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"Arton spotted Nico Robin and the Blackbeard Pirates to starboard from the lookout," Kaya reported, flashing into place before Nami and the others. "He's going to check it out. Also, he told us to keep to our course—there's no need to change heading to look for him."
Even though she'd used Shunshin to put on clothes underneath, a faint blush still colored Kaya's cheeks.
"Nico Robin? The archaeologist Arton keeps mentioning?" Carina propped her chin on one hand, murmuring, "So we might be getting another person aboard?"
Nami, Nojiko, and Uta didn't object. Although Arton hadn't explicitly written in the diary that he would recruit Nico Robin into the Flameblade Pirates, if his goal was the Pirate King's treasure, inviting Nico Robin was very likely.
After all, she was the only person alive who could read the ancient Poneglyphs. Of course, there was also the possibility that Arton already knew—thanks to the original story—how to find the treasure without her. In that case, Robin wouldn't be indispensable.
"The Blackbeard Pirates—the ones whose man assassinated a Whitebeard division commander." Ain looked up and asked, "That guy seems dangerous. Should we go help?"
"No need," Uta waved it off. "Since you have a diary copy, you should know what Captain Arton is like. He knows a lot of this world's secrets—and how strong its big shots really are. If he dared to head over directly, he has a way to handle it."
Nami and Carina nodded in agreement. Maybe Blackbeard would be a problem in the future. But right now—he didn't measure up.
"The only worry is Arton accidentally revealing our destination," Uta added. "But with Nojiko there, she should be able to keep him from writing that in the diary."
"Speaking of Nojiko… her figure's been getting better and better," Carina's lips curled into a grin as she glanced at Nami. "Nami, your big sis might be about to overtake you."
"You—!" Nami puffed her cheeks, wanting to retort—but this time she couldn't quite get the words out. The truth was right there in Arton's newly uploaded photos of Nojiko; in the bust department, Nami had to admit she couldn't match her sister at the moment.
"I get the feeling Nojiko's figure has the potential to catch up to Kaya's," Carina mused, then glanced down at her own chest. "Is it because her Mirajane template comes with an oversized bust? With time, will she end up with Mirajane's proportions too?"
Though she'd just teased Nami, she still worried about her own situation—between her and Nami, it was six of one, half a dozen of the other; when it came to curves, they were about the same.
"That's probably right," Nami sighed. "Character templates give us the traits of the originals. Not just power, but figure too. Raiden Ei and Yae Miko both have great bodies—but for the two of us they don't exactly give us an edge. So, in terms of figure, we can't expect too much growth just from our templates."
Her eyes drifted enviously to Kaya. In the figure department, Kaya was the biggest beneficiary among the girls. Even Nojiko had grown gradually after getting her template, but Kaya… as soon as she got hers, her bust just—opened right up all at once. How could Nami and Carina not feel a twinge of envy?
"Oh, come on, what are you two sighing about?" Uta crossed her arms and pouted. "I haven't even said anything yet. Don't forget—my Elizabeth template is totally flat."
Chapter 342: The Diary Lights Up Again! The Girls: Arton Ran into Blackbeard?!
"True. Good thing the Elizabeth template doesn't make your figure shrink backward. Otherwise, that'd be awful," Carina said with a bright grin.
"Strange though—Elizabeth's template didn't make you regress, Uta. It actually feels like you've grown," Nami said, curious. "Uta, did you use some special method?"
"Hmph. Can't it just be my own massive potential?" Uta's cheeks were a touch pink. "Don't forget, I'm still young. Nami, same for you—the change is small, but you've gotten bigger too, haven't you?"
There was no way she could tell Nami and Carina that she'd "grown" with Arton's help.
"Personal potential does affect growth," Carina conceded. "But I still think you're growing a bit too fast lately. How about I measure you and see how much you've grown?"
"Hey, don't mess around, Carina. Wait—no measurements!" Uta kept backing away.
Soon enough, the girls on deck were laughing and horsing around.
…
[Photo: Nojiko—fusion shot, Angle 1]
[Photo: Nojiko—fusion shot, Angle 2]
[Photo: Nojiko—fusion shot, Angle 3]
…
[Photo: Nojiko—fusion shot, Angle 10]
Smoothie: Arton's sailing diary finally moved.
Custard: Just some photos of Nojiko… No—those are Nojiko in fusion form! Is Arton planning to fight someone?
Monet: Or is he just testing the power of a fusion state?
Baccarat: Aside from new crewmates, Arton rarely fuses with partners just to train anymore. Nojiko's an old hand; if he's fusing with her now, he's probably run into an enemy.
Paula: Could it be the Marines? Did the Marines find Arton? Or is it the World Government?
Stussy: Haven't heard of any World Government unit moving on Arton. The Marines shouldn't respond that fast either. He must've crossed paths with a pirate.
Gion: If Arton does fight someone, he might choose to record video. Then we may be able to pinpoint his location from the footage!
Vivi: What exactly happened on Arton's side? Huh—Arton switched on video recording mode. Wait, that woman is Nico Robin! Did Arton meet her?
Kalifa: Nico Robin?! Then the Devil's Child might be joining Arton's crew?
Doll: If that happens, things get even more complicated.
Kujaku: That man… he's Teach from the Whitebeard Pirates, isn't he? Is Arton going after him?
Whitey Bay: Teach! That bastard… Damn it, if only I could go to Arton's side right now.
Whitey Bay's easy mood vanished the instant she saw Teach's silhouette. At that moment, she felt even more dejected about missing her chance encounter with Arton in the East Blue.
If she'd met Arton back then, maybe—just maybe—she could be meeting Teach through Arton right now. Even if she couldn't defeat Blackbeard on her own, as a crewmate she could ask Arton for help, and Arton would most likely agree. And if Blackbeard were erased, the tragic future awaiting Ace and Whitebeard might be changed.
But unfortunately, not only had she failed to become Arton's crewmate, she hadn't even found Arton's current location. Thinking of this, Whitey Bay let out a long, heavy sigh.
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