As the Son of Mihawk in One Piece

Two weeks had passed since Leon, Ace, and Luffy had begun training together.

The sun filtered through the forest as Leon drew back his bowstring, golden eyes narrowed.

The bow - fashioned from a flexible branch and strung with sinew he'd harvested himself - creaked slightly under the tension.

He released the arrow, watching it slice through the air and embed itself in the center of a crude target carved into a distant tree trunk. His third bullseye in a row.

"Better," Leon murmured to himself, reaching for another arrow from the quiver at his hip.

Learning to craft the bow had been its own challenge. The mountain bandits had initially scoffed at his request, but Dogra eventually relented, showing him how to select the right wood, cure it properly, and fashion arrows that would fly true.

Leon nocked another arrow, drew, and held his breath. The world narrowed to just him, the bow, and the target. He released, watching with satisfaction as the arrow joined the others in the center mark.

A glance at the sun's position made him frown.

He'd lost track of time again, something that happened often when he was deeply focused on training.

"Dadan will be complaining again," he muttered, collecting his scattered arrows and sliding them back into the quiver.

His new wooden sword - the third he'd carved because of Luffy's destroying of the previous two - rested against a nearby tree.

Leon picked it up, testing its weight with a few swings. This one was his best work yet, balanced and sturdy. He'd reinforced the handle with wrapped leather strips to protect his palms from further blistering.

The walk back to Dadan's hideout was quiet, birds calling overhead and insects buzzing in the undergrowth.

Leon's thoughts drifted to his progress. The past two weeks had seen significant improvements in his archery, swordsmanship, and body.

More importantly, his sense for danger - what he knew to be the earliest stirrings of Observation Haki - was developing nicely.

When he reached the hideout, the usual chaos greeted him. Bandits lounged about, some cleaning weapons, others gambling with worn cards. Dadan sat in her usual spot, sake cup in hand despite the early hour.

"Where are Ace and Luffy?" Leon asked, setting his bow and quiver carefully against the wall.

Dadan snorted. "How should I know? Those brats left this morning and haven't been back since."

"Ace is probably off with that other kid again," one of the bandits added. "The blonde one with the fancy clothes. Luffy most likely followed him again, till he gets ditched like always."

Leon nodded. Yeah, that made sense.

"You hungry?" Dogra asked, offering a bowl of rice.

Leon accepted it with a nod of thanks, sitting cross-legged on the floor to eat. As he chewed, an uneasy feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach. It started as a vague discomfort but grew with each bite.

Something was wrong.

He tried to dismiss it as paranoia, but the feeling persisted, sharpening into genuine concern.

Then, like a thunderbolt, he remembered - the Porchemy incident.

Luffy, captured and tortured for hours. Beaten bloody with spiked gloves for refusing to reveal Ace and Sabo's location.

"Shit!" Leon cursed, jumping to his feet. The bowl tumbled from his lap, spilling rice across the floor.

"Hey!" Dadan barked. "Don't waste food, you ungrateful brat!"

But Leon wasn't listening. His mind raced through the timeline. It fit perfectly - Ace and Sabo moving their treasure after Luffy discovered it, Luffy captured by Bluejam's crew, the torture...

"Goddamn it, Luffy," Leon muttered, grabbing his bow, quiver, and wooden sword. "I told you not to follow Ace around so much."

The bandits stared in shock. They'd never heard the usually composed, polite Leon curse before.

"What's gotten into you?" Magra asked, concerned.

"Luffy's in danger," Leon replied curtly, already moving toward the door. "I need to find him."

He didn't wait for their response, breaking into a run as soon as he cleared the hideout. His feet pounded against the forest path, mind racing faster than his body.

'This is the real world now,' he thought grimly. 'No plot armor to guarantee his safety or getting out eventually unscathed. Dreams shape the world, but they can be crushed still if not careful. If I don't get there in time...'

He pushed the thought away, focusing instead on speed. The forest blurred around him as he ran, leaping over fallen logs and ducking under branches.

The path to Gray Terminal was familiar by now, though he usually avoided the wretched place.

