"It really is time to think of a way to bring little Leno back."
Tsuru nodded in agreement. "That child used to be very well-behaved. Wasn't he quite close with Ain and the others?"
"Send them along too. Perhaps they can persuade him."
A combatant with Admiral-level strength was crucial to the Navy.
"Then we'll temporarily suppress the incidents at Judicial Island and Impel Down. Raise the bounties of Straw Hat Luffy and his crew!"
Sengoku made the final decision.
"At the same time, dispatch people to locate Leno."
Tsuru added her thoughts. "I have a guess… He's very likely gone to Water 7. He needs a new ship."
The others found that highly plausible.
Sakazuki, however, had little interest in such matters—he'd rather kill a few more pirates.
Aokiji, on the other hand, seemed somewhat interested and appeared inclined to go with Garp.
The next day—
new bounty posters scattered across the seas like snowflakes.
The Straw Hat Pirates, for "attacking Judicial Island" and "rescuing Franky,"
had their bounties raised across the board to the levels seen after the original Enies Lobby incident.
Because they needed to downplay Leno's influence,
the Navy had no intention of losing an Admiral-level asset.
However—
when Luffy and the others saw their dramatically increased bounty figures, they fell silent.
Not a single one of them felt happy.
They hadn't managed to rescue Robin.
Instead, they had been humiliated and brutally beaten by Leno.
Even now, Luffy's body had not fully recovered.
That sharp splitting energy still lingered within him.
Leno's ability was far more terrifying than Buggy the Clown's.
There was nothing Luffy could do but rely on his extraordinary constitution to slowly grind it away.
Chopper was helpless.
He was only a Human-Human Fruit user.
Medical skill had limited effect against most strange Devil Fruit abilities—it could at best treat ordinary injuries.
"As for what we do next… I want to go back to the East Blue for a while…" Usopp spoke cautiously.
Leno's words had lodged in his heart like a thorn.
Whenever he imagined Kaya appearing before him, gently holding a child in her arms, he felt like he was falling apart.
He had always planned to confess his feelings to Kaya once he became a brave warrior of the sea.
If Leno beat him to it, he wouldn't be able to accept it at all.
"What do you mean, Usopp?! Are you going to betray us again?!"
Because of Usopp's previous departure from the crew, Sanji immediately roared in anger,
"Don't act like you're the only one worried! I'm worried about Reiju too—she's my sister!"
"Enough!"
Zoro suddenly cut in, his voice weak but firm as he looked at the two of them.
"Even if you go back now, can you protect them? The way we are now, we're no match for Leno at all!"
"What we need is strength! On the seas, strength is everything!"
His words plunged everyone into silence.
"I say… even if you want revenge or whatever, shouldn't you first have a pirate ship that can actually sail?"
Kokoro, slightly tipsy at the side, offered a timely reminder.
Right!
The crew suddenly looked up, finally recalling this crucial matter.
The Going Merry, which had carried countless memories, had already left them forever.
Franky thumped his sturdy chest.
"Leave that to me! Your new ship… is almost finished!"
"Really? That's great!"
"Now we can continue sailing!"
At last, a trace of excitement appeared on everyone's faces.
Only Usopp still looked troubled.
By the time he made it back, Kaya might already be holding three or four kids.
Just imagining a child with Leno's face smiling at him sent chills down his spine.
Nami's expression wasn't much better.
She was still regretting letting Hachi go back then, failing to personally kill Arlong.
Clearly, Leno's words had taken effect.
Another day passed.
The Straw Hat crew drew closer and closer to Water 7.
————
————
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Leno and his group were also about to reach Water 7.
"Even if we get there… we don't have the money to buy a ship," Kalifa said, adjusting her glasses, arms folded beneath her chest.
"Don't you have any money at all?" Leno looked at the three women.
This wasn't about living off them—even if it was, so what?
As someone who had just broken out of prison, he was flat broke.
When he entered Impel Down, the Marines had stripped him clean.
Any savings he'd had were likely confiscated as well.
He knew that perfectly well—the Navy had never intended to let him walk out alive.
"My assets were all left in Impel Down," Domino said awkwardly.
Robin raised her hand slightly. "I do have some savings, but it's definitely not enough to buy a good ship."
"I've saved a bit too, but it won't be enough," Kalifa added.
Leno's expression stiffened.
Troublesome… the fortune he'd accumulated before was long gone.
Being broke simply wouldn't do.
Threaten the shipwrights? Was he suicidal?
If they tampered with anything, they'd be finished once they were out at sea.
Just as they were frowning in frustration—
Kalifa suddenly pointed toward a black dot appearing on the distant horizon.
There was a hint of surprise—and excitement—in her voice.
"Leno! Look at that…!"
"What is it?"
Leno followed the direction she was pointing.
In an instant, all the worry vanished from his face, replaced by a wild grin.
Wasn't this the solution?
The enormous vessel growing clearer by the second, lavishly decorated to the extreme—
was none other than the transport ship carrying the World Nobles' Heavenly Tribute.
Perfect.
A fat sheep delivered straight to their doorstep.
There was no sheep fatter than this.
Leno was no longer a Marine. He felt not the slightest burden about targeting the Celestial Dragons.
Even when he had been in the Navy, he'd never felt any guilt toward those scum.
In his eyes, the Celestial Dragons shouldn't exist at all.
After all, he wasn't one of them.
Besides, the Heavenly Tribute itself was wealth extorted from the people.
What was wrong with robbing it again?
It was ill-gotten gains anyway.
And if they seized that ship, there would be no need to go to Water 7 to build a new one.
How could a vessel used by the Celestial Dragons to collect Heavenly Tribute possibly be junk?
It had to be top-tier.
Maybe it was even built from the legendary Adam Wood.
Even if not, it certainly wouldn't be inferior.
The Celestial Dragons were good people—
at least today, they were.
"That's a Heavenly Tribute transport ship!"
Unconcealed greed flashed in Leno's eyes. "If we pull this off, we won't be lacking anything!"
The three women reacted differently.
Robin first showed a trace of shock, but soon her eyes lit up with eager anticipation.
Her mother, her homeland Ohara—both had been destroyed by the World Government.
If she could strike back at them, she would gladly do so.
Domino showed no special reaction.
Whatever Leno decided, she would follow—unconditionally.
Only Kalifa's expression stiffened slightly at first.
Just yesterday, she had still been a member of CP9—
an agent under the World Government.
To suddenly turn against her former superiors felt instinctively awkward.
But that hesitation lasted only a moment before she regained her composure.
She understood the World Government's methods all too well.
After CP9's mission failure, what awaited them would not be comfort—
but ruthless elimination and pursuit.
Since there was no going back, what was there to hesitate about?
"Let's rob it!" the three women said almost in unison.
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