Under Leno's control, the Gale quickly reached the foot of a snowy mountain not far from Drum Mountain.
Only then did everyone notice that someone had dug out a hidden cave here. The surroundings were covered up so well that it was nearly impossible to spot without looking carefully.
"Leno, could it be… Dr. Kureha is here?"
Chopper stared nervously at the cave entrance, immediately hopping off the ship to check.
Just then, the snow wall at the entrance crumbled away with a soft crackle, and a tall, slender silhouette appeared.
A moment later, an irritated—yet strong—elderly voice rang out.
"Oh-ho~ which little brat is disturbing this old lady's rest?"
"D-Dr. Kureha! Uuuhhh…"
The moment he recognized her, Chopper burst into tears and threw himself into her arms, wailing loudly.
"I thought—you—I thought you got captured! Uwaaa…"
"Idiot! Who do you think I am?"
Dr. Kureha's eyes glistened as she gently patted the crying Chopper, though her expression remained as smug as ever.
Once she hugged him tight and looked him over, she finally turned to Leno.
"Thanks, kid~"
"Looks like you kept your promise and took good care of this idiot son of mine."
"Chopper is my ship's doctor. Of course I take a good care of him."
Leno waved casually, signaling that she didn't need to thank him. When he'd taken Chopper, he had promised he would look after him properly.
Seeing the touching reunion between the two, it was obvious they had a lot to talk about.
He considered stepping away to give them space.
Turning to the others, he found they were all thinking the same thing. So Leno spoke:
"Chopper, stay here and talk with Dr. Kureha for a while. We'll go check out the area."
With that, the ship quickly ascended and flew toward the distant castle perched on the mountain peak.
Watching Leno and the others fly off, Dr. Kureha let out a chuckle.
"Off to deal with that brat Wapol, hm? Such a meddlesome guy~ hehe…"
"Dr. Kureha, what did you say…?"
"Nothing. Come along, idiot son—tell me what you've been up to lately~"
Inside the royal castle, Wapol had just finished venting his anger and was about to order Dalton to take people out to hunt down the fugitive doctor.
Bang—
The doors were kicked open from outside, and a frantic soldier rushed in.
"Y-Your Majesty! A ship just flew to the front of the castle—there are many people on it!"
"Idiot! What nonsense are you spouting! This is the mountaintop—how could a ship come up here?"
"You dare mock me like this? Do you want to die?"
Wapol froze for a moment at the soldier's report, then flew into a rage. Did this fool take him for an idiot?
Just as he was about to order the man executed, a disdainful voice sounded from outside.
"Tsk~ calling this a royal castle? It's way too shabby."
Leno swaggered inside with the group, openly inspecting the surroundings as they walked.
"So this is the guy who ruined an entire country?"
"He's not worthy of that throne at all."
Nami and Vivi's voices followed one after another. Both girls glared at Wapol with disgust—someone who couldn't bring prosperity to his people didn't deserve to be king.
"How bold! Who are you people!? How dare you barge into my castle!"
Seeing a group of young people dismiss him entirely, Wapol roared in fury.
"Guards! Arrest them at—"
But before he could finish, a hand pressed down on his head. A cold voice rang in his ears.
"You try to arrest people the moment they enter your precious castle? Quite the mighty king you are~"
"Stay over there."
Whoosh—
Wapol was lifted and tossed aside with one arm. Leno plopped himself down on the throne.
"Ah~ Lord Leno! You are my king!"
Upon seeing Leno seated on the throne, Hancock's eyes instantly turned into hearts. In a flash, she appeared at his feet, kneeling with her hands on his legs.
She gazed up at him with love-struck adoration, as if the throne naturally belonged to him.
Leno affectionately stroked Hancock's soft hair, then glanced at the collapsed Wapol.
"I heard you've been messing up this country pretty badly. You're not cut out to be king. How about you step down?"
The entire hall fell silent instantly. The soldiers were too stunned to react.
"H-How dare you—"
Voom—
Leno's eyes narrowed. Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, sweeping across the room in an instant.
Chief strategist Chess didn't even finish his sentence before collapsing, and the soldiers fell one after another.
"What… what just happened?"
Unaware of Conqueror's Haki, Vivi jumped in shock. After confirming Nami and the others were fine, she sighed in relief.
Only then did she realize it must have been Leno—using an ability she still didn't know.
As for Wapol, he was shaking uncontrollably on the floor, too terrified to stand.
Every one of his subordinates—aside from Dalton—had collapsed in a single instant. Was this man a demon?
Dalton, his captain of the guard, was equally pale and trembling as he stared at the man on the throne.
"Y-You… who… who are you…? What do you want?"
Wapol stammered as he looked at the "demon" in Leno's place. He didn't even know this man—much less offend him. Why had he come here?
Just his luck—why did such a terrifying person have to come today?
Leno propped his chin up with one hand, studying Wapol carefully.
"Have you eaten a Devil Fruit?"
"Y-Yes! I just ate one not long ago!"
"Shit."
Leno cursed internally. A miscalculation—he hadn't expected the guy to have eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit so early.
His expression darkened, eyes turning cold as he stared at Wapol.
"Tell me the truth. Do you have any more Devil Fruits?"
"I… I…"
"You'd better think carefully. I'm in a very bad mood."
Seeing Wapol hesitate, Leno instantly knew he had more. His aura flared, crushing down on Wapol.
Thud—
Unable to bear the pressure, Wapol collapsed to the floor, trembling violently and begging for mercy.
"I-I do! I-I have two more Devil Fruits! Spare me—don't kill me!"
Hearing that he had extra Devil Fruits, Nami and the others lit up with delight. They hadn't expected a bonus reward on this trip.
Leno, having already expected it, didn't release him immediately. Instead, he looked to the stunned Dalton.
"You're Dalton, right? Is he telling the truth?"
Dalton never expected Leno to address him, and he panicked. "Y-Yes, sir! Everything he said is true!"
Afterward, Wapol obediently revealed the location where he kept the Devil Fruits. Nami volunteered to retrieve them—and naturally helped herself to some extra items along the way.
Meanwhile, Leno began contemplating how he should deal with Wapol…