After Leno's thorough explanation, the girls finally relaxed.
They now had a clear understanding of the Door-Door Fruit's abilities. It turned out they had indeed scared themselves earlier, and what happened next further confirmed that Leno had been telling the truth.
After finishing his explanation of the fruit's drawbacks, Leno glanced at the empty air beside him and called out in an annoyed tone:
"Still not coming out?"
"Creak—"
As soon as his words fell, a transparent door appeared in midair.
Carrot pushed it open, hopped out, scratched the back of her head, and awkwardly greeted everyone.
Everyone: …(◎_◎;)…
Their gazes instantly locked onto Leno, their faces filled with irritation.
This is what you meant by undetectable?
They had worried for nothing all this time. Was he just making fun of them?
Sensing the brewing outrage, Leno quickly explained:
"Don't misunderstand, I really couldn't sense it. That was purely a guess."
He wasn't lying—it really had been a guess.
First, Carrot's first door had opened right in front of him. Second, it was a deduction based on the little rabbit girl's personality.
But his explanation only made things worse. The girls shot him annoyed looks and turned away, ignoring this shameless captain who clearly loved running his mouth.
Still, the weight in their hearts had been lifted. As long as the Door-Door Fruit couldn't escape Leno's awareness, they had a safety net in case something went wrong.
Faced with everyone's "lack of trust," Leno let out a long sigh.
His authority as captain was really declining. No one even believed him when he told the truth.
He looked at the excited little rabbit beside him and said seriously, "Now that you're a Devil Fruit user, it's time to start your training!"
"Got it, Brother Leno! I promise I'll complete the mission!"
Looking at her spirited expression, Leno fell silent for a moment. Then he casually took out a Seastone accessory from his bag and tossed it to her.
Thud—
The moment she caught it, the little girl collapsed straight to the ground.
She looked at Leno in panic, her voice trembling.
"L-Leno, what's happening to me? Why did all my strength suddenly disappear…"
"Don't worry, this is part of the training. From now on, no matter what you're doing, you have to wear it."
Watching the little rabbit, who had lost all of her previous bravado, Leno said teasingly.
"Someone just vowed with such certainty that they guaranteed task completion?"
"I... I will definitely train hard!"
Carrot was on the verge of tears. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to pull herself up using the table.
Meeting Leno's teasing gaze, she gritted her teeth and staggered away.
But after just a few steps, Yamato—ever the straightforward one—walked up and patted her shoulder encouragingly.
"Nice one, little rabbit! That's the spirit—"
Thud—
Looking at her hand hitting empty air, then down at the collapsed Carrot, Yamato scratched her head in confusion.
What's going on? Why does she seem worse after encouragement?
Reaching out to help her up, Yamato was about to ask when Carrot tearfully complained:
"Sister Yamato, you hit too hard…"
"Uh… haha… my bad, my bad…"
Yamato quickly backed away, afraid she'd accidentally get blamed again.
This little girl was way too fragile. Normally she was energetic and lively, but now she looked like she'd shatter at the slightest touch.
Better not mess with her.
In the end, it was Kaya who stepped forward, helping Carrot over to a reclining chair and gently reminding her:
"Carrot, adapting to Seastone takes time. Don't rush it."
"Mm, thank you, Sister Kaya."
With tears in her eyes, the little rabbit nodded, finally understanding what it meant to pay a price for power.
Leno watched the scene with satisfaction. After withdrawing his gaze, he patted the Nami lying on him and coaxed softly:
"It's getting late. Our great navigator, get up and check the course—and see if there's a good campsite for tonight."
"Hmph, you annoying baka, always ordering people around!"
Nami grumbled as she sat up, straddling his stomach, glaring at him with dissatisfaction.
This guy was getting lazier by the day. Where was the dignity of a captain?
Seeing her just pouting and staring without moving, Leno sighed, sat up, cupped her face, and pulled her into a deep kiss.
Only when her face turned red and her breathing grew heavy did he finally let her go, teasing:
"Happy now? If you wanted a kiss, you could've just said so. I wouldn't refuse."
"W-Who wanted a kiss?!"
Feeling the teasing gazes around her, Nami exploded.
She shoved Leno hard, jumped off him, and ran toward the bow of the ship.
Watching her increasingly alluring figure, Leno instinctively licked his lips, then lay back down and closed his eyes.
There was going to be a big battle tonight. He needed to conserve his energy.
Thinking about the upcoming "nightlife," a faint smile curved his lips as he slowly drifted into sleep…
(Due to a strict warning from the authorities, the intense battle in the bedroom was forced to be censored. Surely the readers don't really want to see it... the author will watch it for you...)
After skipping twenty thousand words, time advanced to the next day.
In the mid-region of the New World, along the shore of an uninhabited island, the Red Force was quietly anchored.
Members of the Red Hair Pirates busied themselves transporting supplies, preparing to leave this temporary camp.
On the lookout tower, two observers scanned the surroundings with telescopes. Suddenly, a News Coo flew into view.
As usual, they waved it over and bought a newspaper. But the moment they saw the contents, their expressions changed drastically.
Scene shift.
At the center of the island, beneath a sunshade canopy.
Benn Beckman held the newspaper, his expression grave. After a moment, he looked up at his captain and said in a low voice:
"Shanks, I regret to inform you… that man is coming. And his target is most likely the Poneglyphs."
Hearing this, the other officers raised their heads, their eyes flashing with seriousness.
They all knew it—the man they had deliberately avoided was coming for them.
"Is that so…"
Shanks paused with his sake bowl, then after a brief moment of thought, turned to the messenger.
"Spread the word. We're not leaving for now. We'll stay here."
After the messenger left, Beckman asked, "You're… waiting for him?"
"That's right."
Shanks drained his bowl in one gulp, then grinned broadly.
"If he's coming, then we'll give him a proper welcome right here!"