Three days passed in a flash.
Dressrosa, Royal Plateau. Third floor of the castle, a luxurious room.
On a large, soft bed, the seven women—Violet, Rebecca, Sugar, Baby 5, Monet, Koala, and Mota—were only loosely covered with scraps of clothing that barely concealed the lingering scenes of intimacy. Their faces still carried flushes that hadn't yet faded. Meeting Leo's gaze, the seven women shyly lowered their heads.
Leo smiled slightly, not minding. "Rebecca, Baby 5, Monet, Koala. Rest well. We leave Dressrosa this afternoon." Though he was not fully satisfied, it was time to leave for Bakkin and Carina's sake. The Golden Ship was a mobile vessel; given time, it could sail anywhere. Finding it again would be troublesome. Leo naturally wouldn't let such a prize slip away.
With his help, King Riku had successfully quelled the unrest in Dressrosa. Violet, a former Donquixote Family officer, had stepped forward to announce the truth to the public. The belatedly realizing citizens were filled with regret and unanimously recommended King Riku to retake the throne. However, due to his advanced age, he could only push Violet into the role, appointing her as the Queen of Dressrosa to handle all affairs. The citizens naturally had no objections, as Violet was King Riku's biological daughter, of proper lineage.
Leo didn't oppose this. Dressrosa was now his territory. Once he finished recruiting all his targets, it would be fully absorbed. Someone capable needed to manage it for him, and Violet was the ideal candidate. Now that everything had settled and was gradually getting on track, with steady development, Dressrosa would surely regain its former prosperity in time.
Aside from Violet, other women would also stay. First, to help Violet build their future home. Second, some women were tired of long voyages and wanted a more stable life. After consulting everyone's opinion, the women who ultimately chose to stay in Dressrosa were: Makino, Nojiko, Mary, Conis, Laki, Kaya, Marguerite, Keimi, Shyarly, Sadi, Domino, Isuka, Charlotte Flampe, Mikita, Sarah, Boa Marigold, Charlotte Galette, Sugar, Tashigi, Violet.
Twenty-two in total!
Those continuing with Leo were: Carmen, Shirahoshi, Kalifa, Nami, Perona, Tashigi, Robin, Doll, Hancock, Tina, Reiju, Stussy, Rebecca, Baby 5, Monet, Koala.
Sixteen in total!
Besides the combatants of the Leo Pirates, there was the cook Carmen. Shirahoshi needed daily supervision to train in the Six Powers and complete the final step as soon as possible. When bored, he could also... explore her depths. As for Rebecca, Leo simply wasn't done playing yet. Her delicate, charming manner was truly hard to let go of.
Of course, the reason Leo felt at ease leaving so many women here was the security provided by the drones. Tens of thousands of drones were scattered around Dressrosa, providing 360-degree, dead-angle surveillance for thousands of kilometers. Not just enemies—even a mosquito's gender could be identified. The castle had monitoring screens. If attacked, the aerial drones would instantly transmit signals, and the large, fixed laser cannons positioned around the island would immediately lock onto the enemy's position. Once enemies entered the attack zone, an impenetrable firenet would turn them into sieves. Admiral-level energy beams meant even Kaido would have to stop 300 kilometers out. Anyone else who came would die.
With these worries eliminated, Leo was naturally at ease leaving the women here. His adventure had to continue.
The next day. Dressrosa Port.
"Leo-brother, come back soon!!"
"Captain, we'll be waiting here!"
"Captain, next time you come back, bring more beautiful women!!"
The women looked on reluctant to part. Vivi, Conis, Kaya, and others even had tears in their eyes.
"Don't worry, I won't make you wait too long," Leo soothed softly. He had left a Space-Space Fruit mark here. If he wanted to favor anyone, a simple teleportation would do.
The Ark Maxim ascended once more. Below, a small pirate ship led the way, gradually sailing away from Dressrosa port.
"Lord Momonosuke! Kanjuro can be saved at last!!" Having left Dressrosa, Kin'emon let out a long sigh of relief. The massive burden weighing on his heart was finally lifted. Though he had waited three difficult days, he believed that with Leo's help, saving Kanjuro wouldn't be hard. Thinking this, he looked up at Leo on the Ark Maxim, a gradually appearing look of suspicion on his face.
