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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.
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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.
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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...
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"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.
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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.
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