As time went by, the various Diary Copy holders finished reading the stories of the different versions of Shirou Emiya. For a moment, their hearts were full of mixed feelings—some emotional, some reflective.
Smoothie: "Though we're pirates, I have to admit Shirou Emiya's path is admirable."
Black Maria: "Compared to the hypocritical Navy, Shirou Emiya is the one who truly embodies justice."
Nico Robin: "Even the Shirou Emiya who became the hero of justice for his lover—and the one who became the hero of justice for his sister—are far nobler than certain fake Marines."
Ulti: "In the end, the Marines are just lapdogs of the World Government."
Yamato: "Ugh, Shirou Emiya's stories are so epic! Darn it, I want Arton himself to tell me every detail!"
Monet: "Carrying the dream of being a hero of justice usually leads to a grim fate. That's why being a pirate is freedom. Still, so that's how Black Shirou Emiya's power works!"
Koala: "Sniff Shirou Emiya is just…amazing."
Belo Betty: "The Navy could never possess such a pure notion of justice as Shirou Emiya's. But we of the Revolutionary Army might have a shot at embodying that ideal."
Rebecca: "The two guns in Black Shirou's hands—are they modified Kanshou and Bakuya? And those bullets can apparently compress an entire Unlimited Blade Works inside them."
Whitey Bay: "That Unlimited Blade Works exploding from within a person's body… If you got shot by a bullet like that, there'd be no way to survive."
Vivi: "No wonder Mihawk said if Arton used Unlimited Blade Works again, Mihawk would die! But what about Crocodile, a Logia-type user—would he be killed outright by that move?
She found herself imagining the scene of an entire world of swords suddenly bursting open inside Crocodile.
Vivi didn't really know whether Crocodile could endure that move or not. But one thing she did understand: there was no way Crocodile could stand against Arton, who had already beaten Mihawk.
"Arton should be on his way to Cocoyasi Village by now," she murmured, a tinge of worry in her eyes. "If I head to the East Blue now, is there any chance I'll find him?"
"Even if you hurry over, you won't catch him at Cocoyasi Village," a familiar voice suddenly said from behind her. "You're better off waiting here. It's almost certain you'll eventually run into Arton."
Startled, Vivi spun around to see none other than Nico Robin.
"It's you!" Vivi exclaimed.
Robin smiled and leaped lightly off the sea turtle she'd been riding, landing in front of Vivi. "I was worried you might rush to the East Blue on impulse, so I came to remind you. Also, there's another matter I need to tell you about."
She paused for a moment, "I mentioned earlier that I'd keep an eye on the Baroque Works to see if any of them held a copy of the diary. We have results now."
Hearing that, Vivi tensed. "Who is it?!"
She had every reason to be anxious. The Baroque Works were her enemies, which meant that if there were members in that organization with Diary Copies, they might become her competitors for Arton's attention.
If it came down to Arton either helping Vivi save Alabasta or helping whoever in Baroque Works held a Diary Copy, who could say which way he'd choose? After all, not everyone would be willing to ally themselves with Vivi the way Robin had.
"Mr. 5's partner, Miss Valentine—Mikita—and Mr. 1's partner, Miss Doublefinger—Paula," Robin answered without hesitation. "Paula is the proprietress of the Spider's Cafe in Alabasta."
"It's them?" Vivi exclaimed. "Wait, that cafe owner is a Baroque Works agent?! I never had a clue."
Vivi had met Paula before. To her, Paula was just a normal bar owner. Remembering how she might have accidentally exposed herself in front of that woman made her break into a cold sweat.
"What about them—are they willing to be my allies?" Vivi asked, recalling Robin's idea of gathering more Diary Copy holders into a single team.
"No way to know for now." Robin shook her head. "They're both extremely loyal to Baroque Works. I haven't found an opening to invite them to our side. I came here to warn you—whatever you do, be sure to keep your situation secret in front of those two. You know how dangerous it would be if they found out the truth about you."
Vivi trembled at Robin's words, realizing how correct she was.
