Robin, Nami, and the others watched Leno spouting nonsense with a straight face, all feeling a bit speechless.
"Yamato, don't mind him. He's just fooling you."
Nojiko said, pinching Leno's arm and turning to Yamato, who was contemplating life.
"Eh!?"
"How could you do that?"
Yamato felt a bit wronged. And here she was, seriously considering whether she should read more books in the future.
"That idiot Leno is just like that, unreliable. You'll get used to it over time," Nami quickly added, trying to smooth things over, afraid that Yamato might misunderstand Leno.
As the parading Oiran departed, the crowd of onlookers finally began to disperse.
Leno watched the direction the Oiran had gone, lost in thought. 'Isn't that the direction of the Shogun's Castle?'
His hand caressing Robin's slender waist, Leno turned to look at Ulti, who was being pulled aside and questioned by Nami.
"Let's make a trip to the Shogun's Castle. There's something inside that Robin will be interested in. We can take a tour while we're at it."
"Huh? We're going to that guy Orochi's residence?"
At the mention of Orochi, the disdain in Ulti's eyes was obvious. 'Just an ant clinging to Lord Kaido. A guy who often doesn't know his place. If he weren't still of some use to Lord Kaido, he would have been slaughtered and fed to the dogs long ago.'
"Is it that big house built on the cherry blossom tree?" Chopper asked, jumping down from Leno's shoulder and looking at the large tree in the distance.
"That's right. That's the residence of the current Shogun of Wano Country, some guy from the Kurozumi family, I hear."
The others didn't react much to Leno's words, but Chopper's interest was piqued again.
"Eh? A Shogun! Is it the kind of general who wears armor, carries a longsword, and goes into battle to kill enemies? Cool!" he said, his eyes shining as he imagined it.
"The Shogun of Wano is the actual leader of the country, with Daimyo and vassals below him. When would it be the Shogun's turn to enter the battlefield?"
Leno didn't know whether to laugh or cry at Chopper's perception. 'Moreover, the current Kurozumi Orochi is just a puppet propped up by Kaido.'
"Huh? So not the kind of shogun I imagined…"
Ignoring Chopper's reaction, Leno walked slowly with the others towards the giant cherry blossom tree in the center.
"The thing you said I'd be interested in is...?" Robin, who was beside him, found a chance to ask.
"It's the same kind of thing you saw in Kaido's warehouse."
"Could it be...?" Robin's eyes trembled, and her expression was stirred.
Leno nodded slightly.
"There's a red Poneglyph here too?" Robin asked excitedly, grabbing Leno's arm.
"Not exactly, but you should be more interested in the information recorded on this one."
"After all, you are an archaeologist."
Hearing this, Robin became thoughtful. 'In other words, this one records historical information, unlike the red ones that serve as road markers.'
"You should know, there are two types of Poneglyphs in total. One type is the stone that records information about the Void Century."
"The other type is the red stone that serves as a road marker. There are only four of these red stones in total, currently scattered around the world."
Listening to Leno's explanation of the Poneglyphs, Robin's expression went from initial excitement to her current calm.
Looking at the tall figure beside her, it was as if he were shrouded in a great mist, making one want to get closer and explore.
She didn't ask how he knew so much detail about the Poneglyphs. It was enough for her to stay by his side and accompany him.
As she thought about it, she couldn't help but hug Leno's arm, leaning her body against his as they walked slowly.
"Can you read the Poneglyphs too?"
"You give me too much credit. I don't have that ability. I just happen to know a little bit."
Are you kidding? How could Leno possibly do something so brain-breaking?
Robin rolled her eyes cutely: "Just happen to? Yeah, right..."
"You probably don't know this yet, but the Poneglyphs were made here in Wano Country hundreds of years ago. And the makers were the craftsmen of the Kozuki Family of that generation."
Seeing Robin's rare, girlishly cute expression, Leno dropped another bombshell.
Robin's body suddenly stiffened. Her expression was a mix of shock and bewilderment. Her eyes darted around, as if searching for something.
Finally, she turned her gaze back to Leno, as if seeking confirmation or asking a question.
"Here... in this place..."
"No need to be so shocked. The place we're going now might be able to answer your questions."
He pointed ahead. Robin's gaze was brighter than ever before; it was a desire for the historical information that was about to be unveiled.
Just as Robin was about to say something more.
"BAM"
A sudden impact made Leno stagger. Yamato had jumped onto his back, her arms wrapped around his neck, her expression somewhat excited.
"Hey, Leno, I just heard from Nami that you can also transform into a thousand-meter-long dragon, just like Kaido?"
"Can you teach me how to defeat Kaido?"
Feeling the astonishing elasticity on his back and looking at the snow-white long legs wrapped around his waist, Leno suddenly felt that perhaps there was no need to teach Yamato about the difference between men and women in the future.
"You want to learn? I'll teach you."
"I really want to, I want to be stronger!" Yamato, on his back, pressed her head against Leno's cheek, rubbing it back and forth.
"Call me 'Daddy'..."
"Huh?!"
"Ahem..., slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! Call me 'Master'!¹³"
'It was just a slip of the tongue...' Feeling the gazes of shock, amusement, and annoyance from those around him, Leno was so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
In the end, it was the innocent Yamato who saved him.
"Master, please teach me how to defeat Kaido."
"Alright, Yamato! I'll make a training plan for you later. As long as you follow my method, defeating Kaido will be just a matter of time."
'To thank Yamato for saving the situation, Leno decided to repay her well by training her rigorously in the days to come, helping her to quickly become stronger.'
"That's great! I'll defeat Kaido! Haha..."
Yamato danced with excitement on his back. Leno quickly supported her soft, smooth thighs to prevent her from falling off.
Ulti, walking alongside them, had an indescribable expression on her face. 'Even if you are Lord Kaido's son, you can't just discuss how to defeat him right in front of me.'
'Whatever. This is Lord Kaido's family business. I, an outsider, shouldn't get involved.' In the end, Ulti finally found a reason to convince herself. And wouldn't you know it, her mood instantly improved, and her steps became much lighter.
While the group was joking and fooling around, the Shogun's Castle was already close at hand.
The grand red staircase before them extended all the way up to the Shogun's Castle. Looking at the luxurious architecture, Leno was somewhat dumbfounded.
'In a tiny place like Wano Country, how on earth did that guy Orochi exploit enough wealth to build his residence so luxuriously?'
Just as the group was about to step onto the stairs to enter the Shogun's Castle.
"Swish"
A figure suddenly appeared in front of them.
"This is the Shogun's Castle, a restricted area. Outsiders are not allowed to enter!"
T/n:
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