Arton's diary updated… Wait—this is me and Blackbeard?
Robin had still been speaking with Blackbeard when she suddenly noticed her diary copy flash with a new notification. The moment she checked it, her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably—even for someone as composed as her.
She skipped over Nojiko's photos entirely and focused straight on the live video feed Arton had just begun recording.
That angle… Arton must be close already.
Turning toward the left, Robin's lips curved upward as she spotted a figure approaching swiftly across the sea.
"Nico Robin, what's your answer?" Blackbeard pressed. "I truly wish to invite you to join my crew. Hope you can give me this little favor."
Robin, realizing he'd noticed her distraction, smiled faintly. "I'm sorry, Teach. But I already have a crew I wish to join. I can only decline your invitation."
"Oh? Then mind telling me which crew you plan to join?"
"The Flameblade Pirates."
"The Flameblade Pirates? You mean Arton's crew?"
"That's right."
"Zehahaha! That guy's been making quite a name for himself lately. But what makes you think you can join his crew?"
Blackbeard burst into roaring laughter, clutching his stomach. Yet behind the laughter, he also understood that with Robin's unique worth, Arton might very well welcome her. The only living scholar who could decipher the ancient Poneglyphs was valuable enough for even an Emperor to covet—let alone a rising star like Arton.
And indeed, Blackbeard's assumption wasn't wrong.
Arton was considering recruiting her—but not merely for her archaeological skills. What caught his interest even more was the woman herself: wise, calm, elegant, and breathtakingly sensual—a black-haired beauty with that quiet allure Arton found irresistible.
He also couldn't deny his curiosity about those legendary massage techniques Robin once used in the original tale—so famous that even Nami had praised them.
If she were willing to use them in other ways… Arton certainly wouldn't complain.
Blackbeard was just about to mock her lofty idea when—
Bang!
A gunshot split the air.
"Van Augur! What are you doing?" Blackbeard turned sharply.
"Someone's coming, Captain," the sniper replied grimly, lowering his rifle.
"Someone? Who—?"
Following Augur's aim, Blackbeard's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A-Arton?!"
He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Robin had just mentioned Arton's name—and the man himself appeared before them a moment later.
In that instant, Blackbeard became certain: Nico Robin was his woman.
Though Arton's appearance now differed somewhat from his wanted poster—his hair longer and silver-white instead of black—that wasn't enough to fool Blackbeard. According to gathered intel, Arton could alter his hair and even his skin tone at will through transformation.
So he really came, Robin thought, smiling warmly.
And as that calm, confident smile spread across her face, Blackbeard's already dark expression turned even darker.
Chapter 344: Blackbeard—Arton, Are You Here to Steal Robin From Me?
"Zehahaha! Didn't expect to run into the hottest name lately—the captain of the Flameblade Pirates, Arton. What an honor. Arton, I really admire you," Blackbeard said, quickly schooling his expression into a smile.
"Do you? Then is shooting at me how you show your admiration?" Arton hovered in midair and glanced down at Van Augur. He opened his hand; a spent bullet dropped from his palm—the very round Augur had just fired at him.
Blackbeard's eyes narrowed. He clapped a hand onto Van Augur's shoulder. "Put the gun away, Van Augur." Then he looked back up. "That was a misunderstanding. If he'd known it was you, he wouldn't have fired."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Arton snorted, eyeing Augur. In the original tale Van Augur had the nerve to shoot at Logia-user Ace. Sure, his sniping was superb—but Ace was Logia. Bullets like his hardly mattered.
That alone proved how bold Augur was. And given his superb dynamic vision, Arton suspected Augur had recognized him and pulled the trigger anyway.
Arton raised his right hand. A pure-black mana bullet formed at his fingertip and lanced toward Augur.
Whoom!
It was just a simple mana round, but its speed was no slower than a custom rifle shot. In a blink it was at Augur's chest—until a billow of black mist surged up before him. The mana bullet sank into the darkness and began to be devoured.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit, huh? Devouring my power won't be that easy." Arton's mouth quirked. He snapped his fingers.
Boom!
The mana round detonated inside the black haze. The darkness ballooned; caught too close, Van Augur was blown off his feet. If not for navigator Lafitte snagging him at the last instant, Augur would've gone straight into the drink.
"Arton, what's the meaning of this?" Blackbeard barked once he'd made sure Augur was fine.
"Counterattack. What else?" Arton shrugged as the darkness curled back into Teach's body. "Your man gets to shoot me, but I'm not allowed to shoot back? The world doesn't work that way, Marshall D. Teach."
Blackbeard's gut sank. In a battle of words he couldn't win this. And pirates didn't need philosophy anyway—but even by the old rules of raw strength, he wasn't confident he could eat Arton here and now.
He'd once fantasized about seizing those mythical Zoans from Arton's crew, but after reading that Arton had defeated Zephyr and driven back Garp, he understood it wouldn't be simple.
Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit that restrains Devil Fruit powers, reining in a true monster isn't easy. And Arton was a true monster—he'd beaten Mihawk and forced Garp to yield.
"Arton, did you come here… for this woman?" Blackbeard drew a breath and flicked his gaze to Nico Robin.
In the end, he didn't have the guts to start a fight here. Out on the open sea, an ability user like him was heavily constrained. Arton might be an ability user too—but the fact he could fly already tilted the field in his favor.
...
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