A massive purple dragon rose in a winding arc, appearing abruptly before the gathered sea beasts.
At such close range, even the patterns on its scales were clearly visible.
Its razor-sharp claws gleamed with a chilling cold light under the illumination.
Occasional arcs of electricity flickered along the slowly drifting dragon body, lending it an even more imposing presence.
The giant dragon slowly lowered its head, its enormous and ferocious visage stopping only when it reached Hammond.
"You were just threatening me?"
The rolling sound waves were deafening.
Already collapsed on the ground, Hammond stared blankly, unable to utter a word. The scorching breath sprayed across his face made his soul tremble.
His heart sank deeper and deeper.
Who the hell could tell him why this monster was not afraid of seawater? Wasn't he a Devil Fruit user?
Wasn't he supposed to be at their mercy? At this rate, he was the one about to be crushed flat.
Snapping back to his senses, Hammond rolled forward and dropped to his knees, repeatedly kowtowing.
His companions beside him seemed to react as well, all falling to their knees and begging for mercy.
"Spare us, Mr. Leno! We were just following orders!"
"Hey! Robin, didn't you say we'd be crushed if we went out there? Then why is Leno totally fine?"
Seeing Leno showing off outside again, Yamato angrily turned back to glare at Robin and questioned her outright.
She had trusted her just now, and it turned out she was being played?
So that's how it is? All the good chances go to Leno?
"That's... not..."
Robin tried to explain, but Nami cut in.
"What are you thinking, you idiot? That guy's a pervert, a monster! Why are you comparing yourself to him!"
She looked at Yamato, her tone filled with disbelief.
Nami's words immediately won everyone's agreement, and they nodded along vigorously.
There was no way Leno counted as a normal person. He was a super pervert, after all.
No matter what earth-shattering thing he did, they wouldn't be surprised!
As they chatted among themselves, a puzzled voice came from the side.
"What monster?"
"Obviously that big idiot. Who knows how far his perversion has gone by now..."
Nami's mouth ran wild as she spoke, getting more and more into it.
She completely failed to notice the sympathetic looks from everyone around her, or Leno behind her, whose face was growing darker by the second.
Only after she finished and noticed the strange looks did she belatedly realize something was wrong.
She stiffly turned her head. When she saw Leno's face, black as the bottom of a pot, her last shred of hope died.
The corner of Nami's mouth twitched as she forced an awkward yet polite smile, then said shakily,
"I-Idiot, what a coincidence. When did you get back?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help glancing behind him. Aside from a vast stretch of sea dyed red, there was nothing left.
Leno stepped toward her calmly, his expression utterly composed, the words he spoke sounding more like a statement.
"I'm a pervert? A monster?"
"Ha... haha... you know me, I was just joking around..."
Nami hurriedly tried to explain while frantically backing away.
"I-Idiot, don't come any closer—ahhh!"
Seeing Leno drawing nearer, Nami sensed disaster.
Just as she turned to run, Leno grabbed her by the neck and tucked her under his arm, raising his hand and delivering a rapid barrage of smacks.
"Ahhh!"
"Idiot, put me down! I know I was wrong!"
"..."
Watching this 'routine scuffle,' everyone tacitly turned their gaze elsewhere.
What a nice day today. The sea is especially red!
Hm? Something feels off.
Where did all those pirates and sea beasts go?
Did Leno deal with them already? It didn't even feel like anything happened.
Just as they were thinking about Leno, his voice rang out.
"Get ready. We're heading to Fish-Man Island! Kraken, let's move!"
Only then did the sea monster beneath the ship slowly open its eyes, glancing around warily.
When the dragon appeared earlier, it hadn't moved at all.
As if it knew escape was pointless, it had simply played turtle, covering its eyes with its tentacles and pretending to be dead.
Now, upon hearing Leno's command, it immediately lifted the ship and sped forward happily.
But before they had traveled far, Chopper's voice rang out again from the bow.
"Everyone, someone else is coming!" Chopper said as he lowered his binoculars, turning back with a delighted expression. "It's Jinbe. He's here to meet us!"
Hearing this, everyone looked up. From the direction of Fish-Man Island ahead, a long white trail of compressed air stretched out.
Driven by Jinbe, that white trail continued rushing toward them.
"Fish-Men really do live up to their reputation for speed in the sea."
Watching the white trail remain tightly gathered, Robin couldn't help but praise it.
Jinbe was like a torpedo. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed up to Leno and the others.
"Mr. Leno, everyone, long time no see."
"Long time no see, Jinbe."
After exchanging greetings, Jinbe finally remembered to ask the important question.
His gaze swept around, lingering briefly on the faintly red water before he spoke.
"Mr. Leno, did you encounter some trouble just now?"
"Oh, just a few pirates. Something like the New Fish-Man Pirates."
"So it was them!"
Hearing Leno's answer, Jinbe clenched his fists, his expression filled with frustrated self-reproach.
Earlier, when he sensed that familiar aura erupting near Fish-Man Island, he had already felt uneasy.
He hadn't expected those people to be so deranged as to target Fish-Man Island's benefactor.
At the thought of this, Jinbe bowed deeply to Leno, his expression ashamed.
"I'm truly sorry, Mr. Leno. You just arrived at Fish-Man Island and already ran into something like this."
"Hey, don't apologize at every turn, Jinbe."
Leno stepped forward and pulled him up, speaking seriously.
"This isn't your fault. I know about these guys as well."
As he spoke, Leno sat down at the table with Jinbe.
"Jinbe, as an outsider, it's not my place to comment much on Fish-Man Island's affairs."
"But now that the New Fish-Man Pirates have set their sights on me, I won't just ignore them."
He paused, waving a hand to stop Jinbe from speaking, and continued.
"I know you've always upheld Queen Otohime and Tiger's ideals, adopting a conciliatory approach toward Fish-Man Island."
"But precisely because of that attitude, some people have grown more and more lawless."
"So before they commit an unforgivable mistake, it's necessary to take down those extremist leaders."
...
...