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When they heard that the King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom and the Princess of Germa had arrived, the Enrus were ecstatic.
It didn't matter how small the other's country was. Was he a king of a member nation? Was she a princess of a member nation?
Yes? Then that was all that mattered.
In a word—prestige.
If you throw a party in a small town and the mayor or the richest man's daughter shows up, every guest in the room looks at you differently.
The banquet was a Western-style buffet. Long tables laden with all manner of delicacies filled the grand hall.
Golden, crispy pork cutlets, juicy matsutake mushrooms, rich foie gras...
And of course, fine wines and champagne.
Though Jin and Reiju weren't the guests of honor, Rear Admiral Enru still approached them with warm enthusiasm.
Captain Onoran stood beside him, a wine glass in hand, listening to the conversation with a standard-issue aristocratic smile plastered on his face.
It was utterly fake.
The moment he learned that Drum Island's population was less than one hundred thousand, a flicker of disdain had entered his eyes. His interest in Reiju, however, grew exponentially.
Lunia Port had a permanent population of three hundred thousand, with another forty or fifty thousand pirates, merchants, and travelers passing through every day.
This guy just had the title of king.
'One day', Onoran thought, 'I'll be a king, too.'
He and his father had ambitions. They'd been the local despots here for twenty years. They had no intention of handing over their vast enterprise to anyone else.
It may have been a Marine port now, but a man has to have dreams. In the future, it would be the Kingdom of Lunia.
They were going to build a new Lunia.
Compared to his son, Rear Admiral Enru was far more sincere—or at least, he appeared to be.
He understood how power worked.
If he wanted to turn a Marine asset into his own family's property, he couldn't do it alone. He needed the support of those at the top.
At the very least, he needed a king of a member nation to speak up for him at the Levely, or even just to cast a vote in his favor.
It didn't matter how many subjects this king and princess ruled, or how much territory they controlled. As long as they had a seat at the table, they were worth building a relationship with.
That included a Warlord like Crocodile. The man could speak directly to King Cobra. He was a valuable connection.
Onoran understood this in theory, but he was a second-generation scion. He'd had a smooth ride his whole life, constantly praised by the local gentry. He lacked his father's hard-won wisdom. His only saving grace was that he still listened to his father.
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The moment Vice Admiral Gion stepped into the banquet hall, Rear Admiral Enru's attention snapped away from Jin and Reiju.
He offered a quick apology, promising to continue their conversation later and telling them to enjoy themselves. Then he and Onoran went to greet the Vice Admiral.
Though other nobles quickly moved in to fill the void, Jin's gaze was drawn elsewhere.
Across the room, he met the eyes of Vice Admiral Gion.
An unspoken acknowledgment passed between them—the kind that only exists between the powerful.
Gion wasn't an "Admiral Candidate" yet.
According to Hina, that would likely happen next year. The Marines held their biennial promotions this year, which meant a major personnel reshuffle at Headquarters. The old had to retire, the new had to be promoted. Many positions were a "one-in, one-out" situation. If the person above you didn't move, you were stuck.
Beside Vice Admiral Gion stood another young female officer, a Lieutenant Commander.
She was about 180cm tall, wearing a strapless dress under her Justice coat and a hat adorned with a seagull pin. She had long, strawberry-blonde hair, green eyes, and full lips—a very sensual look.
After a few moments of enthusiastic conversation, Rear Admiral Enru led Gion over to Jin and made the introductions.
When she heard the words "Jin of the Winter Blossom Kingdom," a flicker of surprise passed through Gion's eyes, though her smile never wavered.
The Lieutenant Commander, however, was less composed.
"It's you!" she exclaimed. "The king who defeated Hanafuda!"
Rear Admiral Enru was taken aback. "Hanafuda? You don't mean the Warlord known as the King of Lizards?"
His surprise was genuine. The affairs of the Grand Line were a world away from the West Blue. He didn't pay much attention. But the title of Warlord was famous enough. And he'd been defeated? And even the people from Headquarters were talking about it?
This king... he was no simpleton. He'd been playing dumb, acting unassuming.
"Ah, Hanafuda was just going easy on me," Jin said with a humble wave of his hand. "That's the only reason I managed to win."
Hanafuda had, after all, made a significant contribution to the development of Hannabal Island. The man deserved a little face.
"You're too modest, Your Majesty," Gion said, her tone casual, though her eyes were sharp. "I heard about you from Captain Hina. She was very impressed. And this young lady is?"
Captain Hina?
Reiju shot Jin a sidelong glance. So that's how it is. Love 'em and leave 'em. What a scumbag.
"Vinsmoke Reiju, of the Germa Kingdom," Jin replied smoothly. "Captain Hina... yes, it's been a while. I do miss her. Has she finished her training? The base on Asuka Island is all ready for her to take command."
"Just about," Gion said. "Building the unit and training the new recruits took some time."
The Lieutenant Commander's eyes darted back and forth, looking like she was about to burst with a question but holding her tongue.
Headquarters was only so big. There were only a handful of female officers. Naturally, they stuck together. There were few secrets between them.
Seeing that the two of them were deep in conversation, Rear Admiral Enru's expression soured. Who's the star of this show? It's supposed to be me.
He quickly interjected, offering to introduce Gion to the other officers on the base. Gion, not wanting to be rude, couldn't refuse.
As they walked away, Reiju leaned in. "So, Captain Hina," she whispered, "what's the story?"
"What do you think?"
"Hmph. Men."
"What's that supposed to mean? You're overstepping. Have you forgotten? You're my maid. Or... are you jealous?"
Reiju froze. That's right. In the time they had spent together, she had almost forgotten that she was a prisoner, that she had no right to question him. By all rights, she should hate him. She was just his maid.
But... when he said it like that, why did she feel that strange pang of discomfort, that ache in her heart?
Jin saw the color drain from her face and realized his words had been a little too harsh.
He moved closer, his arm sliding around her waist, and whispered in her ear, "For life, of course."
For life?
Was this... a confession?
Her mind went blank.
He held her close, and the scent of him, the sheer masculinity of him, filled her senses, and her heart began to pound.
Her knees felt a little weak.
A deep blush spread across her face.
"You idiot," she whispered. "There are people here. Don't be so intimate. What if someone sees?"
"So it's alright if no one's around?" Jin whispered back. "In that case, tonight..."
Reiju's face was now so red it felt like it was about to catch fire. "W-what are you talking about?" she stammered.
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