[Sky Island's scenery really is pretty great.]
[And these dials are nice too. They're not super useful to our crew right now, but we should still grab some before we leave.]
[Who knows—maybe one day they'll come in handy.]
[Maybe the Flameblade Pirates' cook could use a Flame Dial to cook meals?]
[Or we could put some Heat Dials in a bathhouse and make a proper hot-spring soak?]
[Yeah… for day-to-day living, these dials actually have a lot of potential.]
Whitey Bay: "Huh? Arton's diary started up again? Didn't he already finish today's task? If he keeps writing now, he won't even get points for it, right?"
Whitey Bay: "Wait—don't tell me he's about to go deal with that Enel guy? No… Arton's talking about life stuff. Did he already take Enel out?"
Makino: "Fire dials… hot-water dials… If I could get a few of those, daily life would be a whole lot easier."
Smoothie: "Arton wouldn't open the text screen just to write about daily routines. If he's typing now… does that mean he's about to give away Serval's template?"
Gion: "So it's that woman he mentioned before—Conis? He actually managed to recruit her into the crew?"
Doll: "If that's what happened, there's nothing to be done. With a mysterious power like that—and a template Arton rates so highly—very few people would be able to refuse."
Kujaku: "Honestly, if it weren't for my position, I'd want a template from Arton too. Sacrificing a little 'charm' wouldn't be a problem."
Ulti: "Damn it—don't rush it! Why not give me a template like Serval?!"
Kalifa: "Forget it. I probably can't use Serval's template anyway. I'll just watch quietly."
…
On Sky Island, Uta looked at the Diary Copy panel in front of her… then glanced at Arton as he hopped onto the pirate ship with her on his back. A small smile tugged at her lips.
Then she looked over at Ain, who had just jumped down from the lookout platform, and gave her a nod.
"Nice, Ain," Uta said with a bright grin.
"You too, Uta," Ain replied. "I already called the others. They'll be back soon."
On the way back, Uta had contacted Ain, and Ain had relayed the message to Nami, Carina, and the rest.
Sure enough, the moment Ain finished speaking, a chorus of lively voices rose from the deck.
Uta turned—and there they were: Nami, Carina, Robin, and the others returning together.
Arton noticed them as well. He smiled and gave them a quick nod—then refocused on his diary.
Line after line of fresh text appeared on his screen… and at the exact same time, the same words bloomed across the Diary Copies of the Flameblade Pirates' girls.
No one interrupted him. Instead, they sat down and waited quietly—patiently anticipating Arton's thoughts like they always did.
For them, peeking into Arton's mind had basically become a hobby.
Still, they didn't forget to take care of him, either.
Kaya brought Arton some tea, and Uta dropped to her knees on the floor, gently settling the back of Arton's head onto her smooth, pale thighs.
Chapter 558: Uta's Getting More and More Mischievous
"Thanks, Kaya. Your tea is—as always—really good," Arton said with a smile.
"I'm glad you like it." Kaya chuckled, then reached out. "Let me hold it for you. Lying on Uta's lap like that, it's probably awkward to keep a cup steady."
"Thank you." Arton gave her a small nod, then looked up at Uta. "And thanks to you too. This lap pillow's great—nice and soft."
"As long as you're satisfied." Uta's hands moved in a steady rhythm, massaging his temples. Then she tilted her head, smirking. "But honestly, I thought you'd prefer Kaya's lap pillow."
Arton raised a brow. "Oh?"
"Because Kaya's… bigger. In every way." As she said it, Uta shot Kaya a blatantly jealous look.
Tsunade's "upgrade" hadn't just been about Kaya's chest—other parts of her figure had filled out, too, noticeably more than the rest of the girls on the ship.
No matter how Uta tried to play it cool, there was no way she wasn't jealous.
After all, the template she'd gotten was… basically a flat plank.
So when it came to "growing," the only thing she could rely on was herself.
Thankfully, she'd started with good proportions—and after countless sessions with Arton, her body's potential was being steadily, thoroughly developed.
"Uta, d-don't tease me…" Kaya mumbled, cheeks burning.
"Seriously," Arton sighed, giving Uta's thigh a light pat. "You little brat—you're getting more and more playful."
He shifted his head to settle in more comfortably, then finally refocused on his diary system.
[A few things happened. Conis has agreed to join the Flameblade Pirates. Not just her—Raki also seems willing to come with me to the Blue Sea.]
[That's a pleasant surprise. I don't even have a template suited for her right now. I was still thinking about how I'd even recruit her.]
[But now I don't have to rack my brain. If she's already… that determined, she probably won't back out.]
Sadi: "No kidding. This Raki girl clearly sees Arton's potential—of course she'd want in."
Domino: "Arton's still worrying about it… but honestly, Raki—and the other Diary Copy holders—probably all want to join his crew."
Stussy: "Even if Arton gets handsy with them, women who live on the seas won't necessarily see that as a bad thing."
With Stussy's experience, she'd seen plenty of infamous women pirates—some of them even captains of their own crews.
And the ones who could truly stand at the top were usually open, bold, and unashamed. They craved strength.
If someone offered them a good Devil Fruit, some of them would even be willing to trade their bodies for it.
And if that was true for a Devil Fruit… Arton's templates were on a whole other level.
If Arton offered a template, those women pirates would absolutely grovel for it—letting him do whatever he wanted for as long as it took.
He wouldn't even need to name who the template was for. He could just say: Whoever makes me feel the best gets it.
And those women would go crazy, throwing themselves at him until Arton was satisfied.
Of course, Stussy didn't rule out the possibility that some truly vicious types might try to kill Arton and take the template by force.
But people like that… would probably die very, very badly.