"So that's how it is. So that's why you stepped in to stop me?"
After hearing what Arton said, Robin nodded in understanding. She was smart to begin with, so of course she could grasp what Arton was thinking.
With Morgans' personality, even if he promised not to leak any information about the Flameblade Pirates…
Even if it was something Arton explicitly forbade him from publishing… even if Arton threatened him by saying he'd never again allow Morgans to interview the Flameblade Pirates…
As long as the payoff was big enough, Morgans would most likely still choose to treat any news about the Flameblade Pirates as explosive headlines and publish it to the world.
After all, Morgans was the King of News in the underworld.
Robin also thought of those in the Marines and the World Government who might be holding diary copies.
'Even if those people can use their diary copies to learn about my abilities… It still wouldn't be easy for them to make people who don't have diary copies believe them.'
'Mm, in the end, I really should listen to Arton.' Robin thought to herself.
At that moment, Robin found herself oddly grateful that the Fleet Admiral of the Marines wasn't a beautiful woman. Otherwise, with Arton's personality, a beautiful-woman Fleet Admiral would definitely be a diary copy holder.
And if the top brass of the Marines also had diary copies, there'd be so much more they could do. Even if others beneath them didn't have diary copies, they could still use their authority to make their subordinates believe them.
"I understand now." Robin said. "From here on, I won't show any flame-based abilities in front of Morgans."
"Good. As long as you get it." Arton continued. "Also, Signora's flames aren't just ordinary fire. When you use them, you might feel a burning pain. You'd better be mentally prepared for that."
Other people might not know, but Arton himself was very clear on this. Because of her hatred, Signora had turned her own blood into karmic hellfire.
That did grant Signora immense power—but those flames also burned away her very life force, subjecting her to endless agony.
Arton didn't believe Signora's template would force Robin to suffer exactly the same torment Signora had.
But it never hurt to be cautious.
"If a little pain can be traded for enough power… Then I don't think that's such a bad deal." Robin said with a smile. "As long as you're prepared."
"In that case, I'll go ahead and wrap things up with Ace." Once Arton finished speaking, he peeled his focus away from the Robin inside his body and shifted it to Ace, who was standing in front of him in shock.
…
"Well? Something wrong, Ace?" Arton waved a hand and asked Ace with a big grin.
"Of course something's wrong. It's a huge problem. Arton, what the hell is going on with you two?"
"Why are you wearing the same outfit Robin had on just now?" Ace asked in disbelief. "And where did Robin go?"
"Tsk, what kind of look is that supposed to be? At most, the clothes I'm wearing right now are just the same type as what Robin had on earlier."
Arton put one hand on his hip and looked at Ace, completely speechless.
Robin was a woman. When she used Signora's template, naturally she wore Signora's outfit—also for a woman.
But Arton was different. He was a man.
When he went into Fusion Mode with Robin, the template's clothing automatically shifted toward a male-style version.
"As for Robin, she's inside my body right now. If you knew enough about my Flameblade Pirates…" Arton said, shaking his head. "I don't think this would be nearly so shocking to you."
"Oh, right." Ace smacked a fist into his open palm.
"I remember now—there really were lots of articles in the news about you fusing with your crewmates and then showing abilities way beyond normal."
"The first time you see it in person, it's just too crazy. I got so surprised I completely forgot about those reports and all." Ace said, looking at Arton with great interest. "As expected, this ability of yours is really something new."
Chapter 444 – Ace's Power
"Arton, what exactly is this ability of yours?" Ace asked Arton curiously, face full of questions. "Why can you actually fuse together with other people?"
"Would you ever go out of your way to explain your Devil Fruit ability to other people, Ace?" Arton asked.
"If it's a stranger, of course not." Ace answered. "But if it's family, then it's no problem."
"Then do you think we're family?" Arton asked again.
"Uh… no." Ace scratched the back of his head as he answered.
"There you go, then. Do you really think I'd explain this ability to you? If you're really that curious, how about using your strength to ask me?"
"If your power can impress me, I don't mind telling you." Arton folded his arms across his chest as he spoke.
Hearing that, Ace gave an embarrassed little laugh. But he quickly adjusted his state of mind and flashed Arton a grin.
"Using strength to win you over, huh? Sounds like a fun deal. I figure, if it's you, I can probably go all out."
Ace dropped into a half-crouch, a band of scorching flames starting to coil around his body.
Even though he'd never actually crossed hands with Arton in the true sense… Arton's record on these seas ever since he'd set out was just too overwhelmingly strong.
Even the Marine Admirals couldn't do anything about him.
Ace was confident in his own power, but he didn't think he could take Arton down easily.
"In that case, then show me what you've got." Arton said. "One move decides the winner. Sound good?"
Robin had already been fighting for a while earlier. And she'd been doing it in Signora's transformed state.
For Robin in her current phase, that was undoubtedly something that burned through stamina at a frightening rate.
Even though Arton, by fusing with her, was temporarily keeping her from dropping out of template use… They still couldn't keep this up for too long.
If they dragged it out, Robin might end up dropping out of template mode from exhaustion—just like back when Arton and Nojiko went up against Teach, and Nojiko had been forced out of template state because she'd run out of stamina.
If something like that happened again now, it'd really be a shame.
"One move to decide it, huh? Works for me." Ace chuckled. "Can't drag this out too long anyway."
The temperature around him climbed higher and higher. He swung his hand forward toward the space in front of him, and a ring of fire several meters across formed on the ground.
"Great Flame Pillar!"
With Ace's sharp shout, a gigantic pillar of fire suddenly roared up, shooting straight toward the high ceiling of the Plane of Euthymia.
Not far away, Nami frowned.
"This guy's got some skills after all." Nami muttered.
Ace was using this move inside her Plane of Euthymia, so of course Nami could feel just how strong this move was.
If Ace really let this power explode to its fullest, she was honestly worried she might not have enough stamina to keep maintaining the Plane of Euthymia.
"But Arton should find a way to stop him." Nami said, turning her head toward where Arton was.
…
"Great Flame Pillar, huh? Mm, not bad." Arton watched the move—one Ace had only ever used against Blackbeard in the original—and nodded in satisfaction.
"Flames like this are even more worth freezing solid with ice." Arton lifted his hand, and a bone-chilling cold began to gather around him.
The extremely frigid air instantly froze the ground beneath his feet, and the spreading frost faintly began creeping in the direction where Ace stood.
....
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