I gestured to Laffite with my hand as soon as the ensign was on board the black pearl, and Laffite instantly obliged as he took several steps forward to stand in front of the marine officer and presented him with a wooden box.

The marine ensign opened the box and carefully scrutinized its contents for several seconds, then closed the box with a nod of his head.

"It's Jelly bean Jack's head indeed," He said as he raised his head and looked at me. "But I will need to hand it over to our medical department for further inspection to confirm the fact since pirates with such high bounties tend to fake their own deaths once in a while," the ensign concluded with a shake of his head.

"That makes sense, I suppose," I said with a nod. "How long will it take your medical department to do that?" I asked the ensign as I lit up a cigarette.

"It shouldn't take more than an hour or two," stated the ensign, and I can hear Wilson sigh in annoyance at that. "You are welcome to stay at our base during that time," he concluded in a calm tone.

'Something doesn't feel right,' I thought while eyeing the ensign, trying not to show blatant suspicion.

"That's fine too," I said with a smile. "We'll be in your care for the meantime then," I concluded.

'Something is definitely wrong, and I need to know what it is," I thought while still making eye contact with the marine officer, waiting for him to leave so I can discuss this with the rest of the crew.

"Then I will stay here until we reach the base if it's no trouble, of course," the marine ensign said in a polite tone, but I can hear the demanding undertone in his voice.

'So he wants to scout the crew and gather information, but that's fine too since I can get some information about the situation from him too,' I thought as my head began spinning at top speed, trying to analyze the situation.

"Your more than welcome to stay here," I stated after several seconds of pause to make it look like I was thinking about it. "By the way, I didn't catch your name," I said with a friendly smile that hid my suspicions or amusement at the situation.

"Obrien, Ensign Obrien," He said as he took several steps to stand in front of me with his hands extended in my direction.

"Johnny, but you already knew that," I replied with a smile as I shook ensign Obrien's hand with a chuckle, and he smiled with a nod in return.

"Alright, you lazy sea bastards, you heard the man, so hurry up and follow the marine's battleships to their base," I said with a loud voice, and the crew responded quickly.

They, of course, understood my hidden message to make themselves look busy and not give the marine officer a chance to draw any information from them.

"So, ensign Obrien, I don't think I've done something that would make myself know even to an outstanding marine officer such as yourself," I said, trying to make the marine officer drop his guard with some compliments. "Care to elaborate?" I concluded with a sincere smile that would have caused flowers to bloom if we were standing on soil and not wooden blanks.

"Don't sell yourself short. You took down one of the five great families, who were causing us, west blue marines headaches for several decades now," he stated with a sincere smile of his own.

"I can't imagine why the Nitti family is considered such a threat," I said while tilting my head to the side in confusion. "I did take them out, after all, and they didn't seem that troublesome to me," I concluded and paused, waiting for the ensign to elaborate further.

"The Nitti family, no, the entire five families of the west wouldn't be so troublesome to deal with if they weren't always hiding in the shadows," He stated with a sigh. "But they're always hiding and avoiding conflict with the marines, and only bounty hunters like yourselves can take care of them since you can cross lines that we marines can't," He concluded with a sigh.

"In that case, why didn't you simply raise their bounties to rally some competent bounty hunters to take care of them?" I asked with an obviously confused voice.

"We couldn't do that because the five families have deep connections with the royalty in west blue, and they would pressure us to lower their bounties every time we tried to raise them," He said as he heaved another deep sigh.

"Besides, even if we somehow managed to raise their bounties, most Bounty hunters would be too scared of the underworld's joker to hunt them down since they're business partners with him," He concluded while shaking his head in annoyance.

I even heard him mutter, "Fucking royals and mobles," under his breath. 'Joker, huh? Shit, it looks like I already have a target painted on my back. Oh well, whatever," I thought with a mental shrug.

"It looks like we're already here," said the ensign as he turned around and gestured at the marine base docks.

"I'm afraid we have to cut the conversation short, as I have some business to attend to in the base. One of my subordinates will guide you through the base," ensign Obrien concluded as he jumped off the ship with a quick soru step and landed on the docks.

It was soon the time for us to disembark the ship too. I only had time to caution my companions by telling them that I felt something is off about the situation and to be careful, so we left the ship while leaving Bob behind to guard the ship and the injured Byron in the lower decks of the black pearl.

"Greetings, silver hand bounty hunters. I am warrant officer Tom, and I will guide you to the waiting area. Which you can use to rest until the medical department finishes the necessary procedures," said a tall, lean marine officer, who approached us as soon as we set foot on the docks.

"Show us the way then, officer Tom. We'll be in your care," I replied with a friendly smile as I walked in his direction, causing him to turn around and gesture for us to follow him.

It took us several minutes to reach the waiting area while traversing the large marine base. Officer Tom was quiet during our march, only speaking to greet his fellow marines that we came across while making our way towards the waiting area.

Speaking of the marines that we came across. They were showing all kinds of reactions to us. Some were sending us dirty looks, while some seemed entirely indifferent to our existence, and there were even those who looked at us with respect, but we ignored it all until we reached the waiting area.

"Help yourself to the beverages and snacks here, if you'd like. Ensign Obrien will come here personally to conclude your business as soon as he receives word from the medical department," warrant officer tom stated and turned around to leave as soon as he finished his sentence.

-0-

My companions and I began chatting and discussing all kinds of topics to pass the time. We, of course, avoided talking about anything important or private, just in case the room contained any listening or spying devices.

After an hour and thirty minutes, give or take five minutes of waiting, the waiting room's door opened, and ensign Obrien came through it while carrying a piece of paper.

"The results just came from our medical department, "Ensign Obrien said as soon as he made his entrance without bothering to take a seat. "The head you have delivered is indeed Jelly bean Jack's head," He concluded with a calm tone, and I can feel the "but" coming from a mile away.

"But I'm afraid there has been a complication, and I won't be able to hand over the cash reward on his head to you," He stated as he crossed his arms while looking at us calmly.

"Oh boy, here it comes,' I thought inside my head but chose to say nothing and wait for the ensign to elaborate further while looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's actually not a bad thing for you. You see, jelly bean Jack had attacked a ship that belonged to a merchant with connections to some important people," He while gesturing with his hand to emphasize the importance of said people.

"So his bounty was raised to sixty million berries instead of the earlier forty million," ensign Obrien remarked, but he seemed like he still had something to say, causing me to stay silent, waiting for him to keep going.

