The night was cool like flowing water, the bright moon hanging high in the sky.
At some point, the banquet had ended. Snores rose and fell as bodies lay sprawled all over the ground.
Seeing that quite a few people from his own ship had also passed out drunk, Leno rolled his eyes helplessly.
The sea really does nurture people— even the women drink with bold abandon.
With Vivi, Mikita, and a few others helping him, Leno carried the drunken Yamato, Nami, and the rest into their rooms one by one.
As for the others on the ground, they were probably used to living like this. Sleeping where they fell worked just fine.
After settling everyone in, Leno found he had no desire to sleep.
He went alone to the bow and sat down, quietly gazing out at the distant sea.
The gentle night breeze blowing toward him carried a salty tang that refreshed the mind.
Under the bright moonlight, the shimmering reflections on the distant sea rose and fell like a billowing brocade.
Just then, Leno's brow twitched slightly. He turned his head—and saw a figure standing in the shadows some distance away, when he hadn't been there moments before.
"Hm?"
When Leno noticed the pigeon perched on the man's shoulder, he almost instantly confirmed the visitor's identity.
Still, coming to find him this late at night—what for? Surely not to avenge Blueno?
That bold?
Setting aside the fact that he'd left no traces behind, even if evidence had been found, was it really wise to show up so brazenly in front of him?
After thinking it over and getting nowhere, Leno decided to stop thinking altogether.
Better to just walk over and fight it out.
His figure flashed as he rapidly appeared in front of Lucci. He glanced at the man who didn't seem to know his own limits, then continued walking farther away.
"Follow me."
"…"
Being treated with such disdain, Lucci's anger instantly surged.
His face darkened, fists clenched tight, eyes locked on Leno's back.
As the strongest member CP9 had produced in eight hundred years, even ordinary Marine vice admirals treated him with caution.
An adventurer like Leno—just a mere criminal. How dare he?
After standing there for a moment, Lucci ground his teeth and stepped forward, following the figure ahead.
Only after they were completely away from the Franky Family's territory did Leno stop.
It was already late. Not disturbing his crew's rest was a captain's duty.
Though he was confident he wouldn't cause much of a commotion anyway.
"So, what business does CP9 of the World Government have with me at this hour?" Leno asked.
"Was Blueno's incident your doing?"
Lucci stepped forward, staring straight at Leno as he cut straight to the point.
Hearing this, Leno raised an eyebrow slightly. The corners of his mouth curled up as a playful look entered his eyes.
"What kind of answer are you hoping to hear?"
"…"
Leno's careless reply made Lucci's blood rush to his head. His eyes instantly turned red. This was going too far!
He represented the World Government, yet the other party's attitude clearly showed no regard for it whatsoever.
Absolutely outrageous!
As an agent brainwashed and trained by the World Government since childhood, Lucci could not tolerate anyone showing hostility toward it in front of him.
Almost instantly, his body grew larger. His teeth sharpened, and a long tail emerged behind him.
"Adventurer Leno, you'd better explain things clearly! Otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
Leno cut him off in the same nonchalant tone, calmly sizing up the 'leopard-man' before him.
To be honest, the World Government was really stingy. With talent like this, they couldn't even spare him a better Devil Fruit.
Given Lucci's aptitude, if he had a Mythical Zoan, he'd be guaranteed emperor-level strength in the future.
What a waste.
Before Leno could finish lamenting, Lucci had already appeared right in front of him.
Bringing both fists together, his knuckles vibrated violently as a clearly visible shockwave surged straight toward Leno's face.
The cylindrical shockwave, like an air drill, flew straight into the junk pile behind him, instantly causing a massive explosion. Roars echoed, dust filled the air, and a distinct crack appeared in the earth.
Tilting his head to narrowly dodge the attack, Leno let out an exaggerated cry of surprise, clapping enthusiastically with both hands.
Looks like Lucci knew his own strength—going all out right from the start.
Too bad.
It was useless.
"You bastard!"
Seeing Leno dodge so easily, Lucci's expression changed sharply.
He hadn't expected the opponent's reaction speed to be this fast. No—this wasn't mere physical reaction. It was like he'd seen it coming in advance!
His movements had been completely read.
Just as Lucci stood there in shock, a finger crackling with lightning gently tapped his forehead.
As the dust settled, Leno stood with one hand in his pocket, the other pointing at Lucci, his eyes full of curiosity.
Was this guy really that reckless? He didn't seem like the impulsive type.
Yet tonight he acted like a complete brute.
Coming alone to find him, barely exchanging a few words before attacking outright.
"…"
Lucci's entire body stiffened. His pupils trembled violently, disbelief plastered across his face.
The finger pressed to his forehead felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, rendering him completely immobile.
Terror flooded his heart. The gap between them was this enormous?
How was that possible?
Just as the strongest agent was still reeling, Leno's lazy voice reached him again.
"Enough for tonight. I've wasted enough time as it is."
The moment the words fell, without giving Lucci any chance to react, a massive pillar of lightning instantly engulfed his body.
Violent convulsions came with piercing screams that echoed far through the silent night.
Leno's face darkened immediately. He'd wanted to keep things quiet—so much for that.
After glancing at Lucci, now smoking all over, Leno turned into a streak of lightning and vanished from the spot.
When he returned to the ship, he found Kuina and Nojiko already on deck.
Seeing Leno appear, the two quickly stepped forward and asked in confusion,
"What happened? Why was there such a big commotion?"
Looking at the two he'd woken up, Leno felt a bit awkward.
He'd planned it perfectly—deal with the trouble quickly, then come back and rest.
After understanding what had happened, Kuina and Nojiko prepared to head back to sleep.
Seeing them about to leave, Leno wasn't having it. He hurried forward and pulled both of them into his arms.
"Since you're already awake, how about we play some fun games?"
"…"
"…"