Chapter Ninety-Four: Intelligence [Third Update]

Deep in the water, Hina sank helplessly, bubbles constantly escaping her lips. She could feel the ocean slowly draining her of her vitality. Every breath was filled with seawater, and an overwhelming sensation of suffocation from oxygen deprivation spread throughout her body. Just as she thought she was about to die, a flicker of light seemed to appear in the darkness of her vision. Faintly, she saw the face of a man.

...

"Cough, cough..."

Hina woke up from her unconsciousness. She felt as though every bone in her body had been shattered; she couldn't muster the slightest bit of strength.

"Where is this? Didn't I die?"

She thought to herself, only to suddenly realize she was in motion. Sensing her surroundings, she discovered she was on the back of a sea beast.

As her thoughts gradually returned, she recalled the silhouette she had vaguely seen on the ocean floor... Was it him?

Hina struggled to sit upright and saw a figure a short distance ahead, facing away from her.

"It's the Ghost Hunter!"

Hina’s eyes sharpened. She gently rose, thinking that since he seemed off-guard, this was the perfect moment to kill him. She gathered her remaining strength to manifest an iron spear and crept toward him, inch by inch.

"Take one more step, and see if I don’t throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."

Shu Mingyuan’s voice sounded out, calm and silent. Hina shuddered, cold sweat breaking out on her back, and she froze instantly.

"Don't harbor any malicious intentions. I am no saint, and I certainly didn’t have a sudden burst of kindness that led me to save your life."

Hina felt a chill run through her. She trembled and asked, "Then... what is it that you want?"

"What do I want?"

Shu Mingyuan turned to look at her. Hina was soaked to the bone, and the loose Marine trench coat she had been wearing was lost in the sea, leaving her perfect figure fully exposed.

Seeming to notice Shu Mingyuan’s somewhat predatory gaze, Hina frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, blurting out, "Don't even think about it! Hina will not submit!"

A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Shu Mingyuan’s mouth. "Wake up. I have no interest in the body of an aging woman like you."

Upon hearing this, Hina was so angry she wanted to strike him. She was, after all, a flower among the Marines, the dream lover of countless soldiers, yet in the eyes of this man, she was so worthless. For any woman, especially one as beautiful as Hina, appearance was of the utmost importance. She suppressed her urge to explode, controlled her emotions, and said, "If that’s the case, then what do you want from me?"

"Information," Shu Mingyuan said flatly. "You are a Captain in the Marine Headquarters and will likely be promoted to Rear Admiral before long. Tell me any useful information you have. If I am satisfied, I will let you go at the next island."

Hina breathed a sigh of relief. Trading intelligence for her life was not a bad deal. She looked at the man before her and said slowly, "How would I know what kind of information you want? What if you are interested in something but pretend not to be?"

Shu Mingyuan gave her a cold glance. "I don’t have the leisure time to play these tedious word games with you. Get this straight: you are my captive! You have no bargaining chips. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you."

Hina gritted her teeth. "Then I shall do as you say!"

"Then just speak. Tell me whatever you know. As long as the information interests me, I will let you go," Shu Mingyuan said.

"The former Warlord of the Sea, Crocodile, was killed by you. The World Government does not want such a scandal to be made public, so they credited me with the achievement. At the same time, they have raised your bounty to 380 million Berries. Your new bounty poster will be issued soon."

Hina spoke, having learned this information through her position. However, seeing that his expression didn't change in the slightest, it was clear he was uninterested.

"Because the position of a Warlord of the Sea is vacant, the World Government intends to screen pirates from across the world." Seeing that Shu Mingyuan remained unmoved, she quickly added, "Capable bounty hunters are also included in the screening."

Did this man not even care about the title of a Warlord of the Sea? She had made it quite clear, and the implication was obvious: the World Government might be interested in recruiting him.

Shu Mingyuan indeed had no interest in the title of a Warlord. He had no desire to be a watchdog for the World Government. He wanted to live freely; anyone who stood in his way would be viewed as an enemy. If a god blocked him, he would kill the god; if a Buddha blocked him, he would kill the Buddha.

The Four Emperors? Admirals? Celestial Dragons? Or the World Government?

As long as they provoked him, he would cut them all down with his sword!

"There will be an auction at the Sabaody Archipelago soon. I heard there will be Devil Fruits and legendary blades as the grand finale."

Shu Mingyuan remained indifferent. He already knew this information. In the original story, the credit for killing Crocodile went to Smoker, but now it had gone to Hina. Since they were both Marines, it made little difference to him.

"I heard that Vegapunk has developed technology to let inanimate objects 'eat' Devil Fruits, granting them the powers of a fruit. Do you know the key to this technology?" Shu Mingyuan suddenly asked.

"That is classified as top-secret information within the Marines. My rank is not high enough to know such things," Hina shook her head.

"Then continue."

Hina was furious. What kind of person was this...

"If I don't provide information that interests you, are you not planning to let me go?"

"Yes, that's right."

Veins throbbed faintly on Hina's forehead. She took a deep breath to calm her agitated nerves. "I heard that you disappeared shortly after your prison break from Impel Down, but that sea king you kept is still wandering near the prison. Recently, news has arrived that the Marines and the prison guards of Impel Down seem to be hunting that sea beast..."

"What did you say?" Shu Mingyuan suddenly interrupted her.

Hina felt a surge of joy. *Heh, finding information he’s interested in really isn't easy.*

She hesitated and said, "This... this is also classified information within the Marines... I... I can't..."

"Tell me everything you know. I promised to spare your life, and I will not go back on my word," Shu Mingyuan said coolly.

A smile appeared on Hina's face. That was the response she had been waiting for.

"It means that because you successfully broke out of Impel Down, they feel humiliated. So, they plan to capture the sea king you raised and use it to deal with you. They simply want to regain their face."

This information wasn't exactly a high-level secret. The Marines' plan was to make it public once they successfully captured the beast, setting a trap to wait for the Ghost Hunter to come to its rescue. As long as he was a man who valued loyalty, he would surely take the bait.

Shu Mingyuan pondered for a long time, then grinned. A cold, murderous intent seeped through his words, chilling Hina to the bone.

"It seems it is time to pay another visit to Impel Down."