One Piece: Under the Throne

After sailing with the merchant ship for a few days, Leo gradually became familiar with the sailors. After work, they would tell Leo stories about sailing on the sea. Occasionally, he would meet the captain of the ship during meals. With him was a bodyguard dressed as a samurai. Leo guessed that he was the great swordsman who had slashed out that huge flying slash.

The samurai bodyguard was a squinty-eyed guy who always had a smile on his face. He always gave people a gentle feeling, and he didn't have the sharpness that a swordsman should have. But why was Leo so sure that he was the great swordsman? Because as a otaku, he would never be deceived by his appearance. Guys with squinty eyes were usually not easy to mess with.

Leo guessed that he was a samurai from Wano Country, recalling the One Piece comics he had read before, all the great swordsmen were famous masters on the sea. He didn't expect that a samurai from Wano Country that he met casually would have such strength.

The rest of the journey was smooth and there were no more encounters with pirates. During this time, Leo did not slack off in his practice. Every night he pretended to sit on the deck in a daze. The crew thought that the child was homesick and did not disturb him.

On the sea surface where no one was paying attention, several water balls with a diameter of five meters broke away from the water and moved up and down in the air. Leo used the water balls as fitness equipment to exercise his abilities. This not only enhanced his physical strength, but also trained his control over the sea water after it left the sea.

It seemed easy to deal with the pirates before, but in fact, that was something that could only be done under the blessing of the environment in the sea. Now that he controlled the sea water and left the sea, it was almost impossible to replicate the previous operation.

In order to make up for his weakness in naval warfare, Leo plans to develop some new abilities that can be used away from the sea, and he must adapt to this kind of operation.

Tonight he was still sitting alone on the deck when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind him. "Ta-da-da" was the sound of wooden clogs hitting the deck.

"Hello little guy, my name is Kozaburo, are you missing your hometown too?"

Following the voice, Leo turned his head to look at the other party. When he heard the samurai introduce himself as Kozaburo, he suddenly realized that people who are called great swordsmen are not unknown people. In the original work, this guy should be a person who was only heard of but never seen in action. He was a master imagined by everyone.

"Yes, uncle. If possible, I want to return to my hometown as soon as possible." Leo blinked his big eyes and answered innocently.

"Hehehe, uncle, I miss my hometown too." Kozaburo said gently.

"Uncle, have you also encountered a shipwreck? Where is your hometown?"

Kozaburo just smiled without answering and stood silently beside Leo.

Seeing that Kozaburo didn't say anything, Leo also fell silent. There was no way to continue the conversation with this taciturn guy. Do sword players like to pretend to be cool? He put on a melancholy posture with his clothes blown by the sea breeze. Just when Leo was complaining about Kozaburo in his heart, Kozaburo spoke.

"Little guy, you didn't get into a shipwreck because of a pirate attack, did you? The day you boarded the ship, I saw you holding a wooden barrel and drifting in the sea chasing the ship for a long time."

"Uncle, what are you talking about?" Leo was shocked. What did he mean by saying this to me? If he wanted to expose myself, why didn't he remind the people on the boat earlier?

"Haha, don't be afraid. I don't mean to expose you. Everyone has their own difficulties, and you are a child of your age. I heard that you want to go to Shampoo Land, right? My journey will also pass through there. Do you want to come with me?"

Hmm? Yes, Shimotsuki Kozaburo's goal is to settle in the East China Sea. What should I do? Should I agree to his request?

"Why do you want to help me, uncle? Is it just because I'm a child?" Leo was still wary of Kozaburo.

"You don't have to be so wary of me. It's just a matter of convenience for me. The final destination of this ship is Dressrosa. Once there, I will change ships to go to the first half of the Grand Line. You can think about it slowly before I get off the ship."

"Okay, I will seriously consider your proposal. Uncle, I have another question. I heard that to reach the first half of the Grand Line, we need to cross the Red Earth Continent from the bottom of the sea, and this journey will pass through the Fishman Island. Is there really a kingdom of fishmen under the sea?"

"Oh? Little guy, you actually know Fishman Island? It seems that you are not simple." Kozaburo looked at Leo cunningly.

Oops, I think I've overacted. Did he know that Fishman Island is special? Leo had no choice but to use his unique advantage as a child, scratching his head and grinning, "I heard it from my parents. They told me the story of Fishman Island."

Kozaburo no longer dwelled on the issue: "Taking the route to Fishman Island is considered illegal smuggling. After arriving in Dressrosa, you can consider continuing to take a merchant ship or a government public ship and use the elevator on the Red Earth Continent to go to the first half of the Grand Line."

I see. The Fishman Island in the anime left such a deep impression on me. Leo had to pass through the Fishman Island to go back and forth on the Grand Line. I didn't expect it to be a smuggling route. No wonder only pirates would choose to go there. And the elevator on the Red Earth Continent was also surprising. Leo thought that only people from the World Government could use it. Oh, it seems that stereotypes kill people.

During the subsequent journey, Leo became much more honest and stopped training his abilities. After talking with Kozaburo that day, he had not yet decided whether to travel with this great swordsman who had a small role in the original work.

A too stable sailing life is doomed to be boring, but today the caravan actually has to stop at a small island. It is a winter island covered with ice and snow, and the overall area is not large. The merchant ship is going to this small island for temporary supplies.

"Balkimore Island is almost here, everyone get ready to land."

When Leo heard the name of the island, he felt it sounded very familiar. After thinking about it carefully, his eyes suddenly lit up. This island is the hometown of Vegapunk. He must go and see it. It would be even better if he could meet the scientist who has been leading the world's technology for 500 years.

