Chapter 18: Forced Kiss - Hina

Hina turned and walked away.

She had spent an hour dressing up today, deliberately making herself look beautiful just for Chiba. But to her dismay, she found him tangled up with that troublemaker Peacock.

"Chiba, there's no need to explain," she muttered as she stormed off. Chiba, wanting to go after her, was caught by Peacock's whip, which wrapped around his waist.

"My dear sir, it's better that she's gone. Now no one will get in our way," Peacock cooed, her voice soft and seductive.

"Peacock, enough. You're my grandma's granddaughter; we're practically like siblings. Stop this nonsense and put the whip away."

"Heh, that's just in name. We're not related by blood," Peacock teased.

"Let go."

"I won't. What are you going to do? Hit me? Go ahead—where will you start?" Peacock taunted, turning her back and playfully sticking out her hips.

Chiba's eye twitched as he covered his hand in Armament Haki and grabbed the whip. With all 840 million particles in his body now awakened, his strength was immense. With a quick tug, he sent Peacock—whip and all—flying across the room, crashing into the wall.

"Sorry about that. But, Peacock, you need to work on your physical strength. You can't rely solely on your Devil Fruit powers."

With that, Chiba dashed off after Hina. Peacock pushed herself up, glaring in the direction Chiba had gone.

"Monkey D. Chiba, you jerk! How dare you throw me like that!"

"If I don't make you pay, I won't be a woman anymore!" she yelled, snapping her whip in frustration, the crack echoing through the room.

---

The Avenue Outside the Research Room

Hina walked briskly down the path lined with green willows, anger evident in every step.

Chiba caught up with her and grabbed her soft hand. "Hina, as a Marine Colonel, you're acting impulsively. You should know I have nothing to do with Peacock."

"Whether you have anything to do with her or not—what does it matter to me?" Hina retorted, though the coldness in her voice was beginning to fade.

"And besides, I have nothing to do with you."

"Let go of my hand." Hina tried to pull free.

Chiba frowned, wrapping his arms around her waist. "If you keep acting like this, don't blame me for taking action."

Hina narrowed her eyes. "Take action? What are you going to do?"

Without another word, Chiba pulled Hina into his arms and kissed her firmly on the lips.

Hina's eyes widened in shock. Though she had grown close to Chiba, they had never reached this level of intimacy. Her heart pounded wildly, and she tried to push him away, hitting his chest, but he only held her tighter.

Marines patrolling nearby saw the scene and quickly turned their heads.

The female Marines whispered among themselves, their hearts broken.

"Ugh... Chiba Vice Admiral's first kiss should've been mine. It should've been mine…!"

"Damn you, Hina! You stole my Chiba Vice Admiral! How could you…?"

Meanwhile, the male Marines also felt their hearts sink.

"Our beautiful Colonel Hina, stolen away by that beast Chiba! A beast! An absolute beast!"

"Is the Marine's most beautiful officer really going to be taken just like that? I can't accept it!"

---

Not far away, Aokiji and Smoker were walking together.

Smoker stopped when he saw the scene unfold, his expression turning complicated.

Aokiji glanced over and said, "You might want to choose someone else to like. In terms of strength, status, and looks, you can't really compete with my nephew Chiba."

"Stop talking nonsense. Who said I like Hina?" Smoker growled, clearly irritated.

Aokiji smirked, picking at his ear. "If you don't like her, then why are you yelling?"

Smoker was silent for a moment, looking defeated. "I need a drink."

"Alright, I'll join you," Aokiji replied, throwing an arm over Smoker's shoulder.

---

Inside the Marshal's Office

Sengoku watched the scene through the window, shaking his head. "That brat's already a Vice Admiral, and he still doesn't know how to behave. Doesn't he know that such behavior is forbidden in the Marines? If it were discovered, it could lead to severe punishment."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "What a headache. If he ends up getting married, what kind of gift should I prepare?"

---

In a nearby building, Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed as she observed.

"I didn't expect Hina to take the initiative!"

"Chiba, that mischievous boy, likes that innocent, sisterly type!"

"It seems poor Peacock doesn't stand a chance."

"Well, to be fair, Peacock is a bit too forward. Chiba is more reserved; that kind of approach isn't his style."

"Momousagi is probably more his type."

"Then again, Momousagi is my younger sister, and the age gap is quite large."

"But Momousagi's beauty and figure are definitely not inferior to Hina's. Maybe it's worth a shot. Age and rank shouldn't matter. What's important is securing Chiba's loyalty. If I can do that, I'll secure the future of the Marines."

Tsuru's eyes gleamed thoughtfully.

---

On the Street

Chiba finally released Hina after a long kiss, looking at her sternly. "If you keep being stubborn, I'll kiss you like this all day."

Hina's face was flushed. "I didn't know you had such a bold side, Chiba. Hina is... surprised."

Chiba pulled her close again. "You underestimate me. Today, you'll get to know me better. And one more thing—the smell of cigarettes on your lips is too strong. You need to cut down on smoking. Next time we kiss, I don't want to taste smoke."

Hina's face turned a deeper shade of pink. She glared at him, but her eyes twinkled. "I didn't expect you to be this shameless. Hina is even more surprised."

---

𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:

• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪

• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮

• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝

• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!

👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