117 117. Captain

Navy Headquarters, Marineford.

Knock Knock.

"Come in."

A man wearing formal suit and an overcoat stepped into the highest floor of Marineford. Seated before him was the man with the highest authority in Navy, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, The Buddha.

"Sir, Leo Heart from east blue is here."

Sengoku raised his head and said, "Hm, send him in."

The man saluted and left. Not long after Leo and Shinobu entered the room.

Sengoku raised an eyebrow when he saw Leo. His Observation Haki was picking up a strong life force.

It was a custom for newly appointed Captains to report to headquarters before they take up their position.

Sengoku initially thought this was a simple case of reporting in. But seeing this newly appointed Captain he couldn't help but re-evaluate him.

This man before him had a strong life force. The aura around him was calm like a still pond. He looked like a scholar rather than a fighter. However Sengoku knew this was only a facade.

This kid is powerful.

He also noted the young woman standing next to Leo.

According to reports she is his wife. Though her presence isn't as overbearing as his, she is also strong.

"Leo Heart... 25 years old. Place of birth, unknown. Merit, C class. Number of arrests, thirteen 10 million, one 20 million."

"Current position, Captain."

Sengoku read out what was known about Leo and said, "Your merits only warrant you a Captain title, but considering your strength it's not enough."

Leo didn't know where this was going, so he asked, "Meaning?"

Sengoku tapped the table with his finger, "You have the strength of a vice admiral. A Captain position is unworthy of you."

Oh, so that's what it was.

Leo said, "It's alright. As long as I can travel around freely, it doesn't matter what title I have."

Sengoku thought for a moment and asked seriously, "Why join Navy? You are a capable young man, if you want to you could settle down and live comfortably."

Leo lightly smiled, "Someone I consider as family once said that this world is vast and the sights to see and people to meet are worth living for. So if I settle down and live comfortably, it would be a waste of my life."

Sengoku raised an eyebrow, "And now?"

Leo replied honestly, "I am no saint. I won't go out of my way to help people but, I won't turn a blind eye to evil infront of me either."

"I wish to travel and see those wonderful places people always talk about. Elbaf, Fishman Island, Sabaody, Wano, Thunder Island, Water Seven... I want to visit all of them."

"And transportation, food, lodging... everything is gonna be a hassle if I am alone. And it's easy to come across pirates, and considering my character I will definitely interfere when I see one."

"However when I was working as an acting Captain, travelling was easy and life was comfortable. There was a fine cabin to sleep, stable food, a crew to navigate through the seas."

"So I thought, why not get an official position. The benefits of one will make it easier for me to travel. And if I see scums I can take care of them along the way. It's a win-win situation."

Sengoku face twitched. This was the first time he was hearing about someone wanting to join the Navy for the purpose of convenience.

However his heart was in the right place so Sengoku found no need to deny him his wish.

He nodded and said, "Your reason is a bit unusual but I can accept it. You ship and crew will be ready tomorrow."

Leo nodded, "Thank you, sir."

Sengoku suddenly turned his sight to Shinobu and asked, "I got a report that you are good with poison."

Shinobu nodded.

Sengoku thought for a moment and asked, "Do you want to join a medical team or continue as his ship's medical officer."

Shinobu shook her head without hesitation, "I want to join his crew."

Sengoku nodded and send them away. He leaned on his chair and smiled.

He is an odd one but his heart is in the right place. Looks like I picked up a gem this time. Oh, yeah, someone recommend him. I should reward him generously.

...

The next day.

Leo met his ship and his crew.

Sengoku got him a war ship with a fully capable crew. Leo grinned when he saw his ship.

Now I can live comfortably and travel freely. Ah, life truly is a bliss.

"Captain, where to?"

A uniform officer saluted and asked.

Leo looked at his second in command and said, "Mace, get me details of the nearest pirates with bounties ranging from 50 million to 100 million."

Mace nodded and went off. A few minutes later he back with a stack of bounties.

Leo spread them on the table and said, "A total of 26 bounties. Mace, order them from nearest to the furthest and map out a route."

Mace was an efficient guy. He cross checked all the pirates, their activities, last seen location, active areas and created a route plan within three hours.

Soon a plan was placed before him. He looked at areas where he was supposed to find his bounties and saw several islands in the vicinity.

Very good. Me and Shinobu can spend a day or two in those islands before setting off to the next target.

He patted Mace's shoulder and said, "Great work. Did Fleet Admiral Sengoku tell you something?"

Mace hesitated but still nodded in the end.

Leo reassured him, "Don't worry. I am not mad about you not telling me. In fact I am glad you included all those islands for me and Shinobu to sightsee. Thanks."

Mace was overwhelmed when Leo thanked him. He hastily shook his head and said, "It's my job, sir."

Leo chuckled, "Alright. Get the crew ready, we are setting off!"