Hina Likes You!

"Ah!!"

There was a stunned pause on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then the voice immediately turned stern.

"Are you certain, Sergeant Umejima? You are reporting your superior across the chain of command! We will send people to investigate you thoroughly. Any false information will land you before a military court!"

"I'm certain!!"

"Investigate... heh, there's no need to investigate."

Jogo gritted his teeth, his choked voice carrying a hint of self-abandonment.

"After doing so many dirty things for him, I... I don't plan on living anymore!"

Criminal Investigation Bureau Intelligence Unit:

"Ah?!!!"

Jogo said, "You have to punish that bastard severely!

"I'll send you the latest mafia intelligence I've obtained... Take it. This is my final piece of intelligence!!"

The sound of a chair toppling over came from the other end.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau Intelligence Unit hurriedly said, "Wait, Umejima, what are you going to do?

"We'll handle this as quickly as possible. Calm down first. There's still hope. Don't do anything stupid!!"

Bang!

A dull gunshot rang out.

The call disconnected.

The desk lamp cast a dim yellow glow, and the intelligence room was silent.

The enormous roar of waves came from outside, as though they could swallow this warship whole at any moment.

The Den Den Mushi crackled as it transmitted photographs of the Capone Family's cargo manifest into the distance.

Jogo relaxed against the back of his chair and stretched. After waiting several minutes without anyone knocking on the door, he dragged Sergeant Umejima's corpse and the other two unconscious men out, whistling as he left the room...

A dark, windy night with raging waves—perfect weather for murder!

The Marines reacted far faster than Jogo had expected.

He had thought it would take at least two or three days for that report to have any effect.

Yet the next morning, when he woke up, five Marine warships had already surrounded the ship.

Nezumi and the other Marine soldiers poured out of the cabin in a panic like cockroaches in a rainstorm, having no idea which heavenly law they had broken.

"May I ask... what's going on?" Nezumi asked cautiously, sweat covering his head.

On the lead ship, a pink-haired young woman leaped onto the bow. Her figure was graceful and full of youthful energy. Beneath her ocean-blue Marine miniskirt, her long, fair legs gleamed in the morning light, leaving countless people staring blankly.

"I'm Marine Ensign Hina!"

The young woman's voice was excited and nervous. "Marine Captain Nezumi, you are hereby officially arrested on suspicion of colluding with the Capone Family, a West Blue mafia organization!"

"Hehe, don't resist, or Hina will get angry!"

Behind her, the Marine major truly leading this operation shook his head helplessly. After exchanging a few words with a Criminal Investigation Bureau agent from West Blue, he ordered the entire ship detained.

"They reacted that quickly?"

Jogo blended into the crowd, obediently handed over his gun, and squatted on the deck with everyone else.

From the scattered conversations around him, he learned that Captain Nezumi's base, Marine 81st Branch, had been wiped out overnight.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau agents from West Blue had gone mad, interrogating people through the night.

Then they gathered their forces and chased them all the way here.

"I've got to say, Ensign Hina is a little too motivated."

A nearby Marine soldier chatting idly wore a complicated expression. It was hard to tell whether he was complaining or admiring her.

"Shouldn't something like this at least have a buffer period? She came straight here as soon as she got the call. What if there really was someone backing them?"

The other man shrugged.

"You think she's like us?"

"She's an outstanding graduate from this year's Marine Academy class. Her future is bright.

"I heard even that Marine hero praised her. Who would dare touch her?"

"I was just saying... Someone like her is interning under our major. I don't know whether that's good or bad."

"You don't know whether that's good or bad?"

A Marine soldier beside them chimed in sarcastically.

"Who is it that squeezes his way to Ensign Hina's door every morning just to say good morning to her?"

"How do you know?"

"I get there an hour earlier than you!"

"Hiss—you bastard, you've gone that far?"

"What's so surprising about that? A gorgeous beauty like Ensign Hina—I'd even lick her toes if she asked!"

There was nothing worth listening to after that. The rest was just virgins indulging in trashy fantasies.

Jogo looked thoughtfully at the slender figure in the distance.

"Hina?"

"The future 'Black Cage Hina'?"

"She had just graduated from the Marine Academy? She really was young. She had none of her future composure and was actually quite lively."

"Though her figure already had a few mature curves..."

The current situation had gone somewhat beyond Jogo's expectations.

He had never expected the inspection team to come knocking after only one night.

And there was even a Devil Fruit user among them.

Had he overacted yesterday?

Jogo wasn't sure how much effect his Haki would have on Hina, so he decided not to approach or make contact for now.

As long as he stayed mixed in with Nezumi's men and everyone believed he was one of their own, Hina wouldn't notice anything wrong.

Soon, the interrogations began on the spot.

They mainly targeted the Marine soldiers like them.

