Leno was left speechless as he looked at Vivi's face, tense and flushed with shame, like she'd resolved to risk everything and die if she had to. When he'd given her the Pure Gold back then, he definitely hadn't meant it like this.
If he remembered right, in a few years Vivi's father's health would start failing, and he'd grow old frighteningly fast.
As for gifting him a Pure Gold ring, Leno had only wanted to make sure Vivi wouldn't have any regrets in the future, nothing more.
But she'd taken it as a betrothal gift? Well then, he might as well roll with the misunderstanding.
It's not like he was some saint who turned away free meat; when a piece was delivered right to his mouth, there was no reason not to take a bite.
Since it was a misunderstanding anyway, Leno could only think that if more misunderstandings like this came in stacks, he could handle them just fine.
And with the girl already putting her heart on the line, as the man here, there was no way he could drop the ball at a moment like this.
Leno stood up and gently pulled her into his arms. Feeling the girl's body go slightly stiff against his chest, he raised a hand and slowly stroked her back in reassurance.
After a while, once Vivi's delicate frame relaxed, he finally spoke in a low, slightly guilty voice.
"I've received your feelings. Actually, I like you too."
With that muffled confession, Vivi buried her head against his chest, squirming a little in embarrassment as her heart filled completely with happiness.
The bad guy in front of her would be her man in the future—and her father had already agreed to it. Did that mean she should start calling him something else from now on?
Right, and once her father abdicated one day, would their child be able to return and inherit the throne of Alabasta?
Also, she knew perfectly well that several women on the ship were already this bad guy's lovers. How was she supposed to get along with them from now on?
Would they hate her, resent her? Should she make her stance clear to them?
While she was still drifting off in those wild thoughts, Leno saw that the little girl hadn't made a peep for a long time and assumed she was just being shy. He was about to say something to break the silence.
But then Vivi suddenly raised her eyes, gazing at him with a soft, misty look. The words that slipped from her lips made Leno's eyes fly wide open in an instant.
"When are you going to have me?"
The moment she said it, her cheeks turned scarlet all the way to the tips of her ears. She was mortified, but she still stubbornly refused to look away.
Her boldness left Leno stunned.
'She's even more in a hurry than I am?'
Just a moment ago she'd been stammering and shy, unable to get a full sentence out.
Seeing how firm she was about this, Leno was genuinely moved, but there were still things he felt he needed to make clear, if only so she wouldn't misunderstand him again later.
"Here's the thing, Vivi. You're still a bit young. There's no need to rush that kind of thing."
"But don't worry. Since I've made you a promise, my feelings won't change."
He then laid out his concerns in detail. To make it sound more convincing, he even dragged Nami out as a "reference sample."
Even so, the little girl still looked half-doubtful, as if she couldn't shake the feeling that Leno was just finding excuses to dislike her.
Back in Alabasta, plenty of girls her age already had children of their own.
"What? Are you that eager for me to 'eat' you?"
"W-who's eager?!"
It was like he'd poked straight through to the secret in her heart. Vivi immediately ducked her head again, refusing to look up no matter what.
Watching this, Leno couldn't help feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
Still, being liked by the girl in front of him made him genuinely happy. Looked like his charm was quite something after all.
Snapping back to himself, he gave the girl's soft backside a light pat and coaxed her in a gentle tone.
"All right, stop overthinking it. Once you're an adult, there's no way you're getting away."
With that firm reassurance, Vivi's arms tightened around his waist. She let out a series of muffled, indistinct little sounds, grumbling something he couldn't quite make out.
Just when Leno was thinking he should take advantage of the mood to do a little more, Chopper's voice suddenly rang out from the lookout.
As soon as his shout fell, the atmosphere across the whole ship instantly turned lively. Footsteps came clattering from every direction.
Vivi, who'd still been nestled in Leno's arms a second ago, jolted like she'd been shocked and sprang away from him, stopping only when she'd put a good distance between them.
'Seriously?' Leno thought. 'It was just a hug. No need to panic like that.'
Turning to look at the deck, he saw that where there'd been no one just moments before, people now filled the space in the blink of an eye.
Leno refused to be left behind. With a single step and a flicker of his figure, he appeared at the bow.
On the distant horizon, where sea met sky, an island shaped like a toppled pineapple came into view.
"Lucky! We hit land this fast!"
"Adventure! Adventure!"
They'd just left the bustling scene in Alabasta and immediately sailed into the calm, open sea. The dramatic contrast had left them all feeling a little out of sorts.
To run into an island this quickly sent a ripple of excitement through everyone on board.
As the Gale drew closer, a red glint flashed through the eyes of several people on the ship.
They exchanged glances and nodded slightly, understanding one another without a word.
"There are other people on that island."
Leno had noticed it too, of course, but he didn't pay it much mind. Or, to put it pretentiously, there just weren't many people left who could make him care.
Whoever was on the island didn't matter. As long as they didn't mess with him, he'd be happy to ignore them. If they did…
By the time they reached the shore, it seemed the people on the other side had also noticed their arrival—and were closing in at great speed.
Before long, a tall figure appeared before them.
The newcomer had a massive hexagonal pillar slung over his shoulder, and, strangely enough, a pair of pure white wings spread from his back.
His burly frame and exaggerated weapon radiated a crushing pressure that weighed on everyone present.
Just as Nami and the others braced themselves, convinced this visitor had come with ill intent, his next move left them all frozen in place.
He walked straight up to Leno, stared at him closely for a moment, then dropped to one knee and bowed respectfully.
"Urouge of Skypiea greets his 'God'!"
"???!?!"
"You're Urouge? Why didn't I see you during the previous Imperial Guard selection?"
Leno hadn't expected to run into a future "Supernova" here. He'd been wondering where this guy had disappeared to and why he'd never shown his face.
"Reporting to the 'God'," Urouge replied, "I used to live in the Ballon Ruins. It's quite far from Angel Island, so I never received any notice about it."
Looking at the towering hulk of a man kneeling in front of him—still taller than Leno even like this—Leno was at a loss for words. So it all came down to him living too far out in the sticks and missing the memo?
After eyeing his build more closely, Leno suddenly asked,
"Have you already eaten a Devil Fruit?"
"I ate a strange fruit not long ago," Urouge said. "I don't know if it's what you call a Devil Fruit."
Leno's expression turned a little regretful. If he hadn't eaten one yet, Leno had planned to hook him up with the shatter-shatter Fruit.
Just imagining that mountain of muscle wielding the power of the shatter-shatter Fruit… the effect would've been downright terrifying.