The moment Leno stepped into the great hall, everyone who had been waiting for him rushed over at once.
"Leno, my lord, I completed the task you assigned me perfectly."
"Idiot, why are you only back now?"
"Leno, nothing went wrong, right?"
Everyone surrounded him, talking over one another nonstop. His return instantly restored their sense of security, and their hearts finally relaxed.
"I'm fine. You all worked hard. Crocodile has been dealt with!"
Seeing all those worried gazes, Leno felt deeply moved and hugged each of them in turn.
But as soon as he finished hugging Nami, something unexpected happened.
"Hold on! You idiot, why do you have another woman's scent on you?"
"What? I just hugged all of you—it's normal I'd pick up some scents, right?"
Facing Nami's suspicious stare, Leno was helpless. Hugging so many people and not smelling like anything would be stranger.
"Don't try to fool me! I'm familiar with all their scents, and this scent on you is clearly unfamiliar~"
"…?!!!"
With Nami's sharp analysis, every gaze in the room snapped toward him. Leno panicked instantly.
He really felt like a man caught cheating. He quickly sniffed left and right—but found nothing.
Then he suddenly remembered: he had been getting cozy with Hina before coming back. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but who would've guessed Nami's nose was this sharp?
With everyone watching, he forced himself to stay calm and replied, pretending nothing was wrong:
"Come on, that's all? I ran into someone in danger on the way back and saved her. That's probably when the scent got on me."
He said it casually, instinctively choosing to lie.
Nojiko and the others gradually eased up. After all, they'd never heard of him having another woman outside. If he did, they would've noticed by now.
Leno thought the lie was perfect—but someone still didn't believe him.
"Is that so?"
Nami frowned, leaned in, and examined him carefully.
A moment later, she reached toward his chest and shoulder, plucking off several strands of hair.
"What's this? Pink hair…" Her eyes suddenly sharpened. She grabbed his collar and glared into his eyes, fury blazing.
"Lipstick?"
"You idiot… We've all been worried sick about you these past two days, and you were out finding another woman—and even lied to us..."
Her low voice trembled with grievance, anger, and even disappointment.
Because of her age, she had never been able to take the next step with him, leaving her constantly frustrated. She paid special attention to how he handled women—one reason she always blew up whenever he "snuck a taste."
This time, he clearly had done it again, and outside no less—and then lied about it. All her accumulated frustration burst out at once.
Feeling the change in everyone's gazes, Leno panicked completely and hurried to spill the entire truth.
He had a feeling that if he continued lying, things would get very, very bad.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have lied!"
"But I swear I didn't cross any major lines!"
He held Nami's hand, then looked at Nojiko, Robin, and the others.
"Here's what happened. I went to look for Crocodile… and then…"
After Leno's sincere retelling, everyone understood the situation—but their expressions grew even stranger.
"…In the end, I even asked her to help finish up the Baroque Works mess!"
"What happened between us was only hugging and kissing. Nothing beyond that!"
"Sugoi! So you managed to win over that Marine girl in just one day?"
Yamato stared at him with sparkling eyes, full of admiration. As expected of his buddy—he could even handle a Marine beauty.
"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?!"
Leno shot the troublemaker an exasperated glare. Of all times to stir things up…
Facing the women around him, he spoke seriously:
"I won't hide things from you anymore. And I won't lie again."
"I know I was wrong this time. Please forgive me."
He pulled Nami into his arms and apologized sincerely:
"I'm sorry, Nami. Please forgive me."
"Hmph…"
After hitting him in the chest a few times, Nami finally muttered:
"That… that Marine girl—what are you planning to do about her? You can't just abandon her."
"Well…" Leno scratched his head. "I planned to bring her with me, but she refused. Her dream is to stay in the Marines, so…"
Hearing this, Robin and the others exchanged curious looks.
What kind of girl could resist this bastard even after all that?
For the first time, they were genuinely interested in this Marine they hadn't met.
Soon after, the public "trial" ended with the women reluctantly forgiving him thanks to his honest repentance.
Turning around, Leno cleared his throat and addressed Cobra and the others watching from the distance:
"Next is your job. I'll hand over Crocodile's corpse later—explain the situation however you see fit."
"Ah? Oh—yes, no problem!"
Cobra snapped out of his daze. He had gotten too caught up watching the drama.
It truly had been a wild, unbelievable performance.
A notorious criminal winning the heart of a Marine woman—what could be more shocking?
He looked at Leno's tall, upright figure and couldn't help thinking:
This young man… truly has skills.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed his daughter Vivi secretly blushing as she stared at Leno.
His good mood vanished instantly.
So even his daughter had fallen for that shameless boy?
Sighing, Cobra didn't want her to feel heartbroken. He gently patted her shoulder and said softly:
"Vivi, stay with your friends here. I'll go handle the next steps."
Then he added, with deep meaning:
"If you like him, then go for it. Don't let yourself regret it."
"F-Father! What are you saying?!"
As her father walked away, Vivi stomped her foot in embarrassment—but her gaze still drifted toward the distant figure she couldn't help but look at.