Chapter 83: Kuja Pirates, Amazon Lily, and Boa Hancock

The sea was calm as Leno stood beside Rayleigh, both staring at the horizon. This was no ordinary training trip, it was a test of survival. Leno knew it. Rayleigh had chosen him for more than just combat practice. There were lessons here that could only be learned through true hardship.

To avoid attracting the attention of the Navy, Rayleigh had decided to take Leno to a remote location. The boat swayed gently with the waves, a rare moment of peace before the storm.

"Hey, Rayleigh, Leno, you better not cut this boat in half!"

Buggy, gripping the sides of the vessel with white knuckles, shouted, his voice trembling. He glanced at the sharks circling below, their dark silhouettes moving ominously through the water. His face paled as he swallowed hard, imagining the worst.

Buggy, the self-proclaimed "god-tier" pirate, who dreamed of surpassing Shanks and conquering the world, was terrified of the sea. His fear was almost laughable, but he couldn't help it—it was in his nature. 

"Don't worry, Buggy! You're not falling in today!" Leno said with a smile, his tone playful.

"No, no, no, please don't let me fall!" Buggy stammered, his usual bravado gone.

Leno chuckled. He was genuinely surprised that Buggy had come along for the training. Truth be told, Buggy's Devil Fruit, the Chop-Chop Fruit, had real potential. If Buggy had developed it fully, Leno mused, he might have been a force to reckon with. Perhaps even on the level of an SS-class fighter. A fruit that allowed its user to separate and control their body parts at will had limitless possibilities. Combined with the right swordsmanship, Buggy could have been unstoppable.

A single sword wave, and an island could be cleaved in two. Imagine it—Buggy's power rivaling that of Whitebeard's Shock Fruit.

But that was the problem. Buggy lacked something. The temperament of a true warrior.

Still, a funny Buggy was a good Buggy. If Buggy ever lost his humor and became as calm and serious as Rayleigh, Leno would begin to suspect something was terribly wrong.

Leno glanced at Rayleigh, a living legend who had seen it all. As a training partner, Rayleigh was perfect. His experience was invaluable, something Leno desperately needed. And his Conqueror's Haki was strong—stronger than most.

Rayleigh took a swig from his flask, his eyes narrowing. "So, tell me, Leno, what exactly is the goal of your Hunter's Guild?"

Rayleigh's question carried weight, and Leno knew it. The former right-hand man of the Pirate King wasn't asking out of idle curiosity.

Leno grinned. "World peace. Does that count?"

Rayleigh nearly choked on his drink before bursting into laughter. "World peace? You aim high, kid."

"What about pirates?" Rayleigh asked, wiping his mouth. "Do you think the world needs pirates?"

Leno's expression hardened. "Do you?"

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You don't like pirates, do you?"

"Who would?" Leno responded bluntly. "Sure, there are some who simply long for adventure, who take to the seas for exploration. But they aren't pirates. They're adventurers, navigators, explorers. Pirates, though? They don't represent freedom—they represent chaos, destruction."

He continued, his voice steady and firm.

"Just look at the towns destroyed by pirates. Parents, brothers, sisters, all dead. Pirates are not heroes—they're scavengers. Calling them symbols of freedom is a joke."

Rayleigh took another sip, his gaze thoughtful. "Then why didn't you join the Navy?"

Leno shrugged. "The Navy? They're better than pirates, at least. Some truly protect the people. But others… they're worse. Some are nothing more than loyal dogs hiding behind the mask of 'justice.'"

Rayleigh smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You sound a lot like the Revolutionary Army."

"Is that so?" Leno replied, smirking. "Don't mistake me. I don't want to be a Marine or a pirate. Someone will end the era of pirates—just like someone closed every other era before it."

Rayleigh chuckled. "If I were twenty years younger, I'd take you on myself."

The old man reflected for a moment. The young Leno reminded him of someone. Roger. His old captain, who had once dreamt of turning the world upside down.

Rayleigh could see it now, the ambition in Leno's eyes. This was a boy who wanted to surpass even the Pirate King.

Suddenly, Buggy's voice interrupted the moment. "Hey, Rayleigh! What's going on? Why is the wind gone?"

Rayleigh grinned. "Welcome to the Calm Belt, Buggy."

Buggy's eyes bulged, and his jaw dropped. "The Calm Belt?! You brought us here?!"

Leno looked around. The sky was a deep, serene blue, the sea like glass, utterly still. It was an eerie kind of beauty, the kind that made your skin crawl. There was no wind, no sound, only silence and the ominous weight of the Calm Belt.

Rayleigh's smile widened. "This is where your training begins."

Only a boat is like a paintbrush.

On the blue canvas of the sea, it drags out a wave of white foam.

In the clear waters, a huge black shadow looms below, drifting by.

Leno had heard that within the World Government and the Navy, they already had ships capable of crossing the Calm Belt, using technology.

Buggy, who was always jumpy, was scared for a moment. But with Leno and Rayleigh by his side, he actually felt safer than with the enormous Sea Kings lurking below.

After all, the three of them together could probably be called the crew of the fifth emperor, right?

"Look!" Buggy's eyes suddenly lit up.

Leno turned his head and saw a small green dot on the horizon.

"Ruskaina Island!" Rayleigh said, smiling. "There was once a kingdom on Ruskaina."

"And what happened to it?" Buggy asked.