As he reached the outskirts of the massive junk heap, Leon slowed his pace, shifting into stealth mode.

Drawing attention would only complicate matters. He moved from cover to cover, golden eyes scanning for any sign of Bluejam's pirates.

Gray Terminal was a hive of activity as always - scavengers picking through trash, shady deals being conducted in shadows, the desperate trying to survive another day. Leon approached a thin man sorting through a pile of scrap metal.

"The Bluejam Pirates," Leon said quietly, making the man jump. "Where are they today?"

The scavenger eyed Leon nervously. "What's a kid want with those killers?"

Leon met his gaze steadily. "Information. Now."

Something in Leon's eyes made the man swallow hard. "Porchemy took his men to the old tannery shack on the east side. Heard he caught some kid who knows something about a treasure."

Leon's heart sank. Just as he feared.

"How long ago?"

"Few hours now. Kid was screaming something fierce for a while, but it's been quieter lately."

Leon tossed the man a small coin - payment for information was expected in Gray Terminal - and moved on. Quieter lately could mean many things, none of them good.

He made his way east, staying in the shadows, bow ready. The abandoned tannery came into view - a dilapidated wooden structure with a sagging roof. Two men stood guard outside, looking bored and inattentive.

Leon circled the building, keeping low. From his new position, he could hear voices inside, including a pained whimper he recognized immediately as Luffy's.

A wave of cold anger washed over him. Leon has always prided himself on being in control, but hearing Luffy's pain triggered something in him.

These scum had hurt someone that is his. Someone he'd grown to genuinely care about.

Leon nocked an arrow, eyes narrowing as he took aim at the guard furthest from the door. He controlled his breathing, factored in the slight breeze, and released.

The arrow struck the man in the throat. He dropped without a sound, hands clutching futilely at the shaft.

The second guard hadn't noticed yet, his attention elsewhere. Leon already had another arrow ready. This one took the man through the eye, dropping him instantly.

Leon moved quickly, retrieving his arrows and dragging the bodies behind a pile of debris. Inside the shack, he could hear Porchemy's voice.

"I'm getting tired of asking, brat! Where's the treasure?!"

A wet smack followed, then Luffy's defiant, if weak, response: "I won't tell you! Never!"

Leon positioned himself beside the door, another arrow nocked. He took a deep breath, centered himself, and kicked the door open.

The scene inside froze at his entrance.

Luffy hung from a rope, his small body battered and bloodied, face swollen from repeated blows. Porchemy stood before him, massive frame dwarfing the boy, spiked gloves dripping red. Four more pirates lounged around the room, now scrambling to their feet at the intrusion.

"Who the hell-" Porchemy began.

Leon didn't let him finish. The arrow flew true, burying itself in the shoulder of the pirate nearest to him. The man screamed, staggering back.

"Leon!" Luffy cried, his voice a mixture of pain, surprise, worry and hope.

Porchemy turned his attention fully to Leon, eyes narrowing. "Another brat messing with me? Must be a bad fucking day."

He gestured to his men. "Kill him."

The pirates rushed forward. Leon dropped his bow and drew his wooden sword in one fluid motion. The first pirate swung a cutlass at him.

Leon ducked under it, stepping inside the man's guard and driving the point of his wooden sword into the pirate's throat with enough force to crush his windpipe.

As the man fell choking, Leon spun to face the next attacker. This one was more cautious, circling with a dagger held low.

"You're just a kid," the pirate said, confusion evident. "What the hell-"

Leon didn't bother responding. He feinted left, then darted right as the man reacted. The wooden sword cracked against the pirate's knee, shattering the joint. As the man screamed and fell, Leon's follow-up strike to the temple silenced him.

The third pirate managed to graze Leon's arm with a wild swing of his sword. Leon felt the sting but ignored it, dropping into a roll that brought him behind his attacker.

Rising smoothly, he drove his wooden blade into the back of the man's knee, then up into the base of his skull as he fell.

The fourth pirate backed away, fear replacing confidence. "This ain't right," he muttered. "You ain't normal."

