During breakfast, Leo casually asked Jojo about the Lulusia Kingdom. The moment the words left his mouth, Jojo froze, his chopsticks hovering mid-air as he began stuttering like a complete idiot and explained what little information his brain could muster.
"The King... Seki... he was a tyrant as long as I knew him," Jojo muttered, his eyes darting around nervously. "But Princess Komane... She used to be different. When we were kids, she was actually kind. We, along with other orphan kids, played together all the time. But as she grew up, she became just like her father, dangerous... and extremely possessive."
He avoided going into detail about his own connection to the royal family or what exactly happened between him and the princess.
The trauma in his eyes was genuine. In the end, he simply called the king an "irredeemable demon" before quietly admitting that he had fled the kingdom after an unfortunate incident.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere and taking a mental note to not ask Jojo about his background, the crew let the topic drop. They finished breakfast and scattered across the deck to handle their usual chores or simply enjoy the calm morning.
Nojiko went to feed the Unluckies, who still weren't fully tamed and remained as troublesome as ever.
Jojo stayed inside the cabin, organizing supplies and cleaning things up. On one corner of the deck, Bon Clay was doing his usual bizarre training, a strange fusion of ballet and martial arts — spinning gracefully before launching powerful kicks into thin air.
Meanwhile, Leo made his way over to Laboon. Robin, with nothing better to do, followed him curiously, clearly interested in watching his mysterious healing ability at work.
Thankfully, the giant whale no longer had any fresh wounds. The process was far less painful than before, yet Laboon still cried out dramatically, whining like a child scared of getting a shot.
Leo placed his palm over one of the deep scars and slowly began reconstructing the damaged flesh. Even though the pain was nothing compared to the years Laboon had spent smashing his head against the Red Line, the whale still complained loudly.
As he worked, Leo explained Laboon's tragic past to Robin — the broken promise and the endless days of solitude. Robin's usual calm expression softened, genuine pity appearing in her eyes as she gazed at the massive cute whale.
"What kind of Devil Fruit ability is this?" she asked, watching the torn flesh visibly knit itself back together. "This isn't normal healing."
Leo smirked slightly. "I'll tell you about mine if you tell me yours."
Robin tilted her head, then gave a small smile.
A slender hand suddenly bloomed from Leo's shoulder, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead before vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
"Mine isn't that impressive," she said. "I can sprout parts of my body on any surface."
Leo raised an eyebrow, then continued working on another large scar. "Mine is a bit more… terrifying. I can deconstruct and reconstruct anything I touch. Healing is just a convenient side effect… though it still hurts like hell for the patient."
"Hmm." Robin didn't look particularly impressed. "You seem quite proud of your power, But the Grand Line is full of monsters. There are abilities here that could easily destroy the world."
Leo chuckled softly. "You grew up in these seas, so I'm not surprised you've seen terrifying powers. But have you ever seen an ability with no real limits?" Robin looked at him with slight confusion.
"I'm not saying mine has no limits," Leo continued, his voice filled with absolute confidence. "I can just deconstruct the limits themselves… and rebuild them higher. Again and again — just like how a broken muscle tears apart and repairs itself, becoming stronger every single time."
"And for your information, it hasn't even been a full month since I awakened Haki and ate my Devil Fruit." Robin fell silent for a few seconds, quietly processing his words.
He spoke with absolute confidence, as if reaching the peak of his Devil Fruit ability was not a question of 'if', but simply 'when.'
"You truly are intriguing," she finally said. Her gaze then shifted toward the horizon. "But it looks like our conversation ends here for now." In the distance, a large desert city gradually emerged from the heat haze.
"We've arrived at Nanohana," Robin announced.
"We can stay here for half a day to restock and handle our business," she continued. "But we must leave before evening if we want to reach Rainbase by tomorrow morning."
Leo nodded. "I'll meet you back here by evening then."
Robin took Jojo with her as she left to handle her own matters, while Leo called Nojiko and Bon Clay to join him. Together, the three of them headed into the city.
Laboon, exhausted from swimming through the night, didn't handle the hot desert sun and warm seawater well. With a deep groan, the giant whale slowly descended toward the cooler depths to rest.
As Leo's group stepped onto the sandy streets of Nanohana, they immediately drew attention.
News of the chaos they caused on Holiday Island had already spread further than expected. Many locals stared at them warily, as if afraid this group might suddenly decide to plunder their dusty little port town.
Thankfully, most quickly relaxed. After all, Nanohana wasn't exactly a wealthy city.
"It's so damn hot here captain…" Nojiko complained, fanning herself with her hand. "I think I'll go buy some local clothes. These ones are killing me."
"Couldn't agree more~" Bon Clay dramatically wiped his forehead. "The heat has almost ruined my makeup! Let's go somewhere cool and relaxxxx…"
The three of them first entered a nearby clothing shop and bought traditional Alabasta attire — loose white robes and turbans to blend in with the crowd and endure the scorching afternoon sun.
As they strolled through the bustling streets of Nanohana, enjoying the lively atmosphere and buying small things they liked, a slick-looking merchant with a wide grin appeared in front of them.
He was carrying a shiny golden apple on a small velvet cushion like it was some kind of national treasure.
"My friends! You three look like people with excellent taste!" the merchant exclaimed enthusiastically.
"You won't believe what I have here. This is no ordinary fruit — it's a legendary Golden Apple from the far reaches of the Grand Line! Just one bite and you'll feel refreshed, your skin will glow and ladies will find you irresistible! Only 100,000 Beri!"
Leo raised his eyebrow at that. 'Golden apple my ass. It's literally just painted gold.'
Nojiko crossed her arms, looking skeptical. "100,000 Beri for one apple? Are you trying to swindle us old man?"
Bon Clay leaned in dramatically. "It does look rather fabulous though~"
The merchant, sensing hesitation, went into full sales mode. "I swear on my mother's grave! This miraculous apple cured a man's impotence in a single day! Another customer gained the strength of ten men after eating it! It's almost like a Devil Fruit, but without the weakness of the sea!"
Leo casually placed a hand on the merchant's shoulder, with a hint of warning. "Nice pitch, old man. But we're not interested. Keep trying your luck with someone else."
Before they could move away from the old swindler, a loud shout suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Somebody catch that thief! He ran away without paying for his food!"