"Arton!" Kaya's face was as red as an apple—irresistibly biteable.
Of course, Arton did exactly that. He pulled her into his arms, sat her with her back against his chest on his lap, and—pop—left the mark of his lips on her cheek. Kaya pressed her lips together, blushing. She was shy, yes, but also quietly happy.
Ain stood to the side with a tray, watching with envy. Naturally, her envy came from thinking that if Arton treated her like this, she'd rack up many more points.
"Arton, thank you for helping me awaken Observation Haki earlier," Kaya said quickly, noticing Ain's burning gaze—and also that Arton's other leg was beginning to… lift.
She hurried to change the subject. Though she'd decided to be Arton's woman, they weren't alone: Karina was asleep nearby, and Ain was standing right there. Kaya didn't want to get too intimate in front of them.
What she didn't know was that Ain would have loved for the two to get handsy—maybe Arton, in a moment of passion, would take care of her as well. Then she'd have achieved her first goal in joining the crew: become Arton's woman, and getting a template from him would be easy.
"You noticed the Observation Haki, huh?" Arton rested his chin on Kaya's shoulder, smiling. "How is it—do you like it?"
"Mhm. I like it a lot." Kaya had skimmed her diary copy after waking and already learned about the Haki.
"Good." Arton nodded. "You're our vital doctor. With Observation Haki, I can worry less about your safety. If someone attacks you, sense it first and dodge—then give them a Heavenly Pain Kick and send them to the next world."
He even mimed a high kick. Kaya chuckled. "Of course."
While the two chatted back and forth, Ain's patience thinned. She had a mission here. If Arton ignored her, how could she achieve it?
"Um, Captain, breakfast will get cold. Please eat it while it's hot," Ain said, stepping closer with the tray.
"Almost forgot." Arton looked at Kaya's face, inches away. "Want to eat together?"
"You go ahead, Captain. I ate before coming," Kaya smiled.
"Alright." Arton loosened his hold on Kaya and reached for the tray.
"Um, can I feed you, Arton?" Ain asked.
"Feed me?"
"Yes."
"Hehe. You really are interesting. Seeing you like this makes me reluctant to let you go, Ain."
"I'm not leaving!"
"Not leaving? Don't kid yourself. Your teacher Zephyr is safe. You say you want to stay—who'd believe that?" Arton shook his head. Still, he let Ain feed him; freeing both hands to hold Kaya was hardly a downside.
Lips pressed, feelings tangled, Ain spooned porridge into Arton's mouth one bite at a time. She understood she had no proper reason to remain. A hostage should be eager to leave—yet she wasn't a normal hostage.
I need a reason to stay, she thought. Even if I have to do what Tashigi did and strike a Celestial Dragon…
As the thought formed, her diary copy flickered. She glanced down—delighted to see Arton had started a live recording for her.
"What is it? Something wrong, Ain?" Arton had opened the diary to log Ain's service career, but seeing her freeze, he asked in confusion.
Chapter 310 — Exposing Zephyr's Plan to Destroy the Grand Line
"N-no, it's nothing, Arton. Please try this fried egg—I made it earlier." Ain cut a small piece with the table knife and held it to Arton.
Since he'd started live recording, she wasn't in a hurry to end breakfast; the longer the meal, the longer the recording time.
"Mm, soft-centered—nice."
"Thanks! This is my specialty."
"Your specialty? It's good, but if a fried egg is your signature cuisine…" Arton paused, giving her a look up and down. "Miss Ain, don't tell me this is the only thing you can cook."
"I… I'll work hard and learn other dishes."
"Hehe, thought so." Arton chuckled at her fluster. He didn't care much either way; in his mind Ain wouldn't stay long. Once he didn't need the hostage, he'd send her back.
…
Charlotte Pudding: "Ugh, the galley is mine. No one's stealing it."
Baby 5: "Maid vibes? Hey, I'm the one who should be the maid!"
Charlotte Custard: "More live video? This navy girl's lucky."
Baccarat: "She's got a knack for it—her points are climbing fast."
Ulti: "I usually hate watching other women rack up points, but if she pokes the navy's hornet's nest after… I'm intrigued."
…
[Instructor Zephyr's student, Ain.]
[My impression of her in canon was "cautious type." In reality she's a bit different—fair enough; this is the real world, not manga.]
[Now that she's here with me, will she still be at Zephyr's side in the future when he's expelled by the navy and the World Government? Without a right hand like her, Zephyr's plan to destroy the entire Grand Line will be even harder, won't it?]
Yamato: "What?! Destroy the entire Grand Line?!"
Hiyori: "Is that even possible?"
Black Maria: "So that's why the navy hunts him?"
Charlotte Smoothie: "However you spin it, that's insane. Who could destroy the Grand Line?"
Gion: "I recall Zephyr once proposed ending the Great Pirate Era by making One Piece cease to exist. Is he trying to erase the Pirate King's treasure by destroying the Grand Line?"
Ain stared at Arton, eyes bright. She hadn't expected him to bring up Zephyr's future because of her. She straightened, continued feeding him, and watched her diary.
[There are three "keystones" in the Grand Line.]
[After leaving the navy and founding the Neo Marines, Zephyr kept hunting pirates—but they were endless. In the end he decided to destroy the Grand Line's three keystones to sink the whole route beneath the sea.For that, he even led a raid to steal the navy's Dyna Stones.]
[At that point… he was basically consumed by obsession.There are so many people living on the Grand Line—burying them with One Piece is too cruel.]
[…No. My crew and I are on the Grand Line now. If Zephyr sets back down that path, I'll have to stop him myself. I can't count on the navy to do it.Maybe I should keep Ain by my side. If he really goes that far, I'll use Ain to force him to back down.]
...
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