As the Son of Mihawk in One Piece

The tannery's wooden walls creaked as Leon surveyed the carnage around him.

Bodies lay strewn across the blood-soaked floor, Porchemy's remains barely recognizable.

Luffy clung to him, small fingers digging into Leon's shirt despite the kid's exhaustion.

In the doorway, Ace and Sabo stood frozen, eyes wide as they processed the scene before them. Sabo's top hat was tilted askew, pipe lowered in shock. Beside him, Ace's expression cycled through disbelief, confusion, and something like fear.

"They came too," Luffy whispered against Leon's chest in surprise, voice still raw from screaming.

Leon kept his voice gentle for Luffy while maintaining eye contact with the older boys. "Of course. Brothers protect each other."

Ace took a hesitant step forward, his pipe still gripped tightly. "What... happened here?"

"What does it look like?" Leon replied, his golden eyes unnervingly calm. "They hurt Luffy. I stopped them."

Sabo glanced nervously between the bodies and Leon. "You killed them all? By yourself?"

Leon didn't answer. Instead, he carefully shifted Luffy's weight, wincing internally at the pain shooting through his side where Porchemy's spiked glove had torn flesh.

The wound was still bleeding, but he couldn't tend to it yet.

"Take Luffy to Foosha Village," Leon instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The doctor there knows him from when he lived with Makino."

"What about you?" Ace asked, suspicion edging his voice.

Leon gently transferred Luffy to Ace's reluctant arms. "I need to clean this up. Send a message."

"A message?" Sabo questioned.

"Bluejam needs to understand what happens when someone touches what's mine." Leon's voice remained even, but something cold flickered in his eyes. "Take Luffy and go. Now."

Ace adjusted his grip on the smaller boy, who had fallen into a state of semi-consciousness. "We can't just leave you-"

"You can and you will," Leon cut him off. "Luffy needs medical attention. Go."

Sabo stepped forward, eyes narrowing as he noticed the dark stain spreading on Leon's shirt. "You're hurt."

Leon waved dismissively. "It's nothing. Most of this blood isn't mine." The lie came easily. "Go. I'll catch up."

After another moment of hesitation, Ace nodded curtly. "Let's go, Sabo."

As they turned to leave, Luffy stirred in Ace's arms. "Leon..." he mumbled.

"I'll be right behind you," Leon assured him. "Rest now."

He watched them disappear through the broken wall, maintaining his composed stance until they were out of sight.

Only then did he allow himself to slump against a support beam, hand pressing against his side.

"Shit," he muttered, examining the wound. The punctures from Porchemy's weapon were deep, still seeping blood despite the pressure he'd applied. His shoulder bore similar injuries, though less severe.

Working quickly, Leon tore strips from a relatively clean cloth hanging nearby, binding his wounds tight enough to slow the bleeding.

Each movement sent fresh pain lancing through his body, but he pushed it aside. There would be time for pain later.

The tannery contained everything he needed - oils, chemicals, dried leather scraps. All highly flammable.

Leon gathered materials and arranged them around the bodies. His hands worked while his mind planned.

'This isn't just about revenge,' he thought as he worked. 'It's about protection. About making sure no one comes after us for at least a little while.'

He positioned Porchemy's remains centrally, arranging the other bodies in a rough circle. The symbolism wouldn't be lost on anyone who found the scene after the fire.

As he distributed the accelerants, Leon considered his next performance.

Gray Terminal respected only one thing: power.

He needed to project an image so terrifying that no one would dare target him or his brothers ever again..

With final preparations complete, Leon struck a match. The flame danced at the end of the small stick, he gazed at it, finding it... beautiful.

"From ashes to ashes," he murmured, dropping it onto an oil-soaked pile of leather.

The fire caught instantly, hungry flames racing along the paths he'd created. Leon struck more matches, igniting multiple points until the entire building began to burn.

Heat pressed against his face as he made his way outside, the roar of the growing inferno drowning out all other sounds.

Outside, darkness had fallen over Gray Terminal, making the fire all the more dramatic. Already, figures were moving toward the blaze, drawn like moths.

Leon positioned himself where the flames would backlight him, creating a silhouette both small and somehow menacing.

As the crowd gathered, Leon straightened despite the pain screaming through his side. He arranged his features into a smile that never reached his eyes - a cold, predatory expression that belonged on no child's face.

