The mocking smile was still on Wena's face—
But his pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints.
In the split second he had to react, he could only raise the blade in his hand across his chest.
CRACK—! THUD!
First came the sharp sound of the blade snapping under the impact.
Then came the dull, sickening sound of metal piercing flesh.
"AAARGH—!!!"
Wena let out a miserable scream.
His entire body was blasted backward through the air, smashing into several stacked wooden crates that collapsed under the force.
Dust slowly settled.
Wena struggled to rise again.
Blood poured from his nose and mouth, and his chest was a mangled mess of torn flesh.
Leon's long-distance strike had inflicted a devastating wound.
"Ugh… cough…"
Wena glared viciously in Leon's direction and toward the soldiers blocking the pursuit.
He said nothing.
Relying purely on the endurance of a Zoan Devil Fruit user, he turned and stumbled into a narrow alleyway.
In seconds, he disappeared into the shadows of the harbor buildings.
"Squad One—follow the blood trail!"
"Squad Two—seal every nearby exit! Move!"
The guard captain immediately barked orders.
Some soldiers rushed toward the direction Wena had fled, tracking the drops of blood along the ground.
Only then did the captain turn his attention back to the only person still standing at the scene.
Leon.
The man was clearly injured, but the aura around him made it obvious he was no ordinary civilian.
"You there!"
"State your identity!"
"Why were you fighting here? What is your relationship with that fugitive?"
The captain shouted sharply.
The soldiers tightened their encirclement, spearheads and gun barrels moving closer.
Leon breathed heavily.
The furious throw of the harpoon had nearly drained the last of his strength.
Now that he had stopped moving, pain from beneath his left ribs surged again.
That was from Wena's desperate counterattack earlier.
He had probably cracked a rib.
His right arm also throbbed from the repeated clashes and the final full-power throw.
Leon glanced toward the alley where Wena had escaped.
Then he looked around.
Hundreds of fully armed royal soldiers surrounded the area.
More reinforcements were arriving from the distance.
Break through by force?
With his current strength, even if he managed to defeat a few soldiers, escaping this fully sealed harbor would be impossible.
Surrender…
It was dangerous.
But at least he wouldn't die immediately.
And perhaps there would be room for negotiation.
The captain and the others are still in town…
Once they hear the news, they'll find a way…
These thoughts flashed through Leon's mind in an instant.
He was a brave fighter—but not a reckless fool.
Under overwhelming disadvantage and with the situation unclear, restraint was the only rational choice to preserve his life and buy time for his companions.
Slowly—
He raised both hands.
Showing he had no intention of resisting further.
"I was trying to stop that fugitive."
"He injured someone from my ship."
"I didn't intend to cause trouble in your kingdom's harbor."
The captain gave no reaction to the explanation.
He simply gestured to the soldiers beside him.
Several soldiers stepped forward cautiously.
They quickly searched Leon and examined his injuries.
Soon, the guards restored order at the scene.
By questioning witnesses, they roughly pieced together what had happened.
A criminal had escaped.
This giant man had been trying to stop—or capture—the fugitive.
However—
During the search, a folded bounty poster carefully stored on Leon's body slipped out.
A soldier picked it up and froze slightly.
He quickly handed it to the captain.
The captain looked down at the poster.
[Harpoon Leon]
Bounty: 14,000,000 Berries
Former captain of the Cormorant Pirates
Crimes: Plundering merchant ships, attacking towns, numerous atrocities.
Dead or alive.
(This was Leon's old bounty from before joining the Jellyfish Pirates. It had not yet been updated.)
The captain's expression instantly became… complicated.
He squinted, examining the poster carefully.
Then excitement slowly spread across his face.
"…Harpoon Leon?"
"Hahaha!"
He held the poster up in front of Leon.
"Unbelievable! A pirate captain!"
"I thought we'd only caught someone involved in a street fight—"
"Turns out we hooked a big fish!"
The captain's smile faded into a cold snort.
"Harpoon Leon!"
"You've got some nerve."
"As a pirate captain wanted by the Marines, you dare fight openly in the harbor of Alabasta, disrupting order!"
"Men! Put heavy shackles on him."
"Take him away and guard him strictly!"
"I will report this immediately to His Majesty the King!"
Heavy chains were roughly clamped onto Leon's wrists and ankles.
Leon did not struggle.
Nor did he try to argue.
As he was pushed away, he only turned once—
Looking deeply toward the direction where the Swordfish was docked.
Then the soldiers escorted him away.
He soon disappeared into the far side of the harbor.
Meanwhile
The Jellyfish Pirates' supply team had just finished purchasing large amounts of water, food, and other provisions in the marketplace.
They pushed over a dozen rented carts piled high with supplies.
"Hey… why are so many people gathered at the harbor?"
"Looks like… there are soldiers too?"
"Did something happen?"
The squad leader frowned.
"Don't get involved."
"Our job is to bring the supplies back to the ship."
"Hurry up and go around the side. Don't join the crowd."
They avoided the busy area and approached the Swordfish through a quieter dockside path.
"Hey! Brothers! We're back!"
"…Where is everyone?"
But the moment they stepped onto the gangplank—
A strange silence hit them.
And the smell of blood.
Everyone's heart skipped.
"What the hell happened?! Brother Alberto?!"
The scene before them made their blood run cold.
Crew members lay scattered across the deck.
Alberto himself lay in a pool of blood.
At least five or six deep knife wounds were clearly visible on his body.
And his ever-present sword was gone.
"Quick! Check if he's still breathing!"
"Doctor! Where's the ship doctor?!"
"Check everyone else too!"
The men hurried to examine the wounded.
Aside from Alberto—whose condition was critical—every other guard on board was also injured.
Thankfully, most were still alive.
But they urgently needed treatment.
Soon they found the ship's doctors unconscious in a corner.
All four ship doctors had been beaten down.
Even Dr. Hiriluk from Drum Island was among them.
A large lump had formed on his head, and his body had several bruises.
It seemed he had tried to resist—but his strength had been far from enough.
The squad leader's entire body turned cold.
He immediately rushed below deck.
The door to the hold's prison stood wide open.
Inside and outside the cell were clear signs of violent struggle.
Deep claw marks gouged the walls.
Blood splatter stained the wood.
"Damn it!"
"It was that short-legged bastard Wena!"
"He broke his shackles and escaped!"
The squad leader clenched his fists until they cracked.
"Anyone with bandaging experience—stay here!"
"Even if you're not a doctor, use the first-aid training we practiced before!"
"Stop the bleeding for the seriously injured first!"
"Focus on the critical ones—especially Brother Alberto!"
He turned to the rest of the team.
"The rest of you—come with me!"
"We need to find the captain on the island immediately!"
"Something big just happened!"
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