"Pfft—"
Hearing Leno's deadpan teasing, Kaya couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
Across from them, Gion's companion's face turned green, then white. His nostrils flared as he snorted angrily, clearly furious.
With his eyes tightly shut, he glared at Leno while cursing endlessly in his heart. What a detestable bastard with a terrible personality.
Not only was he staring shamelessly at his goddess, but he even had the audacity to comment on the looks he was so proud of. This was simply going too far.
That handsome face, comparable to the esteemed readers themselves, was only slightly more attractive than his own. What was so great about that?
Seeing the subordinate he brought along about to explode, Kizaru glanced at Leno and stepped in to defuse the situation.
"So then, St. Leno, what brings you here?"
"Oh, nothing really. I just saw some acquaintances and came over to say hello."
Leno spread his hands innocently. His brows lifted slightly as he glanced at the three across from him and asked in confusion,
"You wouldn't happen to be unwelcoming, would you?"
"..."
Looking at Leno's arrogant demeanor, the man felt so depressed he could almost cough up blood.
Just earlier he had been a criminal, and now he had suddenly transformed into a Celestial Dragon. It was completely unbelievable!
Even he, a candidate for Admiral, didn't receive treatment like this. What right did Leno have?!
Leno shot the short, unimpressive man a playful glance before turning his gaze to Gion and smiling as he asked,
"You must be the famous Admiral candidate, Ms. Gion, correct?"
"How about joining my ship? We could sail the seas together and travel the world."
"That's enough, you bastard! You're clearly just a cri—"
Before Gion could respond, the man could no longer endure it. He jumped to his feet in anger and pointed at Leno while shouting.
Normally timid and cautious by nature, at this moment he appeared full of heroic courage, showing no fear as he confronted the Celestial Dragon.
Leno already had beautiful crew members that even made him insanely jealous, yet he still dared to covet his goddess. This was absolutely intolerable!
Today he would make this bastard learn a proper lesson!
Just as he was passionately standing up for his goddess and cursing loudly, a cold and stern voice interrupted him.
"That's enough, Gion's companion!"
Gion shot him a fierce glare before turning to Leno with an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry, St. Leno. This guy speaks without thinking. He didn't mean it. I hope you won't take offense."
After a brief pause, she continued,
"Also, I have no intention of leaving the Marines. I'm afraid I must decline your kind offer."
"Is that so? What a shame."
Leno gently shook his head, his voice filled with regret.
Then he turned to look at the man, his expression instantly turning extremely gloomy.
"Gion's companion… was it? As a Marine, you publicly insult a Celestial Dragon. Are you trying to start a rebellion?"
"Uh…"
Having just sat down, the man suddenly trembled. He stiffly raised his head, looking at Leno with confusion written all over his face.
Only now did he belatedly realize what he had just done. Cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.
In a moment of impulsive anger, he had finally acted like a man for once—but ended up causing himself a massive problem.
His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but Kizaru spoke first, his tone carrying both caution and helplessness.
"Hey now, St. Leno, there's no need to make a big deal out of such a small matter, right?"
At that moment, Kizaru felt like he was collapsing inside. If Leno kept pressing the issue, he himself might get dragged into the mess.
Originally, escorting the Heavenly Tribute to the Gran Tesoro had seemed like a lucrative and relaxing assignment where he could unwind and enjoy himself.
At first, things had indeed been comfortable. But who could have expected to run into this troublesome star of misfortune?
Right now, he only wanted to stay as far away from this guy as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Without waiting for Leno's reply, he stood up and spoke apologetically.
"St. Leno, we still have duties to attend to, so we'll take our leave."
After saying that, he immediately led his two subordinates toward the door without looking back.
If he couldn't provoke him, he could at least avoid him.
But just as the three of them stepped out of the room, Leno's voice rang out behind them.
"Miss Gion, the door of adventure will always be open for you."
"..."
Hearing this, even the battle-hardened Admiral Kizaru couldn't stop the twitching at the corner of his eye, let alone the two subordinates beside him.
Gion's companion looked at her worriedly. His goddess had caught the attention of that lustful bastard—how could anything good come from that?
Gion herself showed little expression, but the fingers gripping the long sword at her waist had turned slightly pale.
She had already clearly refused him, yet he continued to pester her. What a troublesome man.
Inside the room, Kaya had somehow returned to Leno's arms. With a shy, flushed face, she lowered her head and softly asked,
"Leno… are we going to have a new sister joining us?"
"Hmm?" Leno rubbed her head vigorously and said irritably,
"What are you thinking about? She's a Marine. I was just teasing them."
"B-but… Sister Hina is also a Marine..."
"..."
Leno's raised hand froze for a moment, and he felt helpless inside.
Had his credibility really fallen this low? No one even believed him when he told the truth.
This time he truly hadn't thought much about it. Seeing three famous figures at once had simply stirred his emotions.
Especially that strange fellow Gion's companion—he left a deep impression!
If you say he's devoted, he frequents the pleasure districts. If you say he's a playboy, he's confessed to Gion over a hundred times.
Truly someone who could enjoy both sides at once without interfering with either. What a talent.
Looking at Kaya in his arms gazing at him affectionately, Leno almost wanted to slap himself. How could he get distracted at a moment like this?
"Alright, Kaya. You dare talk back to your captain now? Let's see how I punish you!"
With that, he lowered his head and kissed her.
Meanwhile, at the top-floor hall of the Golden King Hotel.
Sitting in the main seat, Tesoro casually swirled the champagne in his hand and asked,
"Where is Mr. Leno now?"
"He is currently in the VIP room of the casino area."
Bakara set down her wine glass and hesitated slightly before adding,
"However, he isn't participating. He's just playing around."
Tesoro nodded slightly, drained the champagne in his glass in one gulp, then leaned back against the sofa.
He began considering what kind of entertainment programs to arrange over the next few days so that Leno could enjoy ultimate pleasure while experiencing something fresh.
After a while, as if remembering something, he turned to Bakara again.
"Are the service arrangements prepared for Mr. Leno ready?"
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. Everything has been arranged."
Bakara smiled calmly and responded quickly.
As Tesoro's assistant, she was very experienced with such matters.
However, thinking of Leno's beautiful female crew members, she still confirmed with Tesoro,
"By the way, Your Excellency, those beauties we arranged for Mr. Leno… will his crew members—"
"No need to worry. Mr. Leno's reputation is well known. If they cared about such things, they wouldn't have stayed with him until now."
Tesoro waved his hand dismissively, confident in his understanding of Leno's nature.
Otherwise, how would the entire world know about Leno's lustful reputation? Even heroes cannot escape the charms of beauty.
Just as he was feeling completely confident in his arrangements, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out in the hall.
"Ah! Adventurer Leno. I've heard that name before. The famous lecherous guy!"
"Hahahahaha..."
...
...