"NO!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream tore through the air, echoing across the sea and striking straight into Leno's ears.
Whummm—
The blade of Huangquan halted just a hair's breadth from Shanks's neck. The wind whipped up by the strike sliced his skin, leaving a thin, bloody line.
Leno slowly turned his head. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Uta, who had fallen to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Even the few women nearby looked at the crying Uta with subtle shifts in their expressions.
"Captain, just this once! Please let him go!"
"After today… I'll have nothing to do with them ever again!"
Uta looked at Leno with pleading eyes, hoping he could show mercy. That was, after all, the man she once regarded as her father.
She still hated him, hated how he had abandoned her all those years ago. But watching him about to die before her eyes… she couldn't bear it.
Leno withdrew his gaze. The long blade slid smoothly back into its sheath. He glanced once at the nearly unconscious Shanks before turning away and vanishing from sight.
He didn't have any deep-seated grudge against the man. It wasn't as if Shanks had to die. The moment had just… escalated.
Since he hadn't killed Yamato's father back then, Leno decided he could give Uta the same courtesy now.
After all, they were to be crewmates—bound by life and death. He didn't want to make things uglier than necessary.
"Quick! Move the ship closer! Get Shanks aboard!"
Only after Leno disappeared did Beckman and Yasopp finally lower their rifles, rushing forward to rescue their captain.
They had been terrified beyond belief. Moments earlier, they had barely survived the storm that nearly sank their ship.
Then, before they could even catch their breath, they saw something even more horrifying—Leno poised to deliver the final blow to Shanks.
They couldn't comprehend it. How could Shanks lose—and so quickly?
But there was no time to think. Their only goal was to stop Leno. If they failed, everything would be lost.
Thankfully, Uta's desperate cry had reached him in time. Otherwise, their intervention might've spiraled things completely out of control.
Moments later, Shanks was hauled aboard. The crew gasped as they saw the extent of his wounds—Leno's strikes had been merciless.
Deep gashes, dozens of them, carved across his body—on top of burns covering his skin.
The worst wound stretched from his left shoulder down to his right hip, so deep his organs were nearly visible.
A faint mist of blood still evaporated from the gash, making it nearly impossible for the ship's doctor to stitch and stop the bleeding.
But Shanks seemed numb to it all. He turned his head toward the distant ship disappearing into the horizon, his expression unreadable.
"Uta…"
He never imagined he would live—only because of his daughter's mercy. After this… they would forever be strangers.
"Shanks! Shanks! Stay with us!"
Seeing their captain dazed and unfocused, his officers panicked, shouting his name again and again, terrified that if he closed his eyes now, he might never open them again.
Meanwhile, back on the Gale, the moment Leno returned, everyone rushed to him.
Their eyes brimmed with a mix of admiration, shock, fear, anger—and even affection. Emotions collided like waves.
Uta, still weeping, came forward. She bowed deeply, her voice trembling as she said, "Thank you, Captain… thank you."
Leno smiled gently, reaching out to ruffle her hair. "Don't overthink it. Just live well on the ship from now on."
Straightening, he glanced around at the crew. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
"I'll go take a bath and change. We'll talk later."
He nodded and smiled to the women nearby before heading toward the cabin.
That battle had left his clothes in tatters—slashed and soaked with blood. The rags clinging to him itched uncomfortably.
"Allow me to assist you~"
Hancock seized the chance, trotting after him with a radiant smile and following him inside.
"Since that big idiot's fine, let's set sail and leave this area!" Nami declared decisively.
"Oh, and Carmen—make extra food! The big idiot's bound to get hungry soon!"
With Leno gone, the crew suddenly lacked direction. But Nami quickly resumed her role as navigator, organizing everyone efficiently.
Elsewhere, Olga followed her father, Acier, down to the lower deck's workshop.
Not long ago, Leno had asked Acier to inspect the Gale for potential upgrades. After all, Acier was a mechanical genius.
Leno had imagined fitting the Gale with jet propulsion—something that could make her even faster at sea.
Though the twin propellers already made her quicker than most ships, it still wasn't enough for him.
The "speedboat" wasn't living up to its name, and now that he had an expert on board, it was time to make improvements.
Meanwhile, Gordon sat in a quiet corner with the downcast Uta. He was still reeling from what he had witnessed.
Today had shaken him to the core.
He had thought the Red-Haired pirate who once defeated the Demon King of Song was the strongest man alive. Yet this young captain—had proven just as fierce, if not more.
Perhaps… letting Uta sail with him had been the wisest choice after all.
"Uta, you should stay by Captain Leno's side," Gordon said kindly. "Sail the seas with him. Let your songs reach the whole world."
"Mr. Gordon… am I still worthy to stay on the ship?"
Her voice trembled. She truly loved being with the crew, but she had openly defended their captain's enemy.
Even if that enemy had once been family, she couldn't undo what she'd done.
And she could feel it—their eyes, their hesitation.
"Don't worry," Gordon said gently. "A man like Captain Leno—his heart is far larger than we can imagine."
"If he cared about that, he wouldn't have stopped today. Someone like him… once he decides on something, nothing changes his mind—unless…"
He paused, looking at her seriously.
"Unless it involves someone he truly cares about."
"Someone he… cares about?"
Uta whispered, her gaze distant. In her mind appeared that towering figure amidst the raging storm, bathed in lightning.
Slowly, unknowingly, her cheeks flushed pink.