"Leno, I've long heard of your great reputation!"
Ace, who had just approached, greeted him politely, though his eyes couldn't stop sweeping up and down as he sized him up.
This guy who was only a few years older than him—how the hell had he managed to pull off something that huge?
Looking back at his rise… it was insanely fast. Almost unbelievable. 'No way… don't tell me this bastard is cheating somehow?'
"Oh, Ace. I know you," Leno said with a smile, clinking his glass against Ace's. Then, in a joking tone, he added, "Back then, I almost got beaten to death by your grandpa. Hahahaha..."
"..."
At the mention of that, Ace's face darkened.
As if it was only Leno who almost got beaten to death. Ace had no idea how many times he'd been beaten half to death himself. When had that ever not happened?
That damned old man… just thinking about him still made Ace shiver. The trauma was carved into his bones.
"You two...?"
Jinbe, listening from the side, looked surprised. Why did it feel like these two knew each other?
Was he imagining things?
"Oh, it's nothing. I just went to his hometown before and met his relatives, that's all."
Leno explained casually. East Blue or South Blue—it didn't matter; he'd been to both anyway.
Ace actually had a pretty good personality. Before long, he and Leno were chatting like old friends, and the atmosphere turned unexpectedly harmonious.
But Yamato couldn't sit still anymore.
She forcefully squeezed her way in and plopped down right beside Leno.
"Hey. You're a commander in the Whitebeard Pirates, right? You must be strong. How about you and I have a little spar?"
For some reason, the moment she laid eyes on Ace, Yamato felt like they were destined to fight.
And she wasn't the patient type. She brought it up on the spot.
Ace's response was just as unexpected—he agreed without hesitation.
"Gladly. I've been wanting to see just how strong an Adventurer crew member really is."
"Nice! Then it's settled! Haha..."
With the answer she wanted, Yamato immediately started drinking with everyone again, her bold, hearty energy not losing to any man present.
Ever since last time, she'd felt her strength had grown again.
This was the perfect chance. A commander under Whitebeard shouldn't disappoint her.
Watching the two of them settle it in just a few sentences, Jinbe was left dumbfounded.
Wait—so a fight involving two crews was decided just like that? No further discussion? No second thoughts?
He looked toward Leno, only to find Leno didn't care at all.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
In the end, Jinbe could only shake his head helplessly.
Fine. If neither side had objections, he wouldn't stick his nose into it.
Halfway through the banquet, with the mood at its peak, Leno was just about to take another drink when he suddenly paused.
His gaze shifted toward a certain direction, his expression turning thoughtful.
"What is it, Leno? Did something happen?"
Jinbe, sitting across from him, sharply noticed the change. Ace also lifted his head to look.
After a full round of drinking, Ace had loosened up a lot. Leno was actually pretty easy to get along with—they'd gotten on great.
Now Ace was also curious what had caught Leno's attention.
Hearing Jinbe's question, Leno raised a hand and pointed to the front-left, asking casually:
"Jinbe, what's over there? That's a huge commotion. Aren't you guys going to do anything about it?"
"Th-That's Princess Shirahoshi's shelter. The commotion you're hearing is probably that guy making a move again!"
Following the direction of Leno's finger, Jinbe quickly named the place.
At the same time, he couldn't help marveling inwardly—Mr. Leno's alertness was seriously terrifying.
In such a lively banquet atmosphere, he still managed to precisely catch what was happening outside.
Then Jinbe explained everything from start to finish, describing how, because of Vander Decken, Princess Shirahoshi hadn't left her room in nearly ten years.
Since Vander Decken was always operating outside Fish-Man Island, slipping around constantly, his whereabouts were impossible to pin down.
All these years, they still hadn't managed to catch him.
After listening, Ace instantly turned red with rage, cursing Vander Decken over and over as a shameless bastard.
Forcing a little girl to hide indoors for almost ten years… he deserved to die.
Leno's expression also darkened. After thinking for a moment, he looked at Jinbe and said:
"Leave this to me. Take me to see Princess Shirahoshi."
"Th-That… I'll need to ask for King Neptune's approval."
Jinbe hesitated, but thinking of Leno's strength, he still stood up and walked toward the main seat.
Deep down, he also hoped that little girl could finally escape her nightmare.
With Leno's promise, this problem… should be easy to solve, right?
When Jinbe arrived before Neptune, he explained the whole situation, including Leno's guarantee.
After hearing it, Neptune and his family were overjoyed.
With Lord Leno's help, they could surely capture Vander Decken and bring him to justice!
The three princes, led by Fukaboshi, could barely wait before they rushed over to Leno and expressed their sincere gratitude.
After that, under the princes' guidance, everyone left the banquet and headed toward the Hard-Shell Tower.
Nojiko and Robin followed along as well, curious to see the legendary mermaid princess for themselves.
When they arrived before the Hard-Shell Tower and saw the massive stone door covered in all kinds of embedded weapons… everyone fell silent.
It was hard to imagine what kind of life a little girl—still not even ten—must be living, trapped in constant fear, hiding in a room day after day.
A moment later, the stone door was pushed open, and the group entered the room known as the shelter.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Leno was still stunned by the breathtaking beauty of the mermaid before him.
The first thing that struck him was her exaggerated size—her astonishing proportions, flawless to the point of unreal perfection.
A flowing head of pink, curly hair fell to her waist. Her pale, baby-soft cheeks were tinted with blush.
Even sitting still, she radiated an indescribable charm.
Her eyes—like blue crystal waters—blinked gently, pure and untouched by the dust of the world. There was a vivid liveliness about her that was impossible to put into words.
And that full, generous chest—against her already exaggerated frame—looked even more high and rich, making it hard to look away.
Her pink fish tail, shaded in deeper and lighter tones, swayed slightly—showing just how uneasy she was inside.
It wasn't only Leno who was shocked. The others who entered with him were as well—Nojiko and Robin even cried out without realizing it.
"So beautiful~"
"Unbelievably beautiful~"
"..."
"...B-Big brother… do you… do you need something?"
Her voice was soft and sweet. Her tail curled instinctively, betraying her nervousness.
Seeing so many people suddenly enter her room, Shirahoshi timidly looked toward her brother.
Since moving into this shelter, this was the first time she'd seen so many strangers at once, and she couldn't help feeling panicked.
Her gaze swept across the crowd—then her eyes suddenly lit up, and her voice gained obvious excitement:
"Y-You… you're Lord Leno?!"
...
...
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