On the turtle-shell racetrack, Yamato slammed the throttle to the floor, a wild grin spreading across her face.
One turtle kart after another roared down the track, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the air.
The thrill of such high speed sent adrenaline surging through their bodies, and Chopper in the passenger seat shouted excitedly at the top of his lungs.
Baby 5 sat upright in the back seat with a cigarette between her lips. Her right arm had already transformed into a cannon, constantly on guard for any danger that might appear around them.
This race truly lived up to its name as a no-rules competition.
Machine guns rattled, butter was scattered across the track, and even tanks charged through the course.
All sorts of tricks were used, and the scene was utter chaos.
In the stands overlooking the arena, a streak of lightning flashed as Leno's figure appeared.
Watching Baby 5 standing proudly in the field, effortlessly switching between various weapons in her hands.
With each cannon shot fired, more vehicles were gradually eliminated from the race.
Meanwhile, Yamato in the driver's seat directly activated her ability, freezing the entire track solid. Using the power of ice, she propelled their vehicle far ahead of the others.
As for Chopper in the passenger seat... well, he was responsible for shouting and cheering, boosting the team's morale!
Seeing that the result was already beyond doubt and that the three of them were having a great time, Leno flashed away from the spot.
In the casino district where the floor was paved with gold, Leno casually took a glass of champagne from a bunny girl.
Through the lively crowd, he quickly spotted Nami and the others just as expected.
At the card table, Nami's face was flushed with excitement as she swept piles of chips toward herself. Golden light seemed to sparkle in her eyes.
Behind her, Kaya, Vivi, and Mikita watched with admiration as she dominated the gambling table.
In just this short amount of time, Nami had already won several million Berries.
The terrifying speed at which the money was flowing in made the girls feel like they were dreaming.
After walking over to them and seeing their money-hungry expressions, Leno smiled and teased them.
"Yo, your luck seems pretty good. You've won quite a lot already?"
"Leno!"
"You big idiot?!"
Hearing Leno's voice, the girls turned around in surprise.
Nami immediately pointed at her pile of chips and eagerly began showing them off to him.
"Well? Big idiot, I won all of these! Pretty amazing, right?"
"Wow, Nami, you're incredible!"
Leno exaggerated his expression in shock and even clapped, his eyes filled with admiration.
After finishing his little performance, Leno pressed his lips together to suppress a laugh and secretly winked at Kaya beside him.
If Nami ever found out that he had earned 12 billion Berries just by saying a few words, who knew if the girl would jump up and start beating him.
Noticing Leno's deliberate teasing, Kaya rolled her eyes helplessly, but he immediately pulled her into his arms.
Meanwhile, Nami, completely immersed in the thrill of winning, didn't notice anything unusual in Leno's tone.
Believing that he truly admired her, she lifted her nose even higher in pride.
Watching her focus entirely on the gambling table, Leno couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
In just this short while, he had already noticed that every few rounds, the dealer would deliberately let her win once. Clearly, this had all been arranged beforehand.
Those factions trying to curry favor with him had decided to give the girl a taste of sweetness first.
Leno shook his head with a smile. Noticing Kaya's face growing redder in his arms, he leaned down and whispered softly into her ear.
"Kaya, do you want to go play a more interesting game?"
"W-What game?"
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. Kaya's delicate body trembled slightly as she buried her head deep into Leno's chest.
Despite the surrounding noise, she could clearly hear her own heartbeat pounding like a drum.
The moment she had long awaited… had it finally come?
She was ready.
Unaware of the emotions swirling within the girl in his arms, Leno greeted Nami and the others before leaving with Kaya.
Passing by the food district, he saw Carmen working busily alongside Nojiko.
Leno didn't disturb them and instead led Kaya toward the high-end VIP section.
The two took an elevator up and arrived before a sealed golden door. Leno stepped forward and lightly knocked.
A moment later, Mr. Tanaka with the oversized head phased out from behind the door.
Seeing that it was Leno, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Lord Leno, welcome."
"I'm the user of the Through-Through Fruit. I'll need to borrow your hand for a moment."
"..."
As soon as the two were led into the VIP room, their attention was drawn to the scene in the center of the room.
A burly man was holding a massive steel dice cup, shaking it vigorously for the gamblers around him.
Leno glanced at it briefly before losing interest and began looking around instead.
The decoration style of this VIP room was completely different from the flashy chaos outside. It leaned more toward a low-key display of luxury and prestige.
There were quite a few people playing here as well, and almost no one paid attention to Leno and Kaya's arrival.
However, at that moment, a tall figure in a second-floor room caught Leno's attention.
The corner of his mouth curled slightly into a meaningful smile as he pulled Kaya along and walked in that direction.
Although Mr. Tanaka was confused, he quietly followed behind them, ready to carry out any orders.
"Oh my, isn't that Admiral Kizaru? What a coincidence."
Looking at the lazy figure among the three people ahead, Leno spoke with a teasing tone.
"Are the Marines really this idle now? Even an Admiral has time to come here for entertainment?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Kizaru's hand holding the teacup instinctively trembled. He raised his head in surprise and looked over.
"Saint... Leno? Why are you here?"
"What?!"
The man and woman beside him turned their heads abruptly when they heard Kizaru's form of address.
When they saw Leno standing there, their pupils shrank violently.
Clearly, they hadn't expected to run into such a major figure here. They had absolutely no mental preparation for it.
Leno casually sat down opposite the three of them while holding Kaya's hand. He slightly raised his eyelids and asked calmly,
"What, the Marines can come here, but I can't?"
As he spoke, he poured a cup of tea for himself and another for Kaya.
When the corner of his eye caught sight of the female Marine across from him—wearing a Marine cloak and possessing a tall, slender figure—his eyes immediately lit up.
Seeing the mole at the corner of her mouth and the spider tattoo on her snow-white thigh, Leno recognized her identity almost instantly.
The Marine Admiral candidate, Momousagi—Gion.
In person, she looked even more stunning than the rumors suggested. Especially those narrow fox-like eyes that were both captivating and seductive.
"Hey. Staring at a beautiful lady like that so openly isn't very polite, you know."
"Hm?"
Just as Leno was quietly appreciating the view, an untimely voice interrupted him.
Turning his head, he saw the slightly shorter male Marine with a rather rough appearance sitting beside her.
He was glaring angrily in Leno's direction, as if Leno had committed some unforgivable crime.
Leno looked him up and down before asking with interest,
"And who might you be?"
"I am the genius Admiral candidate of Marine Headquarters—Tokikake!"
Hearing Leno's question, Tokikake snorted proudly as he announced his name.
"Oh, Tokikake."
Leno nodded lightly, then suddenly straightened his expression and said seriously,
"Could you open your eyes when you talk to me? It's very rude otherwise, you know."
"...They're already open as wide as they can go, you idiot!"
"..."
...
...