Chapter 594 - 794 – Hina, You’re Really Thoughtful [BONUS]

"He really is an incredible man, don't you think?"

The mature waitress said to the younger waitress.

"Yeah. But with a customer that powerful, it's only natural that his women wouldn't keep too tight a leash on him."

"After all, those two women couldn't satisfy him."

"Maybe even the two of us together couldn't satisfy him either."

The younger waitress replied.

"Probably. What a pity. It would've been wonderful if we could've had a proper exchange with him."

"In this restaurant, all we could do was use our mouths to satisfy him."

The mature waitress sighed as she watched Arton and the others leave.

She had no idea whether she would ever have another chance to meet Arton.

Meanwhile…

"Captain, where should we go next?"

Raki asked with a smile.

"It's already very late. Let's head back to the ship first."

"If I'm not mistaken, Iceburg should be coming over soon."

Arton replied.

"We'll follow your lead."

Raki and Conis nodded together and quickened their pace as they followed Arton back to the ship.

Naturally, everyone who had stayed behind was delighted by Arton's return.

Hina in particular.

To welcome Arton back, she even pulled him directly up to the lookout and performed the dance she had learned from Uta.

"So... Iceburg is really coming later?"

Hina asked while dancing.

"Of course. He may not say it aloud, but I can tell he cares a great deal about what I told him."

"If he doesn't come, that would be strange."

Arton smiled.

"That's good."

A smile appeared on Hina's face.

As long as Arton could achieve his goal, she was happy.

"By the way, from where you are right now, can you clearly see what's happening outside the window?"

Arton asked curiously.

"Mm... I can't see very clearly."

Hina replied a little sheepishly.

"That makes sense. You're dancing while sitting down, after all."

"Have you ever thought about trying to dance while standing?"

Arton asked.

"I... haven't learned the relevant techniques from Uta yet."

"Still, I think I can give it a try."

Hina considered it for a moment.

She had always been a confident person. Although she had never undergone any formal artistic training in the past, after learning some fundamentals from Uta, she had gradually gained confidence in dancing.

Although she had never learned how to do it while standing, for Arton's sake, Hina was willing to try.

"All right. Stand up and look outside the window."

"Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

Arton smiled.

Hina looked at her still-intact clothes, nodded, and stood as he instructed.

She had to admit that the view from this position was much better than before.

The scenery outside the window became completely unobstructed.

"Then let's begin. I'm ready, Hina."

Arton rested his head against Hina's shoulder.

"All right. I understand."

Hina took a deep breath and began following the rhythm in her mind as she started her performance.

At that moment, Arton once again realized just how talented Hina was.

No wonder she had managed to become an outstanding Marine officer at such a young age in the original story.

With learning ability like this, Hina would probably succeed at almost anything she tried.

"Hina, you're really thoughtful."

Arton spoke with heartfelt emotion.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Hina smiled as well.

...

"So this is Arton's ship?"

Iceburg raised an eyebrow as he looked at the vessel docked before him.

It was obviously a disguised ship.

If Arton had not previously given him enough clues, there was no way Iceburg would have recognized it so easily.

No wonder Kalifa had failed to identify it.

"Come on. Let's go aboard."

Iceburg took a deep breath and stepped onto the deck.

"I've been waiting for you for quite a while, Mr. Iceburg. I'm glad you could come."

Raki stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

Iceburg nodded, his gaze sweeping across Raki and Conis before moving to Nico Robin, Nami, and the others seated around the deck handling their own affairs.

"Where's Arton? Why don't I see him?"

Iceburg asked curiously.

"Captain is up there."

A voice suddenly came from the lookout, drawing Iceburg's attention.

He raised his head and saw a pink-haired woman wearing a women's suit and slacks leap down from the lookout.

Perhaps because her footing slipped, she was visibly a little unsteady when she landed.

"Are you all right?"

Iceburg asked.

"I'm fine."

Hina shook her head and prepared to leave.

"Wait. I remember you. You're Hina from the Marines, aren't you?"

"How did you end up here?"

Iceburg asked in astonishment.

He clearly remembered that Hina had previously come to Water 7 aboard a Marine vessel along with other Marines.

"Because I'm already Arton's companion now."

Hina waved her hand casually.

"What?"

"How is that possible?"

Iceburg exclaimed.

As far as he knew, Hina had clearly been one of the Marines' rising stars.

How had she suddenly ended up mixed in with Arton?

Iceburg could not understand it at all.

"If you can't figure it out, then don't bother thinking about it, Iceburg."

"This doesn't concern you anyway, does it?"

Arton jumped down from the lookout and spoke to him with a refreshed expression.

"...You're right. It really has nothing to do with me."

Iceburg nodded.

Of course, he was only saying that aloud.

The moment he thought about Hina becoming Arton's companion, he still found it difficult to hide his surprise.

"All right. Once you learn that Kalifa, Rob Lucci, and Kaku are CP9 agents, you'll be even more shocked."

"So for now, save that surprise for later."

Arton beckoned to Iceburg and started walking forward.

Seeing this, Iceburg hurried after him.

Now that he was aboard Arton's ship, he inexplicably felt much more relaxed.

"Let me introduce them. These three are also CP9 agents: Jabra, Fukurou, and Kumadori."

"They're companions of Kalifa and the others. I think they should be able to tell you a few things about what kind of people Kalifa's group really are."

"That should make you trust me a little more."

Arton smiled.

"Huh? You want us to expose Kalifa and the others?"

Jabra stared at Arton in shock.

"What? You don't want to?"

Arton raised an eyebrow and looked at him with interest.

"N-No. I'm willing. Of course I'm willing."

Jabra's mouth twitched.

At that moment, he once again remembered the fear of being utterly dominated by Arton.

There was no helping it. The pressure Arton placed on him was simply too overwhelming.

Although he felt somewhat guilty toward Kalifa and the others, Jabra had no choice but to tell Iceburg what he knew about Kalifa and the rest.

...

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