After Leno's heartfelt analysis and earnest persuasion, he successfully fooled—no, moved—Acier and his daughter.
Acier never expected Leno to go this far for them.
Not only had he rescued the father and daughter, he had escorted them all the way to Skypiea, and even arranged their future path for them.
Since the other party was being so sincere—and everything was clearly done with their interests in mind—Acier readily agreed to take up the job of teaching scientific knowledge on Skypiea.
After all, this was both his passion and his area of expertise.
Once everything was settled, Leno took his leave. Under the grateful and earnest gazes of the father and daughter, he departed feeling refreshed and lighthearted.
Only after Leno's figure vanished did Acier lower his head and look at the Devil Fruit in his hand.
The astonishment in his eyes still had not faded as he murmured in admiration:
"Lord Leno's breadth of heart… it's as vast as the sea~"
He never imagined that Leno would gift him such a precious Devil Fruit—one that perfectly suited him at that—the Munch-Munch Fruit.
With such a miraculous ability, perhaps he could make new breakthroughs in mechanical engineering.
At that moment, Acier felt a long-lost surge of motivation welling up inside him. Since Lord Leno would be gone in the future, he would do his utmost to help build Skypiea into something worthy.
"Tch~ sold out and you're still helping count the money."
After mocking her father inwardly, Olga turned around and returned to her lounge chair, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward the Devil Fruit in his hand.
Although Leno had promised to find her a suitable Devil Fruit in the future, that didn't stop her from feeling envious right now.
She had always admired the mysterious abilities of the adventurers aboard that ship. Would she be able to possess such powers one day too?
But that guy would be leaving again soon… and who knew how long she would have to wait.
Acier felt a bit helpless when it came to his daughter's personality. There was nothing he could really do.
After finally repairing their father-daughter relationship, he didn't want to ruin it again with nagging.
Still, thinking of Leno's suggestion, he carefully said to her:
"Olga, from now on, you should get along well with the children on the island, okay~"
"Tch~ what's there to get along with a bunch of snot-nosed brats?"
Olga rolled her eyes dismissively. Asking her to play house with a group of kids? What a joke.
That said, the 'God's Little Squad' formed by that guy's younger sister sounded somewhat interesting. Maybe she could try joining it when the time came.
Under the sunlight, the father and daughter reclining on their lounge chairs both began quietly planning their future lives…
Elsewhere,
After leaving Alchemi, Leno suddenly appeared atop a patch of island cloud high in the sky, sitting cross-legged as he pondered quietly.
He carefully thought over whether he had missed anything. He really didn't want another situation like the one with Belle-Mère's family to happen again.
After a while, Leno stood up and looked in the direction of Amazon Lily. It was time to make a trip there.
Only now did he realize that the situation on Amazon Lily seemed even more outrageous than what had happened back in Cocoyasi Village.
Over there, Belle-Mère had sent off two daughters.
Here on Amazon Lily, Leno had outright abducted the nation's ruler!
Thankfully, Hancock was the queen, and she didn't really have any elders above her. With her suppressing things, the situation would be somewhat better.
Otherwise…
This time, perhaps he should think of a way to resolve it properly. After all, a country without a ruler was a bit hard to justify.
...
Amazon Lily, Royal Palace Hall.
When Leno arrived, the chief steward Enishida was busy directing maids as they carried things back and forth, the whole place bustling with activity.
"Yo~ Enishida, long time no see!"
"Ah?! Lord Leno, i-it's been a long time!"
The sudden voice startled the round-faced blonde girl, making her shudder.
When she turned around and saw that it was Leno, she hurried forward and bowed.
"Are you here to see Lady Snake Princess? She's bathing right now. I'll go inform her at once—"
"No need. I'll wait until she's done bathing," Leno waved his hand casually, signaling that there was no rush. After glancing around, he continued, "So, how is everyone adapting to life on Skypiea? Is there anything that needs extra attention?"
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Leno. The citizens have mostly adapted to life here and are usually quite lively~"
Enishida bowed slightly, her tone solemn, as if delivering a formal report, her expression extremely serious.
As Hancock's chief administrator, she knew far more than ordinary people.
The man before her was not only the god of Skypiea, but also the man of their queen. She could not afford to treat him casually.
Leno originally wanted to ask a few more questions, but seeing how stiff and formal she was, he lost the desire to continue the conversation.
He understood as well. Given his current status and strength, aside from those who stayed by his side regularly, most people would feel restrained and fearful when facing him.
Even normal conversation carried an oppressive pressure.
With a somewhat helpless smile, Leno waved his hand casually.
"Alright, I understand~"
"You go on with your work. I'll head inside and wait for your Snake Princess myself~"
"Yes, Lord Leno. Please do!"
Enishida wiped away sweat that wasn't even there on her forehead. After preparing tea and refreshments for Leno, she withdrew respectfully.
Watching all of this in silence, Leno let out a helpless sigh, but quickly put it out of his mind.
Because at that moment, two tall figures entered the hall—Hancock's two younger sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold.
Upon seeing Leno seated there, smiles naturally appeared on their faces.
They greeted him with smiles, their attitude still respectful.
"Lord Leno, it's been a long time. Have you been well lately?"
"It's been a long time for you two as well~" Leno replied with a broad smile. Then, as if remembering something, he spoke again.
This time, however, his tone carried a hint of teasing as he smiled at the sisters.
"Why are you still calling me Lord Leno? Shouldn't you be calling me brother-in-law?"
"Yes, Brother-in-Law~"
As soon as Leno finished speaking, the sisters exchanged a knowing glance, smiled, and smoothly followed along with the new form of address.
As the people closest to Hancock, they knew Leno's relationship with their sister better than anyone.
Still, hearing Leno acknowledge it himself and change the title made them genuinely happy. They were sure their sister would be delighted when she found out.
After all, their hopelessly love-struck sister had always dreamed of becoming Leno's bride.
Thinking of what they had discussed the night before, the sisters felt a bit stirred, looking at Leno as if they wanted to speak but hesitated.
Leno also noticed the unusual behavior of these two "tall" beauties. Just as he was about to ask, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
Accompanied by a sweet, coquettish cry, a fragrant breeze rushed in.
By the time Leno came back to his senses, Hancock had already wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging off him completely.
"Lord Leno, you finally came to see me~"