The next morning came sooner than expected.
Leo had already loaded all the treasure onto his small Shark Jet-Ski, preparing to leave, when Luffy arrived, with his crew trailing behind him.
"Where are you going?" Luffy asked.
"To the place, I was heading before your grandpa caught me… Loguetown," Leo replied.
"Oh," Luffy said, then grinned. "Don't sulk. Isn't it a good thing? We met because of that?"
Nami frowned at their conversation. "Why would Luffy's grandpa catch you?" Leo blinked, looking at them in surprise.
"…He didn't tell you guys?"
"Told us what?" Zoro asked.
"Well, it's not a big deal," Luffy said casually. "My grandpa's a Marine."
Leo let out a chuckle. "Not just any Marine, a Vice Admiral. Marine Hero, Garp the Fist."
At that, the crew instinctively took a step away from Luffy.
"You mean the Marine hero who cornered the Pirate King, Gold D. Roger?" Nami asked, surprised and frightened.
"You're not some Marine spy sent to capture the great me, are you, Luffy?" Usopp said, already spiraling into his own imagination.
"He's too dumb to be a spy," Leo cut in. "And relax, Garp already let us go once. That's why we even managed to set sail. He won't go out of his way to chase us again."
Leo spoke with confidence, unaware that the man in question was already heading toward Loguetown.
"Why don't you come with us then?" Nami suggested. "We're going to Loguetown too and after that we will enter the Grand Line. That's where you're headed, right?"
"Yeah," Luffy added. "That tiny boat of yours won't survive the journey." Leo secured the treasure compartment with a firm click and turned toward Luffy.
"I've got my own plans," he replied. "I'll make some preparations in Loguetown, steal a proper ship, and then head for the Grand Line. Might even pick a capable crew member or two while I'm at it."
"Why go all the way to Loguetown looking for a crew… when you already have someone standing right here?" a voice called out from behind the crew and sea of villagers who had arrived to bid them farewell.
Nojiko stepped forward dragging a large bag behind her, clearly packed with her belongings.
"You pirate?… Nojiko are you sure?" Nami's voice wavered, clearly shocked at the thought of her sister joining Leo's crew, while Leo himself simply stared at her, confused.
"And who are you to decide that?" Leo asked, he hadn't considered recruiting her. Hell, he didn't plan on recruiting anyone from the East Blue at all, while Luffy had his whole squad ready.
Nojiko didn't flinch at his remark. "I heard about your little adventures last night, it was quite interesting. I thought it might be more fun to tag along than to stay here. With Arlong gone… this place is going to be painfully peaceful." The villager's jaws dropped at that remark.
Leo tilted his head slightly asking. "Let me rephrase my question, why should I take you along?"
As if caught in her trap, Nojiko smiled and raised her hand, counting off on her fingers.
"First… you're strong, sure—but a loner. Strength alone won't carry a pirate in these seas but a capable crew will."
"Second… you need a navigator. I've been studying Nami's maps and notes since we were kids. I'm not as talented as her, but I consider myself to be the second best navigator in the east blue."
"Third… you're reckless. Walking around killing people might work now, but sooner or later the whole world will come after you. You need someone sane enough to keep you in check once in a while… and maybe remind you that some people deserve more than one chance."
Leo's eyes narrowed at that because the advice sounded similar to what his mother had given him before leaving.
"Fourth," she continued casually, "you're a Devil Fruit user. If you fall into the sea, without someone to help you out, you're dead. You need a good swimmer. Lucky for you, I'm one of the best in the village."
"And fifth… you clearly need someone responsible around. Think of me as an older sister."
She crossed her arms, explaining her utility with a smirk, "I can cook, manage supplies, negotiate without killing… honestly, at this rate I should just start my own crew. But I'll be generous and help you out instead."
There was a brief silence which was broken by Luffy.
"Oh! Nami, your sister's amazing!" he grinned. "Nojiko, please join my crew!"
"Ohhh, Nojiko-san!" Sanji instantly jumped in. "Please join us! I'll take care of everything and protect you with my life!"
Thud! Thud!
Both of them got punched by Nami at the same time.
"Shut up, idiots!"
"And you, Nojiko—"
"You are right… but," Leo cut Nami.
He looked back at Nojiko, with an unreadable expression.
"First… yeah, I'm a loner," he said. 'Since I was a kid… and even in my previous life,' he added silently in his heart.
"And I do need a crew but to make one thing clear… It is not for babysitting." His blue eyes met hers making her heartbeat race.
"Second, I can manage navigation. My Devil Fruit lets me Heal, Repair what is broken, build and Invent things, manage sailing and more than enough to get by."
"Third… I don't kill without reason," he continued calmly. "Nezumi, Clam, Krieg, Arlong—I gave all of them a chance, some took it others wasted it." His voice hardened afterwards.
"I'm fully prepared to deal with whatever consequences come from my choices."
At that moment, his speech was cut short as a News Coo descended from the sky, dropping the latest newspapers before fluttering down to perch quietly on Leo's shoulder.
A small piece of paper was tied to its leg addressed to Leo.
The newspapers fluttered to the ground, and just like that everyone's mood shifted reading the news.