After being carried bridal-style on the battlefield, Hina felt terribly embarrassed. Usually aloof, she first buried her face in the crook of Shining's arm, then realized she should not have hidden there.
"Hina is surprised-"
"Really?"
Back to his normal size, Shining's electrical expression changed into a shocked cat face.
At the same time, he floated backward with Hina, putting a little distance between them and their opponents. Across from them, Bondrewd caught up as well, landing near Tesoro.
"Hina wasn't talking about Bilibili... coming to rescue Hina-"
In a rare display, Hina puffed out her cheeks and jumped out of Shining's arms, blushing. Shining found the sight quite refreshing.
Hina might have looked like a young woman with an "Onee-san vibe," but she really was an Onee-san. She was three years older than Hancock, already twenty-nine this year.
"Is Tesoro actually the type to care about his subordinates?"
Bondrewd, who had come to provide support, happened to voice a similar question.
"Mr. Tesoro, what an interesting reaction. Why didn't you aim for the 'primary target'?"
With his helmet on, Bondrewd's expression was unreadable. His voice, however, carried an intrigued, teasing note.
Even though Tesoro had gone against the plan, he displayed no negative emotion.
"Target? Hina wants to know. Why would you abandon your perfectly good position as king of an affiliated nation to associate with someone so dangerous?"
As a Navy captain, Hina had a fairly clear understanding of Tesoro's status. Giving up his role as a front man for the Celestial Dragons to betray the World Government simply made no sense.
"As for your target, I know... You want to capture Brook, right? Probably Perona too. Soul-based ability users... Don't tell me you people are planning to..."
Arcs flickered in Shining's "eyes."
"Wh-what?! You mean me?!"
Perona,