"And that's why I can't hand over your rewards as any bounty higher than fifty million berries needs to be signed by a marine captain before being given," He concluded.

"Is this the part where you tell me that there's no marine captain in the base right now?" I asked as I began rubbing my forehead with a sigh of annoyance.

"I'm afraid that is correct, but there's no need to worry as the captain is merely on patrol right now and will be back in a day's time since we already sent a message to inform them of the situation," He remarked as he waved his hand to the side as if waving away our worries.

"In the meantime, you are more than welcome to wait for the captain here," he concluded and said nothing else while looking at me and waiting for me to respond.

"The offer is appreciated, but I'm afraid we can't stay here," I replied and continued to speak, cutting him off before he said anything.

"Our ship needs some maintenance, and we can use this time to have her looked at by shipwright since the Irishia kingdom is close by," I stated quickly to cut off any further arguments he might have since he seemed to want us to stay here for some reason.

"This is my personal transponder snail number," I said as I stood up and took out a small piece of paper from one of my pockets. "Contact me when your captain is here, and I'll come as soon as possible," I concluded as the ensign took the small paper from me and placed it in his pocket, causing my companions to stand up as well, preparing to leave.

"If that's the case, then suit yourself, but take this with you, it's the official papers stating you have indeed delivered Jack's head and are entitled the appropriate cash reward," he said as he passed me the piece of paper he's been holding. "Bring it with you when you come to receive your reward," he concluded, and I pocketed the paper he offered me too as my companions and I left.

We soon set sail and left the marine base behind as we made our way to the Irishia kingdom's docks, and the entire crew was currently on the deck near the helm.

"So, Laffite, You've been a sheriff for a long time and must have had some contact with the marines," I said while looking at Laffite, who was currently steering the wheel. "Is this normal? Delaying us to give us a bigger reward, I mean," I asked with a calm voice as I leaned on the railing.

"I didn't have too much contact with the marines, as the Ballywood kingdom usually handles its own criminals," Laffite said with a shrug. "But I know for a fact that they would normally hand over the older, lower bounty when something like this happens if the new bounty wasn't made public yet," He concluded after a second of contemplation.

'Something is going on, and I need to know what it is, but is it worth the risk?' I thought as I lowered my head to look at the deck while pondering.

"So they must be up to something, just like the captain said. This bounty might prove more trouble than its worth," Elly said as she leaned on the railing next to me.

"I'm sure we can handle anything they throw at us, but in the end, it's the captain's decision," Laffite stated with a smile and returned his attention to steering the ship, seemingly losing interest in the subject.

"I wonder what those marine punks are scheming," Bob remarked while twirling his mustache as he turned around to look at the marine base behind us with narrowed eyes.

Wilson, however, just snorted in derision and made no comments about the subject as he sat on a barrel and began gulping alcohol, and Byron said nothing because he was new to the crew and his word didn't carry much weight with the crew yet.

"I say we go along with whatever they have planned," I said with a shrug after I finished debating the risk in my head. "If it's a trap, then we fight our way out," I concluded with a smile.

"I know for a fact they can't get any marine with a rank higher than a rear or vice admiral here in a single day's time," I stated while looking at my companions. "While a vice-admiral might be a little troublesome to deal with even for Wilson, Laffite, and me, I'm sure we can make quick work out of him if we work together," I concluded with a confident smile, causing my companions all to nod in acknowledgment, except for Wilson whose smile was of savagery and expectation instead.

Third-person point of view:

Somewhere in west blue.

A tall woman stood on the deck of a ship while looking down on a dozen or so men dressed like pirates who were lying unconscious on the ship's deck with their bodies covered in large, black metallic rings, seemingly deep in thought as she smoked a cigarette.

"Perurururu," Came the voice of a transponder snail from her pocket, forcing her to break out of her reverie as she picked up the call.

"Report Ensign," she demanded in a stoic voice as she sat on a barrel behind her while placing her left leg over the right one.

"Captain, I'm afraid That I wasn't able to convince the silver hand bounty hunters to stay in the base as you asked," ensign Obrien's voice came through the snail's mouth as it morphed to resemble his face. "They had an excuse for not staying that I couldn't refute without sounding suspicious to them," the ensign concluded in a respectful tone.

"While Hina would have preferred to have more information about them before meeting them, this is fine as well," the tall woman Hina said in the same stoic tone she used earlier. Even as she spoke in the third person form, creating a bizarre contrast, and making her speech very strange to listen to.

"Is there anything else you wish to report ensign?" She asked as she flicked her cigarette to get rid of the ash.

"Yes, captain. That person was with them as reported by our people in the Ballywood kingdom, and their ship seemed like the retired old Jim's work as well," the ensign replied in an even more grave voice.

"Hina sees. Will that be all ensign?" captain Hina said as she stood up and kicked the head of a pirate who regained his consciousness and was trying to crawl away.

"That's all, Captain Hina," replied the ensign in a clear, loud voice.

"then you are dismissed ensign, but don't forget to send someone to monitor them and make sure they do it subtly," she concluded and hung up the call without waiting for the ensign to reply.

-0-

(I deleted this by mistake so I'm reposting it sorry to anyone who thought this was a new chapter!)

Johnny's point of view:

After another hour of traversing the sea, we were finally at the ports of Tamworth town in the Irishia kingdom since it was very close to the marine's 80th branch, and we disembarked while leaving Bob to guard the ship and the injured Byron since he volunteered like usual.

This time, however, we didn't split apart as we didn't plan to stay here long, and we didn't want to get separated so as not to give the marine's a chance to target us individually if that was indeed their intention.

We were surprisingly well-received in this town, and after some investigation, I found out that this town had a particularly bloody history when it comes to dealing with pirates as the shores of the town were constantly being raided until the construction of the 80th branch nearby, and word of our actions of taking down Jelly ben jack had apparently reached this town before we did.

I was even approached by a fairly good-looking young woman who offered me a recorder snail and insisted I sign it for her. I did, of course, and when I asked her why she wanted to sign such a thing, she pressed the button on the snail's shell, and it displayed a recording of me playing my guitar and singing in that fancy bar back in Ballywood city.

It turned out that someone actually recorded me back then, without my knowledge, and it had spread all around the west blue for some reason.

I honestly didn't mind that. In fact, I was thrilled about it because I was a horny bastard, and becoming famous never hurt in that department, evidenced by the young lady clinging to my arm as Laffite and Wilson chuckled while Elly rolled her eyes in annoyance.

