*Few moments before*
When the poisonous fog spread, Don Krieg was certain Leo would collapse soon enough, caught at the center of the explosion. For a brief second, victory felt within reach but it slipped away just as quickly.
In the next heartbeat, Leo broke his promise and something far more valuable.
His leg lashed out, coated in Armament Haki. He didn't aim for the chest or the head; he drove his foot with full bone-shattering force straight into Don Krieg's "family jewels" breaking them.
"Ahhhhhhh....." Suddenly Don Krieg screamed as if someone has ripped his soul apart.
An ear-piercing, soul-shredding scream tore through the fog. Krieg's eyes rolled back, his consciousness flickering like a dying candle as the sheer, unbearable agony threatened to shut his mind down completely.
(A/N: I doubt even Kuma can absorb his pain)
He didn't even have time to understand what had happened.
Leo moved again. Coated in Haki, his fist crashed into Krieg's jaw, shattering jaw bone and snapping his head to the side.
Before the pirate could gather a single coherent thought, Leo removed the gas mask from his face and secured it over his own, finally taking a long fresh breath.
Krieg's breath hitched, the poison he had unleashed filled his lungs instead.
He staggered, one hand instinctively covering his mouth as he dropped to his knees, choking.
A cold glint settled in Leo's eyes again; he wasn't done yet.
Without hesitation, he tore apart the chest plate of Krieg's armor, then drove a brutal kick into his chest. The force sent him crashing backward, his head slamming hard against the deck.
Before he could even move, Leo grabbed the broken pieces of golden armor and drove them down through Krieg's hands, pinning him firmly to the wooden deck.
Krieg tried to move, but he couldn't, Leo stepped forward and sat heavily on his chest.
Then the real beating began.
Fist after fist crashed into his face, each one heavier than the last. There was no rhythm, no restraint, just relentless punching. Pain blurred Krieg's vision, his thoughts scattering as realization crept in through the haze.
'This… was what it felt like.'
Every underhanded trick. Every cheap shot he had ever used. All of it, returned in kind.
The man in front of him, the one who had spoken of pride and fighting fair, felt like someone else entirely now.
And with the pain consuming his body, especially the agony radiating from down below, Krieg couldn't even think far enough to plead or admit defeat.
As the fog was blown away, Leo stopped and stepped back, quickly regaining his composure.
Standing above him, Leo pulled out a cylindrical capsule like necklace from his neck. Without hesitation, he brought it to his nose and inhaled. A faint stream of white gas slipped into his body.
Moments later, the red glow in Leo's eyes dimmed and his breathing returned to normal.
Krieg stared up at him, disbelief etched across his face.
"How did you know about the antidote?" Leo looked down at him with a cold expression.
"You're a coward, Don Krieg, and cowards always carry a cure for their own poison."
He watched Don Krieg's condition worsen with each passing second, blood spilling from his mouth and eyes in stream.
"You have another antidote, don't you? Tell me where it is, and I'll give it to you," Leo said, forcing a calm smile, playing the part of the generous winner.
Krieg let out a weak, broken curse.
"What do you think… bitch."
Those were his last words before his body went limp, slipping into unconsciousness soon to be dead.
Leo stared at him for a moment, then exhaled quietly.
'Well… I did what I could.' Without another glance, he turned and walked away.
Before anything else could be said, another crash echoed across the battlefield.
"Gum-Gum Spear!"
"Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
Luffy's fight reached its end in a burst of motion. The already battered second division commander was sent flying, his shields shattered as his body was hurled into the distant sea, disappearing beneath the waves.
For a brief moment, it seemed like everything was finally over—
"Don't move… or I'll blow this old man's head open."
A raspy voice cut through the calm.
All eyes snapped toward Baratie's entrance. There, Gin stood swaying, his body battered and bloodied. Yet his hand held a pistol pressed against the head of the old Zeff. Nearby, Sanji lay injured, struggling to rise.
"What do you think you'll gain by killing the man who fed you… and saved your life?" Leo said. "Nothing but guilt that'll follow you for the rest of your life."
Gin's eyes trembled, his resolve wavering.
"Leave my captain alone!" he shouted, though his voice lacked conviction.
Leo was going to leave him alone anyway thus without another word, he stepped back.
Krieg, broken and defeated beneath his feet, was no longer worth killing.
Clap… clap… clap…!!!
"You seem to have quite a lot of secrets," Mihawk said, his tone probing.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Should we begin our fight?" Leo replied, raising his fists. It was already torn and bleeding but he didn't appear exhausted.
"Before we do," Mihawk continued, "let me make one thing clear. I can cut those sea-prism cuffs but I won't."
"If we fight, I won't stop at defeating you. I'll have to capture you. That is why I came to the East Blue not as Pirate or world's strongest swordsman, but as one of the Warlord of the Sea, under the government's request… to capture you and Straw Hat Luffy."
Under that hawk-like gaze, Leo knew Mihawk wasn't lying. If he didn't free him from these seastone cuffs, Leo had no intention of throwing his life away in a reckless fight like Zoro had.
"Then why not capture us now and fulfill your duty?" Leo asked, just as Luffy stepped up beside him.
"Let's just say… the evil inside you," Mihawk said slowly, "I want to see how far it can survive in this sea."
Leo's brows furrowed. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. For a moment, it felt as if a deep buried secret within him had been dragged into the light.
"Yeah… I felt it too," Luffy added, scratching his head. "Inside that fog. There was another voice… not you, not that Krieg guy. It was a weird feeling. Like… I don't know."
'Pure Evil.' Leo described the feeling Luffy couldn't put into words.
More sweat gathered on his forehead. unease creeping in as he forced his expression to remain steady.
"You're imagining things, Luffy. There was no one else," he said, patting his shoulder lightly. "You did great out there."
"Hm… maybe," Luffy shrugged, letting it go.
Mihawk, however, said nothing.
Leo took a step forward, his voice rising just enough for everyone to hear.
"I won't beg you to cut these cuffs, Dracule Mihawk. I may be weak right now, but one day I'll fight you and defeat you. And when I do… you'll join my crew."
A wave of gasps spread across the surroundings.
Mihawk simply smiled, amused, studying the boy who wasn't even half his age with dreams beyond anyone his age would think of.
"I never turn down a challenge," he replied evenly. "But when that day comes… be ready to stake your life on it."
With that, he turned. His coffin-shaped boat drifted away, cutting through the water as he disappeared into the distance.
"Well… that was a waste of time," Leo muttered, glancing at his seastone cuffs. His gaze lingered briefly on Gin's retreating figure along with Don Krieg's broken body, before he looked away.
He had hoped to get rid of the cuffs but that chance was gone. Still… it was better this way. Mihawk hadn't chased him like Garp did.
"I should get going," Leo said, turning to Luffy so that there destination doesn't clash. "Where are you headed?"
Luffy scratched his cheek. "Uh… our navigator kinda stole our treasure and ran off. We're going to Cocoyashi Village to get her back."
Leo let out a short laugh. "That's why I told you not to trust people at first glance. Loyalty isn't that easy to buy. That's why I keep my most important things on me."
He reached for his belt, fingers brushing against the jade dagger—still there.
Then his hand wandered into his empty pocket.
'Wait Empty?'
The devil fruit was gone.
A beat of silence passed.
"...Damn you, Nami!"
Leo's shout rang across the sea, loud enough to make everyone's eardrums ring.