Looking at the crew members gathered around, Leno gently stroked Hancock's hair and sighed.
"The Seraphim clones don't just contain the bloodline of the Seven Warlords. They also incorporate the bloodline of the Lunarian race. They were created to be the strongest human weapons!"
After a pause, he looked at Yamato and said with a smile, "King from the Beasts Pirates is actually the last surviving member of the Lunarian race."
"Uncle King?" Yamato froze for a moment before reacting. "I remember when I was little, he once said that Kaido rescued him from a laboratory."
"So the Seraphim's lineage factor came from Uncle King?"
"It's far more than that…" Leno gently shook his head and said meaningfully, "When King fights, the flames burning behind his back—you should know about that, right?"
"Based on that abnormal racial talent of his, the 'Mother Flame created by Vegapunk was also derived from materials taken from him."
"The Lunarian race, huh? I remember the World Government once issued a bounty. Anyone who provides information about that race can receive one hundred million Berries."
Robin rubbed her chin thoughtfully and asked,
"So the World Government wiped them out because they coveted their innate abilities?"
She hadn't expected that such an ancient race could still exist.
"I see…" Yamato clapped her hands together, suddenly realizing something.
"No wonder he always kept himself completely covered up. He was afraid people would recognize him!"
After a short pause, she continued, "Leno, tell me more about Uncle King's race. Why were they wiped out?"
"What else could it be? Their race was simply too powerful."
Leno curled his lips and said matter-of-factly, "You should know that eight hundred years ago, their race was called the race of gods."
"Their talents were extremely terrifying. Not only were their individual combat abilities overwhelming, but their race also possessed extremely advanced technology."
"In fact, the Red Line was once ruled by them!"
He glanced meaningfully at everyone before continuing,
"But everyone knows that the Red Line is now occupied by the Celestial Dragons. So guess who wiped them out."
"…The World Government?!"
Yamato's sharp mind flashed as she blurted out the answer.
Beside her, Nami's face was filled with shock as she said in disbelief,
"You baka, you just said they were wiped out because they were too strong. Does that mean the World Government feared they would threaten their rule, so…"
"Exactly. Of course, there are also rumors that the World Government destroyed them because they coveted their advanced technology."
Leno yawned and pulled Hancock into his arms, reclining comfortably on the lounge chair. With his eyes closed, he muttered lazily,
"Among that advanced technology were the mysterious Ancient Weapons… including Uranus, the 'Heavenly King.'"
"?!!!"
As soon as his words fell, the scene fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, speechless.
Thanks to Leno's frequent "slips of the tongue," everyone had long known about those so-called Ancient Weapons.
They had always thought Uranus belonged to the World Government.
But judging from what Leno said now, it sounded like the World Government had stolen it.
"…Flames, racial talent, Uranus…"
Robin murmured quietly while lowering her head in deep thought.
According to Leno, the Lunarian race had immense strength and even possessed a weapon of mass destruction like Uranus.
So how could they still have been wiped out?
Thinking about the Mother Flame created from their racial talent—which could act as an eternal energy source capable of powering Ancient Weapons—
Perhaps without such an eternal energy source, the cost for the Lunarians to activate Uranus was extremely high.
For example, perhaps each activation required sacrificing one or even several members of their own race.
When facing the brink of extinction, using a method that injured the enemy by a thousand while damaging themselves by eight hundred—or even more—would be inevitable.
Viewed this way, the destruction of the Lunarian race began to make sense.
And after seizing Uranus, the World Government must have known about this cost as well. That was likely why they cooperated with Vegapunk to create an everlasting energy source that would never burn out.
The more Robin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
She couldn't help but look at the man who was almost asleep and softly asked,
"Leno, regarding the destruction of the Lunarian race, which possibility do you personally lean toward?"
Leno sighed inwardly. Opening his eyes, he looked helplessly at the overly serious Robin.
"You're giving me too much credit. That happened eight hundred years ago. How would I know…"
Faced with Robin's relentless pursuit of historical truth, Leno was completely helpless.
He genuinely had no idea about this matter.
Seeing the lifeless expression on her man's face, Robin froze for a moment before smiling softly.
That made sense.
He wasn't a god. How could he know what happened so long ago?
Perhaps it was simply because she had grown accustomed to relying on him. She had subconsciously begun to think he knew everything.
Shaking her head gently, she returned to the lounge chair on the other side, picked up a book, and began reading quietly.
As Leno's faint snoring gradually sounded, the peaceful atmosphere returned to the deck.
Time slowly passed during the monotonous voyage.
Before long, the main ship of the Whitebeard Pirates appeared in the distance.
After exchanging flag signals, Leno's group continued forward.
On the deck, Yamato looked excitedly at the enormous whale-shaped ship ahead, her eyes shining with eagerness.
Worried that Yamato might get carried away, Nojiko reminded her from the side,
"Yamato, don't get too excited. We came here for serious business."
"Oh… alright."
Her passionate enthusiasm was instantly extinguished. Yamato pursed her lips, looking somewhat disappointed.
Thinking about the purpose of their trip, she could only suppress her excitement.
Seeing her shoulders slump in an instant, Leno shook his head and laughed.
"No need to worry. After we finish discussing business, sparring with them wouldn't be impossible."
"Really?! That's great!"
Yamato suddenly raised her head, her eyes bursting with dazzling light.
The Whitebeard Pirates!
They must be full of powerful fighters. This time she would definitely have an exhilarating battle.
She even wondered if she might get the chance to challenge Whitebeard himself—the man known as the strongest in the world.
After reassuring Yamato, Leno turned his gaze to Kuina, who was standing nearby, and said with a smile,
"Kuina, there's a dual-sword Grandmaster Swordsman on their side. Are you interested?"
"Oh? A Grandmaster Swordsman?"
Kuina turned to look at him. Her aura suddenly became sharp, and a glimmer flashed in her eyes.
Her right hand unconsciously rested on the sword hilt as she said calmly,
"If possible, I wouldn't mind sparring with him."
"You will."
Leno nodded with satisfaction before looking around at everyone.
"If anyone else wants to spar later, feel free to pick your own opponent."
"..."
...
...