chapter 58

"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)