On the fmboyant pirate ship of Donquixote Dofmingo, tension filled the air.

  Dofmingo sat alone in the feren, his expression dark and brooding. Refleg on the years he had spent with his four top officers, who had bee family to him, he ched his fists. The loss of even one of them felt like losing a limb—an excruciating pain that pierced his very soul.

  Rising from his chair, he walked to a er safe arieved a phoranspohe size of a human head. This was no ordinary device; it was a rec phoranspohat tained his past versations with Zean.

  Half a month ago, after a heated frontation, their partnership had shattered pletely. Dofmingo had pted handing the rec over to the Navy, but he k wouldn’t be enough t Zean down. Her es and influence were too deeply entrenched.

  How I use this to inflict the maximum damage? he thought, p his move.

  Suddenly, the door to the room smmed open.

  “Who is it?!” Dofmingo barked, his tone sharp and his fingers already weaving his signature Five-Color Strings. His votile temper had turned him into a tig bomb, and his subordinates were already on edge after several had fallen victim to his wrath.

  “It's me, young master!” Senor Pink's voice rang out as he burst in, panting and visibly excited.

  Dofmingo raised an eyebrnizing the usually calm Senor Pink. Suppressing his irritation, he asked, “What’s the matter?”

  Senor Pink pced a small piece of a Vivre Card oable. “The life card of Diamante... it’s moving again!”

  “What?!” Dofmingo's eyes widened. His other officers, drawn by the otion, crowded the doorway, equally shocked.

  They had already held a memorial for Diamante, assuming him dead. But now, the card was shifting, faintly but unmistakably.

  Dofmingo’s trademark chuckle returned, low and sinister. “Fuffuffuffu... Excellent. Adjust our course and follow the signal at full speed!”

  Before leaving, he turo Senor Pink with a rare look of gratitude. The officer had insisted on keeping the fragment of Diamante's Vivre Card, even against the objes of others. Dofmingo walked to his wardrobe, pulled out an exquisite suit, and ha to Senor Pink.

  “This suits you better. You’ve ear.”

  Senor Pink’s face lit up with emotion. “Thank you, young master.”

  “No, thank you,” Dofmingo said, his voicharacteristically soft. “You’ve proven your loyalty and saved one of our own. Fuffuffuffu!”

  Meanwhile, in the Navy interrogation room, the atmosphere was heavy. Moments earlier, Diamante had been sharing tales of the North Sea, gossiping about Akainu's past escapades in disguise, including a rather embarrassing i at a certaiablishment.

  Smoker and Hina had been listening, amused but focused, when an icy voice shattered the moment.

  “So, you’re enjoying yourselves? Mind if I join in?”

  All three froze as Zean stepped into the room, her face cold and her eyes sharp.

  “Diamante,” she hissed, her toting, “so this is where you’ve been hiding—on *my* ship. Clever move.”

  Zean had only caught the tail end of the versation and had no idea Diamante risoner. Misinterpreting the situation, her gaze shifted to Hina. For a brief moment, there was something in her expression—disappoi, perhaps eve.

  “Hina,” she said, her voice low but ced with emotion, “I expected better from you.”

  "You... you've truly disappointed me!"

  Zean's voice carried a heavy weight of disdain as her pierg gaze locked onto Hina.

  The Navy had always been a male-dominated institution. Strong men were everywhere, but strong women were rare—a scarcity Zeaed. Finding someone as exceptional as Hina had been a rare blessing. But now, she felt betrayed.

  Though their time together had been brief, Zean genuinely admired Hina. She had seen potential, strength, and resilien her. But now? It felt like it was all a facade.

  Hina, feeling the weight of Zean's words and gaze, couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. She had always respected Zean, and now, being judged by her left her uneasy.

  Smoker stepped forward, breaking the tension. “A shame, Rear Admiral Zean. But I am curious—how did you mao find us?”

  Zea out a cold ugh. “Your disguises were excellent. I almost didn’t notiything unusual. Almost.”

  She poi Hina. “An outstanding marine like her? Someone of her caliber should easily qualify for elite training. Why would such a talent be unheard of? That didn’t sit right with me.”

  She turned her sharp eyes to Smoker. “And a warrant officer with no notable background... knowing Haki? Isn’t that just a bit toe?”

  Zean’s tone hardened as she tinued. “Did you think these little details wouldn’t catch my attention?”

  Hina inwardly cursed her carelessness. Awakening her Haki had been a thrilling experience, and she’d failed to sider how suspicious it would appear for someo her rank. Worse, opening an interrogation rht after leaving the hospital? That ractically inviting scrutiny.

  Smoker nodded in aowledgment, a faint smile pying on his lips. “You’re as sharp as they say, the Spear of the North Blue. I uimated you.”

  Zean didn’t let the fttery faze her. “Good. Now sit tight. Given our shared journey, I’ll sider this a voluntary surrender.”

  Her words were calm, but her as were swift and merciless. Without warning, Zean unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp thorns.

  The attack was relentless, directed heavily at Smoker and Diamante. Hina, however, found herself targeted by fewer spikes—a subtle indication of Zean’s lingering admiration.

  “Damn it!”

  Diamaill weak and uo dodge, quickly raised his iron cape, transf it into a sturdy shield. The thorns, g Haki, cttered harmlessly against it.

  Smoker, oher hand, used *Shave* to effortlessly evade the attack. His speed took Zean by surprise.

  She frowned, her mind rag. *A pirate mastering Shave? How is that even possible?*

  And then there was Hina. Zean knew Hina’s abilities well from their time training together. By her calcutions, Hina shouldn’t have been able to dodge.

  She was right. Hina’s legs were struck by the thorns—but to Zean’s shock, they passed straight through, leaving no real damage. Holes appeared momentarily before sealing up entirely.

  Zean’s eyes widened. “Logia?! Impossible!”

  In the first half of the Grand Line, a Logia-type user ractically invincible unless faced with a seasoned Haki user. Zean’s jaw ched. Someone as skilled and promising as Hina—how could she have bee a pirate?

  Still, this revetion made things far more plicated. Fighting a Logia required more than just basic Haki. To sistently deal damage, one needed both mastery and precision—qualities usually found in vice admirals and above.

  Zean’s own Haki was strong, but this cramped interrogation room wasn’t an ideal battlefield. With two oppos, including a Logia, she couldn’t afford any mistakes.

  Her lips curled into a sneer. “Don’t think being a Logia makes you invincible. There are plenty of ways to take you down!”

  With that, she leaped out of the room and pressed her hand against the wall.

  Suddenly, a row of sharp spikes erupted, sealing the door pletely.

  The entire room transformed as threidly from the walls, floor, and ceiling. Layer upon yer of spikes colpsed inward, f a dense, scaly barrier.

  In just a few breaths, the room was encased in dozens of thick yers, effectively turning it into a sealed, imperable cage.