Miss Valentine stared up at the man looming over her, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Y-you... what do you want from me?!" she managed to stammer out through chattering teeth. Her face was ghostly pale, drained of all color by sheer, unadulterated terror.
What kind of cursed luck was this? She had thought this would be a simple, straightforward mission: eliminate the traitorous princess. Instead, she and Mr. 5 had stumbled into a nest of monsters. Her partner was now a charred corpse, and she was completely at the mercy of these unknown, terrifyingly powerful individuals. Was she about to share Mr. 5's fate? A violent shudder wracked her frame as she glanced again at his smoking body, a fresh wave of icy fear gripping her heart.
Leo took a single, deliberate step forward, his shadow falling over her. His eyes swept over her form, assessing her with a calm, detached intensity. She wasn't a stunning beauty on the level of Nami or Vivi, he decided, but she was attractive enough in a conventional way. She had a certain flair. She would do.
"Relax," he said, his voice cutting through her panic. "I'm not going to kill you."
The words hit Miss Valentine like a physical blow of relief. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. She was going to live. As long as she was alive, there was a chance to escape, to find a way out of this nightmare.
"Then... then what do you want?" she asked, daring to lift her head and meet his gaze, her voice gaining a sliver of courage. If he wasn't going to kill her, and he wasn't letting her go, what was the point?
A slow, predatory smile spread across Leo's lips. His next words were not a request; they were a decree, absolute and unyielding. "I want you to join my crew."
His tone brooked no argument. "Become a member of the Leo Pirates, and I will consider the matter of you attacking my people closed. Refuse..." He let his gaze drift meaningfully towards the remains of Mr. 5. "...and you can keep him company."
Leo was pragmatic. While Miss Valentine was, in the grand scheme of things, a 'canon' beauty, her status in his mind was far below that of Nami, Tashigi, or even the newly acquired Vivi. She was a killer for Baroque Works, a woman who had undoubtedly done terrible things in the shadows. He felt no moral hesitation about coercing her. Bringing her into the fold would allow him to curb her worst instincts; at the very least, he could ensure she never harmed innocent civilians again on his watch.
Cowed by the sheer pressure of his presence, Miss Valentine flinched, pulling her shoulders in as if to make herself smaller. He wanted her to join him? What kind of twisted plot twist was this? Did he see some hidden potential in her? Was that it? He must have been impressed by her Devil Fruit power.
But then, the chilling memory of her mysterious, unseen employer resurfaced. She didn't even know who the boss of Baroque Works truly was, only that he was a terrifying figure who pulled all their strings from the shadows. The old saying echoed in her mind: it's not the enemy's known strength you fear, but the unknown depths of it. That perfectly described her boss. If he discovered her betrayal... the consequences would make Mr. 5's quick death seem merciful.
Yet, under the weight of Leo's intimidating glare, she didn't dare voice a refusal.
"Ahem... S-sir... the thing is, I..." she began, trying to formulate a polite deflection.
"What. Thing?" Leo interrupted, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
With a slight motion of his hand, a spear materialized in the air before her. It was not made of metal, but of crackling, sizzling lightning, its tip hovering mere inches from her forehead. The air around it hummed with destructive power. She could feel the static making the fine hairs on her face stand on end. One word—one wrong syllable—and that spear would punch straight through her skull.
The sizzling sound filled her ears, a promise of instant oblivion. Her heart hammered against her ribs. Screw this, she thought, a surge of pure survival instinct overriding everything else. I'm just a salaried employee in a criminal organization. I don't even know who I'm working for. This isn't worth dying for!
"D-don't! Don't kill me! I'll join! I'll join your crew!" The words tumbled out of her in a frantic, desperate rush. She was terrified that if she hesitated for even a second, the lightning spear would be the last thing she ever saw.
The moment she acquiesced, the terrifying weapon vanished into thin air, the oppressive energy dissipating. The immense pressure lifted, and Miss Valentine slumped to the ground, boneless, gasping for air as if she'd just run a marathon. That was way too close.
"Leo, you're amazing!" Vivi's voice, filled with genuine delight and relief, rang out from behind him. Her address had subconsciously shifted to the more familiar "Leo." Her intuition had been right all along. He hadn't lied to her. He had faced two high-level Baroque Works agents and, without even breaking a sweat, had ended one and recruited the other. Who else could do such a thing?
Leo turned and gave her a fond, gentle smile, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "I told you, your problems are my problems now. When we get to Alabasta, I'll skin that crocodile for you. He shouldn't have made our Vivi worry."
"Mmhmm," Vivi hummed, sniffing slightly as she moved forward to snugly wrap her arms around one of his. She was growing increasingly comfortable with his presence.
Seeing how dependent she had become on him, Leo briefly wondered if it was time to fully 'recruit' her in the most intimate sense. He then glanced at the dazed and defeated Miss Valentine, who was still trying to process her new reality.
Later, he decided. Miss Valentine first. She's the immediate priority. A more ambitious, tantalizing image floated into his mind: himself, Vivi, and the yet-to-be-acquired Nico Robin, all together. Now that would be a winning hand.
"Miss Valentine," he said, his voice returning to its commanding tone, snapping her out of her stupor. "Give me the Eternal Pose for Little Garden."
"O-okay," she stammered, automatically nodding. She fumbled in a small pouch and handed him a compass-like device, its needle still quivering slightly. Leo took it and immediately passed it to Nami.
"Nami, this is our next destination. Don't lose it."
He had to admit, navigating the Grand Line was a massive headache. Without these Log Poses or Eternal Poses to guide you from island to island, you were completely lost, blind and deaf in a vast, treacherous ocean.
"The needle's magnetism doesn't seem fully stabilized yet," Nami observed, her navigator's eye critically assessing the device.
"It should be set by tonight," Miss Valentine offered cautiously, eager to be helpful.
Nami nodded, somewhat relieved. That wasn't too long to wait. She'd been afraid it might be one of those poses that took months or even a year to calibrate. That would have put a serious damper on their plans.
"Hmm?!"
Suddenly, Leo's head snapped up, his gaze sharpening. On the roof of a nearby building, two figures were watching them intently: a sea otter and a vulture. The otter held several sheets of paper in its paws, upon which remarkably accurate sketches of Leo and his crew were rapidly taking shape.
"Not bad," Leo commented offhandedly, noting the lifelike quality of the drawings. In another life, the artist could have won awards.
"It's them! The Unluckies!" Miss Valentine gasped, identifying the peculiar duo.
Her heart sank. They had witnessed everything—Mr. 5's death, her capitulation. Her betrayal had been documented.
Having completed their task, the sea otter hopped onto the vulture's back. With powerful beats of its wings, the bird took off, carrying the damning evidence away into the sky.
Leo watched them go, a faint, knowing smile touching his lips.
"Robin," he murmured, so softly only he could hear. "We'll be meeting very soon."
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T/N :
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