"No wonder it's Arton," Smoothie murmured, licking her luscious lips as she studied the newspaper and the wanted posters in her hand. "First bounty, and it's a staggering three billion Berries. He really is the man I set my sights on."
But when her gaze fell on Tashigi's wanted poster, her expression suddenly darkened. "Tier Harribel's power—Arton was clearly thinking of giving it to me. And then that woman barged in and snatched it. Otherwise, that overwhelming power would be mine."
Small wonder Smoothie was upset. It wasn't only that Tashigi had obtained Harribel's power; it was also that, thanks to that power, Tashigi now bore a higher bounty than she did.
As one of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders, Smoothie's bounty was only 932 million Berries, yet Tashigi had leapt straight to one billion. Yes, stabbing a Celestial Dragon played a part—but it didn't make Smoothie any less displeased.
"No. I can't let this stand. If I want a bond with Arton… I can't make enemies of the women around him. Not even Tashigi." Smoothie placed a hand on her ample chest and drew a long breath.
She was confident her charms were no less than Tashigi's, but in her heart she knew Tashigi had connected with Arton first; as the journey went on, their feelings would only deepen.
If she and Tashigi were at odds when that time came… well, it was obvious whose side Arton would take.
To secure what she wanted from Arton, Smoothie calmed herself quickly. "Besides, it seems Tashigi's relationship with Arton has already moved a step further. I'll have to treat her even more cautiously than Nami, Carina, and the rest," she muttered.
"You're thinking about Arton again, Smoothie?" came a familiar voice by her ear.
"It's you, Custard. What do you need?" Smoothie greeted Custard at once; after all, Custard, like her, possessed a diary copy.
They might have to cooperate in the future, so Smoothie's tone toward Custard was gentler than usual.
"Nothing much. Just that Mama called earlier."
"Mama called? What did she say?"
"It's about Arton," Custard replied, accepting the fresh-pressed juice Smoothie handed her with her Fruit power and taking a seat.
"What did Mama say?" Smoothie asked, curious.
Custard took a sip. "Mama saw today's paper. She's extremely excited about Arton's three-billion-Berry bounty. She said we must bring Arton before her no matter what—and we absolutely cannot let the Beasts Pirates get to him first."
Smoothie smiled. "But of course. Arton is ours. We will never hand him over to those women in the Beasts Pirates. Besides, when it comes to beautiful girls, they can't hold a candle to the Big Mom Pirates."
"That may be," Custard nodded, "but we still need to be careful. The news very deliberately played up the 'all-Mythical-Zoan' angle of Arton's Flameblade Pirates. That's guaranteed to provoke a huge reaction from Kaido. He might even come for Arton personally. When that happens, it won't be looks that decide where Arton goes—it'll be strength. And if Mama doesn't come in person, our power alone can't match Kaido's."
At that, a flicker of worry passed through Custard's eyes.
Chapter 324: Smoothie Sets Sail—Off to Find Her Fiancé?!
"Kaido, huh? If he really comes in person… that would be worrisome. But since Arton could repel the Marine Hero Garp, it's not impossible he could repel the Emperor Kaido too. I think, in the end, what decides whether Arton stays or goes will still be feminine charms." Smoothie smiled, all seduction.
"Let's hope so," Custard said. "In any case, you're in charge of this operation. We'll follow your lead."
"Oh, one more thing. We've confirmed the positions of Cinnamon and Galette—the ones who set out ahead of us. Should we link up with them?" Custard asked.
"No need for now. If our two teams search separately, the odds of running into Arton go up. The Grand Line has a far more complicated climate than the East Blue. If the women around Arton keep him from revealing his location in the diary, our difficulty in finding him will double. So two teams are better than one—as long as we keep in frequent contact," Smoothie said.
"That's true," Custard nodded. "The women around Arton really are crafty. Whenever he's about to name his current position in the diary, his companions always find a way to distract him, making it even harder for us to track him."
Smoothie laughed. "It also makes it harder for the Marines and the World Government to find him. If Carina, Nami, and the others hadn't used their charms to divert his attention at Reverse Mountain, Arton might have run into Zephyr, Gion, and Garp all at once. If he'd been captured, that would've been far too cheap for the Marines and the World Government. In a way, we should thank those clever women around him. After all, when it comes to finding people in the first half of the Grand Line, we can't match the Marines and the World Government."
Custard sighed. "Even so, I still hope we can meet that man sooner."
"Me too," Smoothie said, gazing out at the horizon. "I really want to meet my future husband."
…
As the news of the bounties on Arton and his crew spread across the world, the Marines, the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and even the Revolutionaries all paid close attention.
The other diary-copy holders were even more focused. Arton's companions, of course, knew all this perfectly well.
After getting the latest papers, Carina gathered Uta, Nami, and the others in the dining room to hold a meeting—just to keep the voyage safe. As for Tashigi, she took over Carina's post in the lookout to "take care of" Arton.
More accurately, she was there to prevent him from writing his coordinates into the diary. If Arton so much as started to jot down their location, Tashigi would have to use every trick she had to divert his attention.
Though Tashigi wasn't exactly a master of seduction, Carina figured Tashigi's ex-Marine status was an advantage. Just like some men are into nurses, Marines, or prison-guard uniforms, maybe Arton would be more easily distracted by a former Marine—so long as Tashigi was bold enough.
What Carina didn't know was that Tashigi and Arton had already done what should be done—and what shouldn't—so if anyone could let go and be bold right now, it was definitely Tashigi.
At the same time, after her talk with Kaya, Ain also came to the lookout with Tashigi. The two of them stood behind Arton as he gazed out over the sea, saying nothing—at least on the surface. Out of Arton's sight, the two were chatting away via their diary copies.
...
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