This was Leo's first long voyage. When his feet stepped on land, his body still felt shaking. Leo knew that this was a sequelae of motion sickness and it would take two or three days to adapt. The primary problem now facing him was how to keep warm. Balkimoia was a winter island with snow all year round and the temperature was very low, while the climate where Leo came from was very warm, which resulted in him not having winter clothes.

Fortunately, there is a shop that sells cotton-padded clothes at the port, but the price is a bit expensive. It seems that the people here are good at doing business. After some bargaining, Leo chose a long cotton-padded coat. The quality is really excellent. I didn’t feel cold as soon as I put it on.

"Brother Sailor, when is the next sailing date? I want to visit the island."

"Don't worry, the captain said we will stop in Balkimoa tonight. We have been sailing for so many days, so let's have a good rest tonight. If you are tired, you can go back to the ship to rest, or find a hotel to have a good sleep. Just come back before the sailing tomorrow at noon."

After saying hello, Leo started his journey to the small island of Balkimoa. The first thing he had to do was to find a restaurant to improve his meal. He almost vomited after eating seafood for so long.

He chose the largest restaurant in town, as Leo liked to eat in crowded places. When he opened the door, he was greeted by a wave of heat. Balkimore was similar to the Northeast where he grew flowers in his previous life. It was so cold outside that water would freeze into ice, but inside the house was warm like summer.

On the ice-covered island, green vegetables are a luxury. The island's special food, apart from grilled meat, is food made from potatoes, which is in line with the characteristics of the permafrost region.

Leo ate golden French fries, creamy mashed potatoes, and a large portion of barbecued meat, his mouth was full of oil, and he shed tears of emotion while eating. Seeing how much Leo liked the food in the restaurant, the owner of the restaurant enthusiastically gave him a cup of hot milk.

"Uncle, your food is so delicious." Leo praised while picking up food from the plate.

"If you like it, little one, eat more. These are the only things we have here. I hope you don't mind."

The people of Balkimoa are warm-hearted. It turns out that cold places always breed passionate emotions.

"Uncle, is there anything special about Balkimoa Island? I just got here and want to take a look around."

"Hahaha, this is the future country of Balkimoia. There are many scientific wonders on the island, and there are many mechanical-related modifications."

"Uncle, do you know Vegapunk? I heard he is a great scientist. I kind of admire him. Where can I find him?"

The restaurant owner showed an expression of "as expected", it turned out that he was also a fan of Dr. Vegapunk.

"Dr. Vegapunk is a celebrity on this island. Everyone admires him. Look, our house is so warm now because of the heating system invented by the doctor."

"Dr. Vegapunk's dream since childhood was to make this cold island as warm as spring. So he created many inventions that are beneficial to life. If you want to know more about the doctor, you can go to the laboratory he left behind. It is on the edge of the forest not far from the town. But you must not go to the forest behind the laboratory. There are many very dangerous modified animals there. Anyone who sets foot there will be attacked."

Oh, this is a pleasant surprise. Vegapunk's studio is such an important place that it is not forbidden for outsiders to visit. Leo has developed a strong interest in it.

Following the boss's instructions and asking a few passers-by on the road, Leo found a huge steel building. From the outside, you can see exposed gears and flashing electronic indicator lights on the walls, and many things like pipes sticking out of the walls. The hardcore appearance is very different from the small town just now. When you get here, it's like entering a world of steampunk.

Just as Leo was observing with great interest, a puppy passed by. It was a strange puppy, its hind legs were mechanical prostheses, and there was a clockwork device installed on its back.

Leo's eyes were full of stars. Is this a mechanically modified creature? How magical! Sure enough, no boy can resist a mechanical creation.

After saying goodbye to the mechanical puppy, Leo only felt more excited. He pushed open the door with great interest and saw a device similar to a steam engine. Before Leo could go forward to study it, an alarm sounded in the whole house.

After a while, two young men with guns on their backs ran out hurriedly to check. After seeing that the person was just a little boy, the two young men were obviously relieved. It seemed that they mistook Leo for a tourist who had strayed in.

"Little guy, who brought you here? Where are your parents?" the young man asked politely and turned off the alarm next to him.

"Hello, brother. I just arrived at Balkimo Island today. I admire Dr. Vegapunk very much, so I wanted to visit his laboratory. I came here alone, and the uncle in the restaurant showed me the way."

"I see! Then I'll show you around. There are a lot of security systems here, so strangers are not allowed to walk around."

After hearing the boy say that he admired Vegapunk, the two became more friendly and took the initiative to act as guides.

After looking around, they finally arrived at the studio left by Vegapunk. It seemed that no one had been to this room for a long time. There were many tools hanging in front of the table in the room, many of which Leo couldn't name. There were also thick drawings stacked on the table. After obtaining consent, Leo randomly selected a few drawings and read them carefully.

Seeing that the young tourist was actually interested in the drawings Dr. Vegapunk had drawn in the early days, the young guard said, "These are the drawings that the doctor had drawn in the past. You can take a look at them, but please put them back in place after reading them and don't mess them up. To thank the doctor for all he has done for this island, we have been keeping his studio intact. We hope that he will come back here one day."

Leo hardly listened to what the guard said. He was completely absorbed by the content of the drawing on the paper, and a path to becoming stronger gradually became clear in his mind.

That night, Leo returned to the merchant ship, found Mr. Kozaburo, informed him of his plan not to travel with him, and also said goodbye to the sailors who had been taking care of him.