"That's an extremely dangerous idea."
An old, raspy voice suddenly spoke from behind, startling the man.
Leo had assumed it was just him and the Empress in the room, so he had relaxed while speaking, thinking Hancock didn't need to maintain her imperial air and he could speak casually.
But the presence of another meant he now had to show proper deference to her authority.
Not because he respected her title, but because he understood one thing:
If you don't help uphold a ruler's image, that ruler will make an example out of you.
That was a lesson he'd learned firsthand while serving the Celestial Dragons.
He turned around and saw a small, hunched elderly woman he hadn't noticed before.
He didn't underestimate her at all.
He recognized her.
She was Elder Gloriosa, the Empress three generations prior, the one who had rescued Hancock and her sisters from Fisher Tiger and brought them back to Amazon Lily. She had personally raised Hancock and guided her to the throne. Though she had long since stepped away from politics, she remained the most indispensable figure in all of Amazon Lily.
Leaning on her cane, barely over 1.4 meters tall, she slowly approached and fixed Leo with a serious gaze.
"What I want to know," she said, "is how you came to know such dangerous secrets."
"As far as I'm aware, a slave wouldn't have access to any of that."
She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"I'm Leo," he replied, stretching casually before standing. In an instant, his demeanor shifted—his posture straightened, his air became refined. He bowed slightly, hand over chest, and introduced himself formally.
"Former steward of the Saint Carmaille Family—one of the Twenty Celestial Dragon Lineages."
He now looked like a different man from the lazy figure just moments earlier: polished, dignified, and articulate.
Clearly, it was a persona—a mask.
But perhaps it was that very mask that allowed him to survive among the Celestial Dragons and even win their favor.
"Because I was weak, they trusted me. And because they trusted me, they made me manage nearly all of their affairs. In doing so, I came to know nearly every secret the Celestial Dragons and the World Government hold."
He gave a slight shrug, slipping back into a more relaxed stance. Yet despite the casual air, his credibility had risen significantly in the room.
"And you, Elder… what's your name?" Leo asked respectfully, tilting his head toward the diminutive matriarch. Truthfully, he remembered her face—but had forgotten her name.
"Gloriosa," she said, eyes sharp and measured.
She had to admit—this man was valuable.
Even if most pirates were too stupid to realize it, the smart ones knew just how important intelligence was:
When to avoid the Marines.
Where treasure was being transported.
Which government routes were left unguarded.
That was why the World Economic Journal (sold by News Coo. seagulls across the globe) was so wildly popular among pirates.
Now, a man who had lived among the Celestial Dragons and knew the inner workings of the World Government stood before them. There was no way they could let him go.
Not that he seemed interested in leaving, either.
"What is your goal?"
Gloriosa's voice was low, each word heavy with meaning.
That was the real question.
Even if he didn't spell it out, his answer would surely reveal clues.
Leo lifted a single finger.
"The heads of the Celestial Dragons."
Another.
"The dismantling of the World Government."
A third.
"The collapse of the Marines."
A fourth.
"And the founding of a new nation."
His gaze locked not on Gloriosa, but past her—directly at Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress, one of the future Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"That's all I seek," he said quietly.
He closed his eyes and let out a long breath, his entire body finally relaxing.
He had carried that dream in his heart for ten long years.
Now that it had finally been spoken aloud, he felt a great weight lifted.
"You… you want to become Pirate King?!"
Gloriosa looked at him, astonished.
She hadn't expected a former slave—of all people—to have such lofty ambition.
Leo blinked in confusion.
Then burst into laughter.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he nearly choked. His eyes watered as he gasped for air, his body going limp as he collapsed onto the floor.
After a full twenty seconds of uncontrollable laughter, he sat up again and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Looking at Gloriosa, he asked with mock seriousness:
"Why would you think something that ridiculous?"
"Treasure. Freedom. Fame. Adventure. Sure, being Pirate King represents many things…
But not power."
He held up a single finger.
"There is only one force that truly represents power in this world:
The World Government."
"Or more precisely, the people who control it."
"Pirate King has never meant power."
"Before he earned the title, Gol D. Roger was hunted across the seas by Garp, the Marine's Hero.
After he became Pirate King, he was executed publicly.
Even in death, his wife had to carry his child in secret for twenty months."
"What power did he have? What legacy did he leave behind, except chaos and war?"
"Tell me—what good is being Pirate King?"
His tone turned cold.
His words stunned both Hancock and Gloriosa.
The Empress said nothing.
Gloriosa, lips tight, scoffed in disdain.
"So what—you plan to usurp a kingdom?"
And not just any kingdom.
She didn't mean Amazon Lily, a remote nation nestled in the Calm Belt.
She was talking about member states of the World Government—nations that paid the Heavenly Tribute, participated in the Reverie every four years, and held voting power in global politics.
Countries like Dressrosa, seized by Donquixote Doflamingo… or Alabasta, which Crocodile tried to steal from within.
Both were official member nations. If pirates took them and were recognized by the World Government, they could essentially legitimize themselves.
It was the ultimate "whitewashing" path for pirates.
But Leo simply chuckled at her words.
A dry, dismissive snort.