As Yamato's attitude began to change, Leno felt both relieved and a little less restrained.
As for that vague sense of responsibility toward Wano Country, in the end, it had only been an emotional anchor from her younger years.
Now that the bubble had burst, Yamato was finally able to see where the real problem lay.
And with Leno and the others consciously and unconsciously guiding her for so long, they had finally managed to straighten out this badly crooked little sprout.
Once everyone understood Yamato's resolve, the topic naturally shifted to Ulti, who was still "suffering" in the Beasts Pirates.
Nami immediately jumped out, grabbed Leno's arm, and started acting spoiled.
"Hey, big dummy, after Yamato beats Kaido this time, let's bring Ulti back with us too, okay?"
Chopper, Nojiko, and the others beside her also looked at him with hopeful eyes. It was obvious they missed Ulti a lot too.
The members who had joined the crew later had no idea what was going on, and could only watch this group of "old-timers" talking with confused expressions.
In the end, it was Carmen who explained things to them, and only then did everyone realize that there was actually still one "reserve" member of theirs inside the Beasts Pirates.
Leno's head was starting to spin from all the shaking. He pressed down on Nami's little head and said helplessly,
"It's still not time. Ulti's bonds are with the Beasts Pirates. As long as they still exist, that girl won't leave."
"In other words, only after the Beasts Pirates disband or are destroyed—when she has nothing left tying her down—will she consider leaving."
After a pause, he continued explaining, "But no matter who destroys the Beasts Pirates in the future… it absolutely cannot be us."
The moment his words fell, those hopeful gazes instantly dimmed.
Leno had already made it very clear—how could they not understand?
If they really took that step, then forget being companions. Becoming enemies would be almost inevitable.
Nami flung Leno's arm aside, then turned and walked toward the bow.
"I'm going to check the course…"
Watching everyone scatter in an instant, Leno was left speechless.
Who had they all learned this from, seriously…
When they needed him, he was "big brother." Once they were done, he got tossed aside like an old rag?
He flashed forward, pulled Hancock—who had lagged one step behind the others—into his arms, and said viciously,
"Hancock, so you're learning to be naughty like them too, huh? Wasn't your lesson before enough?"
"L-Lord Leno, I-I wasn't…"
The moment Hancock was pulled into his embrace, her soft body nearly melted like water, going limp as she almost lost the strength to speak.
Feeling the scorching breath at her neck, her whole body trembled, and those long, snow-white legs unconsciously began to cross and entangle with each other…
Seeing that, Leno let out two wicked chuckles, scooped her up in a bridal carry, and vanished from the spot in an instant…
…
Meanwhile, in Totto Land waters, on Whole Cake Island.
Inside the newly restored castle hall, BIG MOM, seated on the main throne, violently slammed the newspaper in her hand onto the table. Then she casually grabbed the Den Den Mushi beside her and dialed out.
A moment later, a rough voice came from the Den Den Mushi, which had taken on the image of a pair of horns.
"What is it, old hag? What happened this time?"
"What else could it be? Didn't you read the paper?"
BIG MOM's voice was thick with fury, and her massive eyes seemed to be burning with raging flames.
Nowadays, the moment she saw any news about Leno, the fire in her heart became impossible to suppress.
"That brat is jumping around like this now, and you don't have any reaction at all? Don't forget the alliance between us!"
"Quit your nagging! Of course I haven't forgotten. I've already ordered my men to keep a close eye on that bastard's movements."
A few gulps of alcohol could be heard from the other end of the line, and Kaido's tone was full of impatience.
It was obvious that BIG MOM's almost interrogative tone had left him extremely displeased.
After a pause, Kaido's voice came through again, now carrying a trace of disdain.
"As for you, Linlin, next time you'd better not screw things up. Otherwise, I'll wipe you out too."
"Mama-mama-mama~"
BIG MOM laughed from sheer rage, the ferocious light in her eyes flashing sharply as she ground out through clenched teeth,
"You're welcome to try… if you think you can do it!!!"
"Worororo… Wait for my message!"
"…"
Staring at the Den Den Mushi after the call was cut off, BIG MOM had nowhere to vent the evil fire raging inside her. She slammed the Den Den Mushi down onto the table, then turned and roared at her children below,
"What are you all still standing there for?! Hurry up and find that brat's location for me!"
"Yes, Mama~"
Led by Perospero, her children below hurriedly answered and rushed out of the hall one after another.
Ever since BIG MOM recovered her memories, her temper had only become more and more violent.
Her children had been living in fear every single day—far worse than before.
Thinking back to how gentle she had been during those few days of amnesia now felt like a dream.
Some of the younger children had even started secretly wiping away tears. They wished more than anything that dream had never ended.
At the back, after all her children had withdrawn, BIG MOM stood facing the now-empty hall, yet the anger in her chest only grew more violent.
Her fists clenched tightly. She suddenly rose from her seat and let out a piercing scream toward the sky.
"AHHHHHHH—!"
The sound was shrill and ear-piercing, making even the surrounding air tremble.
A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki shot upward into the heavens, accompanied by rings of black-and-red ripples that blasted through every corner of the space.
The hall shook violently under the impact, dust falling endlessly from above.
It was enough to make anyone worry whether this brand-new building might collapse in the very next second.
Only after a long while, once she had vented enough, did BIG MOM sit back down, panting heavily. Yet the flames in her eyes still had not dimmed in the slightest.
Whenever she thought of everything Leno had done to her, she wanted nothing more than to tear him into a thousand pieces.
That bastard had not only injured her—he had also stolen her treasure, the Poneglyphs.
What she hated most in her life was people coveting her treasures.
Especially a shameless bastard like Leno, who didn't just take a bite—he looted everything he could carry.
Back then, Roger had only made a rubbing of her treasure.
But Leno?
He hadn't even left her a single scrap.
Of course, in her mind, Leno's crimes went far beyond just that.
The thing she found most unbearable was the fact that after losing her memory, she had actually been smacked back to her senses by Kaido.
To her, that was the ultimate humiliation.
To be knocked awake by the younger brother she had always looked down on… it was no different from the sky collapsing over her head.
And the root cause of all of this was that damned bastard Leno.
As for the patch of thunder domain Leno had left behind before departing—a domain that hadn't dissipated on its own—that barely even counted by comparison.
She had only needed to put in a little effort before smashing it apart.
Taking all of this together, BIG MOM had swallowed her pride and allied with Kaido for the sole purpose of taking revenge on Leno.
The two of them intended to combine their strength and completely annihilate Leno and his adventurer crew in one decisive blow.