Leno swallowed unconsciously as he stared at Hina, whose eyes were misty and cheeks flushed like peach blossoms.
Tightening the arm wrapped around her waist, he spoke with a slightly strained voice.
"Do you understand now? Do you still dare to resent me?"
Hina felt her whole body go weak and tingling, especially the burning pain on her bottom. Shame rushed up inside her.
A tear slipped from the corner of her eye as she blinked, and her stubborn voice came out hoarse.
"Son of a bitch! I won't forgive you! I won't let you get away with this!"
Leno raised a brow. What a sharp-tongued woman. But he liked that.
"Fine~ That's the spirit, keep it up!"
With that, he lowered his head and directly kissed her cherry lips, which were still opening and closing.
"Mmph—!"
Hina's body jolted. Her eyes flew wide open, her mind going blank as she froze in shock, letting Leno plunder at will.
After what felt like half a century...
Hina finally regained her senses. Her cheeks puffed sharply.
"Hss—!"
Leno yelped and quickly released her, staring at her in disbelief.
"That was way too heartless! You almost bit my tongue off!"
"You… you deserved it! Hah..."
Using the force of his startled shove, Hina collapsed onto the sand, panting angrily as she glared at him.
Just thinking about what just happened made her cheeks burn. How did she let herself get pulled in like that? So embarrassing.
And that bastard opposite her definitely had his eyes on her from the start. Otherwise how did things end up like this today?
She considered herself smart, yet she had fallen into this dirty pervert's trap today.
She was about to curse him again to vent her frustration when the sand beneath her suddenly churned and wrapped around her, pinning her in place.
She tried to struggle, but the sand quickly climbed over her body, locking her down completely.
Then Crocodile's satisfied laughter echoed beside them.
"Hehehe..."
"Well, well. What did I just witness?"
The wind and sand swirled as Crocodile's form condensed from the dust. His provocative gaze slid between the two of them.
"The Thunder God really lives up to his name. Even a Marine beauty fell so quickly."
"You—!"
"Attacking a Marine officer in broad daylight… Crocodile, are you declaring betrayal against the World Government?"
Bound and furious, Hina shouted in outrage. She hadn't expected him not only to stay, but to attack her instead.
A Pirate is a Pirate. They truly are reckless.
Leno narrowed his eyes as he watched Hina being held hostage. His aura rose sharply, faint killing intent spreading outward.
"Since you didn't run, tell me—what exactly do you want?"
"Hehehe…"
Crocodile, cigar in mouth, walked up to Hina with a smile and examined her closely.
"No wonder you caught the Thunder God's attention. Truly a stunning woman."
"Die."
Killing intent overflowed from Leno's eyes. Huangquan appeared instantly in his hand. He flicked his thumb—an inch of blade slid free, scarlet malice spilling outward and soaking the air.
A bloody mist rose, cooling even the sweltering heat around them.
Feeling the sudden shift in atmosphere, Crocodile's face darkened. He hurriedly pulled the sand-wrapped Hina in front of him, watching Leno warily.
"Since the Thunder God is in a hurry, I won't beat around the bush. I want Nico Robin. I need her to help me do something!"
"Impossible! Don't even think about it!"
"Is that so? Why don't you reconsider?"
Crocodile tightened his right hand. The sand constricting Hina squeezed. She let out a muffled cry as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"She's your woman too. Playing favorites like this—aren't you afraid she'll be heartbroken?"
"Besides, I only need Robin for a job. I won't kill her. Quite a fair deal, no?"
"Sigh~ You know too much! I was actually hoping to play with you for a bit longer~"
Leno sighed lightly. His murderous aura vanished instantly, the bloody haze clearing around them. He looked at Crocodile with curious amusement.
Why was this man so eager to die? He was planning to toy with him first.
"W-What do you mean?"
Crocodile suddenly felt something was wrong. Even without the intense pressure, Leno felt even more dangerous.
Was he too careless trying to trade hostages?
He got carried away—shouldn't have relied on home-field advantage. This man was terrifying.
Clang—
Before he could think further, a sharp ring of steel sounded. A flash of crimson passed before his eyes.
Then the world spun—
Splat—
Leno's figure appeared far from where he originally stood, his blade stabbed lightly into the ground.
No sound of steel scraping sand—only the wet slice of flesh being cut.
Blood gushed, soaking into the sand. Crocodile's true body finally appeared, collapsing.
His eyes widened in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak, but only bloody gurgles came out.
"You thought a sand clone could fool me? Too naive."
Leno sneered. Did Crocodile really think his Observation Haki was for decoration?
In the distance, the decapitated 'Crocodile' dissolved back into sand.
Freed, Hina stared blankly between the corpse and Leno. For a brief moment, she even looked a little dazed.
"You really thought fighting me in a desert gave you an advantage?"
Leno twisted his blade slightly. The dying Crocodile writhed in pain, glaring at him with venom.
"I was just playing around, and you took it seriously? You have zero advantage against me anywhere."
"Pleh~"
As Crocodile finally died, Leno spat disdainfully.
He strode to Hina's side and helped her up with concern. He saw her coughing blood earlier—what if she had internal injuries?
"How do you feel? Is it serious?"
"Sorry… I went too far and got you hurt."
Seeing her pale face and weak state, Leno assumed the worst. He bent down and promptly lifted her into a princess carry.
"Cough… I'm fine! Put me down!"
The sudden lift nearly knocked the wind out of her, and she glared at him angrily.
"No way~ You're injured now, and I have to take good care of you~"
"You! Shameless~ You just want to take advantage of me!"
Hina tried to struggle, but pain shot through her body. All she could do was keep cursing angrily.
"How could you say that? Look at my clear eyes—so pure and sincere!"
"..."
Carrying her, Leno approached Crocodile's corpse, waved his hand, and collected it. Then he walked into the distance.
The gentle breeze carried Hina's occasional angry muttering behind him...