I eventually had to dismiss the girl as we approached our destination, the office of the best shipwright in this town, to have him check up on the black pearl.

While I'm sure that she didn't suffer any damage during our short voyage so far, being too careful never hurt anyone, and I would not risk the well-being of my ship by cutting corners to save time or money.

A middle-aged man hastily stood up to greet us as soon as we set foot inside the office. "Welcome to my humble shop, Johnny silver hand and company," He said with a hasty tone as he made his way towards us. "I am Sheamus, Tamworth town's best shipwright, as you no doubt know, since you are here," He concluded with a smile as he offered his hand to me, asking for a handshake.

"What can I do for you?" He asked with a radiant smile as I shook his offered hand.

"We only need to do a quick check-up on our black pearl. She's currently anchored in the docks," I stated with a smile as I drew back my hand.

"It would be my pleasure to take a look at any of old Jim's works," Sheamus stated with a smile as he proceeded to shake the hands of my companions as well.

After a little more pleasantries, we made our way to the dock and boarded the black pearl with Sheamus, accompanying us as we set sail to make our way towards his dry dock.

It didn't take us long to get there, and we were soon standing next to Sheamus as we gazed at the black pearl in all her glory as the dry dock's workers were hard at work checking every nook and cranny of the ship while cleaning her underside.

"You sure had old Jim go the extra mile for you," Sheamus said with a raised eyebrow. "He even gave up that batch of Adam wood he's been hoarding for several decades now. He must have high expectations for you, fellas," He concluded as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Is that so?" I asked in a confused voice. "He told us that he used the Adam wood to make the keel because we saved his brother's life," I stated while looking at Sheamus in the eye.

"Haha, he said that, did he?" Sheamus asked with a loud laugh. "That patch of Adam wood was his treasure not because of its value but because it's his only way to make his dream come true," he stated with a smile as he turned to look at the black pearl appreciatively.

"His dream, you say?" Elly said what was basically in all of our minds, while Byron looked sheepish for some reason.

"Old Jim is a sort of legend here in the west blue," Sheamus said with a sigh. "He is the best shipwright in this sea and possibly the second-best in the entire world," He concluded while shaking his head.

"The best shipwright in the world is undoubtedly Tom from water seven," He said in a somber tone. "But what most people don't know is that Tom and old Jim learned from the same master," He said to my, Laffite's and Bob's shock as the rest of the crew probably didn't know how much weight Tom's name carried.

"I even heard people in our inner circles say that old Jim had better skills as a shipwright, and the only thing holding him back was the lack of recourses here, like skilled workforce and Adam wood, unlike water seven, which is a shipwright's heaven," He concluded.

"He got that patch of Adam wood by venturing into the grand line and risking his life to get it, and he wouldn't give it up even if he had to die for it," he continued as he turned around to look at me with a smile. "So if he used that to build your ship, then he's entrusting you with his dream to make a ship for a crew that will surpass the people Tom made ships for," He stated with a broad smile as he gazed at my companions and me.

"He probably didn't tell you all of this as he did not wish to burden you with his dream, but now you know, so you better stop playing bounty hunters and get to the grand line already," He stated while pointing his finger at me. "That's right. You're not fooling anyone. Any person who had dealings with real pirates would recognize a crew of pirates when they see one," He concluded as he moved his finger to point at the rest of my companions.

"Rehahaha, you have quite the imagination," I said with a loud laugh not denying or affirming his claims.

"Thank you for telling us about old Jim's dream though. We'll make sure to live up to his expectations in our own way for making us such a great ship," I concluded with a smile as I turned to look at the black pearl with an entirely new perspective, causing the middle aged shipwright to shrug, seemingly not convinced at all.

'Even if he knows we're planning to be pirates, I doubt anyone would believe him, considering our record so far. Besides, the marines might already suspect something based on their strange attitude towards us," I thought inside my head with the equivalent of a shrug.

"By the way, this town seemed very hostile towards pirates," I said as I turned to look at Sheamus again. "And you are acting surprisingly accommodating towards a group of people you think are pirates. I wonder why that is?" I asked with a raised eyebrow while looking him in the eye.

"There are many different people with different personalities, and I can say the same about pirates," Sheamus said with a shrug. "You did nothing to hurt me or anyone I know, so why should I hate you because of what people you have nothing to do with have done in the past?" he concluded with a question of his own as he uncrossed his arms and shrugged his shoulder.

"It makes sense when you say it like that," I stated with a smile on my face as I turned back to look at the black pearl as the dock's workers were hard at work, cleaning her underside from any and all algae and barnacles, infesting her wood.

-0-

We spent the rest of the time looking at the workers go about their business while chatting with the middle-aged Shipwright until the work on the black pearl was done.

We then boarded her and set sail immediately after bidding Seamus his fees and bidding him farewell. We didn't anchor the ship at the docks, however, but we remained on the waters near the Irishia kingdom shores instead to be ready to act if anything happened since we were still alert about the marines.

We, of course, didn't forget to keep a lookout in the night, and we all took turns to keep watch in pairs except for Byron, who still needed as much rest as he can get to recover quickly from his injuries.

The only thing worthy of note about the pairs was the Wilson, and myself were not allowed to take lookout duty with just the two of us because we weren't trusted to not fight the enemy alone without alerting the rest of the crew if the enemy does appear.

We even avoided drinking as much as we can to stay sober, so we can react with haste if something expected or unexpected happens. Luckily nothing happened in the end, and we passed the night peacefully, with no excitement.

The sun soon showed itself on the horizon, and the morning hours passed just as peacefully as well as we had our breakfast and spent the time training or just lazing around because we had little else to do.

The boredom thankfully didn't last long, thanks to a call from ensign Obrien informing us that the captain of the marine base had just arrived and that we're expected to arrive at the 80th branch to claim our reward now.

We set sail immediately and made our way there. We were able to see the silhouette of the marine base after an hour or so, causing me to order Laffite to stop the ship outside the marine's canon and addressed my companions after I told them to gather.

"Alright, I'll be going alone, so you guys stay here and turn the ship around to get out of here at the first sign of trouble," I ordered with a calm tone as I looked at my companions. "I'll fight my way out and catch up with the ship if it's a trap, so don't worry about me and just leave," I concluded in a grave, commanding voice as I crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"But, captain, it could be dangerous. You should at least take someone with you," said Laffite hurriedly as he took a step forward.