The firelight caught his blood-spattered blonde hair, turning it to molten gold. His eyes reflected the flames, giving them an otherworldly glow. Blood - both his and others' - covered his clothes and skin, but he stood as if not injured at all.

When enough eyes had found him, Leon spoke, his voice carrying over the crackling flames.

"Porchemy made a mistake," he announced, "He touched something that belongs to me."

The crowd shifted uneasily. A child standing before a burning building, covered in blood, speaking with like this - it created a dissonance that unsettled even the guys from Gray Terminal's.

"Tell Bluejam," Leon continued, his smile widening. "Tell everyone in this wretched place. This is what happens when you touch what's mine."

He gestured toward the inferno, the movement deliberate and theatrical. Then, from deep in his chest, came a laugh that seemed to chill the air despite the heat of the flames.

"Hehehahaha!"

The sound was wrong - too deep, too knowing for a child. It held echoes of something different, a laugh that belonged to someone who viewed the world from above, not within.

(Not much unlike his grandfather.)

"Remember this night," Leon commanded, his eyes sweeping across the crowd. "Remember what happens to those who cross me."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, maintaining his unhurried pace until he was swallowed by the shadows beyond the firelight. Only then did he allow his posture to slump, one hand pressing against his reopened wound.

'Fuck... Well, let's hope they think I'm a crazy kid, whose strength is unknown, who killed and tortured an entire gang while looking completely uninjured. Nothing is more scary than a crazy whose capabilities are unknown after all...'

The journey to Foosha Village would be long and painful. Leon moved through the forest, each step requiring more effort than the last. Blood seeped through his makeshift bandages, leaving a trail he was too weak to conceal.

"Just keep moving," he muttered to himself. "One foot in front of the other."

Memories of the fight flashed through his mind - Porchemy's spiked fist tearing into his flesh, the weight of the pirate as he'd slammed Leon against the wall. He'd pushed through the pain then, and he would push through it now.

Twice he had to stop, leaning against trees to rebind his wounds. The strips of cloth were soaked through quickly each time. His vision occasionally blurred, forcing him to pause until the world steadied again.

As he walked, Leon's thoughts turned to Luffy, especially with him right now being able to relate to what his younger brother felt for HOURS.

The boy had endured hours of torture without betraying Ace and Sabo's secret.

Such loyalty deserved better than what he'd received from Ace.

"Stubborn, ungrateful brat," Leon muttered, though there was no real heat in the words. He understood Ace's anger, his defensiveness. But understanding didn't equal acceptance.

When the lights of Foosha Village finally appeared through the trees, Leon paused to gather himself. He couldn't appear weak. Not yet. Not until he'd said what needed saying.

The village was quiet at this late hour, most windows dark. Leon followed the familiar path to the doctor's house - he had Luffy once show him around - where a light still burned.

He straightened his posture, ignored the throbbing pain, and knocked.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man with spectacles and a concerned expression that deepened upon seeing Leon's blood-covered appearance.

"Another one?" the doctor exclaimed. "Good heavens, what happened to you boys?"

"I'm fine," Leon stated firmly. "How's Luffy?"

The doctor hesitated, then stepped aside to let him enter. "The rubber boy will recover. His injuries looked worse than they were, thankfully. But he'll need rest."

Inside, Leon found Ace and Sabo seated against a wall. Luffy lay on a bed, bandaged and sleeping peacefully. Both older boys jumped to their feet when Leon entered.

"Leon!" Sabo exclaimed. "You made it!"

Ace said nothing, his eyes tracking the blood on Leon's clothes.

"How is he?" Leon asked, moving to Luffy's bedside.

"The doctor says he'll be okay," Sabo answered when Ace remained silent. "He fell asleep right after we got here."

Leon nodded, then turned to face the other boys. "Both of you. Outside. Now."

Something in his tone brooked no argument. Ace and Sabo exchanged glances before following him through the door.

Behind the doctor's house, away from windows and potential observers, Leon turned to face them. The moonlight cast their faces in silver.

Without warning, Leon lunged forward, grabbing Ace by the front of his shirt. He threw the older boy aside, sending him stumbling into the grass.

"What the hell?" Ace demanded, scrambling to his feet.

"That's my question," Leon replied, his voice dangerously soft. "What the hell were you thinking, Ace?"

Ace's face darkened. "What are you talking about?"

