Arton, unlike Bonney, wasn't torn by sentiment.
Even if she had yet to meet him face-to-face—and even knowing Arton's biggest flaw was being too much of a womanizer—she couldn't deny one fact: if Arton offered enough, she wouldn't mind giving herself to him.
Taking a deep breath, Bonney slowly calmed down.
Her eyes lingered on the diary entries about Kuma, a faint light flickering in them.
"So… Father was protecting me all this time."
"But then… why did he leave me?"
Her brows furrowed, lost in memories, searching for the reason Kuma had chosen to become a Warlord of the Sea.
What she didn't know was that, at that very moment, members of the Revolutionary Army like Ivankov and Koala were already discussing whether to recruit her.
And across the seas, powerful pirates were weighing the possibility of seizing her to force Kuma into their service.
After all, Kuma's power was too great.
Anyone who could control him would instantly gain a terrifying weapon.
Of course, for the average pirate, trying meant nothing but a quick death.
[It wasn't just Jewelry Bonney. Take X. Drake, for instance.]
[It made perfect sense why Admiral Kizaru didn't capture him at Sabaody.]
[After all—Drake was a Navy spy planted among the pirates.]
Gion: "Damn it… Arton really went and exposed it?!"
Doll: "This is bad. If the Beasts Pirates find out, there's no way Drake can infiltrate them now."
Smoothie: "A spy sent by the Navy into the pirate world? Drake's a captain, isn't he? So they intended for him to join a major crew as an undercover agent?"
Whitey Bay: "The Navy is as devious as ever. But with Arton spilling it here, that plan is finished."
Ulti: "Hah! The female marines must be cursing Arton to the heavens right now, hahaha!"
[Speaking of Drake, the Navy really invested in him.]
[They knew Kaido had a preference for Zoan Devil Fruit users.]
[And Drake happened to be a rare Ancient Zoan type.]
[So they let him go early, hoping he'd earn Kaido's trust.]
[Kizaru sparing him wasn't negligence—it was strategy.]
[In fact, letting the other Supernovas go may have been to avoid suspicion, ensuring Drake could slip into the Beasts Pirates without issue.]
Ginrummy: "What?! That guy was supposed to infiltrate Kaido's crew as a spy?!"
Black Maria: "An Ancient Zoan user, hm? No doubt Kaido would welcome him into the Beasts Pirates."
Ulti: "Tch! If I'm here, that Drake bastard isn't joining anything. Over my dead body."
Smoothie: "Interesting… looks like we'll need to avoid recruiting this one. I wonder—did he actually succeed in joining Kaido's crew in the original timeline?"
Kujaku: "Arton really knows how to stir up trouble for us, huh."
[As it turns out, Drake really did succeed.]
[Not only did he infiltrate the Beasts Pirates, he even rose to become one of the Tobi Roppo.]
[To reach that level proved his talent was no joke.]
Cinnamon: "The Tobi Roppo?! Drake… becomes that strong in the future?"
Ulti: "No way! Same rank as me? Arton's making things up again!"
Black Maria: "Too late now. With Arton's revelation, there's no way Kaido will let him in."
Gion: "Then we'll just have to recall him. Luckily, Drake's potential is high enough—he could still become a powerful Vice Admiral someday."
"But… how do we convince Fleet Admiral Sengoku to call him back?"
[Looking back now, Admiral Kizaru at Sabaody wasn't entirely slacking off.]
[After all, among the Supernovas were three special cases: Luffy, Jewelry Bonney, and Drake.]
[If you want to talk about real slacking, it's got to be his performance during the Marineford War.]
[Good lord, on that battlefield between the Navy and Whitebeard's crew, there were three Admirals. Out of them all, he fought the lightest.]
[Sakazuki the Red Dog went head-to-head with Whitebeard, and in the end even left him critically wounded, letting Teach swoop in and finish the job.]
[By the end, Sakazuki was bloodied and battered, looking downright miserable.]
[Kuzan the Blue Pheasant may not have matched Sakazuki's achievements, but he at least crossed blades with Whitebeard—and even got sucker-punched so hard by Diamond Jozu that he coughed blood.]
Gion: "So Sakazuki was really that overwhelming at Marineford? …No surprise, I suppose."
Doll: "Wait—Admiral Kuzan was struck hard enough by Jozu to spit blood? That actually happened?"
Galette: "That makes Aokiji seem weaker compared to Sakazuki."
Whitey Bay: "So Jozu shined that much? I wonder how I appeared at Marineford… Damn Sakazuki, damn Teach. Neither of you will escape my wrath."
[Of course, Jozu's strike was a sneak attack. Kuzan didn't react in time—and considering his opponent was one of the Four Emperors, that's forgivable.]
[Later on, Kuzan returned the favor with a surprise of his own—freezing Jozu's arm clean off. One-for-one, debt repaid.]
Whitey Bay: "Jozu's arm was severed?! All the more reason I need Arton's friendship—only that way can the Whitebeard Pirates avoid this grim future."
Kujaku: "So Kuzan really was that formidable…"
Galette: "As expected, not a single Admiral is simple. Even if Aokiji didn't cripple Whitebeard, taking down the arm of Jozu—renowned for defense—is still a terrifying feat."
Belo Betty: "And yet Kizaru… apparently did almost nothing at Marineford."
[Then we get to Kizaru. Red Dog and Aokiji walked away battered and bloodied.]
[But this guy? He came out spotless.]
[He could match blades with the Dark King Rayleigh, yet got sent flying by one kick from Marco, crashing into his own fortress wall.]
[When Luffy charged into the heart of the battlefield, Kizaru punted him right back—straight into Whitebeard's arms, the safest place possible.]
[And this was pre–Fifth Emperor Luffy, before he even learned Haki. For Kizaru, killing him should've been child's play.]
[When Law was escaping with Luffy, Kuzan froze the sea solid, almost catching their submarine.]
[And then Kizaru soared into the air and fired his Yasakani no Magatama—no, more like a Yasakani no Near-Miss—shattering Aokiji's ice, but not a single shot hit Law's sub.]
[Either his Observation Haki is pathetic… or maybe it's way too good.]
[Makes you wonder: was he giving Garp face? Or is Kizaru actually a Revolutionary Army plant inside the Navy?]
[First he punted Luffy back to Whitebeard, then he shattered Aokiji's ice chase—was he protecting Dragon's son?]
[And in the end, unlike the other Admirals who left scarred and bloodied, Kizaru walked away untouched. Not even a rip in his clothes.]
[Against the Whitebeard Pirates, no less. If word got out, wouldn't that be humiliating for them?]
All the women: "…"
The diary holders were dumbfounded.
They never expected that just by spotting Zephyr, Arton would end up ranting about the very man who executed him—Kizaru—and then spiral into dissecting Kizaru's bizarre performance at Marineford.
...
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