When such shocking news came from Leno's mouth, Stussy didn't believe it at first.
It wasn't until he mentioned Vegapunk's six satellites that her expression changed and she finally accepted that it might be true.
After Leno's patient and friendly persuasion, Stussy ultimately agreed to contact Vegapunk.
After all, his intellect far surpassed that of ordinary people. Whether it was real or fake, he would be able to tell at a glance.
In order to obtain the "spark" as soon as possible, Leno handed Stussy over to Morgans and had him escort the queen back.
At the same time, he conveniently obtained the location of the Whitebeard Pirates from Morgans.
As expected of the man who scattered newspapers across the entire world—his information network was astonishing.
In the future, whenever they needed to find someone or something, Morgans' usefulness would truly shine.
Once the Gale descended onto the sea, Leno immediately took out the Poneglyph.
Looking at the massive floating stone, the crew burst into cheers, unable to hide the excitement on their faces.
Even though they couldn't understand it themselves, everyone still discussed it enthusiastically.
"The third one, hahaha..."
"Yeah, we're getting closer and closer to the final island!"
"I was worried before. I didn't expect we'd get it so easily."
"..."
Ignoring the jubilant companions, Robin had already rushed over with her notebook and begun deciphering the ancient script.
To avoid disturbing her, the others tactfully moved away.
At that moment, Chopper at Leno's feet looked up at him and asked excitedly,
"Leno, you asked for the Whitebeard Pirates' location earlier. Does that mean the fourth Poneglyph is with them?"
"Hm?" Leno looked at Chopper in surprise, then spread his hands helplessly. "Not sure. We'll only know after we go and see."
As for the missing Poneglyph from Fish-Man Island, he truly had no idea where it was.
But there were only a few possible places. They could check them one by one. Sooner or later, they'd find it.
Hearing Leno's answer, Chopper's face fell. He sighed and said,
"I hope it's there. That way we won't have to run all over the place later."
"What are you talking about? We're always running all over the place."
Leno shot him an annoyed look, though inwardly he felt a bit helpless too.
Ever since they learned the method to reach the final island, everyone's hearts had grown restless.
Now they were even starting to resist sailing extra routes. That wouldn't do.
With that thought, he looked at the still-excited crew and raised his voice.
"Everyone, I want to say a few words."
After making sure they were all looking at him, he continued,
"Recently, everyone's been a little too obsessed and deliberate about searching for the final island."
"You've been spending too much energy on it. I don't oppose searching for the legendary ONE PIECE."
"But..." He swept his gaze across them, his tone turning serious. "I don't want us searching just for the sake of searching."
"Our dream is to travel around the world. The final island is only one of the sights along our journey."
"So treat it with a calm heart. Don't fix your eyes on a single point and end up overlooking the scenery along the way."
The moment he finished speaking, silence fell over the deck.
The women standing opposite him lowered their heads in silence. His words were like a wake-up call, instantly cooling the hot blood that had rushed to their heads.
Thinking back on everything that had happened recently, they suddenly realized—
Without noticing, their emotions had been constantly influenced by that final island.
After a long while, they exchanged glances, then bowed slightly and spoke in unison,
"Sorry, Captain. We were wrong."
"Hey, what are you apologizing for?" Leno waved it off casually, smiling as if it were only natural.
"I'm your captain—and your man. Reminding you at the right time is just part of my job."
"Tch, shameless!"
"Thick-skinned!"
"...You pervert!"
"..."
Just moments ago, after apologizing, they had been looking at him with admiration.
Admiration that he could resist the temptation of the great treasure and remind them not to forget their original aspirations.
And then this bastard immediately took advantage of the moment.
A few of the inexperienced girls blushed so hard their faces looked ready to drip blood, too embarrassed to even lift their heads.
A certain innocent little rabbit looked left, then right, utterly confused—before finally lowering her head and nibbling on her carrot.
Chopper, at Leno's feet, finally snapped out of it. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Leno and exclaimed,
"So cool! 'The final island is just scenery along our journey!' That line was amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah, so cool!"
After regaining their composure, Carmen and Vivi nodded in agreement, their earlier shyness fading.
To treat the treasure that the whole world coveted as something ordinary—what incredible boldness.
Only someone like that deserved to be their captain. To be their man.
Just as Leno was enjoying his shining moment, Nami sidled up beside him, grabbed his arm, and asked,
"By the way, idiot, what was that 'spark' you mentioned in front of that woman earlier?"
"...Uh."
Leno's mouth twitched as he looked at Nami, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Was she really asking about the "spark"? The way she emphasized the word "woman" made her real meaning painfully obvious.
Glancing around and seeing the curious looks on everyone's faces, he sighed helplessly.
After shooting Nami a sideways look, he explained,
"The 'spark'? More accurately, it's called the 'Mother Flame.'"
"It's an energy device created by the world-renowned scientist Vegapunk—an apparatus capable of providing nearly infinite energy."
"Infinite? Do you mean what I think you mean?"
Nami's voice trembled, her eyes shaking violently.
It was unbelievable. That scientist could actually create something like that. What an incredible person.
Seeing the mix of shock and confusion on everyone's faces, Leno nodded and said softly,
"Yes. Exactly what you think. An energy supply that will never run dry."
"Idiot, what do you want it for? To power the Gale?"
Nami felt it couldn't be that simple, so she probed further.
What was this idiot plotting now? He never said things clearly unless someone dragged it out of him.
Show-off.
Leno gave her an approving look. Not bad—she knew how to set him up.
He scanned the crew, a mysterious smile curling at his lips. Then he dropped the bombshell,
"I'm going to use it to power an Ancient Weapon."
"?!!!"
...
...