Urouge snapped out of his daze and turned his head. When he saw Leno, he immediately straightened up and bowed respectfully.
"Forgive me, my god—I've embarrassed you!"
"Hmm, I wouldn't say embarrassed," Leno replied calmly. "Your performance was adequate. There's still plenty of room for improvement."
Seeing the big man's crestfallen face, Leno waved his hand, signaling him not to take it to heart. The result had been expected, nothing surprising. What Leno valued wasn't Urouge's present strength, but his future potential.
After giving his brief critique, Leno's gaze shifted toward Yamato, only to find her shouldering her kanabo and looking ready to leave.
"Where are you going, Yamato?"
Soon after, the group walked together toward the shore. Along the way, Leno took the opportunity to explain Haki to Urouge—its principles, and especially its importance.
When they finally returned to the ship, Leno didn't forget to remind him, saying,
"For the next few days—until the Log Pose finishes storing magnetism—I'll personally teach you how to train your Haki. Be prepared!"
As they entered the lounge, every pair of eyes immediately locked onto Leno. The room went silent.
Glancing around, Leno noticed that everyone who'd returned earlier had already washed up and changed into fresh clothes, looking lively and radiant.
But when his gaze landed on Nami and Robin's swollen foreheads, he couldn't help it—he burst into laughter.
That laugh, however, was like throwing a spark into gunpowder.
Nami shot forward in a flash and grabbed him by the waist.
"You stupid jerk! Are you getting revenge on purpose?!"
"Why are we the only ones hurt this badly, huh? Explain yourself!"
The more she spoke, the tighter her grip became. She wasn't letting Leno off without an answer.
Leno sucked in a breath, staring at her in disbelief.
'Damn, this girl's actually going all out! Looks like that flick to the forehead really did set her off.'
"No, wait, I—"
"Captain Leno, I don't think I provoked you either. Why am I among the injured? What did I do to deserve this?!"
Before Leno could get a word in, Carmen approached his other side, full of resentment, looking ready to join the fray.
When she'd first been flicked out of the game earlier, Carmen hadn't thought much of it—it just hurt a little. But once she realized only three of them had been flicked, the unfairness began to sting. She'd always handled the ship's meals dutifully, never caused trouble—so why target her?
And that's when Nami, already fuming, raised the banner of rebellion, declaring that the Captain had done it on purpose—targeting specific crew members out of spite!
With Nami's rallying cry, Carmen finally found an outlet for her grievance. She swore she wouldn't cook another meal unless Leno gave them an explanation.
Just as Robin's arms began to lift from her chair, Leno raised both hands and shouted,
"WAIT!!!"
Once everyone froze mid-motion, he cleared his throat and spoke helplessly.
"That forehead flick—was honestly just a reflex! Really! The others, I tossed aside just as casually! You think I'm out to get you personally?"
His reasoning was sound enough—there was no real grudge or revenge in play.
But then Leno noticed Carmen and Robin's glances drifting—repeatedly—toward Nami.
'Ah. So that's how it is.'
With a dark line forming on his forehead, Leno gave Nami a sharp grin. Without another word, he snatched her up, tucking her under his arm despite her struggling, and headed upstairs.
"What are you doing, you idiot?! Put me down!"
Nami kicked and thrashed wildly, shouting all the way, showing not a single ounce of remorse.
Leno could only sigh. This girl was always stirring up trouble—and now she was even rallying the crew against him? That was going too far.
'Guess I'll have to teach her a lesson she won't forget.'
Once they reached the second-floor cabin, Nami was still wriggling furiously when Leno raised his hand and brought it down in a crisp smack.
A sharp slap! echoed through the room. Nami froze, her face flushing bright red within seconds.
Moments later, her struggles intensified, and her shrill scream filled the cabin.
One slap after another followed. At first, Nami kept shouting angrily, but as time went on, her voice weakened—until only soft sobs and pleas for mercy remained.
Downstairs, the others didn't seem particularly concerned. They went about their business as usual.
Only Vivi, who was close to Nami, looked uneasy. Her eyes kept darting toward the stairs, anxiety written all over her face.
"Nami's been up there for a while… she'll be okay, right?" she asked worriedly.
Captain Leno's face earlier had been genuinely scary—he'd looked furious. Vivi couldn't help but fear for her friend.
"Don't worry," Nojiko said comfortingly. "Leno knows what he's doing. And to be fair, Nami really was acting out this time."
Ever since they were young, Nami's antics had often earned her some discipline from Leno. It was practically routine by now.
Given how close the two of them were—growing up together—Leno would never truly hurt her.
Besides… Nojiko blushed faintly. She was already Leno's woman, and Nami… sooner or later, would be too.
No matter how much trouble she caused, he'd never truly harm her.
Robin and Carmen exchanged uneasy glances. The guilt was setting in. After all, they'd been the ones who'd sided with Nami earlier—now she alone was being punished.
From one perspective, it almost felt like they'd abandoned their comrade.
But on the other hand, Nami had been the instigator.
She was the mastermind. They were just accomplices.
And if the ringleader was already being punished… then surely, the accomplices didn't need to be.