"Laffite's right, captain. If you think that some of us will get in the way, then you should at least take Wilson or Laffite with you," Elly said with a reproaching voice as she glared at me.

"Rehahaha, It's not like I think any of you will get in the way," I said as I moved forward and stood up in front of Elly. "You know what this ship means to old Jim, and I won't risk it getting damaged here, which is why I'm leaving everyone here to guard her," I concluded as I took off my hat and placed it on Elly's head.

"Look, I'll even leave my special hat with you. That's how much I trust you," I stated with a smile as I began patting Elly's head over the hat.

"I'm not a kid to be pacified by offering a toy, captain," Elly said while trying to get my hand away from her head, but I can see the smile on her face, so she wasn't fooling anyone.

Laffite was still concerned about my safety and looked like he had something to say, but Wilson put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, "It's Johnny we're talking about here. He'll be okay," Wilson said with a smile, causing Laffite to shake his head with a sigh and smile as well.

"Alright, you kids, be careful and don't do anything I wouldn't do," I said with a smile and turned around to jump into the sea immediately.

I've chosen to swim my way to the base so as not to show my mastery of Soru and Geppo, as that would only get me more unwanted attention.

I swam towards the marine base with my fastest speed, and I was soon close enough to hear the marine soldiers at the docks shouting about someone approaching the shores while swimming. I ignored the shouting marines as I had to focus on a large creature speeding towards me from below the surface of the water.

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'Might as well give the marines a show of force. They might think I'm a pushover, otherwise,' I thought with a smirk as I used geppo with my legs submerged in water to avoid being noticed, dodging the creature's enormous mouth that was trying to swallow me whole.

The creature, a giant blackfish with spikes covering parts of its body, flew out of the water after missing me by a hair's breadth, showing its figure as it flew above the water.

Looking at this, I smiled as I began channeling my impact fist through my muscles, waiting for it to descend back within striking distance. I planted an impact fist-powered punch in its side immediately when it was close enough to do so, destroying its internal organs and killing it on the spot.

I watched as it sunk into the ocean with a smile on my face while the marine's shouting became even louder and dived behind it a second later, dragging its dead body with me towards the docks as I resumed my swim towards the docks as soon as I reached the surface of the water.

I jumped into the docks while dragging the large sea fish and was received warmly by a hundred or so rifles and swords pointed in my face.

"Stand down, men. This person is a bounty hunter here to claim a bounty," came ensign Obrien's voice, causing the marines to lower their weapons, but not without glaring at me first.

"Excuse the crude welcome. We were expecting a ship, not someone swimming towards us while dragging a sea monster," ensign Obrien said as he pointed the oversized fish behind me.

"Oh, this? I didn't want to come empty-handed, so I brought a present with me. I'm sure your cooks can do something with it," I said with a shameless smile, ignoring the fact I just killed this sea monster in front of everyone and dragged it here, causing the marines and the ensign's eyes to twitch in annoyance.

"I also left my crew and ship near the base so we can set sail as soon as I get back since we're kind of in a hurry," I added with a smile.

"You shouldn't have. No, really, you shouldn't have," the ensign said with a blank face, barely holding back the twitch in his eyes as visible black lines appeared on his forehead.

"There's no need to be shy. You can accept it without holding back," I said with a warm smile as I shamelessly patted the ensign on his shoulder assuringly, causing him to lose control as his eyes began twitching intensely again.

"Now, do you have my money, or are there any more procedures I'll have to go through before that?" I asked with a serious tone as I took a step back, dismissing my playful attitude so far.

"The money is ready to be handed over to you. You only need to be present as the captain signs the last papers before we can hand it over," He stated with an equally grave voice as he looked me in the eye.

'I guess I won't be able to avoid getting out of here without finding out what the marine's intentions are, one way or the other,' I thought with a mental sigh.

"Lead the way then," I stated with a calm tone, and the ensign nodded as he turned around and started walking in the direction of the base's interior, causing me to follow behind him.

"So, your captain, what are they like?" I asked while following the ensign out of boredom, trying to pass the time.

"Our captain is the best. She's strong and caring towards her subordinates..." the ensign said and proceeded to praise the captain of this base with a passion. I, however, stopped listening to the word "she" and began imagining all kinds of situations where the marines would use a honey trap to distract me and then try to arrest me or something.

'I really need to get laid. I didn't get any action since Toroa island,' I thought with a bitter smile as I shook my head to clear it of any distracting thoughts, and it happened just in time as the ensign stopped in front of a door and stood aside.

"The captain is inside. She's already expecting you, so hurry up and don't keep her waiting," the ensign said with a stoic voice as he stood next to the door and didn't enter himself.

I made my way into the room and halted my steps in surprise for a second as I saw who was waiting for me inside, but I shook it off and resumed walking.

"Captain black cage Hina, I heard much about you," I said with a smile as I sat down on an expensive-looking, red leather couch.

'She's probably trying to go for one of those cliched power plays where she would ignore me without offering me a seat or something. Unfortunately for her, I don't have even a shred of the patience required to go through that kind of bullshit,' I thought as I adjusted myself to make myself comfortable on the couch.

"All good things, Hina hopes?" She asked in a stoic tone as she stopped reading the papers on her desk and raised her head to look at me instead.

"Nothing but good things, especially from ensign Obrien," I replied as I lit a cigarette.

"Ensign Obrien's opinions might be biased since Hina saved his life before, so take his words about Hina with a grain of salt," She replied just as stoically, but there was a faint smile on her lips at the respect her subordinate had for her.

"I would definitely love to stay and chat with beauty like you, but my companions are waiting for me, and I'm sure you're quite busy as well," I remarked while blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Why don't we get this over with quickly so we can both get back to our business," I concluded with a smile.

"Hina is at least a decade older than you. So flattery will get you nowhere," she said with a raised eyebrow. "And Hina agrees we should get this over with as quickly as possible, but You have to answer some questions first," She concluded as she unconsciously crossed her arms in front of her chest, making her already ridiculously large tits look even larger and drawing my eyes to them.

"Age is just a number, and I'm super into older ladies," I replied with a shit-eating grin as I shamelessly kept staring at her breast, causing her to snort in disdain. "But I guess I can answer some questions, so ask away," I concluded as I finally stopped looking at her mounds and raised my eyes to look her in the eye instead.

"A retired shipwright known as the old Jim personally built your ship even though he did not accept any commission in years now, so how did you convince him to do it?" Hina asked while ignoring my earlier remark.

