Gion had no idea that at this very moment, Ain's mind was already blank. She could only sit there, watching the same clip over and over again—the image of Kizaru leading the Navy against Zephyr, light bullets raining down on her teacher.
After a long while, tears slid down Ain's cheeks.
"I won't… I absolutely won't allow this to become reality. No matter what, I'll stop it from happening."
Her fists clenched tight as she muttered to herself.
Arton had mentioned the matter of Kizaru and Zephyr before, but back then it was only words—no proof, no image. Now he had shown it in vivid motion. Even if it was just an animated projection, seeing Zephyr collapse in exhaustion stirred overwhelming grief in her chest.
That grief solidified her resolve. The thought she'd toyed with before—seeking Arton's strength—now burned stronger than ever. If Arton appeared before her now and asked her to join him, she might say yes on the spot.
"Ain? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Binz's voice snapped her out of it. She gasped and hastily wiped her face.
"It's… it's nothing, Zephyr-sensei. Just the sea breeze, some sand in my eyes."
Binz frowned, glancing around at the endless sea. Sand? Out here? It didn't add up. But since Ain clearly didn't want to say more, he didn't press her.
"If you say so. Come on then. We may be facing Arton soon. Zephyr-sensei wants us to discuss strategy. You know as well as I do—his crew is full of dangerous ones, all with bizarre abilities. If we don't prepare properly, we could be in for real trouble."
Binz was Ain's classmate, one of only two disciples to survive the pirate attack on Zephyr's ship all those years ago. But unlike Ain, he didn't have Arton's diary. He knew nothing of Arton's respect for Zephyr, nor that Arton wasn't the same kind of brutal pirate the Navy usually faced. To Binz, Arton was simply a menace—a pirate vile enough to kill a Celestial Dragon and threaten another with death. Someone like that had to be stopped, or Zephyr's life could be at risk.
"Strategy, huh…" Ain bit her lip, eyes glinting with thought. "Alright. Let's go see Zephyr-sensei."
She took her first step forward—only to freeze. A hand had settled on her shoulder.
"…?"
Ain turned, startled. There shouldn't have been anyone behind her. Yet a hand was clearly there.
Hina: "Wait—Arton started a livestream?! That's Ain… and up ahead—that's Zephyr-sensei! Arton's actually on Zephyr's ship?!"
Doll: "Damn it, is Arton about to strike?!"
Kujaku: "That form… he's fused with Tashigi, isn't he?!"
Domino: "Meaning he has Harribel's template at his disposal. He can command water itself."
Whitey Bay: "On the open sea, controlling the currents is a nightmare for Devil Fruit users. Zephyr might not be one, but if Arton stirs the waters, his men will be in serious trouble."
Shyarly: "Arton himself isn't a Devil Fruit user, so fighting underwater isn't a problem for him. If he uses Harribel's power to drag Zephyr and his crew beneath the waves, they'll be in real danger."
Camie: "If I had Harribel's template, I'd be amazing too! I can already breathe underwater—just pull the enemy down and watch them drown without lifting a finger!"
Smoothie: "So this is the strength of the Espada template? Very well. Let's see how far Arton can push it."
The moment Arton set foot on Zephyr's warship, he had already activated the recording function.
After all, this was his first time using Harribel's template against a worthy opponent—one he truly respected. He wanted this moment documented.
Even if he didn't keep the video, he planned to record it in writing afterward. More importantly, today's daily mission wasn't complete yet. For the sake of those points, he needed that streaming time.
Because he was recording, the female Marines and female pirates were all stirred into a frenzy.
The Marines feared Arton would harm Zephyr—maybe even defeat him before Garp could arrive.
The pirates, meanwhile, wanted to witness Harribel's true power firsthand.
Especially Smoothie. Even now, she remained obsessed with Harribel's template. She was dying to see what kind of strength Arton could unleash with it.
Tashigi might continue to grow stronger thanks to Arton, but Smoothie was convinced Tashigi still had a long way to go before she could fully wield Harribel's power. For now, only Arton using fusion could show its true scale.
And until today, there had never been such an opportunity. Smoothie wasn't about to miss it.
"Could it be… Arton?!" Ain's eyes widened, heart pounding.
"Ain, what's wrong? Wait—who the hell is that?!"
Binz turned back, noticing Ain had stopped. His gaze locked on the man standing behind her—tall, golden-haired, clad in white robes, half his face hidden by a high collar.
At once, Binz tensed. No such person should have been aboard Zephyr's ship.
Naturally, it was Arton himself.
Photos of him had circulated through the Navy, but with half his face obscured by the bone-like mask and his aura so different from the reports, Binz didn't recognize him.
Arton smirked, tugged down the collar to bare the jawline beneath the mask, and said,
"Weren't you looking for Arton? Well, here I am."
His eyes slid to Ain, who trembled slightly. He assumed it was fear. He didn't realize it was excitement that made her shake.
"What—Arton?!"
Binz's eyes went wide as he drew the blade on his back. His shout drew the attention of Zephyr and the nearby Marines.
When Zephyr saw Ain caught in Arton's grasp, his face darkened. He strode forward to stand beside Binz, brows furrowed.
"You're Arton?!" Zephyr demanded. He held himself back only because Ain was in Arton's grip. His sharp gaze studied the half-concealed face before him. The aura didn't match the reports, but the resemblance to the intel was undeniable.
"Yes. That's me." Arton nodded slightly, smiling.
"Tashigi once disguised herself like this in Loguetown. If your Navy knows my abilities, then you should know that the one standing before you is Arton."
At that, Zephyr recalled the Loguetown incident, where Tashigi had appeared in a similar outfit when facing Smoker. Not identical, but the similarities were enough.
"Arton… this is fusion with Tashigi, isn't it?!" Zephyr's thoughts churned.
"Then Tashigi also has a Devil Fruit ability? And Arton is drawing on it through fusion? Was that Fruit given to her by Arton himself?!"
Grinding his teeth, Zephyr barked out loud, his voice sharp as thunder:
"Arton! What are you doing here?!"
"Release my disciple—now!"
...
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