(I'm back stronger than ever ^-^ Thank you all for your patience)
Being openly humiliated like that, the proud and arrogant Crocodile could no longer hold back.
All thoughts of Thunder God or the World Government flew out of his mind. At this moment, he had only one idea: kill the arrogant bastard in front of him.
He slowly rose from his chair, glaring at Leno with a dark expression. His right hand lifted, and a miniature sand vortex formed in his palm.
"Sand—"
"Boom!"
Just as Crocodile set his stance and prepared to strike, a sudden whip-like kick smashed into him. His whole body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through wall after wall before disappearing into the rolling dust.
Leno retracted his leg with practiced flair and shot Hina a provocative look over his shoulder.
"Well, how was that kick? Was it cool?"
But after a brief moment of shock, Hina simply turned her head away in disgust.
"Shallow men are the worst! Hina hates it!"
"You… you really don't get humor. Be careful—you'll never get married at this rate!"
Finding this little girl so hard to flirt with irritated Leno, and he muttered his complaint.
But the instant he finished speaking, he felt the temperature around them drop sharply, and a cold, murderous glare stabbed into him like needles.
A shiver ran down Leno's spine. He awkwardly touched the tip of his nose, but internally he grumbled: With a temper this explosive, no wonder no one pairs you up with anyone.
Just as the tension between the two hit freezing point, a slightly deranged laugh echoed from within the dust cloud.
"Heh… hahaha…"
Through the hole blasted in the wall, Crocodile's silhouette flickered within the swirling smoke.
"You didn't even try to run? Let me guess—having home-field advantage gave you confidence?"
Leno tapped his chin with one finger, pretending to analyze the situation seriously.
Maybe it was the overwhelming gap in strength that made him lose interest in fighting… or maybe he simply didn't see Crocodile as someone worth taking seriously.
Either way, Leno now felt the same thrill as a cat toying with a mouse—curious to see what tricks Crocodile still had.
Standing to the side, Hina kept glancing at him in disbelief. She never expected this man to have such a twisted hobby—he didn't act like a strong fighter at all.
As soon as Leno finished speaking, the laughter in the distance froze for a moment, and then furious shouting erupted.
"Bastard! Go die!"
"Sables—Desert Grande Burian!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In an instant, the walls of the room they were in shattered, the floor collapsed, and countless sands surged in like a tidal wave, drowning the room in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, outside the casino, a sea of sand surged like a raging tide, instantly swallowing up the massive establishment known as Rain Dinners.
When the whirlwind faded and the sandstorm passed, the former casino grounds had become a massive sand dune.
"Tsk, tsk~ Crocodile truly deserves death. To destroy the environment like this, he's looking at life without parole!"
Leno, suspended in mid-air, sighed at the changes below. This guy is simply a destroyer of vegetation, a walking natural disaster.
He felt people were underestimating the Sand-Sand Fruit. Wherever this man walked, desert followed. Kind of terrifying, wasn't it?
"You bastard! You still have time to make sarcastic comments?! There were so many innocent people in the casino! Hina is furious!"
Held in Leno's arms, Hina thrashed wildly, nearly hysterical.
This hateful man—did he have no sympathy? Truly cold-blooded!
"Calm down. They're all still alive."
With his Observation Haki, he sensed the presence of many living people beneath the sand.
Leno activated the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and a thick pillar of lightning crashed down onto one side of the sand dune.
The intense heat melted and fused the sand into glass. Soon, a "rescue exit" opened up on the dune.
Seeing Hina dazed in his arms, Leno tightened his hold slightly and leaned down to sniff lightly.
"Miss Beautiful, you smell really good~"
Hina's body trembled, her mind snapping back instantly. Her head shot up, and she glared at him, her cheeks blazing red from anger.
"You… you filthy pervert! Let me go!"
She was genuinely furious—so much so she even forgot her usual verbal tic. Leno quickly descended, not wanting her to lash out violently while being held.
"Hey now, I saved your life. Is this how you treat your savior?"
"…"
Hina ignored him completely, but her heaving chest and flushed face made her fury unmistakable.
This bastard, this degenerate—she had never been touched by a man before.
Yet this man not only held her, he even spoke to her like that. What did he take her for?
She was a Marine who upheld justice. Now she was being held captive by a criminal—and couldn't even resist. Humiliation and frustration surged within her, and before she realized it, her eyes were red and her fists clenched tight.
Just you wait. I'll make you pay for this one day.
When they reached the ground, Leno reluctantly released her—only to freeze when he saw Hina crying. Thinking back, he realized he… didn't seem to have done anything that bad.
Curious, he cautiously patted her shoulder.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Don't touch me!"
Hina jumped away like a startled cat, glaring at Leno with pure hatred.
"Bastard! Don't think you can insult me just because you're strong! I won't forgive you!"
"Hey! Did I spoil you too much, making you think I'm some patient saint?"
Leno was annoyed now. He had actually been polite because she had left a good impression on him earlier.
But she dared to escalate? He hadn't even done anything—and she was acting like he wronged her.
Fine. Say I insulted you? Then I'll show you what insulting really looks like.
Fury ignited within him.
He flashed forward, grabbed Hina again, pulled her into his arms, and raised his hand.
Then he slapped her round, lifted buttocks.
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed. Hina's struggling body froze for a moment—then she exploded again, screaming curses and thrashing even more wildly.
"Let go of me! You filthy pervert! Disgrace! Bastard!"
Her arms were pinned, her body wriggled helplessly, and her legs kicked wildly at Leno.
Irritated, Leno didn't hold back and smacked her again.
And again.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
Maybe it was because the sensation felt unusually good. Maybe it was because it just felt natural. Either way—by the time Leno stopped—
Hina was no longer struggling.
Her cheeks were flushed red, and her watery eyes stared up at him, a mix of anger and… something else.
"Hiss—"
…