"Anyway, stay here for now and think it over," Kaya said, patting Ain's shoulder before pulling up a stool to sit. "After this, do your best to make Captain Arton believe you're not… 'having issues in the head.' At the very least, that'll raise your chances of being allowed to stay."
Ain wanted to hurry off and close the distance with Arton again, but when she saw Kaya standing guard at the door—and remembered the advice she'd given—she finally let go of the idea of looking for Arton right away.
Rather than rushing over and increasing the odds that Arton would throw her out, it would be better to cool down and think: how could she approach him without arousing his suspicions?
…
Before dawn, at Marine Headquarters.
"Good morning, Admiral Aokiji."
"Hello, Admiral Aokiji."
"Please, this way—Admiral Akainu and Admiral Kizaru have already arrived in the main conference room."
Yawning as he walked down the corridor, Aokiji raised an eyebrow at the chatter around him.
"The other two Admirals are already here? What kind of situation makes all three Admirals attend a meeting…? And Borsalino actually arrived before me?" He scratched the back of his head.
Hard to believe—Kizaru was even more of a slacker about being late than he was.
"Since you know, pick up the pace, Kuzan."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, you're here too. So what happened?"
"You'll find out once the meeting starts."
"C'mon—give me a little preview."
"You… honestly. Fine, telling you won't hurt: it's about Arton."
"Arton?" Aokiji's brow furrowed. "Don't tell me he laid hands on the Celestial Dragons again? Vice Admiral Tsuru, weren't we planning to bring Arton into the fold? Even the World Government seemed to want him under control. Don't tell me… that failed?"
Tsuru nodded slightly. "It did fail. Arton's pirate crew has already entered the Grand Line. And yes—he did it after repelling both Zephyr and Garp."
Aokiji stopped short, staring at Tsuru's back in disbelief. "What?"
"Vice Admiral Garp? And Teacher Zephyr? How is that even possible?!"
Tsuru pushed open the door to the main conference room and gestured inside. "You can learn the details during the briefing."
Aokiji nodded. The moment he heard Tsuru's intel, his drowsiness vanished; the lazy look was gone from his face. He quickly found his seat.
"Just about everyone's here," came the grave voice of Fleet Admiral Sengoku. "Let's begin."
"Arton has already entered the Grand Line. The World Government has run out of patience. Starting today, we will place bounties on Arton and his companions. In addition, given the peculiarity of Arton's powers, and to reduce risks when you attempt to apprehend him in the future, this meeting will present a comprehensive analysis of his abilities."
Kizaru stroked his chin. "Analysis, huh? When the reports came in that Arton defeated Shiki and Dracule Mihawk, we already ran an analysis, didn't we? Don't tell me Arton still has abilities we don't know about?"
Sengoku nodded. "Arton possesses a Devil Fruit power that allows him to 'fuse' with his companions and use their abilities. This seems somewhat similar to the Paramecia-type Swallow-Swallow Fruit. Of course, when Arton is not fused with a companion, he can use a power that creates swords—he transforms when he uses this ability. Sword creation, transformation, plus the capacity to fuse with companions…"
Even as he spoke, Sengoku still felt some hesitation—his instincts told him Arton's abilities were not so simple. Vice Admiral Tsuru, famed for her strategic mind, felt the same.
Unfortunately, because of restrictions tied to the diary copies, Gion, Kujaku, and others could not fully disclose Arton's powers, which forced Sengoku and the rest to proceed along this limited line of analysis.
Chapter 314: Does Arton Control Seawater? Kizaru Is Shocked!
"In addition, Arton's potential is very strong—and he grows stronger very quickly. That's why we hoped to arrest him before he entered the chaotic Grand Line." Sengoku's voice was steady. "To that end, both Garp and Zephyr went to the East Blue. Unfortunately, the plan failed."
Aside from Aokiji, who already knew the gist, the other Marine officers looked stunned, and the conference room grew noisy.
"This is pretty scary," Kizaru drawled. "Teacher Zephyr has aged and declined somewhat… but Vice Admiral Garp is still terrifyingly strong. And yet even he couldn't stop Arton?"
Akainu said nothing, but the air around him seemed to heat up—clearly, his mood was far from calm. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, shall I go and arrest Arton?" he asked.
"We'll discuss that after we finish covering Arton's group, Sakazuki," Sengoku replied, glancing at him. Then he looked across the room and continued. "The traitor Tashigi displayed a peculiar power in Loguetown. This may have been granted by Arton—a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit. However, she clearly hasn't mastered it fully. At the Reverse Mountain waters, Arton encountered Zephyr; at that time, Arton fused with Tashigi. Through fusion, he seems able to fully wield the Devil Fruit power within Tashigi. In the end, Arton used that power to repel Zephyr and took his student Ain away."
"This power is formidable. If the battle takes place at sea, Arton becomes exceedingly troublesome—especially for Devil Fruit users," Sengoku said, massaging his temples. "This ability can control seawater."
The room fell silent.
"Yes," Sengoku emphasized. "As you heard: Arton can freely manipulate seawater to aid him in combat. And it's not ordinary water control—the seawater attacks were even able to stun Zephyr, who was defending with Haki."
Everyone frowned, particularly the Devil Fruit users. A Devil Fruit user's weakness is seawater; every Marine officer knew that. A powerhouse who can control seawater is a natural disaster for ability users—especially if those seawater strikes can knock out someone like Zephyr.
Though Zephyr has grown old and declined, his strength is still above a standard Marine Headquarters vice admiral. The fact that even a non-ability user like Zephyr tasted defeat shows just how troublesome Tashigi's power is when wielded through Arton.
"Truly frightening—practically a Devil of Devil Fruit users," Kizaru murmured. "Sakazuki, perhaps you shouldn't take the arrest mission. Let Kuzan handle it; he can freeze the ocean anyway."
"You think I can't handle Arton, Borsalino?" Akainu's gaze hardened.
"That's not it," Kizaru said mildly. "You do have Moonwalk, but it would still be… messy, wouldn't it?"
"Hmph!" Sakazuki snorted and lifted his chin toward Sengoku. "Fleet Admiral, earlier you spoke about Zephyr—but not Vice Admiral Garp. How did Arton repel Garp?"
At that, everyone turned, curiosity piqued. In their minds, Garp's prestige was immense; it was hard to imagine anyone defeating the Hero of the Marines.
"As for Garp," Sengoku answered, "Arton did not defeat him. It was a sudden, unexpected strike that forced Garp back and prevented him from continuing the pursuit."
...
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