As the unfamiliar flying ship descended, a squad in the distance hurried over.
"This is the Happo Navy's turf. You don't belong here—leave immediately!"
Curiosity flashed across their faces at the sight of the ship, but duty came first; they stepped up to drive the newcomers away.
The squad leader's expression shifted when he got a clear look at Leno's group. Just as he was about to act—
"Vmmm—"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki swept out. Leno didn't even spare the collapsing men a glance as he strode forward.
"Whoosh!" A figure shot out.
'Hmm? Did a big mouse just dart out? Oh, it's Chopper. Never mind then.'
"Wow! This feels amazing!" Chopper cried, delighted by the thick ice and the comfortable chill. He promptly let loose, skating along the surface, striking a one-legged pose and sliding back and forth.
Watching him frolic, everyone smiled. The kid clearly needed to blow off steam.
Feeling the surrounding cold and seeing their white breaths, Kuina and Nojiko's bodies suddenly stiffened. It seemed to remind them of something unpleasant, and their faces turned a little grim.
Following the increasingly giddy Chopper, they crossed the wide ice plain and soon reached a "basin" ringed by several icebergs.
"Look under your feet!" Nami blurted, suddenly excited.
Everyone looked down. Beneath the thick ice, points of golden light winked like stars.
"Incredible, Nami. You actually found it!" They stared at her in surprise. Trust her, indeed.
"Kuina, Nojiko—try it. See if you can break the ice."
With the treasure located, Leno didn't hesitate.
Kuina and Nojiko drew their blades. Armament Haki coated the steel; they brought their weapons down as one.
Clang!
The flying slash carved only a deep scar across the ice.
"How… how is that possible?" Nami gasped. With Kuina's and Nojiko's swordsmanship at the swordsman elite level, cutting steel was usually effortless—yet they couldn't even break ice?
The two were stunned as well. Even combining their strength—and later, even tapping their Devil Fruit powers—nothing broke through.
"There's something wrong with this ice— its hardness is frighteningly high," Carmen said, grave. "Since when can ice be this tough?"
"Right? This is ridiculous."
"These layers have built up over hundreds, even thousands of years," Robin explained, chin propped on her hand. "Its hardness already surpasses steel. Ordinary attacks won't breach it. That's why the Happo Navy's pillars stash treasure here."
"On one hand, no one can break the ice, so the hoard stays safe."
"On the other, it's a trial for the next pillar generation; they must cleave the ice by their own strength to prove themselves. This place is less a treasury and more a ground of inheritance."
"Yosh—then this place is ours now. Leno, it's on you. Don't let me down," Nami said, shooting him a threatening look.
Leno dipped his head, drew his blade, and stepped forward. Scarlet arcs began to dance along the steel.
"Fwoop!"
He vaulted lightly into the air and chopped straight down. A black-and-red slash screamed toward the ice.
Boom!
Crack… crack…
The ice shuddered, then split open into a massive rift.
"Yes! It's open! Leno, you're the best!" Nami leapt with joy.
Staring at the gouge—dozens of meters of ice hewn through, a fissure stretching for hundreds of meters—Nojiko felt a sense of powerlessness as she gripped the Sword in her hand.
Nami patted her shoulder. "Don't compare yourself with that big idiot. He's a monster."
"'Monster,' huh? All the better," Kuina murmured, eyes unwavering. She would reach Leno's height—so long as she kept walking the path step by steady step.
They clustered at the edge and peered down. The space below brimmed with goldwork, jewels, ornaments—treasure piled to the brim.
"Awesome!"
"So this is the Happo Navy's hoard from countless years… quite a sight."
"That's quite a lot of gold."
"Probably still not as much as Leno's stash, right?"
They bantered over the treasure. Kuina and Nojiko had seen Leno's gold before; this much shocked them only for a moment. Robin cared little for wealth. As for Nami—her legs were wobbling, eyes blazing gold.
"Nami, get a hold of yourself—don't get too excited!" Chopper said worriedly.
"Come on. Don't just gawk—we're going down."
Leno glanced around, then dropped in first. The others followed.
He swept his gaze across the treasure, then walked deeper. There, on a square table wrought of gold, lay several items that piqued his interest.
Up close, he saw four pieces: two small wooden chests—familiar. Devil Fruit boxes. He flipped them open—sure enough, two Devil Fruits, though he didn't recognize them. 'We'll check the encyclopedia back on the ship.'
Pocketing both fruits, he turned to the other two: long cases, each over two meters.
One bright red, gold-trimmed, with cloud patterns—and two gilded characters in the center: "Huangquan."
The other sky-blue, matching in style, center-marked with two characters: "Wangchuan."
Judging from the boxes, Leno had an idea what lay within. He focused first on the red one.
Inside rested a straight blade roughly two meters long. A black-and-crimson hilt paired with a vivid red scabbard; golden dragons snarled along its length, wreathed in gilt cloud motifs.
He lifted it. The weight was substantial, the grip cool against his fingers.
Zheng!
A clear note sang as the blade left the sheath.
The body was straight, a dark green-black; the edge bright blood-red, keen enough to chill the eye. Overall, it resembled a Tang-style horizontal sabre.
Leno's eyes shone. 'Perfect.' It fit his taste exactly—a true "dream blade."
"Everyone get out! Quick!"
Leno, holding the longsword and just about to test its feel, suddenly had a change of expression. He only had time to shout at the others before his eyes were instantly swallowed by a blood-red color, followed by a bloody mist that slowly began to emanate from his body.
A faint, foul stench had started to drift through the air at some point. Nami and the others were huddled together, picking out exquisite accessories. Hearing Leno's sudden shout, they looked up in confusion in his direction.
They saw that where Leno had been standing, a red mist had risen at some unknown time, and Leno's figure was faintly visible within it.
Just as they were about to step forward and ask Leno what had happened,
"Vmm~"
A terrifying Conqueror's Haki swept towards them from the front...