Nearly two hours had passed before the sparring session in the bathhouse finally came to an end.
The Oni truly were blessed with monstrous physiques. Even after fighting Leno for so long, she still showed no sign of weakening, and occasionally even pushed back with surprising force.
She was breathing a little heavily now, yet her gaze toward Leno remained stubborn and unwilling to concede defeat.
Leno, on the other hand, felt utterly refreshed. He hadn't expected Yamato to be this strong—her endurance genuinely surprised him.
Normally, when "exercising" with the others, he always held back. With the durability he possessed now, there weren't many who could withstand him otherwise.
Fortunately, Leno wasn't a beast who only thought of himself; he always considered their feelings as well. And besides, their strength had been steadily improving.
Inside the bathhouse, Leno was the first to rise. He glanced at Yamato still floating lazily in the water, completely ignoring her alluring form.
Watching his departing back, Yamato felt a surge of frustration. The gap between them couldn't possibly be that large. Impossible.
She had already mastered that power. She had never slacked in her physical training.
So why had her defense been broken so easily? She had noticed it clearly.
Leno hadn't even used Haki. He had simply overpowered her with pure physical strength.
The process may have been strange, but it still proved one thing conclusively: her current shortcoming lay in her physical body.
Determined to fix her weakness, Yamato made up her mind—she would have to spar with Leno much more often from now on.
But something during the sparring had felt odd. Why had Leno been licking her everywhere? It had made her extremely uncomfortable.
While Yamato was still in the bathhouse silently hyping herself up, Leno had already wandered onto the outer deck.
He looked around and found that everyone had entered "cruise mode," each busy with their own tasks. Not a single person paid their captain any attention.
With a helpless sigh—nothing to do, the sun warm and inviting—he simply sprawled beneath a sunshade to relax.
But before he could close his eyes for long, a light tap-tap-tap of footsteps approached.
A familiar fragrance drifted in. Leno twitched his nose and slowly opened his eyes.
Vivi set down a fruit platter and stood beside him, poised yet hesitant, as though struggling to speak. Leno felt puzzled.
What's wrong with this girl? Why is she suddenly being shy?
Teenage hearts really were difficult to understand. Leno sighed lightly and lifted his eyelids with effort.
"Why that expression?"
"N-nothing. It's just… I never got to thank you properly for helping my father."
Vivi lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her fingers as she stumbled through her explanation, clearly feeling emotional.
Receiving no response after a moment, she curiously peeked up—
And found Leno staring at her. She panicked and instantly ducked her head again, almost burying her face in her chest.
The sight stunned Leno for a second before he let out a helpless laugh.
When Vivi mentioned her father, he suddenly remembered the scene where he gifted Cobra the Pure Gold and momentarily zoned out.
He remembered that before joining the crew officially, Vivi had been perfectly normal—lively and cheerful.
Why was she acting unlike herself only after joining? He didn't dwell on it long.
"A-a family?!"
Vivi's cheeks heated as her mind ran wild. Was the captain really that eager?
Should she agree now? But she wasn't prepared! What if she refused—would he be upset?
Her memory flashed back to that night, right before she left Alabasta, when her father told her everything about the Pure Gold ring.
"Vivi, just from the power of this ring alone, you should know how valuable it is."
"Calling it a priceless treasure may even be an understatement."
"And this… is Leno's sincerity. Although he seems like a good young man, the choice is yours."
Cobra had gently stroked her head, his gaze warm and kind.
"If you don't agree, or if you don't like him, I'll return the ring to him. No treasure is more important than your happiness."
Vivi's face had burned as she struggled to look at her father. Did he really have to bring it up directly?!
Her embarrassed expression told Cobra she was simply shy, but the matter was too important—he needed her true feelings.
"As a betrothal gift, this ring is incredibly sincere."
"Leno didn't state it outright, but I believe that's what he meant."
"So tell me—do you like him? Would you be willing to go with him?"
Cobra looked at her seriously. Seeing her panic and confusion, he thought she must have concerns.
He patted her shoulder gently and continued warmly:
"Don't worry about anything. If you don't—"
"I agree!"
Vivi blurted out the words before he could finish.
Then she froze—Cobra was staring at her with a teasing smile. Realizing what she'd said, she covered her face and ran away in a fluster.
The memory ended.
Vivi shifted nervously, her body trembling slightly as she whispered, "What?"
Leno lifted his gaze, eyeing her with confusion.
From the moment she approached him, Vivi had been acting strange. They'd barely exchanged a few words—and she was already blushing like a teapot!
He hadn't done anything to her! Anyone would misunderstand seeing her like this!
His bewilderment only made Vivi feel more embarrassed and annoyed. Her intentions were already this obvious—was he really going to play dumb?
Wasn't the man supposed to take initiative in situations like this?
But looking at Leno's blank expression… it was clear expecting him to start the conversation was hopeless.
Vivi glanced around, making sure no one was paying attention. Summoning her courage, she met Leno's eyes directly.
"You gave my father a betrothal gift. I'm saying… I agree to marry you!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut, her entire body turning weak—like she had poured every ounce of strength into that confession.
"???"