"We didn't convince him to do anything. He took over the commission from another shipyard by himself," I replied with a shrug. Hina didn't look convinced, but she moved on to the next question nonetheless.

"Your prosthetic arm seems to be made with very advanced technology. From where did you obtain it?" She asked again as she looked at my silver prosthetic arm.

'That's why I didn't want to deal with the marines in the first place. Thankfully, I already have a somewhat convincing excuse for such a situation,' I thought with a mental sigh.

"I lost my arm while saving a certain scientist, so he gave me this one instead," I replied while patting my left arm.

"Who is this scientist, and where is he right now? She asked, trying and failing to mask the impatience in her voice when it was time to ask about my prosthetic arm.

"I'm afraid I can't help you there as the man didn't want to tell me his name nor did he tell me where he was going, and I prefer not to talk about this subject any further," I replied with a resolute tone, making it clear that I won't answer any more questions about the subject.

"Hina sees, moving on." She said with some disappointment in her voice.

"You were seen using a secret technique that belongs to the world government in the Ballywood kingdom while fighting Frank Nitti, the mob boss. Who taught you such a thing?" She asked, and there was a warning tone in her voice as she spoke, meaning that I'll have to answer this question.

'I guess the marines have more presence here than I thought. They even know about something like this," I thought with another mental sigh at my carelessness.

"No one taught me. I figured it out myself after reading about it in a pirate journal I found buried with the pirate's treasure when I was stranded on a deserted island," I concluded with a shrug.

"Hina is not convinced. It takes years for people to learn those secret techniques even while under the guidance of masters. Hina doesn't believe you learned by yourself, let alone figured it out by simply reading about it," She said while glaring at me, not even trying to mask her outrage at my remarks.

"What can I say? I'm just that good, Rehahaha," I replied with a chuckle, without falling for her attempt to provoke me into saying something I didn't plan to say.

Hina then proceeded to ask me all kinds of questions for the next half hour about matters both small and big, and I answered most of them with half-truths or outright lies since I expected to be asked about them eventually and prepared the answers ahead of time.

The only question to take me by surprise was about Laffite and the circumstances of him joining the crew because Hina seemed to be particularly interested in that piece of information, and I answered her truthfully without mentioning the parts about piracy, of course.

"That's all the questions I have," Hina said as she looked down and picked up a paper which she signed and offered to me to sign as well. I signed it but not before carefully reading its contents to make sure it didn't have any hidden clauses or traps and gave it back to her, causing her to reach under her desk to retrieve a suitcase full of cash and throw it in my direction.

"Thank you for the business, captain Hina," I said with a smile after investigating the contents of the suitcase and was about to get up and leave, but I was interrupted.

"One more thing before you go," Hina said with narrowed eyes, causing me to halt my actions and tense my body, preparing to jump into action if necessary.

-0-

"Do you still need something from me, captain Hina?" I asked, already making preparations to fight or flee, depending on the situation.

"Hina knows it will not work after asking you all those questions, but Hina still has to do it since it's an order from the fleet admiral," she stated, and I felt a chill at the back of my head at Sengoku's involvement in whatever is going on.

'Crap, whatever is going on, I'll need to get out of here since it can't be anything simple if even Sengoku is involved,' I thought as I hastily began channeling my impact fist to break the wall behind me and escape.

"Johnny silver hand, are you interested in joining the marines?" the pink-haired captain asked with a sigh, and I felt the tension leaving my body.

"REHAHAHAHAHAHA," I blanked for a good couple of seconds and then burst out laughing my guts out.

"Hina doesn't understand what is so funny, this is an invitation from the highest authority in the marine's, and it's not a laughing matter, so get a hold of yourself," Hina exclaimed with a loud voice as she smacked her desk with her palm, cracking it in the process.

"REHAHAHA, If you asked me under other circumstances I would just say no, but I'm laughing this hard because I've been overthinking the situation," I said between laughs while holding my side. "I've been on full alert thinking you marines wanted to get rid of me or something," I said and finally calmed myself and stopped laughing.

"What stupidity is that there's no way the marines would want to get rid of someone who has committed no crime," she said with an outraged voice. "And if you thought we intend to get rid of you, then coming here alone was incredibly stupid of you," she concluded with a raised eyebrow.

"I came here alone because I know for a fact that no one can stop me from leaving if I wanted to," I said with a leisure smile while looking her in the eye, trying to provoke her since I just had a brilliant idea.

"Hmph, How arrogant you may have taken down some troublesome people, but Hina doesn't understand where you found the confidence to spout such nonsense," the pinkette said with an annoyed voice as she looked at me dismissively.

"I can show where my confidence is coming from if you'd like," I replied with a raised eyebrow as I smiled at her in a provoking manner.

"That's fine by me, you and Hina at the training yard right now!" she exclaimed while pointing her index finger at me.

"Not so fast. If we're going to fight, then we should bet something," I said with a shrug. "It would be just a waste of effort otherwise," I concluded with a cunning smile.

"Hina will win anyway, so it's fine by me. When Hina wins, you will join the marines," Hina stated confidently without breaking eye contact.

"And if I win, you resign from the marines and join my crew instead," I stated with a smile, giving her a condition that I know she will not accept, so what I really want would seem more reasonable instead.

"Hina said it already. Hina can't lose against you, but this condition is impossible as it would compromise Hina's pride as a marine," she said while shaking her head. "Pick something else," she concluded decisively.

"Well, if that's the case, then you will go on a date with me and owe me a favor that I call upon any time I want in the future," I offered "generously," while smiling warmly at her.

"Hina thinks that's fair. Let's go then," Hina remarked after a second of thought as she stood up and made her way to the door, causing me to follow her with a smile on my face.

It didn't take us long to reach the marine base's training ground, and Hina quickly cleared it for us to fight from the marines training there with a simple order.

"I'll let you have the first move, so don't keep me waiting," I said while standing at the edge of the training field as I smirked at Hina, who was standing at the other opposite me on the other side, causing the marines spectating at the side to boo in disdain at me.

"Hina will accept your offer since it doesn't matter who gets the first fight as my victory is already assured," The pinkette said with her usual stoic voice as she threw her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, causing the marines to stop booing at me and cheer for her instead.

"Lined Kimono Feather Cage," Hina exclaimed as she stomped the ground with her left foot and spread her arms to the side, causing black bars to shoot out of her sleeve and engulf the entire training ground.

