Leo was a native of Blue Star. His family was not wealthy; in fact, they barely made ends meet.
By the time he turned eighteen, his life had already taken several wrong turns. His parents divorced, he dropped out of school, and his relationship ended in heartbreak.
At one point, he often fantasized about grand and unrealistic things like time travel, reincarnation, and escaping into fantastical worlds. Anime and the two-dimensional world became his escape, but reality always pulled him back down. Eventually, the burdens of real life—the pressure to survive and provide—pushed Leo into a grueling job at an electronics factory. He became just another cog in the machine, a forgotten speck among the lower rungs of society.
In the factory, his days were monotonous and long. The only moments of relief came during brief breaks when he would lose himself in daydreams about his past ambitions or dream of finding true love.
He imagined his future would be painfully ordinary. Perhaps he'd meet an average woman, get married, and settle into a life burdened by endless car and house loans. But everything changed one day, all because of a completely random and unexpected incident.
Leo stumbled upon a mysterious booklet while browsing a well-known second-hand book website. The booklet had strange, ghostly drawings on its cover, and the seller labeled it as a "Magic Encyclopedia." It was selling for three dollars and twenty-five cents—the exact amount Leo usually spent on dinner.
Tempted by curiosity and an odd pull he couldn't explain, Leo acted on impulse and bought the book. He immediately regretted it. The moment he confirmed the purchase, he felt a pang of heartbreak. Three dollars and twenty-five cents was a lot to lose for someone in his situation. He even thought about returning it, but the seller disappeared without a trace right after shipping the package. It felt like a scam.
The days while waiting for the book's arrival were miserable. Leo was so upset, he didn't even add sausage to his instant noodles for several days. That's right—he skipped sausage. And for him, that was a big deal.
Eventually, the parcel arrived. Out of stubbornness, Leo forced himself to study the so-called Magic Encyclopedia late into the night, just to make the cost worthwhile. He spent days reading it cover to cover.
This obsession didn't go unnoticed. The team leader at the factory warned him sternly, accusing him of being distracted at work. He even threatened to deduct fifty yuan from Leo's wages.
Fifty yuan? That was no small sum for Leo—it could cover a week of basic meals. Desperate, he practically begged the team leader and even bribed him with a three-yuan bottle of Coke to avoid the penalty.
That evening, overwhelmed by frustration, Leo rushed home. He grabbed the magic booklet and was moments away from tearing it apart. But just as he was about to destroy it, he remembered its cost. He held back, sighing heavily. Instead of throwing it away, he shoved it under some papers on his desk.
As fate would have it, the moment he pressed it down, a blinding white light burst from the booklet and engulfed him. Before he could even react, the world around him twisted.
The anime "Pirate King" was playing on his computer, and somehow, Leo was absorbed into it. He lost consciousness.
When he came to, Leo found himself in a completely different world. He had transformed into a teenage orphan living at the Uncertainty Terminal in the Kingdom of Goa.
The emotions he felt in those first moments were overwhelming: shock, fear, hope, longing, confusion, even hysteria. But eventually, Leo calmed down and adapted to his new environment.
He spent months adjusting to life in the Kingdom of Goa. During that time, something incredible happened. The cheat ability from the booklet finally awakened in his mind, and the entire magical record became accessible to him.
That's when he realized he had truly crossed into the world of Pirate King.
With this newfound power, Leo didn't stay in the Kingdom of Goa. He left the novice area and ventured into the vast seas. Over the years, he wandered from island to island, witnessing the world's beauty while continuing to practice magic.
The magical energy within him surged more powerfully each day. It was the cheat ability, granted by that three-dollar-and-twenty-five-cent booklet. Now, he could use most of the spells recorded within its pages.
Leo had never counted how many spells there were. Some could cause massive destruction, while others were simple tricks. The Magic Encyclopedia truly lived up to its name—it contained everything.
As a result, Leo never worried about his strength. In this world full of monsters and pirates, he had a major advantage. He knew the general timeline of the Pirate King anime. From the moment Luffy left for his adventure to when he became one of the Four Emperors and fought Kaido, only three years passed.
Leo believed that most enemies wouldn't pose a threat to him. Even if he were cornered, he could use space magic to escape. He had already mastered a teleportation spell that allowed him to travel a hundred kilometers with the Sunny Go ship.
While Leo was reminiscing about everything he'd been through, Luffy—who was sitting beside him—had just finished devouring a mountain of food.
"Delicious!" Luffy beamed, patting his stomach. "It would be even better if there was more meat."
He then looked up at Leo. "By the way, what's your name, Food Man? I didn't hear it clearly earlier!"
Leo sighed. Luffy's habit of giving strange nicknames was as famous as Zoro's inability to navigate.
"My name is Leo," he said with a serious expression. "I am a magician."
"Magician?!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "That's amazing! Like those characters in the old adventure stories I used to hear about?"
"Uh… something like that," Leo replied. He wasn't familiar with the stories Luffy referred to, but it seemed close enough.
"Wow! That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with childlike excitement.
Coby, who had been standing quietly nearby, looked completely bewildered. He couldn't understand how the two were communicating so effortlessly.
"Leo, huh? I'm Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to become the King of the Pirates!" Luffy grinned and pointed his thumb proudly at himself.
Then he extended his hand. "I think you're awesome. So, do you want to be my partner?!"
Leo was stunned. That iconic phrase—he had heard it countless times in the anime during his younger days. But hearing it in person, spoken directly to him, sent chills down his spine. It felt surreal.
This invitation... this moment... it felt like his dreams were coming to life.
Every person, deep inside, has dreamed of adventure. And now, that opportunity stood right before him.
"Okay," Leo said without hesitation. "If you want to become the King of the Pirates, then you'll have to travel the entire world."
He felt a surge of magic within him, as if his heart and soul had awakened again.
"I have nowhere else to go," he added. "So I'll be a companion to the future Pirate King."
He adjusted the top hat on his head, gripped his cane tightly, and firmly shook Luffy's hand.
"That sounds like a great proposal," Leo smiled. "Please take care of me, my captain."
"Hahahahaha! I knew I was right about you! We're partners now! Let's look out for each other!" Luffy burst into laughter, his joy echoing across the room.
Coby, on the other hand, was about to lose his mind.
How could this be happening? He couldn't keep up with their conversation at all.
And so, Leo's journey truly began.
With magic in his veins and a dream in his heart, he joined the crew of the man who would one day become King of the Pirates.
pàtréóñ(Gk31)