Three months later, on the white sandy beach of the White Sea in Skypiea.
Leno and his companions were basking in the sunlight. Nami, Robin, and Hancock were each stretched out on beach chairs crafted from island clouds, wearing cool swimsuits that gleamed under the sun.
Something crossed Leno's mind, and he turned his head to ask, "Nami, have Haredas and the rest of those scientists left?"
"They left yesterday," Nami replied, glaring at him with an annoyed expression. "They've been here for over three months already! Those people have other things to do, you know? Not everyone's like you—lazy as a pig all day long."
If it hadn't been for his stubborn insistence on keeping them around, those old men would've slipped away long ago. In fact, they had secretly fled while Leno's attention was elsewhere, too scared to let him find out.
He could imagine the curses they must be muttering behind his back. At first, they'd thought he was a polite young man, and he had indeed treated them well during their stay on Skypiea. But once their research and records were complete and they wanted to leave, Leno had done everything he could to stop them—with all sorts of ridiculous excuses.
Of course, his main reason had been "for Nami's education."
"Hey, Nami, have a little conscience," he said, pretending to be offended. "Who do you think I kept them here for? You! And now you're blaming me?"
Nami, a bit guilty, tried to argue back. "Well, y-you still shouldn't bully a bunch of old men!"
After all, she knew Leno had gone to great lengths for her sake. He couldn't use force on those elderly scientists, so he had resorted to pure stubborn persuasion instead.
Seeing her flustered face, Leno thought about teasing her further.
But Hancock interrupted sweetly, "Lord Leno, open your mouth. Ah~"
He obediently took a bite of the fruit she offered, then casually wrapped an arm around her waist. Feeling the soft warmth of her body and the smooth skin of her long, fair legs resting on his lap, his thoughts immediately drifted elsewhere.
The urge to "teach Nami a lesson" was quickly forgotten.
His mind wandered back to two months ago—a dark, moonless night—when he had appeared in Hancock's chambers in a flash of lightning. Under her expectant gaze, he had climbed atop her, and the sound of clapping echoed in the chambers all night long.
The Pirate Empress truly lived up to her title—her stamina was unmatched. Not even Nojiko or Kuina, both Mythical Zoan users, could compare. After a night-long battle, Hancock had still been glowing the next morning, her beauty even more radiant.
To savor her charm more intimately, Leno had lingered on Amazon Lily for several days, until Nojiko and Robin came to drag him back.
Now, gazing at the distant "cloud roads" connecting the islands, he couldn't help but feel proud. Over these past three months, he hadn't just indulged in pure pleasure.
By increasing the collection of island clouds, he had constructed cloud roads linking Skypiea's separate islands, making travel and transport much easier.
Two months ago, he had also kept his promise—during the Skypiean guard's grand tournament, he awarded the top three with Devil Fruits.
Although the island's guard forces had learned Armament Haki and Observation Haki, they still relied on their old fighting methods—using all kinds of shell weapons that made combat unpredictable and diverse.
Fire Shells, Wind Shells, Slash Shells, Gas Shells, Impact Shells—all were creatively used in the battles, making the tournament a spectacular sight even for Leno and his crew.
In the end, the top three were Wiper, DAisan, and Ohm.
Based on their individual fighting styles, Leno granted them the Shatter-Shatter Fruit, the Obsidian Obsidian Fruit, and the Silver-Silver Fruit.
Looking at the eager eyes of the remaining contestants, he had sighed and promised that if they continued to train hard and keep Skypiea safe, there would be more Devil Fruits in the future.
Of course, after saying that, he instantly regretted it—because now he had one more mission: to collect more Devil Fruits.
During that time, Leno had also asked Wiper whether he'd ever heard of someone named Enel. After thinking for a while, Wiper answered that about a year ago, a man with long earlobes named Enel had tried to destroy buildings on Birka Island using Fire Shells. He was quickly executed by the guards.
Hearing that, Leno was silent for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, whatever. Not like he mattered anyway."
Now, reclining on his beach chair, Leno was enjoying the memory of these past achievements, his hand idly roaming over the smooth skin beside him—until it reached a certain "mountain" that couldn't be grasped with one hand.
Hancock blushed furiously. "(＞﹏＜)′"
But before he could continue, the sound of air being sliced interrupted him.
"Brother~!"
"Brother, we're here~!"
Two cheerful voices called out as Aileen and Aisa skated rapidly across the beach, their "skates" gliding on air. A group of friends followed behind them. Since Aisa had joined the village kids, their numbers had grown quickly.
Watching them dart around on air skates and cloud boards, Leno couldn't help but marvel. Kids really did learn fast—Skypiea's "Waver" was notoriously hard to master, but these little ones had picked it up in less than two weeks.
Then, thinking the guards' modified Air Shell "skates" looked cooler, they had pestered Aileen to ask Leno for some. Now, they used them everywhere they went.
Seeing the two adorable girls approach, Hancock sensibly stood up and stepped aside.
Ever since Leno had invited Aisa to live in the temple, he had treated her like a younger sister. Spending so much time together, she had grown into a proper young lady, dressing just like Aileen—a little princess through and through, nothing like the scrappy tomboy she used to be. (T/N: where is Conis!!??)
And once she got comfortable, her personality turned out to be just as wild as Aileen's. Together, the two were absolute chaos.
Everyone on Skypiea knew who they were—Aisa, the lord's new sister, and Aileen. The two of them could run wild without fear of anyone stopping them.
Leno had once considered eliminating the giant serpent known as the "Lord of the Sky" to prevent accidents, but Hancock had taken a liking to it. She explained that Amazon Lily specialized in taming snakes, and she wanted to bring it back to her island. After some effort, she did just that.
Later, at Aisa's suggestion, the girls began recruiting friends for their new group—proudly naming it the "Squad of the lord."
Now, the two arrived before Leno, who was still lounging lazily, and puffed their cheeks in frustration.
"Brother, get up! Today's the day our 'Squad of the lord' officially reports in! Be serious!"
Forcibly pulled to his feet, Leno looked down at himself, wearing only a pair of swim trunks, and said sheepishly. "Uh… do I really have to change?"
"Pfft~"
Nami, Nojiko, and the others burst into laughter at his awkwardness, much to the embarrassment of the two little girls, whose faces turned bright red.
...
When Leno reappeared, freshly dressed, Aileen and the others were already lined up in formation.
Seeing him, Aileen stepped forward, saluted sharply, and announced with a serious expression, "Reporting to the lord! The 'Squad of the lord,' 108 members in total, assembled and awaiting orders!"
"Good. Return to formation."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching the group of passionate young faces staring at him with fiery determination, Leno couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
"Comrades, you've worked har... Ahem..."