"Tsk, this is way too poor—only one million Berries?" Nami frowned at the cash in the chest.
They'd searched the pirate ship top to bottom and got just that? And the crew wasn't even small.
"I wonder who it was that was so excited when they found a single gold coin before."
"You big idiot, Leno! Will it kill you not to expose me?!" Nami fumed.
"So what do we do with this ship?" Nojiko asked.
"Leave it to them. They can sell it later—consider it compensation," Leno said casually.
The group then took their ship and left. Not long after, a Marine warship came speeding toward the island. The Marines looked at each other, bewildered, when they saw the pirate corpses scattered all over the street.
Aboard their own ship, Nojiko gazed quietly at the receding kingdom, then turned and went back to the cabin.
A few days slipped by.
"I'm so bored," Leno said, sitting on the railing with a fishing rod in one hand and his head in the other. He turned to Nojiko, who was practicing with her sword. "Nojiko, what are we eating later?"
"Didn't you say you'd fish so we'd have seafood today? It's been almost two hours…"
"Almost two hours and not a single bite. And somebody claimed he never strikes out when fishing. Tsk tsk…" Nami chimed in, lips curled.
"Curse you, Nami—just you wait!"
"Thunder's Judgment!"
Boom—boom! Countless bolts hammered the sea. In moments, fish of every size bobbed to the surface.
"Embarrassed this much?" Nami snickered behind her hand.
"Enough chatter… come help me get these fish!" Leno glared.
"Okay okay—seafood feast coming up! And let's pick a few pretty ones for the aquarium. It's too empty," Nami said, skipping over.
While they were scooping, Leno looked ahead. "Is that land up front?"
"Where? Where?!"
They hurriedly stowed the fish, ran to the bow, and buzzed with excitement. After how they'd passed the last few days, any island was thrilling.
Nami checked her compass, compared it to the charts, then traced a circle. "The island ahead is Sixis Island. Because of the ring-shaped current around it, sailors call it a 'Sea Cage.'
But it won't bother us much. We'll fly in after we eat."
"Sixis Island? Sounds familiar. Whatever—let's see it when we land," Leno muttered.
"Leno, stop mumbling and help!"
"Coming, coming."
They landed. Leno instinctively swept the island with Observation Haki—nothing. Absolutely nothing. He looked from the white beach to the rows of palms and deflated.
"Girls, there's nothing here. Not even animals. A truly lifeless island," he sighed, flopping onto the sand.
The others traded looks. Strange indeed—an island with no creatures at all.
"The sea really is vast—anything can happen," Nojiko said.
"Hm? Right—this is where Ace found the Flame-Flame Fruit!" Leno jerked upright at her remark.
He sprang to his feet. "Go go go! Treasure hunt!"
"What's with him? He was half-dead a minute ago," the girls wondered.
"Who knows. Come on, let's take a look around," Nami said.
Leno combed the island again and again, but there was no trace of the fruit. At last he gave up.
'I remember Ace found it in the stomach of a giant bird after being carried away. But there isn't even a single bird on this island, let alone a feather.'
"'What's meant to be will be; what isn't, don't force it,'" Leno consoled himself, then trudged back to the beach to lie down, soulless.
When the others returned, they found him on his back, staring blankly at the sky.
"…What's with him?" Kuina asked Nami.
"Who knows. He's been weird since we got here. Ignore him," Nami rolled her eyes.
"Alright, let's head out?" Nojiko said.
"Leno, we're leaving. Get up; time's ticking," Nami called.
"…Oh." Leno got up slowly, listless.
"You're unbelievable, you big idiot!"
Watching the island fade, Leno reluctantly looked away. "Kuina, we're going to your home next. How do you feel? Excited?"
Kuina silently shook her head, then gazed ahead.
Shimotsuki Village, Isshin Dojo.
"Long time no see, Teacher Koshiro!" Leno arrived with Nami and Nojiko at Kuina's side.
"Long time no see. I can't see through your strength anymore. Did you break through and become a Grandmaster Swordsman?" Kōshirō asked with a smile.
"I was lucky enough to break through recently."
"Grandmaster Swordsman isn't something luck can buy. You must have put in unimaginable effort. So young and already a Grandmaster Swordsman—rare in this world," Koshiro sighed, shaking his head.
"Where's Zoro? Where is he? Didn't I call and tell him we were coming back? Why isn't he here? He didn't hide, did he?" Leno looked around but didn't see Zoro.
"Him? The moment he got your call he ran out—said he was going to the port to wait for you," Koshiro chuckled.
Leno and Kuina exchanged a look—speechless. With Zoro's hopeless sense of direction, telling him to find the port was worse than telling him to train.
"I'll go fetch him. Otherwise who knows when he'll stumble back," Leno said. Kuina nodded to join him.
Nami and Nojiko were baffled. From the port to here wasn't far—could he really get lost?
After Leno and Kuina explained, both women were dumbstruck. 'Is he… slow?' Even a three-year-old could find the way home, yet he couldn't.
Leaving the dojo, Leno picked Zoro up on Observation Haki muttering in the woods: "Damn it, why can't I get out? I did get out earlier!"
"Yo, moss-head—what are you hunting in there with that intense focus?"
"Leno! You're here—I've been waiting forever," Zoro grinned, strolling over as if nothing were wrong.
Leno glanced around. "You've been… waiting here for us? You sure?"
"Shut up. I just… couldn't get out for a bit."
"Alright, alright. Let's go—everyone's waiting," Leno said, waving him along.
"Leno—did Kuina break through to GrandMaster Swordsman?" Zoro asked suddenly.
"No. That's not so easy. But I did.
So? Want to feel how far you still are from a GrandMaster Swordsman?" Leno looked back, eyes gleaming with challenge.