When Lady Lilith's letter reached Leonardo's hands, he fell silent for a long, long time that night...
The next day, Leonardo found his sister Arya and lied to her, saying their mother had summoned her back because she had something to discuss.
Arya was startled out of her wits. She thought her mother had discovered that she had secretly slipped out and that she was about to be punished.
Leonardo watched his sister leave, his fingers tightening around the letter so hard that his nails dug into his own flesh. Blood dripped to the ground one drop at a time.
Yet Leonardo didn't react at all. His face remained dark, and no one knew what he was thinking.
No one dared approach him.
Right now, Leonardo was like a beast on the edge of erupting in rage—the kind that could bite someone at any moment.
When he finally returned to his room and looked again at the letter stained red with his own blood, it wasn't long before a roar erupted from inside.
"Trading a woman for the future? Disgrace! This is the disgrace of our elf race!"
On White Ghost's side, Uta and Brook's concert was an overwhelming success.
The stage had originally been expected to take around three days to build.
But after Enel came over and casually asked whether they had silver or similar materials, things changed.
At first, the king thought this guy was just greedy for treasure, so he unwillingly led Enel to the royal treasury.
But Enel didn't spare a single glance for the gold or jewels.
With a snap of his fingers, all the silver began to melt.
That very day, the people of the capital witnessed a river of silver flowing out from the royal treasury. It was such a magnificent sight that they would never forget it for the rest of their lives.
And above it all floated a long-eared young man, looking lazy and carefree as that silver river stretched all the way to the outer city.
Under Enel's manipulation, a massive stage slowly took shape.
A stage made entirely of silver.
It wasn't as beautiful as one made of gold, but it was absolutely spectacular.
And at the top of it was the crew's emblem—a savage silver dragon head.
Enel's handiwork stunned King Nirizabello so badly his jaw practically hit the floor.
He pulled Enel aside and whispered with him for quite some time, though no one knew what was said.
All anyone knew was that Enel ended up very pleased, and King Nirizabello was smiling from ear to ear too.
But when White Ghost saw that silver-white dragon head, the corner of his eye twitched.
Good lord. Are they trying to send me off?
Is this some kind of a rave at my own funeral?
If I'd known this would happen, I should've just beaten Tesoro to death and gone looking for the Gold-Gold Fruit instead.
Looking at the stage now, White Ghost felt deeply uncomfortable.
Once the stage was finished, the concert was moved up and started early.
That night, the venue was packed with a sea of people.
It could only be said that the songs of Brook and Uta truly had irresistible appeal.
White Ghost didn't go.
He stayed behind in his room, waiting for someone.
He had received word that someone would be coming to see him later, so he simply sat there holding the little Lapahn and waited.
The little rabbit was very unhappy about being made to stay behind. It wriggled constantly in White Ghost's arms, clearly uncomfortable.
White Ghost tugged one of its ears and lightly flicked it on the forehead.
This little thing had been starting to go down the wrong path lately.
It kept hanging around Zango and that whole pack of muscle-brained idiots.
This time, it had only agreed to come when Nami threatened to cut off its milk supply.
White Ghost rubbed the spot where he had just flicked it and said, "Listen, little guy, you're supposed to be going down the cute route. Not the musclehead route with Zango and the others, got it?"
The little Lapahn seemed to understand. It curled its mouth into a deeply disdainful expression.
White Ghost's face darkened.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was his dream of raising a soft, adorable pet going down the drain?
No.
Absolutely not.
He had to correct this little guy.
White Ghost silently resolved that from now on, the little Lapahn would not be allowed to run around freely anymore.
Meanwhile, at the concert venue, as Brook and Uta's final song came to an end, the crowd erupted into the loudest cheers of the night.
Even many nobles nodded in approval.
They had originally thought other people were only flattering the Dragon Emperor for the sake of face.
Now it seemed the two really had earned their fame with genuine talent.
Among the crowd, Leonardo and Arya stood in black robes, watching the dispersing audience.
Leonardo looked toward Brook and the others as they departed, then quietly said to the sister beside him, "I still don't approve of Mother's method.
"But we have no other choice."
"Mm."
Arya's voice came out muffled from beneath the black robe.
It sounded as though she had been crying, and her throat was slightly hoarse.
"Remember this, Arya. You are one of the elves, and one of the most noble among us.
"If you suffer any grievance there… if you want to come back… then come back."
After saying that, Leonardo turned and walked toward where White Ghost and the others were staying.
Arya, carrying a small bundle on her back, said nothing and silently followed her brother.
When Ilena and the others returned to their quarters and pushed open the door, they all instantly covered their mouths, their faces turning red.
They saw White Ghost sitting the little Lapahn upright on a specially made chair, locking it in place so it couldn't move.
Directly in front of the rabbit hung two pictures.
One was of a muscular man with a big X drawn across it.
The other was of a cute, fluffy rabbit.
And White Ghost was saying to the little Lapahn with complete seriousness, "Remember this—you're supposed to be cute. You don't need muscles."
The little Lapahn, furious, stubbornly looked away and refused to face him.
Pfft—
Stella and the others could no longer hold it in and burst into laughter.
They had always known that White Ghost could sometimes be a little off.
But they hadn't expected him to be this off.
White Ghost's face darkened as he glared at them.
"If you've got time, then help teach this little guy properly. Stop letting him spend all his time with those muscleheads."
Nami giggled and ran over, scooping the Lapahn into her arms at once.
"Got it, White Ghost. Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him from now on."
The little Lapahn immediately shuddered all over and stared at Nami in horror.
Other people might not hit him.
Nami absolutely would.
After laughing for a while, Ain's expression changed slightly when she noticed certain people still hadn't shown themselves.
She frowned and turned toward the darkness outside.
"You've followed us all the way here. Are you still waiting for us to invite you out in the most formal way possible?"
The others all turned to look outside too.
They had noticed the two figures long ago. It was only because the pair carried no malice that no one had acted.
Besides, their aura felt similar to the people from the harbor.
Chopper jumped in shock.
"What?! Someone's been following us? Where?"
As he said that, he looked around wildly.
Then, deciding that nothing was safer than this, Chopper rushed straight to White Ghost and climbed up his body using all four limbs until he perched on his shoulder.
In Chopper's mind, White Ghost was the captain, which meant the strongest.
Besides, White Ghost was the one who had brought him out into the world.
Nami puffed out her cheeks, crackling lightning dancing in her hand.
"If you don't come out now, this young lady will give you a free haircut."
White Ghost covered his face in pain.
This girl really had been spoiled by him.
Slowly, two figures emerged from the dark night.
When they came close and removed their masks and hoods, Chopper froze.
"Captain White Ghost, that pretty girl you mentioned last time is here again."
The moment those words left Chopper's mouth, every woman present turned to look at White Ghost.
Ain's hand settled onto Shusui, her gaze dark and dangerous.
Ilena was even more direct. She walked over, pinched the soft flesh at White Ghost's waist, and looked at him with an expression that clearly demanded a very reasonable explanation.
The expressions of Leonardo and Arya weren't any better either.
What did he mean by pretty girl?
White Ghost's mouth twitched.
He suddenly had a very strong urge to smack the little thing on his shoulder and teach him what it meant for disaster to come from one's mouth.
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