After a series of cross-examinations, Jogo, whom no one had mentioned at all, was released along with several Marine soldiers whose crimes were less severe.

It was already past noon.

"How will people like us be dealt with?" Jogo asked a Marine soldier assigned to watch them.

The man tilted his chin toward the deck. "That depends on how their argument turns out!"

On the deck, Hina and the major leading the operation were arguing fiercely.

Hina said, "The Capone Family must know their intelligence has been exposed. If we don't go now, by the time they move the cargo, this intelligence will have been wasted for nothing. Hina won't accept that!"

The major said, "You know they're the Capone Family, one of the Five Great Mafia Families of West Blue.

"Do you know how powerful those people are? This many men wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth! We have to wait for reinforcements!"

Jogo listened for a while.

Clearly, the ensign fresh out of the academy was eager to earn merit and planned to head straight for the Capone Family's shipment while they were nearby.

But the major believed it was too dangerous and wanted to wait for support from other branches.

The two couldn't reach a conclusion for the moment, so they were preparing to hold a vote.

"Looks like there's nothing to worry about for now."

Jogo returned to the cabin and found an empty hammock to lie in.

He had originally planned to figure out a way to leave once they reached Marine 81st Branch.

Now it seemed he would have to play Marine for a few days.

Suddenly, the miniature Den Den Mushi on his wrist began to vibrate.

Jogo answered it.

"Captain?"

So far, he had only used this Den Den Mushi to contact the captain of the Acne Pirates.

There was a long silence on the other end before a deep, unfamiliar laugh sounded.

"Historian Jogo?"

Jogo abruptly sat up from the hammock, his brows furrowing.

Someone who would speak to him in that tone...

"The Capone Family? Looks like the captain still didn't get away."

"Who am I speaking to?"

"Hehe, you may call me the head of the Capone Family. You don't need to know anything else."

The Den Den Mushi mimicked the relaxed motion of someone smoking on the other end.

"But you... you've got some nerve, kid. You dared kill Capone Family men and deliberately bring the Marines here."

The voice on the other end suddenly shifted.

"Want to hear an old friend's voice?"

A rustling sound came through, as if the Den Den Mushi had been moved somewhere else.

A man's voice sounded in the background. "Is he still breathing? Take it over and let him say a few words."

The captain's faint voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "Jo... Jogo?"

"It's me."

"Heh... a few people... drifted ashore and didn't come back... I went soft... I could've gotten away... I'm not a... qualified captain... This has... nothing to do with you..."

Then he suddenly burst into laughter, leaned close to the Den Den Mushi, and shouted.

"But I didn't say a damn thing! Hahahaha... urgh..."

The sounds of a brutal beating and curses came from the background.

The Den Den Mushi was taken back. "I like loyal friends."

"You two must be close, right?"

Jogo said, "Not really..."

"Shh—don't speak."

The head of the Capone Family interrupted him.

"My time is precious. I have no time to waste with a nobody like you."

"I'll give you two choices. Bring me the head of that old man from Ohara, or come to the Capone Family's doorstep and kill yourself. Choose one."

"Let me remind you, your friend won't hold on much longer."

The call disconnected.

The cabin was empty.

Jogo stared at the Den Den Mushi in silence for a long time.

Then he suddenly laughed and shook his head.

They thought they could threaten him by grabbing just anyone?

Too bad they had miscalculated.

He had only known the Acne Pirates for a few days. There was no way he would do anything dangerous for them.

He turned over and lay back down in the hammock, closing his eyes to rest.

At the same time.

On the deck of the Marine warship, the Marine soldiers were voting.

Hina said, "Don't you want such a great achievement? Everyone who supports going, raise your hand and come with Hina!"

The Marine soldiers looked at one another, but most of them immediately turned their gaze toward the major nearby.

The major said coldly from the side.

"Don't say I didn't give you a choice. You know what kind of force the Capone Family is.

"Even if Sunflower Island isn't one of the Capone Family's main strongholds, with only this many people, fighting the Capone Family will still be difficult."

The Marine soldiers looked at each other, but no one raised a hand.

Not a single one.

They weren't rookies fresh out of the academy.

They knew what to choose between their lives and merit.

Besides, they were all the major's subordinates. Though Ensign Hina was beautiful enough to haunt their dreams, she would leave eventually. They knew who they should listen to.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Hina's face.

The major had made a bet with her. If even one person supported her, he would report the matter again and wait for orders from Marine Headquarters.

She had thought she had the advantage.

But not even one person?

After waiting for a while, the major, who had everything under control, saw that the situation was about right and stepped forward. "In that case, I announce the result..."

Before he could finish, the cabin door beside them was suddenly shoved open. Jogo walked out and raised the gun in his hand. "Count me in."

The dejected Hina looked up in surprise, her eyes lighting up. "Hina likes you!"