OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#25+26: The Surrender of Agent Hina! Building Bridges and Cooperating with the Marines!

After the demonic carrier had swallowed the royal castle, Jin, for the sake of convenience, had ordered the construction of a new municipal hall in the town nearest to the port.

Once his twelve new laws were enacted, the newly established departments of administration, finance, and education were all moved into the new building.

The kingdom may have been small, but it had all the necessary components. It was starting to look like a proper nation.

—————————

After listening to the reports from Dalton, Jeston, and the others, Jin handed Biera over to the Chief Medical Officer.

Any ships that the demonic carrier swallowed without disintegrating could be "Spit out" and used again.

The Salamander was a fine vessel, even by Marine standards. It would serve well as a warship for the kingdom's navy. And its core components were its steam engine and boiler.

Biera had tended to the steam engine and boiler for years. He was a master at stoking the furnace and maintaining the machinery. Jin needed him to put his skills to use and train a new generation of technicians.

Although Jin understood the technical principles of steam engines and boilers, knowing and doing were two different things.

Theory and application were often worlds apart.

A skilled, experienced technician like Biera was an absolute treasure.

Next, Jin introduced Anaguma to Chopper.

"A deer?" Anaguma said, stunned. "It talks!"

"I'm a reindeer, not a deer!" Chopper corrected her.

"A talking reindeer is just as weird, you know..." Anaguma retorted.

"His name is Chopper," Jin said with a laugh. "He's a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Human. Don't let his size fool you; he's very strong."

Kids, you had to encourage them.

"Complimenting me won't make me happy... you bastard~" Chopper said, squirming with embarrassment.

"Chopper, take her to see Dr. Kureha."

"Okay!"

After getting the two of them settled, a guard rushed in.

"Your Majesty, the Marine Lieutenant Commander is here. She's waiting outside and says she has an urgent matter to discuss with you."

"Oh? Let her in," Jin said. "The rest of you are dismissed."

"Sir!"

Dalton, Jeston, and the others filed out, catching a glimpse of Hina striding past, an "I'm very angry" look on her face.

They exchanged a look.

"How did His Majesty get involved with a Marine Lieutenant Commander? And such a beautiful one at that."

"You think there's something going on between them?"

"Could be."

"They do make a good-looking couple."

"Does that mean she's going to be our queen?"

Everyone loves a bit of gossip.

The untold story of a small-nation king and a Marine Lieutenant Commander...

It was juicy.

—————————

Hina stopped at the doorway, took a deep breath to calm herself, and then walked in with a smile.

"Finished with your tour, Lieutenant Commander Hina?" Jin asked casually, stirring a cup of orange peel tea. He had already guessed that she was here on a secret mission from the Marines.

He also needed her to report back to the Marines and the World Government, to legitimize his status.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the World Government officials should be on their way to collect the Heavenly Tribute and, incidentally, inspect his ship.

The tribute had to be paid. A legitimate status as the king of a member nation would allow him to do a lot of things legally.

He had no desire to become a pirate, to be chased around like a dog and call it "freedom." To place his own freedom above the suffering of civilians.

To hate oppression, only to become an oppressor, causing chaos and bloodshed in the name of freedom.

Were those people any different from the Celestial Dragons?

And he had no desire to become a Marine, either.

It was better to be the king of his own little corner of the world.

And when the time was right...

—————————

"The tour is finished," Hina said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "You really are a good king. Everyone, young and old, has nothing but praise for you."

"It's just the trust of the people," Jin said. "By the way, would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," Hina replied. "I hear that you're quite strong, King Jin. That you once single-handedly defeated an attack by the Razor Pirates?"

"Just luck," Jin said with a wave of his hand.

"You're being modest," Hina said. "Since we have some time, how about a little sparring match?"

"I don't know..." Jin said. "Fists and feet don't have eyes. What if I accidentally hurt you, scratched that pretty face of yours? I couldn't take responsibility for that."

Hina's eye twitched. "Who asked you to take responsibility? Cut the crap. Let's fight. If I lose, I'm yours to do with as you please. If you lose, you tell me where Gasparde and the other pirates are."

Jin took a sip of his tea, processing the information in her words. So they've figured it out. The Marines aren't all idiots...

And Hina's attitude... were the Marines not planning on doing anything about it? Or were they planning on negotiating with him?

"Alright," Jin said, setting down his teacup. "Let's fight. Follow me."

He leaped out the window, over the roof, and into the mountains. Hina followed close behind.

—————————

Deep in the mountains, the snow was thick, and heavy flakes were still falling. The lake was completely frozen over.

Jin landed, and a leg, clad in a magenta business suit, cut through the falling snow, descending like a blade, like a battle-axe.

