Ordinary people had limited channels for information.
Whatever was written in the newspapers and on the wanted posters—
they believed it.
Few would ever dig into the reasons behind it.
The four women returned to the ship with complicated expressions and entered Leno's cabin.
Seeing their faces, Leno—who had already recovered quite a bit—raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong? Why do you all look like that?"
Domino brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear and forced a smile.
"Leno… our pirate crew is officially established. The wanted posters are out."
Just days ago, she had still been a Marine.
Her emotions were undeniably complicated—
but she didn't regret her choice.
"Yeah. Thanks to you, my bounty went up quite a bit," Robin said in an odd tone, unsure whether she should sound resentful or grateful.
Kalifa shrugged.
"Never thought a former CP9 agent like me would one day be on a pirate wanted poster. It's… a unique experience."
"I object! Why don't I have a wanted poster?!"
Alice puffed up her cheeks and waved her little fists, clearly dissatisfied.
She was a pirate too!
How could she not have a bounty?
Was this discrimination against her age?!
From their scattered remarks, Leno grasped the gist of it.
He reached out and took the stack of wanted posters.
Captain of the Leno Pirates: "The Fallen" Leno
Identity: Former Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral
Bounty: 1,550,000,000 Beli (ONLY ALIVE)
Navigator of the Leno Pirates: "Prison Flower" Domino
Identity: Former Deputy Chief Warden of Impel Down
Bounty: 270,000,000 Beli (DEAD OR ALIVE)
Archaeologist of the Leno Pirates: "Devil Child" Nico Robin
Bounty: 340,000,000 Beli (DEAD OR ALIVE)
Secretary of the Leno Pirates: "Bubble Woman" Kalifa
Identity: Former CP9 Member
Bounty: 300,000,000 Beli (DEAD OR ALIVE)
Leno's eyes narrowed at the detail that stood out.
Only his poster read ONLY ALIVE.
All the others were DEAD OR ALIVE.
The moment he saw it—
he understood the World Government and the Celestial Dragons' intentions.
"Heh…"
He sneered and casually tossed the posters aside.
"So in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, the secret hidden in me is more important than their so-called dignity."
The temptation of eliminating the Devil Fruit's weakness…
was enough to drive any ability user—
even the World Government itself—
into madness.
"As for the bounty…" Leno continued calmly, "the World Government must have pressured the Marines."
"Last time Garp and Aokiji came, it felt less like an arrest and more like a persuasion attempt."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't have deliberately brought Ain and Tashigi along as baggage."
Once Leno laid it out so clearly, the four women—none of them fools—
instantly understood the implication.
But they all understood—
no matter what conditions the Marines offered,
there was absolutely no way Leno would ever go back.
Marine justice?
They hadn't seen any of it.
"You guys' bounties add up to almost 2.5 billion Beli! So why don't I even get a wanted poster?!"
Alice continued stomping her feet in protest.
Her small face was filled with indignation.
She was clearly a member of the Leno Pirates too!
Especially when everyone else had bounties over 100 million—
and she didn't even get a single Beli.
That stung.
Seeing her rare, age-appropriate childishness, the others couldn't help but find it amusing.
Leno chuckled and ruffled her hair again.
"Don't worry. Sooner or later you'll have your own wanted poster—and it won't be small."
After the brief joking—
Domino turned serious.
"Leno, where are we heading next? Straight to the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Leno pondered for a moment and shook his head.
"No. First, we're going to the Florian Triangle. I'm going there to meet someone."
"Who?"
"One of the… Seven Warlords."
He wasn't going there specifically to target the Straw Hats.
He had his own plan.
Besides—
even if he was targeting them, so what?
They were practically enemies already.
————
————
Meanwhile—
the news of Leno's bounty and the official formation of the Leno Pirates spread across the world, drawing attention from every major force.
On the Moby Dick—
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard looked at the newspaper, a look of appreciation on his face.
"That old bastard Garp finally took a hit!"
"This brat Leno… interesting."
But that was as far as his interest went.
What concerned him more was Ace.
"Marco, still no news of Ace?"
"…No, Pops."
————
Whole Cake Island.
"Mamamama~"
Big Mom stuffed a dessert into her mouth while staring at Leno's wanted poster, greed flashing in her eyes.
"1.55 billion? A rookie making such a splash right out of the gate? But… a former Marine Vice Admiral…"
"Next time we meet, just invite them to a tea party~"
She scanned her daughters.
"Prepare yourselves! If none of you marry Leno, then I'll do it myself!"
————
Onigashima, Wano Country.
"Worororororo!"
Kaido gulped down a mouthful of sake and belched.
"Another brat who doesn't know the heavens from the earth! But knocking back Garp? Not bad!"
"Hahaha! That old man's really aged—beaten by his own disciple."
"When he comes to the New World, I'll personally test his strength!"
He was interested.
But not fully invested yet.
————
On the Red Force.
Red-Haired Shanks held Leno's bounty poster, his expression solemn.
"Leno… Garp-san's disciple…"
"What kind of change will his appearance bring to this sea?"
Thinking of Garp.
Thinking of Luffy.
Shanks hesitated.
"Better warn that brat… Luffy must not get hurt."
As for Garp?
That wasn't his concern.
————
Revolutionary Army Headquarters.
"Oh? Leno?"
Dragon looked at the intelligence report, a faint glint in his eyes.
"So… he's chosen the path of rebellion too?"
"Killing a Celestial Dragon… that's something we've long wanted to do."
Perhaps—
he could be recruited into the revolutionary ranks someday.
————
The Leno Pirates sailed steadily toward the Florian Triangle.
As navigator, Domino naturally possessed multiple Log Poses.
She wasn't some halfway-trained amateur like Nami.
Even if her natural talent might not match Nami's,
she was still a capable navigator.
Meanwhile—
reports of Leno appearing near nearby islands had already reached Marine Headquarters.
A new order was issued.
The fastest among them—Kizaru—was to pursue first.
No rash moves.
No alerting the enemy.
Just keep track of the Leno Pirates' movements.
Do not lose them.
Provide precise coordinates for the main fleet's eventual encirclement.
"..."
Kizaru sat in his office, staring at the latest order.
Internally, he was cursing Leno to death.
"Overtime again! Because of this Leno, how many times have I had to work overtime?!"
For an Admiral who upheld "unclear justice" and "getting off work on time" as life principles—
overtime was the most detestable thing imaginable.
One could only imagine the depth of his resentment toward Leno at this point.
Whether by fate or coincidence—
the Thousand Sunny of the Straw Hat Pirates was also sailing toward the Florian Triangle…
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