"Unrivaled in the world?! So cool~"
Carmen, Hancock, and the others stared at Leno's domineering figure, their eyes sparkling like stars.
Having such a reliable captain was simply the best. The sense of security was overwhelming! They almost felt like they could just lie down and let him handle everything.
Cat Viper stood there blankly for a moment, watching their reactions. Then he looked at Robin with a sigh of admiration.
"You've got a dependable bunch of comrades, huh~"
"Of course, fufufu..."
Robin's eyes curved into crescents, her tone brimming with pride.
How fortunate she was to have met companions who cared so deeply for her—and to have met him, the one who changed her life.
After that brief interlude, Robin resumed her deciphering. The others chatted idly among themselves.
A quarter of an hour later, the decoding was finally complete.
Robin handed the paper in her hand to Nami and casually asked after she finished reading, "Well?"
"Not bad. It records another location."
Holding the translation, Nami frowned thoughtfully for a moment before continuing,
"As that big idiot said, we need to gather four Poneglyphs before we can find the final island!"
"Meow meow meow~ You lot sure know quite a bit. I was planning to explain it myself."
Sitting on the ground, Cat Viper blew out a ring of smoke and looked over in surprise.
He had thought he would need to spend quite some effort explaining, but they already knew.
Nami's eyes lit up. She quickly trotted over to the big cat and spoke in a soft, sweet tone,
"Hey, Boss Cat Viper, we don't know that much. Why don't you tell us more~"
"Uh, cough cough... fine~"
He choked on his smoke, nearly tearing up.
Shooting Nami a helpless glance, he resigned himself and nodded.
"There are four of these red Road Poneglyphs in total..."
"We already know that!" Nami raised her hand to interrupt, then went straight to the point. "What we want to know is where the other ones are."
Cat Viper nearly rolled his eyes. After taking a deep drag from his pipe, he continued,
"Out of the four Poneglyphs, one is missing. There's one here. The other two are in the hands of two great pirates~"
"I—"
"Let me finish, meow!!"
Seeing Nami about to interrupt again, Cat Viper finally snapped. He opened his fierce mouth and roared at her.
This little girl was way too annoying. She told him to explain, then kept cutting him off!
After venting in a flurry of flying spit, he scratched his head and muttered,
"What was I saying just now?"
She had annoyed him so much he forgot his own words.
"...You were saying one of them is missing~"
Nami reminded him weakly from the side, looking a bit embarrassed.
Inwardly, though, she couldn't stop complaining. This big fat cat sure had a temper.
Was that really necessary?
"Oh, right, right."
Cat Viper nodded as if enlightened.
"One is missing. The other two are with BIGMOM and Kaido."
"I see. Then we'll just go snatch them!"
Yamato stepped forward without hesitation. With her Kanabo resting on her shoulder, she cut an imposing figure.
Nami immediately ducked behind Leno, shielding herself with him while arrogantly declaring,
"So what if it's BIGMOM? Let her come at us~"
"Hey, hey~ Before you say that, could you step out from behind Leno first?"
Chopper complained speechlessly from the side. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was fearless.
Hancock swiftly moved to Leno's side, nestling into his arms as she cooed sweetly,
"As long as Leno-sama desires it, I can go eliminate BIGMOM right now~"
Clang—
Kuina's Sakura Veil slid halfway out of its sheath. Her tone was calm and steady.
"No matter who it is, just cut them down."
"Y-you... Those are two of the Four Emperors!"
Cat Viper's mouth dropped wide open, his pipe nearly falling to the ground.
They weren't even pretending anymore. They treated the Four Emperors as if they were nothing?
Those were the peak powerhouses of the seas! Even if Leno had defeated one, the other was no weaker.
"Wrong!" Nami looked at Cat Viper and wagged a finger with a grin. "There's only one Emperor."
"We already made a rubbing of the Poneglyph in Kaido's possession!"
"So at this stage, we just need to make another rubbing from BIGMOM's."
Cat Viper's pupils shrank sharply. His massive body stiffened in place.
After a long while, he let out a deep breath and sighed in admiration.
"Remarkable. Perhaps the ones who'll reach Laugh Tale again after Roger... will be you lot."
"Huh?! We're going to obtain the great treasure, the ONE PIECE?!!"
Nami's eyes instantly turned into Berries. She was already imagining herself swimming through an ocean of treasure.
Clenching her fists, her gaze burned with fanatical excitement.
"The great treasure... My dream is right within reach!"
"Huh? Nami, isn't your dream to draw a complete map of the world?"
Carmen looked at her strangely. Could it be like the captain said—her real dream was treasure, and cartography was just a hobby?
Smack—
Yamato slammed her fists together, flames practically rising in her eyes as she laughed excitedly.
"Ha ha... I can see it now—conquering the Grand Line!"
"Fufufu... How exciting~"
Robin recalled the words Roger left beneath the base of the Golden Bell on Skypiea, her eyes filled with anticipation.
The blank century of history would finally be unveiled before her.
The others were equally exhilarated. That was the treasure island left behind by the Pirate King—and they would soon set foot upon it.
After the excitement subsided, Nojiko turned her gaze to Leno and asked with a gentle smile,
"By the way, Alo, do you know where the final Poneglyph is?"
The moment those words fell, everyone's eyes locked onto Leno.
Only then did they remember their captain's abilities. Perhaps he already knew where that last Poneglyph was.
Facing those expectant gazes, Leno spread his hands helplessly and sighed.
"Regrettably, I don't know where it is either."
"Huh? How can that be? Even you don't know?!"
The light in their eyes dimmed instantly. The hope that had just ignited vanished in a blink.
Their good mood evaporated as they stood there dejected.
Just when they thought all hope was lost, Leno spoke again.
"However, I do know a few places where it's very likely to be."
"Nani?! Really?!"
As soon as he finished, everyone perked up once more, eyes brimming with surprise and joy.
They knew it—their captain had never disappointed them!
"So where is it?"
"As for that... you'll know when we get there."
Leno left them hanging before turning serious.
"For now, let's figure out how to secure the Poneglyph in BIGMOM's possession."
...
...