Leno didn't even bother responding to Sengoku's blustering threat.
What a joke. Let them try something.
Right now, he was the one in control.
And Sengoku thought he could threaten him?
Instead, Leno shifted his attention to the newly captured prisoners.
He reached out and rather frivolously lifted Kujaku's delicate chin, forcing her face toward him so their eyes met.
"Tsk tsk, looks like you've fallen into my hands, little Peacock," Leno teased.
"When you used to boss me around and act all high and mighty in front of me, did you ever imagine today would come?"
Kujaku's face was filled with stubborn defiance. She craned her neck, trying to shake off Leno's hand.
Unfortunately, it was completely useless.
Left with no choice, she delivered the classic tough-girl line through her rosy lips:
"Hmph! Kill me or torture me as you please! If I so much as frown, I'm not worthy of being a Marine!"
Leno froze for a moment—then let out a snort of laughter and casually tossed her face aside.
Boring. Hearing that just made him speechless.
He wasn't planning to do anything anyway. He just wanted Sengoku and Akainu to suffer.
Then he turned to Hibari, who was restrained by Domino.
Her round, baby-fat cheeks puffed slightly in anger.
They looked particularly… squeezable.
Without hesitation, Leno reached out and pinched her elastic cheek firmly.
"Mm, round cheeks feel better. Much more satisfying to play with," Leno nodded in approval.
Chubby cheeks were born to be pinched.
Hibari's lips were squeezed into an "O" shape.
Adorably ridiculous.
Leno found it amusing.
Sengoku and Akainu did not.
This entire series of frivolous gestures—
Was like slapping them across the face.
Repeatedly.
Their already grim expressions turned even darker.
What was this supposed to mean? Provoking them to their faces?
Did he think they had no temper?!
Akainu's fists cracked loudly. Sengoku's were no better.
But they truly… had no choice.
Neither Hibari nor Kujaku could afford to be harmed.
One was Akainu's precious daughter.
The other was Tsuru's beloved granddaughter.
If anything happened to them, neither man would ever forgive himself.
So in the face of Leno's blatant provocation—
They could only swallow their rage.
Even a ninja turtle wouldn't endure as much as they were enduring now.
Sengoku forcibly suppressed his fury and ground out his words through clenched teeth:
"Leno! I'll ask you one more time! Have you considered it?!"
Only then did Leno slowly turn his head, as if he'd just heard him.
He even exaggeratedly picked at his ear with his pinky and flicked away nonexistent earwax in Sengoku's direction.
"What was that?" he tilted his head. "Speak up. Didn't hear you."
The naked, undisguised provocation—
Nearly made Sengoku and Akainu explode.
"This is absolutely deliberate!" they roared internally.
At this moment, they wanted nothing more than to blast this arrogant brat into dust.
But reason told them—
They couldn't.
Suppressing the nearly uncontrollable flames of anger, Sengoku inhaled deeply and shouted even louder:
"I said!! Have you thought it through?! Release Hibari and Kujaku! The Navy will withdraw immediately from Amazon Lily's waters! From now on, we will not interfere with each other—peaceful coexistence!!"
After hearing him out, Leno simply shrugged with a mocking smile.
"Sorry, Sengoku. But it seems I'm the one with the advantage right now, isn't that correct?"
He gestured toward the restrained Hibari and Kujaku, then toward the Navy.
"Why should I agree to terms that clearly put me at a disadvantage?"
As he spoke, his hand moved again—this time gently stroking the pale, vulnerable necks of Hibari and Kujaku.
Like petting a pair of tame animals.
The gesture was full of threat.
"You want to make a move?" Leno lifted his eyes provocatively toward Sengoku and Akainu. "Do you… dare?"
Truthfully, he almost hoped they would.
But they were even more patient than he expected.
When it came to their own interests, people were remarkably capable of weighing pros and cons.
Sengoku and Akainu stared fixedly at Leno's hand resting on the girls' necks.
Afraid that with the slightest movement, their "treasures" would perish.
But aside from staring—
They truly didn't say a word.
Nor did they dare move.
What could they do?
Leno was right.
They genuinely didn't dare act!
Even if he had just insulted them to their faces.
Even if they suddenly launched a sneak attack—
With Leno's strength, and the Pirate Empress beside him, they would absolutely be able to block them for a brief moment.
And in a sneak attack, a brief moment was everything.
If it failed—
And enraged Leno—
If either Hibari or Kujaku were harmed…
The consequences were unthinkable.
Just as the standoff dragged on—
Akainu's gaze swept across the battlefield and finally settled on Ain, Tashigi, Tina, and the other female Marines.
A cold thought flashed through his mind.
These women—
It was time they served their purpose.
They hadn't been brought here to stand around uselessly.
If they couldn't deal with Leno—
Then at least they could be put to use.
Thus, Akainu lifted his head and said something no one had anticipated:
"Leno! Use them! Use Ain, Tina, Tashigi—all of them! Exchange them for Hibari and Kujaku!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Every face froze.
Did they hear that correctly?
Sakazuki just said… what?
Even Leno was briefly surprised.
But then his lips curled into a knowing sneer.
"Ah. That familiar feeling," he muttered, eyes filled with ridicule.
As for the others—including Sengoku—
They looked stunned.
Ain, Tina, Tashigi, and the rest stopped mid-action and slowly turned their heads toward Akainu.
Shock and incomprehension covered their faces.
They couldn't believe what they'd just heard.
They were people.
Not objects.
And Akainu… wanted to trade them for Hibari and Kujaku?!
Too stunned to speak—
They could only stare at him, searching his face for the slightest hint of a joke.
But what they saw—
Was a cold, serious expression.
He meant it.
He truly intended to exchange them—
For the safety of his daughter and Tsuru's granddaughter.
Realizing this—
The light in Ain and the others' eyes dimmed.
An icy chill shot from their feet to their skulls.
Their hearts sank into an abyss.
Almost instinctively—
They turned their final sliver of hope toward Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral… you won't agree to this, right? We're Marines too…"
Their pleading gazes fell upon him.
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