People say that women in love are blind.
And there was no better example than the current Empress.
Perhaps the Celestial Dragons truly were her fatal weakness—just one touch on that old scar, and she completely collapsed.
When Leo declared that he would overthrow the Celestial Dragons, dismantle their entire ruling system, and destroy the World Government itself, it hit Hancock far harder than when Luffy had punched a Celestial Dragon in the face.
Especially for someone like her—tough on the outside but soft within, a former slave who'd always resented the Celestial Dragons but never dared rebel—Leo's words cut deep.
And unlike Luffy, Leo wasn't strong. He couldn't even defeat a common guard serving the Celestial Dragons, let alone punch one in the face. The fact that he had escaped their grasp alive was already a miracle. Wanting to grow stronger now was only natural.
He'd explained how the world worked—how power defined everything—but that didn't mean he'd given up on acquiring power himself.
Even though he was already twenty-six—about the same age as Hancock, maybe even older—in terms of strength, he was no more than a bottom-tier weakling in the world of pirates. Honestly, even that "cat burglar" Nami might be stronger than him.
But it wasn't his fault.
His body had been that of an average man from a modern urban society. No training, no combat experience. And though he'd been reborn into the One Piece world twenty years younger, his body had only been six years old when captured by the Celestial Dragons. He'd been pampered and well-fed during that time, but somehow never managed to grow stronger.
Even ordinary civilians could easily outperform him physically.
He'd tried working out—prison-style exercises in his room—but to no effect. No matter how hard he trained, his physique was still worse than that of people who didn't train at all.
It became obvious: humans in the One Piece world were simply built different.
There was a fundamental biological gap.
This was confirmed after a medical diagnosis by Belladonna—the doctor with the floral name of "Deadly Nightshade."
Given that, he wasn't even sure whether his body could learn Haki or withstand the power of a Devil Fruit. That uncertainty left him deeply conflicted.
Still, he decided: start with Haki first.
Gloriosa sat perched on a thick tree root, while the Empress and her two sisters relaxed beside her, watching the lesson as if it were a performance.
There weren't many spectators here. A tall wall kept beasts and curious Amazons out, so only the sisters and Gloriosa remained. Her teaching style was far gentler than that of the usual Amazon Lily instructors.
And as Gloriosa explained more, Leo began to understand how Amazon Lily's training system worked.
Even here, not everyone could learn Haki. Training began in childhood, and based on each girl's physique and disposition, they were guided toward either Observation or Armament Haki.
More slender girls, like Sandersonia, were better suited for Observation Haki. More muscular women, like Marigold, leaned toward Armament Haki.
Once they mastered one type, they would begin training in the other.
Only after fully learning both and mastering their application with the serpent bows were they qualified to become Warrior Protectors of the nation.
After a few years in that role, once a new generation of protectors had matured, the Empress would take the current ones out to sea for raids. In this way, Amazon Lily's warrior strength was passed down and grown from one generation to the next.
Every warrior who sailed with the Kuja Pirates could use Haki. Combined with their unique snake bows, which were fast, accurate, and powerful—each shot comparable to a cannon blast—they were a terrifying force. Even battleships struggled against them.
It was said that it would take a Marine Admiral, with the support of several Vice Admirals, to even hope to subdue the Kuja Pirates.
That kind of power could not be underestimated.
And Haki was the one thing that allowed them to overcome their numerical disadvantage.
Which was why Leo had no choice—he had to learn Haki.
It was one of only two paths to survival in this world.
Gloriosa was an old powerhouse, the one who'd taken the three sisters from Shabondy Archipelago back to Amazon Lily. Most likely, she'd been their original Haki instructor.
Like Rayleigh, she had her own teaching methods and insights.
With Leo's intelligence, he understood her explanations right away. But comprehension alone wasn't enough. Haki was a mystical form of spiritual energy—akin to inner qi, chi, or spiritual power in fantasy martial arts.
Rayleigh had only one method for training Luffy: blindfold him and train until he dropped.
Leo could relate. It reminded him of playing PUBG—when his aim was on point, he could score 10 kills in one match in the 5000-point tier. But when his rhythm was off, he'd die in the first minute.
Professional gamers trained daily to maintain that "feel"—to keep it sharp until the day they retired.
If Haki was like that—muscle memory made manifest—it made sense.
But understanding it was one thing. Executing it was another. Mastering it was something else entirely.
So, even after ten full days of rest, recovery, and devouring loads of seaking meat-filled pastries, Leo still had made no real progress.
He knew it was because his frail body wasn't suited for Armament Haki. He needed to start with Observation Haki.
But Observation Haki demanded innate talent.
Strong users like Katakuri could see a few seconds into the future, hear the voices of sea kings, or even communicate with Zunesha.
Weaker individuals couldn't even enter the door.
Observation Haki was arguably more mysterious—and more talent-dependent—than Armament Haki.
Leo couldn't help but feel a little frustrated.
Still, his relationship with the Amazon warriors improved day by day.
Each evening, after training, he would head to the tavern to eat, drink, and regale them with adapted tales from One Thousand and One Nights.
The women of Amazon Lily adored this mysterious man who never seemed to run out of stories.
But on the eleventh day, a new development made him stop training—and summoned all the warriors of Amazon Lily together.
Because, as expected…
At the massive stone gate outside Amazon Lily—
A battleship had arrived, flying the flag of justice.
The Marines were here!