'That should be the technique she used at the marine ford to try catching Luffy,' I thought in my head as I looked at the cage surrounding the entire training field.

"Everything that passes through Hina's body... is locked tight," Hina said with a faint smile as she brought her arms together, and the steel bars closed in on me as well, causing the marines spectating to cheer even harder while shouting, "Captain Hina's catchphrase!" and "here it comes the captain's technique."

I jumped into the air just as the steel bars were about to touch me, avoiding them in the process. I then drew my gun mid-air and fired a bullet at her, causing Hina to dismiss the black cage below me and produce a single black bar in her hand, which she used to deflect the projectile.

I looked at this scene and whistled at her to show my appreciation for her fast reaction speed, but my eyes widened as a steel bar shot out from the ground beneath me just as I was about to land.

'She must have sent it underground when she stomped her foot earlier,' I thought with a smile as I shook off my surprise and used Geppo to stay floating in the air, avoiding her attack again.

'Might as well show some of my strength since she'll no doubt be reporting back to Sengoku, and this could help me secure a warlord position in the future,' I with a leisure smile as I fired another bullet at her, which she also deflected with the black steel bar in her hand.

"It looks like you weren't lying about learning the six powers at least, color Hina impressed," Hina stated and then vanished, appearing right in front of me with her arms cocked backward, ready to deliver a lariat strike at my midsection and bind me with her devil fruit powers.

I used geppo to take a step backward in the air, causing her to hit nothing but air. I then advanced forward to deliver a straight kick into her stomach. She reacted quickly and put a crossguard in front of it, causing her to fly back without suffering much damage since I held back a considerable amount of my strength.

She, however, managed to touch my leg before I sent her flying and managed to add a black, metallic ring around my shin, and I purposefully left there without tearing it apart.

"You just held back, didn't you?" the pinkette asked with a scowl, glaring at me. "Hina will make you regret that," She concluded as I landed on the ground, and I merely shrugged at her with a smile, causing her scowl to become even more pronounced.

She charged at me again, and I smiled as I charged at her as well while giving the middle finger to the marines who were booing at me.

We kept exchanging blows at melee range at close range for what felt like ten minutes with me holding back as the black metal restraints kept increasing all over my body, and we were currently standing at a two-meter distance from each other with me smirking at her, not minding my body that was covered in restraining black metal, and Hina panting in exhaustion.

"Is that all you have?" I asked with a smirk and wanted to crack my knuckles, but I couldn't because I the many restraints binding my body.

"You are quite resilient. Hina will give you that much," Hina said while panting. "But it's already my win since you're covered in restraints, and you won't be able to raise a finger as I hammer you down until you admit defeat," she concluded with one hand pointing at me while the other was at her waist.

"Oh, you mean these," I said while gesturing towards the restraints with my face since my limbs were tied. "I can get rid of them any time I want, just like this," I concluded as I put all my strength into my arms, causing the steel restraints to groan while bending from the pressure.

"I just kept them on to show you where my confidence is coming from," I said as the restraints began breaking, falling to the ground, and disappearing, causing the marines and Hina's jaws to open wide in surprise.

"Now you know, and there's no need to let this fight go any longer," I concluded with a shrug as I vanished and appeared in front of her and flicked her forehead with my middle finger.

"Hina failed," she remarked with a sigh as she turned her head to the side.

(Author's note: discord gg/sEtqmRs5y7 —- the link to my discord server it already has a couple of awesome guys with memes and constant discussions about one piece)

-0-

"Well, you do get to go on a date with me, so it's not a complete failure," I said with a shit-eating smirk as I removed my hand from the pinkette's forehead, causing her to scowl at me and the marines to start booing again.

"That's right, you salty sea dogs. Your captain will be going on a date with me!" I said as I flipped off the marines with both of my hands, causing jeer and boo even harder and Hina to sigh.

"Hina lost fair and square," she said with a sigh as she lit up a cigarette. "Give Hina thirty minutes to rest and freshen up, then we can go to Tamworth town for a date," Hina concluded as she turned around and walked away, leaving me the marine soldiers who were glaring murderously at me.

I gave the gathered marines the middle finger one last time before I headed to the port. Once there, I then informed my companions that everything was alright and told them to stay where they were.

Hina didn't keep me waiting and arrived wearing a new suit. "Do you want to go on a marine ship?" She asked in her usual stoic tone while looking at me.

"We'll go on my ship," I said with a smile. "Then hurry up and tell your friends to bring it here so we can get going," Hina replied with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no need for that," I said while looking at her with mischievous eyes. "What do you mea-," She tried to say something, but I ignored it and scooped her up, tossing her on my shoulder and launching myself into the sky with Geppo, causing her to yelp in surprise.

"So, even the stoic black cage Hina can yelp too, sometimes?" I remarked with a chuckle, causing the pinkette to jab me with her knee above my chest in annoyance.

"You bastard, How is Hina supposed to show her face in front of her subordinates after you scooped me up like that in front of them," the pinkette said in an outraged voice as she began squirming on my shoulder.

"I think you're underestimating how much respect those guys have for you," I said with a shrug. "And If that's all it takes for them to lose their respect for you, then their respect isn't worth having in the first place," I concluded.

"Hina is their superior and the commanding officer of this marine branch, so I have to be a role model those guys look up to," Hina stated stoically. "You, carrying Hina like a rice bag on your shoulder in front of them, doesn't help with that," she concluded with a defeated sigh and finally stopped struggling.

"As I've said, you're underestimating how much respect these guys have for you," I stated as I landed on the black pearl's deck. "You'll understand what I mean when you get back to the base," I concluded with a smirk as I let Hina get off my shoulder, causing my companions to gather up, staring curiously at Hina and me.

"Was it really a trap, captain? Did you bring her as a hostage or something?" Elly said, while looking at Hina vigilantly.

"Nothing like that. It turns out the marines just wanted me to join them, Rehahaha," I said with a loud laugh. "This captain Hina, the commanding officer of the 80th marine branch. She lost a wager against me, and so she'll be going on a date with me!" I stated, causing everyone present to roll their eyes in exasperation except for Wilson, who burst out in a laughing fit.

"That's Johnny for you. Not only did he get the bounty, but he also brought the marine's captain with him," Wilson exclaimed while laughing in a loud voice as he began smacking me on the back with his huge hand, causing Hina to scowl at him.

