One Piece: The Devil of the Seas

"Hina knows that you are making fun of her." The Pink-haired Marine Captain dangerously narrowed her eyes at Sin.

"Hina is wrong." He lightly said. "Sin just wants to help Hina."

The people around them failed to control their laughter after Sin's reply, and Hina clenched her fist tightly, suppressing the urge to punch him in the face for making fun of her.

"Hina does not need your help!" She said and turned around to walk inside the Warship.

"You know, you will only limit yourself if you are planning on learning Haki to imbue it with your Devil Fruit Powers." He calmly sat on the railing by the side of Commodore Simmy and casually said his honest opinion.

"Why do you say that?" Even if she wanted to ignore him, she could not do that after listening to his words.

"Firstly, you are pathetic at utilising your Devil Fruit Powers. It can be excused since you have only possessed the Powers for a few months, but you are not even serious about exploring your Devil Fruit." He brutally spoke. "All you use it for is to bind people in the Iron Shackles that your Devil Fruit allows you to create. And the reason you want to learn Haki is to make those Iron Shackles more durable. Right?"

Seeing her not answer him and only frown at his words, a smirk broke out on Sin's face.

"Secondly, you don't know how Armament Haki works. Once you have successfully bound your enemy, and if your body is no longer in contact with those Shackles, how are you going to constantly infuse them with Haki to keep someone from breaking them?" He pointed out.

"But if Hina knows Haki, she can use her Iron Bars offensively too." She argued.

"True." He smiled at her. "But do you know that using Haki with your Devil Fruit power is quite taxing? You will probably burn out in minutes."

"He's right." Simmy nodded her head to his words, which made Hina think hard about what he said.

"What should Hina do then?" She narrowed her eyes at Sin and asked.

"Explore the potential of your Devil Fruit Powers." He smiled at her. "Have you thought about using it defensively?" Seeing that she did not understand his words, he sighed. "Your Power allows you to create and manipulate Iron Bars to use them as Shackles to bind your enemies. Now, let's break it down into two Powers. Firstly, you can create and manipulate Iron Bars, and additionally, your Bars are enchanted with the power that cages anyone that comes in contact with them. So don't think about shackling people, think about manipulating and creating Iron Bars. For example, you can simply form Iron Cages around yourself and your allies to shield against enemy attacks. Also, you have neglected something really important."

"What is that?"

"You do not need your hands or arms to create Cages, every part of your body can create and manipulate Iron Bars to create those Cages." He pointed out. "Ever thought of using your feet to guide that power underground? You can even bind enemies that are far away from you by sprouting Iron Shackles to form under their feet. By extension, you can even lay traps on the ground without the enemy realising it." He chuckled when he saw her seriously think over his suggestion. "You also don't need Haki to use your Devil Fruit powers offensively. As long as you focus on exploring the limits of your powers, you will find lots of ways to use it both offensively and defensively." He already had a few ways in mind, but he was not going to help her anymore. It was important for a User to discover the limits of the Fruits themselves.

"But Haki is important." Hina still had her doubts.

"It is, and you should learn it. But not for the sole reason of imbuing it with your Devil Fruit Powers. Because that would force you to shape your Devil Fruit usage around Haki, and you will never be able to unleash the true potential of your Powers." He folded his arms on his chest and looked her in the eyes. "Keep in mind that your Iron Shackles are only as strong as you are."

"Hina will think about it. Thank you." The Pink-haired Marine Captain nodded to him and walked inside the Warship.

"That was nice of you." Simmy nudged him with her elbow and smirked at him.

"A man must help guide beautiful maidens to the right path." He sagely spoke and smirked back at her.

"Is that so? So you did not do it with any ulterior motive of gaining more favour with our Crew? Or to make her owe you?"

"Do I look like some manipulative villain to you?" He feigned being hurt by her words, but Simmy was having none of it.

"Yeah, right." She chuckled at his words and shook her head. "Quite a Crew you have got there." She commented as she turned her eyes to the Black Pearl, where Hachi and Kuina were engaged in a training session, duelling against each other. "All of them are talented."

"Thank you." He smiled and graciously accepted her compliment. "So, is our Commodore Simca planning on applying for Rear-Admiral Exams?"

"Yup!" Simmy happily informed him. "I have my promotion exam in six months."

"So that means that you have mastered the three Rokushiki techniques that suit you?" He interestedly asked, to which she nodded her head.

"But you know how Ma'am is. She made me learn all six of them." She winced when she recalled how ruthless her training of Shigan was. "I have basic Mastery over all of them, and advanced Mastery over Moonwalk, Shave, and Tempest Kick."

"Not bad." He smiled at her, impressed by how far she had come. "So, I will soon be addressing you as Rear-Admiral Simca."

"Yes!" She happily laughed and knew well that he was always interested in the Six Styles. "If you had stayed with us, you too would have learned the Six Styles."

"But then I would have been a Marine." He laughed and shook his head.

"What's wrong with being a Marine?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing is wrong with being a Marine." He gently smiled at her. "But it is just not for someone like me who cherishes his Freedom the most. I don't like being answerable to anyone, and getting involved in all these ranks and privileges is just too hectic for me. I have my own laws that I follow."

Simmy seemed satisfied that he, at least, did not look down on her choice of becoming a Marine.

"You will be leaving in the morning?" She lightly asked.

It had been five days since their arrival on Asuka Island, and Sin had spent most of his time aboard their ship, giving Tsuru some company and playing around with the Marines. It was surprising how quickly the Crew accepted his presence, and they all liked him a lot now.

The people of the Town and the Island were surprised at seeing the Pirates and the Marines getting along so well. But Simmy knew that their Crew was an exception. Everyone, wholeheartedly, trusted Tsuru's decisions, and so they did not even once question the presence of Pirates on their ships.

"Yes." He nodded his head. "But don't you worry. We will be seeing each other in a few months."

"How?" His words piqued her curiosity.

"I will be getting the seat of the 8th Warlord of the Seas." He informed her. "Already talked to Granny about it, and she will help me get it once our Crew gains more infamy."

"That's great!" She excitedly clapped her hands and merrily laughed. "That way we will be able to meet whenever we want, and you will also be able to see Gion again. She would love to see how far you have come in your Swordsmanship."

"I want to test myself against her too."

"Don't get full of yourself. You might be strong, but I believe that Gion is stronger than you." She confidently said.

"Is that so?" He grinned at her words. "Well, it would only make it more fun."

The two of them chatted about miscellaneous things for a couple of hours, and then Sin took his leave, returning onboard the Black Pearl to join his Crew at the Dinner Table.

After a brief meeting, where Sin informed them about their next destination, they all went to bed early to get some good sleep.