However, the moment Kaya recovered even a sliver of chakra, she immediately used Mystical Palm Technique to channel it into Arton's body.
As time passed, the water in the medic bath grew paler—the herbs had been fully spent. Kaya tirelessly replaced the medicinal ingredients and changed the water again and again.
Each time the bath was ready, she would step in, hold Arton in her arms, and whisper the same plea by his ear over and over, hoping he would wake.
Time drifted on. In the blink of an eye, it was already deep night.
"Arton, please wake up. As long as you wake… You said you wanted me, didn't you? I'm ready now. Please—open your eyes."
Kaya lifted her head and murmured as she looked at his face. Exhaustion from constant chakra use was written all over her features.
"Is that true, Kaya?"
Suddenly, a voice that shocked her beyond words sounded right by her ear.
"A–Arton? That's great—you're awake!"
Kaya looked at his face and saw that Arton's eyes were open. He was smiling at her.
"You've worked hard, Kaya. Thank you for taking care of me," Arton said sincerely, wrapping an arm around her waist. There wasn't a trace of desire in him—only pure gratitude.
Only after truly unleashing Emiya Shirou (Alter)'s Noble Phantasm did Arton grasp how terrifying it was.
The power was immense, but the backlash to himself was real—especially since he had gone all out. Even after exiting the Emiya template, the pain of cerebral fluid depletion left him woozy.
In that haze of pain, it was Kaya's voice that guided him back from the depths; otherwise, he might still be unconscious now.
"This is what I should do, Arton. I'm so glad the medicine worked," Kaya said with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder.
All at once, Arton felt a mischievous hand sliding up his leg. He raised a brow and promptly caught Kaya's wandering fingers.
"Arton?" Kaya looked at him, puzzled.
"Get some proper sleep, Kaya. Look how worn out you are—your skin's even turned a little rough, you've got dark circles too," he teased, flicking her forehead lightly with a smile.
Kaya blinked, surprised—then couldn't help a soft laugh. "Captain, you really are as gentle as ever."
She nestled against him and slowly drifted off.
"You've worked so hard, Kaya. Sleep well," Arton said, patting her back. He lifted her from the bath, carefully dried the water from her skin, carried her to her cabin, and laid her on the bed.
"Without realizing it, Kaya's hair has grown longer… she's getting more and more of that Tsunade vibe," Arton mused, brushing a hand over her hair and briefly over her chest. Smiling to himself, he opened his Diary System to log her current state.
[Photo: Kaya sleeping — 1]
[Photo: Kaya sleeping — 2]
[Photo: Kaya sleeping — 3]
…
[Video (Live Recording): Kaya sleeping]
Charlotte Smoothie: "Huh, Arton's diary has new content! And it's about his crewmate—so he's okay, right?"
Charlotte Galette: "Wonderful. That means we still have a chance to track him down."
Viola: "I knew it—there's no way that man Arton would be done in so easily."
Baccarat: "He's the man I've set my sights on. If he kicked the bucket before I found him, that would really put me in a bind."
Monet: "Zephyr first, then Garp. Even that lineup couldn't take Arton. You must never make an enemy of this man. Someday the Young Master will understand me."
Doll: "So he came through safely after all… Was it thanks to this doctor named Kaya?"
Gion: "Kaya's Tsunade template—her medical memories really are amazing."
Chapter 302 — Tashigi's power-up
Aboard the pirate ship. On deck.
"Great—Arton woke up! Let's go check on him."
Ain, who was sweeping the deck, had noticed Kaya's photos in the diary copy and looked over, delighted, at Uta, Nojiko, and the others who were also still on deck.
But after she spoke, no one moved.
"W-what's wrong? Aren't you worried about Arton?" Ain asked, confused, as everyone simply watched their own diary copies.
Nojiko smiled. "Kaya's taken care of Arton for so long. Let them have a little time alone now."
Nami added, "Arton is recording a video for Kaya. If it runs a bit longer, Kaya will grow stronger, too. If we go interrupt, he might stop the live recording—and I don't want that."
"Yeah," Tashigi said. "If Kaya gets even stronger, she'll be able to help Captain Arton more as our doctor. Now isn't the time to disturb her."
"Even you, Tashigi?" Ain stared; there was no trace of a Marine about Tashigi anymore—as if she had always been a member of Arton's crew.
"Tashigi is our crewmate now. It's normal she'd say that, right?" Carina hopped down from the lookout with a grin. "And the mood between Kaya and Arton is pretty good. They might even sleep together. It'd be rude to butt in."
"That'd be… kind of enviable," Nami pouted.
"Hehe, I was only saying maybe," Uta laughed big, then looked back at the diary's live feed of Kaya. No doubt about it—Kaya looked sexy. That flawless figure even made Uta a little jealous. No surprise: with the Tsunade template, Kaya had the best figure on the ship. Harder still, Kaya was the shy type. Sexy + shy together… even Uta envied her a bit. Still, Uta had her own style and knew Arton liked that too.
"Since Kaya's asleep now, with Captain Arton's personality he probably won't make a move," Tashigi mused, rubbing her chin.
"That's true… but Tashigi, you've really been studying the captain lately, huh?" Nami teased.
"Th-that's right," Tashigi answered softly. How could she not know him well—Arton had already gotten to know her deeply.
"Anyway, back to work," Carina concluded as acting captain. "Garp getting blasted away is a big deal. We'll drift here for now and wait for the captain's orders."
Everyone nodded—no objections. To help Arton recover, Carina, Nami, Nojiko, and Uta had already decided to keep watch all night. Not even a mosquito would get through.
Tashigi wanted to keep watch too, but Carina and Nami refused, saying she'd also exhausted her stamina. In the end, Tashigi could only return to her room—bringing Ain, the hostage, with her.
"Tashigi, you've gotten so strong," Ain said as they sat side-by-side on the same bed. "You kept the fusion with Arton going for so long, long enough for him to use Tier Harribel's power to defeat Teacher Zephyr. How did you manage to keep Arton writing your name, photos, and videos in the diary for so long? Don't tell me… you're already Arton's woman?"
...
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