"Alright, alright, that's enough," I remarked with a smile as I pushed Wilson away. "Laffite takes us back to Tamworth town. We can restock there since we didn't have time to do that," I ordered calmly.

"And by we, I mean you restock our supplies while I take the good captain here on a date," I stated with a smirk. "Also, try to get us some canons while you're at it, Laffite," I concluded while giving my navigator a meaningful glance, which translated to get them through the underworld or something if you can't get them legally.

"Will do, captain," Laffite said while nodding, not having any trouble understanding my hidden meaning as he turned around and made his way to the helm to steer us into our destination.

Looking at this, the rest of the crew also disbanded to do what they usually did, with Elly at the crow's nest, Wilson handling the sails, Byron resting to recover from his injuries, Bob lazing around on the deck since it's not time to prepare the meals yet, and I took Hina to my favorite spot at the black pear's brow to lean on the rails and chat lightly to pass the time.

We didn't talk about anything important. We mostly just talked about Hina's time in training and how she became friends with the troublemaking smoker on her end.

I, myself, mostly talked about my training and my music, which revealed that Hina actually had a recording of me singing as well, causing me to tease her about it and her to scowl at me for that.

All in all, I would say it was a pleasant conversation, and that we got along quite nicely, especially since we avoided talking about anything sensitive that could ruin the mood or lead to suspicion.

By the time the black pearl arrived at Tamworth town's docks, my opinion of Hina had risen a lot since she seemed to consider this an actual date and not a chance to gather more information about me and my companions.

I had a few words with my companions to give them some instructions I forgot to mention earlier and bid them farewell as I took Aina with me to start our date.

We first went to a restaurant as we were both hungry, courtesy of the earlier spar and the hour and a half journey to get here. We chose a fairly nice-looking restaurant and had our meal while picking up on the earlier conversation where we left it with nothing interesting or exciting happening.

After our meal, we took our leave and began strolling through the streets of the town. Tamworth town was a port town built to be a trading center, and as such, we came across it was filled with all manner of exotic products from all over the west blue, which caused Hina to marvel at them every time we came across something interesting or bizarre, causing me to ask her why she seemed to marvel at most things here as if it was the first time she ever saw them.

She sighed and said that she never came here despite how close her workplace was, as she was swamped in work almost all the time, and she would use whatever free time she had to train herself.

I shrugged at that and told her that is a good thing I came when I did since she'll still be stuck at the marine base doing paperwork and whatnot, otherwise, causing her to chuckle in response.

By the time the sky began darkening, we had already most of what there is to be seen in this town, and Hina actually had a smiling expression on her face instead of her usual stoic and serious one as we made our way to a decent-looking bar we found while we were strolling.

It didn't take long for Hina's competitiveness show once we started drinking. She outright challenged me to a drinking contest since she was still bitter about her defeat earlier today and wanted to use this drinking competition to get one over me.

Hina was surprisingly fun to drink with, as the drinks helped loosen the heavy restraints she put on herself, so she can always act serious and stoic in front of her subordinates.

Her alcohol tolerance was very strong as well, but she chose the wrong opponent as I basically guzzle whisky as if it was water every day.

We kept drinking and chatting until we were the only ones left at the bar, with Hina moving her seat next to mine at one point and having one of her arms wrapped around my neck while the other help a bottle of alcohol, but she could still control herself as she wasn't fully drunk her despite actions that suggested otherwise.

I told her we should call it a day when I noticed we're the only ones still drinking and that the bar employees were looking at us with dirty eyes, and she agreed.

We hurriedly left the bar after paying the bill and made our way towards an inn to get her a room so she can stay the night in while I go back to stay on my ship.

"well, what are you waiting for, Johnny?. Hurry up and get inside," Hina ordered with a calm voice while blushing as I was about to take my leave after I walked her to her room.

"As much as I'd like to, I'll pass since you're drunk," I said with a smile as I poked her forehead with my finger, hoping that the slight pain would sober her up a little and put some sense into her head.

"Hina is not that drunk," Hina said with a smile of gratitude while rubbing her forehead. "Hina is fully aware of what she's doing," she stated and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around me and covering my lips with her own.

Lemons begin.

My mind goes blank at the suddenness of Hina's actions, and she uses the opening to push her tongue into my mouth as her hands began exploring my body.

I regain my wits after a second as my hands move unconsciously to hold her toned rear, giving it a firm squeeze as my tongue goes to action as well, battling against hers inside my mouth.

Hina then wrapped her arms around my neck and began dragging me to the interior of the room, and I obliged as I closed the door behind me with a backward kick, and my hands went up to her red suit jacket promptly removing it, and my long leather coat soon joined it on the ground.

We kept kissing as our hands desperately roamed each other's bodies, exploring and trying to undress the other, and soon enough, Hina's shirt buttons were all opened, and she immediately shrugged it to the side, revealing a large pair of tits covered by plain red bra that seemed to be barely able to contain them.

I broke out of the kiss and took a step back to take an appreciative look at the now half-naked Hina, causing her to blush as I took off my tank top vest and took a step forward to resume our kiss.

We kept kissing and undressing each other until both of us were in nothing but our birthday suits, and I immediately reacted as I push her into the bed and lay on top of her, raining kisses on her neck, causing her to moan lewdly.

My lips soon make their way to her perky breasts as my hand worms its way to her glistening slit as I lap my tongue around her hard, pink nibbles while sucking and biting playfully.

I raise my head to look at Hina and the hungry look she is giving me, along with the wet sensation on my finger that is playing with her slit, tells me that there is no need for further foreplay as I raise myself and my line my shaft at her entrance, pausing as I look up at her again.

She gives me a nod while biting her lips while looking at me with a heated gaze, causing me to begin pushing my hips gently to penetrate her tight wet hole, as she embraces me and buries her head into my shoulder, moaning lewdly in pleasure.

"Do it, Hina can take it," the pinkette says as she locks her lips with mine after my shaft was halfway through her wet entrance, causing me to thrust my hips and bury the entirety of my cock inside of her.

Hina's body arches upwards in a small orgasm as she moaned loudly into my mouth. "someone is pent up," I remarked as I broke the kiss and raised myself to sit on my knees without pulling out as I looked down at the panting Hina.

"Less talking, more thrusting," was Hina's reply as she took one of my hands and guided it to her breasts, and I obliged as I began tweaking her nibble as my other hand held onto her thigh as I began thrusting into her.

