As the person at the center of it all—
Leno looked at the hostile forces surrounding him.
A lineup worthy of the very peak of the pirate world—
And yet, at this moment, their goal was unanimously the same:
To take his life.
Whether he should feel honored—
Or very honored.
There was no despair on his face as everyone expected.
Instead—
His bright eyes swept across the battlefield.
Then—
He grinned.
As if he didn't care about his situation at all.
"To be besieged by so many big shots at once… this kind of spectacle…"
He chuckled, rubbing his chin.
"In pirate history, I'm probably the only one, huh?"
"…No, actually, Rocks probably had something similar back then."
His gaze finally fell on the women tightly protecting him.
Hancock. Robin. Domino. Kalifa. S-Snake. Bonney. Little Ailice. Perona…
All of them were injured.
Their breathing unstable.
Yet—
Not a single one chose to run.
Even in a certain-death situation—
None abandoned him.
At that moment—
The last trace of doubt in Leno's heart vanished.
They…
Were truly worthy of trust.
Dragon, Kaido, Shanks, Akainu, Aokiji, and the others—
Saw Leno stand up—
But did not immediately attack.
In their eyes—
The outcome was already decided.
In this situation—
How could Leno escape?
Letting him speak a few more words—
Was simply the final bit of mercy and dignity they allowed him.
Leno took a deep breath.
He squeezed out the last trace of his Conqueror's Haki—
Letting it envelop the women.
Then he spoke in a low voice:
"In a moment… grab onto me. Make sure you're in contact."
After releasing that final bit of Haki—
His face grew even paler.
His body swayed slightly.
The women were confused.
Grab him?
What did that mean?
They didn't understand—
But they obeyed.
Without hesitation—
They moved closer to him.
This unusual action—
Did not go unnoticed by Dragon and the others.
But no one cared.
Just the struggles of a dying man.
Before absolute power—
Any tricks were meaningless.
What could he possibly do?
Did he think they didn't exist?
Blackbeard couldn't hold back and jumped out again.
"Zehahaha! Leno! At death's door, still whispering sweet nothings to your women?"
"What a tragic pair of lovers!"
Leno didn't even bother lifting his eyelids.
Completely ignoring him.
Seeing that Leno had no last words—
Dragon and the others lost their remaining patience.
Villains die from talking too much—
They knew that much.
"If you won't speak—then take your last words to hell!"
Dragon's eyes flashed with killing intent.
He made the first move.
"Storm!"
A violent hurricane condensed into a massive dragon claw—
Tearing through the ground as it grabbed toward Leno and the others!
With Dragon taking the lead—
The others followed!
"Vajra Arrow!"
Kaido forced out another attack, sending a solid shockwave through the air.
"Ice Ball · Pheasant Beak!"
Aokiji unleashed a freezing bird.
Blackbeard targeted Domino directly.
"Dark Water!"
Akainu frowned—
But still attacked.
"Meteor Volcano!"
If he couldn't stop it—
Then at least bury them thoroughly.
Shanks stood with his hand on his sword—
Watching, frowning—
But did not act.
In this situation—
Even if Leno didn't die—
He would be crippled.
So many top-tier attacks erupted simultaneously—
Their combined power enough to destroy everything!
Even those watching from afar—
Like Katakuri—
Felt suffocated.
No one believed Leno could survive this.
Facing this—
The women around Leno turned pale.
They weren't afraid of death—
But that didn't mean they wanted to die.
Hancock tightly grabbed Leno's arm—
Looking up with a radiant smile.
"To die together with Lord Leno… I have no regrets…"
"Alright, alright, enough with that."
Leno rolled his eyes.
"Who told you we're dying?"
"Hold tight."
The next second—
Just as the attacks were about to engulf them—
A powerful dizziness struck!
The women's vision went black.
BOOOOOOM——!!!!!
A deafening explosion erupted where Leno stood!
All attacks converged perfectly—
Triggering a catastrophic explosion!
Blinding light swallowed everything.
A violent shockwave spread outward—
Completely shattering the already ruined edges of Whole Cake Island.
Dust shot into the sky—
Covering half the heavens.
Everyone held their breath—
Staring at the center of the explosion.
After a long while—
The energy subsided.
The dust slowly cleared.
They expected to see—
Leno and his crew—
Broken. Crushed. Dead.
But—
There was nothing.
At the original location—
Only a massive, bottomless crater remained.
Filled with remnants of destructive energy.
But—
No bodies.
No limbs.
Not even scraps of clothing.
"Where are they?!" Blackbeard froze.
His Dark Water had locked onto Domino—
But lost its target at the last moment.
"Did they… die?"
Dragon said nothing.
His Observation Haki spread out—
But he sensed nothing.
No life.
"Gone… or dead?" Kaido muttered, uncertain.
Everyone used Observation Haki—
Yet detected nothing.
No one believed—
That anyone could have rescued Leno under those conditions.
"They… they're dead? Not even ashes left?"
"They must be! No one survives that!"
"Leno… is really dead?"
Vice Admiral Momonga stared at the empty crater, dazed.
From former comrade—
To traitor—
To Emperor—
And now… gone.
It felt unreal.
"Zehahaha! Dead! Definitely dead!"
Blackbeard laughed wildly.
"With that kind of attack, how could he live?! Total annihilation!"
Even if Domino—the Tremor-Tremor user—was gone—
Getting that power from a random person later—
Would be easier.
Just a matter of time.
Kaido also laughed deeply—
Though it tugged at his wounds.
"Worororo… that troublesome brat is finally gone!"
Dragon fell silent—
Then withdrew his gaze.
Even if Leno somehow survived—
He would be gravely injured.
That bought time.
Time for his son to grow stronger.
Akainu's face remained dark.
With Leno dead—
Hibari's trail was gone.
Aokiji sighed softly—
Lost in thought.
On the Red-Haired Pirates' side—
"Beckman, what do you think?" Shanks asked quietly.
Beckman took a drag of his cigarette.
"Can't be sure… but I lean toward him being alive."
Lucky Roux, chewing on meat, muttered:
"Escaping that? That's ridiculous."
Most believed—
There was no way Leno survived.
Even those with doubts—
Would eventually accept it.
A young Emperor—
Who fought against multiple top-tier forces—
Had fallen.
On Whole Cake Island.
Morgans looked at the photos—
And sighed.
"Leno, you're a great guy. Even in death, you give me such huge headlines!"
"The King of News… is mine!"
No one knew—
Whether Leno was dead or alive.
Except—
Himself.
———
Shaking his head—
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings—
Leno went numb.
"Alright… alright…"
"So this is the world opened by laziness?"
(Come on—no prize quiz: what world is this?)
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