Night had fallen.
The sky was pitch-black, yet the stars shimmered brilliantly, like countless shattered diamonds scattered across the heavens, dazzling to the eye.
A gentle breeze drifted through, carrying away the clamor of the day and deepening the stillness of the night.
Leno stood before the grand hall of the royal palace, gazing down at the countless lights dotting the land below. For a moment, his heart was filled with complex emotions.
Before he realized it, he had already taken on the responsibility of protecting so many people.
At times, he couldn't help but reflect—how had he ended up walking this path?
Not so long ago, he had been a boy who declared he wanted freedom above all else, unrestrained, quietly enjoying life.
Yet in such a short span of time, everything had changed beyond recognition.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Leno turned and headed back into the hall.
Inside the Empress's bedchamber, just as Leno was about to step forward and experience the softness of that enormous bed, Hancock's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Lord Leno~"
Leno slowly turned around.
His body instantly stiffened. His pupils shrank violently, and his mind went completely blank.
Boom—
A surge of scorching heat exploded within his chest.
An unforgettable, breathtaking scene unfolded before his eyes, leaving him utterly unable to look away.
The form-fitting cheongsam was slowly undone, sliding down smooth, snow-white skin and pooling on the floor, revealing a slender, graceful body of flawless fairness.
Hancock lifted her hand to brush aside the long hair cascading over her neck and shoulders. Looking at the dazed Leno, her cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes brimming with love as she spoke softly,
"Lord Leno… please cherish me…"
"..."
Th-This… this…
Was the aftershock really this intense?
Leno's eyes widened instantly as his brain short-circuited for a moment.
The pitifully limited vocabulary in his mind could no longer describe the beauty before him.
If he absolutely had to say something, there was only one thought in his head:
Damn, she's gorgeous!
The lights within the hall cast a soft, intoxicating glow. The peerlessly beautiful woman in the cheongsam loosened her clothes, her jet-black hair like brocade draped across her smooth back.
Her blue-black eyes gazed at Leno in a hazy daze, a captivating blush blooming across her cheeks.
Standing before a painted screen, Hancock's eyes were filled with both anticipation and shyness, her long lashes trembling slightly.
Her slender arms slowly opened as if in welcome, her entire being radiating a dazzling, irresistible charm.
At the sight of that tender, snow-white body before him, the string of reason within Leno's heart snapped with a sharp twang!
...
(The following content cannot be broadcast, so the author has kindly experienced it on behalf of the readers… (‾◡◝))
By the time Leno finally came back to his senses, dawn had already arrived.
The bed was a complete mess. The sheets were hopelessly rumpled, and a thin blanket was haphazardly draped over the two of them.
Leno let out a long breath. Last night's "sparring" had truly been intense.
Turning his head, he saw Hancock sleeping soundly in his arms, her satisfied face still flushed with color.
She had truly gone all out to cooperate—no wonder she was utterly exhausted.
Though… she might have been a bit too proactive. The full eighteen techniques, not a single one held back!
Leno hadn't expected that the "proposal-like" promise he made to the citizens would have such a huge impact on Hancock.
Although she longed deeply for a wedding with Leno, she had never once demanded anything from him, being considerate to a heartbreaking degree.
It wasn't hard to imagine how overwhelming Leno's proactive "proposal" must have been for Hancock, who dreamed day and night of a wedding ceremony.
He had promised her a wedding, yet with so many factors at play, now clearly wasn't the right time to hold one.
Still, he silently made up his mind—when the time came, the wedding would be grand beyond measure.
Pulling his thoughts back, Leno gently kissed her forehead, then got up and dressed, quickly leaving the bedchamber.
After informing the steward Ainishida upon arriving at the palace hall, Leno transformed into a streak of lightning and flew away from Kuja Island.
He had already been delayed for a day. It was time to return and arrange matters for Acier and Gordon.
Those two were far too idle at the moment. The academy project needed to be finalized quickly, or their enthusiasm would be wasted.
Once he returned to his God Temple, Leno immediately summoned Wyperand discussed the education of the children on Skypiea with him.
Wyper raised both hands in agreement regarding the construction of an academy. After all, it was something that would only benefit Skypiea's future.
As a native of Skypiea, he naturally hoped the island would continue to prosper.
Just as the two were still discussing potential locations for the academy, Aileen suddenly barged in, dragging Aisa along with her.
Seeing that Leno and the guard captain were in the middle of a discussion, the two girls obediently waited quietly to the side.
The moment the conversation finally ended, Aileen immediately jumped to Leno's side and started pulling him outside.
"Hey, hey, hey—what are you doing? Why the rush?"
What could possibly have made the little girl this impatient? Leno was puzzled.
Nothing major should have happened on Skypiea. Otherwise, Wyper would have reported it earlier.
"Come on, big brother! I want you to train with us!"
Aileen spoke as she tugged at Leno, her face clearly showing a hint of impatience.
She wanted Leno to help her awaken Observation Haki. After all, this issue had been troubling her for a long time.
Hearing this, Leno was genuinely surprised. Since when had this girl become so enthusiastic about training?
That only made him more curious. What kind of stimulus had she received?
"Training? Did I hear that right?"
"Yeah. What's the problem?"
Aileen stopped and turned back to look at Leno, feeling that her big brother was being especially long-winded today, so she explained,
"I want to awaken Observation Haki, but I've tried a lot of methods and none of them worked."
"So I was thinking… could you help me awaken it?"
"I see~"
So she wanted to awaken Haki. But at Aileen's current age, that would be extremely difficult.
He shifted his gaze to Aisa standing nearby and immediately understood.
Looks like the girl had gotten jealous after seeing her little partner already able to use Haki.
To be fair, ever since the incident with Urouge, Leno had indeed thought about ways to help others awaken Haki.
The problem was, his method hadn't been tested yet—and Aileen was still so young.
After a moment of thought, he looked at the little girl and spoke gently,
"Aileen, actually, you don't need to be in such a rush to awaken Haki."
"When you're a bit older, it'll be much easier."
"Huh? Big brother, don't tell me you don't have a way either?"
Hearing the hesitation in Leno's tone, Aileen's heart sank instantly. Was it really that hard for her to awaken it at this stage?
The thought alone made her feel utterly miserable.
She had been imagining herself and Aisa charging into battle together with Observation Haki activated—yet now she couldn't even awaken it.
It was hard for her to accept.
She was the captain of the "God's Little Squad," after all. Losing out to her own team member—was there anything more painful than that?
Seeing the little girl lower her head, the atmosphere around her so heavy it was almost suffocating, on the verge of tears—
Leno felt a headache coming on. He wasn't even sure if his method would work. But seeing Aileen like this…
After some thought, he finally spoke,
"Well… there is a method. I just don't know if it'll succeed."
"!!!"
...