"Hey, hey! Even the Marines are using sneak attacks now!" Jin said, sidestepping the kick. It landed on the ice, shattering it like a chisel and creating a spiderweb of cracks.

"Hmph. And the king is a liar," Hina retorted. "Hina is very disappointed."

Using her planted foot as a pivot, she spun like a top, her other leg sweeping out in a wide arc, kicking up a cloud of snow.

"Tempest Kick: Flower Dance!"

The swirling snow, caught in the wind from her kick, flew toward Jin like a flurry of flower petals.

Each snowflake was a vacuum blade, cutting into the ice, splintering the pine trees.

Her form was beautiful, but her attack was merciless.

"Six Powers?"

Jin simply threw a punch, shattering the vacuum blades. He pushed off the ground, the ice cracking beneath his feet, and in an instant, he was in front of Hina, grabbing her leg.

So fast!

Hina's eyes widened. Before she could react, he had grabbed her, throwing her off balance. She tried to kick up with her other leg, but he took the blow without flinching. Then he swung her around like a windmill and sent her flying.

"You alright, Lieutenant Commander? Didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"Hina is fine! Again!"

"Really? In that case, I won't hold back. If it hurts, feel free to scream. No one will hear you out here in the middle of nowhere."

Hina was from the same generation of Marine officers as Smoker. She was a skilled martial artist, had a strong sense of justice, and was a Devil Fruit user. In the early part of the story, she was a formidable opponent.

But she was a far cry from a true genius.

Smoker's was the most tragic case. He was set up to be the next Garp, a future pillar of the Marines, but he ended up being a stepping stone for the main characters.

Hina's combat power was only a little over a thousand. She was two tiers below Gasparde.

Jin didn't hold back. Using only his awakened physical abilities, without even touching his Haki, he completely dominated her.

His Doriki was likely higher than Rob Lucci's at Enies Lobby, and it was still slowly increasing as he adapted to his new strength.

It sounded impressive, but compared to Koby's rate of progress, it was probably nothing.

He still had a long way to go.

....

Battered and bruised, unable to even stand, the highly competitive Hina sat down in the snow, defeated.

"I lose," she said, panting. "What do you want?"

Jin crouched down and smiled. "You..."

"You shameless...!" Hina grit her teeth. After a moment's hesitation, she closed her eyes. "Then make it quick."

<><><><><><><><>

"You bastard! Ow, ow, ow..."

Inside the Hiking Bear's cave, a fire crackled, casting a warm glow.

Lieutenant Commander Hina hissed in pain as Jin dabbed at her wounds.

Outside the cave, the Hiking Bear, its sleep having been rudely interrupted, sported two fresh black eyes and a look of utter despair.

Seriously, who does that? It's freezing cold, the bear was sleeping peacefully in its own home, and suddenly, BAAAAAAAM!! It gets punched and sent flying. Is there no justice in this world? No law?

....

After a thorough beating, Lieutenant Commander Hina's temper had cooled considerably.

Jin applied a simple bandage.

The wounds left her feeling weak. She leaned against the stone wall, the flickering firelight dancing in her eyes.

"You bastard," she muttered. "You really don't hold back, do you?"

They chatted idly.

Sometimes, after a good, honest, down-and-dirty brawl, there's a certain kind of... satisfaction.

A baring of souls.

A close contact.

A meeting of minds in a state of post-battle clarity. A true union.

"We're both adults," Jin said, tossing another log on the fire. "Since you agreed, Lieutenant Commander, if I had pretended to be a saint, wouldn't that have made me worse than an animal?"

The firelight illuminated her skin, as white as milk, soft, firm, and elastic.

When he had said "you," he had originally been referring to her Paramecia-type Bind-Bind Fruit.

But she had misunderstood.

And the crucial thing was, she had actually agreed.

And so, on the principle of "only an idiot passes up a free meal," Jin had, without a moment's hesitation...

Helped himself.

Personally, he thought Hina's looks and figure were top-tier, even among the many beauties of the pirate world.

And from a strategic standpoint, Hina, as a Marine Lieutenant Commander, could serve as a valuable link between him and the Marines in the future.

And what better way to do that than to make her one of his own?

Any normal man would have taken the shot.

"So," he said, changing the subject, "what's the official word from the Marines?"

Hina was competitive, but she wasn't irrational. She had been thoroughly beaten, and... thoroughly taken. The anger had subsided, and her intellect had returned. She shot Jin a sidelong glance and, after a moment's thought, relayed Vice Admiral Tsuru's words to him, verbatim.

It wasn't that she didn't understand the concept of confidentiality. It was that this was her mission.

To probe Jin's intentions regarding Hannabal Island.

If they hadn't crossed this line, she would have had to be more subtle.

But now that the line had been crossed... what was the point in hiding anything?