He turned to run, but Leon was faster. A thrown dagger - taken from the second pirate - caught him in the back of the thigh. He went down screaming, trying to crawl away.

Leon retrieved his bow and nocked an arrow. The pirate rolled over, hands raised in surrender, but Leon's expression remained impassive as he released the string. The arrow found the man's throat, cutting off his pleas.

Porchemy watched this display with growing rage and disbelief. "You little monster," he growled. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

He charged, spiked gloves raised. Leon had expected this and sidestepped at the last moment. His wooden sword struck Porchemy's ribs as he passed, but the big man barely seemed to notice.

Porchemy was faster than his size suggested. He pivoted and swung a massive fist that Leon barely avoided. The spiked glove grazed his cheek, drawing blood.

Leon backed up, reassessing. Porchemy was strong - stronger than he'd anticipated. This wouldn't be as simple as dealing with the others.

"What's wrong, boy?" Porchemy taunted. "Not so confident now?"

Leon didn't waste breath responding. He darted forward, wooden sword striking at Porchemy's knee. The big man blocked with a forearm, then countered with a punch that Leon had to throw himself backward to avoid.

The fight continued, Leon using his speed and smaller size to dart in and out, landing strikes where he could. Porchemy absorbed the blows, his greater reach and strength making it dangerous for the boy to stay close for long.

A lucky swing caught Leon in the ribs, sending him flying into the wall. Pain exploded through his side - nothing broken, but flesh torn and badly bruised.

He rolled to avoid the follow-up stomp that would have crushed his chest, coming up in a defensive stance.

"Leon!" Luffy cried weakly. "Be careful!"

Porchemy laughed. "Worried about your friend? You'll both be dead soon enough."

Leon used the distraction to attack, driving his wooden sword into Porchemy's kidney with all his strength. The big man grunted in pain, swinging wildly.

Leon ducked the blow, but Porchemy's other hand caught him by the shirt, lifting him off the ground.

"Got you now, you little shit," Porchemy snarled, drawing back his spiked fist.

"Go fuck yourself," Leon spat, as he thought fast, and drove his thumbs into Porchemy's eyes. The pirate howled, dropping him and stumbling back. Leon landed on his feet, and took advantage.

His wooden sword struck Porchemy's throat, then his temple, then his knee in rapid succession.

Porchemy swung blindly, catching Leon's sword arm. The wooden blade went flying, clattering across the floor. Before Leon could retrieve it, Porchemy's vision cleared enough to launch another attack.

Leon dodged the first punch but took the second on his shoulder, the spikes tearing through his shirt and into flesh.

He gritted his teeth against the pain, dropping and rolling between Porchemy's legs. As he came up behind the pirate, he leapt onto his back, arms wrapping around Porchemy's thick neck in a chokehold.

Porchemy thrashed, trying to dislodge him, but Leon held firm, squeezing with every ounce of strength he possessed.

The pirate staggered backward, slamming Leon into the wall repeatedly. Pain exploded through Leon's back and head, but he maintained his grip.

"What the- shit... How... can you be... so... strong..."

Finally, Porchemy's struggles weakened. He dropped to his knees, then face-first onto the floor. Leon released his hold, rolling clear of the fallen pirate.

For a moment, he simply knelt there, catching his breath, assessing his injuries. Nothing fatal, though his shoulder and side burned where the spiked glove had torn the flesh.

Porchemy stirred, trying to push himself up. "You... little... bastard..."

Leon rose to his feet, walking calmly to where Porchemy lay struggling to rise. He grabbed a fistful of the pirate's hair, wrenching his head back to make eye contact.

"You're still awake," Leon observed, his voice unnervingly calm. "Good."

Porchemy's eyes widened at Leon's tone - cold, detached, nothing like what he'd expect from a child.

"Don't... kill me," Porchemy gasped. "You're just a kid... you haven't got it in you..."

A small, chilling laugh escaped Leon's lips. The sound was so incongruous coming from a child that the remaining pirates who were still conscious felt their blood run cold.

