112. A New Journey

Dane spoke with emotion.

Leo was curious, "Come on, you must be exaggerating."

Dane shook his head, "No one will believe it unless they saw it themselves."

Leo asked, "And you did?"

Dane nodded, he frowned another glass and said, "I was lucky to board Vice Admiral Garp's ship once. And in that single voyage I understand the vast difference between men from Grandline and here."

"Danger lurks everywhere in those waters. The whether could be sunny one moment however it could change into a thunderstorm the next second."

"Sea kings the size of this very island we stand on roams the seas."

"The legendary Fishman island where mermaids reside."

"An island grown from a humongous plant, Sabaody Archipelago."

"Island with lightning strikes all year around. Islands with beasts the size of a small mountain."

"The giant kingdom, Elbaf."

"The mysterious country Wano."

"You can't imagine what it's like. In that single voyage I saw a huge sea king. You saw Billy's ship, it wouldn't even fill the gap between that sea kings teeth."

Leo stared when he heard him. His curious nature was triggered.

"Sea kings can be that big?"

Dane nodded.

Leo was then confused, "Wait, you said you met a sea king, then how are you still here?"

Dane smiled, "That's why I told you. Men from those waters are monsters. It only took Vice Admiral Garp one punch to smash that colossal sea king into mashed meat."

He downed another glass and stared at Leo, "Initially I wanted to recruit you but seeing what you did today I believe your place isn't here. It's there in those waters."

Leo chuckled, "Oh please, I just took out a 10 million bounty pirate that's all."

Dane stared at him and said solemnly, "Don't try to fool me. What you did is atleast at the level of a captain from Navy Headquarters."

Leo didn't reply.

Dane got up and got ready to leave. Before he left he said some words, "This place isn't for you. The life here is bland and boring for someone of your calibre."

"Get out and explore."

Leo saw him out. He sat down and thought about what Dane said.

Go out and explore.

Leo was curious by nature. His only interests were training, good food and alcohol.

However he won't deny that he was curious about this Grandline Dane spoke of.

An island with lightning strikes all year around, Fish man island, Giant country...

Fascinating.

He smiled unknowingly.

Shinobu came in right at this moment and she saw him smile brightly. She narrowed her eyes and asked.

"What made you so happy?"

He chuckled and pointed to the briefcase Dane brought. Shinobu opened it and saw a pile of cash.

She kind of guessed what happened, "Pirates?"

Leo nodded.

Shinobu closed it and put it aside. She then sat on his lap and hugged him before planting a deep kiss.

"Come on, out with it. You are unusually happy today."

Leo knew he couldn't hide anything from her. He said everything he heard from Dane.

After listening to him Shinobu had a curious expression on her face, "Do those places really exist?"

Leo shook his head, "I don't know. But Dane is someone who values what he says, I don't think he will lie."

Shinobu went silent for a moment and looked straight at Leo, "You really want to go, don't you?"

Leo poked her cute little nose and smirked, "Like you aren't interested. I bet those mermaids, sea kings and giants really caught your attention, right?"

Shinobu smiled cheekily.

"So it's settled?"

Shinobu nodded and kissed him, "Yup. Let's go to the Grandline!"

...

The next day.

Leo visited Dane and said, "I want to go to the Grandline."

Dane wasn't surprised, he seems to have expected Leo's visit and said with a smile, "There are trade routes between the four seas and Grandline. Since the route and destination are extremely dangerous there are no safe routes, only a strong, experienced and influential force can take you there."

Leo stared at him.

Dane smiled cheekily and said, "The only way to reach Grandline is to command a ship or to join the navy. If you commandeer a ship, first, you need find a crew, second they need to be experienced, third, they must be strong. If not, your chances of survival out there will be very very low."

"Most of the ships out there sink due to the sudden and inexplicable changes on the seas. However if you join the Navy, you will have your own ship and an experienced crew to take you everywhere. There is no need for any of the above mentioned hassles."

Leo finally understood why this fella spoke so much last night.

Leo stared at him for a while and said, "I knew you for several months, I never realised you were so sly."

Dane grinned, "I know how to fish, the trick is to be patient. It took me a while to figure out how to hook you."

Leo was really annoyed by that grin on his face, "Wipe that grin off your face before I plant my fist there."

Dane's expression froze. He coughed and changed the topic, "Right. Here are your recruitment papers, the highest rank I can give you is a lieutenant."

Leo was surprised, "You can give out a lieutenant rank?"

Dane smiled smugly, "My rank is Captain. Though we are in a backwater like East blue I can still do this much."

Leo didn't bother with him anymore and asked, "So what's next?"

Dane pulled out a parchment and handed it to Leo.

"This is an official recommendation by me to the headquarters. A cargo ship sailing for the Navy base near the Redline is gonna pass through here. Just board it."

"Once you are at that base, they will check your background for any criminal activities. Once you are green they will arrange a ride for you to the Navy Headquarters."

Leo listened carefully and memorized everything he said.

After sorting out some more official documents of his appointment Leo got up and thanked Dane.

Watching Leo leave Dane had a smile plastered across his face.

A major came in with a bunch of documents and saw him smile. He was curious and asked, "Sir, why are you smiling like that?"

Dane leaned on his chair and said, "I might get a promotion if I am lucky."

The major didn't understand what he meant.

...

A week later the cargo ship docked on Ash Island.

Leo and Shinobu were packed and ready to go. Dane and some other friends they had on the island came by to say good-bye.

They watched Leo and Shinobu board the ship and waved them off.

Standing on the deck and feeling the wind sweep past her face Shinobu smiled.

"This is exciting!"

Leo nodded.

"Yes it is."