After a reluctant struggle to break free, the group finally escaped the crowd and was led by Shishilian to Duke Inuarashi.
Along the way, Leno also saw other members of the Musketeer Squad, along with several familiar figures from memory.
Especially the highly popular rabbit with short golden hair and pure white fur, hopping along energetically, Carrot.
The girl had a bright and lively personality. After recognizing Leno, she immediately ran up and bit his face.
Only after Leno patted her little head did she happily release him.
At last, everyone arrived at Duke Inuarashi's residence. When they got there, he was sitting at his doorstep, smoking and basking in the sun.
Seeing a large dog sitting with legs crossed while smoking, Leno almost thought a golden retriever had cultivated into a spirit.
When the duke noticed his subordinate bringing over a group of humans, he was briefly stunned before immediately recognizing Leno.
"Lord Leno, I have long wished to meet you."
"A pleasure, a pleasure."
Looking up at the massive dog, Leno felt a bit conflicted.
'Just in terms of size, I really am smaller than a dog...'
"I have also long wanted to pay you a visit, but never had the opportunity before."
"Haha... that makes sense, after all, you weren't in the New World before."
He was quite familiar with Leno's deeds. Exhaling a ring of smoke, Inuarashi's expression turned nostalgic.
"Ever since learning that you defeated Kaido, I have been paying close attention to news about you."
"When I heard you had arrived in Dressrosa some time ago, I knew it wouldn't be long before we met."
After speaking, the dog stared steadily at Leno, complicated emotions reflected in his eyes.
In his view, the experiences of the man before him were nothing short of legendary.
At such a young age, he had already reached the pinnacle of the seas, rivaling even Roger in his prime.
"The reason I wanted to meet you was also to express my gratitude..."
"You're too polite. I did it for myself as well."
Knowing what he was about to say, Leno quickly interrupted.
If he revealed his connection as one of Oden's retainers now, Yamato might suddenly jump out and demand allegiance.
Although after so much time under Leno's influence Yamato no longer constantly claimed to be Oden, her thought process was still far from normal. Leno couldn't be sure whether she had truly let go or not.
"By the way, when we were in North Blue before, we met a big white bear from your Mink Tribe named Bepo."
"Bepo?!"
Wanda, with a sword at her waist, stepped forward in surprise.
That little brat was still alive? She had assumed he had long since ended up feeding fish in the sea.
After all, he had been far too young when he left, barely capable of surviving on his own.
"How did he end up in North Blue? Is he doing well now?"
"He should be fine. When we met him, he was following someone as a pirate."
Leno chuckled as he talked about the apologetic bear. The guy had a fate similar to Chopper's.
Both carried low bounties while risking their lives against Yonko-level threats.
"We even invited him at the time, but he refused."
"A pirate?!" Wanda's breath caught, surprise flashing across her eyes as she murmured, "Didn't expect him to be like his older brother..."
"Duke, the banquet is ready."
As they talked, the little white rabbit Carrot suddenly hopped over from the side.
Holding a half-eaten carrot in her hand, she cheerfully reminded everyone.
"In that case, let our guests taste the cuisine of the Mink Tribe."
Duke Inuarashi led the way toward the banquet hall, intending to properly entertain Leno and his group.
Upon arriving at the banquet venue, the food and fruit on the table left everyone astonished.
Were all the fruits here enlarged? A single grape was bigger than a basketball.
Carmen was also deeply interested in the food, carefully tasting each dish.
Yamato grabbed a large chunk of meat and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"Delicious! What kind of meat is this?"
"Hippopotamus meat," Carrot said from the side, seeing how much she enjoyed it. She pointed at several other dishes as she introduced them.
"Over here is lizard, crocodile, and frog meat. We don't eat furry animals!"
"I see, just like how mermaids don't eat fish."
Kaya tasted a few pieces of fruit and couldn't help recalling their time on Fish-Man Island.
If she remembered correctly, fish-men ate almost anything, but mermaids avoided fish because they could communicate with them.
Here, they avoided eating furry animals. She wondered if there was some special reasoning behind it.
"Lord Leno, drink up, drink up." Duke Inuarashi grinned broadly as he clinked cups with Leno.
"Try our proud Monkey Wine. It's brewed from unique fruits found only in our forest."
"Oh? Then I must try it." Leno drained his cup in one go. A rich fruity aroma exploded across his palate, instantly refreshing him.
"Ha! Good wine!"
The alcohol content wasn't very high, lacking harshness. Instead, it carried a faint sweetness that lingered pleasantly.
These guys truly had skill when it came to food. Leno ate with great satisfaction.
Turning to glance at his companions, he wasn't surprised to see Nami and Yamato already competing in drinking.
What shocked him most was that Vivi could also hold her liquor. Had she learned from Nami?
Fortunately, only two or three of them could drink well. Otherwise, Leno worried that all his women might become heavy drinkers in the future.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Leno looked at Duke Inuarashi and brought up the purpose of this visit.
"Duke, to be honest, we didn't come just to visit your dukedom. There's another matter..."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Inuarashi set down his cup, eyes behind his lenses glinting slightly as he waited for Leno's answer.
His gaze briefly swept toward Robin's direction, already forming a guess.
"Poneglyphs."
As expected.
Inuarashi sighed inwardly, knowing this matter couldn't be avoided, and decided to speak frankly.
"There is indeed a historical text here, located in the Whale Forest. But that area is currently under that troublesome cat's territory."
After finishing the wine in his cup and exhaling deeply, Inuarashi continued.
"My relationship with that guy is somewhat strained. Once we meet, it's very easy for us to start fighting."
"If I show up personally, I'm afraid that even if he originally intended to agree, he might refuse because of me..."
"...Duke, no need to worry. Just have someone take us to meet him. I believe he will agree."
Leno chuckled, clinking cups with him again, his tone filled with confidence.
Now that he had come all this way, refusal wasn't an option. At worst, he'd just beat him once. If once wasn't enough, then twice.
Seeing Leno's calm expression, Inuarashi's heart skipped a beat as he remembered the terrifying strength of the man before him.
At that moment, he almost hoped that troublesome cat would actually refuse Leno.
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