"The fuck? Are you blind you big oaf? I just killed your men in front of your eyes... Besides, life is like water," Leon said softly, maintaining eye contact with Porchemy. "It can be easily spilled, but people try to keep it steady."

His grip on Porchemy's hair tightened. "But you... you're dirty water. No one would want to drink from you. No one wants to love you. Everyone, given the chance, would want to spill your life."

Fear bloomed in Porchemy's eyes.

"So what makes you think I wouldn't want to spill it?" Leon continued, voice still eerily calm. "You touched what is mine. You chose this death."

Without anymore talking, Leon slammed Porchemy's face into the wooden floor hard. Then again. And again. Blood splattered with each impact, wood splintering.

Leon's expression remained unchanged as he continued smashing Porchemy's head against the floor until there was little left, but a greasy smear.

When he finally stopped, his hands were coated in red, blonde hair speckled with crimson droplets. He stood slowly, turning to face the remaining pirates who were conscious enough to witness what he'd done.

One by one, he approached them. Each begged for mercy.

"Please," one whimpered. "It wasn't me who hurt the kid. I just watched. I didn't do nothing!"

"That's the problem," Leon replied, retrieving a small knife from his pocket. "You did nothing. You stood and watched. Any one of you could have said 'no, we won't act like animals anymore.' Together, you could have stopped him. But you didn't."

The pirate's eyes widened. "We... we couldn't go against Porchemy! He'd have killed us!"

"And now you die at my hand." Leon said simply, shrugging, "You chose the way you died, you can at least be proud of that." he stated as he drew the blade across the man's throat, cutting it open.

"Oh who am I kidding," Leon began as he watched him choke on his own blood. "There is nothing to be proud of the life you lived. This world is one of endless opportunities. Dreams that shape the world. I have no pity for wastes like you."

He then moved to the next, and the next, silencing their pleas. When the last one fell silent, Leon wiped the knife clean on a relatively blood-free patch of a dead pirate's shirt, then returned it to his pocket.

Only then did he turn to Luffy, who hung silent and wide-eyed, having witnessed everything.

In an instant, Leon's demeanor transformed. The cold killer vanished, replaced by the warm, concerned older brother. He approached Luffy with gentle hands, cutting him down carefully and supporting his battered body.

"You came for me," Luffy whispered, voice raw from screaming.

The simple statement caught Leon off guard.

Had Luffy truly believed no one would come?

'Of course. With how many times he's been called annoying, behind his back, and to his face, with him blaming himself also for letting others know about Ace and Sabo's treasure...' Leon internally winced.

Yeah, no wonder.

"Of course I did," Leon replied, his voice soft now. "How could I abandon my pain in the ass little brother?"

Luffy's eyes welled with tears, and he threw himself against Leon's chest, sobbing despite his injuries. Leon wrapped his arms around the smaller boy, mindful of his wounds.

"It's okay now," he murmured. "You're safe."

Luffy clung to him, body shaking with sobs. "I didn't tell them," he managed between tears. "I didn't tell them about Ace and Sabo's treasure."

"I know," Leon said, genuine pride in his voice. "You were incredibly brave."

As he held Luffy, a tremendous crash shook the shack. One wall exploded inward in a shower of splinters. Through the newly created opening burst Ace and Sabo, pipes raised and ready for battle.

They skidded to a halt, eyes widening as they took in the scene - the blood-soaked floor, the bodies strewn about, and Leon holding a crying Luffy, his blonde hair and clothes spattered with red.

Ace's face paled. Sabo's mouth fell open.

Leon met their shocked gazes calmly over Luffy's shoulder, his golden eyes steady and unrepentant.

"We need to talk," he said simply.

The silence that followed was broken only by Luffy's quiet sobs and the distant sounds of Gray Terminal beyond the shack's broken wall.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the chapter.

So, in this fic, Leon was the one who saved Luffy. He left to save Luffy, the moment, Sabo left back to Ace after hearing that Luffy didn't talk.

So yeah, that's how things got this way.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)