teeth and raised his sword. Ignoring the terrifying drop below, he bent his knees and pushed off. Still unused to his newfound power, he put too much force into the jump, and the hotel rooftop beneath him crumbled under the strain.
He launched himself into the air just as the searchlight beam hit the spot where he'd been standing, soaring across the gap to land on another building dozens of meters away.
How he'd ended up in this ridiculous situation… well, that story began twelve hours earlier.
Twelve Hours Earlier.
An apartment in Loguetown, East Blue.
Leo yawned as he rolled out of bed. Through the door, he could faintly hear the morning news playing on the TV in the living room.
"Good morning, Loguetown! It's 7 a.m., and it looks like we're in for a cloudy day with a chance of light snow. The temperature is hovering around three degrees, so be sure to bundle up if you're heading out…"
He slapped his alarm clock off just before it could ring, the display showing 07:00. The annual Winter Festival was just around the corner.
"Time flies," Leo mumbled to himself. He found his slippers, pulled on his school uniform from the closet, and walked out of his room.