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It was an early winter morning.
Fat snowflakes drifted from the sky, blanketing every corner of the bustling port city. Despite the early hour, Loguetown was already alive with its usual energy as students and dockworkers bustled through the snow-dusted streets.
Toot! Toot!
A Marine patrol car drove slowly through a residential neighborhood, finally pulling over to the side of the road. The back door opened and a cheerful blonde girl with a schoolbag slung over her shoulder hopped out.
"Nami, slow down! You forgot your water bottle."
A man in a crisp Marine officer's uniform, Captain Morgan, got out of the driver's seat and hurried after her. Holding a thermos, the imposing man's tone softened with affection. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you all the way to school? The roads are slippery and it's still snowing."
Nami took the thermos and tucked it into her bag, shaking her head. "No, it's okay. I've got my rain gear and non-slip boots."
"But—"
Morgan started to protest, but Nami's eyes suddenly lit up, a joyful blush spreading across her cheeks. She bounced on the balls of her feet like an excited rabbit, waving her arms enthusiastically. "Leo! Over here! Here!"
"I knew it," Morgan sighed to himself, turning his head. Sure enough, a familiar young man was rounding the corner of the street.
Leo heard his name being called and looked up to see the two of them. He immediately smiled and waved back. "Nami! Captain Morgan! Good morning! What a coincidence seeing you here!"
He knew them well. Nami was a girl his age who lived in the neighborhood. They had gone to the same schools since they were little kids and were now in the same high school. They were practically inseparable. Her father, Captain Morgan, was a well-respected Marine officer in charge of security for their district.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," Nami said, her eyes curving into crescents, her smile impossible to hide.
The snow all around was brilliantly white, but Captain Morgan's face was turning a shade darker.
Coincidence? My foot!
It was obvious to him that Nami had deliberately timed their departure just to "bump into" this boy.
Of course, Morgan would never say that out loud. He was well aware of his daughter's affections. Besides, he had looked into Leo's background years ago and knew he was a good, if somewhat quiet, kid.
"Ah! Leo, you're not even wearing a hat or carrying an umbrella!" Nami exclaimed, quickly closing the distance between them. Before he could respond, she was already brushing the snow from his hair and eyebrows.
"I was in a hurry and forgot," Leo said with a relaxed smile, pushing aside the chaotic thoughts that had been plaguing him all morning.
"You have to remember to stay warm. What if you catch a cold?" Nami puffed out her cheeks in a mock-scolding way that only made her look more playful. Without a second thought, she took the woolly hat from her own head and placed it on Leo's, then warmed her hands on his slightly cold cheeks. To anyone else, it would have seemed like an intimate gesture, but for the two of them, who had grown up together, it was as natural as breathing.
"It's cold out here. I'll give you both a ride to school," Captain Morgan interjected, unable to watch them any longer.
Nami didn't answer, instead looking up at Leo for his decision.
"The school isn't that far, I can just—" Leo started to refuse, but he caught the sharp look in Captain Morgan's eyes and quickly changed his mind. "Thank you, Captain. That would be great."
Nami beamed. "Thanks for the ride, Dad."
"You're welcome," Morgan said, standing a little taller. He had accepted his role as the designated chauffeur in his daughter's budding romance.
A moment later, the patrol car pulled onto the main road, heading towards the high school.
Inside the well-heated car, Nami and Leo sat together in the back. Leo stared out the window at the passing winter scenery, his mind still adrift. The old photograph he'd found that morning had left him with a thousand questions.
Suddenly, he felt a soft, gentle hand take his. He turned to see Nami looking at him with concern.
"Leo, are you okay today?" she asked softly. "You seem distracted."
"I'm—" Leo hesitated. The photo was all he could think about. He had opened the door moments after it was slipped under, but the mysterious person was long gone, leaving only the strange picture behind. Was it really taken during a great war? And who was the woman in the picture, wearing that strange armor, who looked so much like his aunt? His aunt's mother? No, that war was nearly a century ago. It would have to be his aunt's grandmother, or even great-grandmother.
Should I ask Captain Morgan for help? He could probably find the person who dropped it off.
Leo considered it for a moment, then decided against it. "I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just a little cold."
"Well, this should help," Nami said, shifting closer and wrapping both her arms around his left arm. At this distance, they could clearly feel each other's body heat.
Captain Morgan glanced in the rearview mirror, and his blood pressure nearly shot through the roof. Watching his precious daughter offer herself up so freely… it was something no father could easily tolerate.
Wait a second.
As a man with experience, Morgan noticed something. He looked at them again in the mirror. The affection in his daughter's eyes was plain for anyone to see, but the boy… he didn't seem to feel the same way at all.
Somehow, as a father, that felt even worse.
…
When the Marine patrol car stopped in front of the high school, Leo and Nami getting out immediately drew the attention of the other students.
It was only then that Leo really noticed. Nami was wearing a new beige down jacket over a handmade sweater, her slender legs wrapped in white jeans and tucked into tall black boots. At sixteen, she was brimming with youthful energy. With her brilliant short orange hair and delicate features, she was, in the eyes of everyone else, absolutely stunning.
Having grown up with her, Leo was used to it. But now, seeing the looks of envy, jealousy, and outright hatred from the other male students, he suddenly realized just how popular Nami was at school.
"Nami, you should probably let go of my arm," Leo said quietly.
"Nope. It's warmer this way," she hummed, hugging his arm even tighter.
The other students glared at him, their eyes burning with injustice. If looks could kill, Leo would have been a dead man many times over.
"If you don't let go, their stares are going to kill me," he said with a wry smile.
"Back in elementary school, you stood up to a bully who had a knife. You're not afraid of a few glares, are you?" Nami covered her mouth, letting out a laugh that sounded like silver bells. She did, however, loosen her grip, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Don't bring up my embarrassing past," Leo grumbled. He'd been an idealistic kid back then, fresh off reading tales of the great pirate Gol D. Roger, and thought he had the potential to be a hero. If the Marines hadn't shown up when they did, he probably would have started his third life right then and there.
After sixteen years as an ordinary person in this extraordinary world, Leo, a reincarnator with no special cheats or systems, had come to terms with his reality. How many people truly had world-changing powers? Out of the billions of people in the world, only a handful ever reached the level of a Yonko or an Admiral.
"I'm not afraid," Leo clarified as they walked into the warmer hallway of the school building. "I just don't want to cause trouble for you. Your popularity is pretty high, right? I heard you're running for class president."
"Where did you hear that?!" Nami exclaimed, playfully swatting his arm.
It was in that moment that she realized the downside of having a childhood friend. Once a dynamic is set for so long, it becomes incredibly difficult to change it.
As Leo and Nami walked down the hall, in a classroom down the way, a girl with glasses sitting in the back corner stared blankly out the window. Her gaze subtly followed Leo as he moved, tracking him until he was out of sight.
"Robin, what are you looking at?" a classmate asked, leaning over her desk.
"Nothing," Nico Robin replied quickly, pulling her gaze away.
"Really?" The classmate was skeptical and peered out the window herself, only to see a clean, white wall. The thick walls of the classroom blocked any view of the hallway outside.
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