Clad in a Navy "Justice" coat—
At a glance, this attire marked her as at least a captaim.
After all, within the Navy, even a lieutenant typically wore only the standard uniform. Only those of full captain rank and above had the right to don the coat emblazoned with "Justice."
Still, Morgan remained unshaken.
After all, he was also a captain.
As long as she wasn't from Headquarters, there was no need to fear someone of the same rank in the East Blue. On this turf, he reigned supreme.
"No matter who you are, you have no authority to meddle in the affairs of the 153rd Branch!"
"Once this is over, I'll file a formal complaint against you through the internal system!"
Those words—
—truly made Hina laugh.
She had, on paper, been temporarily transferred to the 157th Branch, but the wording of her reassignment was clear: "loaned" for one year. Her official personnel file still remained under Navy Headquarters.
In the Navy, officers from the Grand Line's Headquarters automatically outranked those from the Four Seas by at least two levels. This wasn't some urban legend—it was a cold, hard fact.
Sometimes, the disparity was more than just two levels.
Remember Lieutenant Helmeppo? Nicknamed "Iron Fist" just like Garp, he was merely a lieutenant from Headquarters, yet still acted outrageously in the East Blue.
That was the weight of coming from HQ.
Let alone Hina—an elite colonel from Headquarters.
"You want to know who I am?"
"Hina, Colonel of Navy Headquarters!"
"Soldiers! Arrest Morgan immediately and place him in custody!"
"I'll personally report everything that happened here to the Fleet Admiral!"
Everyone froze.
Especially the three men tied to the wooden stakes—they even looked… excited?
But then—
"Hmph! All marines of the 153rd Branch, listen up! Kill this woman on the spot—she's clearly a pirate impersonating a marine!"
"Anyone who disobeys my command will be deemed a traitor to the Navy and executed afterward!"
So what if she was a colonel from HQ?
Morgan never received any notice about her arrival.
How could he be sure she wasn't a pirate in disguise?
Here at the 153rd, even if you were a dragon, you'd still have to coil before me.
Eyes full of menace, Morgan gave his order.
He even issued a direct threat to everyone present.
To be fair, the threat worked.
Several marines, who just moments ago looked ready to act, suddenly hesitated.
Was this woman really from HQ? Could she beat Morgan?
No one knew.
But Morgan's brutality and the looming threat he posed…
…were all too real.
Around seven or eight marines approached the stake-bound trio and aimed their rifles at Tina.
Meanwhile, nearly twenty others gathered behind Morgan, pointing their weapons at her as well.
A tense standoff erupted.
Dozens more did nothing—frozen by indecision.
Even so, Morgan clearly had the numbers advantage—his side outnumbered the others two-to-one.
"Hmph! Open—"
"Iron Binding Cage!"
Just as Morgan was about to give the attack order, Hina—who had been floating mid-air using Moonwalk—suddenly landed in the training yard.
She spread her arms wide and shouted.
Iron rods erupted around them like rising bars, rapidly encircling Morgan and nearly twenty of his men, trapping them in a tight ring.
And then—
The bars constricted, locking everyone inside.
"What the hell is this?!"
"I can't move—I can't move at all!"
"Stop stepping on me! My toes are breaking!"
"Dammit, who's poking my ass?!"
The trapped marines were thrown into chaos.
Morgan struggled with all his might, face reddening—but he couldn't break free.
"Damn it! If only my right arm weren't restrained—if I could just get to my axe—these worthless iron rods...!"
He raged in defiance.
But Hina ignored him completely.
"Cuff them all and throw them in a cell!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
This time, no one hesitated.
The seven or eight marines who had previously aimed at Hina now stood at attention and saluted. Even those still unsure just moments ago snapped to action.
In an instant, they swarmed forward and began cuffing Morgan and his restrained soldiers—hands, feet, the works.
Hina left them to it and made her way toward the wooden stake.
The three men had just been untied and lay weakly on the ground.
But seeing Hina approach, they mustered their strength, stood up, and saluted her.
"You three… are quite lucky."
With that, Hina leapt into the air and moonwalked out of the base.
Leaving behind the three confused men, still reeling in the wind.
Lucky?
What did she mean?
We don't get it at all!
---
Aboard the Danaan's bridge—
Hina entered in full uniform.
"It's done. What's our next move?"
"I mean, technically speaking, Hina really didn't have the authority to arrest a Four Seas branch colonel."
Luo Lan sighed.
Weren't you the one who insisted on going just now? And now you're second-guessing?
"But while we can't use last night's incident to charge Morgan," Luo Lan said thoughtfully, "there is another way."
They couldn't exactly report that they'd learned about the cruise ship attack by pirates and decided to check in on the 153rd Branch—that would raise too many questions.
Especially since so many witnesses had clearly seen the ones responsible were from the Junlin Organization.
"What way?"
Hina smiled.
She knew Luo Lan always had a plan.
"Hina, did you know… Morgan was just an ordinary marine a year ago? So how did he rise ten ranks to become a colonel and branch commander of the 153rd?"
"Hina is shocked—!"
A ten-rank leap in a single year? From a third-class seaman to colonel?
How was that even possible?
Even in the weakest of the Four Seas—East Blue—this was outrageous.
Luo Lan gave her a faint smile before recounting the story of how Morgan supposedly captured Captain Kuro.
Hina was floored.
Still, something about the story felt… off.
The entire ship's crew—including the former branch commander and all ranking officers—were killed?
And somehow, the only survivor was a weak, low-ranking marine… who just so happened to capture Kuro?
None of it added up.
"Luo Lan, this sounds fishy."
"Of course it is. Kuro is exceptionally smart—on par with Vice Admiral Tsuru in intellect. His self-created movement technique rivals the Navy's 'Soru' in speed. Does that sound like someone a rookie marine could capture?"
Hina inhaled sharply.
She wasn't too familiar with East Blue or Kuro…
But from Luo Lan's explanation, she immediately understood—Kuro was no simple criminal.
There had to be something more behind this.
"Back then, Kuro had grown tired of piracy and longed for a peaceful life, one with respect and stability."
"But of course—"
"For a wanted man, that dream was impossible. Until one day, a ship from the 153rd spotted and pursued him…"
Luo Lan outlined what happened a year ago—
How Kuro killed all the marines on the ship, spared Morgan, and used hypnosis to manipulate a pirate and Morgan into fabricating the perfect escape narrative.
Hina listened, stunned.
She was beginning to wonder if Luo Lan had made the whole thing up—it sounded utterly insane.
And yet, Luo Lan continued—
"After orchestrating everything, Kuro fled to Syrup Village, infiltrated a wealthy family, slowly gained their trust…"
"…and eventually became their butler, all while plotting to eliminate the family and inherit their fortune."