"The kingdom is no more," Rayleigh replied.

"Huh? Why? What happened?"

"Nature won. The Calm Belt took the land back."

Buggy gulped, feeling like Rayleigh wasn't telling him everything—there had to be something even more terrifying on that island.

Isn't this where Luffy is training his Haki? Leno thought to himself as he gazed at the island, which was slowly becoming clearer.

Massive ancient trees, entangled with vines, stood proudly, brimming with life.

"Unbelievable!" Buggy exclaimed.

Over the forest, giant birds swooped through the sky, their high-pitched screeches piercing the air.

"It's like a lost world," Leno said quietly.

Suddenly, Buggy's voice broke through. "Hey, what's that?"

Leno's attention shifted. Off to the right of the island, a black dot was moving. As their boat neared the shore, the dot grew larger, revealing itself to be a colossal ship.

The ship was being dragged by two enormous serpents, steadily making its way toward them.

Leno narrowed his eyes. "Looks like they've spotted us."

The two massive snakes changed course, bringing the ship closer to their boat.

"Whoa, look at the size of those things!" Buggy yelped, his voice trembling.

"Relax," Rayleigh said calmly. "That's the Kuja Pirates from Amazon Lily."

"The Kuja Pirates? Aren't they part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? And isn't their captain supposed to be the most beautiful woman in the world?" Buggy asked, his curiosity piqued.

Rayleigh nodded. "They don't like men on their island, but I have a little history with them."

As they spoke, the ship drew near, and the women aboard spotted Rayleigh.

"Rayleigh? It's been a while!" one of them called out.

A group of women, clad in tattered clothing, stood on the ship's deck. Life in the Calm Belt was tough—most couldn't even afford a full outfit, only covering the essentials.

What a group of poor women, Leno thought to himself, feeling a twinge of sympathy.

At the forefront stood a tall woman with long green hair, wearing a white cloak. Her head was oddly large, and her tongue flicked like a snake's.

Beside her prowled a black panther with cold, calculating eyes.

Rayleigh gave a small smile. "Good afternoon, Sandersonia. You're out on patrol today?"

Sandersonia—the second of the three Boa sisters—nodded respectfully.

"Are you heading to Ruskaina?"

The mention of Ruskaina made the soldiers on her ship shudder slightly. The island was infamous for its ferocious beasts, and even the battle-hardened warriors of the Kuja Pirates hesitated to set foot there.

Rayleigh chuckled. "I'm taking these two friends of mine for some training."

"Say hello to your sister, Gloriosa, for me. We won't cause any trouble."

Sandersonia glanced at Leno and Buggy, her eyes narrowing with disdain when she realized they were men. But out of respect for Rayleigh, she kept her composure and said nothing.

Once their ships had parted ways, Rayleigh, Leno, and Buggy disembarked on Ruskaina Island. Towering trees stretched into the sky, their trunks wrapped in ancient vines. The air was thick with the scent of rich vegetation, and the distant rumble of volcanoes added to the wild, untamed atmosphere.

Insects buzzed, unseen yet ever-present, and giant birds swooped overhead, screeching their dominance over the skies. Ancient ruins, covered in moss, lay hidden among the trees, a reminder of a long-lost civilization.

Buggy, glancing nervously at the jungle, muttered, "Why do I get the feeling something bad is about to happen?"

Just as he spoke, the ground shook, trees snapped, and a gigantic tiger, at least seven or eight meters tall, burst through the underbrush.

"AH! Help! There's a tiger!" Buggy shrieked as he took off running.

The tiger seemed to sense that Rayleigh and Leno were not to be trifled with. Instead, it focused on Buggy, chasing him relentlessly along the beach.

"Hey, Buggy, isn't this the training you were asking for?" Leno called out with a grin.

"Huh? This is how it starts?" Buggy shot back, panic in his voice. Seeing that Rayleigh and Leno had no intention of helping, he reached into his pocket.

"Take this, you overgrown cat!" Buggy shouted, dodging the tiger's claws and flinging his special Buggy Bomb behind him.

The explosions rocked the jungle, but the tiger emerged unscathed.

"What the...?" Buggy gaped. "How tough is this thing?"

Rayleigh chuckled. "Beasts on this island aren't your ordinary animals, Buggy. They're much stronger."

Buggy realized that without Rayleigh's warning. His bombs should have blown the tiger to pieces, but it wasn't even scratched.

"Help, help!" Buggy screamed as he ran for his life.

In the end, it was Leno who stepped in, delivering a powerful punch that sent the tiger tumbling. Buggy collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.

"This... this is the training for the next half month?" Buggy groaned. "I'm doomed."

Ignoring Buggy's complaints, Rayleigh led them deeper into the island until they reached a peculiar tree. Its trunk was thick and smooth, with several large branches spreading out like a canopy.

"This is where we'll train," Rayleigh said, gesturing to the open space around the tree.

Leno shrugged off his cloak and stepped into the clearing. "Let's begin."

"Don't expect me to hold back," Rayleigh warned with a grin.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Leno replied, stretching his muscles.

"Oh, the arrogance of youth," Rayleigh chuckled, disappearing in a flash.

Leno's eyes narrowed, but he could still track Rayleigh's movements, his gaze locking onto the older man just in time to block a swift kick.

The clash of fists and feet echoed through the jungle as their special training began.

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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg

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