One Piece's Strongest Villain

"Since you're unwilling to hand it over, I'll be forced to make my move!" Leon declared, his voice calm yet filled with a sharp edge.

With part of Uchiha Madara's power coursing through him, Leon knew he had the strength to easily defeat Diamante.

Uchiha Madara remained silent, observing the situation. He could easily judge Diamante's weakness and had no interest in fighting such a trivial opponent. Madara was not one to waste his time on someone beneath him.

Diamante, initially stunned by Leon's boldness, soon turned furious.

"Since you know who I am and dare speak to me this way, do you not fear the consequences from the young master?" Diamante threatened, his voice dripping with menace. However, feeling Uchiha Madara's intimidating presence beside Leon, he hesitated and did not immediately act.

"Don't try to scare me with Doflamingo," Leon sneered. "I wish he'd show up right now."

If Doflamingo appeared, it would attract Madara's attention, and even the infamous Don Quixote leader might not escape a merciless beating.

Diamante clenched his fists, his rage boiling over. "How dare you disrespect the young master!" He barked at his subordinates, "Everyone, shoot them down! Turn them into meat paste!"

"Yes, Lord Cube!" came the unanimous response from the hundreds of men in the fighting group. All at once, they raised their muskets and aimed at Leon and Madara.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of gunfire echoed as hundreds of bullets sped toward the two of them, each bullet whizzing through the air.

The scene seemed grim—Leon, a mere target in their sights, would surely be riddled with holes.

However, Leon's expression remained unfazed.

"Wood Release, Thorn Killing Technique!" he shouted, gathering chakra and bringing his hands together in a swift motion.

The air around him seemed to shift as the ground beneath erupted. Thick, gnarled vines shot up from the earth, forming a massive wooden wall that blocked the incoming bullets.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The bullets struck the wooden wall, embedding themselves harmlessly in the sturdy defense. Leon's Wood Release technique had easily nullified the attack.

Diamante stared, wide-eyed, at the wooden barrier. "What kind of trick is this? Is he a Devil Fruit user?" he thought, his mind racing in confusion.

"Devil Fruit user?" Leon scoffed. "The Wood Release Secret Technique is far beyond your understanding."

"Wood Strangling!" Leon's voice grew cold, and the vines, like serpents, spiraled upward, wrapping around the bodies of Diamante's subordinates. The sharp thorns along the vines pierced through their bodies, blood splattering as they were slaughtered without mercy.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of men were dead, their bodies pierced by the vines. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Diamante's eyes widened in horror, unable to believe the carnage unfolding before him. His once-proud subordinates were now nothing more than lifeless corpses, and the cruel reality of the situation crushed him.

"Diamante..." Leon said coldly, his mocking tone cutting through the silence, "Do you still think you're in a position to negotiate?"

"Damn it!" Diamante roared, his face reddened with fury and disbelief. "Do you know what you've done?!"

Shaking with anger and fear, Diamante pulled the Western sword from his waistband and swung it at Leon. Using his Floating Fruit ability, the sword twisted and writhed through the air like a snake, making the slash unpredictable and erratic.

"Unbreakable!" Leon calmly responded, forming hand signs once more.

"Wood Release, All Things!" he shouted.

The roots of the earth shot up around Diamante, entangling him in an unyielding grip. The twisting, writhing roots snapped the sword in half with a sickening crack.

Diamante stood frozen, still holding the hilt of the broken sword, his mind unable to comprehend the situation. The once-proud cadre of the Don Quixote family was helpless before Leon's overwhelming power.

"Diamante," Leon said, his voice colder than before, "I gave you a chance."

With a final hand gesture, Leon summoned the ultimate Wood Release technique.

"Wood Release, Diamond Calling Wood!" Giant, diamond-hard trees burst forth from the ground, imprisoning Diamante in a cage of unbreakable wood. His struggle was futile.

Diamante's body trembled as he tried to resist, but the wooden prison held him tight. His internal injuries worsened, and he vomited a large amount of blood, his earlier rage completely replaced by despair.

"Young Master will never forgive you!" Diamante spat, his voice barely a whisper as he teetered on the edge of consciousness.

"Shut up," Leon said dismissively, increasing the pressure of the wooden restraints, causing Diamante to let out a tortured scream before finally losing consciousness.

Uchiha Madara, watching the scene unfold, spoke coldly, "He fell that easily? So-called top cadres are really no match."

Leon stepped forward and smirked, "Madara, I think you might be interested in this 'young master' Diamante mentioned."

"Even though Diamante is weak, he's a trusted confidant of Doflamingo. We can use him to our advantage," Leon said, quickly searching Diamante's belongings and finding a Den Den Mushi.

"Are you going to draw out the person behind him?" Madara asked with a slight, intrigued tone.

"Exactly," Leon grinned. "The Don Quixote family has grown immensely in the underground black market. They must have a wealth of treasures and a powerful background. If we want Devil Fruits, they're the perfect target."

With Diamante as a hostage, Leon had already planned their next move: to blackmail Doflamingo and get what they wanted from the notorious Don Quixote family.