"Y-You big idiot, are you serious?!"
Nami's arms tightened around Leno's, her body trembling slightly as shock filled her voice.
She had only heard him mention it in passing before—some kind of weapon with godlike power, capable of slaughtering islands and annihilating nations with ease.
Now that he had suddenly brought it up again, and knowing Leno as she did, this could only mean one thing.
Something huge was about to happen.
"Will we need something like that in the future?"
"Well… who knows." Meeting Nami's worried gaze, Leno reached out and ruffled her hair with a soft chuckle. "Better safe than sorry."
Wasn't it better to be prepared?
Like a certain wise man once said—
There's a world of difference between having a sword and choosing not to use it, and not having one at all.
If the World Government ever got their hands on the Mother Flame and, on a whim, decided to fire Uranus at him one day, that would be far from ideal.
Whether Uranus was some kind of orbital weapon or even a spaceship didn't matter.
As long as he controlled an Ancient Weapon on equal footing, the other side would at least think twice.
At that moment, Robin approached after finishing deciphering the ancient text. She handed her notebook to Nami, then looked at Leno with knowing eyes.
"So you're planning to go to Wano again?"
"Of course. Based on what we know so far, it's the only thing that can stand against Uranus."
Leno spread his hands, completely open about it.
He had only spoken in detail about the Ancient Weapons with Robin. Combined with the information she had gathered herself, no one in the crew understood their terror better than she did.
Even though Uranus possessed the ability to strike the surface at will, Leno already had a countermeasure in mind.
If they ever truly needed to use Pluton, then combined with his Devil Fruit ability, they could recreate a scenario where Ancient Weapons clashed head-on.
All that remained was to secure the Mother Flame. Then they would finally see Pluton's true form.
Seeing his firm resolve, Robin said nothing more. She nodded, then turned to Nami.
"So, Nami—can the three locations determine the position of the final island?"
The others looked over expectantly.
Even after Leno had opened their eyes, and their longing for the final island had cooled somewhat, knowing its location in advance would still be a delight.
Nami withdrew her gaze, glanced at everyone, and sighed.
"No. The variables in the last location are too great. There's no way to pinpoint the center."
"Isn't that obvious? If three were enough, why would they prepare four?"
Leno shot Robin a casual glance as he teased her.
Feeling his strange look, Robin's cheeks flushed.
She had indeed asked a foolish question.
Even so, she couldn't stand the way he looked at her like she was an idiot.
Reaching out, she pinched the soft flesh at his waist and said through gritted teeth, "Oh? You've got a problem with that?!"
"Hiss—" Leno instinctively twisted away, then coughed awkwardly.
"Ahem… W-Well, you never know. Maybe three really are enough. Right, everyone?"
"...Hmph."
Only after the hand finally left his waist did Leno inwardly grumble.
What was with these women? Why did they all know to go for his lower back? Was it instinct?
"Pfft—"
Nojiko couldn't hold back her laughter at the sight of him baring his teeth in pain.
Rolling her eyes, she said helplessly, "Honestly, A-Luo, you really do have a silver tongue."
"Heh… My tongue's good for more than just talking sweetly."
Leno narrowed his eyes at Nojiko, a wicked smile tugging at his lips, the meaning behind his gaze unmistakable.
She understood almost instantly.
Her face turned bright red, and with a light "Pah!", she turned and ran.
"Shameless!"
"Pervert!"
"..."
Curses rang out as the girls hurried away, faces flushed, distancing themselves from their lecherous captain.
They had been discussing serious matters—yet he seized every opportunity to steer things somewhere else.
Watching them leave, Leno chuckled, stretched lazily, and headed toward the parasol.
…
Early the next morning.
Leno slowly woke up on the several-meter-wide bed. Uta was still asleep in his arms.
(It's not that I don't want a big-bed-together scene, but the editor won't allow even a hint of it!)
After an intense half-night, he had finally fallen asleep only once she was completely exhausted.
He unconsciously weighed the softness in his palm and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Facts proved that if you wanted proper development, external assistance was essential.
Under Leno's long-term "help," Uta had fully blossomed.
Her figure was graceful and curvaceous, every movement exuding irresistible charm.
After lingering in bed for a while longer, Leno finally rose, refreshed and energized.
The moment he stepped onto the deck, Nami—who had clearly been waiting—called out to him.
"Big idiot, come here! We're in today's newspaper!"
"...Must be about Whole Cake Island."
Leno had already expected it. After all, Morgans had witnessed the events firsthand—there was no way he wouldn't go all out.
Sure enough, when Leno saw the article, his lips twitched.
The layout included several crystal-clear photographs.
A massive headline stood out:
[Ruler of the New World—The Birth of an Uncrowned King!]
The article detailed how the Adventurer crew had crushed the Big Mom Pirates.
It placed particular emphasis on the other members besides Leno.
There was even a photo of Yamato and the others suppressing Katakuri with Conqueror's Haki.
Combined with the written account, the message was clear—
It had been a one-sided war.
At the end was a photo of Big Mom collapsed on the ground, her body charred black.
Silently, it declared the fall of yet another Emperor.
The conclusion summarized it plainly—
The man who had defeated three Emperors was the true Uncrowned King.
After finishing the article, Leno smacked his lips, nodded in satisfaction, and grinned.
"Mm… At least the guy has some sense. He didn't mention the Poneglyphs that sparked the conflict."
"You've got the nerve to bring that up?" Nami lightly slapped his arm, annoyed. "You nearly held a blade to his neck back then. Of course he wouldn't write it!"
"Eh, don't sweat the small details."
Leno waved it off, tossed the newspaper to Chopper—who had just arrived—and headed toward the dining hall.
The others stayed behind, animatedly discussing the news, bursts of carefree laughter echoing across the deck.
But while their side of the sea was calm and peaceful—
The news printed on that paper was already stirring up a storm across the world.
…
…