I began thrusting gently, but my thrusts steadily became faster, with Hina's moans became louder and lewder as with every thrust until I felt the walls of her entrance tighten around my invading rod as she came again with a loud scream and a squirt that covered my abdomen in her juices, her sudden tightness forcing me to reach my limit as well.

I hastily pulled out my rod with a grunt and watched as ropes of cum covered Hina's stomach and breasts. "That was great Johnny, Hina needed that," the pinkette said as she scooped some cum from her breasts with her finger and gave it an experimental lick making my still hard cock to throb.

"Was? you're talking as if we're done here," I remarked with a smirk as I held her hips and flipped her into her stomach, face down into the bed and ass up in the air, fully displaying her most intimate areas in front of me.

"Hina approves," she said between moans as I lined my shaft and penetrated her tight, wet hole again while spreading her bottom with my hands.

"That's right. We're just getting started," I stated with a smirk as I began thrusting into the pinkette.

We then kept going at it until both of us were too tired to continue and fell into a sex coma while holding each other.

Lemon end.

Later:

I woke up while stretching my arms, and after blearily choking at my surroundings, I didn't Find Hina anywhere, so I got up with a yawn and began picking up and wearing my clothes. Until my eye moved to the nightstand, spotting a piece of paper with Hina's pink underwear sitting next to it.

I made my way to the nightstand and opened the paper to read its contents, and it said:

Dear Johnny, Last night was very fun, and it made Hina feel like a woman again after being nothing more than a marine soldier for so long.

For that, you have my thanks, but this can be nothing more than a fun night to remember, and nothing more as Hina must return to her duties to the marines, and you can not ignore the call of the sea.

p.S. I have written my personal transponder snail's number on the back of the paper. Feel free to contact me to call upon the favor I owe you anytime you wish.

-Hina.

'And the serious Hina is back,' I think to myself with a chuckle. 'But I guess she still has some fun in her, even in her stoic mod," I conclude in my head with a light laugh as I pocket both the letter and Hina's underwear.

I finish dressing up and take a shower in the inn's bathroom, then make my way to the counter to pay for our stay last night.

"Here you go, with a little extra for the mess," I remark with a smile as I slide down some Berry notes across the counter to the inn's owner, who raised an eyebrow at my remark but as he takes the money nonetheless.

I smiled at the inn's owner again and took my leave, making my way towards the black pearl while humming in a good mood as I strolled through the streets.

It didn't take me long to reach my destination, as the inn we chose was close to the docks, and I found the entire crew on the deck when I boarded the ship with a smile on my face.

"someone's in a good mood," Wilson remarked as he raised the alcohol bottle in his hand to drink a big mouthful, not minding the earliness of the day as he enjoyed the spirit.

"That I am," I replied with a smirk, making no further comments on the subject. "Do we have all the supplies we need to set sail?" I asked as I turned to look at Laffite and Elly, the only two I can rely on to get things unrelated to fighting done.

"We do, captain. I took inventory of our supplies and bought everything we lacked yesterday," Elly stated with her hands on my hat that she was still wearing.

"I also got us three canons as you instructed, captain," Laffite said while twirling his red cane. "Two of them went to the side, and we installed the third on the ship's bow," he concluded with a smile, and I nodded approvingly at him.

"If that's the case, then let's set sail towards Kano country," I exclaimed with a loud voice, causing my companions to cheer.

Third-person point of view:

As Hina walked through the 80th marine branch while rubbing her sore jaw, hoping that her subordinates wouldn't notice the strange way she was walking, she was greeted respectfully by her underlings, who had nothing but respect in their eye as they looked at her passing by.

'Johnny was right. These guys are really great,' she thought in her head, trying to suppress a smile at the fact that her subordinates still respected her despite the events of yesterday.

She soon reached her office, then took a seat and retrieved the transponder snail at her desk to make a report to her superior.

Somewhere else:

A tall, fair-skinned, and muscular man with a long, braided goatee and a mustache is sitting behind his luxurious desk while going through some papers on the said desk.

His most distinctive feature is the cap he is wearing, decorated with a life-sized seagull spreading its wings on top of it and a white coat with the word "justice," emblazoned in blue on the back.

"Perurururu," one of the many transponder snails on his desk rang, causing him to drop the papers in his hand and pick up the snail as he cleared his throat.

"Report, captain," he ordered calmly after picking up the call and waited for the other party's response.

"Greetings, fleet admiral, this is captain Hina calling to report about the task you entrusted me with," came Hina's stoic voice from the snail's mouth.

"I have met with the bounty hunter, known as Johnny silver hand and invited to join the marines as you asked," Hina stated in her usual stoic tone and paused for a second.

"He is, as described in the reports, very free-spirited, with no respect to authority. He seemed to be loved and respected by his companions, but that was all I could gather about his crew as I didn't get the chance to spend as much time as I'd like with them," Hina explained in a clear tone.

Hina then began explaining the rest of her encounter with Johnny in her office and their fight afterward in great detail, but she said nothing about their so-called date, and the fleet admiral surprisingly didn't ask her about it either.

"I see. It's a shame that he's not interested in joining the marines. I had high hopes that he would, especially with how short-staffed we are right now," the fleet admiral said while suppressing a sigh.

"Hina doesn't think he would have been a good fit with the marines, either way. He's too free-spirited for that," the captain remarked, and the fleet admiral could detect some envy and longing in her voice, but he wisely said nothing about it.

"At any rate, you have done well, captain," the fleet admiral said. "Prepare yourself, as I might have to transfer you to the grand line soon. Some areas are swarming with pirate activity, and your skills will put to better use there," he explained to the captain and concluded the call with a casual "dismissed, captain," after Hina responded affirmatively to his order.

'I have a feeling this Johnny brat will cause me a lot of headaches in the future. I only hope he doesn't turn into a pirate, like most outstanding youths do these days,' he thought in his head, dreading the future headaches that he expected Johnny would cause for him.

"I'll just let my future self deal with this headache, god knows I have enough of those," the fleet admiral concluded while nodding sagely.

After coming to this wise conclusion, the fleet admiral looked right and left, to make sure he wasn't being watched, then opened a drawer, picking up a transponder snail with a red button on its shell, which he pressed after setting it on the table with a smile.

The sound of Johnny's singing voice came out from the snail, and the fleet admiral began humming with the song as he resumed going through his paper work.

(Author's note: discord gg/sEtqmRs5y7 —- the link to my discord server it already has a couple of awesome guys with memes and constant discussions about one piece)