"But I didn't tell anyone about this matter."
"Not even at headquarters, only I know," Sengoku said directly.
Corazon always contacted him personally, and Sengoku hadn't shared Corazon's identity with anyone.
"This is my ability: I can gather information about people whose 'trash' I collect."
"When I picked up Corazon's discarded items, I also obtained this intel," Yeyin replied, conveniently shifting responsibility.
"So this is that mysterious ability of yours?"
"Do you want to join…" Sengoku began.
"Stop right there. I'm not interested."
"But if you want information, you can bring me the trash of important people."
"Oh, and my reward should also be trash," Yeyin said with a slight smirk.
He had already come up with this explanation the moment he met Corazon. If Sengoku came looking for him, he would gain access to another source of "trash"!
"You sneaky kid. Forget it."
"I'll head back now. I hope you'll uphold the justice you stand for," Sengoku said, leaving.
After watching Sengoku depart, Yeyin gave the order to set sail.
Four days later, Yeyin was relaxing with a juice, watching the marines training on the deck.
"Yeyin, our mission is to intercept pirates."
"But by just sitting around like this, isn't our efficiency a bit low?"
"Hina doesn't understand," Hina said, walking up to Yeyin.
"But on this vast sea, it's not like we can actively hunt them down!" Yeyin replied with a sigh.
"But we spend too much time on each island!"
"That's just stretching out the mission unnecessarily," Hina said.
"Hina, you've been with me this long, yet you still don't get my purpose?" Yeyin asked, feigning disappointment.
"Huh?"
"Hina… Hina doesn't know," Hina stammered, slightly flustered by his reaction.
"Would you say our ship is the cleanest among all navy ships?" Yeyin asked calmly.
"Not just one of the cleanest."
"Hina thinks this is the cleanest ship there is!" she replied earnestly.
Thanks to Yeyin's influence, even the roughest of the marines on this ship had grown to appreciate cleanliness. The whole ship was spotless, with no trace of dirt or clutter.
"Remember the last islands we visited, Dalbisno and Pildakus."
"When we left, weren't they spotless?" Yeyin continued.
"Yes, that's all thanks to you, Captain Yeyin. Hina knows that!" she replied.
"Let me ask you, if you had to return to a filthy environment, would you want to?"
Yeyin took a sip of his juice as he asked.
"Hina… wouldn't want to," she replied, pausing in realization.
What had once seemed like an obsessive habit of Yeyin's was actually making a difference. Marineford was now significantly cleaner than before, and so was the ship, where even the most rugged marines had developed a sense of hygiene.
Over time, if this continued, the world really would become cleaner. Even if it was just surface-level cleanliness, it would bring a sense of joy to people's hearts!
(End of Chapter)