Leno pointed at himself and looked at Hancock, Domino, and the others beside him.
His tone was full of disbelief.
"Do I… really look like a soft target?"
Domino, Robin, Kalifa, and the rest—including Hancock—instinctively glanced across the battlefield.
Their gazes swept over Whitebeard, towering and radiating terrifying pressure.
Then they looked toward Ace, who was surrounded and heavily guarded by Jozu, Vista, and the other division commanders.
Finally—
Their eyes returned to Leno.
He looked young.
Not ferocious.
Standing there with just a few women and a small pet at his side.
Honestly…
He did look easy to bully. Completely outnumbered.
The women exchanged glances.
Then, in perfect unison—
They nodded at Leno.
Hancock even gave a soft snort.
Though she didn't verbally agree, her expression clearly defaulted to "yes."
To anyone unaware of Leno's true strength—
Compared to Whitebeard or the tightly protected Ace—
He absolutely looked like the easiest target. on the field.
Of course, anyone with a bit of brains would sense something off.
If he were really that weak—
Why had no one targeted him yet?
Obviously—
Because he was strong.
"Tsk. Life is hard," Leno muttered, shrugging helplessly.
He had originally planned to find another chance to "sneak attack" Garp—
No.
Between enemies, could that really be called a sneak attack?
That was revenge.
And revenge justified any means.
Just as he was mentally rationalizing himself—
Blackbeard had already led his crew charging over.
"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard roared with laughter, not taking Leno seriously in the slightest.
Me? Blackbeard—owner of the most vicious Devil Fruit in the world—
Afraid of some rookie brat?
Don't make me laugh.
He pointed at Leno.
"Kid! Hand over the Pirate Empress and I might spare your life!"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Leno and the women beside him all wore even stranger expressions.
Domino, Robin, Kalifa, Perona, even little Alice—
All turned in unison to look at Hancock.
Their eyes clearly said:
So it was you who brought this trouble here.
Hancock herself froze.
A fleeting, slightly dazed look crossed her face—
Before she immediately resumed her proud Empress posture.
She shot Blackbeard a look of disgust.
"This Empress has nothing to say to an ugly creature like you."
Rayleigh, who had been distractedly paying attention to this side—
His face instantly darkened upon hearing Blackbeard's target.
"Bastard! You dare set your sights on Hancock?! You're courting death!"
He tried to break away.
But Sengoku wouldn't allow it.
"Rayleigh! Your opponent is me! Don't think of leaving!"
Sengoku intensified his assault, locking Rayleigh down completely.
Rayleigh's heart burned with anxiety, but he could only grit his teeth and continue fighting.
Blackbeard didn't care.
Sengoku was really a great guy.
He had almost forgotten Rayleigh's close ties to Amazon Lily.
Now? Problem solved.
In Blackbeard's mind—
Leno's peak performance was that one punch sending Garp flying.
Three seconds of manhood.
Nothing to worry about.
Besides—
Hadn't Leno just relied on the Chop-Chop Fruit to grow stronger?
Sorry.
I'm Blackbeard.
I wield the Dark-Dark Fruit—the nemesis of all Devil Fruits.
With all those factors combined—
Why would he fear Leno?
Grinning viciously, Blackbeard lunged straight at him!
Hancock stepped forward.
This was trouble she had brought.
How could she let Leno bear it?
Not to mention—
She already had feelings for him.
"How dare you! To offend this Empress!"
With a sharp cry, her long leg swept through the air—
"Perfume Femur!"
Blackbeard hadn't expected her to attack first.
He'd planned to deal with Leno, then Hancock.
Forced to block hastily—
Bang!
Armament Haki clashed. Blackbeard staggered back, his arm numb.
"Zehahaha! Feisty! I like it!" he laughed, greed gleaming in his eyes.
He activated the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Black mist poured from his palm, swallowing Hancock's Devil Fruit power.
Hancock moved nimbly, dodging the pull of his Black Vortex.
"Slave Arrow!"
Pink arrows rained toward Blackbeard.
"Cheap tricks!"
Without even bothering to shout a technique name—
The black mist devoured the arrows completely.
Before he could catch his breath—
Hancock's voice rang out again.
"Grand Perfume Femur!"
"Useless!"
The two fought evenly—
But Blackbeard's fruit suppression and raw strength gradually gained the upper hand.
He seized an opening.
His Haki-coated hand shot forward—
Grabbing toward Hancock's pale neck.
"Zehahaha! Got you!"
Hancock's beautiful eyes widened.
She had no intention of letting those filthy hands touch her.
Just as she was about to react—
A figure appeared in front of her.
Her eyes lit up.
"Le—"
Leno made no flashy move.
Just a simple, straightforward punch.
Wrapped in Conqueror's Haki infusion.
It slammed directly into Blackbeard's abdomen.
The raw force alone was monstrous.
"Guh—AAARGH!!!"
Blackbeard's eyes bulged.
His stomach churned violently.
He was sent flying in a single blow.
After crashing to the ground—
He vomited a mouthful of blood.
And then—
The Dark-Dark Fruit's side effect kicked in.
Double pain.
"IT HURTS!!! DAMN IT IT HURTS!!!"
Tears and snot streamed down his face as he clutched his stomach—
Curled up like a boiled shrimp.
Rolling on the ground, wailing like a slaughtered pig.
Leno lowered his fist and looked down at him coldly.
His voice dripped with contempt.
"Trash. You interrupt my plans and think you can make a move on me?"
"You really thought I was something you could squeeze at will?"
He hadn't intervened to play hero.
He'd simply used minimal effort—
To clean up an idiot courting death.
Besides—
Fighting Blackbeard didn't give him any Conqueror's return.
Honestly, Leno didn't understand.
Rocks had Conqueror's Haki—
So why didn't this guy?
Had spending too long playing 'son' on Whitebeard's ship erased it?
From Leno's perspective, his reasoning was crystal clear.
But from Hancock's point of view—
Still shaken, standing behind him—
Leno's figure now looked impossibly tall.
At her most critical moment—
He had descended like a god—
And shattered her crisis with a single punch.
If that wasn't hero-saving-the-beauty—
What was?
Combined with her previous admiration for him killing Celestial Dragons—
And his immunity to her charm—
Hancock's eyes now sparkled.
Her cheeks flushed red.
She stared at Leno with pure adoration and reverence.
She was one second away from pink hearts bursting out of her pupils.
Seeing her like this—
Domino and the others exchanged glances.
A sense of crisis surged.
Even they had to admit—
In this situation—
They would've fallen too.
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