That afternoon, a warship docked at the Marine Headquarters port.
A tall woman with pink hair stepped off the ship.
She wore a pair of dark sunglasses perched on her forehead, a cigarette resting casually at the corner of her lips.
With smoke curling around her, she looked every bit the image of a rebellious bad girl.
Tight-fitting clothes hugged her long legs and well-proportioned figure, making it impossible not to look twice.
After all, beauties like her were rare in the Navy.
Even among Marines, Hina had countless admirers.
But with her prideful personality, she'd never dated a single one of them.
And as for friends? Hina barely had any, just a handful at most.
"Get the supplies loaded quickly. We're heading out again soon," Hina ordered, a slight impatience in her voice.
The two newly recruited young seamen still needed to be officially logged.
After all, they were both former pirates.
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Marines on board moved fast, hauling cargo with practiced speed as Hina walked deeper into the port.
She passed a few Marines who couldn't help but steal glances her way.
But Hina had zero interest in romance.
And even if she did, only a man like Vice Admiral Amamiya Noah—handsome, composed, and absurdly strong—might stand a chance.
The rest?
They might as well be dog poop in her eyes.
"Admiral Kuzan!"
At that moment, Hina spotted a familiar face—Kuzan, heading toward the port, pushing a bicycle beside him.
So classic Kuzan.
If anything, that bike was practically his signature.
"Hina, huh. Back already? Heading to the New World with Noah?"
Kuzan glanced over and wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Hina being here was the most normal thing in the world.
After all, wherever Noah went, Hina followed.
She wasn't just a Marine anymore. She was Noah's personal secretary.
Even Kuzan didn't know what to say about that arrangement anymore.
"Yes," Hina replied calmly, showing neither humility nor arrogance.
"Wanna come work under me?" Kuzan asked out of the blue.
"You're already a Colonel. Won't be long before you hit Rear Admiral."
"Could use some extra hands on my side. Think about it?"
Was he… poaching?
Yep. Admiral Kuzan was trying to poach her.
Noah had trained Hina so well she could now handle all the paperwork, logistics, and operations a Marine officer needed.
If she transferred to his unit, Kuzan figured his own workload would be cut in half.
"Oho? So we're poaching now, huh?"
Before Hina could answer, a new voice entered the conversation.
A hand casually landed on Kuzan's shoulder.
It was Noah, smiling lazily, looking at his fellow Admiral like he'd just caught him stealing candy.
Trying to recruit his secretary the moment his back was turned?
Shameless.
"Ara… weren't you asleep?" Kuzan scratched his head awkwardly. But inside, he was serious.
He hadn't sensed Noah approach at all.
Not a sound, not a trace.
The kid's strength was growing too fast.
And wasn't this guy supposed to always be sleeping?
When had a professional slacker reached this level?
"You think I wouldn't wake up when someone's trying to steal my staff?" Noah grinned.
"Say, Kuzan-nii, didn't you mention my office has a huge stack of documents waiting?"
"Help me out, yeah?"
He spoke lightly, but Kuzan shook his head immediately.
"No way. The Fleet Admiral just gave me a mission too."
"I've got patrol duty now. Can't help even if I wanted to."
Noah's desk probably had a mountain of paperwork on it by now.
Going in there would be like walking into a death trap.
"Hmm, maybe I'll talk to the Fleet Admiral, then," Noah mused, pretending to consider it.
"If Kizaru goes to the New World with me, he'll definitely slack off."
"So wouldn't it be better if you came with me, and he took your place on patrol?"
"Wait, hold up!"
Kuzan's face darkened.
This guy was just trying to stir the pot.
And honestly? If Noah pitched that to Sengoku, the old man might actually agree.
He knew Kizaru's work ethic, or lack thereof, like the back of his hand.
If they brought it up, it wouldn't be impossible for Sengoku to make the swap.
"What's wrong? Sounded like you were about to say yes."
Noah's grin widened.
"…How about this," Kuzan said after a long silence.
"We have a match. If you win, I'll handle your paperwork."
"But if I win, Hina transfers to my unit,"
"and you give me two more boxes of those cigars from last time."
It wasn't a bad deal from Kuzan's perspective.
Maybe Noah would back down once he realized the challenge ahead.
"…That's not a fair trade," Noah frowned.
"I'm barely getting anything out of this. Didn't I already give you one box?"
"That one's for me. I want to give another to Zephyr-sensei," Kuzan replied matter-of-factly.
Students showing respect to their teachers—it was only right.
"…Fine. But you're seriously asking for a lot."
Noah looked at him, still smiling, but clearly sizing him up.
This guy was trying to game the system.
Did Kuzan really think Noah was that easy to hustle?
"You're free to negotiate. Unless…" Kuzan paused.
"Are you eyeing a promotion to Admiral?"
He hadn't expected Noah to actually consider the duel.
Did he not understand what Admiral-level combat truly meant?
Was he planning to challenge him for real?
Was this lazy bastard actually aiming for the top?
For the first time, Kuzan realized that under all that laziness, Noah might actually have some serious ambition.