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After a brief but sorrowful farewell between father and daughter—
Alice walked over to Leno's side. She lifted her head and unabashedly sized up her future "captain."
"Kid…" Leno crouched down to meet her gaze.
He reached out and pinched her soft cheek. "You don't hate me? In a way, I'm the reason you and your father have to part."
Alice slapped his hand away.
Her small face remained expressionless.
"I don't hate you. It's all the Celestial Dragons' fault. Without them, none of this would have happened."
"Not bad, brat. I like that. You'll follow us from now on."
Leno grinned and, out of spite, vigorously ruffled her neatly tied ponytail, messing it up completely—payback for her swatting his hand earlier.
Then—
he boarded the newly refurbished ship first and began inspecting it carefully.
Morgans' explosive headline had shaken more than just pirates.
Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Damn it, Sengoku! Do you even want to remain Fleet Admiral?! Issue the highest-level bounty immediately! Capture that Marine traitor, Leno!"
"He escaped from Impel Down's Level Six? Was that old bastard Garp meddling behind the scenes?!"
"I'm ordering you now! Dispatch Borsalino at once and bring Leno back to me! Deliver him to Mary Geoise!"
"Kizaru is the fastest! Have him move at full speed! Spare no expense!"
"The disgrace of the World Nobles must be washed away with Leno's blood!"
They didn't give Sengoku any chance to explain.
With a sharp click, the Den Den Mushi line was rudely cut off.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face darkened to the point it seemed water could drip from it, veins bulging on his forehead.
He hadn't even had the chance to report to the Five Elders about his intention to recruit Leno back into the Navy.
And now the news of Leno killing a Celestial Dragon had completely detonated.
It was over.
Any plan to bring him back as an Admiral and strengthen the Navy was now impossible.
Killing a Celestial Dragon was an absolute red line.
That was why he had just been scolded mercilessly.
He let out a heavy sigh and immediately ordered someone to notify Kizaru—
to depart at maximum speed and catch up with Garp and Aokiji, who had already set out ahead.
"Sigh…"
Looking at the man in the newspaper, Sengoku muttered,
"Leno… it seems you were never destined to be part of the Navy's future."
"The Navy's hope… will ultimately have to rest on Koby."
————
————
On the dog-headed warship sailing toward Water 7—
Garp slammed the latest newspaper onto the table with a loud bang, the wooden surface creaking under the force.
"Damn it! I knew that brat Leno was no good!"
Pointing at the headline, Garp roared,
"Look at this! The moment he leaves the Navy, he turns against the World Government! And even kills a Celestial Dragon!"
His beard bristled in anger.
"If he were still in the Navy and pulled something like robbing the Heavenly Tribute, imagine the mess he'd cause us!"
As he said this, a strange excitement stirred in his heart, convinced his choice had been absolutely correct.
Someone as lawless as Leno—
had no right to become the Navy's future.
Only his disciple Koby was the true hope of the Marines!
Aokiji, standing nearby, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
If he remembered correctly, Garp had never been fond of the Celestial Dragons either.
He'd privately called them trash more than once.
If he'd seen something like this in the past, he might've secretly applauded.
Now he was fully siding with the World Government…
The shift left Aokiji somewhat speechless.
Nearby, Ain and Tashigi exchanged glances, inwardly conflicted.
Because of their rank, they didn't voice their thoughts aloud.
But in each other's eyes, they saw regret—for Leno.
"What a shame… Next time we see Leno, we'll be enemies," Ain said quietly.
"Leno… has he truly fallen? To become a pirate…" Tashigi's tone was complicated.
They had once held favorable impressions of him.
But after he betrayed the Navy—and especially after killing a Celestial Dragon—those feelings had nearly faded away.
"Full speed ahead!" Garp barked to his men. "We must reach Water 7 as soon as possible! That brat should still be there!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
…
Meanwhile, at the harbor of Water 7—
Leno had already inspected his new ship from bow to stern.
His face was full of satisfaction.
"Not bad. Very well repaired."
Alice lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course! My dad's craftsmanship isn't inferior to Mayor Iceburg's!"
"Right, right. Your dad's the best." Leno grinned.
He instinctively reached out and ruffled her hair again, messing up her neatly combed ponytail.
The little girl immediately glared at him angrily.
Ignoring her, Leno turned his attention to something more important.
What should his pirate crew be called?
And what about the ship?
Since he'd been labeled a pirate, he might as well have a resounding name.
Unfortunately, he was terrible at naming things.
So he tossed the problem to the four females around him, hoping for collective wisdom.
"Call it the Demon Pirates," Kalifa suggested, adjusting her glasses.
"No way! That sounds awful!" Domino protested immediately. "Call it the Beautiful Pirates!"
"Hey! What does that make the captain?!" Robin couldn't help retorting.
"Then how about the Leno Pirates? Simple and clear," Domino proposed again.
"And what about the ship's name?" Kalifa asked.
"Super Invincible Pirate Ship!" Robin declared, her eyes gleaming with strange enthusiasm.
"That's so tacky!" the others rejected in unison.
"Robin… maybe you should just stop talking," Domino sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"How about Sinful Ark?" Kalifa suggested again, clearly pleased with herself. "Leno's called the Fallen One now. It fits."
"Let's think more… This is our future image…"
Another round of debate erupted.
Watching them argue noisily, Leno simply left the matter entirely to them and enjoyed the peace.
After all, the final decision would be his anyway.
With that time, he might as well consider the next stage of developing the Chop-Chop Fruit.
After endless bickering—the three women, plus a surprisingly bold Alice—
still failed to reach a consensus.
In the end, the pirate crew's name was temporarily set as the Leno Pirates.
As for the ship's name, everyone called it something different.
"Alright, alright," Leno clapped his hands to interrupt them. "Go back into town, buy supplies, decorate the interior. We leave Water 7 this afternoon."
"No problem!"
"Leave it to us!"
"Shopping time!"
"I'll lead the way! I know where things are cheap and good!" Alice volunteered enthusiastically.
Leno shook his head as he watched them leave excitedly.
His appearance was too conspicuous now—not convenient to show himself in public.
Besides, he enjoyed the quiet, so he stayed on the ship to wait for their return.
After all, these were trivial matters.
"After Enies Lobby comes that bat, Moria… No matter what, I have to get the Clear-Clear Fruit for myself."
After all, even someone as strong as Garp had failed to detect the user of the Clear-Clear Fruit.
It was undeniably a bug-level ability.
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