How a person came by something like that is not something that Levi really cared about. He trusted his instincts, understood what was going on, and knew how to react to different situations on the spot based off his own reactions. He stayed silent as he watched John put on his boot again, still not something Levi would have done, but he accepted it for what it was for now.
"No, they aren't a joke," Levi retorted, the words biting as he spoke them. He curbed his response, however, as images of those who he'd lost because of the Titans flashing in front of his mind. Petra. Oluo. Gunther. Isabel. Farlan. Everyone who he'd ever cared about in this world, destroyed by the Titans. Humanity's strongest. Pft. What good was that title when he couldn't even defend those who he cared about and keep them alive?
"We're lucky. The Armored and Colossal haven't shown their faces lately," admitted Levi quietly. "Those two...anyone who encountered them would be dead in a second." He turned his attention back to John, however, when the man asked about the gear. "It's not a bad idea. It would save us from having to lose men guarding bases when out in the field. It's all that we had here, and we were hard to come by it for a while back."
Levi shrugged a bit. "Perhaps when we get back. Out here, in the field...as you just experienced there isn't a second to spare. Those things can come down on you in a minute if you aren't paying attention. While they seem slow as they're walking, they are fast when they're reaching for you."