"Luffy," Leon said simply. "You knew he was following you. You knew Bluejam's crew was hunting for your treasure. And you left him alone when he was captured."

"I didn't ask him to follow me!" Ace shot back. "That's not my fault!"

Leon took a step closer, golden eyes flashing in the darkness. "No, you didn't ask. He chose to follow you because he looks up to you. Because despite how many times you've hurt him, rejected him, pushed him away, he still considers you his friend."

Ace flinched slightly but recovered quickly. "I didn't want him to-"

"Stop," Leon cut him off, voice sharp as a blade. "I'm not berating you for caring about your treasure. Dreams are important. I respect that. But both of you-" he glanced at Sabo, "-were so focused on your treasure that you forgot about Luffy. One of you could've at least gone to Dadan's and told me and the others. We could've rescued Luffy far sooner."

Sabo looked down, shame evident in his posture.

"I can give Sabo a pass," Leon continued. "He doesn't know Luffy much, so he wouldn't know that Luffy won't just talk and be let go. But you, Ace? You've seen how Luffy is. You know he wouldn't talk, no matter what they did to him."

"I didn't think-" Ace began.

"No, you didn't," Leon agreed coldly. "You didn't think about anyone but yourself. As usual."

Ace's fists clenched. "You don't understand anything! You're just Garp's perfect little Marine-in-training! You don't know what it's like to-"

"To what?" Leon challenged, stepping closer. "To be hated? To feel unwanted? To have the entire world be against you? You think you're the only one with problems, Ace?"

"That's not what I-"

"We're brothers," Leon stated firmly. "You, me, Luffy. Despite how ungrateful you act toward Garp, he took both of us in. He gave us a home, a family."

"We're not-"

"We are," Leon insisted. "And brothers look out for each other. I shouldn't have had to be the one to save Luffy. That was your job as the oldest."

Ace's expression shifted between anger and something more vulnerable. "I didn't ask for that responsibility!"

"None of us ask for the roles we're given," Leon replied, his voice softening slightly. "But we either rise to them or fail. Today, I had to take your role. I had to be the eldest brother and clean up this mess."

The passion in Leon's voice had caused him to move more than he intended. A wave of dizziness washed over him, though he fought to keep it from showing.

"You don't know anything about me," Ace said, but the words lacked their usual heat.

"I know enough," Leon countered. "I know you push people away because you're afraid of being hurt. I know you reject Luffy because his acceptance scares you more than his hatred would."

Ace's eyes widened slightly.

"But here's what you need to understand," Leon continued, his voice growing unsteady. "Luffy nearly died today because you couldn't accept that someone might actually care about you without conditions."

Sabo, who had been watching the exchange silently, suddenly frowned. He tilted his head, listening.

"You hear that?" he asked quietly.

"Hear what?" Ace demanded, still focused on Leon.

"Dripping," Sabo replied, moving closer to Leon. His eyes widened as he looked down. "Leon, you're bleeding!"

Even in the darkness, the grass beneath Leon had turned darker, wet with blood that continued to drip steadily from beneath his clothes.

'Shit,' Leon thought as his vision began to tunnel. He'd pushed too hard, moved too much. The temporary bindings had given way completely.

"I'm fine," he tried to say, but the words slurred. His legs buckled beneath him.

Sabo lunged forward, catching him before he hit the ground. "Ace! Help me!"

Ace stood frozen for a moment, shock evident on his face as he finally saw what Leon had been hiding. Then he moved, helping Sabo support Leon's increasingly limp form.

"How long have you been bleeding like this?" Sabo demanded, horror in his voice.

"Since... Porchemy," Leon managed, his usual composure fracturing as pain overwhelmed him.

"You idiot!" Ace hissed, but there was no anger in it now - only fear. "Why didn't you say something?"

Leon tried to respond, but darkness was closing in rapidly. 

"Get him inside!" Sabo urged as Leon's head lolled against his shoulder. "Hurry!"

Together, they half-carried, half-dragged Leon toward the doctor's house, leaving a trail of blood across the grass. As they reached the door, Ace kicked it open with more force than necessary.

"Doctor!" he shouted. "Help him!"

The last thing Leon registered was the doctor's alarmed face and Luffy's confused voice calling his name. Then darkness claimed him completely, and he knew no more.

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

Do tell me how you found it.

Well, I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)