"The fishman named Chew, the one who had the Devil Fruit was tailing me… no, actually, he was the strongest of them, so I lured him out," Usopp began, enjoying his own heroic version of events.
"I beat him pretty easily," he added quickly, "though I got a little injured by my own power, Then I took the Devil Fruit from him and was heading back to help you guys clean things up." He paused, scratching his head, trying to recall what happened next.
"I was coming back when… I slipped on the wet ground and hit my head, knocking myself out. The last thing I remember is the fruit flying up, it must've landed in my mouth… and I ended up swallowing it subconsciously. After that… I don't remember anything."
"Hahahaha! Usopp, you're funny!" Luffy burst out laughing.
"I kinda ate my Devil Fruit the same way, I thought it was just a normal fruit!" No one else laughed at his declaration.
"Don't try to use its power for now," Leo said. "I'll explain whatever I know about it later."
His gaze shifted past them to the bound, glaring remnants of Arlong's crew. The six-sword-style user, Hachi, was nowhere among them.
"What do we do with them?" Leo asked, glancing at Nami nearby.
The villagers quickly broke into argument, some insisted on handing them over to the Marines, others, those who had lost their loved ones, demanded harsher punishment.
Leo ignored the noise and fixed his eyes on Arlong, asking a simple question.
"What will you do now?" Not far away, Luffy also looked over, curiously.
Arlong bared his teeth, hatred burning in his eyes. "I'll crawl out of hell if I have to, you human scums. I'll come back and burn this entire island and—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because next second, Leo's arm shot forward in blurred motion.
His Haki-coated hand pierced straight through Arlong's chest.
And for a moment, everyone froze.
Leo looked into his eyes as he slowly pulled his hand back, Arlong's still-beating heart held in his grip. The fishman's eyes widened in disbelief before the light faded from them, his body slumped lifelessly to the side.
"Arlong… no?!"
"Human scum, how—!"
Another fishman tried to shout threatening Leo, but he moved again. A sharp twist snapped the fishmen's neck next second.
Leo's gaze swept across the remaining fishmen who wept in silence.
"What will you all do from now on?" Leo asked again but they trembled thinking the human was playing with them.
"We… we'll return to Fishman Island," Kuroobi stammered. "We'll never come back here again." Leo watched him for a moment.
"No," he said calmly. "You're going to prison. And if you ever try to escape and decide to live your worthless lives outside…"
He didn't need to finish the sentence as they all understood what it implied.
Nami stepped forward looking at the lifeless body of the tyrant who had tormented her since she was just a kid. "You didn't have to—"
"My mother warned me, back when we were training, to always grant my opponents one mercy, so they might reflect and choose a better path."
"I gave Captain Nezumi that chance. I did the same with Arlong." His gaze became murderous.
"You've seen what they chose instead. They're the worst kind of scum this sea has to offer."
She fell silent and the village sheriff gently Genzo pulled her back.
Then—
"Hm… alright, enough of this, lighten your mood buddy!" Luffy suddenly grinned, breaking the tension. "Let's have a party tonight!"
That night, the village came alive, laughter, dancing, drinking. For the first time in years, they celebrated their freedom.
Later that night, Nami approached Leo who was sitting with the rest of the straw hats pirates with a glass of wine in her hand.
"Don't think I'm doing this as a favor for you…" Leo said.
"I know." She hesitated. "You can take the treasure I collected… I'll repay the rest…"
"That only covers the cost of betrayal," Leo replied. "I want another hundred million berries for the Devil Fruit."
Nami's eyes widened as she shouted at his face. "Over my dea—" She stopped mid-sentence when Leo's blue gaze locked with hers.
Instead, she turned and smacked Usopp sitting beside him.
"You ate the Devil Fruit," she snapped. "So you will be paying him, hundred million berries. And if you don't pay on time, I'm adding interest."
Usopp froze hearing the unwanted devil fruit he had eaten, while Leo watched the exchange for a moment, with a faint smile on his lips.
"As for your Devil Fruit, Usopp…" Leo began, explaining how he had killed the previous user back in his village, and how the fruit seemed to carry a will of its own, that could take over its host completely once he fell unconscious, turning him into that mindless beast.
"That's why you lost control." he finished and Usopp felt like he had eaten a ticking time bomb.
"Don't worry, Usopp," Zoro said casually, gulping down a large swig of booze. "If it happens again, I'll cut you down."
"N-No you won't—?!" Usopp protested.
"Nope," Luffy cut in, grinning. "I'll just beat you up until you turn back. Nobody messes with my crew!"
"I'll protect you, Nami-san!" Sanji declared, completely missing the point.
Hearing all this, Usopp's face went pale.
Later at Leo's request, Usopp tried to transform but nothing happened.
That confirmed Leo's hypothesis, the power wasn't his to control yet, it activated only when he lost consciousness… not by his will, but the fruit's.
A troublesome ability or worse, a defective one, 'Should I give him a discount?' Leo thought.
"I think the solution lies in you overcoming the fruit's will, Usopp," Leo spoke. "…but considering your nature…" With that, Leo turned away, leaving the shaken sniper behind.
"…Why do you even want that much money?"
A voice called out to him from the shadows. Nojiko stepped forward, watching him curiously. She had been listening to their conversation for a while, only choosing now to join.
"Even as a pirate… there are things I can't just snatch," he said. "Some things have to be bought." He looked into her eyes, answering her another unspoken question.
"It's nothing evil… just something personal."
Even Luffy's crew, who had been silent, listened attentively. They were curious but didn't press further as to what he wanted to buy.
Without explaining further, Leo stepped inside the nearby house to take the much needed rest.
***
Author's Note: I'll be uploading another chapter shortly, apologies for the short chapter this time, I didn't get enough time today.