"But there's no need to worry too much," Robin went on. "I won't assign them any mission near where you are. Arton still has quite a distance to go before he reaches Reverse Mountain, so please just wait patiently here for him. Believe in the place you hold in Arton's heart, Princess. After all, in the 'stories' about you, you're Arton's pure-hearted heroine. If you have time, you might also want to study some of the…techniques in those works that could make Arton, shall we say, very happy fufu~."
Having said her piece, Robin turned to leave, while Vivi stood there, her face burning at the thought of those so-called "techniques."
"Techniques, huh…" Vivi murmured, her cheeks glowing bright red as she recalled a particular scene described in the works:
She was in the royal palace's bath, palms braced against the wall, body bent at a ninety-degree angle, while Arton stood behind her, hard at work.
"I mean… I can do that angle," she muttered to herself. "But really? Should I bring Arton into the palace bath? What if Father finds out?!"
Her face turning as red as an apple, Vivi clenched her fists. "No—I can't keep worrying about that forever. Nami went all-in for her hometown. How can I not go all-in for my kingdom?"
Vivi patted her own burning cheeks, whispering, "Techniques, huh… I'll make it happen. Just you wait, Nico Robin."
Raising her head, she looked toward Reverse Mountain in the distance.
"Arton revealed his next set of coordinates. Those Marines pursuing him will definitely head that way. I just hope everything goes smoothly for Arton."
She clasped her hands together and silently offered her prayers.
…
Women's Marine Group Chat
[Gion: Doll, Kujaku, have you two met yet?]
[Kujaku: Yes, we've met up. Right now, Doll, Hibari, and I—the three who have Diary Copies—are on our way to the Marine 16th Branch in the East Blue. Once we've apprehended Captain Nezumi, we'll set out for Cocoyasi Village.]
[Gion: Excellent! Hina, Tashigi, how are things on your end?]
[Hina: We're on our way to Cocoyasi Village as well. Because time is tight, we decided to head there immediately. Also, splitting from Doll and the others reduces the chance Arton will recognize them as Marines right away. I believe we'll reach the island Cocoyasi Village is on before Doll's group. As for the corrupt members of the 16th Branch, we've locked them all up. They shouldn't be able to tip off Captain Nezumi.]
[Gion: That's great news! We just might get to Cocoyasi Village before Arton. But keep an eye out for a woman named Nojiko—Arton's mentioned her several times, so there's a good chance she also has a Diary Copy.]
[Hina: Understood. That woman is Nami's sister. Arton might try to recruit her into his pirate crew.]
[Kujaku: If Arton insists on staying a pirate, maybe we could infiltrate his crew as pirates ourselves… But really, why does a guy who has a "hero of justice" template like Shirou Emiya have to be a pirate? Why can't he just join the Marines? Shirou Emiya's sense of justice is so pure.]
[Domino: Shirou Emiya's unwavering justice is truly moving. "Justice" is practically woven into his soul. Even Emiya Alter, after all his darkness, reverts to that pure resolve in the end, smiling as he carries out just deeds.]
[Tashigi: That's the sort of justice that's truly deserving of the name.]
[Hibari: Can the Marines ever become like Shirou Emiya?]
[Gion: We can! Yes, there are some people in the Marines right now who aren't worthy of bearing the word "justice," but as long as we work hard enough, I believe the Navy can eventually match Shirou Emiya's ideals.]
After Gion said this, a hush fell over the chat. None of the Diary Copy holders were fools; they all knew how difficult it would be for the Marines to rise to that standard of justice. No matter how hard they tried, the Celestial Dragons would remain an insurmountable barrier.
"If it were Shirou Emiya, what would he do if he saw the atrocities the Celestial Dragons commit?" Tashigi stared blankly at the sea.
"That man would surely step in to stop them, wouldn't he?"
"And me… do I really have the courage to draw my sword against a Celestial Dragon? If I can't—can I really call myself someone who upholds justice?"
Tashigi gazed at the blade Shigure in her hand, shimmering with cold light, feeling a bit lost.