Through this period of observation, Leno came to truly understand the unyielding resilience within Aileen.
This almost self-punishing kind of training was undeniably painful for a child her age.
Yet no matter how exhausted she became or how bitter the suffering was, she never complained even once.
And as time passed, the light in her eyes only grew brighter and fiercer.
Watching the little girl's unrelenting figure, Leno couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
The mischievous, clingy child who used to nestle in his arms seemed to have grown up all at once.
She now had her own goals, her own dreams.
After finishing his reflections, Leno collected his thoughts and began today's "lesson"—ahem, a public "lesson."
What puzzled Aileen, however, was why Leno had taken out his sword today.
Seeing the confusion on her face, Leno lifted the blade in his hand—"Huangquan"—and said with a smile,
"Your task today is to stay conscious under this sword's aura."
After a brief pause, worried that she might not take it seriously, he added,
"This sword is called 'Huangquan.' It's a famous blade of slaughter. I suffered quite a bit because of it myself back then, so be careful..."
"...Mm."
Aileen nodded firmly, her expression turning solemn, her gaze sharpening with caution.
If Leno emphasized it this much, then this sword was definitely terrifying.
She trusted him. She knew he would never harm her.
Noticing the change in her attitude, Leno nodded in satisfaction. Then his finger flicked lightly, and a crimson glow flashed.
"Clang—"
A piercing, icy chime rang out. Before Aileen could even see the blade clearly, a surging sea of blood swept over her, swallowing her whole in an instant.
All she could see was crimson.
The nauseating stench of blood filled her nose.
Every inch of her skin felt as though it were being sliced by blades. Blood flowed like rivers across the scarlet ground, with severed limbs scattered everywhere.
It was as if countless dead souls were wailing and roaring in her ears. Their shrill screams made her soul tremble.
Endless murderous intent flooded into her mind, violently cramming itself in, as though it were about to burst her head apart.
Lost within the illusion, Aileen experienced hell for the first time.
Her body trembled uncontrollably. She retreated instinctively, as if stepping back could take her farther away from the hell before her eyes.
Fear slowly crept across her face, while killing intent gradually welled up in her eyes.
Aileen collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, covering her ears with both hands as she shook her head in desperation.
Unable to endure it any longer, she let out a piercing scream—
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
"Clang—!"
Seeing Aileen's condition, Leno's expression changed drastically.
He sheathed the sword in a flash, pulled the little girl into his arms, and softly began to comfort her.
At the same time, he cursed himself inwardly.
Damn it—careless!
Aileen's strong performance over this period had made him subconsciously believe she could endure a harsher trial.
He had completely forgotten that she was still just a child.
The realization filled him with deep self-reproach. He could only hope the little girl wouldn't be left with psychological scars.
Holding Aileen as she sobbed against his chest, Leno felt as though his heart were being carved by a blade, his eyes filled with regret.
How could he have lost his head and used Huangquan on her? He really deserved to die for that.
He knew full well how terrifying that sword was, so how could he have—
If anything happened to her, how would he ever explain it to Belle-Mère's family?
He sat there holding Aileen for a long time. When he finally came back to himself, he realized the little girl had cried herself to sleep.
Gently wiping the tears from her face, Leno stood up and slowly descended.
After settling Aileen aboard the Gale, he immediately went to find Kuina and bring her over.
Given the situation, he could only hope her Divine Fire would still work.
After hearing the full story, Kuina's face turned ashen.
Her hand tightened again and again around the hilt of her sword, her eyes blazing with fury as she looked at Leno.
Stared at by that murderous gaze, Leno felt guilty and awkwardly turned his head away.
"Just wait until you face Belle-Mère's wrath!"
With a cold snort, Kuina turned and entered the room to begin treating Aileen.
Seeing this, Leno hurried after her.
Only when golden flames ignited around Aileen and color slowly returned to the little girl's face did Leno finally relax.
It worked!
"So? She's okay now, right?" His voice carried a hint of urgency as Leno looked expectantly at Kuina.
"You really think my Divine Fire is omnipotent?"
Kuina shot him a sideways glance, her tone icy. She was furious at Leno's irresponsible behavior.
Such a small child, and this bastard actually used Huangquan on her.
The horrifying scene from the jade-ice bed still lingered vividly in her mind.
Even she had felt lingering fear back then. What in the world had this idiot been thinking?
Seeing that Kuina's anger hadn't subsided, Leno knew he had truly gone too far this time. He cautiously moved closer.
Taking her hand, he said with a face full of guilt,
"I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking back then—I just… took Huangquan out..."
"Hmph! It's a good thing Nami and Nojiko aren't here right now, or else..."
Letting him hold her hand, Kuina wore an indignant expression, clearly at a loss when it came to this shameless guy.
She lowered her head to look at the sleeping Aileen, pressed her lips together, and said,
"That poor girl really is unlucky to have a brother like you~"
"I—I'm usually pretty good to her..."
Sneaking a glance at Kuina's expression, Leno muttered softly, lacking confidence.
Thinking about it carefully, it did seem true. Last time, because of him, the whole family had been dragged to Marine Headquarters.
This time… well, this time didn't count, right? This time was an accident—purely an accident!
Leno worked hard to reassure himself. He was the one who doted on Aileen the most. How could she be unlucky?
Then he turned to Kuina and said gently,
"Alright, let's go outside and let the little one sleep properly."
As he spoke, he casually wrapped an arm around her slender waist and continued while walking,
"We've been on Skypiea for quite a while now. It's about time to leave."
"Oh, you still remember that? I thought you were planning to stay here forever~"
Swatting away the wandering hand at her waist, Kuina rolled her eyes at him irritably.
This bastard had been living quite comfortably lately—vanishing all day and only showing up at night.
Sometimes she couldn't help wondering how someone could be so addicted to matters between men and women.
While she was thinking this, she noticed Leno guiding her toward her room.
"Wait—why are we going to my room?"
"...You! Heh heh..."
"You bastard! What kind of things are you thinking about all day?!"
Seeing the lewd grin on Leno's face, Kuina's cheeks instantly flushed red.
Whatever she thought of seemed to come true. She silently decided that she absolutely had to keep her distance from this guy in the future.
"I was pretty badly scared today, you know. I definitely need some proper comforting~"
"..."