Eighteen years ago, Kaido conquered Wano, stole the throne, and killed his lord, Kozuki Oden. Lady Toki used the power of the Paramecia Time-Time Fruit to send them a few people eighteen years into the future, leaving a prophecy that finding someone who could influence time would allow them to defeat Kaido and liberate Wano. Could it be...?
A dawning realization filled Kin'emon's eyes as they gradually brightened. Could Leo be the person he had been desperately searching for?! It must be. Otherwise, things wouldn't align so coincidentally. "Lord Momonosuke, Wano can be saved~" Kin'emon looked at Momonosuke, his expression filled with barely concealed excitement.
Momonosuke seemed to pay no heed, his expression blank as he stared toward the port. So many pretty sisters... he wouldn't see them anymore. He really wanted to cry. Fortunately, there were still over a dozen busty sisters on the Ark Maxim to feast his eyes upon.
Watching Momonosuke sneaking glances in their direction, Leo's lips curled into a mocking arc. Once they found the Golden Ship... he'd let Momonosuke know what a nightmare was.
"Leo, you're not just doing this to help them, are you?" Back in the lounge, Robin handed Leo a cup of tea, a half-smile on her face. The Leo she knew didn't act without benefit.
Nami, Doll, and other veterans wore mischievous grins. No need to guess; the Gold Emperor certainly had beautiful women there. The newly joined Monet, Baby 5, Koala, and Rebecca looked at Leo with puzzled looks.
Leo took the tea and said plainly, "Correct. There are people I'm looking for on the Gold Emperor's side."
Just as expected. The women rolled their eyes speechlessly.
"Captain, I've heard 'Gran Tesoro' is a place where gold is found everywhere. Is that true?" Robin changed the subject, recalling legends about the city.
"What?! Gold everywhere?!!" Nami swallowed dryly, her eyes shining brightly. Her pupils even seemed to gleam with a golden luster. It had been a long time since she'd heard such an exhilarating statement.
Leo didn't answer immediately. Under his meaningful gaze, Rebecca and Baby 5 understood. Amidst awkwardness and shyness, they removed their clothes. Leo skillfully played with their delicate hands as he slowly explained: "Correct. 'Gran Tesoro' not only has a lot of gold, but even more Berries. The Gold Emperor controls a full 20% of the world's Berries."
"20%!!" The moment Leo finished, Nami let out another sharp shriek. 20% of the world's Berries! What did that even mean?! She couldn't even imagine such an immense fortune. "We're going! We must go to Gran Tesoro!" Nami declared decisively. What Gold Emperor? Never heard of him. Once they found the city, those Berries were hers. Anyone who dared compete would get shot by the Magical Rifle Leo gave her!
"Nami, we're not short on money now. What do you need so much for?" Perona, floating in the air holding her red parasol, shot Nami an exasperated glance. Whenever money was mentioned, Nami seemed to become a different person.
"What do you know? No one ever has too much money," Nami retorted with a pout. "Besides, most of the gold we found on Skypiea ended up in Leo's pocket anyway," Nami clicked her tongue, muttering quietly.
"Nami, what are you mumbling about?" Leo immediately shot her an unfriendly look.
"Ahem~ Nothing. I was just joking," Nami laughed awkwardly, quickly begging for mercy. She didn't want to be sore for several more days, walking with her legs turned in. Most importantly, Leo wouldn't use his healing power on her then.
"If I hear it again, see how I deal with you," Leo glared at Nami, putting on a threatening act.
Nami playfully stuck out her tongue and quickly hid behind Shirahoshi.
"You take control of the Ark Maxim until we find the Golden Ship," Leo rose slowly, his tone brooking no argument. His gaze returned to Rebecca, Koala, Monet, and Baby 5. The purpose was self-evident.
The four women swallowed hard instinctively, pleading: "Leo-brother, can it be tomorrow?"
"Captain, please have mercy~"
The four pouted, putting on a pitiful appearance. In their expectations, with so many peerless beauties on the Leo Pirates, Leo should have been exhausted long ago. Who would have thought...
"Fine. But next time, we add another hour," Leo stated calmly. He wasn't an unreasonable person. Everything was negotiable.
"Another hour? That's two more hours?!"
"Captain, I'll go prepare right away!"
"Captain, me too!"
The four women's expressions changed, and they hurriedly ran toward the rooms.
Seeing this, Leo's face immediately broke into a triumphant smile. Another wonderful day was beginning~
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T/N :
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