Being direct now could even earn her some goodwill.

Sincerity on its own can make you look like a fool. But when the other person has something on you, whether it's physical or otherwise... sincerity becomes a killer move.

"I see..." Jin murmured. In the original story, Robin had mentioned that Hannabal Island had once been a pirate town. But when Luffy and the others arrived, it was being patrolled by the Marines.

So that's what had happened. Gasparde had worked with the Marines to eliminate a large number of pirates and bring Hannabal Island under their control. If the Straw Hats hadn't interfered, it would have been another wipeout, and the Marines would have been able to build a base there.

Gasparde had a bounty of 95 million Berries and was considered a "disgrace" by the Marines, yet he had been able to operate freely in the first half of the Grand Line for years without being captured.

It didn't make sense.

But if he was the Marines' "proxy"... then it all added up.

The Marines were using Hannabal Island's unique status, and the "Dead End Race" massive prize money, as bait to lure in the smaller pirates who were hiding out in the area.

"I can cooperate," Jin said. "The Marines must recognize and guarantee my ownership of Hannabal Island. I won it fair and square with a 100 million Berri bet. And they are not to interfere in its operations."

Her mission accomplished, Hina smiled sweetly. "I'll relay your terms."

Jin wrapped an arm around her waist.

Her perfectly sculpted face was framed by disheveled hair. Her skin was a patchwork of white and red, a kind of broken beauty. She had an exceptional... presence.

Especially her... broad sense of responsibility.

"How did they get so big?" Jin wondered aloud.

Hina rolled her eyes.

"And with such a slender waist... aren't you afraid you'll throw out your back one day, with all that responsibility?" he continued. "And your legs... they're like a compass. How do you maintain such a great figure? What's your secret?"

Hina shot him a look. "Enough with the compliments. You're strong, but what about your marksmanship? Hina hasn't lost yet."

Jin chuckled, his hand closing around the truth.

"Hilarious." He leaned in close to her ear. "Today, I'll show you what true mastery is."

"No! You shameless bastard! Hina is angry! Justice cannot be defiled! You won't get away with this!"

Heh.

—————————

Due to the "injuries" sustained in her "duel" with Jin, Lieutenant Commander Hina temporarily took up residence in the town.

She contacted Vice Admiral Tsuru and relayed Jin's conditions.

In addition to ownership and operational rights to Hannabal Island, he wanted the bounties of Razor Dahm, Wilson, and Captain Sherlock removed, under the official status of "deceased."

And he wanted access to the Marine training base for a period of formal physical training.

In the world of One Piece, there were countless schools of martial arts and swordsmanship, many with long and storied histories.

Jin, with his Spacetime energy-enhanced body and the demonic carrier as a backup, had no shortage of raw power. But what was power without a little technique? A child chooses one or the other. He wanted it all.

"If I could get Garp to train me, that would be even better," he thought.

Putting aside his status as a hero of the Marines and his complicated family life, Garp was undoubtedly the best physical trainer in the entire organization.

Koby, Kuzan, Dragon, Luffy, Ace, and countless Vice Admirals had all been under his tutelage. His mastery of Haki—particularly Armament Haki—was best exemplified by his moniker: "The Fist."

The Marines didn't give an immediate answer. They said they would have to discuss it.

Jin soon found out why.

Five days later—a Celestial Dragon's ship arrived at Drum Island.

But the cold climate was not to the liking of Saint Jalmack, and he refused to disembark. He delegated the task to the CP0 agent accompanying him.

In truth—sending a Celestial Dragon was a symbolic gesture—a way to ensure that the new king understood that he was still a subject of the World Nobles. It would make collecting the Heavenly Tribute in the future much easier.

A tall man in a white suit, dark tie, and a mask disembarked with a contingent of guards.

"You are the new king of Drum Island? Jin?" he said, his eyes scanning the crowd. Why are these people dressed in rags, like beggars? How pathetic.

This, of course, was Jin's strategy. Plead poverty, and at the same time, the dirty, chaotic environment would deter the Celestial Dragon from coming ashore.

"I am," Jin replied.

The tall man produced a document. "The former Drum Kingdom, now the Winter Blossom Kingdom, is a member nation of the World Government. According to the regulations, you are required to pay a Heavenly Tribute of 100 million Berries for this year. You have three days to gather the funds, or provide an equivalent value in gold or jewels."

"That won't be necessary," Jin said. "It's all ready. And I have a gift for the world noble on the ship."

At his signal, Dalton and Jeston brought forward two chests.

One was filled with Berries.

The other contained ten brightly colored, beautiful mushrooms, each about the size of a fist.

"What is this...?" the CP0 agent asked.

Jin smiled. "It's a new species of mushroom we've created. I call it... Dream."